Asgard

Asgard (Old Norse Ásgarðr, "enclosure of the Æsir") is the walled stronghold of the Æsir gods in Norse mythology, ruled by Odin. Snorri Sturluson says the gods built it in the middle of the world, with the plain Iðavöllr at its heart and Valhalla among its halls, though he sets other halls of the gods in heaven and never reconciles the two pictures. No medieval text puts Asgard at the top of the world tree Yggdrasil or counts it among the nine worlds. After Ragnarök the surviving gods gather on Iðavöllr, where Asgard had stood.

The time has come to tell you a story about perhaps the most beautiful and most important realm in Norse mythology, Asgard (Ásgarðr in Old Norse). This is to be expected as it’s a place where the most important Gods in Norse mythology live. Moreover, the famous hall of the fallen heroes, Valhalla, is located here.

Asgard was the homeworld of the Aesir Gods. The same Gods built Midgard, the walled world of humans, and the famous Bifrost bridge, which runs from earth up to heaven. The eddic poem Grímnismál lists about a dozen dwellings of the main Gods. The most famous of them all is for sure Valhalla, one of the halls belonging to Odin.

Another famous story tells of a wall. Snorri describes a giant who offered to build the Gods a stronghold that would keep out the giants, and very nearly finished it. The Gods' wall was never unbreakable, though: the poem Völuspá (stanza 24) says that in their first war, against the Vanir, the wall of the Æsir's stronghold was broken. Heimdallr guarded the Bifrost bridge, but Snorri never says that the bridge ends at Asgard or that it was the only way in.

Of course, Ragnarok will not spare it. Snorri says Surtr will burn the whole world, but some Gods will survive and settle on the plain Iðavöllr, "where Asgard was before".

We are going to stop here and take a more in-depth look at everything we have mentioned so far, and even more. Without further ado, let us begin.

Origins of the Word Asgard

The word Asgard derives from Old Norse áss, meaning god, and garðr, meaning enclosure or yard. Essentially, Asgard means "enclosure of the Æsir," the fenced-in courtyard of the Gods.

There are many different spellings of the word Asgard, as you can see below.

English: Ásgard, Ásgardr, Asgardr, Ásegard, Ásgarth, Ásgarthr, Asgarth, Ásgardhr, Esageard, Asgaard

Swedish and Danish: Aasgaard, Asgård

Norwegian: Åsgard, Aasgaard

Icelandic, Faroese: Ásgarður

Asgard in the Norse Mythology

Asgard had an essential place in Norse mythology. It belonged to a complicated body of myth and belief shared, in different forms, by the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. Nobody can say when that belief took shape. Scandinavia turned Christian gradually, roughly between the 10th and 12th centuries, and almost everything we know about Asgard comes from Icelandic texts of the 13th century: the poems of the Poetic Edda and the Edda of Snorri Sturluson, written around 1220.

The myths know two families of gods, the Vanir and the Aesir, and opposite them the giants, the jötnar, who are not gods at all. The line between Aesir and Vanir is blurred, because the two fought a war, made peace and exchanged hostages: Njord and his son Freyr came to live among the Aesir.

The Vanir came from Vanaheim, where Snorri says Njord was raised, yet Freyja and Njord have dwellings among the other Gods, and Snorri places both of them in heaven (Fólkvang and Nóatún). So the home of the Gods was not reserved for the Aesir alone, even though the name Asgard means "enclosure of the Æsir".

The difference between the two groups shows in what they rule. Snorri says Njord governs the wind and the sea and can grant wealth, and Freyr rules rain, sunshine and the harvest. Modern scholars often contrast them with Odin's Aesir, whom they link more with war and kingship, though the sources never draw the line so neatly.

The giants are the usual opponents of both groups, but they are not simply evil: Gods marry giantesses such as Skadi and Gerd, and Odin's son Vidar was born to the giantess Grid.

Asgard's Place Within Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil, the Norse Tree of Life

Let's rewind a bit and do a short recap of the article about Yggdrasil. It will give you a clearer picture of the Asgard's position within the Norse universe.

Popular books often stack the Norse universe in three tiers on Yggdrasil, with nine worlds arranged on the tree and Asgard at the top. That diagram is modern. The poem Völuspá mentions nine worlds, but no medieval text lists them, counts Asgard among them, or puts Asgard in the crown of the tree.

What the sources do say is simpler. Grímnismál (stanza 31) gives Yggdrasil three roots: Hel lives under one, the frost giants under the second and human beings under the third. Snorri gives a different list, with one root among the Aesir, one among the frost giants and one over Niflheim, and says the branches spread over the whole world and stand above heaven. Asgard itself, he says, was built in the middle of the world.

