Number 9 in Norse Mythology
Odin
Odin – hung nine days in Yggdrasil.
Odin, the chief of gods, hung himself in Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil was the name of the tree of life. He spent nine days and nine nights hanging in the tree.
Odin made this sacrifice of himself to gain power over the runes and learn of all their secrets.
The 9 Daughters of Aegir and Ran
Aegir was a sea god. He was married to Ran. They lived in an enormous castle at the bottom of the ocean. Whenever Aegir rose to the surface, it was only for the purpose of destroying a ship.
Ran would catch the drowning sailors in her net and pull them down to her castle. If the sailors wore gold, they were secured a good treatment.
The Vikings would often sacrifice every tenth prisoner to the sea god in order to ensure a safe journey.
“Heimdall and his nine mothers” 1908 by W.G. Collingwood (1854-1932)
Aegir was the father of nine daughters, the waves. The nine daughters had names describing the different characteristics of the waves.
The nine sisters were all the mother of one son, named Heimdall. He became the guard of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between Asgard (home of the gods) and Midgard (the world of the humans).
New Rings every Nine Days
Two dwarfs named Brokk and Sindri made a beautiful gold ring for Odin, the chief god. This was a magic ring. The name of the ring was Draupnir.
Every ninth day the ring would reproduce eight new rings of equal quality as Draupnir, the original ring.
The Last 9 Steps of Thor
Thor takes nine steps and falls dead to the ground
In Norse mythology there is a time called Ragnarok. Ragnarok is the doom of the gods. Ragnarok is the end of the world.
During Ragnarok the god named Thor (the thunder god) fights a horrific battle with the sea serpent named Jormungand, also known as the Midgard serpent.
Thor finally manages to kill the serpent.
As the serpent dies, Thor walks nine steps. As he takes his ninth step, Thor falls dead to the ground. He died from all the poison the serpent had spit out.
The failed marriage of Skadi and Njord
In Norse mythology the marriage between Njord and Skadi failed miserably.
Skadi loved the mountains and Njord was the sea god.
They could not agree where to live.
The couple spent nine days in the mountains. Njord could not stand it. He complained he could not sleep, because the cry of the wolves kept him awake.
The couple also spent nine days at Noatun, by the sea. Noatun was the home of Njord.
Skadi refused to live by the sea. She complained the seagulls kept her awake.
After spending nine days in the mountains and nine days by the sea, the couple agreed to separate.
The marriage failed.
The Nine Worlds
In Norse mythology there are nine worlds. Yggdrasil (the tree of life) is in the midst of these nine worlds.
| Asgard | The home of the gods called Aesir |
| Alfheim | The land of the light elves |
| Vanaheim | The home of the Vanir gods |
| Midgard | The world of the humans |
| Jotunheim | This was where the giants dwelled |
| Svartalfheim | The dark elves resided here |
| Nidavellir | The dwarfs had their territory here |
| Muspelheim | The land of fire. The ruler was Surt |
| Niflheim | The mist world. In the center of Niflheim was the world of the dead, ruled by Hel |