Thraes World Information
Thraes Mythology
The Asgardian Mythos is followed by most people in the realms the campaign is set in and is loosely based on Norse mythology integrated in with some of the non-human deities borrowed from Greyhawk and The Forgotten realms.
In addition to gods, there are many powerful beings including Archfey along with several powerful Jotun (a general category of supernatural beings that includes fiends). In general, the number of worshippers a being has influences it's abilities to affect the mortal world. Some old and half-forgotten gods still have residual power, but will only mete it out power on a limited basis to achieve specific goals.
See also: Thraes Deities; Alfheim, The Sidhe and Archfey
Asgardian Mythos Overview
Aesir
The collective name for the principal race of Asgardian gods; they who lived in Asgard, and with the All-Father Odin, ruled the lives of mortal men, the other was the Vanir. The Aesir gods under the leadership of Odin, included Balder (god of beauty), Bragi (god of eloquence), Forseti (god of mediation), Frey (god of fertility, who originally was from the Vanir), Heimdall (guardian of the bridge), Hod (the blind god), Loki (god of fire and ally of the frost giants), Njord (the sea god, and another ex-Vanir), Thor (god of thunder), Tyr (god of war), Vili (brother to Odin), Ve (brother to Odin), and Vidar (Odin's son). The goddesses included Freya (the fertility goddess), Frigga (Odin's wife), Sif (Thor's wife), and Idun (keeper of the apples of youth).
Vaenir
The Vaenir are the deities of the elves. At one time there was a great war between the Aesir and the Vaenir, but eventually both sides tired of war. They declared a truce and decided to exchange hostages, the best and the most wise individuals they had. The Vaenir sent Frey and Freya to Asgard, the Aesir sending Hoenir and Mimir. While Hoenir was large and handsome, he only had wise counsel and rulings when Mimir was there to whisper advice into his ears. The Vaenir, feeling cheated, executed both of the Aesir and sent Mimir's head back to Asgard. The Aesir decided this was fair since they had tried to cheat the Vaenir and the truce held.
The Vaenir work closely with the Aesir and several humans worship Frey and Freya. The other elven deities reside in Vanaheim.
Dwarves
The dwarven deities have also long cooperated with the Asgardian deities, having forged many of their mightiest weapons including Gungnir, Odin's spear and Mjolner, Thor's hammer.
Gnomes
While the gnomish deities have less interaction with the Vaenir than the elves or dwarves, Garl Glittergold himself wove new hair from spun gold for Sif (Thor's wife) after Loki removed all of her hair – even a gnome realizes sometimes that a practical joke can go too far.
History
While Odin was the leader of the gods, Baldur his son and greatest of all bards. All of the gods were mesmerized and awed by Baldur's grace and beauty – all but Loki the trickster godess. Loki was jealous of all the attention paid to Baldur. Before Loki could act on his jealousy Frigga, Baldur's mother and Odin's wife, had a vision of disaster befalling her son. She went to all animals and plants and made them promise to not harm Baldur. They all agreed but Frigga overlooked a plant she thought was harmless, the mistletoe.
Knowing that nothing could harm Baldur, the gods made great sport of hurling all sorts of weapons at Baldur which all bounced off harmlessly. However, Loki furnished a spear made of mistletoe and gave it to Hod, Baldur's blind brother. Hod threw the spear with Loki's help and killed Baldur.
In punishment, Hod was killed and Loki was strapped to a rock with a serpent dripping acid onto his forehead. Loki's wife Sigyn caught as much of the acid as she could in a bowl, but every now and then would have to empty the bowl, allowing acid to drip down once more causing great earthquakes and volcanoes in the mortal realm.