Bifrost Bridge and Its Guardian

The Norse God Heimdallr guarded the Bifrost bridge against the mountain giants. Snorri says the Gods built it from earth to heaven, that people call it the rainbow, and that the Gods ride over it every day to their court at the well of Urd under Yggdrasil. Its heavenly end lies at Himinbjörg, Heimdallr's home; Snorri never says that it ends at Asgard. He calls Heimdallr "the white god" and gives him teeth of gold. His sword is called "a man's head", and his horn, Gjallarhorn, can be heard in all worlds. His horse is named Gulltoppr, "gold-top".

And that's not all. Heimdallr needs less sleep than a bird, sees a hundred leagues by night as well as by day, and hears the grass grow. In the sources he blows Gjallarhorn to wake the Gods when Ragnarök begins.

Creation of Asgard

According to Snorri Sturluson, Odin and his brothers, the sons of Borr, built Asgard after they had shaped the earth from the body of the giant Ymir and made the first humans, Askr and Embla. They set it in the middle of the world.

The All-father started by establishing rulers to judge with him and giving them their first task. They had to make a temple with twelve seats for them, as well as a high seat for Odin, at a place known as Iðavöllr (Ida-field), in the middle of the stronghold. Snorri calls it the best-built and largest house on earth, all of gold inside and out. It is known as Gladsheim.

Next came Vingólf, the sanctuary of the goddesses, and a forge where the Gods worked so much gold that every dish and every harness was made of it. Early in the Gods' time, after they had made Midgard and built Valhalla, a master-builder arrived whom Snorri never names. He offered to build them, in three seasons, a stronghold so strong that it would keep out the mountain giants and the frost giants. Snorri calls it simply a borg, a fortification, and does not name Asgard in this story.

However, the price the Gods would have to pay was very high. He asked for the sun and the moon, and for the goddess Freyja herself. The Gods accepted his offer with one condition they thought he would not be able to fulfill. They wanted the work to be finished in a single winter, with no man's help. The builder agreed to these terms after Loki convinced the Gods to allow him to use his horse Svadilfari (Old Norse Svaðilfari), to aid him during the construction.

With three days left before summer, the work had almost reached the gateway, and the Gods realized that the builder would manage to finish his task on time. As his horse had proved to be invaluable help, they regretted trusting the God of trickery and mischief. The Gods threatened Loki with a cruel death if he did not find a way to ruin the giant’s building efforts.

To avoid punishment, Loki shapeshifted into a beautiful mare and went to meet the giant’s horse. Svaðilfari’s mind was blown away, and he started to completely ignore the construction of the wall so he could chase her. (On a side note, Svaðilfari will even have intercourse with Loki, who will give birth to the eight-legged steed Sleipnir. The steed became Odin's horse, the best among gods and men).

Let’s get back to our story.

After unsuccessfully trying to get his horse back during the night, the builder realized he would not manage to finish his masterpiece on time to win the prize. He flew into a giant rage, and only then did the Gods see that he was a mountain giant. The Gods set aside their oaths and called for Thor, who came as fast as the lightning.

Not only was the giant not paid his wages, but he was also denied a chance to return to Jötunheim. The God of thunder raised Mjöllnir and struck down the giant, sending him down beneath Niflhel, the realm of the dead.

A Deeper Look into Asgard

Asgard is the starting point of many adventures of the Norse Gods, though the eddic poems rarely use the name itself. Where it lay is not simple: Snorri builds it in the middle of the world, but he places many of the Gods' halls in heaven and never reconciles the two pictures.

Apart from the residences of the Gods, a few other places are tied to Asgard. At its heart lay the plain Iðavöllr, where Völuspá (stanzas 7 and 8) has the Aesir meet, build altars and forges, and play at tables in the meadow. Before the doors of Valhalla, Snorri says, stood Glasir, a grove whose leaves are red gold. He also says that one of Yggdrasil’s three roots lies among the Aesir, although the Gods hold their daily court at the well of Urd, under the root that stands in heaven.

No medieval source describes Asgard's size, its landscape or its borders.

Grímnismál (stanza 21) does name a roaring river, Thund, near Valhalla, too strong to wade, but it says nothing about borders with Vanaheim, Jotunheim or Alfheim. Those maps belong to modern retellings.

