Norse Mythology
Asgard and Norse Mythology
What’s in a name?
The Asgard takes her name and proud spirit straight from the core of Norse mythology. According to Norse legend, Asgard was one of the nine worlds of the Norse universe and was located at the highest level.
It was the celestial home of the Aesir, the most prominent race of the gods. The Aesir were warriors in every sense of the word. They were led by the “All Father”, Odin, and with him ruled the lives of mortal men and women.
You may recognize some of the more common gods of Asgard if you were a fan of the Marvel Comic character “Thor”, who was the famous god of thunder. Other gods more commonly known include: Balder – the god of beauty; Heimdall – the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge; Loki – the god of fire and a trickster; Njord – the sea god; and Tyr – the god of war. Goddesses include: Freya – the fertility goddess; Frigg – the wife of Odin; Sif – the wife of Thor; and Idun – keeper of the apples of youth.
Within the realm of Asgard, Odin presided over Valhalla, the great Hall of the Slain. Odin’s messengers and spirits of war, known as the Valkyries, go to Midgard, land of the mortals, and bring half of all of the heroes slain on the battlefields back to Valhalla. The other half go to Freya’s hall, known as Folkvang. It is said that Valhalla is so huge that it has five hundred and forty doors. The slain warriors are prepared in Valhalla for the “end of times” great battle known as Ragnarök. When Ragnarök commences, it is believed that eight hundred warriors will march shoulder to shoulder out of each of the five hundred and forty doors! They will be leaving Valhalla to battle the frost giants, the fire giants, demons and the inhabitants of hell.
Ragnarök translates into doom of the gods or destruction of the gods. Ragnarök is also called Gotterdammerung, both names meaning the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology. It’s the beginning of the end of all things. Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard, will sound his great horn, calling all of the heroes and the sons and daughters of Odin to the battlefield. 
The nine worlds will burn, and all will perish as the earth sinks into the sea. After this destruction, a new idyllic world arises from the sea, filled with abundance. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Evil and misery will have vanished and the gods and mortals will live in peace and harmony together.
Editorial Comment from the COC:
As in the Star Trek universe, the USS Asgard believes in the concept behind the Vulcan award of merit known as the IDIC, an abbreviation for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. In the Vulcan language, the term for IDIC is “Kol-Ut-Shan,” and the idea simply celebrates the infinite possibilities and variables in the universe.
Honoring the concept of IDIC, the USS Asgard respects the right of our crew members, and of course all peoples, to hold their own individual religious, philosophical, political and other beliefs. We celebrate and cherish this diversity amongst ourselves and do not seek to change or interfere with a member’s system of religious or other beliefs, or absence of a system of beliefs.
Having said this, we do wish to acknowledge the name of our ship and its obvious origins within the rich and detailed history of Norse mythology and Norse culture. Some of our crew do, indeed, have Northern European, Germanic or Celtic ancestry, but this does not mean that we are all of the same heritage. Nor does our interest in Norse mythology and the pantheon of Norse gods and goddesses mean that we all “worship” Odin, follow the Asatru religion or Norse Heathenism, or practice any other form of pagan or neo-pagan belief system, though we are all free to choose to do so.
We do celebrate and honor the ancient history and diverse cultures that produced the intricate tapestry that we have inherited from the northern Germanic peoples and the Norse pantheon that is such an integral part of that history.
We do celebrate and honor the courage and the amazing navigational skills displayed by the early Norse or “Viking” explorers and seafarers, that spirit which took them into the deep unknown of the north Atlantic in their longships and carried them to the shores of Newfoundland on the North American continent.
It is that spirit we want to emulate on the Asgard. It is that courage and determination that we want to carry us into deep space and to “boldly go where no one has gone before.” It is that spirit that prompts us to ask of our potential new recruits, “Got Viking?”
When we step onto the bridge of the Asgard and prepare to head out deep into the galaxy, into the unknown, into the future that Gene Roddenberry encouraged us to create for ourselves, we will all benefit from having at least a few Vikings along for the ride...
Commander Cassandra Chronos
We would also like to honor our STARFLEET sister ships in NorseFleet - Norræni Flotinn:
USS Heimdal - NCC 1793
Region 1 - Amherst, Virginia
CO: Admiral Linda Smith
USS Odin - NCC 1875
Region 1 - Louisville, Kentucky
CO: Colonel Antonio Lopes III
USS Thor - NCC 2549-A
Region 7 - Baltimore, Maryland
CO: Captain Keith Mayfield
USS Thor’s Hammer - NCC 74914
Region 9 - Reykjarvik, Iceland
CO: Captain Thomas Sigmundsson
Norse Mythology and Culture Links:
Encyclopedia Mythica – Norse Mythology
Myths and Legends of the Ancient World
The Vikings – Elementary Themes
The Viking Rune: All Things Norse and Germanic
Comic images of Thor appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer / editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug. 1962). Marvel Publishing, Inc., doing business as Marvel Comics, is an American comic book and related media company, and a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. Comic images of Thor ™ and © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc. No copyright infringement is implied or intended.
