Vidar: the Norse God of Vengeance
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Published 2023-09-26
To be clear, strength here is only physical strength, strength not used as a byword for power, for the most powerful god, when you factor in everything, not just battle prowess, is undoubtedly Odin, who, incidentally, was Vidar’s father, siring him on the giantess Gridr. She at one time lent Thor a number of armaments, including her belt, staff, and iron gloves, which helped him ford a river and defeat the giant Geirrod.
It isn’t known for certain why Vidar was silent, but it has been posited that it is connected to ritual silence and other abstinent behavior in relation to vengeance, those committed to the path of vengeance refraining from speech and other indulgences until their quarry was killed. Another example comes from the god Vali, who stopped washing his hands and combing his hair until the body of the one he vowed to kill blackened on the funeral pyre.
Unsurprisingly, Vidar’s most important contribution to Norse mythology is a heroic act of vengeance, which is exactly what you would expect from the god of vengeance himself. Said most simply, he avenges his father by ripping a giant wolf’s head apart. However, to understand how important this avenging was - that is, how death-defying and world-saving it was, Odin’s honor being the least important aspect of this - a lot of information has to be layered on top, answering questions like: Who was this wolf? How was this wolf possibly powerful enough to kill the king of the Norse pantheon? Why Were Odin and this wolf even fighting? And how did Vidar, though a very powerful god, manage to kill the monster that killed Odin, the most powerful of the Norse gods?
Watch the video for the rest!
All Comments (21)
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Thanks for watching! :)
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Viidar is so cool. I hope he makes an appearance in the next God of War game
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Well done. Vidar is one of the Aesir whose aspects speak most clearly to me.
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The greatest Vengeance of all is a life well lived, to survive beyond the point when all those who hate you or have wronged you have perished. The greatest Vengeance is to outlive your foes and thrive in spite of them, and defeat them when they try to take that from you.
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thx for posting
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Took me awhile to find it but at 0:50 seconds in "Geirrod" is the spelling for the Gaint mentioned. Figured id share to anyone curious or fascinated with the lore and myths of gods/gaints like I am.
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Thanks for the video it's good when people acknowledge others instead of the typical favourites of Norse Mythology ⚔️
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He’s a badass in the show Primal
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Loki was also the mother of Odin's horse Sleipnir . Nice vid
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A video on Mastema mythology would be dope
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Feel very connected to Vidar. In my mind he's the embodiment of a noble son. The norse Gods arent so much "The God of _____" as they are ASSOCIATED with certain nature and psychological aspects. Vidar represents respect for parental guardians, justice by way of vengence, the woods, and really nature itself. His name when translated literally means something like "forest warrior/wide ruler." I feel most connected to: Vidar, Forseti, Tyr, Freya, and Odin.
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🐾
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👍🏼💫✨️
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PERHAPS interesting
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Really ticks me off that he didn't get a major appearance in the GoW games.
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Don’t piss this guy off
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Don't hear about this guy often. Please do Nidhog.
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my name is vidar💀
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Hes sounds like Jesus too Me"The Silent King"Who came After all of them"Untill His Father sent him too tell the world About the All Father!!!
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where is this info found? Just saying!
