

In one of Yui's Trivia Corner Segments from _Sword Art Offline 6_ , she says
that Alfheim Online is mainly based off of Norse Mythology, so there are a
number of references to it in ALO.

The only reference that I know of is that the World Tree in Alfheim Online is
supposed to represent Yggdrasil, with the 9 Fairy Nations around The World
Tree being the 9 Realms that are connected to one another by Yggdrasil.

Thus, I am wondering what other Norse Mythology references there are in
Alfheim Online.


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sword-art-online
What are the Norse Mythology References in Alfheim Online?


Yes that is true indeed. I am not sure but it seems like you haven't gone
through the second season of SAO yet. I can't seem to recall any more
references to Norse mythology in the first season but there were several
references in ALO in the second season.

**SPOILERS AHEAD!**

> 1\. **Thor** in the last fight during the "The Holy Sword of the Ice Palace
> quest"  
>  2\. **Jötunheimr**. The realm of giants  
>  3\. **Urðr**. One of the rulers of the Beast-type Evil Gods  
>  4\. **Verðandi**. Urðr's sister  
>  5\. **Skuld**. Another of Urðr's sister

According to the Wiki

> In the alternate ending of the Calibur story, Calibur SS, it is also
> speculated that, lore-wise, the castle of Aincrad, which was implemented
> into ALO at the end of the Fairy Dance arc, is designated as Midgard, the
> world of humans in Norse mythology, by the NPCs of the game, as all
> characters in Sword Art Online were humans.


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The references are as follow. I'll divide it into its categories. Also note
that I'd refer to SAO as ALO here since the story takes place in Alfheim
Online and not Sword Art Online's Aincrad.

## Worlds

[Alfheim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lfheimr) (Norse: Álfheimr) means
the land of fairies. This is the world where the players live. Funnily, the
**races that live in this land** are not from Norse mythology, but **is
actually from England, Ireland and Scotland** , with the exception of
Salamander. More about the races in the races section down below.

[Jotunheim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunheimr) (Norse: Jötunheimr)
means the land of giants. The creatures that live here are the giants. Tonki
(Jellyfish Elephant, Kuzuha/Leafa's friend/pet(?)) is one of those giants.

[Nilfheim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niflheim) (Norse: Niflheimr) is the
land of ice and snow. It is referenced in ALO as the cause of change in
Jotunheim, that is the outbreak of ice giants from Nilfheim, which is located
under Jotunheim, cause the change in Jotunheim's once green lands to that of
ice and snow.

[Muspelheim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muspelheim) (Norse: Muspelheimr) is
land of fire. In ALO it is located under Nilfheim.

[Yggdrasil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil) (Norse: Yggdrasil) the
three that connects the 9 worlds according to Norse mythology. Out of those 9
only Alfheim, Jotunheim, Nilfheim and Muspelheim mentioned in ALO. Out of
those 4 only 2 (Alfheim and Jotunheim) are actually shown.

## NPCs

[Thor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor) (Norse: Thor) the god of thunder,
wielder of the magic hammer Mjolnir, son of Odin.

[Freya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja) (Norse: Freyja) is a goddess
associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death.

[Thrym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Erymr) (Norse: Þrymr) is king of
Jotunheim. In ALO he is a king of Nilfheim who invaded Jotunheim along with
his ice giants.

## Weapons

[Excalibur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur) is a sword belonged to
the legendary King Arthur of England. It is also one of the sword featured in
many video games, mainly Final Fantasy. In Final Fantasy series it usually is
one of the strongest swords. In ALO it is a sword promised by Thrym as a prize
for slaughtering the original dwellers of Jotunheim (Tonki's race).

[Mjolnir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mj%C3%B6lnir) (Norse: Mjölnir) is a
magic hammer of Thor, capable of summoning thunders.

## Story

**[Thor missing his
hammer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunheimr#How%20Thor%20Lost%20His%20Hammer)**
is one of Norse legends, where Thor lost his magic hammer Mjollnir. It was
said that his hammer was stolen by the king of the Jotun, Thrym. Thor,
although reluctant, agreed to Loki's suggestion to dress as Freyja in his
attempt to get the hammer back. Thor later killed Thrym and get his hammer
back. This is referenced in ALO with Klein finding a female NPC with HP bar
locked in a prison made of ice. Later during the fight between Kirito's party
and Thrym, the said female NPC revealed himself to be Thor. Thor then killed
Thrym much like in the legend.

