What religion did the Vikings follow?
The Vikings worshipped many different gods, but there were three that were especially important. Odin, the leader of the gods – god of knowledge and war Thor, provided protection from cold hunger, giants and other dangers. Freya, goddess of love and beauty The Vikings believed that men who died in battle went to Valhalla (Old Norse Valhöll, “Hall of the slain”) and feasted with the gods. Soon after settling in England (Angle Land) the Vikings changed the religion to Christianity.
The Vikings worshipped many different gods, but there were three that were especially important. Odin – the leader of the gods – god of knowledge and war Thor, provided protection from cold hunger, giants and other dangers. Thor (Tor in Scandinavian languages) is the god of thunder. Thor is also god of protection against the Giants (Jotun; Swedish pronunciation) • the Rimturs – giants of the cold world; (rim = rime, thurs = thirst; Swedish) • the Bergresar – giants of the mountains; berg = mountain, res = giant; Swedish) Frey (or Frej in Swedish) – god of agriculture and fertility he was worshipped on a regular basis all through-out the year for future prosperity. He was the brother of Frey. Freya – goddess of love and beauty The Vikings believed that men who died in battle went to Valhalla (Old Norse Valhöll, “Hall of the slain”) and feasted with the gods. Soon after settling in England (Angle Land) the Vikings changed the religion to Christianity.
