There are two groups of official deities in the Norse pantheon but worship of anyone or anything is ‘allowed’.. there are no wrong answers in YOUR practice!
If you want to worship the wolf Fenrir or the spear Gungnir – nobody should tell you otherwise 😁
The groups mentioned in this article are as follows:
Æsir: The main group of Norse deities
Vanir: The other group of Norse deities
Jǫtunn: Giants, a symbol of chaos and often a source of conflict for the Gods
Personifications: Some deities are the personification of things in nature, such as snow
The Æsir
The Æsir live in Asgard, along with some members of the Vanir. They are the main group of deities in Norse mythology and probably the most widely worshipped.
- Óðinn / Odin – The Leader of the Æsir, the mightiest of Gods – often named as the God of Wisdom
- Þórr / Thor – The God of Thunder
- Frigg – Theorized as being the same Goddess as Freyja. Óðinn’s wife.
- Loki –The Trickster God, often the source of trouble and discord in stories about the Gods.
- Baldr / Baldur / Balder – The God of light, wisdom and culture. Was killed by Höðr influenced by Loki.
- Sif – Goddess of wheat, fertility, family and marriage.
- Iðunn / Idun – Goddess of apples and youth.
- Týr / Tyr / / Tiw or Tiwaz – The God of war and justice.
- Heimdallr / Heimdall – Does not hold an official ‘God of’ title but Heimdallr watches for threats against the Gods and the coming of Ragnarök. May be considered the God of foresight.
- Sigyn – Wife to Loki
- Höðr / Hodur – The God of darkness. A blind deity that was tricked into killing Baldur with an arrow.
- Eir – Both a Valkyrie and the Goddess of medicine and healing.
- Bragi – The God of poetry and music.
- Óðr / Odr – Husband to Freyja and theorized as another alias of Odin
- Dellingr – means the shining one, does not hold a ‘God of’ title
- Forseti – The God of justice
- Hermóðr – A messenger of the Gods and son to Odin
- Hœnir – one of the first Gods that created humans and the world, it’s theorized that Hœnir was another name for Villi
- Lóðurr – one of the first Gods that created humans and the world, it’s theorized that Lóðurr was another name for Vé
- Villi and Vé – Perhaps aliases for Hœnir and Lóðurr, brothers to Odin that helps to create the first humans
- Vár – Goddess associated with oaths
- Ítreksjóð / Itreksjod – One of Odin’s sons mentioned in the Skáldskaparmál
- Váli – Son of Odin and Rindr
- Nanna – Wife to Baldr
- Meilli – Son of Odin and brother to Thor, mentioned in the Prose and Poetic Edda
- Mímir – Was perhaps once the God of knowledge and wisdom, he was killed during the Æsir/Vanir war.
- Vǫr – Goddess associated with Wisdom
- Sjöfn – Goddess of love
- Móði – A son of Thor, the name Móði translates to wrath, brother to Magni
- Magni – Another son to Thor, the name Magni translates to mighty, brother to Móði
- Ullr – The God of winter, God of archery and skiing
- Gná – A messenger Goddess for Frigg
- Víðarr / Vidar – The God of Vengeance, son of Odin and Gríðr
- Fulla – Goddess and confidant of Frigg
- Þrúðr / Thud – Daughter of Thor and Sif
- Gefjon – The Goddess of ploughing
- Ilmr – Unknown Goddess, theorized as the Goddess of scent
- Lofn – Unknown Goddess
- Njörun / Niorun – Unknown Goddess
- Snotra – Goddess of wisdom
- Syn– Goddess of defence
The Vanir
The Vanir live in Vanaheimr – though some live with the Æsir in Asgard. Generally speaking, most Vanir are associated as nature deities.
- Freyja (name means ‘Lady’) / Freya – Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sex and battle
- Freyr (name means ‘Lord’) / also known as Yngvi or Ing. He lives in Alfheim. Brother to Freyja. God of peace, agriculture and fertility
- Njörðr – The god of crops, seafaring and fishing. Was married to Skaði
- Kvasir – A God killed by two dwarves to create the mead of poetry
- Gersemi – The daughter of Freyja and Óðr
- Hnoss – Another daughter of Freyja and Óðr, sister to Gersemi
- Gullveig – May be an alias for the Goddess Freyja
The Jǫtunn
The Jötun live in Jötunheimr, though like all deities they travel through other realms in the cosmos. Jötun are generally perceived as the ‘bad guys‘ in Norse mythology because of the trouble they cause for the Gods.