Odin was overwhelmed with grief and rage at the death of his son. It was at that point he hung himself on Yggdrasil and sacrificed an eye in exchange for knowledge. A father mourning a favored son, he hoped to gain the wisdom and foresight to see further dangers. It is whispered that he felt responsible for Baldur's death, that if he had only had the wisdom he now sought that he could have prevented tragedy. Obsessed with the visions he received and the ultimate fight against Loki, Odin hardened his heart and became ever more focused on aspects of war and bent his will towards building an invincible army.
Half of all warriors who died in battle went to Odin's hall and many followers felt that there were times when he fomented war to swell his own legions. In the coming battles of Ragnorok, the Aesir, Vaenir, dwarves and gnomes will join together to fight their mutual enemies including giants, orcs and fiends.
Future: Ragnarok
Ragnarok ("Doom of the Gods"), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Asgardian mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.
The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.
The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf Fenris. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent's emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield.
From the realm of the dead a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth. Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield.
From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, fiends and elves will ride towards the huge plain of Vigrid ("battle shaker") where the last battle will be fought. Odin will engage Fenris in battle, and Thor will attack Jormungand. Thor will victorious, but the serpent's poison will gradually kill the god of thunder. Surt will seek out the swordless Frey, who will quickly succumb to the giant. The one-handed Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter.
The fight between Odin and Fenris will rage for a long time, but finally Fenris will seize Odin and swallow him. Odin's son Vidar will at once leap towards the wolf and kill him with his bare hands, ripping the wolf's jaws apart.
Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish. The earth will sink into the sea. After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant supplies. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Lif and Lifthrasir will inhabit this earth.
Fate and the Norns
There are 3 women, the Norns, that are said to craft the fate of mortal and god alike. No one knows their origin but they are said to weave the fate of all beings. Urd (“The Past”), Verdandi (“What Is Presently Coming into Being”) and Skuld (“What Shall Be”). They live in a hall by a well (Urðarbrunnr, “Well of Fate”) beneath Yggdrasil.
It is said that they weave a great tapestry, recording all of history and perhaps creating time itself. When a child is born, the Norns will appear at its birth to decide how long the newborn should be allowed to live. While observing the child, the Norns will measure the child’s lifespan, its fate, both good and bad, and weave it into a thread of life.
The Norns are not worshipped, but they are feared, respected and sometimes blaimed or praised for people's fate.
Sleipnir
The wall that enclosed Asgard was destroyed during a war between the Vanir and the Aesir, leaving the gods vulnerable to an attack by the giants. One day, an itinerant stonemason named Blast came to Asgard and offered to rebuild the wall if the goddess Freya would consent to be his wife. He asked for the sun and the moon as well. The gods wanted the wall rebuilt but the terms stated by the mason were outrageous. However, the god Loki proposed a way of outwitting the mason and getting at least part of the wall rebuilt for nothing. The gods agreed to the payment asked by the mason, but only if the work was completed within six months. The mason insisted that he be allowed to use his stallion, Svadilfari, in rebuilding the wall. The work proceeded much more rapidly than the gods had anticipated and they began to worry that the mason might have to be paid after all. The god Odin threatened to kill Loki if the wall was completed within the allotted time. Loki saw that the mason's horse was doing the heavy hauling and he devised a plan to deprive the mason of the help of his horse. Taking the form of a young mare, Loki lured the stallion into a thicket and made sure that he remained there until the next day. When Svadilfari returned to his master it was too late to complete the work. The mason became so angry that he revealed his true form, that of a stone giant. The god Thor dispatched the giant with a mighty blow of his hammer, Mjollnir. Months later, Loki returned to Asgard. He brought with him a gray colt with eight legs, the foal of Loki the mare and Svadilfari the stallion. He gave it to Odin, saying that its name was Sleipnir. The colt could travel over land and sea and through the air.
