In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples that inhabited Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature, various chronicles, runic inscriptions, personal names, place names, and other sources. This article presents a comprehensive list of these deities. | Name | Name meaning | Associations | Attested consorts and sexual partners | Attested children | Attestations | | Baldr (Old Norse), Bældæg (Old English) | Old Norse form is contested. Old English form directly translates as "shining day".[1] | Light, beauty | Nanna | Forseti | Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf | | Bragi (Old Norse) | Connected with Bragr ("poetry")[2] | Skaldship | Iðunn | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | | Dellingr (Old Norse) | Possibly "the dayspring"[3] or "shining one"[4] | Possibly the personified dawn | Nótt | Dagr | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Forseti (Old Norse) | "Chairman"[5] | Glitnir, justice | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Freyr (Old Norse), Frea (Old English), Yngvi (Old Norse), Ing (Old English) | "Lord"[6] | Fertility, Gullinbursti, Skíðblaðnir, Álfheimr, his servants Skírnir, Byggvir, and Beyla | Gerðr | Fjölnir (Heimskringla) | Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Ögmundar þáttr dytts, Gesta Danorum, various others | | Heimdallr (Old Norse) | "World-brightener"[7] | Gjallarhorn | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda, Poetic Edda | | Hermóðr (Old Norse), Heremod (Old English) | "War-spirit"[8] | | None attested | Sceaf (Old English only) | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Beowulf, Old English royal genealogies | | Höðr (Old Norse) | "Warrior"[9] | Blindess (Prose Edda) | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf | | Hœnir (Old Norse) | Contested | Creation (Poetic Edda), indecision, swiftness, long-legs | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry | | Lóðurr (Old Norse) | Contested | Creation (Poetic Edda) | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry | | Loki (Old Norse) | Contested | Deception, Fire | Sigyn | Nari/Narfi, Váli, Fenrir, Hel,Jormungandr Sleipner | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Loka Táttur, Norwegian rune poem, Danish folk tales | | Meili (Old Norse) | "the lovely one"[10] | None attested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Njörðr (Old Norse) | Contested | The Vanir, the sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility | Once unnamed sister, once Skaði | Freyr, Freyja | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Egils saga, Hauksbók ring oath, place names | | Odin: Óðinn (North Germanic), Wōden (West Germanic), *Wōdanaz (Proto-Germanic) (see List of names of Odin for more) | "Frenzy"[11] | Creation, death, Einherjar, Geri and Freki, Gungnir, Hugin and Munin, knowledge, place names, poetry, royalty, runic alphabet, sacrifice, the valkyries, Valhalla, warfare, Wednesday, Wild Hunt | Frigg (consort), Skaði (Heimskringla only), Gunnlöð, Jörð, Rindr | See Sons of Odin | Most attestations of Germanic paganism | | Óðr (Old Norse) | "The frenzied one"[12] | Extended absences | Freyja | Hnoss, Gersemi | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Saxnōt (Old Saxon), Seaxnet, Seaxnēat, Saxnat (Old English) | Contested | None attested | None attested | None attested | Old Saxon Baptismal Vow, Old English royal genealogies | | Thor: Þórr (North Germanic), Þunor (Old English), Thunaer (Old Saxon), Donar (Southern Germanic areas) | "Thunder", all names stem from Proto-Germanic *ÞunraR[13] | Lightning, Thunder, Mjöllnir, Járngreipr, Megingjörð, Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, Þrúðvangr, Thursday, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, Röskva, Þjálfi | Sif (consort), Járnsaxa | Móði and Magni, Þrúðr, Ullr | Most attestations of Germanic paganism | | Týr (Old Norse), Tīw, Tīg (both Old English), Ziu (Old High German) | "God", derived from Proto-Germanic *Tīwaz[14] | War, Thing (assembly), Fenrir, Tuesday, place names | Unnamed, possibly Zisa | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Hadrian's