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Partial List of the Norse Gods, Goddesses & Other Supernatural Beings: Their Lore, Powers & Influences The Names of the deities are in the old Norse language while the Rune names are in German. (Note: Many of the correspondences given in the following section are adapted from D.J. Conway's Norse Magic and her Book of Gods & Goddesses. Other major resources include Michael Howard's The Magic of the Runes, Their Origins and Occult Power, Lisa Peschel's A Practical Guide to the Runes, Jennifer Smith's Runic Journey, Edred Thorsson's Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism, his Runecaster's Handbook: At the Well of Wyrd, and A Handbook of Rune Magic, and Donald Tyson's Rune Magic. Other sources on the Internet were important as well as other texts that were consulted.) Aegir, of the Vanir: The Ale-brewer and King of the Sea. Son of the giant, Fornjótr, and brother of Logi (fire, flame) and Kári (wind). He is a jotunn, (giant nature spirit). Married to Ran, they had nine daughters (undines), each characterizing some aspect of ocean waves. Using a large cauldron given by Thor, he and his daughters brew ale. Correspondences: Aesir, Asynur pl.: The Old Gods. The Old Gods are strong, beautiful and larger than humans and live longer than humans, but are not immortal. Each God has expertise in different categories. They generally are good, friendly and helpful to humans. Those Vanir who have lived in Asgard for a long time are also considered as Aesir. The Aesir are the gods of consciousness and the sky as opposed to the Vanir who are the gods of the earth, biological life, and the subconscious. The Aesir are direct descendants of Odin through the father, or are females who have married (male) Aesir. Audhumla: The Great Cow. Nourisher. Primal shaping force of the universe. Correspondences: Baldur (German Phol), of the Aesir: The Bright One. His name means “Shining Day.” Odin's second son, he is the god of Love, Light, Beauty, Loyalty, Innocence, and Rebirth. He is sacrificed at Midsummer by the dart of the mistletoe, and is reborn at Yule. He is married to the goddess of Joy, Nanna, and is father to Forseti. He was slain by his blind brother Hodur whose hand was guided by the evil Loki, and will return after Ragnarok. Correspondences:
Bragi, of the Aesir: The bard of the Gods and the God of Eloquence, Poetry and Wisdom. He is a son of Odin and Frigg, and husband to Idhunna. Correspondences: Eir: A lesser known Goddess of Healing. Forseti (German Forasizo), of the Aesir: His name means “Chairman.” He is the God of Law and Justice. A son of Balder and Nanna, Nep's daughter. His hall had a silver ceiling radiating light seen for a great distance. Correspondences: Freyja: (German Fricco) of the Vanir: She is the Great Goddess, second only to Frigg. Her name means “The Lady.” The Goddess of the magic known as Seidhr (German Seith) which she taught to Odin, eroticism, physical well-being; She is the Queen of the Valkyries who choose those to be slain in battle and carry them to Valhalla. She is daughter of Njord, and twin sister to Freyr. She is also a warrior goddess of great wisdom and magick. She wears the sacred necklace Brisingamen, which she paid for by spending the night with the dwarves. She is married to Odr and her children are Hnoos and Gersemi. Hers is the magic of reading runes, trance & astral travel, and casting spells. She owns a falcon cloak, takes dove form, rides in a chariot drawn by two cats, or rides a boar. She weeps tears of gold, which become amber, called "Freya's Tears". Correspondences: Freyr (German Fro ), of the Vanir: His name means “Lord,” and he is the lord of prosperity, eroticism, peace, and physical well-being, and his weapon is a magic sword and he has a magic ship that sails unguided to its destination. He is Freya's twin brother and is married to Gorda. Like the Celtic God Cernunnos, he is the horned God of fertility and King of the Elves. He is married to Gerd and is father to Fjolnir. His golden boar, Gullenbursti, is the dawn of day. He rules over Alfheim, the land of the Light Elves. He and Freyja are the archetypal Lord & Lady of Wicca/Witchcraft. Correspondences: Frigg (German Frija, Fricka), of the Aesir: Her name means “Love,” and she is Odin's wife, and mother to Baldur and Hoor. She is the Goddess of Civilization and the true Mother of all and protector of children. She spins the sacred Distaff of life, and is said to know the future, although she will not speak of it. Correspondences:
Gefion, of the Vanir: The Giver. The Goddess of Virtue and un-married women: A fertility goddess and a shape-shifter. Correspondences:
