revival in norse myth

[thatkidakayoungguy]

Is this partly due to gaming?

[edwardmurphy]

I haven't noticed a revival of Norse mythology, but if there's actually been one then yeah, I'd imagine that it's fueled by pop culture (which would include games). That show Vikings on the History Channel is pretty good. Although if the supposed revival is happening in Scandinavia I suppose it could be related to nationalism.

And just so were clear, I'm talking about an increased interest in Norse mythology as entertainment, not the reemergence of the worship of Odin and Thor. I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened.

[B. W.]

Have to agree with Ed here on this one...

See Ed and I can actually agree on some things!
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[Hortator]

When you mention the Norse mythos and gaming, you really can't not mention Skyrim:

[RickD]

I'm pretty sure that Chris Hemsworth, that gorgeous hunk of a man, is solely responsible for any revival of interest in Norse mythology.

No woman can resist the lure of Thor.

[thatkidakayoungguy]

I haven't noticed a revival of Norse mythology, but if there's actually been one then yeah, I'd imagine that it's fueled by pop culture (which would include games). That show Vikings on the History Channel is pretty good. Although if the supposed revival is happening in Scandinavia I suppose it could be related to nationalism.

And just so were clear, I'm talking about an increased interest in Norse mythology as entertainment, not the reemergence of the worship of Odin and Thor. I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened.

There has-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathenry ... _movement)
now i do like some middle earthish games

[edwardmurphy]

Ok, so according to Wikipedia this stuff has roots in Romanticism dating back to the 1800s. Modern paganism apparently became a thing in the 1960s. Pagans are divided roughly into two groups, which I'll call the Harmless Kooks (henceforth HK) and the Dangerous Kooks (henceforth DK).

The HK movement seems to be New Agey pan-theism with a sense of history. Meh, whatever.

The DK movement is apparently White Supremacists taking a page out of the Nazi playbook and looking to reconnect with their Aryan roots.

In the case of the HKs I imagine that they're motivated by the same urges and longings that sends people to religious cults or out looking for magic crystals or whatever. Who cares.

In the case of the DKs it seems like their emergence is tied to the recent wave of populist nationalism and white-identity politics that spawned Wilder, LePen, and Sideshow Don. That's a bit scary, but whatever. Nazis are scary regardless of whether or not they have goofy religious ideas.

Anyway, those are small groups of fringe crackpots. Most of the current popularity of Norse mythology seems to be based on a superficial interest in Vikings and superhero thunder gods.

[Kurieuo]

Ed, perhaps I shouldn't ask. But honestly, who are more crackpot-like, the Norses or Christians and why?

[edwardmurphy]

I think that's something that has to be taken on a case by case basis.