Norse Gods and Christianity

[Balthazzar]

Odin equates to God
Baldr equates to Jesus (son of God)
Frya or Frigg equates to Mother Mary (Mother of the son)

I just noticed these similarities, and I find it interesting. Odins Valhalla and God's kingdom seem synonymous. Baldr and Jesus share similarities, Baldr being referred to as the "bleeding god" and Odins son. Jesus being referred to as the precious blood of the covenant. Frigg and Mary both synonymous with motherhood and fertility, both unable to "save their sons, both Jesus and Baldr with a resurrection association. Jesus stated to have been raised up to the right hand of the father and Baldr raised in Valhalla in the presence of Odin (his father).

I've heard people make comment to the similarities, but had never given them much thought before today.

It's interesting. Do you think a valid link is present in these similarities, or is it coincidental?

 

[Bear Wild]

Odin equates to God
Baldr equates to Jesus (son of God)
Frya or Frigg equates to Mother Mary (Mother of the son)

I just noticed these similarities, and I find it interesting. Odins Valhalla and God's kingdom seem synonymous. Baldr and Jesus share similarities, Baldr being referred to as the "bleeding god" and Odins son. Jesus being referred to as the precious blood of the covenant. Frigg and Mary both synonymous with motherhood and fertility, both unable to "save their sons, both Jesus and Baldr with a resurrection association. Jesus stated to have been raised up to the right hand of the father and Baldr raised in Valhalla in the presence of Odin (his father).

I've heard people make comment to the similarities, but had never given them much thought before today.

It's interesting. Do you think a valid link is present in these similarities, or is it coincidental?

Norse gods and goddesses by their own mythology are immanent within the universe and a part of it.

Odin is married to Frigg and Odin although called all father is not above Frigg - The relationship of god to Mary has none of these features.

Baldr was killed by mistletoe by his blind brother who was tricked by Loki. He was not resurrected because one of the giants would not shed a tear of grief for him.

Frigg was a goddess. Mary may be treated as goddess by her worshipers but there is nothing to say that she is a goddess.

Valhalla is not the same as heaven,

 

[Quintessence]

What does it mean to decide it is valid and who gets to determine that?

It probably goes without saying that the realms are interconnected; interwoven like a grand tapestry. Patterns are both inherent to the tapestry and plucked out of the weave by its witnesses. The myth is what you make of it, so make it something beautiful and keep it for as long as it serves. Get rid of it and reweave your vision when it does not.

Personally, I tend to view old indigenous religions from the standpoint of the lands out of which they arose because that is the context through which they were created. The gods and the stories reflect the environment that human culture existed in. Some environmental aspects are common to all humanity. The Sun and the Moon, for example. Or Planting and Harvest for any society with agriculture. These threads will weave through the tapestries of many; similar but not the same. Coincidal, but synchronistic. A familiar song, but a different rhythm. See the common threads and the patterns, but do not miss the special colors and tones. Know the relationships out of which the songs emerged were not the same. But also mind that for indigenous, pre-literate (oral) religion, the songs were living tales not fossilized in some dusty tome full of symbolic letter-glyphs. Weave and re-weave and unweave in that spirit. The tales need not be stagnant. Find the song that suits.

 

[Balthazzar]

Norse gods and goddesses by their own mythology are immanent within the universe and a part of it.

Odin is married to Frigg and Odin although called all father is not above Frigg - The relationship of god to Mary has none of these features.

Baldr was killed by mistletoe by his blind brother who was tricked by Loki. He was not resurrected because one of the giants would not shed a tear of grief for him.

Frigg was a goddess. Mary may be treated as goddess by her worshipers but there is nothing to say that she is a goddess.

Valhalla is not the same as heaven,

I would suggest Baldr made it to Valhalla. The Valkyrie would have surely chosen him for his bravery, character, and heroics to join them. Loki is such a type that his tricks play on the mind and confuse the course, or so I've gathered.

 

[Bear Wild]

I would suggest Baldr made it to Valhalla. The Valkyrie would have surely chosen him for his bravery, character, and heroics to join them. Loki is such a type that his tricks play on the mind and confuse the course, or so I've gathered.

The problem with the comparison however has to do with the fact that the two myths are relating two different truths to the followers of each religion. The myth of Baldr is about the power of the wyrd and the norns in which in this case even Odin could not prevent nor Frigg despite the fact that they were a god an a goddess. In the case of jesus the myth represents the way that a supernatural god was able to present himself on earth in a human form by impregnating himself into Mary to be born as god in the human form then to return to the supernatural through death and resurrection. Thus the similarities are coincidental and thy myths speak of two different truths.

 

[Balthazzar]

The problem with the comparison however has to do with the fact that the two myths are relating two different truths to the followers of each religion. The myth of Baldr is about the power of the wyrd and the norns in which in this case even Odin could not prevent nor Frigg despite the fact that they were a god an a goddess. In the case of jesus the myth represents the way that a supernatural god was able to present himself on earth in a human form by impregnating himself into Mary to be born as god in the human form then to return to the supernatural through death and resurrection. Thus the similarities are coincidental and thy myths speak of two different truths.

Maybe, but wasn't Odin said to be like humans and Baldr a descendant or son of? Also, the bible suggests many gods and that all are subject to the source and origin, the substance (God) from where everything was created. So, maybe Odin and Baldr have more in common with Christian roots than most would care to admit. God was walking in the garden after all and Adam or rather the 1st Adam would have equated to God's son. Of course, the 2nd Adam ... the Christ is also associated as God's son. The name Jesus, Emmanuel, and I'm sure other names have been associated also with this concept, including the son of David, which would have been Solomon. The stories certainly parallel and It's difficult to brush off as coincidental. There may be more to these stories than many give credence. Either way, the suggestion is we are gods offspring. Very common understanding. I like bridging and finding similarities between cultures. I find it helpful.

