The Vanir are the second family of Norse gods. They represent fertility, fecundity, wisdom, and precognition. The Vanir lived in Vanaheim for years until they came to settle in Asgard. They are far fewer in number than their rivals: among the gods of the Norse pantheon, the best known are Freyr, Freya, and Njord.
WHO ARE THE VANIR
The Vanir are the smallest family of gods, and for good reason: there are only three or four of them according to the myths: we find Njord, the father, as well as the two twins Freyr and Freya. These two twins are also called "the daughter of the day sky" and "the son of the day sky."
They are the oldest gods; the legend recounting the war between the two families tells us that the Vanir family has existed much longer than that of the Aesir. They practice very powerful magic that Freya would teach the Aesir when the truce arrived.
THE VANIR GODS
As mentioned earlier, the family of Vanir gods is very small, including Njord and his two children. No one can confirm the existence of other deities: the information we have about them is extremely vague. However, we will provide you with as much information as possible about each god.
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Njörd
Njörd is the Norse god of the sea, winds, and prosperity. He was the one who accompanied the Vikings when they set out in search of new lands. He married his sister, Nerthus, and had his twins: Freyr and Freya.
Later, he married Skadi, a giantess associated with the mountains. The legend says that Skadi could only choose her suitor by looking at his feet (different times, different customs). Skadi soon regretted her choice: she could not bear living near the sea, and Njörd could not bear living in the mountains with her; so they agreed to live half the year with one and half the year with the other.
Freyr
Freyr is a very renowned god in Norse mythology. Like his father, he is also a god of prosperity. Moreover, he controls the sun’s rays.
Keep your children away from the screen because we are about to tell you an anecdote forbidden to those under 18: Freyr was regularly depicted naked, like several gods, but especially with an erect penis.
The most famous myth about Freyr is his meeting with his wife Gerd: sitting on Odin’s throne, he had the ability to observe the 9 worlds simultaneously, he saw the giantess Gerd and immediately fell in love. He married her a few months later.
Freyr will eventually die by Surt’s sword during Ragnarök.
Freya
Freya is the daughter of Njörd; she is the goddess of love and fertility in Norse mythology. She is also Freyr’s twin. She is the originator of the very powerful magic used by the Vanir, and she was the one who taught it to the Aesir after the truce between the two families.
She is often depicted with her necklace Brisingamen and her cloak Valshamr. When Freya wore the necklace, besides her natural charm, it gave her the power that no one could resist a single one of her glances. The cloak, meanwhile, allowed its wearer to transform into a bird and travel quickly from world to world. This cloak was also worn by Thor in one of his myths.
Nerthus
Nerthus is the goddess of fertility and mother of the sky twins: Freyr and Freya. She was depicted in a chariot drawn by two white heifers, traveling across the lands.
Nerthus received many sacrifices; slaves were sacrificed to her by drowning them in a lake where she bathed. This practice was common at the time, but Nerthus was among the gods who received the most.
Two legends contradict each other about Nerthus: the first, the best known, is the one we have been discussing from the start: Nerthus is Njörd’s sister, with whom she bore Freyr and Freya. The second, more controversial and opposite to the first, states that Nerthus is Odin’s sister. This legend is much less told because it creates several inconsistencies in Norse mythology.
Odr
Odr is the god of wheat. He was lucky enough to marry the goddess Freya, highly sought after by the gods for her charm and irresistible beauty. After their marriage, Odr decided to travel to distant lands. He was soon considered dead.
Freya, devastated, wept tears of gold and decided to travel the world searching for him. The end of this story remains unknown today.
Hnoss and Gersimi
These are the two daughters of Freya and Odr; they were so beautiful that they were given names meaning everything that could designate something precious. Their names thus mean treasure and jewel.
These two daughters appear very little in Norse mythology: in fact, whenever their names appear, it is not to talk about them but rather about precious things.
Skirnir
He is Freyr’s personal messenger; he is not a god but holds a crucial place in Norse mythology. He is the one who went to ask the dwarves to make Gleipnir, the binding that allowed Fenrir’s capture.
He is also the one who went to see Gerd on Freyr’s orders to express the love the sky twin felt for her.
A WAR BETWEEN THE VANIR AND THEIR RIVALS
It was actually because of the Vanir that this war started. The Aesir had, to help impoverished families, given some women powers that could assist them.
Gullveig, one of them, switched to the enemy side: the Vanir. The latter then enchanted her, mixing the powers of the two divine families. Gullveig became immortal. The Aesir were not fools; they noticed that one of the chosen women had switched to the enemy side; they captured her to execute her. But they did not count on the spell the Vanir had cast on her, making her immortal.
The war between the Aesir and the Vanir
The Aesir, furious at what they saw as a betrayal, declared war on the Vanir. This war opposed the Aesir and the Vanir and began when Odin threw his spear at the Vanir. We do not know how long this war lasted, but we know that no winner was found. The gods therefore stopped the massacre and decided to establish a truce. This truce was symbolized by an exchange of hostages: Njord, Freyr, and Kvasir were given to the Aesir, while the latter sent Mimir and Hoenir to their former enemies.
The Vanir were convinced the exchange was unfair and decided to behead Mimir and send his head to the Aesir. Odin was furious but managed to revive Mimir’s head. Mimir then convinced Odin, who was furious, that restarting a war was not a solution. Odin then succeeded, even after this act, in imposing lasting peace.
To symbolize this new peace, the Vanir came to settle in Asgard after Odin ordered the construction of temples for the new inhabitants. The Vanir, satisfied with this new life, decided to share their culture. Njord and his son Freyr taught the Aesir the knowledge of the Vanir. Meanwhile, Freya, who mastered magic perfectly, taught them as well. One last sign of eternal peace was necessary. As a pledge of promise, each god had to spit into a basin. The mixture of all the saliva created a giant, considered the wisest being.
This was without counting on the intervention of two evil dwarves who decided to kill the newborn. The gods nevertheless managed to use this birth wisely since they realized that by mixing the newborn’s blood with honey, they obtained mead. It is unknown whether modern culture caused this or if it was already the case, but mead is today considered the drink of the gods. The gods decided to send it to Earth to transmit the wisdom of the gods to humans.
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