In the beginning the Vikings were Heathens, and believed in the old Nordic gods, like Odin who was the chief of the Viking gods. Odin or Woden only had one eye because he was said to have traded it in for a drink at the Well of Knowledge to become even more clever. He also was said to have two ravens, thought and memory. They were sent out each day to tell Odin what was going on in the world. He rode an eight legged horse called Sleipnir. He had messengers called the Valkyries who lead the soles of heroes up to Valhalla.

Valhalla, was Viking heaven. The Vikings believed that if you died in a battle then you would go there but if you died peacefully then you would go to hell.

Another of their gods was called Thor. Thor was a strong thunder god. Thor carried a magical hammer around with him, it was very big.

Frey and Freya were brother and sister. Frey was the God of peace, prosperity, and fruitfulness. According to old legends he was reincarnated in the kings of Denmark. Freya, was the goddess of love. Loki and Tyr were also Viking gods.

Here is a geneology chart of the principal gods of Norse mythology.

From some of these gods we get the names of the days of the week such as Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We think that these gods were either worshipped in special temples or in halls of the biggest farms. They were not known to sacrifice humans to the gods but animals, mainly horses. The sacrificial blood was smeared on the walls and the meat of the horse was then eaten. This was done by local chiefs or priests. This was done at special times of the year.

In the 10th century a few Vikings became Christian. One of then was called Olav Haraldsson who was the king of Norway. He had been baptised and managed to persuade many of his own people to become Christian too. Once most of Norway had become Christian he tried to convince other Nordic settlements such as the Orkneys, the Shetlands the Faroe islands, Iceland and Greenland. It is thought that Christianity changed the Vikings' way of life. They were not so fierce and settled down to a quieter more peaceful life.

Here is a site with an English translation of The Saga of Olaf Haraldson (St. Olaf) by Snorri Sturlson .

Click here if you want to read some myths of Norse Mythology