Its branches reach up into the heavens its roots go down into the world of the dead and frost giants. A version of the tree of life, Yggdrasill stands at the centre of the Old Norse universe. Where biblical texts and other legends attributed floods, plagues and pestilence to the wrath of God or the gods, the story of Yggdrasill resonates more in a world that is alert to the impact of man. From an elegiac exploration of the environment, musings on masculinity and a reckoning with existence, these ancient Nordic myths underpin many of the ways we think today So they have a note of pessimism which resonates in a more secular world."ĭespite this, they are not without hope or enlightenment. Its inhabitants are marching towards the end of time. "And unlike Greek and Roman myths, they portray a world which is finite. "The Norse myths are important because they take place in a landscape which for people in Britain and the English-speaking world, we recognise as being like our own," Professor Larrington tells BBC Culture. ![]() ![]() The joy of reading is to commune with other people through the stories they have left behind – but to recognise in their worlds something of our own.Ī new book, The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think by Carolyne Larrington, a professor at Oxford University, explores the contemporary resonances of Norse myths, and examines their reimagining in popular culture. Reading stories from centuries' past, it's reassuring to discover that while times change, human instincts and emotions are more constant and universal. The stories we tell reflect who we are, as both individuals and societies, at any given time. In this discipline, the premise that there are seven basic plots (as outlined in a book of the same name by Christopher Booker) holds sway. I am a novelist, and teach creative writing. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations." This is particularly true of storytelling. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. Of course, ancient Norsemen didn’t know about ice particles in the clouds, or the attraction of electrically charged ions, so they summoned up a more romantic explanation.The US writer Mark Twain famously wrote: "There is no such thing as a new idea. Thunder always accompanies lightning, but may be heard even when the lightning can’t be seen. It is caused by the expansion of rapidly heated air (remember, 50,000° F!). Thunder is simply the sound that lightning makes. That’s hotter than the surface of the sun. This activity usually takes place 15,000 to 25,000 feet above sea level, and it is hot! The temperature inside a lightning bolt can reach 50,000° F. Over time, the strength of the charge grows, and these opposite ions become attracted to one another, causing the electrical energy to shoot between them, or between them and the ground, expelling the buildup of energy. These electrically charged particles are called ions. Some of those particles become positively charged, while others become negatively charged. Lightning occurs when liquid and ice particles in the clouds collide with one another and rub together, creating a static electrical charge. Flashes of lightning meant Thor had thrown Mjölnir, at a foe.Īs fun as it may be to imagine Thor rumbling through the heavens slaying evil monsters, today we know that thunderstorms, like everything else in nature, have a scientific explanation. Thor spent his days defending Asgard - the home of the Norse gods - from serpents and frost giants and the like.Īncient Germanic people believed thunderstorms occurred whenever Thor rode his chariot into battle, pulled by his two goats: Tanngrisni (“gap-tooth”) and Tanngnost (“tooth grinder”). Son of Odin, the “all-father,” Thor was a muscle-bound hunk who wielded a magical hammer, Mjölnir, that returned to his hand whenever it was thrown. Featured in epic poetry, operas, films, and comic books, Thor is so popular that he even gave his name to a day of the week: Thursday. One of the most beloved and well known of these is Thor, the Norse god of thunder. It’s no wonder, then, that nearly every culture has personified these forces as a deity. A flash of lightning, coupled with a clap of thunder, can be nothing short of awe-inspiring. While an average thundershower may not be as devastating as a hurricane or tornado, what it lacks in destructive force, it makes up for in drama. Thunderstorms are one of the most dramatic natural occurrences most of us see on a routine basis. In this series, we’ll explore some of these ancient myths and share the science behind them. Many of these accounts were fantastic in nature, with evil or benevolent gods, monsters, and spirits controlling the elements. ![]() Long before modern science began to understand the processes that create our weather, people made up their own explanations.
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