revisit the foundational primary texts and sources that speak of the pagan gods of old norse religion
Gathering* the*Gods
Section One:
Thor, Odin & Freya
Thor * Þórr
Freya * Freyja
Odin * ÓðinN
Why learn about Old Norse gods?
The question of what is sacred, from a god to a tree, to a tool like a hammer or spear, and the scope of relations belonging to each…
The question of who and what is involved in the making and breaking of worlds…
These are human ideas that impact our sense of self, belonging, and quality of life on Earth for all species.
The more we know about the history of human notions and networks of divinity, the more scope we have to imagine seeing the world in ways that differ from own perspective, which often remains largely invisible to us.
Learning about the past empowers us to engage with it both creatively and realistically.
Though concrete information on the pre-Christian era in Europe is generally scarce, Old Norse mythology is one of the best textually documented pagan traditions.
For centuries, popular interest in the pagan era has magnetized to the Old Norse corpus, which consists of complex and fragmentary texts with the potential to be used in both in deeply harmful and life-affirming ways.
This course will explore, answer, and complicate these questions and more:
Where does the information we have about Norse gods come from?
Who are the Aesir and the Vanir?
How much of a resemblance does the Marvel Thor bear to the deity that Scandinavians and Germanic peoples made sacrifices to?
Was Odin really the “Allfather?”
What is the difference between Freyja and Frigg?
Aren't the gods just legendary human heroes?
Did the Old Norse gods belong to a pantheon?
How did Old Norse myths relate to actual pagan religious practices?
Sign up today!
$130 CAD
(approx 100 USD)
Self led course:
3 Units available immmediately
Three audio lectures, 40-60 minutes in length, with transcripts, each conveying the main themes and narratives connected with Thor, Freya and Odin.
Digital readings from primary texts in English translation, and occasional selected secondary texts (scholarship) on each deity.
A guide to the unit, outlining the main features of the god and the texts discussed in the lecture.
In this course you will receive:
Lectures and readings to help you flesh out a more accurate picture of three of the best-known Aesir and Vanir gods of Old Norse mythology
More confidence in your grasp of one of the primary features of Old Norse pre-Christian religion — the gods — as well as their network of connections, relationships to the jötnar (sometimes called giants), other supernatural beings, and the human world
Inspiration for artistic creation, religious practice, mythological thinking, storytelling, and life in general
Reliable resources and avenues for independent or group research on a flexible timeline
A better sense of what is actually known and not known about the gods of pagan Scandinavia, beyond modern representations and opinions on the internet.
Danica Boyce
I am a medievalist and folklore researcher with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and a Master’s in Medieval Studies. I also have a Bachelor of Education, with a focus on indigenous pedagogy, which informs a post-colonial approach and commitment to revival of traditional cultures.
For the past six years I have been producing Fair Folk Podcast, a research-based show sharing accessible information about paganism, folklore and folk song. I have studied Icelandic language (the closest modern language to Old Norse) at a basic level, but will be teaching with English translations of these Old Norse texts.
I am a practising pagan which a scholarly approach to historical texts and an open mind to multiple ways of seeing the world.
Responses to UNEARTHED: a course on the roots of imperialism in the Christian Middle Ages
Danica’s UNEARTHED course was knowledgeable and enlightening, I enjoyed engaging with her content! As an academic, I found her material well researched with great resources for further reading and study. This is a great course to listen to regardless of prior knowledge, I recommend it to anyone wanting to understand how Christianity has shaped culture today.
Dr. Emma Saggers
The audio file format allowing me to access whenever I was able to was crucial for me. I found myself returning over and over to re-listen as needed. But the depth of the content was what made the course worth it. I not only learned more than I feel like I did in most college-level courses, but new doors of curiosity were opened for me to continue my studies afterward. 🖤
Lindsay Clark Griffin
My. Mind. Was. Blown. It made me challenge everything I had heard growing up in the church and piqued my curiosity even more. And, frankly, the knowledge I learned from her course felt healing and it answered many questions I had about how my worldview was shaped growing up.
Haley McLean
A note on inclusion and content:
Norse mythology is global cultural heritage, which belongs to no single ethnicity or race. Old Norse myth is available for artistic, spiritual, and cultural use by all people.
I encourage non-Scandinavian and non-European descended people to join and participate.
I teach from a post-colonial, feminist, pro-queer perspective, though participants should note that the texts in question contain patriarchal, homophobic, and violent content that may be disturbing to some.
This course is for you if…
You’re a pagan, heathen or witch, and you desire a solid foundation in Norse polytheism so you can make empowered and personally informed choices about your spiritual practices
You’re an artist, writer, musician or creator who desires to approach the Norse gods with the ability to discern what’s historical fact, and what was imagined by creators before you
You’re a researcher who wants to get to the root of scholarly knowledge about the Old Norse gods, both as a reliable textual foundation and a jumping-off point for further investigation
You desire an up-to-date and carefully curated overview of Old Norse polytheism from a teacher knowledgeable about harmful ideologies that often colour representations of medieval and prehistoric northern Europe
Why did you choose these gods to feature?
Will you teach about others in the future?
I have chosen the deities in this section of the course with two aims in mind: first, the availability of information and scholarship on the figure, and second, the value I saw in sharing information about the god.
Some gods are better known than others simply because there happens to be more writing about them that survived. This random documentation doesn’t necessarily indicate any one deity's prominence in earlier periods leading up to the production of the text or in other contexts, such as private household worship.
I tried to balance current popularity with some concern for examining the gaps in representation, for example in the case of goddesses, which have been mostly overlooked in written mythic narratives and sagas produced in a distinctly patriarchal period of history, but which evidence indicates were significant in other contexts and times.
Depending on the level of interest in this initial section of the course, I plan to produce future sections, featuring figures like Loki, Freyr, Tyr, Frigg, Skadi, Baldr, Njördr, and collective figures like the Norns and the Dísir.
step into the world of the olD gods, starting may 7th