This book introduces Viking Age religious beliefs, connecting the familiar stories of Odin, Thor, Freyja, Loki and other deities to their historical and cultural setting.
From the creation of the world through Yggdrasil and the nine realms to Valhalla, Helheim and Ragnarök, the central ideas of Norse mythology are explained through the Eddas, sagas and historical evidence.
Beyond the myths, the book examines sacrifice, sacred places, beliefs about the afterlife and what historians can establish about religion in everyday Viking life.
