Number 9 in Mythology
The Nine Muses
(The Nine Muses and Minerva)
The Nine Muses in Greek mythology were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). Zeus and Mnemosyne had a love affair that lasted nine nights.
They were the goddesses who inspired gifted artists, musicians, dancers and authors.
The Muses were followers of god Apollo (god of music and prophecy), but also good friends of the goddess Athena (Greek myth)/ Minerva (Roman myth).
Plato built an altar for the Nine Muses in the library of his famous school, The Academy.
"Muse" is the source for words like museum, amuse, music and mosaic. The word "museum" means shrine or temple to the Muses.
The Nine Muses: 
Calliope
protector of Epic Poetry
Clio
protector of History
Erato
protector of Lyric Poetry
Euterpe
protector of Music
Melpomene
protector of Tragedy
Polyhymnia
protector of Sacred Poetry
Terpsichore
protector of Dance
Talia
protector of Comedy
Urania
protector of Astronomy
Demeter and Persephone reunited nine months of every year
In Greek mythology: Demeter. In Roman mythology: Cerus.
The Greek goddess Demeter (goddess of grain) went for nine days and nine nights searching for her beloved daughter, Core. She was only to discover that Core had been abducted by Hades (god of the Underworld).
To make a long story short, they came to an agreement that Core was to spend three months of every year with Hades as his queen of the Underworld.
She was to be known as Persephone. Grain would not grow during those three months, as Demeter longed for her daughter.
The remaining nine months Persephone would be reunited with her mother.
"The Return of Persephone" 1891 Painter: Frederic Leighton
Leto - nine days of painful labor - (Greek mythology)
Zeus had quite a few love affairs.
He had an affair with Leto (goddess of the night). Leto got pregnant. She had to flee from the rage of Hera (the wife of Zeus). Leto found refuge on an island.
For nine days and nine nights she suffered horrific pains of labor before giving birth to the twins, Artemis (goddess of hunting) and Apollo (god of music and prophecy).
Number 9 in Norse Mythology
Odin - hung nine days in Yggdrasil (Norse mythology)
Odin, the chief of gods, hung himself in Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil was the name of the tree of life. He spent nine days and nine nights hanging in the tree.
Odin made this sacrifice of himself to gain power over the runes and learn of all their secrets.
The Nine Daughters of Aegir and Ran (Norse mythology)
Aegir was a sea god. He was married to Ran. They lived in an enormous castle at the bottom of the ocean. Whenever Aegir rose to the surface, it was only for the purpose of destroying a ship. Ran would catch the drowning sailors in her net and pull them down to her castle. If the sailors wore gold, they were secured a good treatment.
In Viking times, the Vikings would sacrifice every tenth prisoner to the sea god in order to ensure a safe journey. "Heimdall and his nine mothers" 1908 by W.G. Collingwood (1854-1932)
Aegir was the father of nine daughters, the waves. The nine daughters had names describing the different characteristics of the waves.
The nine sisters were all the mother of one son, named Heimdall. He became the guard of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between Asgard (home of the gods) and Midgard (the world of the humans).
New Rings every ninth day - Norse mythology
Two dwarfs named Brokk and Sindri made a beautiful gold ring for Odin, the chief god. This was a magic ring. The name of the ring was Draupnir. Every ninth day the ring would reproduce eight new rings of equal quality as Draupnir, the original ring.
Thor takes nine steps and falls dead to the ground - Norse Mythology
In Norse mythology there is a time called Ragnarok. Ragnarok is the doom of the gods. Ragnarok is the end of the world. During Ragnarok the god named Thor (the thunder god) fights a horrific battle with the sea serpent named Jormungand, also known as the Midgard serpent. Thor finally manages to kill the serpent.
As the serpent dies, Thor walks nine steps. As he takes his ninth step, Thor falls dead to the ground. He died from all the poison the serpent had spit out.
Nine days and the failed marriage of Skadi and Njord - Norse mythology
In Norse mythology the marriage between Njord and Skadi failed miserably. Skadi loved the mountains and Njord was the sea god. They could not agree where to live.
The couple spent nine days in the mountains. Njord could not stand it. He complained he could not sleep, because the cry of the wolves kept him awake.
The couple also spent nine days at Noatun, by the sea. Noatun was the home of Njord. Skadi refused to live by the sea. She complained the seagulls kept her awake. After spending nine days in the mountains and nine days by the sea, the couple agreed to separate. The marriage failed.
The Nine Worlds - Norse Mythology
In Norse mythology there are nine worlds.
Yggdrasil the tree of life is in the midst of these nine worlds.
Asgard
The home of the gods called Aesir
Alfheim
The land of the light elves
Vanaheim
The home of the Vanir gods
Midgard
The world of the humans
Jotunheim
This was where the giants dwelled
Svartalfheim
The dark elves resided here
Nidavellir
The dwarfs had their territory here
Muspelheim
The land of fire. The ruler was Surt
Niflheim
The mist world. In the center of Niflheim was the world of the dead, ruled by Hel
