Crescent City - All the Norse Mythology References

CRESCENT CITY - ALL THE NORSE MYTHOLOGY REFERENCES

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Viking history and Norse Mythology. So when I began reading House of Earth and Blood (book 1 in the Crescent City series) I was so excited seeing more and more references to Norse mythology the further I read. Now, I've read all three books in the series and one of my favourite parts was recognising Midgard, where the characters live or Hugin and Munin, a bar that Hunt goes to.

So, here is every reference to Norse Mythology throughout Crescent City...

Vanir

The very first reference to Norse Mythology that we see in the book is to the Vanir - a group of beings that inhabit Midgard. In Chapter 1, Sarah J. Maas describes them as "a group that covered every being on Midgard aside from humans and ordinary animals." This means that the majority of the characters that we meet, such as Bryce, Ruhn and Hunt are all Vanir.

However, in Norse Mythology the Vanir are a group of Gods that reside in Vanaheim. There are two groups of Gods, the Aesir and the Vanir, who seem to 'contrast' each other - the Aesir are warlike and did once wage war on the Vanir, whereas the Vanir are responsible for wisdom and fertility. The most notable gods from the Vanir group are probably Freyja, Freyr and Njord.

I love that Sarah J. Maas decided to use the Vanir as a reference for every being on Midgard (aside from humans and ordinary animals) because it made me feel that these beings we meet are almost God-like, holding some sort of superiority and we see this in their powers, abilities and social standings.

Midgard

Midgard is something that is very similar in both Crescent City and Norse Mythology. In Crescent City, it is the planet in which the book takes place. In theory, it's what Earth is to us.

Norse Mythology's Midgard is also a home - a home to mankind that was made from the body of Ymir, who was a giant that is said to be one of the first living creatures. Midgard sits on Yggdrasil - the tree of life. This tree and the nine realms that sit on it make up the cosmos. Asgard and Vanaheim also sit on Yggdrasil, as does Helheim, the underworld which is also referenced many times in Crescent City, with Hel.

So, in both Crescent City and Norse Mythology, Midgard is essentially home. I think Midgard being the home planet in Crescent City really pairs well with many of it's inhabitants being Vanir and gave me such a mythological feel while reading.

Munin and Hugin

In House of Earth and Blood, Hunt goes out for drinks to a bar called Munin and Hugin - our next Norse Mythology reference. This is a very small easter egg, but one I noticed straight away nonetheless. Here, SJM is referencing Odin's ravens Huginn and Muninn. They fly all over Midgard and gather information for Odin, then sitting on his shoulder and telling him what they've seen. They also go into battle with him to spy on his enemies.

I really liked how Sarah J. Maas slipped in this allusion to two important figures in mythology.

Urd

The Well of Urd was named after Urd, one of the Norns who shape the destiny of gods and humans. Urd, Verdandi and Skuld are three of these Norns (the three that live by The Well of Urd underneath Yggdrasil) and their names mean Past, Present and Future. The Norns create and control fate. In Crescent City, Urd is a goddess who is the weaver of fate and destiny. There is a temple dedicated to her in Moonwood and if you've read ACOTAR, Nesta wonders if Urd is the Midgard equivalent to the Cauldron.

SJM making Urd a goddess in this series worked really well, especially seeing as Urd's ability to spin fates was carried over.

The references to Norse Mythology throughout this series was one of the things that really made me fall in love with it. I think they work so well within the world that Sarah J. Maas has created with such strong characters. If you haven't read it I would definitely recommend it - but only if you read ACOTAR first!