#nidavellir

[selenadem]

some emotes for Fafcord I made recently

[thorlaeif]

I can finally share my Dungeon Synth album with you!

I created this album out of a very deep love for Norse mythology, seen through my own perspective and the stories of my characters.

You will travel from the top to the bottom of the Yggdrasil tree, beginning with Asgard and ending with Hel.

There are nine tracks because "9" is a sacred number, but I do not believe that there are exactly nine realms. However, for convenience and common usage, I structured the tracks according to the standard system. The music and the artwork were done by me.

Yes, I will release this album on other platforms later this month. <3

[anonymousqorvid]

HTTYD: Reconceptualizing the Nine Realms

(Decided to do this since I didn't really like the King's Realm and God's Realm, and decided to make some alterations to others to make them all fully match the Nine Realms)

Grassland Realm – Midgard

The Grassland Realm is the most “normal” and terrestrial of the nine, echoing Midgard’s status as the human world and cosmological baseline. Broad rolling hills dominate the landscape, broken by winding rivers, small lakes, and stretches of forest that shift from temperate woodlands to coastal groves along sandy beaches, creating a sense of familiar variety rather than extremity.​

The false sky here feels open and wide, with regular day–night cycles from the adapting fungi, predictable weather from a mix of geothermal vents and and subterranean water sources and magnetic fields, making it the realm where migratory dragons might rest, nest, or raise young in relative safety. Village‑like dragon communities form around river valleys and sheltered bays, with burrows or cliffside nests overlooking the water, and prey species such as fish, small mammals, and flocking birds providing a rich, renewable food web.​

The tone of this realm is balance and perspective: it is where dragons are closest to the “surface world,” and where human visitors would feel most at home, making it ideal as a narrative starting point, a diplomatic meeting place, or a neutral ground between more extreme realms.​

Fire Realm – Muspellheim

The Fire Realm channels Muspellheim’s core identity as a world of heat, flame, and creation‑through‑destruction. Rivers of slow‑moving lava cut through black volcanic plains, cooling into knife‑sharp basalt ridges and glassy obsidian fields that reflect the orange glow of fissures beneath the crust.​

Air here occasionally shimmers with heat distortion, and ash at times falls like dark snow, sometimes forming drifts in sheltered hollows where fire‑resistant plants or crystalized mineral “flowers” cling to existence. Lightning from dry volcanic storms may arc between ash clouds and the tallest lava chimneys, creating a constant risk of ignited gas plumes and explosive eruptions.​

Fire‑aligned dragons in this realm would be heavily heat‑adapted: thick, scale‑plated hides, glowing vents along their throats or flanks, or wings built to ride thermal updrafts rising from magma lakes rather than conventional air currents. Social behavior may revolve around territorial control of the safest ledges and crater rims, and conflicts here feel apocalyptic and raw, reflecting the mythic Muspellheim’s association with the forces that can both forge and end worlds.​

Ice Realm – Jotunheim

The Ice Realm draws on Jotunheim as a land of frost giants and unforgiving cold, and it expresses that through towering, inhuman scale ice formations and constantly shifting hazards. Glaciers grind slowly through deep canyons, creating echoing crevasses and ice caves tinted blue and violet where refracted light filters through meters of frozen water.​

Blizzards are frequent and blinding, transforming open plains into white voids where only jagged ice spires, cliff edges, and sparse snowy forests give any sense of direction, and the temperature plunges rapidly whenever winds accelerate across open ice. Beneath the surface, subglacial streams and trapped geothermal vents create pockets of mist and thin ice, making navigation a matter of experience and instinct rather than raw strength.​

Dragons here are built for endurance and stealth: thick insulating fur or layered scales, frost‑dulling coloration, or broad wings for soaring over thermal differences between sea ice and inland glaciers. Their behavior likely skews toward patient ambush hunting and long, silent migrations following seasonal cracks in the ice, embodying the ancient, slow, and relentless side of Jotunheim’s mythology.​

Giant Realm – Nidavellir

Casting Nidavellir as the Giant Realm turns the idea of a place of master craftsmen into a realm where the environment itself is the craftsman, shaping beings by sheer scale. Here, cliffs rise like the sides of skyscrapers, root systems are as thick as towers, and boulders are the size of small islands, making most dragons feel relatively small, even when fully grown.​

