The Norse Gods & Goddesses

From www.irminsul-hearth.com

Odin (ON Othinn; OE Woden)

Odin is the Allfather of the Northern Tradition. He is the one eyed God of poetry, battle, magic, healing and death. He goes by many names, as he has wandered the nine worlds as Vegtamr and He is known differently in each of these worlds. Odin gave His own eye to gain a drink from the well of wisdom, and He sacrificed Himself to Himself by hanging for nine days and nights, pierced by his own spear, with no food or water on the World Tree, Yggdrasil. On the ninth day, He looked down and saw the runes; sacred symbols each representing the very essence of what the signs stand for. Allfather seized the runes and fell back, screaming from the World Tree.

From this it becomes clear that the path of Odin is not the collection of knowledge, but that of the pursuit of wisdom. A person can become knowledgable by studying books and lore. For the follower of Allfather, wisdom is something that must be experienced and won, often amid great hardship and against adversity.

A man may not be deemed wise until he has had his share of misfortune.

(Havamal.)

Mankind's understanding of Odin can be seen to evolve over the centuries. To the Germanic tribes of the continent and to the Early Saxons, Woden was very much a shaman god associated with magic and death. He was to be greatly feared and respected. It is He who rode at the head of the Wild Hunt during the fierce Winter nights, and He who gave the berserks their almost invulnerable fury. Woden was capricious and could stir up strife between tribes to test the strong and faithful. He gave the shamans their power to heal and harm and traverse the World Tree to other realms, and it is He who gave the poets the skill to stir men's souls.

As the centuries rolled by into the late Dark Ages, we begin to hear of Odin (although most written evidence was, of course, written down much later in the Early Medieval period by Christian scholars) who appears as Allfather. A king among Gods who sits at his golden throne, Hlidskjalf and surveys the world of man with something approaching omnipotency. Humanity's need for a divine ruler has altered its own perceptions of Woden, shamanistic God of magic and death, and the faithful have become aware of the more benign side of this God. A patriarchal figure, ruling over all creation, doomed yet unflinching. Odin as Allfather can see the coming destruction of His world, but rather than flee, He chooses to make his stand with resigned and courageous determination.

This change in approach tells us more about the Heathens of the period than Odin Himself. Their own fear of cultural and religious annihilation, coupled with their stubborn refusal to allow themselves to be subdued, seems to be apparent in the prevalence of 'End of the World' imagery towards the close of the Dark Ages.

Odin carries the spear Gungnir and rides on the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. His hall in Asgard is Valhalla - the hall of the slain. Here half of all warriors slain in battle (the Einherjar) feast and await the final conflict that will consume the nine worlds.

Modern heathens who follow Odin choose to wear the Valknut - three triangles linked together that symbolise the union of the nine realms.

Thor (ON Thorr; OE Thunor)

Thor is one of the most popular Gods and it is He who figures in most of the surviving myths from Iceland. He is the red-bearded thunder God who rides across the sky in his chariot drawn by the two goats Tanngnost and Tanngrisni (Tooth-grinder and Gat-tooth). He is the husband of the golden haired Goddess Sif and the son of Odin and Fjorgyn (Earth). Thor protects the Gods from wrathful giants with his mighty hammer, Mjollnir which always strikes its target and returns to the Thunderer's hand once it has been thrown.

Thor is a good God to call on for help and this practice can be supported by evidence from the Icelandic sagas. In the Landnamabok we are told that Helgi inn Magri, a Christian, still called out to Thor when undertaking journeys or in danger. It is for good reason that Thor's Hammer has survived as a protective amulet into modern times.

He can also be considered a God of Fertility, being Himself created from a union of Earth and Sky. Plants and crops can be seen to grow with more vigour after a thunder storm as the lightning activates nitrogen in the soil. In addition to this, the story of Thrymskvida also hints that Thor's Hammer was used to bless a bride and groom with fertility.

The Thunder God's hall in Asgard is called Bilskirnir and here He welcomes farmers and workers who have died showing that, unlike the stately Tyr and Odin, Thor is truly the God of the Common Man.

Tyr (ON Tyr; OE Tiw)

One handed God of war and justice, Tyr gives his name to Tuesday. He is the God of Nobility - not just the social rank but also nobility of thought and deed.

Once he was known as the Sky Father and ruler of the Gods before humanity's ever changing understanding of the Gods recognised Odin as taking this position. To the Old English, Tyr was the God of the Irminsul and the North Star was particularly sacred to Him as, like Him, the star was a constant force in an ever-shifting universe - a beacon of stability to be looked to for guidance.

Like Odin, Tyr is also a God of sacrifice, but where Allfather's sacrifice was to become all-knowing, Tyr's sacrifice was at great cost to Himself and entirely for the good of the other Gods.

When the giant wolf, Fenris, son of Loki, began to grow in size and ferocity the Gods decided that the beast needed to be bound. They placed bonds of increasing strength around the wolf to test his strength. When a final magical bond was brought to be placed around Fenris, he became suspicious and demanded that one of the Gods place their hand into his mouth as a sign of good faith that he would be released if he could not break out of the bonds. Only Tyr, God of the sword and single combat stepped forward to place His hand - the finest sword-hand of all the Gods, into the mouth of the beast. When Fenris could not escape the fetters and the Gods refused to release him, he bit down and Tyr lost His hand. The God of Justice was wounded when the other Gods failed to keep their oath.

This shows us that, to the Vikings of the late Dark Ages, Tyr was clearly a God of honour and courage and personal sacrifice for the good of the community. A devotee of this God would do well to behave with this nobility and have the personal courage to stand up for what they know to be right in the face of any adversity. The good of others will often be thought of first by the follower of Tyr. He is a good God to call upon for help in any legal matters or when a moral victory is required.

Frigga (ON Frigg; OE Frige)

Frigga is the wife of Odin. She gives Her name to Friday and is a powerful Goddess as both Mother and Wife. Whilst Allfather can often be seen stirring up strife on Midgard, it is Frigga who often works patiently to undo these designs and cement social stability. She is particularly associated with the spindle and, like the weavers of Wyrd itself, is able to change the shape of things to come with her weaving. To make a beautiful tapestry is a time consuming activity, and Frigga demonstrates the calmness of mind and clarity of thought to be able to work on the bigger picture, knowing that great designs are wrought slowly and carefully.

She should not be thought of as a passive Goddess however. When Balder's dreams of the coming annihilation of the Gods and of His own death cause great worry to the High Gods, it is Frigga who takes a proactive approach. While the other Gods and Goddesses hold council to discuss the predicament, Frigga travels the entirety of the nine worlds, gaining a sacred oath from every object, plant and animal, that they will never bring about Balder's death.

As a dynamic and far-seeing Goddess who is able to shape, not just the futures of individual heroes, but that of whole tribes and nations, Frigga is a powerful figure indeed to call upon for help in plans that may take some time to come to fruition. As Mother-Goddess and a skilled worker of magic, She can also be called upon to aid with child-birth or any acts of magic that will be beneficial in the long term.

Frey (ON Freyr; OE Ing or Frea)

Frey's name means Lord and He is the God of Fertility. He is one of the Vanir, and the brother of the Goddess Freya. Statues and images of Frey from the Viking age can be seen to have over-sized erect penises, further strengthening the link with fertility. He appears as one of the three main Gods worshipped at the Great Temple of Uppsala in Sweden (along with Odin and Thor) towards the close of the Dark Ages. Contemporary writer Adam of Bremen remarks that weddings in particular are presided over by Frey.

Like most of the Northern Gods, however, Frey has more than one aspect and can also be seen as a God of battle. His sacred animal is the wild boar and He Himself is said to ride on the golden boar Gullinbursti. This animal appears frequently in Saxon poetry and is used to describe fierce and fearless warriors. Early Saxon helmets can be seen to be crested with images of the boar, perhaps for protection or to grant the wearer the ferocity of this animal.

Frey also fights with this strength and courage at Ragnarok, when He engages the giant Surt in single combat even though Frey himself is only armed with stag's antler.

He is a good God to call upon for agricultural matters or for when a harvest for hard work done is expected. In his warrior aspect, Frey can also defend His followers and give them the courage and strength they need to overcome whatever obstacles they face.

Freya (ON Freyja)

Sister of Frey and Goddess of love, beauty and magic, Freya is a popular Goddess among modern Heathens. She is the owner of the necklace, Brisingamen (an object of astounding radiance, which was made by four dwarves and paid for by Freya with a night of love-making) and She can use a falcon-cloak to fly wherever She pleases.

As with Her brother, Frey, the wild boar - symbol of power and protection - is sacred to Her. The link with battle is furthered when we consider that Freya shares the souls of slain warriors with Allfather Himself, half go to His hall Valhalla and half to Her hall of Sessrumnir. Freya is powerful indeed, and is said to have been the one who taught Odin the magic art of seithr (Shamanic magic).

Freya is the Lady of the Northern Tradition and cats are thought to be particularly sacred to Her - Freya's chariot is said to be drawn by two of them.

Modern Heathens may call on Freya for help with love and with magic among many other things.

Nerthus (ON Jorth; OE Eorth)

The Earth Mother and Goddess of Fertility, we first hear of Nerthus from the writings of Tacitus in his Germania. We are told that a statue of the Goddess was kept in a grove on an island, only to be brought out among the people when decreed by a priest. When the statue was taken round, all iron had to be put away and any violent acts of war or combat were forbidden. Nerthus was clearly held in great respect - much more so than nowadays where the Earth Mother is seen as a commodity to be plundered without care or consequence.

The modern day follower of the Northern Tradition could do far worse than to display our ancestors' great regard for Nerthus by making Her care a personal responsibility. Recycling, careful use of water and electricity and volunteering for local litter picks, tree plantings etc. are all commendable ways of achieving this.