This whole Norse myth thing started because I was binge-watching that new Thor show on Disney+. Kinda felt like I didn't get half the references, so I thought, hell let's dig into where this stuff actually comes from.
Step 1: Finding decent stuff to read
Googled "Norse myths for beginners" like an idiot – big mistake. Half the results were kids books or Marvel fan sites. Finally found this old Reddit thread where people actually talked about legit sources.
Step 2: Sorting the mess out
Got three tabs open at once:
- Some academic PDF calling everything by weird Viking spellings
- A podcast transcript where the dude kept comparing Odin to corporate CEOs
- This animation video explaining Ginnungagap like a giant cosmic sandwich
Took forever to figure out everyone was talking about the same damn story.
Step 3: Actually writing stuff down
Made a physical notebook (shocker!) with columns for:
- The frost giants (Ymir's crew)
- Gods building worlds from body parts (super graphic)
- That funky cosmic tree thing
Stopped twice to Google "how to pronounce Jötunheimr" – still got it wrong.
Step 4: Trying to explain it
Called my cousin Mike later that night trying to sound smart:
"It starts with this massive void space, right? Then BOOM giant iceberg meets fire world..."
He interrupted me midway: "So like Game of Thrones with frost zombies?" Exactly like that Mike. Exactly.
What I learned
Nobody agrees on anything. Some sources say Odin killed Ymir with a hammer, others say a sword. One website insisted the first humans were molded from pasta dough (??). Also realized Marvel basically just made up 80% of their "lore" – surprise surprise.
Final notes
Now when Loki shows up on TV I can turn to my girlfriend and say "Actually, in the original myths..." She's threatened to stab me with a butter knife if I do it again. Worth it.