## Races (Bonus Section)

[Cait Sith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_s%C3%ACth) in its original myth
stole people's soul before they are collected by gods upon their death. In
ALO, they are beast tamers. Silica and Shinon are [Cait Sith in
ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Cait_Sith). Cait Sith originated
from Scotland.

[Spriggan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spriggan) are small fairies said to
be guardian of treasures. They are said to be mischievous. It has the ability
to transform into huge creature. Kirito is a Spriggan in ALO. Kirito also used
a transformation magic to transform into The Gleam Eyes which is a reference
to this ability. [Spriggan in
ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Spriggan) also known to be very
useless in magic due to their magic being mere illusions (reference to their
magic being for mischiefs).

[Gnome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome) are small, humanoid Earth
fairies. [Gnome in ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Gnome) are known
to be master miner. Agil is a gnome.

[Imp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imp) are small goblin like creature. [Imp
in ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Imp) are not very well explored
with the only known Imp is [Konno
Yuuki/Zekken](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Konno_Yuuki).

[Leprechaun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprechaun) in its original myth
are said to have hid a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Lisbeth is a
[Leprechaun in ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Leprechaun).

[Pooka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%BAca) originated from Ireland.
Pooka or Púca means ghost or spirit in Irish. It is not well explored in ALO.
Sasha is a [Pooka in ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Pooka).

[Sylph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylph) are wind spirits. [Sylph in
ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Sylph) are master in wind magic.
Sylph is also the race that has the most known characters. Lady Sakuya - Lord
of the Sylphs, Leafa, Recon, Sigurd (Exiled), and Erika (Asuna's alter
account) are Sylphs.

[Undine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undine) are water spirits. [Undine in
ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Undine) are also master of water
magic. Asuna is an Undine in ALO.

[Salamander](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander) in ALO are known to be
master of fire magic. This is a reference to a type of salamander (animal)
that is resistant to fire, called fire salamander. [Salamander in
ALO](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Salamander) is unique in that it is
the only race not based on English, Irish, or Scottish myth. Klein is a
Salamander in ALO.


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[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6px5E.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6px5E.png)

**ALfheim Online** , or ALO, is loosely based on both fairy lore and Norse
mythology, drawing elements from other legends as well for its setting.

According to [Alfheim Online's entry in
Wikia](http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/ALfheim_Online):

> The influence of Norse mythology is more emphasized in the evil gods of
> Jötunheimr and the quest related to them. Yet the appearance of the deities,
> or Aesir, from the Norse forum is also present such as Thor, Urðr, Verdandi,
> and Skuld.
>
>   * ALfheim Online is **loosely** based on Norse Mythology. For example,
> **Yggdrasil (The World Tree)** , supported the entire cosmos in the actual
> myth.
>   * Another example is **Jötunheimr** , which was the icy home of the Frost
> Giants.
>   * "ALfheim" itself is a reference to " **Álfheimr** ", the land of
> fairies/light elves, in Norse mythology.
>   * In the alternate ending of the Calibur story, Calibur SS, it is also
> speculated that, lore-wise, the castle of Aincrad, which was implemented
> into ALO at the end of the Fairy Dance arc, is designated as **Midgard** ,
> the world of humans in Norse mythology, by the NPCs of the game, as all
> characters in Sword Art Online were humans.
>

**Notes**

Aside from references to Norse mythology, ALfheim Online also references
various other myths or stories. For example, the **Cait Sith, Pookas, and
Leprechauns** originate **from Celtic folklore**.

In ALO, **_Excalibur_** `is a sword promised by Thrym as a prize for
slaughtering the original dwellers of Jotunheim`, but it is **NOT** part of
Norse mythology but of [Arthurian
legends](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthurian_legend).

The original basis of ALO is that of a land of faeries, which seek an audience
with the king, Oberon. The naming of the fairy king, Oberon, and his queen,
Titania, suggests that it holds its roots in the Shakespearean play _A
Midsummer Night's Dream_. Aside from that, ALO seems to draw from a wide range
of mythologies, including the **Arthurian Excalibur** , and the naming of the
nine realms of Norse mythology like Jotunheimr.

After Thrym was defeated, Thor decided to reward the fairies for helping him
reclaim his hammer by giving Klein, who freed him from the cage, an extra
reward: a fairy-sized replica of **Mjölnir** , called «Thunder Hammer
Mjölnir».


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