Editing Norse Mythology (section)

===Other important things associated with Norse Mythology===
*'''[[Yggdrasil]]''' - The World Tree. An actual gigantic tree, but also a sort of metaphysical highway linking nine universes - it is the core of the Norse Mythology, and it has always existed. Those realms are: Asgard (Home of the Aesir,. Vanaheim (Home of the Vanir), Alfheim (Home of the Elves/Dwarves; there isn't much destinction in Norse mythology between Elves and Dwarves), Niflheim (Land of Ice and Fog), Musphelheim, (Land of Ash and Fire), Midgard (realm of mortals/Earth), Jotunheim (Home of the Giants), Svartalfheim (realm of the Dark Elves/Dwarves), and Helheim (realm of the Dead). Encasing Yggdrasil is the Ginnungagap, the chaotic abyss from which all life sprung from. Four stags called Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Duraþrór run among its limbs, feeding on the leaves. A great serpent called Nidhogg lies within its roots and gnaws upon them, and an eagle perches upon its top. The squirrel Ratatoskr runs up and down its trunk, carrying insults between the two.

*'''The Norns''' - These are the three sisters who preside over the fate and destiny of gods and men, much like their Greco-Roman counterparts. They reside near Yggdrasil's roots at a great well of knowledge, and their names are Urd (What Once Was), Verdandi (What Is Now), and Skuld (What Shall Be).

*'''Sleipnir''' - As noted above, Loki got fucked by a stallion while disguised as a mare. Well, in truly horrifying mythological fashion, he gave birth to an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, who later became Odin's favourite warhorse. Family reunions must've been ''awkward'' in Asgard.

*'''Fenrir''' - Another one of Loki's animal children, and the aforementioned giant wolf whom bit off Tyr's hand due to Odin and the rest of the Aesir-Vanir binding him out of fear. He's prophesied to eat the sun and then kill Odin during Ragnarok, only to be slain by his son, Vidar.

*'''Jormungandr''' - Yet another Loki spawn, the World Serpent. Basically, a snek so fucking huge that he can encircle all of Midgard when he bites his tail. Prophesised to annihilate Midgard and then fight Thor to the death during Ragnarok.

*'''Nidhogg (Níðhǫggr; A.K.A.: [[Awesome|Malice Striker]])''' - A dragon/serpent/wyrm/giant snake who gnaws at a root of Yggdrasil. It is often portrayed as a horrific monster that resides in Hel, in a place called Náströnd, where it chews (not swallow it immediately and be done with it, mind you, so it's much slower and painful) the corpses of criminals, or those that were considered criminals in the ancient Scandinavian societies: guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking. Because of that, it is generally associated with the loss of honour and the status of a villain. It is often using Ratatoskr, a squirrel as a messenger to exchange insults with an hawk called Veðrfölnir that lives on the upper part of the Yggdrasil.

*'''The Jotun''' - Usually called "Giants" or "Frost Giants" in the US, Jætter or Jotunn are the personification of nature's chaos to the gods' personification of human order. Many of them are barbaric or even evil, but they aren't automatically [[Chaotic Evil]] - though they are almost always Chaotic. They live in most other planes, though they are by far most numerous in Utgard. They tend to hate the gods because Odin killed their primordial father, Ymir, who the entire world is made out of. Notable Jotunn are Loki and Skadi above; Utgard-Loki, a powerful lord in Utgard who humiliated Thor by convincing him to wrestle with a personification of old age and tricked Loki into participating in an eating contest with the embodiment of fire, and Surtr, king of the fire jotunn, who leads the charge during Ragnarok and succeeds in killing off most of the gods.

*'''The Valkyries''' - Often assumed warrior maidens in service to the Aesir even though they were originally more forces of nature. Their core purpose is to find those destined to die in glorious battle and carry them upwards to Valhalla.

*'''The Vanir''' - Rival god pantheon of the Aesir which we know little about. The Aesir and Vanir fought a war at some point but eventually made peace and exchanged captives to keep it. These captives are Freya, Frej and Njord. Due to these three gods being fertility gods who are among the least masculine gods (compared to the likes of Thor or Tyr, this is understandable), some researchers propose that the Vanir represented feminine virtues to the very warlike and masculine Aesir. Says a lot about the [[Vikings]] that they didn't even flesh out the Vanir pantheon, let alone worship them.

*'''Vættir''' - Local spirits of the land and sea who keep it alive. The term "vættir" means "a being" or "a creature" in Old Norse, but it is most often used to refer to the landvættir, who are more similar to [[Fairy|fairies]] but distinct from the Elves. It is also extended for all kinds of supernatural beings, including the jotnar, and even the Vanir and Aesir gods. This word is related to the archaic English word "[[Wight|wight]]", which became associated with a powerful undead being; nonetheless, modern English-speaking worshippers of the Norse deities use the word for the vættir spirits.