The terrain consists of colossal stone arches, canyon‑deep ravines, fields of two-story-tall grass, and colossal hollowed‑out trunks that function as natural tunnels or caverns, with waterfalls dropping hundreds of meters into mist‑shrouded basins. The light from distant ceiling fungi often appears low and occluded, filtered through layers of stone, vegetation, or overhangs, adding a sense of subterranean twilight even in open spaces.​

Dragons that thrive here may possess immense strength in proportionally compact bodies, with powerful claws for climbing and gripping vertical surfaces, and wings that emphasize maneuverability in tight spaces between giant roots and stone pillars, while others may be built to fit their bug-like size in comparison to the massive world around them. This realm feels awe‑inspiring and humbling, echoing Nidavellir’s mythic association with beings who build wonders beyond mortal scale, now expressed as a world where the landscape itself is the overwhelming artisan.​

Crystal Realm – Asgard

The Crystal Realm serves as your Asgard: elevated, luminous, and visibly “above” the other realms in both symbolism and design. Vast crystal outcrops rise like citadels from floating or semi‑suspended landmasses, with a colossal, glowing central crystal in the largest room acting as a throne or nexus, radiating colors from the crystals and fungi on every wall.​

The terrain is dominated by faceted structures: crystal bridges, translucent spires, and mirrored planes that refract and scatter light into radiant halos, making the entire realm seem perpetually dawn‑lit even without a direct sun. Ambient energy hums through the ground and in the air, seen as drifting motes of luminescent particles or thin auroral ribbons that coil between crystals like living currents.​

Dragons of this realm might exhibit bioluminescent markings, reflective scales, or even partial crystalline growths that resonate with the crystals around them, while others might be made to blend with the sparse areas of darkness that persist between the myriad colors. Socially, this realm feels ceremonial and hierarchical, suitable for guardian‑type or “royal” dragons, high councils, and ancient pacts, mirroring Asgard’s role as the home of gods and keepers of cosmic order.​

Nature Realm – Vanaheim

The Nature Realm channels Vanaheim’s association with fertility, prosperity, and deep ties to the natural world. This environment is lush to an almost overwhelming degree: towering trees form multi‑layered canopies, with rows of long, thick vines hanging like curtains and bioluminescent flowers blooming in shaded undergrowth.​

Rivers split into countless tributaries and wetlands, forming marshes, lagoons, and crystal‑clear pools where brightly colored fish and amphibious creatures thrive, and where dragon hatchlings can safely learn to swim or hunt. The air is thick with pollen, spores, and insects, and the sounds of birds, small reptiles, and plant‑rustling creatures create a constant, living soundscape.​

Dragons of Vanaheim are closely integrated with their ecosystem: some may camouflage perfectly against bark and foliage, others may pollinate colossal flowers, or engage in symbiotic relationships with plant life that offers protective cover in return for seed dispersal. This realm feels peaceful but not passive—life here is in constant growth and flux, embodying the Vanir’s domain over abundance, cycles, and the deep magic of living systems.​

Desert Realm – Alfheim

The Desert Realm reinterprets Alfheim, the realm of light, through heat and glare instead of ethereal forests. Endless dunes of pale or golden sand roll under a merciless "sun", with minimal cover and an almost oppressive brightness that can wash out color and flatten shadows at midday.​

Mirages ripple across the horizon, turning distant rock outcrops or scarce oases into shimmering illusions that test the senses of travelers and predators alike. At dawn and dusk, the low sun explodes into bands of orange, red, and violet that give the desert an otherworldly beauty, and during the short nights, the sky becomes a crystalline vault of stars, reinforcing the realm’s connection to light in all its forms.​

Dragons adapted to this realm would likely have pale or heat‑reflective scales, membrane‑thin wings designed for soaring on hot updrafts, or the ability to see through harsh glare or detect heat signatures through shimmering air. Their behaviour might revolve around carefully guarded watering holes, shade‑giving rock formations, and deep desert caverns, emphasizing the tension between harsh survival conditions and the striking purity of light that defines Alfheim.​

