In the fields, cows grazed on verdant green grass and in the trees birds caught a melody and tossed it from branch to branch until the whole world sang with their splendid music. There was no evil in Asgard and the good was as pure as the water, as the air, and as the thoughts of each god and goddess as he and she slept. Each night the sky was lit with glistening stars, and the fresh, rich white moon rose in the sky and lit all with her milky light. The sun rose each day, never too hot, and the clouds gently cooled the air as the day waned. Each day dawned new and fresh for the passage of time had not been accorded to Asgard and nothing changed except to be renewed. Life in Asgard was one of profound comfort and grace. There are many stories told about Frigga, as we will discover below. As mother of all, Frigga carried about her a heady scent of the earth – blossoming flowers, ripened fruit, and luscious greenery. She was goddess of the atmosphere and the clouds, and she wore garments that were as white as the snow-laden mountains that gently touched the land of Asgard. Frigga was daughter of Fiogyn and sister of Jord, and she was greatly beloved on earth and in Asgard. Odin lived in Asgard with Frigga, who was the mother-goddess and his wife. Those who were injured would be healed instantly by the enchantment of Valhalla, and those who watched became even finer warriors. After the meal, the warriors would retire to the palace forecourt where they would engage in unmatched feats of arms for all to see. Even the boar was divine and Saehrimnir, as he was called, was slain daily by the cook, boiled and roasted and served each night in tender, succulent morsels, and then brought back to life again the following day, for the procedure to take place once again. Like everything else in Asgard, Valhalla was enchanted. The tables were laden with the finest horns of mead, and platters of roast boar. In Odin’s great hall were huge banqueting tables, where the Einheriar, or warriors favoured by Odin, were served. The walls were made of glittering spears, polished until they gleamed like silver, and the roof was a sea of golden shields which shone like the sun itself. Valhalla means ‘hall of the chosen slain’, and it had five hundred great wooden doors, which were wide enough to allow eight hundred warriors to pass, breastplate to breastplate. Valhalla was Odin’s palace at Asgard, and its grandeur was breathtaking. On the battlefield, Odin would dress as an old man – indeed, Odin had many disguises, for when things changed in Asgard, and became bad, he had reason to travel on the earth to uncover many secrets – attended by ravens, wolves and the Valkyrs, who were the ‘choosers of the slain’, the maidens who took the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. He was more subtle and more dangerous than any of the other gods, and his name in some dialects means ‘wind’, for he could be both forceful and gentle, and then elusive or absent. Odin belonged to a mysterious region, somewhere between life and death. If one happened upon them while hunting, success was assured. At the foot of Odin’s throne sat two wolves or hunting hounds, Geri and Freki, and these animals were sacred. On his finger Odin wore a ring, Draupnir, which represented fertility and fruitfulness and which was more valuable to him, and to his land, than anything in any other god’s possession. In his hand Odin carried a great spear, Gungnir, which had been forged by dwarfs, and which was so sacred that it could never be broken.
Hugin and Munin were Odin’s eyes and his ears when he was in Asgard and he depended on their bright eyes and alert ears for news of everything that transpired down below.
On his shoulders he carried two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (Memory), and they perched there, as he sat on his throne, and recounted to him the activities in the great wide world. While not having the brawn of many excellent men, he had wisdom which counted for much more. He held a throne there, one in an exalted and prestigious position, and it served as a fine watchtower from which he could look over men on earth, and the other gods in Asgard as they went about their daily business. He was called Allfather, for all gods were said to have descended from him, and his esteemed seat was Asgard itself. He was the most supreme god of the Northern races and he brought great wisdom to his place at the helm of all gods. Odin was the son of Bor, and the brother of Vili and Ve.
The second of ten Norse myths tells of Odin and Frigga in Valhalla in Asgard, and their sons Thor, Balder and the first gods of the Vikings…
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