Wall altar | | Ullr (Old Norse) | Something like "Glory"[15] | Ydalir, skis, archery, ring oaths, hunting, shields | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Gesta Danorum, Thorsberg chape, toponyms in Norway and Sweden | | Váli (Old Norse) | Contested | Vengeance | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum (as Bous) | | Viðarr (Old Norse) | Possibly "wide ruler"[16] | Vengeance, silence | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Vé (Old Norse) | Vé (shrine)[17] | Creation, brother of Vili and Odin | Possibly Frigg | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Vili (Old Norse) | "Will"[18] | Creation, brother of Vé and Odin. | Possibly Frigg | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | [edit] Goddesses | Name | Name meaning | Associations | Attested consorts and sexual partners | Attested children | Attestations | | Baduhenna (Latinized Germanic) | Badu-, may be cognate to Proto-Germanic *badwa- meaning "battle." The second portion of the name -henna may be related to -henae, which appears commonly in the names of matrons.[1] | Frisia, Sacred grove | None attested | None attested | Tacitus' Annals | | Bil (Old Norse) | Possibly "moment"[19] | Moon | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Beyla (Old Norse) | Proposed as related to "cow," "bean," or "bee."[20] | Freyr | Byggvir | None attested | Poetic Edda | | Eir (Old Norse) | "Peace, clemency"[21] or "help, mercy"[22] | Medical skill | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Eostre (Old English) | "East"[23] | Eostur-mónaþ, Dawn | None attested | None attested | De temporum ratione | | Freyja (Old Norse) | "Lady"[24] | Beauty, Brísingamen, death, Seid, cats | Óðr | Hnoss, Gersemi | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Sörla þáttr | | Frigg (Old Norse) | Derived from Indo-European root meaning "Love"[25] | Distaff, foreknowledge | Odin | Baldr, Höðr | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Historia gentis Langobardorum | | Fulla (Old Norse) | Possibly "bountiful"[26] | Golden ribbon, chastity, eski | None attested | None attested | Merseburg Incantations, Prose Edda | | Gefjun (Old Norse) | Related to "giving"[27] | Chastity, plowing, Zealand, dead virgins | Skjöldr, unnamed jötunn | Four oxen | Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga, Völsa þáttr, | | Gersemi (Old Norse) | "Treasure, precious object"[28] | Beauty | None attested | None attested | Heimskringla | | Gerðr (Old Norse) | "Fenced in"[29] | Beauty | Freyr | Fjölnir (Heimskringla) | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla | | Gná (Old Norse) | Possibly related to Old Norse Gnæfa meaning "to project"[30] | Errands, sky travel, Hófvarpnir | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Gullveig (Old Norse) | Possibly "gold drink"[31] | Æsir-Vanir War, rebirth, seid | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda | | Hariasa | Possibly related to the valkyrie name Herja or meaning "goddess with lots of hair"[32] | Contested | None attested | None attested | Stone from Cologne, Germany (CIL XIII 8185) | | Hel (Old Norse) | Ultimately "one who covers up or hides something" | Hel, death | Dyggvi (Ynglingatal) | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglingatal | | Hlín (Old Norse) | Possibly related to the Old Norse term hleinir, itself possibly meaning "protects"[33] | Protective guardianship | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Hretha (Old English) | Possibly "the famous" or "the victorious"[34] | Hréð-mónaþ (modern month of March) | None attested | None attested | De temporum ratione | | Hnoss (Old Norse) | "Treasure"[33] | Beauty, treasure | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Ilmr | | None attested | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | | Iðunn (Old Norse) | Possibly "ever young"[35] | Apples, eternal youth | Bragi | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Irpa (Old Norse) | Possibly relating to "dark brown"[36] | Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr | None attested | None attested | Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga | | Lofn (Old Norse) | Potentially related to "Praise"[37] | Forbidden marriage, female kennings | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Nanna (Old Norse) | Possibly "mother" from nanna, or potentially related to nanþ-, meaning "the daring one"[38] | Death from grief | Baldr | Forseti | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Setre Comb | | Nerthus (Latinized Germanic) | Feminine, Latinized form of what Njörðr would have looked like around 1 CE.