 

[Balthazzar]

Norse gods and goddesses by their own mythology are immanent within the universe and a part of it.

Odin is married to Frigg and Odin although called all father is not above Frigg - The relationship of god to Mary has none of these features.

Baldr was killed by mistletoe by his blind brother who was tricked by Loki. He was not resurrected because one of the giants would not shed a tear of grief for him.

Frigg was a goddess. Mary may be treated as goddess by her worshipers but there is nothing to say that she is a goddess.

Valhalla is not the same as heaven,

I was doing more investigating, and the similarities run deeper than I had originally thought. So, Baldr was sent to the underworld, where Hel reigns and it is believed that he will be raised and take command in Valhalla. Jesus was sent to hell, raised 3 days after and eventually ascended to God's right hand to take command also.

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

You're uh...trying to fit pieces of two entirely different puzzles where they don't belong with those comparisons. You're also stretching.

 

[Balthazzar]

You're uh...trying to fit pieces of two entirely different puzzles where they don't belong with those comparisons. You're also stretching.

It's funny how my entire life the Christians have been accused of borrowing their religion from others and how now, I'm stetching ....

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Yeah, there's some very superficial similarities if you look it as metaphors. I am a Heathen and don't worship Baldr at all, for instance. Thor will always be the Allfather's number one son to me and the most important to humanity as its protector, hallower and empowerer.

Jesus was a laughingstock to the Norse at first, just saying. They called him "white Christ", which meant coward. So saying Norse religion is like Christianity is really hilarious. We worship a death and war god as the head of our pantheon and they sacrificed humans to him. There's no forgiveness of enemies here or turning the other cheek.

 

[The Hammer]

I would suggest Baldr made it to Valhalla. The Valkyrie would have surely chosen him for his bravery, character, and heroics to join them. Loki is such a type that his tricks play on the mind and confuse the course, or so I've gathered.

Baldr went to Hel per the texts.

 

[Balthazzar]

Baldr went to Hel per the texts.

So I've read ... Isn't He the one who is prophesied to come up from the underworld with Hel to take command in Valhalla after Ragnarök (end of the world)?

 

[Balthazzar]

Yeah, there's some very superficial similarities if you look it as metaphors. I am a Heathen and don't worship Baldr at all, for instance. Thor will always be the Allfather's number one son to me and the most important to humanity as its protector, hallower and empowerer.

Jesus was a laughingstock to the Norse at first, just saying. They called him "white Christ", which meant coward. So saying Norse religion is like Christianity is really hilarious. We worship a death and war god as the head of our pantheon and they sacrificed humans to him. There's no forgiveness of enemies here or turning the other cheek.

Interesting position to take ... You may be a true heathen. You would equate to one who is to be overthrown during Ragnarök at the end of the dark reigns. Time and place for everything, eh?

 

[Balthazzar]

Yeah, there's some very superficial similarities if you look it as metaphors. I am a Heathen and don't worship Baldr at all, for instance. Thor will always be the Allfather's number one son to me and the most important to humanity as its protector, hallower and empowerer.

Jesus was a laughingstock to the Norse at first, just saying. They called him "white Christ", which meant coward. So saying Norse religion is like Christianity is really hilarious. We worship a death and war god as the head of our pantheon and they sacrificed humans to him. There's no forgiveness of enemies here or turning the other cheek.

Tell me more about your way. No forgiveness, no turning the cheek, your worship of a death and war god, and how or why you define white Christ as meaning coward? Also, why no honor for Baldr? Do you honor any gods other than death and war? You have a very odd religion.

 

[Soandso]

It's important to remember that the only reason we have recordings of the Edas at all is because of Christian record keeping and story telling. Authors such as Snorri Sturluson (a Christian clergyman) sought to preserve the old stories which were disappearing at the time they were written in a very christianized Iceland. I suspect there's some Christian influence on the stories from that very fact

If you want to learn more on the subject, Dr. Jackson Crawford is one of the foremost people working on this stuff

 

[Balthazzar]

It's important to remember that the only reason we have recordings of the Edas at all is because of Christian record keeping and story telling. Authors such as Snorri Sturluson (a Christian clergyman) sought to preserve the old stories which were disappearing at the time they were written in a very christianized Iceland. I suspect there's some Christian influence on the stories from that very fact

If you want to learn more on the subject, Dr. Jackson Crawford is one of the foremost people working on this stuff

Language barriers confuse meanings ... Meh, we never left the confused language of Babylon. I just tried to translate English text to another language and the meaning came out wrong wrong wrong wrong.

 

[Soandso]

Language barriers confuse meanings ... Meh, we never left the confused language of Babylon. I just tried to translate English text to another language and the meaning came out wrong wrong wrong wrong.

I'm confused by what you're saying in relation to my post. What does that have to do with later Christian influence on records of earlier pagan stories?

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

So you're trying to impose and merge two different sets of deities by retconning?

It's funny how my entire life the Christians have been accused of borrowing their religion from others and how now, I'm stetching

 

[Balthazzar]

I'm confused by what you're saying in relation to my post. What does that have to do with later Christian influence on records of earlier pagan stories?

Variances, misunderstandings, and translation discrepancies, specifically. That's part of the dynamic associated with old writ and oral stories. It reaches further than just the scribes. The Babylonian reference was aimed at Christian doctrine where it is suggested that "God" confused the language.

 

[Balthazzar]

So you're trying to impose and merge two different sets of deities by retconning?

I may be confirming what I've heard my entire adult life, or I may be connecting dots. It may be that these international stories were carried from location to location. A different type of media, to be certain, but one valid enough to consider as a theologian.