Christian Gods In Norse Religion

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Norse pagan mythology is a rich and complex religious system. At the start of the Viking Age nearly all of the population of Scandinavia were pagans; however, Vikings had many gods so it was not much of a problem for them to accept the Christian god beside their own. The Norse pantheon was comprised of various gods which were built around their everyday experiences, much like many other polytheistic religions. There were several different groups of Norse gods as well, the Aesir, Vanir, and Jotun were groups of gods that controlled differing aspects of life in the Norse religion. It is most likely that Viking raiders had little, if any, animosity towards Christians and their churches or monasteries. The reason that monasteries and churches were…show more content…
Odin is presented as the one in three: Harr (High), Jafnharr (Just as High), and Thridi (Third). Like the Christian god, Odin created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. But his greatest achievement was to create man and give him a soul which would never perish. Vikings, just like Christians, believed in a life after death. Perhaps not the same life after death but nevertheless the similarities are somewhat startling. It is very believable that the Norse could have viewed the Christian god as just another facet of the Norse god…show more content…
One reason is that, as the Vikings began to settle in various locations next to Christian neighbors, tensions might rise. It was far simpler for the Norse who had relocated to convert to Christianity and dispel tensions within their kingdoms thus insuring peace. Alfred the Great used the forced conversion of the Dane Guthrum as a means to bind Guthrum to his word. It served as a legally binding treaty which was more political than religious; furthermore, it would have served to legitimize Guthrum’s rule of East Anglia in the eyes of the Christian s that he ruled. His adopting of the Christian name AEthelstan reassured his Christian subjects that they would be ruled by a Christian king rather than a pagan chieftain. Each king attained something that they

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