Ragnarok- Ragnarok is the day when all the gods and all the Einherjar (Band of dead warriors in Valhalla who await Ragnarok) will face all of the evil forces of the land (e.g Fenrir the wolf, Evil Giants, Dark Elves and Dwarves etc). Norse prophets predicted that the Gods will lose at Ragnarok and all the land will fall into chaos and darkness.
Valhalla- Valhalla is the place where dead warriors worthy to fight at Ragnarok await Ragnarok. While in the Vicinity of Valhalla they were immortal
Valkyrie- The Valkyrie were warrior angels who assisted Odin and took a role similar to that of a bodyguard.
Death Traditions- When a wealthy Viking dies they are placed in a Viking boat and burned. Sometimes even pets or slaves were burned along with them
Society Structure- Their society was divided into three classes, the Jarls (aristocracy), Karls (lower class), and Thralls (slaves). It was possible for a Karl to become a Jarl but it was not possible for a thrall to become a Karl or Jarl
Family Structure- Inside a Norse family it was the Wife's job to care of the children and maintain the household, while the men tended the fields. Although it was both the male's job and the female's job to prepare food
Leisure Activities- The Norse enjoyed a range of physically and mentally challenging activities. These include mock-combat, wrestling, mountain climbing, swimming, javelin-throwing, hunting, an activity known as horse-fighting for which the details are unclear, and a field game known as Knattleik which was similar to hockey. Their board games included dice, games of strategy along the lines of chess, and chess itself.
Religion- The Viking religion is very complicated and is governed by the Gods. This is the basic Scandinavian religion. Borr married Bestla, daughter of Bolthorn the frost giant, and gave birth to the gods Odin, Vili, and Vé. These gods united, killed Ymir, and used his body to create the world. The first human beings were Ask and Embla, who had no spirit or form until life was breathed into them by Odin, other gods gave them reason and passion. The world created by the gods was understood as an enormous tree, known as Yggdrasil, and included nine different worlds on which the different races roamed. Each world was controlled and governed by a particular race. The most famous of these are Midgard (home of the mortals), Asgard (home of the gods), and Alfheim (home of the elves) and another realm, Niflheim (the Norse equivalent of hell), located beneath Midgard where those who died poorly went. Heroic women went to the Hall of Frigg in Asgard where they spent eternity in the company Odin’s wife, while men who died heroically in battle went to Odin’s hall of Valhalla.
