When I learned norse mythology as a kid, I was really fascinated by the fact that Jotunheimen is a real mountain range. It made the whole mythology seem much more real to me. Later I learned that the mountain range was named in the 1800s :-)
Dr Crawford, I really like that you're probably the only RU-vidr who took the effort of accurately reconstructing the Norse language, giving us a very immersive experience of Nordic culture. And how you cross reference multiple sources to make clear distinctions
I’ve put together a series of stories about the Norse Gods which I tell (not read) to an adult audience. I will soon be telling the stories to a sold out crowd. They will be two 45 min sets. Your videos have been so helpful, both in the Stories themselves and in the pronunciation of the names and places. Thank you ever so much and keep up the good work.
It went well. I had a sold out show and received wonderful feedback. I invited a fellow who makes Viking weapons, shields and armour for re-enactment groups. He brought a nice selection of equipment for the audience to look at during the break. I continue to tell the stories whenever asked.
I cannot express how awesome this guy is. With so much misinformation floating around the internet, it is absolutely wonderful to see a man who knows what he's talking about, and talks about the subject with unmatched professionalism.
As somebody who loves all things norse, I apprecitate these videos. It is hard to find accurate information on this now a days and it is facination to learn about.
THANK THE GODS a video from a place of expertise thats also PROPERLY CAPTIONED. Reading doesn't hold my attention, and sensory processing issues gets in the way of speech, both reading and watching is just right. My many thanks! Not that many educational youtubers take the time, unfortunately.
@@davidabbott8967 I know that this an old comment, so you might not see this, but does his release of the Poetic Edda include the Old Norse version as well, or is it only the translation? I assume it has both, but I just wanted to make sure.
As someone learning about norse mythology and someone who has studied elder futhark these videos really help explain details that id otherwise have difficulty explaining to my brothers who live in other states. I only wish I lived closer so I could learn more first hand and be able to ask questions. Thank you for all of your time Dr. Crawford
Ohh Dr. Jackson Crawford, i'm grateful for you! Stumbled upon this video a few weeks ago, have been watching ever since. I am now reading your translation of the Poetic Edda. Thank you for making this information available for us!
You seem to continue the "traditional" distinction between aesir and vanir. Rudolf Simek published a paper in 2010 where he argues, that vanir as an own group of gods "opposing" the aesir is an invention by Snorri. Simek further states, that there's no actual textual evidence for such a distinction between of "families" of the aesir and vanir. It can be read in his essay: "The Vanir : An Obituary" I wonder what your thoughts on this topic are? And maybe this is even worth another video! ;)
I think what I like most about your videos. Is that you bring complete evidence on what you studied? And it is not as grand as hollywood and other entities to visualize it make it out to be. People say there's something wrong with me. But I actually like the fact that this is the way it is. It's nothing to necessarily marvel at but I can marvel at its Simplicity.
Enjoy your videos! Your all-inclusive gifted style of teaching (complete with pronunction guides) makes a student want to head into the "Land of Myth" and never come back to Reality (loving compliment)! Thanks so much for sharing your gift! Best regards and warmest wishes to all!
Thankyou so much Jackson for offering such greatly detailed, and accessible information of Old Norse to the public! I have recently purchased ypur Eddas and I am excited to read more. You have my upmost respect in you cause to spread education to all who seek it and in your knowledge of the subject. I want to thankyou! ❤
ik you don't read comments anymore but your compilation of resources is so helpful and really admirable! my latin teacher lent me his old norse book so i'll be slowly studying during my work hours
@@arnimellner3357 What a shame. I, for one, would love to have a coffee with him and talk all day about Norse stuff. Or dinosaurs, which he likes. Or go to the range to see his shooting skills. He just seems really cool to me.
In contrast to your upfront, no nonsense telling of these I can’t help but be reminded of a few that were told/animated by overly sarcastic productions. Y’all are both very knowledgeable and it’s interesting to hear the same stories told so differently Edit: Shouldn’t have said no nonsense haha
Loving that I have just found your channel and your work. You've inspired me to try to learn Old Norse myself; and also the Younger Futhark. I've been familiar with the Elder Futhark for many years; but from a divination perspective. Thank you!