This question has been raised in several debates – were the Jötun bad – or were the stories simply written from the perspective of the Gods?
- Angrboða / Angrboda – Giantess that had 3 children with Loki – Hel, Jǫrmungandr and the wolf Fenrir
- Laufey – Loki’s mother
- Þrymr – Known as King of the Jötun
- Sutr – Will battle and kill Freyr at Ragnarök
- Skaði / Skadi – Goddess of bowhunting and skiing, daughter to Þjazi
- Gunnlǫð / Gunnlöð / Gunnlod – Guards the mead of poetry, daughter to Suttungr
- Suttungr – The owner of mead of poetry until Odin steals it
- Baugi – Brother to Suttungr
- Helblindi – Brother to Loki and Býleistr
- Býleistr – Brother to Loki and Helblindi
- Ymir – the first being, from which all life and the nine worlds were formed
- Ægir – A Jötun married to the Goddess Rán
- Hymir – Father to Týr, though this varies from poem to poem
- Bestla – Mother to Odin, Ville and Vé
- Harðgreipr – Nurse to Hadingus, a Danish King
- Þrívaldi – Killed by Thor
- Gangr – Brother to Þjazi and Iði
- Iði – Brother to Gangr and Þjazi
- Þjazi / Thiazi – Brother to Iði and Gangr
- Beli – Killed by Freyr
- Eggþér / Egdir – A giantess herder
- Gerðr / Gerth – Wife to Freyr
- Aurboða / Aurboda – married to Gymir, mother to Gerðr
- Gymir – Theorised as an alias of Ægir, father to Gerðr
- Bölþorn – Father to Bestla
- Fjölvar – Friend to Odin
- Fornjótr – Father to the wind, the sea and fire
- Váli – Son of Loki
- Leikn – Killed by Thor
- Hrímgrímnir – Freyr’s servant
- Geirröðr – Father to Gjálp and Greip
- Hrungnir – Killed by Thor
- Gjálp and Greip – Killed by Thor
- Sökkmímir – Killed by Odin
- Narfi – Father to Nótt
- Gillingr – Father of Suttungr
- Járnsaxa – Thor’s lover and mother to Magni
- Fárbauti – Father to Loki
- Vafþrúðnir – A wise Jotun defeated by Odin in a battle of wits
- Þökk – Loki in disguise who refused to weep for Baldr
- Hljod – Daughter of Hrímnir
- Hroðr – Giantess that’s theorized as being Týr’s mother
- Gerðr / Gerd – Wife to Freyr, mother to Fjölnir
- Útgarða-Loki – Ruler of Útgarðr
- Hyrrokkin – Launched the ship at Baldr’s funeral
- Rindr – Mother to one of Odin’s sons
- Hræsvelgr – Unknown Jötun
- Vörnir – Unknown Jötun
- Mögþrasir – An Unknown Jötun
- Bergelmir – Unknown Jötun
Personifications
- Máni – A God that is the personification of the moon
- Sól – A Goddess that is the personification of the sun
- Rán – A Goddess that is a personification of the sea
- Ægir – Another personification of the sea, a Jötun who is married to the Goddess Rán
- Dagr – The God of daytime
- Nótt – The Goddess of night-time
- Jörð / Fjörgyn – A personification of the earth, Goddess and mother to Thor
- Dellingr – Theorised as the personification of dawn
- Snær – The Goddess of snow personified
- Logi – The personification of fire, also a Jötun
- Þorri – The personification of winter
- Elli – The personification of old age
- The Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán – Waves of the ocean (called Bára / Drǫfn, Blóðughadda, Bylgja, Dúfa, Hefring, Himinglæva, Hrǫnn, Kólga, and Unn)
- Sumarr – Summer personified
- Vetr – Winter personified
- Vosud – Personification of the wind
Do you work with any of these Gods?
I’d love to hear your experiences with them in the comments! 🥰
The artwork featured in this article is created by:
Fenrir by Istrandar on DeviantArt (Featured Image)
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