Viking Saga Songs: 2. Odin, mighty world-creator
The song is 'Odin, mighty world-creator' which describes the realms of the Viking world: Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Bifrost, Helheim and all held in place by the roots and branches of a great ash tree called Yggdrasil.
The saga
In five minutes flat Odin had made the lot!Loki
The story episode to go with the song 'Odin, mighty world-creator' is a reprise of 'Odin creates the world' from Part 1. Loki recounts how he stood at Odin's shoulder as Odin creates three realms - Jotunheim (home for the giants, his enemies); Midgard (home for 'skinny, hairy' things called humans) and Asgard (shining city of the gods). Odin also creates the first humans by finding two trees and 'muttering something' into the leaves, to create the first man and first woman. And, as a final touch, Odin connects Asgard to Midgard with a rainbow bridge called Bifrost. This is a truncated version of the full Viking creation myth, focusing solely on Odin's part in it.
In the saga...
| Name | Reminder |
|---|---|
| Loki | Viking god of fire and great friends with Odin |
| Odin | Chief of all the Viking gods |
| Asgard | City of the gods |
| Midgard | Home for humans. Loki: 'Isn't it a bit too good for skinny, hairy things like them?' |
| Jotunheim | Frozen land of the giants. Loki: 'I'm not going threre for my holidays!' |
| Bifrost | The rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to Midgard |
| Helheim | The underground realm of Hel - a place of evil |
| Yggdrasil | The world ash tree - holding all the realms together |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Finding out about Odin, and noting that his name gives us the word 'Wednesday'. Then learning the introduction to the song, noting it's similarity to a horn call on two notes. |
| 02 56 | Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'Odin, mighty world-creator...' Listening to a line and then repeating with Joanna. Joining the introduction to Verse 1. |
| 04 37 | Learning Verse 2, beginning: 'Jotunheim, frost and ice...' which is about the frozen land Odin creates for the giants. |
| 05 57 | Learning Verse 3, beginning 'Midgard, middle-earth...' and moving straight on to Verse 4 about Asgard at 07 01. The melody remains the same as for previous verses. |
| 08 02 | Learning three further verses: Verse 5 about Bifrost - the rainbow bridge; Verse 6 about Helheim - an underground realm of evil; Verse 7 about Yggdrasil - the world ash tree, that holds all the realms in place. |
| 11 30 | Learning the ending - the word 'Odin' repeated four times. |
Story questions
What is the name of our storyteller and what is he like?
Loki - he's funny, mischievous and a trickster: 'Loki by name...jokey by nature!'
What is the name of the chief of the gods?
Odin
What is the name of the golden city that Odin creates for the gods?
Asgard
How does Odin create the first humans and where do they live?
Odin finds two trees and 'mutters something' into the leaves. He creates Midgard for the humans to live in
What is the name of the frozen land where the giants live?
Jotunheim
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Odin, mighty world-creator
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Odin, mighty world-creator
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
