Did You Know …?

The Vikings worshipped the Norse Gods, and made sacrifices to them in times of danger.

The earliest written sources of Norse mythology date back to the eleventh century – that’s over a thousand years ago.

The points on the compass derive from Norse mythology – the four dwarfs Nordri, Sudri, Austri and Vestri held up the sky, and their names translate as ‘Northern’, ‘Southern’, ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’.

Some of the days of the week are named after Norse Gods:

• Tuesday from the God Tyr
• Wednesday from the Old English for Odin (‘Woden’)
• Thursday from Thor
• Friday from Frigga

Many Norse myths, legends and characters have been turned into superheroes by Marvel Comics. Thor is the most famous comic-book character, and in 2011 the film Thor was released, which made the stories of Norse mythology very popular.