Human Morality and Old Norse Gods

Abstract While many Old Norse myths and legends reflect their audiences’ values, it is more in doubt whether Old Norse gods were perceived as interested in human morality. Some past scholars have rejected connections between Old Norse religion and morality, and most modern handbooks ignore the topic entirely. I survey Old Norse poetry for instances in which the gods or other supernatural beings reward or punish human acts like altruism, violence, oath-breaking, and devotion and thereby demonstrate that at least some worshippers did conceive of supernatural agents taking an interest in their conduct. Modern observers only have access to behaviours that reflect the themes of that poetry, however, leaving open the possibility that the gods and other creatures were once supposed to judge a wider spectrum of activities.