Within Nordic culture the people used myth to explain certain aspects of their society, how they see the world, and explain natural phenomenon. These myths set up the basic structure and decorum that the Norse people followed in their day to day lives. It has to be noted though, that the myths we have to draw on today were translated and transcribed by a Christian missionary and some of the stories are probably slanted to present Christian symbolism. 

There is a myth called The Song of Rig that explains why there is a class system. In this myth, Heimdall, an Aesir God, visits three different households for a period of three days each. With each house he visits he sleeps in the same bed as the husband and wife and impregnates the wife. Each house Heimdall visits possesses more and more wealth. The difference in wealth between the households determined the three classes in society, setting up the peasant, warrior, and lords. This sets the basic infrastructure of Norse society. 

Yggdrasil by Christian
[Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0]

Nordic culture had a completely different world view from what is commonly accepted today. Instead of the world being round and revolving around the sun the Norse viewed the world as being separated into three levels that were supported by a tree called Yggdrasil. The lower level of the tree supported the equivalent of a Norse Underworld, the middle region was called Midgard where mankind lived, and the top level was called the realm of Asgard where the gods resided. There were thought to be eight other worlds that centered on the holy tree, Yggdrasil. 

The creation myth that the Norse believed in was also different from what is mainstream in religions today. They believed that the galaxy was created when the Aesir and the Vanir gods and goddesses slayed a giant. While the body of the giant was ripped to pieces the different parts were put into place in order to create the stars, sun, earth, Milky Way, etc. 

The Norse used myths to explain natural phenomenon as well. In the myth Loki’s Flyting, Loki is punished by the Aesir for killing Balder, a beloved god. After Loki was captured he was bound by his son Naris’ entrails and the goddess Skaoi took a venomous snake and placed it over Loki’s face to drip poison. Loki’s wife Sigyn holds a bowl over his face, but when the bowl is full she has to leave to empty it allowing poison to hit Loki’s face. Loki writhing in pain from the poison is what the Norse believed caused earthquakes. 

The Nordic culture is unique in its own rights. The myths are very bloody and are somewhat confusing in a modern day context. The Norse had a different world view from what we have today, but the basic structure of their society is similar. Norse myth is more relatable to Greek myth then Hindu, Christian, or Native American. Greek myth, like Norse is has a pantheon of gods and goddess, is fairly gruesome, and similar creation myths. If Norse myth gets confusing first compare it Greek to try and understand what the underlying message is.

For Further Reading

Crossley-Holland, K. (1981). The Norse Myths Introduced and Retold. USA: The Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library. ISBN: 0349748468 

Click here to order your copy now!

The Zapotecs are a civilization who flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca located in what is now the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Archaeological evidence left at the ancient city of Monte Albán such as buildings, tombs, and grave goods including worked gold jewelry shows that the Zapotec culture goes back at least 400 BC. The Zapotec’s Monte Albán was one of the first major cities in Mesoamerica and was the center of the Zapotec state that dominated much of Oaxaca.

Extent of the Zapotec civilization
[wikipedia]

They worshipped a pantheon of gods, but their most emphasized deities were Cosijo, the rain and thunder  god, symbolized by the jaguar and the snake, and Coquihani, the god of light, symbols common in Mesoamerican cultures. The Zapotecs had a predominance of deities associated with fertility and agriculture since they relied on mostly agriculture to survive. To insure a healthy growing season they worshiped Cosijo and Pitao Cozobi, the god of maize. Other deities from other civilizations are included such as the Teotihuacan serpent and the butterfly god.

Funerary Urn
[wikipedia]

Other than their gods, the Zapotecs also emphasized their ancestors and death. They believed their ancestors emerged from the earth, from caves, or that they turned from trees or jaguars into people; while the elite that governed them believed that they descended from supernatural beings that lived among the clouds, and that upon death they would return to such status. Religious rites sometimes included human sacrifice.

Jade Mask
[wikipedia]

There are several legends about Zapotec origin. One of them states that the Zapotecs were the original people of the valley of Oaxaca and were born from rocks, or descended from animals such as pumas and ocelots. There is also another legend which states that they settled in the Oaxaca valley after founding the Toltic empire, and that they descended from Chicomostoc.

Looking over the site... Situated on a mountaintop, the site overlooks much of the Valley of Oaxaca.
[Click on the photo for a larger view: wikipedia]

The city of Monte Albán was the Zapotecs main cultural center. This site is where the civilization flourished for about 2,000 years. Today, Monte Albán is considered one of the most majestic cultural centers in all of Middle America. Monte Albán is a complex array of pyramids, platforms, and ball courts -- built in honor of the Zapotec gods and in celebration of the military victories of the Zapotec people. From 200 to 700 AD, Monte Albán became the capital of the Zapotec and home to some 250,000 people, but mysteriously and gradually it was abandoned after 700 AD. The population of Monte Albán is said to have dispersed to several locations and thus weakening their integration with other groups such as the Maya and Aztec.

Find out more: http://www.aboutoaxaca.com/oaxaca/zapotec.asp

About the Author

I'm Jose Pierre and I like learning about all aspects of culture, both ancient and modern. I enjoy learning how they communicated, expressed themselves, and their technology.

History is full of legends, folklore, fables, and myths. Each of these is unique. So, what is mythology? Myths are stories of the gods outside of the human world that took place in the remote past. Most of the time, these stories that place in a world very different than the one we live in. Myths explain the concerns and ideas of a society. There is a very vast variety of myths - every culture has their own collection.

Alan Taylor [Google Plus]

Religion is sometimes considered as part of mythology, but it depends on who you ask. Most of the time "myth" is used to describe stories; myths are symbolic. Religion is also symbolic. For example in prehistory, such as Classical Greece, "mythology" was "religion."

The relationship between religion and myth depends on what definition of "myth" one uses. By Robert Graves's definition, a religion's traditional stories are "myths" if and only if one does not belong to the religion in question. By Segal's definition, all religious stories are myths—but simply because nearly all stories are myths. By the folklorists' definition, all myths are religious (or "sacred") stories, but not all religious stories are myths: religious stories that involve the creation of the world (e.g., the stories in Genesis) are myths; however, religious stories that don't explain how things came to be in their present form (e.g., hagiographies of famous saints) are not myths.

Over the course of the next three weeks we are going to take a look at Old World myths, New World myths, and World Religions, in order to compare and understand how complex these different beliefs are. Stay tuned for next Monday!

About the Author

I'm Melanie, the founder of BermudaQuest and an archaeology undergraduate at the University of New Mexico. I love writing about ancient and modern cultures. My goal is to make information about our origins available to everyone [in simple English!]