Norse Mythology in Popular Culture

The Valkyie Gwendolyn, from the game Odin Sphere

As members of the human race, divine mythology has played a significant part in our daily lives over the centuries. No matter what race, creed, or ethnicity you call your own, religion is an integral part of our culture, whether you choose to believe in it or not. It is very understandable then, that such a big part of our culture has found multiple outlets over the years to display meaning, reverence, and even entertainment. We have seen movies about the Greek pantheon and books and visual novels about the coming of Jesus Christ, among others. However, perhaps one divine mythology stands out among the rest. It might not be the most apparent, but it is definitely the most subconsciously familiar, despite which culture you hail from. In this way, it is Norse mythology that has spread its influence over multiple genres, and as a result, many of us know at least several tidbits of Norse history because of how widespread its influence. Movies, comics, video games, television; it is a challenge to find an area in the realm of entertainment that the Norse has not lent influence to in some fashion.

To those who are skeptic, believing that the Norse pantheon are definitely notable but in no way superior in familiarity to other well-known pantheons such as the Greek, I would agree with you up to a point, and the point is this: While more prominent mythologies are popular in consideration to nationality and locale, the Norse mythology has taken root and influenced cultures of varying countries all over the world. No other mythology has been cited in so many multi-cultural formats and mediums, including Movies in the Americas to comics and video games from Japan and Korea. As a matter of fact, if you are a human being born anywhere on the planet earth, chances are you have encountered elements of Norse mythology in varying formats throughout your life, and you may not have even realized it, unless you were previously exposed to its lore.

What makes Norse mythology so interesting? Why do many artists, writers, and musicians dip often into the well of the Nordic Pantheon to accentuate, or even center their talents upon? It is difficult to pinpoint an exact answer, but the sheer amount of published material that borrows from this mythology is proof enough that it intrigues us as a people. The best that we can do is unearth these works and celebrate them, while at the same time, scrutinize them in order to understand why they are so fascinating... and to that end, this blog begins!