Question 1 of 12Correct: 0
Why is Odin's eye in the well collateral, not a sacrifice?
What did Odin receive for leaving his eye with Mimir?
What role does Loki play in most stories?
Where did the stark opposition between good and evil come from?
How do we know about berserkers?
How well supported is the psychoactive-substance theory?
What does the word “valkyrie” mean?
Where did the winged helmet come from?
What is at the center of the Norse view of the world?
Where does the orderly system of nine worlds come from?
🪓 From “What Is Ragnarok”11 / 12
Why is Ragnarok not simply a final catastrophe?
🪓 From “What Is Ragnarok”12 / 12
What sets Ragnarok apart from punishment for wrongdoing?
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Answers and explanations12 questions
- Why is Odin's eye in the well collateral, not a sacrifice? It remained in the water as payment for a sip of wisdomThe eye was not destroyed but left in the well as an item exchanged for the water of wisdom.From “Why Odin Gave Up an Eye”
- What did Odin receive for leaving his eye with Mimir? A sip of water that holds wisdomOdin gave up his eye for one sip from Mimir's well, where wisdom is hidden.From “Why Odin Gave Up an Eye”
- What role does Loki play in most stories? A companion who creates and solves the problemThe gods threaten to kill him but leave him alive every time because they can't get out of trouble without him.From “Why Loki Isn't Quite a Villain”
- Where did the stark opposition between good and evil come from? The Christian authors who recorded themThe myths were written down more than two centuries after Christianization, and the recorders' framework influenced them.From “Why Loki Isn't Quite a Villain”
- How do we know about berserkers? From sagas and poetry written long after the eventsThis is literature working with an image of the past, not a document.From “Who Were the Berserkers”
- How well supported is the psychoactive-substance theory? There is no direct evidence; the texts say nothing about itIt is a popular theory, not a conclusion drawn from the sources.From “Who Were the Berserkers”
- What does the word “valkyrie” mean? One who chooses the slainIn early texts, they are grim beings who decide who will fall in battle.From “Who Were the Valkyries”
- Where did the winged helmet come from? 19th-century theatrical productionsThe image of Vikings in horned helmets spread from there too, even though they did not wear them.From “Who Were the Valkyries”
- What is at the center of the Norse view of the world? A huge tree connecting the worldsIts roots reach down to springs and its branches hold up the sky; around the inhabited land lies a serpent.From “What the World Looked Like to the Vikings”
- Where does the orderly system of nine worlds come from? From 13th-century Icelandic writings made two centuries after ChristianizationEarlier sources give a more varied picture, and the orderliness may belong to the person who recorded it.From “What the World Looked Like to the Vikings”
- Why is Ragnarok not simply a final catastrophe? After destruction, the world begins againAfter the fire and flood, a new earth rises from the sea, and the survivors begin life again.From “What Is Ragnarok”
- What sets Ragnarok apart from punishment for wrongdoing? It is the preordained fate of the godsThe gods know the outcome in advance but do not try to cancel it: it is a deadline that simply arrives.From “What Is Ragnarok”