Always private
DuckDuckGo never tracks your searches.
Learn More
You can hide this reminder in Search Settings
All regions
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium (fr)
Belgium (nl)
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada (en)
Canada (fr)
Catalonia
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India (en)
Indonesia (en)
Ireland
Israel (en)
Italy
Japan
Korea
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia (en)
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Pakistan (en)
Peru
Philippines (en)
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain (ca)
Spain (es)
Sweden
Switzerland (de)
Switzerland (fr)
Taiwan
Thailand (en)
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
US (English)
US (Spanish)
Vietnam (en)
Safe search: moderate
Strict
Moderate
Off
Any time
Any time
Past day
Past week
Past month
Past year
  1. Only showing results from www.britannica.com

    Clear filter to show all search results

  2. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology, complex of stories, lore, and beliefs about the gods and the nature of the cosmos developed by the Germanic-speaking peoples before their conversion to Christianity. Germanic culture extended, at various times, from the Black Sea to Greenland, or even the North ... Mythology, Legend, and Folklore. Early medieval ...
  3. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - Norse, Pagan, Gods: The story of the beginning is told, with much variation, in three poems of the Elder Edda, and a synthesis of these is given by Snorri Sturluson in his Prose Edda. Snorri adds certain details that he must have taken from sources now lost. Defective as it is, the account of the "Völuspá" appears to be the most rational description of ...
    • Beliefs, practices, and institutions

      Germanic religion and mythology - Beliefs, Practices, Institutions: Sacrifice often was conducted in the open or in groves and forests. The human sacrifice to the tribal god of the Semnones, described by Tacitus, took place in a sacred grove; other examples of sacred groves include the one in which Nerthus usually resides. Tacitus does, however, mention temples in Germany, though they were ...

    • The end of paganism

      Germanic religion and mythology - Paganism, Gods, Beliefs: The Germanic peoples were converted to Christianity in different periods: many of the Goths in the 4th century, the English in the 6th and 7th centuries, the Saxons, under force of Frankish arms, in the late 8th century, and the Danes, under German pressure, in the course of the 10th century. The pagan religion held out longest in the ...

    • Guardian spirits

      Germanic religion and mythology - Freyr, Norse Gods, Paganism: Much more is told of Freyr, the son of Njörd. His name means "Lord" (compare Old English Frea), but Freyr had other names as well; he was called Yngvi or Yngvi-Freyr, and this name suggests that he was the eponymous father of the north Germans whom Tacitus calls Ingvæones (Ingævones).

    • Kobold

      Kobold, in German folklore, mischievous household spirit who usually helps with chores and gives other valuable services but who often hides household and farm tools or kicks over stooping persons. He is temperamental and becomes outraged when he is not properly fed. He sometimes sings to children.

    • Minor Aesir

      Germanic religion and mythology - Loki, Norse Gods, Germanic Tribes: There is no more baffling figure in Norse mythology than Loki. He is counted among the Aesir but is not one of them. His father was a giant (Fárbauti; "Dangerous Striker"). Loki begat a female, Angrboda (Angrboða; "Boder of Sorrow"), and produced three evil progeny—the goddess of death, Hel, the monstrous serpent ...

  4. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - Beliefs, Practices, Institutions: Sacrifice often was conducted in the open or in groves and forests. The human sacrifice to the tribal god of the Semnones, described by Tacitus, took place in a sacred grove; other examples of sacred groves include the one in which Nerthus usually resides. Tacitus does, however, mention temples in Germany, though they were ...
  5. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - Paganism, Gods, Beliefs: The Germanic peoples were converted to Christianity in different periods: many of the Goths in the 4th century, the English in the 6th and 7th centuries, the Saxons, under force of Frankish arms, in the late 8th century, and the Danes, under German pressure, in the course of the 10th century. The pagan religion held out longest in the ...
  6. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - German & English Vernacular Sources: Learned sources, such as those just mentioned, may be supplemented by a few written in vernacular in continental Germany and England. Among the most interesting are two charms, the so-called Merseburg Charms, found in a manuscript from circa 900, in alliterating verse. The charms appear to be of great antiquity, and the ...
  7. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - Freyr, Norse Gods, Paganism: Much more is told of Freyr, the son of Njörd. His name means "Lord" (compare Old English Frea), but Freyr had other names as well; he was called Yngvi or Yngvi-Freyr, and this name suggests that he was the eponymous father of the north Germans whom Tacitus calls Ingvæones (Ingævones).
  8. Jan 3, 2025Kobold, in German folklore, mischievous household spirit who usually helps with chores and gives other valuable services but who often hides household and farm tools or kicks over stooping persons. He is temperamental and becomes outraged when he is not properly fed. He sometimes sings to children.
  9. Dec 23, 2024Germanic religion and mythology - Loki, Norse Gods, Germanic Tribes: There is no more baffling figure in Norse mythology than Loki. He is counted among the Aesir but is not one of them. His father was a giant (Fárbauti; "Dangerous Striker"). Loki begat a female, Angrboda (Angrboða; "Boder of Sorrow"), and produced three evil progeny—the goddess of death, Hel, the monstrous serpent ...
  10. Germanic religion, Beliefs, rituals, and mythology of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples, in a geographic area extending from the Black Sea across central Europe and Scandinavia to Iceland and Greenland.The religion died out in central Europe with the conversion to Christianity (4th century) but continued in Scandinavia until the 10th century.
  11. Märchen, folktale characterized by elements of magic or the supernatural, such as the endowment of a mortal character with magical powers or special knowledge; variations expose the hero to supernatural beings or objects. The German term Märchen, used universally by folklorists, also embraces tall tales and humorous anecdotes; although it is often translated as "fairy tale," the fairy is ...
  12. Can’t find what you’re looking for?

    Help us improve DuckDuckGo searches with your feedback

Custom date rangeX