Norse (viking, scandinavian) mythology on Wikipedia

Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology efer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. It is the best-known version of the older common Germanic mythology, which also includes the closely related Anglo-Saxon mythology. Germanic mythology, in its turn, had evolved from an earlier Indo-European mythology.

Norse mythology was a collection of beliefs and stories shared by North Germanic tribes, not a revealed religion, in the sense that there was no claim to a divinely inspired scripture. The mythology was transmitted orally during most of the Viking Age, and our knowledge about it is mainly based on the Eddas and other medieval texts written down after Christianisation.

In Scandinavia and Iceland these beliefs held on the longest, and in rural areas some traditions have been maintained until today, recently being revived or reinvented as Ásatrú or Odinism. The mythology also remains as an inspiration in literature (see Norse mythological influences on later literature) as well as on stage productions and movies.

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