Valhalla
Valhalla, Hall of the Slain, in Asgardian mythology is the hall presided over by Odin. This vast hall has five hundred and forty doors. The rafters are spears, the hall is roofed with shields and breast-plates litter the benches. A wolf guards the western door and an eagle hovers over it. It is here that the Valkyries, Odin's messengers and spirits of war, bring half of the heroes that died on the battle fields (the rest go to Freya's hall Folkvang). These heroes, the Einherjar, are prepared in Valhalla for the oncoming battle of Ragnarok. When the battle commences, eight hundred warriors will march shoulder to shoulder out of each door.
Vanaheim
Vanaheim ("home of the Vanir") is the land of the Elven deities. It is located in Asgard, on the highest level of the universe
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil ("The Terrible One's Horse"), also called the World Tree, is the giant ash tree that links and shelters all the worlds. Beneath the three roots the realms of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim are located. Three wells lie at its base: the Well of Wisdom (Mímisbrunnr), guarded by Mimir; the Well of Fate (Urdarbrunnr), guarded by the Norns; and the Hvergelmir (Roaring Kettle), the source of many rivers. Four deer run across the branches of the tree and eat the buds; they represent the four winds. There are other inhabitants of the tree, such as the squirrel Ratatosk ("swift teeth"), a notorious gossip, and Vidofnir ("tree snake"), the golden cock that perches on the topmost bough. The roots are gnawed upon by Nidhogg and other serpents. On the day of Ragnarok, the fire giant Surt will set the tree on fire.
Nine worlds
The first level:
- Asgard, world of the Aesir
- Alfheim, land of the Sidhe (feywild)
- Dwarfheim, Land of the dwarven deities
- Vanaheim, land of the Vanir (Elven Deities)
The second level:
- Midgard, Mortal Realm (middle world/garden)
The third level:
- Jotunheim, Land of the giants (Jotuns) and fiends (devils/demons)
- Svartalfheim, Land of the drow, the underdark
- Helheim, Realm of the dead;
- Niflheim (shadowfell), World of the dead, shadow and dreams.
Alfheim
Alfheim ("elf home"), one of the nine worlds. It is located on the highest level of the Asgardian universe. Also found on this level are the worlds of Asgard and Vanaheim. Alfheim is the palace of the god Frey and the homeland of the deities of the elves of light. The drow deities live in Svartalfheim.
Asgard
One of the nine worlds and the homeland of the Aesir, the race of warrior gods. Located on the highest level of the Asgardian universe, it is surrounded by a high wall of closely fitted stone blocks. The walls surrounding Asgard were built by Blast (or Hrimthurs), who asked in payment the hand of Freya plus the sun and the moon. Odin agreed providing the walls be complete in six months. Hrimthurs had a magic horse, named Svadilfari, who helped him in his work. To Odin's (and the other gods, especially Freya's) horror, with but a few days left, Blast was almost finished. Loki, the trickster, turned himself into a mare and beguiled the stallion Svadilfari away. The job was not completed in time and no payment was given. Also found on this level are the worlds of Alfheim and Vanaheim as well as Valhalla, an immense hall where warriors slain in battle await the final conflict. In the middle of Asgard lies the plain of Idavoll (or Ida) where the Aesir meet to decide important issues. There the gods assemble in the hall of Gladsheim and the goddesses in the hall of Vingolf. The gods also meet daily at the Well of Urd, beneath the Asgard root of the ash tree Yggdrasil.
Bifrost
Bifrost is the bridge between Midgard, the realm of man, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. Since it is the only way for the giants to enter Asgard it is closely guarded by Heimdall, the watchman of the gods. Bifrost was made of three colors with magic and great skill by the Aesir and is incredibly strong. At the end of the cosmos, this rainbow-bridge will collapse.
Gladsheim
Gladsheim ("place of joy") is the hall of the gods in Asgard, situated on the plain of Ida. Odin presides there but also each of the twelve main gods has a high seat there. Gladsheim is where the gods meet to make important decisions. It is also the inner citadel or sanctuary of Asgard.
