Forgotten Myths of Gods & Giants

Scris de **Admin** Lun Feb 26, 2018 8:57 am

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Forgotten Myths of Gods & Giants Ancient-aliens-thor-extraterrestrial-norse-myth-e1519649743481-800x445

The ancient Nordic peoples believed that the giants were the first living beings to walk the primordial universe. In the words of historian H. A. Guerber: “These giants were from the very beginning the opponents and rivals of the gods, and as the latter were the personifications of all that is good and lovely, the former were representative of all that was ugly and evil” (1909). The giants were vulnerable to the gods because they were dimwitted and armed only with stone weapons for protection and assault. The Aesir, on the other hand, were fitted with bronze weaponry and armor. Despite this apparent inequality between the two warring camps, the gods often envied the giants for their mystical knowledge of the past.

The Norse god Thor is, of course, one of mythology’s greatest warriors against the enemies of the Aryan race—the dwarves, dragons, monsters, and, yes, giants. Bound by a solemn oath to protect mortals from the filth and treachery of giants, Thor was a fighting man, down in the trenches, battling for the fatherland and its people. The ancient Nordic peoples knew this; therefore, they proclaimed him the mightiest of all. His weapon of choice was a giant hammer, which according to Herbert Kuhn, a German scholar, means “stone.” Thor’s giant hammer, known as Mjollnir, like the Arthurian Excalibur, could penetrate any armor and shatter any sword. It also would return back to its master, whenever and wherever thrown, with magical swiftness. Thor’s power belt increased his strength, and his iron gauntlets allowed him to wield his mighty hammer. Blazing across the grayish cloudscapes of the North Sea, he followed the retreating sun, known as Sol, on a chariot driven by two mountain goats called Tanngrisner and Tanngjost.

Thor represented a stronghold against the infamous frost giants, who were constantly at odds with both the Aesir and the Vanir. (In Norse Mythology the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future.) It is told by the wandering bards that on one occasion, Thor challenged Hrungnir of the giants to engage in single combat in order to settle long-held disputes. This was a common occurrence, even in the mortal world, in which Viking kings would settle their grievances by dueling instead of committing their sons to die in battle. Hrungnir and Thor thus gathered where the land of the Aesir and the giants met, and there the battle took place.

Fearful of Thor’s growing strength and indomitable spirit, the giants built a cyclopean clay warrior called Mokkurkalfi. To animate the damned creation, he was given a mare’s heart. Thjalfi, Thor’s devoted servant, decided to stage a ruse prior to the upcoming battle. He told the giants that he wished to betray Thor and went on to tell them that Thor’s attack on them would come from below. Thus, they braced for the attack by standing on their shields, but of course, Thor ploughed over them from above. He hurled his hammer, which split Hrungnir’s skull. Bits of shattered bone showered over Thor and sharp pieces of it became lodged in his skull, which the witch Groa later removed (Grimm 1882, 429).

Thor was also the lord of thunder and rain and often carried a thunderbolt. In Sanskrit he is called Tanayitnu, or “the Thunderer” (Däniken 1970). Using his will, he manipulated every aspect of the weather, making him a favorite of sailors and merchants. With his mighty arm, he could throw magic and cast lightning.

He was married to the giantess Larnsaza, and from their fertile union two sons were born: Magni and Modi. Thor’s second wife, Sif, bore him a son named Loride and a daughter named Thrud (Grimm 1882, 398).

During the Dark Ages, Thor and other pagan gods were gradually eclipsed by the followers of Christ, with Saint Boniface being a key figure in this regard. In the eighth century CE, the dedicated zealot Boniface was wandering through the forests of northern Germany when he came upon a horrifying scene: A group of heathen worshippers congregated around an oak, symbol of the Teutonic god Thor and his father Odin. The heathens were allegedly preparing to sacrifice the son of their king, little Prince Asulf, hoping to ensure the well-being and continuation of their race. With one thundering blow of his bare fist, Boniface knocked down the tree. In its place grew a tiny evergreen, which, according to legend, became the first tannnenbaum. This was the beginning of the end for Thor and his many adherents (Andrews 1974, 7– Cool

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Expanding Perspectives: From Norse Mountain Giants to Scottish Cave Dwellers

In Hélène Adeline Guerber’s classic work Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas (1909), Guerber presents an intriguing story, one that explains the origin of Northern Europe’s vast system of mountain ranges. Guerber writes that according to “German legends the uneven surface of the earth was due to the giants, who marred its smoothness by treading upon it while it was still soft and newly created, while streams were formed from the copious tears shed by the giantesses upon seeing the valleys made by their husbands’ huge footprints.”

Surprisingly, some Old Norse and German myths portraying the giants as the creators of Europe’s great mountain ranges have survived to this day. Modern Icelanders have designated their highest peaks the Jokul, a modified version of the original Norwegian word Jotun (“the great eater”), and in Teutonic mythology, the giants were said to be hiding within mountain caverns amid the towering peaks.

The Swiss, a people who inhabit a land dominated by immense mountain peaks and everlasting snow, tell stories of ancient times when giants roamed the world. Indeed, they still identify the crashing of an avalanche down a mountainside with the shaking off of the ice and snow that accumulate on the heads and shoulders of ancient giants.