Norse Mythology in Literature

It's easy to find Norse influence in movies, games, and even music, but what about literature? We've already talked about Thor in comics, which was a given, but what about more traditional forms of literature, like novels and poems?

This is where it gets a bit more tricky to spot the Norse influence, because it is not always readily apparent. Off the top of my head, I can't really think of any major series of novels that has a Nordic focus. Upon further research, however, I was proven completely wrong!

Douglas Adams for instance, of The Hitchhiker's Guide fame, seemed to be enamored with Norse mythology, and with Thor in particular. Thor appeared in Life, the Universe, and Everything and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, the latter in which he also appeared with his father, Odin. Thor also reappears as a prominent character in the sixth book of The Hitchhiker's Guide novels.

In Northworld, a science fiction trilogy set in a militaristic setting, many Norse tales are retold. During the protagonist's travels upon Northworld, he encounters the gods of the land, including Captain North, who is the head of the pantheon, and retains similarities to Odin. In the novels, to be able to finish his tasks successfully, Hansen (the series' protagonist) must be transformed into a god to fulfill his duties. In this way, Hansen is likened to Thor.

Renowned author Neil Gaiman also seems to have a fetish for the Norse gods. Along with Odin and Thor, many other Norse mythological figures and creatures appear in American Gods. He would later write Odd and the Frost Giants, a book that loosely follows the events of the Gylfagginning, a Norse story told in verse by Icelandic Poet Snorri Sturluson in Prose Edda.

Some elements in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels are named from figures in Norse Mythology, such as the Granian horse and Fenrir Grayback. Other characters and plot elements have been speculated to have connections as well, but have not been officially confirmed. J.R.R. Tolkien had noted on many occasions that stories in his Middle Earth series, especially pertaining to deities, were influenced by the Norse pantheon. Since many high fantasy authors view Tolkien as a founding father of the fantasy genre, creatures such as goblins, trolls, and elves have become fantasy mainstays, all of which have Norse origins.

Rick Riordan, acclaimed author of the Percy Jackson series, has written about both Greek and Egyptian mythologies. In 2015, Riordan will begin to publish a yet-to-be-named new series which centers around Norse mythology.

In addition to seeing Thor on the pages of comic books in the US, a Korean comic (or manhwa, as they are called in Korea) named Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin also contains many characters of Norse origin. While Thor does not have a prominent role in the series, gods such as Balder, Freya, and Loki appear very frequently. The main character of the series is named Chaos, a warrior who has no recollection that he is the reincarnation of the God Balder, and is sought out by multiple parties, including Fenris Fenrir, in order to bring about Ragnarok. The Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game named Ragnarok Online was based upon this Korean series.