Odin and Friends

I’ve never put much stock in numerology, but I couldn’t help but notice on the calendar that today is the ninth day of the ninth month of the year two thousand and nine.

That’s a lot of nines in a row. The number nine was considered quite significant in Norse mythology, so I’m thinking this day must be auspicious for one thing or another. If you’ve been considering climbing a dangerous mountain, sacking a village off coastal Britain, or sailing for new lands amongst the icebergs, today might be the day to give it a whirl.

NINE SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLES OF THE NUMBER NINE IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY

• Nine Worlds
  The Norse universe contains nine worlds supported by the tree of life:
• Ásgarðr (Asgard, home of Odin and the other Aesir gods)
• Álfheimr (Alfheim, home of the Elves)
• Múspellsheimr (Muspellsheim, southern realm of fire, chock full o’ demons)
• Vanaheimr (Vanaheim, original home of Freyja and the Vanir gods)
• Miðgarðr (Midgard, that’s where us humans live)
• Jötunheimr (Jotunheim, land of the giants, where Thor goes for nookie)
• Niflheimr (Niflheim, northern realm of fog and mist)
• Nidavellir (home of the dwarves)*
• Svartálfaheimr (Svartalfaheim, land of the dark elves)*

* Might be the same place, which leaves one realm missing. California?

• Nine Days
  When Odin sacrificed himself on Yggdrasil, he hung for nine days and nights. In return, he secured from the Well of Wyrd eighteen (twice nine) magical runes with powers straight out of Dungeons & Dragons.

• Nine Nights
  Freyr must wait nine nights to consummate his union with Gerd. Apparently worth the wait to sleep with the sexiest giant woman to walk the earth.

• Nine Steps
  During Ragnarök, Thor kills Jörmungandr but staggers back nine steps before falling dead himself.

• Nine Rings
  Odin’s ring Draupnir releases eight additional rings every ninth night, forming a total of nine rings of equal worth. How’s that for passive income?

• Nine Daughters
  Ægir has nine of them. Sounds like a lot of work.

• Nine Mothers
  Heimdall has nine of them. And I thought having three was tough.

• Nine Saddle Sores
  The god Hermod rode Sleipnir for nine nights on his quest to free Baldr from the underworld. Too bad Loki sabotaged his efforts.

• Nine Survivors
  There are nine surviving deities of Ragnarök, including Baldur, Hödr, Magni, Modi, Vidar, Váli, Hoenir, Sól’s daughter, and a ninth unnamed god who will rule over everything.

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