Good Dwarves: The Master Smiths. Correspondences: Gullveig of the Vanir: The Gleaming One. Mistress of Magic. She came to live with the Aesir as a handmaiden to Freyja and a teacher of Seidhr. The Aesir tried to kill her, sparking the war with the Vanir. Correspondences: Heimdall: (German Heimo) of the Vanir: The White God of Light and Guardianship. Born of nine maidens, all of whom were sisters, He is the handsome gold-toothed guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge leading to Asgard, the home of the Gods, and thus the connection between body and soul. As a child, Heimdall was sent by the Gods to teach humans to kindle the holy fire, to instruct them in runic wisdom, to teach them workmanship and handicraft, organized their society, and originated and stabilized the three classes of men as spoken of in the Song of Rig. He lived long as a man among men, and his rulership was a golden age of peace and prosperity. Heimdall slept with three different women who bore the ancestors to the three different classes: earls, farmers and serfs. When he died as a human, he returned to the Gods where he was stripped of his aged human shape, regained his eternal youth and was taken into Asgard. It is He who will sound the signal horn to the Aesir that Ragnarok is beginning. Correspondences: Hel (German Holle, Hulda) of the Aesir: The Goddess of the Dead and the Afterlife, she herself is half-dead, half alive. The Vikings viewed her with considerable trepidation. Nevertheless, the Germans saw her as Mother Holle and helpful in times of need, but vengeful upon those who transgress natural law. Correspondences: Hermod of the Aesir: The Brave One. Son of Odin. Correspondences:
Hlin: Goddess of compassion and consolation, Frigga's second attendant. She kisses away the tears of mourners and relieves their grief. She listened to mortals’ prayers and advised Frigga how best to answer them and give desired relief. She protects people whom Frigga wishes to save from danger. Hodur, of the Aesir: The Blind God and the God of Blind Force; The son of Odin and Frigg who was tricked by Loki into killing his brother, Baldur. Hoenir: The messenger of the Aesir. The Silent One. Correspondences: Holda. See Hel. Idunna, of the Aesir: The goddess of immortality, youth and beauty. Correspondences: Light Elves: The Little People, the Hidden People. Correspondences: Lofn: A lesser known Goddess of Indulgence. It is from her that permission may be secured for sexual indulgences and liaisons forbidden by custom and law. Loki: Neither an Aesir or a Vanir: Blood brother of Odin. The Father of Lies, Trickster, Shape-changer. Son of the giant Farbauti, he is of the race of Ettins (Elementals) and possesses some of their daemonic qualities. He is the Trickster, and the God of Fire and Misfortune. He is both a helper and a foe of the Aesir, but it was he who spawned the monsters: the Fenris Wolf and the Midgard Wyrm, Jormurgandr. He is married to Sigyn and his other children include the goddess Hel and Sleipnir, Odin's 8-legged horse. He is the originator of deceit, and the disgrace of all gods and men, and ultimately the Destroyer of all things. His wife is Sigyn, and their son, Nare, or Narfe. Correspondences: Mani: The Moon. Mimir, of the Aesir: The Wise One. Correspondences: Nanna, of the Vanir: She is married to Baldur and mother to Forseti. She is a goddess of Love, Romance and Fertility, also of Wealth and Prosperity. Correspondences: Nehallennia: Goddess of Plenty. Correspondences: Nerthus German Hertha): She is Mother Earth and a Goddess of the Sea and of Rivers. Correspondences: Njord: God of the Oceans and Rivers and Lord of Abundance and Material well-being, and is third among the Vanir. Married to the giantess Skadi, he begat two children: a son, Freyr, and a daughter, Freyja. Correspondences: The Norns (Urda, Verdandi, and Skuld): The Norse equivalent of the Greek Fates. It is they who determine the destinies of the Gods and of Man, and who maintain the World Tree, Yggdrasill. Odin (German Wotan), of the Aesir: Father of all the Gods and of men. The God of magick, ecstasy, poetry, and man’s consciousness of inner divinity; He brings knowledge, wisdom, ideas and inspiration to help Mankind. He is both the shaper of Wyrd (Fate: the past actions that continually affect and condition the future) and the bender of Orlog (Destiny: the future that affects the past) showing the interconnected nature of all actions. He is married to Frigg and father to Baldur and Hoor. It is he who makes men mad, possessed of driving