Cool Creatures from Norse Mythology

Norse mythology is a great fountain of cool figures. In Norse myth, cool figures are not human-like gods only but the animal-like creatures as well. This blog post is going to highlight some cool creatures from the myth to prove the richness of the Norse worlds. 

1. Sleipnir

Sleipnir is no ordinary horse because he is the horse of Odin the Allfather. It is the product of a weird love affair between Loki and a male horse, which makes Loki become the mother of Sleipnir. Sleipnir is described as a dark eight-legged horse. He is the best of all horses and his power is incredible. Sleipnir can gallop the world like a wind and no horse in the cosmos can ever surpass him. Whenever Odin wants to travel somewhere in the Nine Worlds quickly, Sleipnir will carry him there. (See more Sleipnir Odin's Horse)

Sleipnir Odin's horse

2. Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr

Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr are the goats that pull Thor's chariot. Every time this pair pull the chariot of Thor through the sky, it comes the thunder and lightning sounds to the world below. The chariot pulled by goats can travel so fast that it shatters the mountains and set the world on fire. Besides being the chariot pullers, the goats play a part in supplying sustenance to Thor. Once Thor arrives at his destination, he will cook his goats for meals. As long as he collects and places the bones of goats correctly, the goats will be resurrected with the help of Mjolnir hammer. 

The goats pulling Thor's chariot

3. Ratatoskr 

Ratatoskr is quite unkind a creature in Norse mythology. Ratatoskr is a squirrel that serves as the messenger in the Yggdrasil Tree of Life. Every day, he transfers the insults from Nidhogg the dragon living under Yggdrasil to Vedrfolnir the eagle living on the top tree branch of Yggdrasil and vice versa. He does this job not for the good of the other but for himself. Ratatoskr loves to gossip and he finds pleasure in hearing the others insult each other. The thing that makes Ratatoskr a cool creature is that he can run through the spine of Yggdrasil Tree which connects the Nine Worlds together. (See Who Lived inside Yggdrasil Tree)

Ratatoskr sending insults from Nidhogg to Vedrfolnir 

4. Heidrun

Heidrun or Heiðrún is a goat in Norse mythology. She consumes the leaves of the Yggdrasil tree and produces mead for the human fallen warriors in Valhalla. We might see a strong connection between the goat and the Viking in this detail. In the Viking time, goat milk is one of the main milk sources to the Viking. In Valhalla, premium mead of the goat Heidrun is offered to the Norsemen fallen warriors after a day of battling and fighting. 

Heidrun chewing Yggdrasil leaves to produce mead

5. Jormungand

Jormungand is one of the three notorious Loki's children. He is one of the villains that trigger Ragnarok Doom of the Gods. Jormungand is a serpent but it is no serpent in your garden. He is so enormous that his body can encircle the whole Midgard reasoning his "Midgard Serpent" name. Jormungand bites his tail in his mouth presenting the Ouroboros symbol of endless life circle. 

Jormungand in the Midgard ocean