According to Heimskringla, Snorri’s writings, there was a fusion between man and gods in the roman imperial ages. Far less mythological than in the Prose Edda - which also explain why Odin was worshiped in large parts of Russia, the Baltics, Poland, Germany and Finland - as well as the Scandinavian countries.

Asgard was located in the very middle of the world, where the tree of Yggdrasil was planted. Snorri assumed that the middle of Midgard was situated far east of western Europe, in Asia. The chief and god of the Aesir was Odin, both a powerful warlord and warlock (varð-lokkur). He had given his two ravens, Hugin and Munin, the ability to talk, and they became his eyes and ears beyond his borders. Odin had the rare ability to seid, to glimpse into the future, as well as his magic cloth, that became a ship, Skibladner, when unfolded.

Odin had used his powers of seid, and saw disaster coming. The roman emperors had defeated and enslaved countless of tribes and Odin realized that the Aesir had to flee before the roman expansion reached them. So they saddled up in grievance and left their home, on the east side of the river Danube, in search of safe lands. Their journey and struggles took ages, travelling north across eastern Europe and Germania, before finally settling down in the dense forests of Svitjod (Sweden). They chose the lakeside of Mälaren, not far from modern-day Stockholm. The man-like Odin, described in Heimskringla, was mortal. He lived out the rest of his days in Sweden with his wife Frigg. After his death, his people believed that he went back to Asaheim to rule.

The exiled Aesir took Odin’s brother Njord as king. In the Prose Edda, Njord belonged to the other family of gods, the Vanir, comitted to the Aesir through a hostage exchange. Njord was the ruler of winds and weather, and a wealthy man. But he was generous, and the people experienced peace under his reign. Njord’s son Freyr was appointed king after his death. Freyr was the god of fertility, as his people prospered further. His descendants was to be known as the House of Yngling.

When Freyr died, his court believed that the good times would come to an end, and buried him in secretly in his mount. The people actually believed that their king lived inside his tomb, and brought gold and silver that they poured inside through a pipe. After three years the scam was exposed, but the years had been kind, and they kept the tradition of sacrifice. Freyr’s son Fjolne was instated as king, a peaceful and friendly ruler, that ensured good harvests. His weakness was his fondness of partying and drinking. Once, the king visited the farm of a friend. The mead was strong and his men carried the king upstairs after he fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Fjolne awoke due to an urge to visit the bathroom. He fumbled around in the darkness, went the wrong way, and eventually fell down into a tray of mead where he drowned.

One of the later kings of the House of Yngling had a son named Ingjald. When the boy was six years old, the people of Uppsala had organized a great winter sacrifice (blot) in honour of Odin. Food and animals was offered to their gods for luck and good fortunes, followed by a lengthy feast. Another king came along for the festivities, and he’d brought his son Alv. The boys were the same age, and played together as the adults feasted. Ingjald, Alv and the other children decided to play vikings, and gathered shields, wooden swords and capes. Soon the game became serious and violent. Ingjald and Alv started fighting, but the odds were uneven. Ingjald was beaten so hard that he began to cry.

An old, blind man, named Svipdag, was the wisest man on the farm. Ingjald ran to him, and told what had happened. Svipdag thought it was a shame that the boy had gotten beaten, and wanted to help him. The next day a hunting party went to get food, and came back with a wolf. Svipdag cut it’s heart out and roasted it on the flames. He then told the boy to eat the wolfheart. From that day, Ingjald was transformed. He worsened, and became wild and dangerous. As he grew, he was hailed as king and started wars with all other tribes. His bad temper created enemies, and in the end he’d lost all his friends.

One day, at his farm, Ingjald was surprised to see a large army of enemies approaching. He chose to seal himself inside the main building, where he set fires and burnt down within the farm house, to escape imprisonment. The rest of the House of Yngling had to get away from Uppsala, as the enemies increased in numbers. They made haste through the forests, bound westwards. They pillaged every village they came across until they arrived in Vestfold, Norway. They took seat as kings, and conquered large parts of eastern Norway.