9 From the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan
GLOSSARY
AESIR—gods of war, close to humans
ALFHEIM—the home of the light elves, ruled by the god Frey
ASGARD—the home of the Aesir
BALDER—god of light, the second son of Odin and Frigg, and twin brother of Hod. Frigg made all earthly things swear to never harm her son, but she forgot about mistletoe. Loki tricked Hod into killing Balder with a dart made of mistletoe.
BEARGRYLLS—a British adventurer best known for his television series Man vs. Wild
BIFROST—the rainbow bridge leading from Asgard to Midgard
BOUDICA—a queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe who led a revolt against occupying Romans in 61 CE
EINHERJAR (EINHERJI, sing.)—great heroes who have died with bravery on Earth; soldiers in Odin’s eternal army; they train in Valhalla for Ragnarok, when the bravest of them will join Odin against Loki and the giants in the battle at the end of the world
FENRISWOLF—an invulnerable wolf born of Loki’s affair with a giantess; his mighty strength strikes fear even in the gods, who keep him tied to a rock on an island. He is destined to break free on the day of Ragnarok.
FIMBULWINTER—three years of unending winter immediately preceding Ragnarok
FOLKVANGER—the Vanir afterlife for slain heroes, ruled by the goddess Freya
FORSETI—god of justice
FREY—the god of spring and summer; the sun, the rain, and the harvest; abundance and fertility, growth and vitality. Frey is the twin brother of Freya and, like his sister, is associated with great beauty. He is the lord of Alfheim.
FREYA—the goddess of love; twin sister of Frey; ruler of Folkvanger
FRIGG—goddess of marriage and motherhood; Odin’s wife and the queen of Asgard; mother of Balder and Hod
GARM—the guard dog of Hel
GINNUNGAGAP—the primordial void; a mist that obscures appearances
GJALLAR—Heimdall’s horn
GLAMOUR—illusion magic
GLEIPNIR—a rope made by dwarves to keep Fenris Wolf in bondage
GLUM—a minor goddess, a handmaiden of Frigg
GUNGNIR—Odin’s staff
HEIDRUN—the goat in the Tree of Laeradr whose milk is brewed for the magical mead of Valhalla
HEIMDALL—god of vigilance and the guardian of Bifrost, the gateway to Asgard
HEL—goddess of the dishonorable dead; born of Loki’s affair with a giantess
HELHEIM—the underworld, ruled by Hel and inhabited by those who died in wickedness, old age, or illness
HLADGUNNR—daughter of Hel; granddaughter of Loki; a Valkyrie that played tricks on her victims
HLIDSKJALF—the High Seat of Odin
HOD—Balder’s blind brother
HOLLER—Norse god of disease, destruction, and disaster
HONIR—the Aesir god of indecision, avoidance, and mystery
HULDER—a domesticated forest sprite
HVERGELMIR—the hot springs surrounding Yggdrasil
JOTUN—giant
JOTUNHEIM—realm of the earth giants
LOFN—goddess of arranged marriages
LOKI—god of mischief, magic, and artifice; the son of two giants, Farbauti and Laufey; adept with magic and shape-shifting. He is alternately malicious and heroic to the Asgardian gods and to humankind. Because of his role in the death of Balder, Loki was chained by Odin to three giant boulders with a poisonous serpent coiled over his head. The venom of the snake occasionally irritates Loki’s face, and his writhing can cause earthquakes.
LYNGVI—the Isle of Heather, where Fenris Wolf is bound
MIDGARD—realm of the humans
MIMIR—an Aesir god who, along with Honir, traded places with Vanir gods Frey and Njord at the end of the war between the Aesir and the Vanir. When the Vanir didn’t like his counsel, they cut off his head and sent it to Odin. Odin placed the head in a magical well, where the water brought it back to life, and Mimir soaked up all the knowledge of the World Tree.
MJOLNIR—Thor’s hammer
MUSPELLHEIM—the home of the fire giants and demons
NáBRóK—pants made out of a corpse’s skin
NIDAVELLIR—the home of the dwarves
NIDHOGG—the dragon that lives at the bottom of the World Tree and chews on its roots
NIFLHEIM—the world of ice, fog, and mist
ODIN—the “All-Father” and king of the gods; the god of war and death, but also poetry and wisdom. By trading one eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom, Odin gained unparalleled knowledge. He has the ability to observe all the Nine Worlds from his throne in Asgard; in addition to his great hall, he also resides in Valhalla with the bravest of those slain in battle.
RAGNAROK—the Day of Doom or Judgment, when the bravest of the einherjar will join Odin against Loki and the giants in the battle at the end of the world
RATATOSK—an invulnerable squirrel that constantly runs up and down the World Tree carrying insults between the eagle that lives at the top and Nidhogg, the dragon that lives at the roots
SAEHRIMNIR—the magical beast of Valhalla; every day it is killed and cooked for dinner and every morning it is resurrected; it tastes like whatever the diner wants
SESSRUMNIR—the Hall of Many Seats, Freya’s mansion in Folkvanger
SIERSGRUNNR—Norse for cheesebutt
SIF—goddess of the earth; mother of Uller by her first husband; Thor is her second husband; the rowan is her sacred tree
SNOTRA—goddess of prudence and self-discipline
SUMARBRANDER—the Sword of Summer
SURT—lord of Muspellheim
THANE—a lord of Valhalla
THOR—god of thunder; son of Odin. Thunderstorms are the earthly effects of Thor’s mighty chariot rides across the sky, and lightning is caused by hurling his great hammer, Mjolnir.
TREE OF LAERADR—a tree in the center of the Feast Hall of the Slain in Valhalla containing immortal animals that have particular jobs
TYR—god of courage, law, and trial by combat; he lost a hand to Fenris’s bite when the Wolf was restrained by the gods
UTTGARD-LOKI—the most powerful sorcerer of Jotunheim; king of the mountain giants
VALHALLA—paradise for warriors in the service of Odin
VALKNUT—a Norse design of three interlocked triangles; the word comes from vair, meaning slain warriors, and knut, meaning knot
VALKYRIE—Odin’s handmaidens, who choose slain heroes to bring to Valhalla
VANAHEIM—the home of the Vanir
VANIR—gods of nature; close to elves
VIGRIDR—a plain that will be the site of the battle between the gods and Surt’s forces during Ragnarok
YGGDRASIL—the World Tree
