The Norse mythological world has a surprisingly large footprint across popular culture, just like many of the mythological pantheons of the world. This footprint stretches across many different disciplines and is clearly a strong source of inspiration for many.
The modern popular culture landscape is riddled with figures straight out of the mythology of many different cultures, one of the most prolific is, interestingly, Norse mythology. Figures and themes from Norse mythology can be found in modern games, movies, songs and art. While the stories might shift slightly in the telling, and characters are often reimagined and gain new aspects, the inspiration is still those same ancient stories that the Norse of old told around campfires or on endless voyages across stormy seas.
This article will touch on some of the different places in popular culture that Norse mythology and the image of the reaving Viking have landed.
Norse mythology in gaming
You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the world of gaming is one of the most prolific areas where Norse mythology is represented. Allowing players to be a part of, take control of and in many cases defeat the storied heroes and villains of Norse mythology is a great power fantasy, and one that is well realised.
Beyond the action that takes place in the world of Norse mythology, the symbology and themes associated with the ancient Viking culture are also appealing to many. One place that has made frequent use of Norse symbology is the online casino sphere, with the best bitcoin online casinos, as grouped by affiliate sites, often providing a number of different Norse-themed games. These games use the symbology of Thor’s hammer, Odin’s ravens and Viking longships to help captivate players.
One of the best modern gaming examples of a representation of the Norse mythological world is the two most recent God of War games, the 2018 release and its sequel, God of War Ragnarök (2022). These titles let you continue the story of Kratos, a character from Greek mythology, as he traverses the world of Norse mythology. The games have you encounter Freya, Thor, Odin and many other characters as you adventure throughout various of the nine realms of Norse mythology. These games were critically and culturally received with great acclaim, and their representation of these mythological characters is nuanced and rife with meaning and emotion. In short, they are great games, and they represented the characters and world of Norse mythology in a great way.
Modern art and the Norse world
Art depicting the creation and mythology of the Norse world is still being made and is still popular today. The ancient Norse world is heavy with themes and symbology that can make great artistic pieces. From the World Tree Yggdrasil and the nine realms, to the various gods, to the ancient runic languages and symbols of the Vikings, all of it is fertile ground for artistic expression.
Many people all over the world seek to embrace Norse roots in their heritage, or to simply honour the stories of Norse mythology, they enjoy by having tattoo art depicting those stories put on their bodies. Images of Valkyries, runes and Norse knotwork are all relatively popular tattoo choices for people looking to represent resilience, destiny and many other themes associated with Norse mythology.
Vikings and Norse mythology in movies
There are many different representations of Viking culture and Norse mythology in movies and television, but the most well-known example would likely be Marvel Studios’ Thor. For many young people, their first taste of Norse culture is likely to have been the caped god of thunder from the Marvel movies.
We’re sure you know that this version is typical of many of the actual myths surrounding the character Thor and it’s more of a science-fiction adventure story than anything really out of Norse mythology, but it still has made many names associated with Norse mythology common parlance, and likely drew interested cinema goers into doing their own research.
A more grounded and nuanced take on Viking culture in modern cinema can be found in The Northman (2022), a film directed by Robert Eggers. The film documents a young man’s quest for vengeance and has many of the trappings that pepper typical Norse mythology. With strong themes of spirituality, destiny and violence, the film takes viewers on a ride through ancient Viking culture that wouldn’t be out of place told around a crackling campfire.
Vikings’ culture in music
Interestingly, a number of bands across the metal and folk genres have specialised as Viking or Norse mythology-branded experiences. These groups often use ancient instruments, themes from mythology and even the language of Old Norse to bring to life times past or storied visions of mythology.
These groups often try to create a tribal, almost atmospheric air. The group Wardruna is a great example of this and has had their music used in television series that are based on Viking times.
In contrast to these more peaceful or slower musical pieces, metal groups take the themes and stories of Ragnarok, the Viking raiding lifestyle and Valhalla and use them as fertile ground for intensive and adrenaline-pounding music.
A wide footprint
Norse mythology touches much more than just the spheres of popular culture that we have explored in this article, and we’re sure you know that even what we talked about is merely the tip of the longship, as it were.
We’re sure that stories of Norse mythology and the mighty Vikings will continue to be told in many different ways across our modern culture. From gaming to films, Valhalla has yet to call the mythology of the Norse home.