The gate Valgrind, often called the gate of Asgard, is named in Grímnismál (stanza 22) among the stanzas about Valhalla, so it is usually read as Valhalla's gate: an ancient, holy gate that stands on the plain before holy doors, and few know how it is locked. Nothing says it is made of iron. As you might have already realized, Asgard is not a realm filled with cities. The eddic poem Grímnismál lists about a dozen dwellings of the main Gods, though it never says that they all lie in Asgard; one of them, Thrymheim, is the old home of the giant Thjazi. You can read about the famous halls a bit later.

In the end, we need to mention a vast plain called Vigrid. Snorri says it is a hundred leagues wide in every direction, and that the final encounter between the Gods and their enemies, Ragnarök, will be fought there. He does not place it inside Asgard.

The Great Halls of Asgard

As we have already mentioned the great Halls of the Gods, it is time to describe the most important ones.

Valhalla

Let’s start with the most famous place in the whole Norse mythology, Valhalla (Valhöll in Old Norse, meaning "hall of the slain").

Most of you know certain things about Valhalla, but let us tell you a bit more.

It is a home of the warriors who died in battle and are chosen by the All-father himself. Those warriors are called Einherjar. Grímnismál says its rafters are spear-shafts, its roof is thatched with shields and its benches are strewn with mail coats. The same poem gives Valhalla 540 doors, and through each of them, 800 warriors will march out side by side when they go to fight the wolf at Ragnarök.

The warriors never go hungry. The cook Andhrimnir boils the boar Saehrimnir in the kettle Eldhrimnir every day, and by evening the boar is whole again, so there is always enough meat for the Einherjar, Snorri says.

The hall is easy to recognize, Grímnismál adds: a wolf hangs west of the door, and an eagle hovers above it.

Bilskirnir

Bilskirnir is the hall of the God of Thunder, Thor, in the land Snorri calls Thrudvangar and Grímnismál calls Thrudheim. Grímnismál (stanza 24) gives it 540 rooms and calls it the greatest of all roofed halls, and Snorri agrees that it is the biggest house men know of.

The name Thrudheim means "home of strength", and Snorri calls Thor the strongest of all gods and men. Thor also has a daughter named Thrud, "strength", but no source connects her with the hall.

Gladsheim

Apart from Valhalla, Odin is also the owner of another great hall within Asgard, known as Gladsheim (meaning Bright Home). Snorri describes it as the temple at Iðavöllr with twelve seats for the rulers who judge with Odin, besides his own high seat, and Grímnismál (stanza 8) says that gold-bright Valhalla stands within Gladsheim.

Grímnismál (stanzas 19 and 20) mentions Odin's wolves Geri and Freki, whom he feeds while he himself lives on wine alone, and his ravens Huginn and Muninn, who fly over the world every day, but it does not place them in Gladsheim. The golden-combed rooster Gullinkambi appears in Völuspá, crowing over the Aesir to wake the warriors at Odin's hall.

Odin also owns Valaskjalf, which Snorri treats as a hall of its own and places in heaven. The Gods built it and thatched it with pure silver.

In it stands Hlidskjalf, the high seat of the All-father. When Odin sits there, he sees over all worlds.

Breidablik

Breidablik is the home of the most loved of all Norse Gods, Baldur. Grímnismál (stanza 12) says it lies in the land where the fewest baleful things are found, and Snorri places it in heaven and says that nothing unclean can be there.

After Baldur's death his wife Nanna died of grief at his funeral. No source says what became of the hall.

Landvidi

This is the land of Vidar, the silent god who will avenge his father Odin at Ragnarök. His mother is the giantess Grid, who once lent the God of Thunder her own belt of strength, her iron gloves and her staff when he set out to face the giant Geirröd.

Grímnismál (stanza 17) is the only description: Vidar's land grows thick with brushwood and tall grass, and from there he will leap from his horse to avenge his father. The name Landvidi comes from the same line.

Glitnir

Glitnir is the hall of Forseti, son of Baldur and Nanna. Grímnismál (stanza 15) says it stands on pillars of gold and is roofed with silver, and Snorri says that all who bring a dispute to Forseti go away reconciled, the best court among gods and men.

Ydalir

Ydalir, "yew-dales", is the home of Ullr. Grímnismál (stanza 5) says only that Ullr has made himself halls there. Snorri adds that Ullr, Sif's son and Thor's stepson, is such a fine archer and skier that no one can match him.

Noatun

Let us mention at least one hall of the Vanir Gods on our list.

It is called Noatun, and it belongs to Njörd, who rules the wind and calms the sea. Snorri places it in heaven and says men should call on Njörd for safe voyages, so the name, which means "enclosure of ships", suits him well.

