Vanir: Encyclopedia - Vanir

Vanir

Vanir is the name of one of the two groups of gods in Norse mythology, the other and more well known being the Æsir. The name is perhaps from the PIE root wen "to strive, win", cognate to Venus (compare Vanadis), Wynn (Proto-Germanic *Wanizaz).

Vanir - Members

They include Niord the father of the gods of Vanir and god of the sea, Freyr, the god of fertility, and Freyja, goddess of love and sexuality, who lived among the Æsir at Yggdrasil directly below the Æsir. Although the Vanir are respected for their having the power to keep peace, one incident with Freyr caused a war between the Vanir and Æsir. Freyr, sitting on top of Odin's throne above the worlds spied a woman who he fell in love with. He married her and traded his sword to the giants thus infuriating Odin and giving cause to the beginnings of fear of Ragnarök. To end the war between the gods, the Vanir cut off the head of Mímir and sent it to the Æsir. Odin accepted the head and placed it under the tree of life where in order to divine knowledge of the future, he had to relinquish one of his eyes. The origins as Vanir of Skaði, Lýtir, Gerðr and Óðr may be debated. Óðr is mentioned in the Eddas very shortly as the husband of Freyja, but nothing more is actually known about him (although it is often remarked that it was one of Odin's names). The gods Njörd and Freyr appear in Snorri's Ynglinga saga as Kings of Sweden. Their descendants on the Swedish throne can be called Vanir, such as:

• Fjölnir who was the son of Frey and the giantess Gerðr.
• Sveigder who married Vana of Vanaheimr and had the son Vanlade.
• Vanlade whose name connects him to the Vanir, and who married a daughter of the Jotun Snær.

Vanir - Characteristics

They are gods of fertility, the sea, and prosperity. While the Æsir were war gods, the Vanir were understood to be rich, the givers of riches, the patrons of fecundity, pleasure, and peace, and with the Æsir, the bringers of unity. They have a deep knowledge of magical arts, so that they also know the future. It is said that it was Freyja who taught magic to the Æsir. They also practiced endogamy and even incest, both forbidden among the Æsir; as an example Freyr and Freyja were children of Njǫrðr and his sister (see Nerthus). Later conflicts with Christians attempting to convert the pagan Norse were especially hard due to cults favoring the Vanir. Early pagan Norse either chose between cults of the Vanir, Æsir, or both. Areas where fishing and boating were prominent tended to have greater Vanir cults.

Vanir - Location

The Vanir live in Vanaheimr, also called Vanaland; Snorri Sturluson calls their land Tanakvísl or Vanakvísl (Tanakvísl eða Vanakvísl) etymologizing Vanir as the "Don-people". Vanaheimr, along with Asgard, is the home of the gods in the tree of life Yggdrasil.

Vanir - Vanir and Elves

The Eddas possibly identify the Vanir with the elves (Alfar), frequently interchanging "Æsir and Vanir" and "Æsir and Alfar" to mean "all the gods". As both the Vanir and the Alfar were fertility powers, the interchangeability suggest that the Vanir may have been synonymous with the elves. It may also be that the two names reflected a difference in status where the elves were minor fertility gods whereas the Vanir were major fertility gods. Freyr would thus be a natural Van ruler of the elves in Álfheim.

Contemporary reconstruction of Norse religion focusing on the Vanir is sometimes known as Vanatrú.

Vanir - Cult of the Vanir

The Vanir are associated with bringing an understanding of celestial bodies to the Norse. Niord, god of the sea, brought understanding of the stars, sun, and moon which is evident in carvings, cave paintings, and runes throughout Scandinavia. Although debatable, this understanding of celestial bodies was what allowed boaters, and later Vikings, the ability to cross vast streches of ocean. It was not the primary source of navigation. It is also understood that the Vanir were responsible for sexual practices and healing.

Vanir - Misconceptions

Many misconstrue the groupings of the gods with the Pantheons of Greek and Roman mythologies. The gods did not reside in one area. They were dispersed along the branches of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. Another major misconception, brought on by Christian bias, is that the early Norse saw the gods as something to emulate in character and emotion. Although the gods were respected for their powers, people did not emulate the gods the way some Christians try to emulate and celebrate Jesus.

Vanir - Vanir and their Guests

• Freyja
• Freyr
• Gerðr
• Gullveig, when the Æsir treated her badly, it caused the war of the gods
• Hœnir, an Æsir hostage
• Mímir, an Æsir hostage
• Kvasir
• Lýtir
• Njǫrðr
• Skaði

There is a possible connection between Heimdall and the Vanir, noted by H.R. Ellis Davidson.

Vanir - Links

• Vanic Vé

Norse mythology

Category: Norse mythology

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Vanir", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki