The Norse Gods are a pantheon of deities central to all accounts of Norse mythology. The principal pantheon of the Norse gods consists of the Aesir (pronounced 'AYE-seer', traditionally spelled Æsir ), who are connected to power and conflict, while a second pantheon comprises the Vanir (pronounced 'Vah-NEER'), who are associated with cultivation and fertility. In Norse mythology, the two clans waged war against each other, ultimately resulting in the eventual unification of the two pantheons.
Contents
- 1 Operation
- 2 List of Norse Gods
- 2.1 Aesir
- 2.2 Vanir
- 2.3 Uncertain
- 3 Abilities, limitations, and weaknesses
- 4 Trivia
Operation[]
The Norse Gods, like the Greeks and Romans, are able to have demigod children, but unlike their counterparts do not have a camp to train them. They are also able to walk the mortal world without a host. They maintain their youth with golden apples instead of by will like a Greek or Egyptian god.
List of Norse Gods[]
Aesir[]
- Odin - Third Chief of the Aesir; God of Wisdom, Magic, Divination, Death, War, and Poetry. Son of Bor.
- Thor - God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Consecration, Strength, and Bravery, Fertility, Sacred Groves and Trees, and the protection of mankind. Son of Odin.
- Loki - The Father of Lies; God of Mischief, Magic, Fire, Serpents, Stories, Artifice, and Deception (officially not a part of the Aesir, but occasional ally).
- Mimir - Guardian of the Well of Knowledge (similar to Loki, not always counted as an Aesir).
- Frigg - Goddess of Marriage, Fertility, Family and Hearth. Wife of Odin.
- Sif - Goddess of the Earth, Fertility, Harvest, Abundance, Crops and Grain. Known for her beautiful hair. Wife of Thor.
- Idunn - Goddess of Spring, Eternal Youth and the Keeper of the Apples.
- Balder - God of Light, Peace, Spring, Forgiveness and Purity (deceased).
- Forseti - God of Justice and Reconciliation and the earliest legislator in Norse, pacifist. Son of Balder and Nanna.
- Heimdall - The Watchman of the Gods. Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. The God of Surveillance.
- Tyr - Keeper of Law and Justice. The God of War, Courage and Duels.
- Honir - God of Indecision, Avoidance and Mystery.
- Bragi - God of Music, Wisdom and Eloquence. Bard of the Aesir. Husband of Idunn.
- Ullr - God of Glory, Hunting and Skiing.
- Skadi - Goddess of hunting, skiing, winter, mountains and the former wife of Njord.
- Nanna - Goddess of Joy and Peace. Wife of the late Balder.
- Magni and Modi - Sons of Thor, symbolizing Brave and Strong separately.
- Hod - God of Winter and Darkness.
- Vali - Murderer of Hod.
- Ve - God of Senses and Expressions.
- Vidar - God of Vengeance
- Vil - God of Thought and Emotions, brother of Odin.
- Sigyn - Goddess of Fidelity, Loyalty, Compassion and Victory; wife of Loki and mother of Nari and Vali.
- Snotra - Goddess of Prudence and Self-Disipline
- Lofn - Goddess of Arranged Marriages
Vanir[]
- Frey - God of Summer, Sunshine, Rain, Prosperity, Peace and Happiness. Lord of Alfheim and brother of Freya.
- Freya - Goddess of Beauty, Love, Fertility, Gold, War, Death, and Sorcery. Lady of Folkvanger and sister of Frey.
- Njord - God of the Seas, Winds, Wealth, and Fishing. Former husband of Skadi, father of Freya and Frey.
- Nerthus - Goddess of Fertility, Harvest, Lakes, Sacred Waters and Revenge.
- Gullveig - The Thrice-Reborn. Goddess of Alchemy and Witchcraft.
- Fjölnir - The half-Vanir/half-Jotnar son of Frey and Gerd.
- Lytir - A god associated with fertility.
- Byggvir - God of barley. One of the elves who serve the god Frey and Beyla's husband.
Uncertain[]
- Aegir - God of Ocean, Storm, Alcohol and Banquet. Husband of Ran.
- Audhumbla - Goddess of life and mother of Buri, the first Aesir.
- Ran - Goddess of Sea. Wife of Aegir.
- Nott - Goddess of Night. Wife of Delling.
- Dagr - God of Day. Son of Nott and Delling.
- Delling - God of Dawn. Husband of Nott.
- Odur - God of Vehemence, Longing, and Passion. Husband of Freya.
- Sol - Goddess of Sun. Sister of Mani and daughter-in-law of Surt.
- Mani - God of Moon. Brother of Sol.
- Hel - Ruler of Helheim, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of the Dead. Daughter of Loki and Angrboða, sister of Fenris Wolf and Jormungand
- Glum - handmaiden to Frigg.
- Lofn - Goddess of arranged marriages.
- Kvasir - God of Wisdom (deceased)
- Holler - God of disease, destruction, and disaster.
Abilities, limitations, and weaknesses[]
The Norse gods have eternal youth granted by regular consumption of the Golden Apples of Idunn, with superhuman physical abilities and a variety of magical powers. Because the Norse gods are physical beings (like the Greco-Roman gods and unlike the Egyptian gods), they are able to sire demigod children with mortals and walk the earth without a host.
- Apple-Induced Eternal Youth: The Norse gods, unlike the Greek Gods or Egyptian Gods, will rapidly grow old and weaken if they are unable to eat Idunn's apples of eternal youth on a regular basis. This is shown when Idunn was kidnapped by Utgard-Loki on one occasion.
- Immortality: The Norse gods are extremely difficult to kill (Mimir survived being decapitated, for instance) but they, unlike the Greco-Roman gods, are not completely immortal, as most of them are destined to die during Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Norse gods. Beings or weapons with the power to kill Norse gods include the following:
- Other gods, since Loki and Heimdall are destined to kill each other.
- Surt, the Lord of Muspellheim, who is destined to use Sumarbrander to kill Frey .
- Fenris, the ferocious wolf, who is destined to kill Odin; his two sons, Sköll and Hati, are also destined to kill Sól the Sun and Máni the Moon, after which Ragnarök would come.
- Garm, the blood-stained guard dog of Hel, who is destined to kill Tyr.
- Jormungand, the World Serpent, who is destined to kill Thor (though he will also be slain in the process).
- Mistletoe that killed the otherwise invulnerable Baldur.
- Thor's hammer Mjølnir, as he had threatened to kill Loki with it several times.
Trivia[]
- The only Norse deities who can shape-shift appear to be Odin, Frigg and Loki, though Freya is able to also do so in the myths via her falcon cloak, and Thor once Disguised himself as a young boy to be on a ship with an ogre to hunt for the Midgard Serpent.
- It's unclear if Surt is capable of killing Frey without the Sword of Summer.
- The Norse gods are the first pantheon introduced in Riordan's books whose existence is not tied to Western Civilization.
- To date, the Norse gods are the only pantheon of gods of the series that are not naturally immortal and that follows it’s real world mythos source of immortality, as they are dependent on Idunn's Golden Magical Apples for their perennial youthfulness. This a contrast to the Greek gods that are simply immortal, with few and specific exemptions. However, some stories state the Greek gods also maintain their immortality with a divine substance like the Norse gods, namely ambrosia and/or nectar.
