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Divided between the Æsir and the Vanir, and sometimes including the jötnar (giants), the dividing line between these groups is less than clear. However, it is usually accepted that the Æsir (including Odin, Thor and Tyr) were warrior gods, while the Vanir (mainly Niord, Freya and Freyr) were fertility gods. Various other groups of beings, including elves, dwarves and jotun were probably minor gods, and might have had small cults and sacred places devoted to them.

Pseudo-Norse gods and goddesses

Some characters 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 Freya.)
  • 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.)
  • 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 Keltic goddess of wells and springs.)

Norse mythology | Indo-European mythology | Norse deities

Llista dels déus escandinaus | Skandinavų dievai | Bogowie nordyccy | Seznam nordijskih bogov | Списак нордијских богова

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "List of Norse gods".

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