[39] | Earth, wagon | None attested | None attested | Germania | | Njörun (Old Norse) | Possibly related to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio[40] | None attested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | | Nótt (Old Norse) | "Night"[41] | Night | Naglfari, once Annar, Delling | Auðr, Jörð, Dagr | Prose Edda | | Rán (Old Norse) | "Theft, robbery"[42] | Sea, net, death at sea | Ægir | Nine daughters | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna | | Rindr (Old Norse) | Possibly related to *Vrindr[43] | Rape, vengeance | Odin | Váli | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum | | Sága (Old Norse) | Possibly "to see"[44] | Sökkvabekkr | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | | Sandraudiga (Latinized Germanic) | "She who dyes the sand red."[45] | None attested | None attested | None attested | North Brabant stone | | Sif (Old Norse) | "In-law-relationship"[46] | Golden hair | Thor | Þrúðr, Ullr | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Sigyn (Old Norse) | "Victorious girl-friend"[47] | Assisting the bound Loki | Loki | Nari, Narfi and/or Váli | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Sinthgunt (Old High German) | Contested | Sunna, healing charms | None attested | None attested | Merseburg Incantations | | Sjöfn (Old Norse) | "Love"[46] | Love | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Skaði (Old Norse) | Possibly related to Scandia.[48] | Snowshoes, snow, mountains | Sæmingr | Ullr, Odin, once Njörðr. | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga | | Snotra (Old Norse) | "The clever one"[49] | Wisdom, grace | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Sól (Old Norse), Sunna (Old High German) | "Sun"[50] | Hrímfaxi, chariot | Glen | | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Merseburg Incantations | | Syn (Old Norse) | "Refusal"[51] | Locked doors, court defense | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Tanfana (Latinized Gemanic) | Unknown | Autumn | None attested | None attested | Germania, Tamfanae sacrum inscription | | Þrúðr (Old Norse) | "Power"[52] | Strength, chieftain kennings | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Karlevi Runestone | | Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Old Norse) | Literally "Þorgerðr Hölgi's Bride"[53] | Haakon Sigurdsson, Irpa, Hålogaland | None attested | Hölgi, possibly others | Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga Saga | | Vár (Old Norse) | "Beloved"[54] | Hearings on oaths and agreements, vengeance upon violation of agreements | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | | Vör (Old Norse) | Possibly "the careful one"[55] | Wisdom, care | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | | Zisa | Related to *Tiwaz | Augsburg, victory, September, Suevi | None attested | Possibly Tyr | | [edit] Heroes [edit] Prose Edda deity lists The Prose Edda contains three lists of Norse deities within the books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál. Gylfaginning features a list of fourteen æsir (chapters 20 to 33) and ásynjur (chapter 35) each: - æsir : Odin, Thor, Baldr, Njord, Freyr, Tyr, Bragi, Heimdall, Höðr, Víðarr, Váli, Ullr, Forseti, and Loki.[56]
- ásynjur: Frigg, Sága, Eir, Gefjon, Fulla, Freyja, Sjöfn, Lofn, Vár, Vör, Syn, Hlín, Snotra, Gná; additionally, Sól and Bil. The list is followed by an enumeration of valkyries.[57]
Skáldskaparmál (chapter 1) lists twelve æsir (apart from Odin) and eight ásynjur: - æsir: Thor, Njörðr, Freyr, Tyr, Heimdall, Bragi, Víðarr, Váli, Ullr, Hœnir, Forseti, Loki.
- ásynjur: Frigg, Freyja, Gefjon, Iðunn, Gerðr, Sigyn, Fulla, Nanna.
