Posts from [PROJECT] History Lessons

It is also important to remember that we actually know almost nothing about Scandinavian paganism – there are only a few archaeological finds, fragments of folk songs and rituals that distort any religion beyond recognition, and two books written by the Christian Snorri Sturluson in the 11th (or 12th) century – the Elder Edda and the Younger Edda. In short, all sources are more than dubious...

Indeed, the best source for information about Viking religion is the Elder and Younger Eddas. In short, it was like this:
The world is the cosmic ash tree Yggdrasil (which translates to Odin's horse). But on the other hand, the world was created from the flesh of the giant Ymir. The religion is essentially eschatological (about the end of the world). The end will come during the final battle - Ragnarök, when the old world will perish, almost all the gods will die, and the remaining ones will create a new world.
The supreme god is Odin (also known as Ygg) - the god of practically everything. Distinctive features: one eye (he gave the other as a payment to drink from the source of wisdom), he rides an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, and he carries a spear. The other gods are his relatives and children.
There are two types of higher deities: the Aesir (gods) and the Vanir (spirits of ancestors).
The enemies are the forces of darkness, led by the wolf Fenrir.

Fernir is Loki's son:)
By the way, the goddess of death is also Loki's daughter.

Fenrir is Loki's son:)
It would be more accurate to call giants the forces of chaos – like the Titans in Greek mythology or the Daevas in Zoroastrian religion – because the Vikings didn't have complex notions of good and evil, and the Aesir and Vanir don't behave any better than the giants, and sometimes even worse, constantly deceiving everyone around them and committing a great many dishonorable deeds. Even more precisely, it can be said that the Vanir and Aesir are forces friendly to humans, while the giants are hostile to them:) Such is the egoism on a cosmic scale:)

Loki is generally a complex character in Norse mythology. Sometimes he helps the gods, sometimes he messes with them, and in Ragnarok he fights against them... Also, the fire giant Surtr is an important figure among the evil forces.
By the way, the goddess of death is also Loki's daughter.

The Salic Law was indeed written down during the reign of Clovis, but they had been living according to it for quite some time. It was simply that with the formation of the state, there was a need for unified, written laws.
Regarding the name of his wife, I've never been interested, to be honest.
As for the beliefs of the pagan Franks, they are very similar to the Scandinavian ones. For example, the supreme god is Wotan (analogous to Odin). Undoubtedly, there were some differences between the tribes, but in general, the pantheon of supreme gods was most likely common.