Summary
Ancient mythology is hot these days, and there’s a nicevariety of both live-actionand animated movies and shows for viewers who like fantasy, ancient history, or classical literature. One of the most recent and more daring offerings is Zack Snyder’sTwilight of the Gods, which tells a story of Norse gods and the humans that challenged them.
Snyder has a unique interpretation of the Norse gods that are included in the series, but all of them have their roots in classical mythology. Viewers who are used to portrayals in comic books or fairy tales are in for an interesting and mind-bending ride.
1Freya
A Key Figure In Norse And Germanic Mythology
Freya is one of the most influential andpopular gods in Norse mythology. She’s frequently confused with Frigg, a Germanic god with similar traits. InTwilight of the Gods, Freya is a hostage of Odin instead of being his wife, taken in exchange for another Vanir prisoner. This backstory motivates her to be hostile to Odin and his family and ally with Sigrid.
The fertility angle is fairly obvious in both depictions. Freya’s realm is verdant and peaceful, a reflection of her status as a fertility god. In mythology, this is the realm of Fólkvangr. She also has her two cats with her, pulling her chariot when she’s out and about.
2Thor Odinson
Appears As The Villian In Snyder’s Version
Thor usually drops his father’s name when introducing himself, and inTwilight of the Gods,this is one consistent trait. Most of the changes are due to his status in the show as the main villain as his warlike bloodthirst has turned up to eleven, and he also seems much more intent on standing as a judge over humans and lesser gods.
The bigger story here is that Thor is hunting for Loki, and whatever he’s so mad about, he decides it’s worth destroying Sigrid’s whole family for it. As Sigrid gets closer to her goal of vengeance, it’s revealed that she and the Trickster God have something in common: Thor massacred Loki’s family, too.
3Odin
That Bit About The Horse Is Authentic
Odin doesn’t appear very often inTotG, and when he does, he’s depicted as the ancient legends also describe him; with one eye, his two pet crows, an eight-legged horse, and an almost paranoid obsession with knowing everything. The main conflict ofTotGstemsfrom Odin’s need toknow the future and proceeds to fight and conquer the older gods, known as the Vanir, which is how Freya became his lifelong prisoner.
As far as his mythology goes, few other gods are more well-known by contemporary mortals. Both Odin and his Germanic counterpart, Woden, appear extensively in ancient literature and oral history. It’s commonly known that Thor is one of his sons, but he’s also the father of Baldr, the Golden God, along with literally hundreds of other children.
4Hel
It’s A God And A Place
There are a few places that the dead can go, according to Norse mythology, and Hel is only one of them. It’s watched over by a god of the same name, Hel, who made a dramatic appearance in the filmThor: Ragnarokas the sister of Thor and Loki. InTotG, Hel is the daughter of Loki and the giant Angrboða, which is a more accurate retelling of the ancient legend.
Part of the fate of Hel and her siblings is also true, but the old stories say that it was Odin who cast them from Asgard, as opposed to being attacked and killed by Thor. Hel has two siblings, the Midgard Serpent and Fenrir, the giant wolf, all of which play an important role inTwilight of the Gods.
5Loki
The Trickster That Caused Ragnarok
Many would argue that Loki did nothing wrong, or if he did, it’s easy to sympathize. The world ofTwilight of the Godsseems to have a strict rule aboutrelations between gods, humans, and giants, and most of Loki’s grief in the show begins with his relationship with Angrboða.
Thor doesn’t take kindly to Loki’s relationship with a giant and appears at the birth of Hel to not only cast the newborn baby into the nether but also Jörmungandr, who becomes the Midgard serpent. Fenrir is kept as a pet by Thor and his fellow Aesir gods in this version, but Odin has a vision of the giant wolf eating the sun at the end of the final episode.
6Baldr
The Good God
In Norse mythology, Baldr has the largest ship ever built and his hall is the most beautiful of any other, but inTotGhe’s the good, glowing, golden god that tries, and fails, to curb Thor’s insane wrath. To his credit, he uses Thor’s trust to save Sigrid and Lief fromjoining the other residents ofJötunheim in a fiery, bloody death, but as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
The old stories of Ragnarok vary in some detail, but one feature they agree on is that the end of the world begins with the death of Baldr, the ultimate symbol of goodness. This is played out the same way inTotGbut with a twist. It’s Sigrid who hits Baldr with a spear when aiming for Thor, and her special weapon is designed to kill gods, which means she’s the one responsible for the beginning of the Norse Apocalypse.
