Introduction
Students have read about the Scandinavian Vikings and the stories of their gods. In this exercise, students will explore Norse mythology to learn about the gods they worshiped.

Lesson Description
Students will use information from the Norwegian Online Information Services Web site to learn about Norse mythology. Students will read about important Norse gods, the sagas told by the Vikings, and the forces that the stories attempted to explain. Students will then answer four questions and apply this information by constructing a chart matching the elements of nature to the roles of these elements in Norse mythology.

Instruction Objectives

1. Students will be able to describe stories from Norse mythology and the forces that influenced the Vikings' beliefs.
2. Students will be able to use this knowledge to organize information into a chart matching elements of nature to their roles in Norse mythology.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. In Norse mythology, the story of creation begins with a land of ice, Niflheim, and a land of flames, Muspellsheim. Between the two was nothing but emptiness. Eventually, the void gave way to the melting of the ice, and the heat brought the snow to life in the form of Ymer, a giant troll.
2. The Norse god Odin set two pieces of driftwood on end and breathed souls into the logs to create the first man, Ask, and the first woman, Embla.
3. The Trolls, commonly called the Jotuns, were the greatest enemies of the gods and humans. Huge, mighty, and usually repulsive, the Jotuns had unrivaled magical powers to constantly menace humans and gods.
4. In Valhalla, warriors fought all day long without regard to their wounds. Whenever they rose from the battlefield, their wounds were healed. In the evening, they marched into the great banquet hall and ate boiled pork. The pig they ate was unique because when dawn came, it had been restored to life.
5. Students' charts will vary.

Go To Student Web Activity