Helheim
Helheim ("house of Hel") is one of the nine worlds of Asgardian mythology. It is ruled by Hel, the monstrous daughter of the trickster god Loki and his wife Angrboda. This cold, dark and misty abode of the dead is located in the world of Niflheim, on the lowest level of the Asgardian universe. No one can ever leave this place, because of the impassable river Gjoll that flows from the spring Hvergelmir and encircles Helheim. Once they enter Helheim, not even the gods can leave. Those who die of old age or disease, and those not killed in battle, go to Helheim while those who die bravely on the battlefield go to Valhalla. The entrance to Helheim is guarded by Garm, a monstrous hound, and Modgud. The giant Hraesvelg ("corpse eater") sits at the edge of the world, overlooking Helheim. In the form of an eagle with flapping wings he makes the wind blow.
Helheim is neither heaven nor hell, a soul's final resting place largely depends on their life and decisions made. For some it is a paradise, others a purgatory and for the truly evil hell.
Jotunheim
Jotunheim is one of the nine worlds. In some ways, Jotunheim has more in it than the other planes of existance, encompassing the homes of giants (including giant's gods) and fiends including demons and devils.
Mimir's well of wisdom is in Jotunheim, beneath the Midgard root of the ash tree Yggdrasil. Situated on the middle level of the universe, Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river Iving, which never freezes over.
While the surface layers of Jotunheim are dominated by giants, giant-kin (primarily orcs) and slaves, beneath the surface layers lie the home of fiends. Devils and demons can also be found traveling through the surface layers or doing business with the giant and giant-kin.
Udgard
The homeland of the frost giants and rock giants. It lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. Jotunheim is ruled by Thrym ("uproar"), the feared king of the frost giants. The stronghold of Utgard, the chief city of Jotunheim and the abode of the giants, is ruled by the giant Utgard-Loki. Other strongholds include Gastropnir, home of the giantess Menglad, and Thrymheim ("house of uproar"), mountain stronghold of the giant Thiazi.
Muspelheim
A hot and glowing land of fire, home to the fire giants and guarded by Surtr with his flaming sword.
The Abyss, Avernus and Souls of the Damned.
The lands of the fiends lie hidden below Udgard and Muspelheim, accessed via the Pits of Hell. Few go there willingly other than fiends.
While most souls ultimately end up in Helheim, when people make deals with fiends their soul is trapped in Jotunheim as Soul Stones. Soul stones must be mined and are a much sought after source of power. Souls trapped in soul stones are in a state of perpetual torment. It is unknown what happens to souls if the stone is destroyed, although most believe they inevitably drawn to Helheim which is their final resting place.
Demons make their home in the Abyss, devils in Avernus.
Svartalheim
When Ymir's flesh started to rot, maggots grew from the corruption. Various dark entities fed upon the maggots and created a world of darkness and stone with access points deep beneath the earth. Svartalheim is the equivalent of the underdark and can be accessed from caves and tunnels from Midgard. Still suffused with a malevolent darkness, it's magical radiation burns and twists most of its' residents.
There is a magical radiation in the realm which for those susceptible turns their skin a dark grey, almost black . This primarily affects drow, duergar and svirfeneblin.
Lollth (who now resides in The Abyss) was one of those dark entities, she used the power to lure some of the earliest elves, those that thought they were superior to all other races and cruelly bound them in a cycle of hatred and violence. Thus were the drow formed. Very few drow escape Lollth's webs and most never leave Svartalheim except on short raids or missions.
Laduguer (who now resides in Avernus) on the other hand found dwarves he could seduce by greed and avarice creating the Duergar. Never satisfied in their search for more treasure, more gold, more gems, the Duergar often enslave others to be thrown into ever deeper mines.
Perhaps because of their fey origins, or perhaps of the innate good nature of gnomes, Svirfneblin have not been twisted by the nature of Svartalheim. Should anyone be unlucky enough to find themselves trapped there, the deep gnomes can be a valuable ally if they can be found.
by:
Aljergensen