Jackson Crawford I just found your channel at the begging of this week and this list is absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for doing these videos and educating the public with your vast knowledge. I definitely will be a loyal subscriber of your channel and plan on supporting your patreon as well. Again, thank you so much for all you have done.
Loved this video. I was wondering if you could drop a short video on what language Ivar the boneless was yelling in on the Viking show. I see a lot of controversy about it. Your channel has inspired me and my wife to start learning Icelandic and get into old norse
18:00 "we don't actually know the names of these 9 realms" Could you elaborate on that a bit? Since it was my understanding that the realms were known (Asgard, Midgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim, Helheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, Alfheim, Svartalheim) - are we not certain about some of them and the name is sort of "made up" and not actually mentioned in the sources?
While i don't have the background in the myth that Dr Crawford does, my understanding is that Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, and Hel are the only four that are so named in the older texts, and the other 6 were given names by later scholars, and we can't be sure the original norse called them that.
I just noticed an interesting cognate [or false friend, I could probably look this up in less than ten seconds on Wiktionary, but I'm lazy] with Hugin and the word 'heugen' in my own language of Dutch. It means 'to remember' as in the sentence "Ik kan het me niet heugen," meaning "I can't remember it." Fitting
Thank you, your vlog presentations and accounts of old Norse mythology is much appreciated. Just a note regards to the sacrifice of 'self to self' here ... this can be seen as the necessary sacrifice of ego to source awareness. i.e. in order to acquire/embody the timeless wisdom inherent in the runes, all self referencing of the limited time-bound self is offered as food/fuel for the dawning of this vast all seeing true sight.
I'm currently compilng a playlist of all your work. I'm really enjoying this. I'm currently at The Volva video, still a lot to go. I'll be sure to make my contribution on Patreon
I know people who are more interested in Anglo-Saxon Paganism than in Norse. There are, of course, few sources for this. Is Beowulf useful? What other sources, other than archaeology and place names is there for Anglo-Saxon Paganism? Thanks for your work; I'm finding it quite useful. Some of the pronunciations were a big shocking, but it's good to have them right.
A fantastic video as always D.r Jackson! However your statement that the jötnar not being a separate species from the aesir made me quite suprised! I seem to recall that there are references in the poetic edda to at least one giant who is multi headed, and others that are described as having a monstrous appearence, as well as being abnormally large. As far as I can tell no god is ever described as looking like this. Of course that raises some questions about why giant women seem so popular amongst the gods but maybe some are just monstrously beutiful. In addition, I believe that the dwarves are not ever described as being a short, squat people.
Just as a little curiosity I’ve been trying to think of ways Norse belief can be aligned with observations of reality. I reckon a good explanation for Midgard is that the Ocean is space and the Fence is the asteroid belt. Feel free to give me ideas for what you think it could mean in actual reality. (I know it wasn’t designed to be fit into our current knowledge but I find it fun)
How do you feel about the Norse mythos presented in Rick Riordan's Magnus Chases series? Though its focused towards young adults, it presents the Norse gods and myths in more modern terms and I find myself very interested in them. He's also done this with Greek and Egyptian mythologies.
Are you really in a ska band??? That would be super cool!! I’m in a skate pop punk band that has a lot of old school ska punk influences! We did a ton of op ivy songs back in the day!
We still use 'æ' in danish, but it differently do not sound like the beginning of 'ash'. The sound of 'æ' in Danish is actually more similar to the start of the english 'a' letter - If you just say the beginning of 'a' then it sounds really close to the danish 'æ'. And funny enough, the sound of the danish 'a' is exactly the same as the 'a' in 'ash' (if you were to say it in english).
