Lately I have been thinking a lot about the Norse-inspired part of the world I am creating. And, more precisely, the pantheon, mythologies, and traditions that shaped that society into what it is. I have come to the conclusion that I want to choose my path once an for all, when it comes to that. So far I have had three distinct paths I could have taken with it (in no particular order, really):
A) Go with the actual pantheon (as far as we know and understand it today) and mythology that existed. Granted, we don't have a 100% complete picture or understanding of it, but you can probably fill in the 'blanks' with stuff that at least seem to fit. And if not, then just remember that this is a fantasy world so things might have evolved slightly differently anyway.
B) Take what we know about the gods from the post-Ragnarok world - essentially those few who survived Ragnarok - and use that as a basis for creating something new. This is a very interesting option as well, and not one I believe I have seen done very often, if at all. It probably has been done but in that case I either haven't seen it or can't remember seeing it. Anyway, I find this to be an interesting option as well as it gives me more freedom compared to option 'A'. If we know little about the Norse pantheon, we know even less about their beliefs about the world post-Ragnarok.
A) Go with the actual pantheon (as far as we know and understand it today) and mythology that existed. Granted, we don't have a 100% complete picture or understanding of it, but you can probably fill in the 'blanks' with stuff that at least seem to fit. And if not, then just remember that this is a fantasy world so things might have evolved slightly differently anyway.
B) Take what we know about the gods from the post-Ragnarok world - essentially those few who survived Ragnarok - and use that as a basis for creating something new. This is a very interesting option as well, and not one I believe I have seen done very often, if at all. It probably has been done but in that case I either haven't seen it or can't remember seeing it. Anyway, I find this to be an interesting option as well as it gives me more freedom compared to option 'A'. If we know little about the Norse pantheon, we know even less about their beliefs about the world post-Ragnarok.
C) Ignore everything and start over. Basically this is about creating a whole new pantheon and mythology that could work in a Norse-inspired fantasy setting. Or at least for the part of the world that actually IS Norse-inspired.
I've always had a big interest in the Norse era. I hesitate to call it the viking age as that is a very limited time-frame framed between two events that took place on British soil - essentially the time between the first and last 'viking' raid on British soil. However the culture was around before and after that as well, in one form or another. Sure, they were Christianized around the end of the viking age, but still. Anyway, I am not here to discuss the Norsemen of old in any great detail. Just to say that I enjoy learning about them - how their society works, the lives of the everyday people, the mythology, their traditions and culture, etc.
Now, what I am trying to create with the Norse-inspired part of my world-building isn't a faithful re-creation of Norse society and beliefs, because frankly I can't and it wouldn't fit into the world as a whole anyway. What I have done instead is something that is based on Norse society and their way of life. Granted, I know I am far from being the only person in history that has done something like this. Still, it is a fun little project and I have been enjoying it very much.
No, my norsemen don't wear winged or horned helmets, other than possibly for ritual purposes (possible if I go with option 'C' above. We shall see).
No, I'm not calling them "Barbarians".
As for the options listed above, I have lately been working on options 'B' and 'C'. There's still much work to do, followed by a lot of thinking and tweaking. But as it stands one of those options will most likely be the one I will end up going with.
No, I'm not calling them "Barbarians".
As for the options listed above, I have lately been working on options 'B' and 'C'. There's still much work to do, followed by a lot of thinking and tweaking. But as it stands one of those options will most likely be the one I will end up going with.
Well then, I see a new sun rise above the infinite horizon of the Tabletop Multiverse. Time to put the campfire out for this time, and continue on my travels. Well met travelers, and until we meet again I wish you all happy journeys.
Until next time!
Until next time!
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