Dark Realm – Svartalfheim

The Dark Realm aligns cleanly with Svartalfheim, realm of dark elves and subterranean mystery. Much of this realm is underground or cloaked in perpetual twilight, with labyrinthine cave systems, narrow tunnels, and cavernous chambers lit only by faint phosphorescent (and sometimes toxic) fungi, mineral veins, or the dim glow of dragon eyes.​

The air is cool and still, carrying echoes over long distances; small movements can sound amplified in the quiet, making stealth both difficult and essential. Pools of perfectly still black water reflect ceiling formations and the faintest light sources, creating a disorienting sense of depth and inverted space.​

Dragons here often favor stealth and precision: muted coloration, slender bodies for slipping through tight spaces, echolocation or sensitive whisker‑like frills for navigating in near‑total darkness, or even deadly poisons and venoms. This realm is perfect for secretive conclaves, hidden forges, or forbidden knowledge, echoing Svartalfheim’s mythic role as the workshop of enigmatic, subterranean beings who craft objects of great power in their shadowed halls.​

Storm Realm – Niflheim

The Storm Realm reimagines Niflheim—traditionally a world of cold mist and death—as a violent, oceanic maelstrom of fog, thunder, and treacherous seas. Here, rough seas of frigid waters stretch nearly endlessly, broken by jagged rock spires that jut abruptly from the depths, some needle‑thin and others broad enough to host precarious nesting ledges.​

The sky is almost never clear; low, dark clouds churn overhead, birthing constant thunderstorms that hurl rain, sleet, and lightning into the churning ocean below. Sheets of fog roll across the surface, reducing visibility to a few meters and turning even nearby rocks into looming, ghostlike silhouettes; the combination of fog, rain, and spray creates a perpetual sense of disorientation and danger.​

Dragons that inhabit this realm are powerful flyers and swimmers: strong wings to fight hurricane‑force gusts, water‑resistant scales, and acute senses tuned to sound and pressure and electrical changes rather than sight. Their nests cling to sheltered crevices on tall spires, and their lives are a constant negotiation with the elements, embodying Niflheim’s mythic qualities of cold, obscurity, and proximity to death—but expressed through an ever‑moving, storm‑lashed ocean instead of static ice.​

Thoughts?

[smbhax]

From Journey into Mystery #108, September 1964. Stan Lee script, Jack Kirby pencils, Vince Colletta inks, Artie Simek letters.

Info from Grand Comics Database

[drawingdreamer11]

When someone casually mentions marvel and suddenly I become the biggest nerd in the nine realms 🤓

[theascanvas]

My faves for K-O!

[notsorryfangirl]

Stranger Things & Norse Myth - Part 2

(Love Wins Gate) - Notable Beings of the Nine Realms

Another Case Study of Who Fuck Is The Father?

Introduction:

Click here for Part 1!

Stranger Things and DND heavily incorporated Norse Mythology and other mythologies into their universe.

Many of us on the Love Wins Gate Chat on X/Twitter are convinced the future content will pull some Star Wars plot twists. In which an evil parent is revealed and a secret set of siblings.

TW: Kidnapping, rape, and SA

"Thor's Fight with the Giants" by Mårten Eskil Winge.

The Gods:

The Aesir work to protect humanity by battling forces that threaten order and mortals, especially the giants. Sometimes, they interbred with mortals, creating demigods.

The Vanir also help preserve cosmic order, managing Earth's natural forces, life cycles, agriculture, and the seasons. The Vanir teach magic and wisdom to deities and mortals. Sometimes, they interbred with mortals, creating demigods.

Demigods:

In Norse myth, they inherit abilities from their parents such as heightened senses, strength, speed, and combat skills, but rarely supernatural powers. Often times, they make incredible leaders, heroes, and warriors. (Is Eleven a god and/or demigod? Is Mike?)

"The Passing of Elves" by Aelin Lear.

Elves:

Light Elves:

Described as beautiful and personification of sunlight, they had abilities in magic, artisanship, and archery (Will is often bathed in sunlight. He's also a sorcerer and artist).

Shared close relationships with deities, especially the Vanir, but typically distant one with mortals. Acted as helpful guide or a trickster toward humans. Sometimes, they interbred with them, creating half-elves. Dwarves/Dark Elves:

Described as ugly and antisocial with abilities in dark magic, artisanship, shapeshifting, natural elements, and sometimes the dead.

