Gasp with awe or shriek with fear for we're going to go mythological on your ass welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we are counting down our picks for the top ten creatures from norse mythology [Ratatoskr] who could forget the time he heroically fought the jötunn! along side the aaaaall father! Odin! [Narrator] that didn't happen for this list, we'll be ranking the most legendary and fearsome creatures of Norse mythology which is a mythos deriving from the folk tales and legends, of such scandinavian countries as Norway, Sweden and Denmark [clip] and one day, the god Thor son of earth was fishing in the sea for the serpent, using a bull's head for bait [Narrator] Number ten, Draugar [clip] do the dead frighten you? [Narrator] Draugar are undead reminents, that have been reanimated from the grave sound familiar? yup even scandinavia has their own unique take on zombies these corpses often remain rooted in their final resting places guarding whatever treasures or trinkets that were buried with them though undead, a draugur can die a second death usually through some manner of burning, decay or dismemberment Draugar also have a certain strenght of will since their reanimation is often the result of a desire for vengeance upon those who wronged them in life in other words, watch out number nine; Fossegrimen Fossegrimen are spirits that usually reside within bodies of water playing mournful tunes on an instrument, typically a harp or fiddle a fossegrim can be persuaded to teach it's magical musical skills to humans, in exchange for an offering of food if only the bare minimum is met, then the Fossegrim will only teach the basic instrumental skills however, should the food offering meet the spirit's standards, then the lesson will include drawing their students hands upon the strings of the fiddle or harp until bleeding occurs infusing that person with the Fossegrim's innate mystical talent Number eight; Sleipnir In the world of norse mythology, there are battle steeds, and then there is Sleipnir this fearless and bold eight legged horse accompanies Odin the king of the gods, to face all of his enemies in war Sleipnir is actually the offspring of the trickster god Loki and the horse, Svaðilfari while in the guise of a heated mare, Loki was impregnated with Sleipnir eventually giving birth to the magical steed able to travel great distances, and thought of as quote; "the best horse among gods and men" Sleipnir was eventually taken by Odin and became his most beloved beast. Number seven: Ratatoskr [Ratatoskr] introducing, Ratatoskr, glorious champion of Yggdrasil [Narrator] even Asgard has its small and humble creatures Ratatoskr has the important task of being the gods own personal messenger service continually bringing messages back and forth between the hawk Veðrfölnir and the dragon Níðhöggr who reside upon the top and bottom of Yggdrasil, the world tree respectively the origins of the name Ratatoskr, stem from the old norse word for tooth leading to theories that the squirrel would gnaw at the world tree although Ratatoskr is a relatively minor character in norse mythology he maintains an influence in media by appearing in Marvel's unbeatable Squirrel Girl comic as a giant squirrel who trash talks everyone number 6: Jötnar these giants of norse myth vary in appearance and distinguishing characteristics and take residence in the realm of Jötunheimr one of the nine worlds stemming from the tree Yggdrasil the first Jötnar came into the world from the armpits of Ymir, while Ymir's feet gave birth to a six headed beast it was these three creatures that brought about the race of frost giants Jötnar of both fire and frost, have been known to interact with the gods of Asgard whether it's Surtur, the fire jötinn of Múspellsheimr, or the dangerous frost Jötnar of Niflheimr these mythical giants are an ever present and ever evolving force among the nine worlds number five: dwarves at the mention of dwarves one may think of the Tolkien battle hardened variety or even a group of seven singing miners but the dwarves of norse mythology differ quite a bit they originate from germanic mythology, typically depicted as gate keepers, or metal smiths four specific dwarves; Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri, whose names are old norse for the four cardinal directions are assigned with holding up the four corners of the sky the physical origins of dwarves are a bit more gruesome however, as they're often described as springing forth from the skin of Ymir, father of Jötnar as a maggot or a parasite growth that paints quite the picture Number four: trolls Trolls are a cornerstone of norse mythology and folklore thought they bare little resemblance to those fuzzy haired little dolls we all know and love [clip] the trolls like to live everywhere! [narrator] trolls of myth tend to hide away from human kind as well as the light the daylight actually possesses a lethal touch to the Norse troll as its rays turn them instantly to stone the norse trolls tend to travel and live in a tight family or group unit they shun contact with people, an even prove to be dangerous for those unwise enough to cross their path in the dark of night Number three: the Kraken casual movie fan may associate the kraken primarily with the clash of the titans but myth buffs know that the beasts roots actually date back to norse culture specifically the kraken was a fearsome sea creature that prowled oceans swallowing men and entire ships whole in its wake sea monsters are no strangers to the world of myth of course, yet the kraken's legacy continues today in popular culture, be it in film or black spiced rum in fact the giant squid genus architeuthis is said to be the closest approximation to what the kraken might have looked like in norse legend so avast ye maties Number two: Fenrir this offspring of Loki is the lord of all wolves and possesses a grim destiny one that is entwined with both the all-father Odin and Týr the god of justice Fenrir is restrained by bonds throughout much of classic norse myth keeping his violence and rage at bay but myth states that he will break free during Ragnarök, the worlds end and he will engage the gods in final battle these bloody skirmishes will result in the loss of Týr's hand and in the death of Odin although Odin's son Víðarr will have his revenge upon the wolf, slaying him in return before we release our beast at the top of our list, here are some honorable mentions. Number one: Jörmungandr [clip] the great seas held in place by Jörmungandr the serpent. whose giant body encircles it, and who keeps his tail in his mouth to complete the circle also known as the world serpent, this son of Loki takes the form of a gigantic serpent so large he is able to encircle midgard where human kind resides, while holding his tail in his mouth if this image sounds familiar, that's because it's the same as the classic ouroboros a serpent, devouring its own tail, which serves as a metaphor for cyclical nature of life in many cultures perhaps where Jörmungandur plays his most important role is in the events of Ragnarök or the viking apocalypse legends says that the snake will release its grip on its tail, poison the sky and fight Thor the god of thunder while Thor will defeat the monster it will be too late, as the world as it once was will have ended [clip] Thor will kill the serpent but die from its venom [Narrator] do you agree with our list? which creature from norse mythology is your personal favorite? for more world traveling top tens published every day be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com [clip] release the kraken