His wife Skadi, daughter of the giant Thjazi, could not bear it there. Snorri quotes her complaint that she could not sleep by the sea for the screaming of the gull that woke her every morning, and she went back to her father's mountains at Thrymheim.

Grímnismál (stanza 16) adds only that Njörd, a prince of men without malice, rules over a high-timbered shrine there.

Vingolf

One of the not so famous halls only a few know about, but is worth mentioning is surely Vingolf. Snorri says the Gods built it right after Gladsheim, as the sanctuary of the goddesses, and that it was very fair.

Elsewhere Snorri gives Vingolf a second role that he never explains: Odin assigns the battle-slain to Valhalla and Vingolf, and righteous men will live with him after death in Gimlé or Vingolf.

What Happened to Asgard During Ragnarök?

Snorri never describes the fall of Asgard on its own. In his account of Ragnarök, Asgard simply goes down with the rest of the world.

The sky splits, and the sons of Muspell ride out with Surtr at their head. When they ride over the rainbow bridge, Bifröst, it breaks, and they ride on to the plain Vigrid.

There the final battle takes place, and many of both the Gods and the giants lose their lives. In the final moments Surtr, the guardian of Muspell, flings fire over the earth and burns the whole world.

However, this firestorm is not really the terminus point of the Norse universe. As a matter of fact, some of the Gods will manage to survive Ragnarok. The earth rises again from the sea, green and fair, and Váli and Vídarr live on the plain Iðavöllr, "where Asgard was before", Snorri says. Thor's sons Modi and Magni bring Mjöllnir there, Baldur and Hödr return from Hel, and the Gods find in the grass the golden game-pieces the Aesir once owned. Snorri does not say that Asgard is rebuilt.

What Have We Learned Today About Asgard?

Asgard was the walled home of the Aesir, where Vanir Gods such as Njord and Freyja also found a place. We should not confuse it with the Christian notion of Heaven, as Asgard was more like Mount Olympus, where Zeus and other Gods of Greek mythology lived.

Ruled by Odin, the All-father, Asgard was the place where the Gods and their kin lived, and the famous Valhalla stood among its halls.

Another landmark that is highly popular nowadays is the Bifrost bridge, which the Gods ride over from earth to heaven every day, though Snorri ends it at Heimdallr's Himinbjörg, not at Asgard.

In the end, Asgard was surely something to behold, and every true Viking would have wanted to visit it at least once in their lifetime. What about you? Would you like to pay a visit to the realm of the Norse Gods? Feel free to share your ideas in the comment area below.

Asgard, FAQ

What is Asgard?

Asgard (Old Norse Ásgarðr, "enclosure of the Æsir") is the walled stronghold of the Aesir gods, ruled by Odin. Snorri Sturluson says the gods built it in the middle of the world after making the first humans, with the plain Iðavöllr at its heart and Valhalla among its halls.

Where is Asgard?

Asgard is not a place on any map. Snorri Sturluson says the gods built it in the middle of the world, but he places several of their halls, such as Breidablik, Himinbjörg and Valaskjalf, in heaven and never reconciles the two pictures. In his learned version it is also a city in Asia. No medieval text sets it at the top of Yggdrasil.

Who lives in Asgard?

Snorri says the gods and their kin lived there, led by Odin, who sees over all worlds from his high seat Hlidskjalf. Valhalla, where slain warriors gather in readiness for Ragnarök, is one of its halls. Heimdall's own home is Himinbjörg, at the edge of heaven where Bifröst reaches the sky.

How do you get to Asgard?

No source gives a route. Snorri says the gods ride over Bifröst, the burning rainbow bridge, from earth to heaven every day to hold court at the well of Urd, and that its heavenly end lies at Himinbjörg, where Heimdall guards it against the giants. He never says the bridge ends at Asgard, and in the myths giants such as Hrungnir ride straight into the gods' stronghold.

Is Asgard one of the Nine Realms?

Not in any medieval text. The poem Völuspá mentions nine worlds, but no surviving source lists them or counts Asgard among them. The familiar diagram of nine realms stacked on Yggdrasil, with Asgard at the top, is a modern reconstruction.

What happens to Asgard at Ragnarök?

Snorri Sturluson never singles it out. Bifröst breaks under the sons of Muspell, and Surtr burns the whole world. Afterwards the earth rises again from the sea, and Vidar and Vali live on the plain Iðavöllr, where Asgard had been. Baldur and Hodr return from Hel, and the gods find their old golden game-pieces in the grass.

Keep exploring: the world-tree Yggdrasil and Valhalla, or shop Norse god jewelry.