Midgardians

The Midgardians, also known as Norsemen, were the mortal inhabitants of Midgard, belonging to the many Nordic clans that dwelt there. Though mortals also lived in other realms such as Asgard and Vanaheim, they were not counted among the Midgardians but were instead named Asgardian or Vanir mortals.

A people divided#

The Midgardians were split by conflict, warring among themselves over whether to worship the Aesir or the Vanir. Their lifespans were short and feeble beside the other races of the Nine Realms, and few among them ever reached old age. Yet they did not fear death. They welcomed it, seeking to fall gloriously in battle so as to escape an unworthy afterlife. Many fought with savage fury until their final breath, some setting themselves ablaze or taking herbal draughts to enter a trance-like rage.

Death and the afterlife#

When a Midgardian fell in battle, the Valkyries or the Shield Maidens guided the soul to Valhalla or to Folkvangr, according to which gods the dead had served. Those who died outside of battle, or without devotion to any god, were consigned to Hel, where they became the mindless Hel-Walkers. A mortal who refused to accept death might rise again as a Draugr, a restless and violent corpse driven to fight until it was at last destroyed and its soul allowed to pass on. On rare occasion a soul became trapped between the living world and the afterlife as an incorporeal spirit, often through an unnatural death with no god to lead it onward.

In death a Midgardian grew far stronger than in mortal life, serving a new realm in Asgard, Vanaheim, or Helheim. A mortal's strength depended in large part upon the magic they possessed, a power that swelled further after death, and with enough time and relentless training some could come to surpass the might of the gods themselves. The ranks of the Valkyries and the Shield Maidens were open to gods and mortals alike, becoming one of the Einherjar another such path to power.

The age of the Nine Realms#

The most renowned of the Midgardians would be the seafaring vikings, but their age had not yet truly begun. Even so its first signs were stirring, for the legacy of Tyr had inspired Midgardians such as Loki and Skjoldr to venture beyond the Nine Realms in search of new lands.

While the Nine Realms were out of sync, most Midgardians had gone into hiding or been turned into the undead. When at last the great war came, Midgardians could be found both as living mortals and as the undead, and it was revealed that some had been kept secretly in Asgard, held as living shields in preparation for Ragnarok. When Ragnarok unfolded, the survivors led by Skjoldr escaped and returned to Midgard. There, under his guidance and aided by the wolves of Angrboda in gathering food, the remaining Midgardians lived on, steadfast in their worship of the Norse gods.