So "Old Norse" speakers used a strong "TH" sound like English speakers do? My Swedish relatives can't pronounce "TH", it usually comes out like "T" or "F". Just as I struggle with the "extra" vowels in Swedish. "CH" is difficult for them as well, comes out usually as "SH". "J" becomes "Y" at the beginning of words. Your explanation of proper pronunciation of "extra" Scandinavian vowels is useful to me. Thanks! ;)
It is absolutely fascinating watching your educational videos! Is there a reason for why you only sometimes roll your r? In your educated opinion, how much of all of this is an “Icelandic” creation as a result of the Norwegian - Celtic infusion? Your take on Snorri makes me think of Jóhannes úr Kötlum which took old Christmas folk lore, put it into poems (bundið mál) in the ca 1930s, and now it is something that we feel always existed. Jólasveinarnir og allt það. Heimar for me, as a modern Icelander does not mean home. It means realms like you said, but at the same time you are located there. Kærar þakkir :)
He wouldn't be dwelling in Asgard if both of his parents had been jotuns and we know that his father was the jotun, Fárbauti. But true, we don't know more about Laufey than the fact that she was Loki's mother.
Every time he gives his introduction and says "...teaching at the Univ. of Colorado - Boulder, previously UC Berkeley and UCLA", I can't help but think that he doesn't feel particularly proud of where he currently works.
I have a lot of respect for Crawford's work and approach, and he has helped re-center me in many ways following my own graduate studies in Old Norse at Cambridge (UK), UW-Madison, and Freiburg. My own roots are in high Appalachia; my grandfather's speech isn't even spoken today by the surviving old-timers in those parts of Virginia and North Carolina - I resonate in general with both Crawford's Norse and his English. Along the way, I am sometimes curious about his choice of translations of Old Norse where the original sense, imagery, context cannot be carried well in modern (American) English no matter how communicative modern (American) English may be ... among those who think in it (I prefer modern Scots and Northumbrian English myself.) I think his skill in bringing out Norse in the American idiom is fine and unparalleled. But occasionally the translations seem to mislead: _Bǫlverkr_ looks to me like it would mean 'Trouble-maker' or 'Worker of Misfortune.' I don't recall what the Old Norwegian/Icelandic words are for 'ethical evil' (which is what _evil_ nearly always means in modern English), but I always thought _bǫl_ meant 'badness,' i.e. 'a shitty or awful situation.' Óðinn isn't a worker of 'ethical evil' in his own eyes, in his followers' eyes, or even in the eyes of many of his opponents. I'm guessing Bǫlverkr is a title independent of bias from the later perspective of late Norse paganism or from early Norse Christianity. Or is the god quite literally being dubbed the title, "Doer of Ethical Evil?" That seems unlikely to me. Óðinn is Loki's bloodbrother and, like Loki, causes a lot of (seemingly necessary) trouble. The English cognate, _bale_, no matter how mystifying it may be to some speakers of English, nicely captures the sense of 'awful situation.' But perhaps I'm forgetting my Norse; it's possible. I no longer work with the language every day.
Great video Jackson! Are there any sources that indicate whether the medieval Norse regarded the gods as literal superpowered persons, as they are described in the myths, or if the mythical stories of gods were regarded as merely symbolic descriptions of ineffable powers or energies, as I have seen suggested on other channels? Thanks! 🙏
Wait, Thjalvi and Roskva are canon? I thought they were only there in Peter Madsen's comics - and later the film adaptation of equal greatness. I mean, he did just illustrate according to three other guys' stories, presumably with some artistic freedoms, but the point is I only thought the kids were included to tie the mythology to the humans and thus to the reader. Fascinating.
I Mr. Crawford I have a berserker rune/bind rune I was looking to obtain more information on there’s mixed information on the Internet and we all know how that could be is there a way I could reach you directly to send you the image so I could have a more of an understanding of what I am looking at?
Hello, thank you for the very informative video. I'm hoping you can answer a genealogy question for me. I researched my family lines on the Mormon website Family Search. It traces my lineage back to someone called Grim Datter and Fornjot. I read about them and have to wonder is this a joke or is there a possibility that these mythological figures existed?
How much can we trust the prose edda to be a faithful retelling or explanation of older poems and picture stones? It seems that Snorri Sturluson just makes up stuff. How close to reality, since you mention it, is the story about Kvasir being killed and his blood turned into the mead of poetry?
My younger brother just got in touch with me and told me about a brew that is supposed to be a recreation of Norse grog by Dogfish brewery. My younger brother gives regular talks at the Cloisters on medieval brewing and ingredients. The brew, btw, is called Kvasir. LOL. Truth. In other words, it's the mead of poetry or at least the grog of poetry or Odin's grog. ;-)
