- List of Germanic deities
-
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.
Contents
Gods
Name Name meaning 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] Nanna Forseti Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf Bragi (Old Norse) Connected with Bragr ("poetry")[2] Iðunn None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Dellingr (Old Norse) Possibly "the dayspring"[3] or "shining one"[4] Nótt Dagr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Forseti (Old Norse) "Chairman"[5] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Freyr (Old Norse), Frea (Old English), Yngvi (Old Norse), Ing (Old English) "Lord"[6] 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] 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] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf Hœnir (Old Norse) Contested None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Lóðurr (Old Norse) Contested None attested None attested Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry Loki (Old Norse) Contested Sigyn, Angrboda Nari/Narfi, Váli, Fenrir, Hel, Jormungandr, and Sleipnir Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Loka Táttur, Norwegian rune poem, Danish folk tales Meili (Old Norse) "the lovely one"[10] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Njörðr (Old Norse) Contested 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] Frigg (consort), Skaði (Heimskringla only), Gunnlöð, Jörð, Rindr See Sons of Odin Most attestations of Germanic paganism Óðr (Old Norse) "The frenzied one"[12] Freyja Hnoss, Gersemi Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Saxnōt (Old Saxon), Seaxnet, Seaxnēat, Saxnat (Old English) Contested 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] Sif (consort), Járnsaxa Móði and Magni, Þrúðr Most attestations of Germanic paganism Týr (Old Norse), Tīw, Tīg (both Old English), Ziu (Old High German) "God", derived from Proto-Germanic *Tīwaz[14] Unnamed, possibly Zisa None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Hadrian's Wall altar Ullr (Old Norse) Something like "Glory"[15] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Gesta Danorum, Thorsberg chape, toponyms in Norway and Sweden Váli (Old Norse) Something like "battle-slain" None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum (as Bous) Viðarr (Old Norse) Possibly "wide ruler"[16] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Vé (Old Norse) Vé (shrine)[17] Possibly Frigg None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Vili (Old Norse) "Will"[18] Possibly Frigg None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Goddesses
Name Name meaning 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] None attested None attested Tacitus' Annals Bil (Old Norse) Contested None attested None attested Prose Edda Beyla (Old Norse) Proposed as related to "cow," "bean," or "bee."[19] Byggvir None attested Poetic Edda Eir (Old Norse) "Peace, clemency"[20] or "help, mercy"[21] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Eostre (Old English) "East"[22] None attested None attested De temporum ratione Freyja (Old Norse) "Lady"[23] Óðr Hnoss, Gersemi Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Sörla þáttr Frigg (Old Norse) Derived from Indo-European root meaning "Love"[24] Odin Baldr, Höðr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Historia Langobardorum Fulla (Old Norse) Possibly "bountiful"[25] None attested None attested Merseburg Incantations, Prose Edda Gefjun (Old Norse) Related to "giving"[26] Skjöldr, unnamed jötunn Four oxen Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga, Völsa þáttr, Gersemi (Old Norse) "Treasure, precious object"[27] None attested None attested Heimskringla Gerðr (Old Norse) "Fenced in"[28] Freyr Fjölnir (Heimskringla) Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla Gná (Old Norse) Possibly related to Old Norse Gnæfa meaning "to project"[29] None attested None attested Prose Edda Gullveig (Old Norse) Possibly "gold drink"[30] None attested None attested Poetic Edda Hariasa Possibly related to the valkyrie name Herja or meaning "goddess with lots of hair"[31] None attested None attested Stone from Cologne, Germany (CIL XIII 8185) Hel (Old Norse) Ultimately "one who covers up or hides something" Dyggvi (Ynglingatal) None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglingatal Hlín (Old Norse) Possibly related to the Old Norse term hleinir, itself possibly meaning "protects"[32] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Hretha (Old English) Possibly "the famous" or "the victorious"[33] None attested None attested De temporum ratione Hnoss (Old Norse) "Treasure"[32] None attested None attested Prose Edda Ilmr Possibly connected to pleasant scents None attested None attested Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Iðunn (Old Norse) Possibly "ever young"[34] Bragi None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Irpa (Old Norse) Possibly relating to "dark brown"[35] None attested None attested Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga Lofn (Old Norse) Potentially related to "Praise"[36] None attested None attested Prose Edda Nanna (Old Norse) Possibly "mother" from nanna, or potentially related to nanþ-, meaning "the daring one"[37] 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.[38] None attested None attested Germania Njörun (Old Norse) Possibly related to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio[39] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Nótt (Old Norse) "Night"[40] Naglfari, once Annar, Delling Auðr, Jörð, Dagr Prose Edda Rán (Old Norse) "Theft, robbery"[41] Ægir Nine daughters Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna Rindr (Old Norse) Possibly related to *Vrindr[42] Odin Váli Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum Sága (Old Norse) Possibly "to see"[43] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Sandraudiga (Latinized Germanic) "She who dyes the sand red."[44] None attested None attested North Brabant stone Sif (Old Norse) "In-law-relationship"[45] Thor Þrúðr, Ullr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Sigyn (Old Norse) "Victorious girl-friend"[46] Loki Nari, Narfi and/or Váli Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Sinthgunt (Old High German) Contested None attested None attested Merseburg Incantations Sjöfn (Old Norse) "Love"[45] None attested None attested Prose Edda Skaði (Old Norse) Possibly related to Scandia.[47] Ullr, Odin, once Njörðr. Sæmingr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga Snotra (Old Norse) "The clever one"[48] None attested None attested Prose Edda Sól (Old Norse), Sunna (Old High German) "Sun"[49] Glen Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Merseburg Incantations Syn (Old Norse) "Refusal"[50] None attested None attested Prose Edda Tanfana (Latinized Gemanic) Unknown None attested None attested Germania, Tamfanae sacrum inscription Þrúðr (Old Norse) "Power"[51] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Karlevi Runestone Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Old Norse) Literally "Þorgerðr Hölgi's Bride"[52] None attested Hölgi, possibly others Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga Saga Vár (Old Norse) "Beloved"[53] None attested None attested Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Vör (Old Norse) Possibly "the careful one"[54] None attested None attested Prose Edda Zisa Related to *Tiwaz None attested Possibly Tyr 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.)
- 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.)
Notes
- ^ 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).
- ^ 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).
References
- Bellows, Henry Adams (Trans.) (1936). The Poetic Edda. Princeton University Press.
- Barnhart, Robert K (1995). The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology. Harper Collins ISBN 0-06-270084-7
- Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0
- Nordisk Familjebok (1916). Available online: [1]
- North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-55183-8
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0 304 34520 2
- Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1
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