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The Norse Pantheon

© Linda Casselman

So far in our exploration of Norse Mythology we have looked at the ancient Norse Creation Myth and we have examined the meaning and the symbol of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, in the myth of Ragnarok. We have learned the names of many gods in these myths. But who are they? What are they? In this article, let's become more familiar with the colourful pantheon of Norse gods.

The Norse Pantheon can be divided into two groups or branches of the family of gods - the Aesir and the Vanir. The younger Aesir gods are mainly war gods lead by mighty Odin who live in Asgard. They are:

Odin is the chief Norse God and warring leader of the Aesir.

Balder, known as the bleeding-god, is kind and gentle and the son of Odin by Frigg.

Bragi, the son of Odin by the giantess Gunnlod, is the god of eloquence and poetry.

Forseti, the god of justice, is the son of Balder and Nanna.

Frigg, the wife of Odin, is the goddess of the earth, of the air, and of fertility. She gave her name to Friday

Heimdall is the watcher god waiting to blow his horn to announce the coming of Ragnarok.

Hodr, son of Odin and Frigg, is the blind god who unwittingly kills Balder.

Honir, the long-legged brother of Odin, is quite a useless god as he can never make up his mind.

Idun, wife of Bragi, is the goddess in charge of the magical apples of youth.

Loki, the son of giants, is the god of fire, the trickster god.

Mimir is a wise god sent to the Vanir by the Aesir.

Sif, famous for her beautiful long golden hair, is the wife of Thor.

Thor, the son of Odin by the earth goddess Fjorsyn, is the honest but hot-tempered god of thunder. He gives his name to Thursday.

Tyr is the god of war and the son of Odin and Frigg. He gives his name to Tuesday.

Vili, the brother of Odin and son of Bor, bestowed intelligence and emotions upon humans at their creation.

Ve, also the brother of Odin and son of Bor, gave the abilities to see and hear to humans.

Vidar, the son of Odin by the Frost Giantess Grid, is the silent and solitary god destined to avenge his father's death at Ragnarok.

The older Vanir gods, however, are gentler fertility gods renowned for their foresight who live in Vanaheim. The main gods are:

Nerthus is a mother goddess and the mother of the fertility twins.

The copyright of the article The Norse Pantheon in Mythology is owned by Wayne Kreger. Permission to republish The Norse Pantheon in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.