Hidden Norse Gods Trivia Quiz

Answer: Skadi

"...that SKA DIdn't..."

Skadi is the goddess of winter and mountains, and she is a jötunn (plural "jötnar"); the jötnar are a mythological race. Her father Thjazi was a giant who was murdered by the other gods for kidnapping the goddess of youth, and Skadi sought revenge for his death. She is a warrior and huntress, and the gods opted to reason with her rather than fight her. Her terms were marriage to one of the gods, and the return of her laugh. Loki provided the laugh by having a billy goat's beard tied to his testicles for a very painful tug of war! Skadi was masked when choosing her husband, so she chose the most attractive feet she saw, believing them to belong to Baldur, whom she was secretly in love with. Unfortunately for her, she chose the sea god Njörd instead; neither were happy living in the other's abode, and so they split.

Answer: Loki

"...KarL OK I..."

Loki is also called Loptr, and is the god of chaos and trickery. With the giantess Angrboda, he fathered the three chaos monsters: Jörmungandr, the serpent who surrounds the earth; Fenrir, the wolf foretold to kill Odin at Ragnarök; and Hel, goddess of the dead who rules a realm of the same name. As he is a shapeshifter, Loki actually mothered a child, Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, as he birthed him in the form of a mare. Loki caused myriad problems for all the gods, and when he insulted each one of them, Thor had him punished by binding him with the entrails of his son, Narfi! A serpent was laid over Loki, and venom dripped onto him until he writhed in agony, causing earthquakes.

Answer: Tyr

"...about saTYRs and..."

Tyr is the god of law, war, and justice. When the gods sought to bind the wolf Fenrir with a magical rope, the wolf refused to cooperate unless someone put an arm in his mouth; this was Tyr, who sacrificed his right hand in order that Fenrir be successfully bound. People often prayed to him as well as his father Odin for victory. The day Tuesday is named for him; it derives from "Tiw's Day", Tiw being an alternative name for him. The word "tyr" in Old Norse means simply "god", and is seen in compound words such as "Sigtyr" ("god of war"), and "Veratyr" ("god of men"), both of which are names that have been attributed to Odin.

Answer: Sif

"...Vinson MasSIF before..."

Sif is the goddess of grain, which is represented by her long golden hair. She also symbolizes fertility. Her husband Thor deeply loved her hair, and was thus enraged when Loki cut it all off as she slept one night. Thor commanded Loki to fix the situation, breaking his bones until he consented, so Loki had dwarfs spin her new hair from gold. When it touched her head, the fibers grew into it. Sif is a prophetess, and is said by some to be able to take the form of a swan.

Answer: Baldur

"...ArchiBALD URgently..."

Balder, also spelled Baldr or Baldur, is the god of joy, beauty, and innocence, among other things. He is regarded as the fairest of the Norse gods. He is the son of Odin and Frigg. He is most known for his unusual death; he and his mother dreamed of his death, and Frigg then made all living things swear an oath that they would not harm her son. The only thing that did not promise was the mistletoe plant, but Frigg thought it was relatively insignificant and did not worry. The trickster god, Loki, managed to get Frigg to divluge that mistletoe was the only thing that could harm Balder. He then fashioned a spear of mistletoe and tricked Baldur's twin brother Hodr, who was blind, into throwing it at Balder. It struck him through the heart and he was instantly killed. His father Odin sent a goddess to the underworld to beg for Balder's return; this was granted on the condition that every being, living and dead, wept for the slain god. Only Loki did not, and thus Balder's soul remained in the underworld.

Answer: Odin

"...rapidly erODINg..."

Odin is perhaps the most famous Norse god, and is god of war, death, and also wisdom. He has a throne in Valaskjalf, from which he can see the entire universe, and otherwise he dwells in Valhalla, to where the souls of warriors go after death. He has two ravens, Huginn and Muninn ("thought" and "memory"), who tell him each night what was happened in the world that day. He also two wolves, Geri and Freki (both mean "greedy"), to whom he gives all his food, for he himself drinks only mead. Additionally he owns an eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, and has a spear named Gungnir which never misses what it's aiming for. The day Wednesday is named for him, coming from his alternative names of Wotan or Wodan.

Answer: Mimir

"...nerves MIMI Read..."

Mimir is the god of wisdom. His counsel is highly valued even by Odin. After a conflict between the Aesir and Vanir, two tribes of gods, Mimir was sent as a hostage to the Vanir, along with Hoenir, and the Vanir sent two hostages in return to the Aesir. The Vanir were frustrated that although Mimir was very wise, Hoenir said little at all, and this led them to feel that the Aesir had tricked them. Thus they beheaded Mimir and sent his head back to the Aesir. Odin preserved the head so that he could still receive wisdom from Mimir. Also, the Well of Mimir held all of Mimir's knowledge, and Odin sacrificed an eye to the well to receive all the knowledge of the universe.

Answer: Thor

"...dress wiTH ORange..."

Along with his father Odin, Thor is possibly the most well-known god of Norse mythology. It is said that he surpassed Odin in popularity because, while Odin requires human sacrifices, Thor does not. He is the god of thunder, and during thunderstorms, he rides a chariot through the sky, which is pulled by his goats, Tanngrisni and Tanngnost ("gap tooth" and "tooth-grinder"). Lightning strikes whenever he throws Mjölnir, his hammer. The day Thursday is named for him, from "Thor's day".

Answer: Bragi

"AlgrBRA GIves me..."

Bragi is god of poetry and eloquence. Some believe that the god Bragi and the poet Bragi Boddason are the same, that the man was deified, but the poet Snorri Sturluson regarded them as separate. Bragi clashed with Loki at the feast of Aegir, after Loki was ejected from the hall. When he had the audacity to come back in, Bragi informed him that he was unwelcome; however, Odin made a space for him. Loki purposefully omitted Bragi from his toast, and so Bragi offered various gifts in return as a peace offering. In response, Loki, who wanted a fight, called him a coward! However, Bragi maintained that it would not be proper to fight within the feast hall, even after Loki began insulting his wife, although he did make it clear that he would react differently when back in Asgard.

Answer: Heimdall

Heimdall, also called Heimdallr, is the god of light and watchman of the gods, who guards where the rainbow bridge Bifröst meets Asgard, realm of the gods. He owns a horn named Gjallar, into which he will blow mightily when Ragnarök, the end of the world, arrives, in order to summon the gods.

It is foretold that he and Loki will slay each other at Ragnarök. He is said to survive on very little sleep, can see for over a hundred leagues, including at night. His hearing is so acute that he hears the grass grow.

He is one of the more placid and silent gods.