Everything about the nordic mythology #3: Vanir gods, independent gods and other creatures of mythology.

in #mythology5 years ago (edited)

The Nordic peoples believed and worshiped two kinds of gods: the Aesir of whom I already made a post before, and on the other hand are the Vanir gods, these gods are part of a different race than the Aesir, the story tells that the Vanir gods were warriors who had to face the gods Aesir, and after being subdued they remained as secondary deities that live in the world of Vanaheim and there are dedicated to the needs of the race of the mortal human being.

In this publication I will mention the main Vanir gods along with other gods that are not part of the Aesir or Vanir race, as well as the other creatures that make up part of Nordic mythology, such as beasts, elves, Valkyries, among others. . If you are interested, continue reading.

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Freyr is one of the principal gods Vanir, the god of vegetation, and of fertility, god of the sun, of the rain, of the goblins. He is a creator god of life.

The name Freyr means Lord or The First. He and his sister Freyja descend from the Vanir and were held hostage by the gods Aesir. Freyr has a magical boar with powerful fangs, which runs very fast both on land, by sea and in the air. He also owns a magical ship called Skidbladnir, this ship was a ship which always deployed its sails in the direction of a favorable wind and could be folded and stored in a pocket.

The parents of Freyr are Njörd and the ogre Skadi, he is the son of the sea and of the mountain. He reigns over Alfheim, and married Gerda, a giantess daughter of Gymir.

This god received a sword called the sword of victory, this sword has the peculiarity of moving alone and symbolizes the sun's rays, is capable of winning by its own will, only to be drawn. But falling in love with Gerda handed this sword to the father, as part of a reward. That is why weapons are not allowed in the temples where Freyr is venerated.

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Freyja, is the goddess of love, fertility, and rain. It is she who teaches others the art of magic, has a magic blanket of feathers that have the property of becoming a hawk and a necklace called Brisingegamen which got after sleeping with four dwarves. She rides a car carried by male cats and cries tears of gold.

She is the sister of Freyr, daughter of Njörd, and had two daughters with Od, Hnoss, and Gersemi.

Freyja is the most beautiful goddess Vanir, lives in the Folkvang, her palace is spacious and airy. Each day she chooses half the warriors who die in battle, while the other half goes to Odin's court in Valhalla.

In the Germanic language, the name of Frejya is associated with Friday (in English Friday), the day of the goddess of love. In Spanish language we say Viernes that comes from the goddess of love Venus of Roman mythology, but in general terms both representations are the same goddess.

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Njörd is the god of summer, capable of appeasing the sea and the winds. He was granted the palace of Noatun, which is close to the coast, from where it is said that it silenced the terrible storms provoked by Aegir, the god of the deep sea at Noatun. Seagulls and swans are considered sacred birds for Njörd. He spends his time admiring nature because he lives on the edge of the sea. It was believed that Njörd granted the riches and protected the navigators, also had the power to protect the commerce and the fishing.

As a personification of summer Njörd was invoked to calm the furious storms that hit the coasts, he was also implorated to accelerate the spring heat, all this as a result of which agriculture is only practiced in times of heat.

He is represented as a young god, dressed in green robes and a crown of shells and seaweed on his head or sometimes with a brown-brimmed hat adorned with eagle or heron feathers.

He is the father of Freyja and Freyr, the three of them were handed over to the gods Aesir in a hostage exchange.

He had two wives, the first was Mother Earth Nerthus, but they had to separate when he left for Asgard, where he became part of the great council of gods. His second wife was Skadi, who preferred to live in the mountains of Thyrmheim. In a desire to please her, he took her to the mountains and lived with her there for a short time, despite their disagreement they decided to separate.

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Skadi, is the goddess of winter, daughter of the giant Htimthurs and wife of Njörd, her story is one of the most interesting in mythology because she as a hunter with bow decided to go to revenge Asgard after the gods Aesir killed her father. When she arrived Odin offered to put her father's eyes in the sky as stars and marry a god on the condition that she would have to choose it just by seeing his feet. And this is how Skadi married Njörd, although the legend says that she preferred Balder.

Skadi could not stand the monotonous life in Noatun and Njörd could not stand the sound of the wind while blowing through the pines of Thrymheim, and that is why they were forced to separate.

The legend says that Skadi had a son with Odin named Semind, the first king of Norway, and other legends also tell that she married the god of winter Ull, after all, they had a lot in common.