Nafnaþulur lists thirteen æsir and 27 ásynjur (both in chapter 75): - æsir: Yggr (Odin), Thor, Freyr, Víðarr, Baldr, Váli, Heimdall, Týr Njörð, Braga, Höðr, Forseti, Loki.
- ásynjur: Frigg, Freyja, Fulla, Snotra, Gerðr, Gefjon, Gná, Lofn, Skaði, Jörð, Iðunn, Ilmr, Bil, Njörun, Hlín, Nanna, Hnoss, Rindr, Sjöfn, Sól, Sága, Sigyn, Vör, Vár, Syn, Þrúð, Rán.[58]
[edit] Pseudo-Norse gods and goddesses Some figures sometimes presented as Norse deities do not occur in the ancient sources: - Astrild (Actually a synonym for Amor and Cupid invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors. Might be confused with Freyja.)
- Jofur (Actually a synonym for Jupiter invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors. Might be confused with Thor.)
The following pseudo-deities are presented in Encyclopedia Mythica as Norse: - Brono (Claimed to be the god of daylight and the son of Baldr. Original source unknown. Might be confused with Dagr or Forseti.)
- Geirrendour (Claimed to be the father of the billow maidens. Original source unknown. Might be confused with Ægir.)
- Glaur (Claimed to be the wife of Mundilfari. Original source unknown.)
- Glúm (Claimed to be an attendant of Frigg. Source unknown.)
- Laga (Claimed to be the goddess of wells and springs. May be the same as Laha, a Celtic goddess of wells and springs.)
- ^ a b Simek (2007:26).
- ^ Simek (2007:43).
- ^ Bellows (1936:75).
- ^ Orchard (1997:32).
- ^ Orchard (1997:46).
- ^ Orchard (1997:47).
- ^ Orchard (1997:78).
- ^ Orchard (1997:83).
- ^ Orchard (1997:88).
- ^ Simek (2007:210).
- ^ Orchard (1997:123).
- ^ Orchard (1997:121).
- ^ Simek (2007:322).
- ^ Simek (2007:337).
- ^ Lindow (2001:301).
- ^ Orchard (1997:174—175).
- ^ Orchard (1997:173).
- ^ Simek (2007:363).
- ^ Orchard (1997:19).
- ^ Lindow (2001:78).
- ^ Lindow (2001:105).
- ^ Orchard (1997:36).
- ^ Barnhart (1995:229).
- ^ Lindow (2001:126)
- ^ Lindow (2001:129).
- ^ Orchard (1997:49).
- ^ North (1997:71).
- ^ Simek (2007:106).
- ^ Orchard (1997:54).
- ^ Lindow (2001:147).
- ^ Lindow (2001:154).
- ^ Simek (2007:131).
- ^ a b Lindow (2001:177).
- ^ Simek (2007:159).
- ^ Lindow (2001:199).
- ^ Simek (2007:176).
- ^ Lindow (2001:213).
- ^ Simek (2007:227).
- ^ Lindow (2001:237-238)
- ^ Finnur Jónsson (1913:110) suggests a Njörðr connection, Magnússon (1989:671) suggests Njörðr and Nerio.
- ^ Orchard (1997:120).
- ^ Simek (2007:260).
- ^ Simek (2007:266).
- ^ Lindow (2001:265).
- ^ Nordisk Familjebok (1916:665).
- ^ a b Lindow (2001:266).
- ^ Orchard (1997:146).
- ^ Simek (2007:287).
- ^ Simek (2007:296).
- ^ Orchard (1997:152).
- ^ Orchard (1997:157).
- ^ Orchard (1997:165).
- ^ Simek (2007:326-327).
- ^ Simek (2007:353).
- ^ Simek (2007:368).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:21–26).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:29–31).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:156–157).
[edit] References | Anglo-Saxon paganism and mythology | | | Gods and divine figures | |  | | | Heroic figures | | | | Other beings | | | | Locations | | | | Sources | | | | Origins | | | | Society and culture | | | | Neopagan revival | | | |
