Norse Gods and Goddesses

Admin 10/24/2008, 2:23 pm

Aesir	Principal race of gods in Norse mythology. They included Odin, Thor, Baldur among others.
Andhrimnir	The cook of the Aesir. He slaughters the cosmic boar every evening and cooks it. The boar is then returned to life that night to be cooked again the following day.
Angrboda	Goddess and wife of Loki, She mothered three beings, the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jormungand and Hel, the goddess of death.
Astrild	Goddess of love.
Atla	Water goddess.
Audhumla	The primeval cow, formed from the melting ice. Her milk sustained the giant Ymir.
Balder	Fairest of the gods, Balder was the epitome of light, joy, innocence and beauty. He was killed by Loki, who tricked the blind Hod into throwing a dart made of mistletoe at the god.
Beyla	The servant of Freyr. She may be related to dairy work or to mead.
Borghild	Goddess of the evening mist or moon, she slays the sun each evening.
Bragi	God of poets and the patron of all skaldi (poets) in Norse culture.
Brono	The son of Balder. He is the god of daylight.
Bylgia	Water goddess.
Dagur	The personification of day, he drives the day chariot across the sky.
Disen	A group of goddess in old Norse mythology. They are often seen as protectors and mother figures, perhaps originating in ancestor worship. Freya is often called the "Dis of the Vanir".
Eir	Goddess of healing and shamanic healers, companion of the goddess Frigg. She taught her secrets only to women, who were the only healers in Norse society.
Elli	Goddess of old age.
Fenrir	Also known as Fenris. The great wolf, child of Loki and Angrboda, who will eventually devour Odin on Ragnarok. The Aesir bound him with chains to prevent his destructive rampages, but it is foretold that on Ragnarok he will escape.
Forseti	God of justice who settles court disputes in his gilded hall.
Freya	Goddess of love, beauty and sensuality. She is the patroness of sexual encounters, as well as the foremost goddess of fertility and birth.
Freyr	God of fertility, sun and rain. He is a member of the Vanir, and is the brother of the love-goddess Freya. He is considered a gentle and kind god, but also a fierce warrior.
Frigg	Wife of Odin and the goddess of marriage and fertility. She is rumored to know the destiny of all creatures but never to reveal it.
Gefion	Goddess of agriculture and the plow. She is said to have created the island Zealand by plowing great tracks of land from Sweden, leaving the many lakes which dot the country.
Gerd	The wife of Freyr and a goddess of fertility. She is the personification of the fertile soil.
Heimdall	The guardian of the bridge to Asgard and the messenger of the gods. He is the god of light and protection.
Hel	The goddess of death and ruler of the realm of the dead. She is pictured as a hag with half of her body as a living person and half as a corpse.
Hermod	The messenger of the gods. Often equated to the Greek god Hermes.
Hod	Blind god of darkness and winter. He unintentionally killed Baldur by throwing a dart of Mistletoe at him.
Holler	God of disease and destruction. Drags people to his hall where he tortures them to death.
Idun	Goddess of the spring, eternal youth and the keeper of the golden apples which guarantee the gods immortality.
Jord	Goddess of the primitive and unpopulated earth. She is a wife of Odin and mother of Thor.
Jormungand	The Midgard Serpent, an enormous serpent that encircles the earth, biting it's own tail. One of three children of Loki and Angrboda.
Kari	Leader of the storm giants.
Kvasir	The wisest of the Vanir gods. He was killed by dwarves who mixed his blood with honel, thus forming the legendary mead of peotry.
Laga	Goddess of wells and springs.
Lofn	Goddess of forbidden love, who blesses all illicit love affairs.
Loki	Trickster god of the Norse, concerned with thievery, magic and fire. He is actually a giant, but is often considered one of the Aesir due to his blood oath with Odin. He is mischevious and handsome, but is also cruel and bloodthirsty - especially in his connections to the death of Balder. He was chained under a mountain by the other gods and left with the venom of a snake dripping on his face. During Ragnarok, his chains will break and he will lead the giants in their battle with the gods.
Magni	Son of Thor and god of brute strength. He was the only being stronger than his father.
Mani	God of the moon and brother of the sun goddess Sol. He drove the moon chariot through the sky each night.
Miming	Minor forest god.
Mimir	Wisest god of the Aesir, sent in a hostage trade to the rival Vanir gods. When the Vanir discovered they had been tricked, they hacked off Mimir's head and sent it back to the Aesir. Odin resurrected the head, which was able to talk afterwards and advise him.
Modi	God of battle wrath, he was the leader of the berserkers.
Njord	God of the sea, wind and fire. He bestows good fortune to those on the sea. Originally one of the Vanir, he was traded to the Aesir in a peace agreement.
Norns	The triple goddesses of fate and destiny. They were Urd ("fate"), Verdandi ("necessity") and Skuld ("being").
Nott	Goddess of night who mans the night-charion in it's track through the sky.
Odin	The chief god of the Aesir and most important of the Norse deities. He is called the AllFather, and rules the gods in their council. He is the patron of war and death, poetry, wisdom, travelers, shamans and mystics.
Ran	Goddess of storms and the drowned dead. She is the mistress of the dead claimed by the sea, and often sinks ships in order to collect the drowned sailors in her nets. She then takes them to her hall and ministers to their needs.
Saga	Goddess of poetry and history. Often identified with Frigg.
Sif	Wife of Thor, and possibly an ancient fertility goddess.
Sjofn	Goddess of love, passion and marital harmony.
Skadi	A frost giant and goddess of winter. She was married to the sea-god Njord.
Sleipnir	The eight-legged horse of Odin, he could travel throughout the nine worlds and across land and sea. He is the son of Loki and a stallion.
Sol	Goddess of the sun, who guides the sun-chariot through the sky.
Syn	Goddess of watchfulness and truth. She was often invoked by defendants at trial. She guarded the door of Frigg's palace.
Thor	Thunder-god and the protector of men and gods. Thor is a mighty warrion and keeper of the noble virtues, although he is not always at his most virtuous or noble in the stories of the gods, the Eddas. He carried a hammer, Mjollnir, which caused lightning when it was thrown.
Tyr	The original god of war in the Germanic culture, an office claimed by Odin and then by Thor. Hi is the god of warriors and justice, fairness in battle and in life. He is pictured as a man with one hand, his other being sacrificed to chain the doom-wolf Fenrir.
Ull	God of justice and dueling, archery and skiing.
Vali	Son of Odin, and the god born to avenge the death of Balder.
Valkyries	The battle-maidens, who choose the best warriors to join Odin in Valhalla to wait for the battle Ragnarok. They are also the messengers of Odin.
Vanir	A group of fertility and nature gods, constantly at war with the warrior-gods of the Aesir. They eventually made peace and all of the Vanir were welcomed into the Aesir.
Var	Goddess of contracts and marriage agreements, she takes vengance on oathbreakers.
Vidar	Son of Odin and the god of silence and vengance. He is destined to rule the new world after Ragnarok.