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Other important independent gods to know



Hel

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Hel is the goddess of the underworld, death and darkness she is the third daughter of Loki and the sorceress ogre Angrboda, she lives under the three roots of Yggdrasil, is the most feared of the three sons of Loki, because she is the one who reigns in Hellheim.

She is represented as a maiden who has a beauty in the middle of her body and the other half is monstrous, skeletal and rotten. Its appearance only highlights evilness. Her head falls forward like a dead woman, her powers were given from Odin, and it extends through several worlds, becoming one of the most powerful and feared goddesses.

Hel tormented the cowards and all those who do not deserve the honor of living in Valhalla, she reigns from her kingdom that is characterized by being cold, gray and damp, in this place reign cries, complaints, the souls of mortals who died of old age or sickness, of children and women, Hellheim is the hell of Nordic mythology.

In the Ragnarök, Hel and her army of deads will fight against the gods.

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aegir.png

Aegir is the god of the ocean and the winds, does not belong to the race of the Aesir or the Vanir because it is believed to be a giant god, with his wife Ran, the goddess of the deep sea, are dedicated to sink the boats , and with its great net to catch all the men who fell into the sea and took them to the blackest and deepest sea.

Aegir and Ran had nine daughters, who personified the nine waves of the sea, who united to give life to Heimdall.

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Other creatures of Norse mythology.


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Jötuns

The Jötuns are beings that pose a very great threat to the beings of the human race, because they can be compared with titans and giants of Greek mythology, they are also known by other names Trolls or demons, because they are monstrous and enormous beings, but they are also wise and rich, and they also benefit from the gods in certain circumstances. Without them, the origin of everything that comes from Ymir's body would not have been possible. Most giants reside in Jötunheim, but many others are demigods spread over other worlds.

Many of the gods Aesir are descendants of giants and made marriages among them, among the giants there are two types, fire giants and ice giants.

In the list of giants and descendants of the most important giants are Aegir, Angrboda, Hel, Hyrokkin, Loki, Nótt and Dagr, Suttung, Surtr, Skrymir, Skadi, and Ymir.

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Norns

The Norns are the ones who decide on the life of the beings of the human race that lives in Midgard. It is believed that there were many in the past, but in the Scandinavian era it is presumed that there were three main ones, Urdr (the past), Verdandi (the present) and Skuld (the future), these three Norns live in the roots of Yggdrasil.

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Valkyries

The Valkyries are the special assistants of Odin and are commanded by Freyja, they have the privilege of remaining immortal and invulnerable as long as they obey the gods and remain virgins. The Valkyries descend from the clouds to choose among the fallen in battle the heroes who would be part of the court in Valhalla.

They are young and beautiful, their hair has resplendent golden touches, they wear helmets of silver or gold and red corsets, they carry spears and resplendent shields. They are constantly riding on white steeds who cross through the rainbow Bifröst back to Valhalla to take the fallen heroes in battle, these include those fallen in the sea as well.

The Valkyries were considered divinities of clouds and air, they were also called maidens of desire.

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Dwarves

According to mythology the dwarves were born from the worms that ate the corpse of the ice giant Ymir, the dwarves live under the ground in Svartalfheim and their main task is focused on mining works, they are also characterized as magical beings that possess a unique and sacred wisdom, so that their weapons acquire a unique value and are highly valued among the gods.

Among the elves are the elves of light that reside in Alfheim and the elves of darkness that reside in Svartalfheim, these are actually a variant of the dwarves that reproduced with the gods for what ended up being a strange race.

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The three most famous and feared beasts of Nordic mythology.


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Fenrir

Fenrir, is the wolf of monstrous size and plays an important role in the Ragnarök. Fenrir is Loki's son, just as he is the father of all the wolves in mythology like Sköll who chases the sun and Hati who pursues the moon.

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Jörmundgander

Jörmundgander, is the serpent coiled in Midgard, of a monstrous size, is also the daughter of Loki and is the one who murders Thor.

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Nidhugg

Nidhogg, is the dragon that lives in one of the three roots of Yggdrasil, more specifically in Niflheim, where he is gnawing until the day of Ragnarök.

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Referencess:

Los Vikingos y Odin
Norse Mythology
Mithology and Goddess

Other publications on nordic mythology:

Triquetra.png Nordic Mythology #1: The myth of creation and the nine kingdoms

Triquetra.png Nordic mythology #2: The gods Aesir and Asynja.

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