rage, and also the “madness” perceived of the warrior in battle, the seer in trance, the poet’s creativity. It is also he who sacrifices an eye at the well of Mimir to gain inner wisdom, and later hangs himself upon Yggdrasill to gain the knowledge and power of the Runes. He can travel to any realm within the nine Nordic worlds. He is pictured wearing a floppy hat and a blue-grey cloak and is accompanied by two ravens, Hugginn (thought) and Munin (memory who daily fly over the world reporting all that has happened. Correspondences: Ran, of the Vanir: The Ravager. She is married to Aegir, is malicious and unpredictable. Correspondences: Saga: A lesser known Goddess of Writing, Poetry, and Memory and a prophet. Sif (Sifa), of the Aesir: The Harvest Goddess. She is married to Thor, and mother to þrúðr (Thrudr) and Ullr. Correspondences: Sigyn: The Faithful. She is married to Loki, and mother to sons Nari and Vali. Correspondences: Sjofna: Goddess of Love who can turn anyone’s thoughts to love. Correspondences: Skadi of the Vanir: Mistress of Dark Magic and the Goddess of Winter and of the Hunt. She is married to Njord, the gloomy Sea God, noted for his beautiful bare feet, symbolic of fertility and attractive to Skadi. She is may be invoked in cases of justice, vengeance, and righteous anger, and is the deity who sentenced Loki to be bound underground with a serpent dripping poison upon his face in punishement for his crimes. Skadi's character is found in two of Hans Christian Anderson's tales: "The Snow Queen" and "The Ice Princess." Correspondences: Sunna: The Sun. Thor (German Donnar), of the Aesir: The red-headed God of Thunder and weather in general, powerful Protection, Inspiration, Magical Power, and Personal Strength. Thor is a son of Odin, is the foremost of the Aesir, and rules over the realm called Thrudvang. He is the strongest of all gods and men, and is the protector of all Midgard. He wields the mighty hammer Mjollnir that causes lightening flashes. His battle car is drawn by two goats. He is married to Sif, and father to þrúðr (Thrudr) and Ullr. The Oak is sacred to Thor. Correspondences: Tyr (German Tiw), of the Aesir: Odin’s son, Tyr is the God of Law & Justice, Rational Thought and Right Order, Protection, Divination, Astronomy, Strength and Courage; he is the ancient god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods. He sacrificed his hand so that the evil Fenris wolf may be bound. He may be invoked in all manners of Justice, fair play, and Right Action. Correspondences: Ullr of the Aesir: The Magnificent, the Bow God, God of the Hunt. Ullr is a son of Sif, and a step-son of Thor. Fair of face, he is a great warrior to be invoked by men in combat. He is the greatest archer, and the fastest skier. Correspondences: Vidar of the Aesir: A son of Odin who will survive Ragnarok as will his brother Vali. He is the strongest next after Thor and helps all the gods in the hardest tasks. Vali, of the Aesir: God of Vengeance, he is the avenger of Baldur. Vali is a son of Odin and Rindr. Daring in combat and a good shot, he and Vidar will survive Ragnarok. Valkries: Thirteen goddesses who choose slain warriors that will go to Valhalla. Correspondences: Symbol: helmets, spears crowned with flames, Vanic (not Vanir) are Mundilfari, Mundilfara, Mani, Sol; Freyr's servants: Byggvir, Beyla; Freya's Valkyries. Vanir: The second race of gods, they are concerned with Nature and with the functions of eroticism, fertility, and prosperity. Those gods and goddesses most concerned with family as Njord, Freyr and Freyja. The Vanir are direct descendants of Holde by way of the mother, or are males that have married (female) Vans. They are: Holde, Nerthus, Njord, Freya, Freyr, Odh, Hnoss, Aegir, Ran, Ullr, Ulla, Gerdh, Skirnir, Heimdallr, Idunna, Bragi, Siofyn, Gefjon, Skadhi, Erde, the Undines, Svol, Ostara, Gullveig. Following the war with the Aesir, hostages were exchanged and those of the Vanir who came to the Aesir are called Vanic and have their own character. They are Mundilfari, Mundilfara, Mani, Sol; Freyr's servants: Byggvir, Beyla; Freyas Valkyries. Correspondences: Rulership: fertility, magical powers, witchcraft Vár: A lesser known Goddess of Honesty and, and may be invoked to witness love-vows and other oaths and to punish those who break their oaths. Newly married couples call her name as they take each other's hands. Weiland (Weyland): The Smith of the Gods. Correspondences: Ymir: The first Frost Giant. Brutal, evil, violent. Source: Slate, J. & Weschcke, C.: The Llewellyn Complete Book of Psychic Empowerment – Tools & Techniques, 2011, Llewellyn |
