The Vikings were very superstitious people. They believed that they shared their world with a whole range of gods and mystical creatures. The best known of the Viking gods are Odin, Thor, and Freya. We remember them because, in English, the days of the week are named after them.

Vikings believed that everything had its place and purpose; there was a deity for practically everything. Their religion was polytheistic, animistic, and pantheistic; in their belief system, even inanimate objects had souls. They held old-world magic in high regard, and there were elements of shamanism in their religion.

The Vikings' original religion was the pagan and polytheistic Old Norse religion, which can be traced back to about 500 BCE in what is now Denmark. As Christianity took hold in Scandinavia, beginning in the 8th century CE, its followers dwindled in numbers. However, this older tradition continued Viking culture.