The Aesir Vs the Vanir – The gods at War

Staff Writer
Audio – The Aesir vs the Vanir – The gods at war

Table of Contents

Introduction

‘The gods at war’ is a phrase or statement I have chosen as a theme that will help me understand the claim about the many conflicts between the Aesir and the Vanir gods and goddesses.

  • The Aesir gods and goddesses are Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, Baldr, and Tyr.
  • Then, the Vanir gods and goddesses are Njörðr, Nerthus, Freyja, Freyr, Óðr, Hnoss, Gersemi, Skírnir, Kvasir, Gullveig.
  • There is Jotnar, the giant gods who are constantly warring with the Aesir gods and goddesses and they are seen as chaotic and destructive.
  • Then comes Kvasir. According to Norse mythology, Kvasir is a creation borne from the mixture of the saliva of the Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses at the end of their wars.
  • Kvasir is considered a wise god and he went up and down their sovereignties teaching and disseminating knowledge

In this writing, I will examine the Norse mythological gods and goddesses and the interactions between them. 

Showing different gods in human form holding different weapons

Norse Mythology

Germanic paganism or religion or Norse mythology is a term used to describe the ethnic religion practiced by the Germanic peoples and culture before they imbibed Christianity. Their religion dates from prehistoric times or the Iron Age according to some archaeologists until medieval times when Christianity was not only fashionable but a dominant religion. 

Typically, Germanic religion was polytheistic as would all ancient religions, and polarized between two composite gods: the Aesir and Vanir. Like many ancient gods, the rivalry between Aesir and Vanir was a celebrated feat. Both fought for supremacy and Aesir came out stronger. Vanir was suppressed and subjugated. However, the outcome was a unified pantheon.

The warring tendencies of the gods keep me thinking about how competitive and powerful the gods must be; each trying to dominate and control their kingdoms, on one hand, and humans who submit to their powers, on the other. Below, I will describe each composite god's constituents to note their compatibility or incompatibility and if the fight between Aesir and Vanir was necessary.

The different deities under the Aesir Family

Odin

Notably, he is the king of the gods. He is also the god of magic, riches, poetry, and the dead. He is considered the ruler of Valhalla. His name is used for the weekday Wednesday. This might be because in Germanic terms, ‘Odin’ means ‘Woden.’

Frigg

In Norse mythology, Frigg is a goddess known for foresight, and wisdom and the wife of the god, Odin. She is also known as the goddess of prophecy, marriage, and motherhood. She is known to dwell in the wetland halls of Fensair and is linked with the goddesses Lofn, Fulla, Hlin, and so on. Frigg gave her name to Friday.

Höðr

Also known as Hodr, Hod, Hoder, Hodur is the son of Odin and Frigg. He is the blind god of darkness and winter. As legend has it, he was manipulated by Loki and he killed his brother, Baldor with an arrow fashioned from Mistletoe. His brother’s blood was avenged when he was later killed by another brother of his called Vali.

Thor

He is considered the strongest god of Aesir. He was the son of Odin and Jörð (also known as Jord or Fjörgyn), a name that means ‘earth’. She was also viewed as a giant. Thor is a god famed for wielding the hammer. He is considered a protector of humans and is associated with thunder, lightning, strength, fertility, storms, and hallowing. It was claimed that Thor gave his name to Thor’s Day (Thursday).

Baldr

He is the god of love, purity, and light. He is also known for his beauty, peacefulness, and righteousness. Legend has it that he convoked and consulted with other deities to find a way to prevent their destruction. Unfortunately, he was murdered by Lucifer when he tried to stop him.

Tyr

Tyr is known as the god of war and the lawgiver of the gods. Among the gods, he is regarded as the bravest. Legend has it that he put his hand in the mouth of Fenris Wolf to show that the gods were not deceiving him. But the gods were, and his hand was bitten off by the wolf. He gave his name to Tuesday.

The different deities under the Vanir Family

Njörðr (or Njord)

He is a principality among the Vanir gods. He is the father of the deities Freyr and Freyja. He resides in Nóatún and is linked with wealth, crop fertility, wind, sea, seafaring, and fish.

Nerthus

She is the goddess of fertility and the embodiment of Mother Earth. She is the sister and wife of Njörðr (or Njord).

Freyja

She is the daughter of Njörðr (or Njord) as well as a twin to brother Freyr. She is a goddess associated with sex, love, beauty, fertility, and gold, and has a necklace known as Brisingamen (which could be understood in two ways: ‘brisinger’ could be a poetic word for ‘fire’ or ‘amber’ and ‘amen’ could stand for ‘necklace of torc.’). Legend has it that she is drawn on a chariot by two cats and followed by the boar called Hildisvini. Among her possessions was a cloak made from falcon feathers. She is the wife of Óðr.

Freyr

Freyr is a twin to sister Freyja. Son of Njörðr (or Njord). He is a god of fertility and fair weather, kingship, peace, prosperity, virility, and good harvest.

Óðr (or Odr)

Odr is not very much known except that he is the husband of Freyja and father of Hnoss, Gersemi. In Norse mythology, the term ‘Odr’ means anger, fury, and madness, to mention but a few.

Hnoss (in old Norse means ‘treasure’)

Hnoss is the daughter of Freyja and Óðr and the sister of Gersemi. She is the goddess of lust and desire.

Gersemi (also in old Norse means ‘treasure’)

Gersemi is the daughter of Freyja and Óðr and the sister of Hnoss. It has been claimed that Gersemi and Hnoss are identical. She is known as the goddess of infatuation and precious things.

Skírnir (in old Norse means ‘bright one’)

Skirnir is a messenger and subjugated god who carries out duty errands for Freyr. Legend has it that he was sent to Jötunheimr to arrange and perhaps conduct Freyr’s courting of the goddess Gerðr.

Other deities

Ullr

Ullr is the son of the goddess Sif and the stepson of Thor. Ullr is associated with hunting, skating, and skiing. He is handsome, warlike, and has the power to invoke before a fight.

Loki

Loki is notably referred to as the trickster. He is the son of Fárbauti and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. His wife is known as Sigyn and his son is Narfi.

Conclusion

From the above, one could interpret the conflicts between the Aesir and the Vanir gods and goddesses as family rivalries. Like the Montagues and Capulets, two feuding houses in the Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet, a satirical representation of real political divides of 13th century Italy. We understood the play, its intrigue, and the sorrowful ending.

But the case of the gods at war or ‘two feuding gods’ makes no sense. They are viewed as having powers over nature and humans. As such, they are worshipped as divinities. Yet they fight among themselves. Of course, the Aesir and the Vanir gods and goddesses have similar characteristics, but the Aesir gods have superior attributes and powers. For example, the days of the week came from the names of the Aesir gods and goddesses, such as Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Aesir gods and goddesses claimed the title, of the king of the gods, the strongest of the gods, the lawgiver of the gods, the god of the dead, and so on.

The Vanir gods and goddesses are more of inferior gods and goddesses when compared with the Aesir gods and goddesses. No wonder after several fighting among the pantheons, at their truce, a single pantheon was born, and a god was created. That god’s name is Kvasir. This tells us that the gods can still call a truce, put their differences aside, and live as one and in peace.  

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