Shared a transactional relationships with deities and mortals, forging weaponry and items for them. Often malevolent toward mortals, causing illness and nightmares (Vecna uses Will against the others).

Half-Elves:

Unlike DND, their powers aren't clearly defined. It's generally assumed they inherit abilities from parents. (Are Will and Eleven related to Elves?)

"Njord and Skadi on their way to Nóatún" by Friedrich Wilhelm Engelhard.

Giants:

The Giants weren't inherently evil. Sometimes, they were helpful towards deities and mortals. Rather they represented the chaotic and destructive forces of nature.

Fire Giants: Often hostile towards deities and mortals with abilities in fire manipulation, volcanic control, and strength. There aren't any known myths of Fire Giants interbreeding with mortals.

Ice Giants: Often antagonistic towards deities and mortals with abilities in ice manipulation, shapeshifting, and strength. Sometimes, they interbred with mortals.

Mountain Giants: Often dangerous, but more approachable and civilized to deities and mortals with abilities in illusion, shapeshifting, and endurance. Sometimes, they interbred with mortals. (Illusion might be a large aspect of season five).

Half-Giants:

Depicted as stronger and larger than mortals. Much like the Norse demigods, they rarely inherit supernatural powers. (Are any of the characters related to giants?)

"Hunderfossen Troll" by Ivo Caprino.

Trolls:

Often hostile toward deities and mortals with abilities in sorcery, shapeshifting, and strength (Will is a sorcerer).

Disrupted the lives of humans during Christmas. Invading homes to trash them and eat all of their food. Kidnapped and/or attacked people (Will is taken a month before Christmas and throws up Dart on Christmas). Sometimes, they're portrayed as flesh-eaters.

Many stories involve abducting human women and making them bear their children. Another common theme was trolls replacing human babies with changelings to improve their bloodline. Not much else is known about fate of such children.

Trolls also share enough similarities to mortals to integrate and/or marry into their society.

Half Trolls:

Much like Half-Elves, their powers weren't clearly defined.

Troll Changelings:

Human Children: Described as pale, thin, sickly, and weak after being switched out with changelings.

Changelings: Described as large, ugly, and violent brutes. Abilities in strength, shapeshifting, nature manipulation, and communication with animals.

"Hildur, The Queen of the Elves" by Jón Árnason.

Bonus (Outside of the Nine Realms):

The Huldufolk or Hidden People:

Described as beautiful elf-like beings, who reside in a hidden, parallel world to Earth. Dwelling within natural elements such as rocks, hills, mounds, mountains, cliffs, grassy knolls, lava fields, trees, and/or parks.

Lived similar lives to mortals and were considered nature guardians. Their abilities were invisibility, shapeshifting, and contacting human in dreams (Dreams might be essential to season five).

Grant fortune to humans who respect them, and the opposite to those who disrespect them and their homes.

Fun Fact: In Iceland, people have delayed and/or shut down construction projects:

Side Note: If you ever visit Iceland, please be respectful of their belief in them. As silly as it may sound to you, it's apart of their culture, and I've seen news reporters make fun of them in interviews.

Huldufolk were depicted as abducting children and women, stealing them away to their rocky, underground homes. With children, they'd raise them as their own. With women, they'd marry them and force them to bear their children, advancing their bloodline.

Half-Huldufolk:

In Norse myth, these offspring aren't well-established.

Huldufolk Changelings:

Human Children: Described weak and sickly after being swapped out with changelings. Lose interest in human activities, become interested in magic, the supernatural, and the Huldofolk. (Will suffers from depression after returning from the Upside Down).

Changelings: Sometimes, they inherit supernatural abilities from their parents such as strength, agility, second sight, foresight, healing, and heightened intuition.

Damn. Maybe I was swapped out with a changeling and was returned because they got fed up with me.

Conclusion:

I believe Norse Mythology and other mythologies heavily inspired Stranger Things.

Notes:

More mythology tethers in the near future!

Want more?

Theory Masterlist

[fefuckability]

FEH Qualifier 6

Which man is the most fuckable?

Lif (1)

Freyr (2)

Nidavellir (3)

Otr (4)

Fafnir (5)

Njordr (6)

Eikthyrnir (7)

Laeradr (8)

Voting ended onOct 29, 2024

Feel free to reblog and comment with your reasons!