Norse Myth

Gw tertarik bgt ma Norse Myth ato mitologi skandinavia....awalnya tu gara2 maen PS "Valkyrie profile" Jalan ceritanya bgs, grafisnya jg keren abis...Norse Myth jg ada di manga Matantei Loki Ragnarok. Klo menurut gw Norse myth ni menarik bgt, nah ni klo mo tau hal2 tentang Norse Myth...

Scandinavians believed there are 'nine worlds' (níu heimar), that many scholars summarize as follows:

Ásgarðr, world of the Æsir.
Vanaheimr, world of the Vanir.
Miðgarðr, world of humans.
Muspell, world of the primordial element of fire.
Niflheimr, world of the primordial element of ice.
Hel, underworld, world of the dead.
Álfheimr, world of the Álfar (elves).
Svartálfaheimr or Nidavellir, world of the Dvergar (Norse dwarves).
Jötunheimr, world of the Jötnar (giants).

Each world also had significant places within. Valhalla was Odin's hall located in Asgard. It was also home of the Einherjar, who were the souls of the greatest warriors. These warriors were selected by the Valkyries, Odin's mounted female messengers whose sparkling armor supposedly created the famed Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights. The Einherjar would help defend the gods during Ragnarok, when everyone would die in a great battle between the gods and their iniquitous enemies. A battle, incidentally, emphasising a good versus evil duality common to many ancient mythologies and no less present in Norse mythology. Niflhel was a hellish place in Hel, where oathbreakers and other criminals suffered torments (compare Greek Tartarus).
These worlds were connected by Yggdrasil, or the world ash root, a giant tree with Asgard at its top. Chewing at its roots in Niflheim was Nidhogg, a ferocious serpent or dragon. Asgard can also be reached by Bifrost, the magical rainbow bridge guarded by Heimdall, the mute god of vigilance who could see and hear a thousand miles.
The cosmology of Norse mythology also involves a strong element of duality; for example the night and the day have their own mythological counterparts-- Dagr/Skinfaxi and Nótt/Hrímfaxi, the sun Sól and the chasing wolf Skoll, the moon Mani and its chasing wolf Hati, and the total opposites of Niflheim and Muspell in the origin of the world. This might have reflected a deeper metaphysical belief in opposites as the foundation of the world ( http://en.wikipedia.org).