- Gods, Goddesses and Divine Beings
-
-
- Below is a list of Gods, Goddesses and other divine beings, along with
brief descriptions of each
...this is obviously not provided as a detailed study, but rather, a
quick-reference guide...
An- Anglicized or 'common' rendering.
Alt- Alternative spelling
Lat- Latin or Latinate spelling
OHG- Old High German
- MoHG- Modern High German
Balder [An Balder] Balder is the beloved son of
Wodan and Frija. In the mythology, he is treasured as the ‘best’,
‘brightest’, and most beautiful of all Gods. He is the God of joy and peace
and the very epitome of all that is good and hale, of all that which is
pure, holy and uncorrupted. Balder is consort to Nanda; their son is Forsizo,
who is likewise famed for his goodness.
- Balthorn [An Bolthorn]
Balthorn is the father of Wodan's mother, Bezzia
- Berchte [OHG Perahta] A regional name of
Holda, originating in Upper Germany.
- Bezzia [An Bestla] Bezzia is Paru's wife
and Wodan's mother.
- Brego [An Bragi] This son of Wodan is
renown as a God of poetry and eloquence, and like his father, for his skills
as a harpsman. He is the minna-singer of Walhalla, and is revered as the
patron of those who hold that role amoung Men.
- Donar [An Thor] Throughout the ages, this
son of Wodan (with Erda) and husband of Sibba has remained amoung the most
popular of Gods. The extraordinary distribution of place-names attributed to
Donar attest to his popularity -the frequency is second only to those named
for Wodan. Unrivalled in strength, Donar is the embodiment of pure, raw
might- a power which can be felt upon the intense air of thunderstorms, and
seen with each flash of lightning. He is the supporter of society, and
protector of Gods and Men alike.
- Eger [An Aegir] Eger draws his lineage of
Giant-kind, not of the Gods, proper- he is the embodiment of the sea, of its
awesome capabilities, raw power and life. He is the husband of Rahana, and
father of the Nine Wave-Mothers of Heimo. Eger is the greatest of brewers,
and is renown for the hospitality of his hall (of self-illuminating gold),
particularly that paid to the Gods whom he entertains regularly. Eger is
master over the churning waves and weather upon the ocean, and is famed for
his skills in soothing the raging flood and gale.
- Era [An Eira] Era is known in the Norse
sources as the ‘best’ or ‘greatest’ of healers. She is the patroness of
physicians and providers of health, presiding over all aspects of the
healing arts.
- Erda [An Earth] Erda is the personification
of the earth (named in the Old Norse sources as Jörð) and mother of Donar
(with Wodan).
- Folla [An Fulla]- Frija’s sister, Folla is (according to Snorri) Frija’s
'closest attendant and confidant'. Folla is known from eldritch times as a
'Goddess of Plenty'. Her name is related to the Gothic fullo
('that which fills'), which literally translates as 'the Filler' or the
'Life-giver’. In some parts of Germany, she
is still remembered as Abundia, the living personification of the very
‘fullness of the earth’.
- Forsizo [An Forseti] Forsizo is the son of Balder and Nanda. He was / is the
patron of the
Frisians, and so is held in a particularly high regard amoung them. His
attributes include the responsibility of Nobility, wealth, and law. He is
renown for his fairness in legal affairs and skills in arbitration and
compromise. Forsizo is thoroughly even-handed in such matters, and one who
is best called upon for any settlement in which an even fairness (of
treatment or result) is desired for all parties involved.
- Frija [also spelled Friia, An Frigg] While Frouwa seems to enjoy the greatest popularity within
preserved mythological sources, it is undoubtedly Frija who is highest of
all Goddesses. Frija is the wife of Wodan and queen of Ensigart (An Asgard).
She knows all Urlag and what is to come, though never speaks of those dooms
and wisdoms. Amoung the folk, Frija is known as a Matron of good, strong
marriage, childbirth and child
rearing, as well as the various necessary crafts of the home- spinning is
especially attributed to her care,
and the distaff / spindle are long-held symbols of the beloved Goddess from
Heathen times.
-
- The Frouwa [An Freya] see Walburga Frouwa.
- Garta [An Gerda] While Garta is often venerated as a Goddess, she isn’t
properly one of the
Gods, but a Giantess of immense beauty and radiance. According to the
accounts given in the Poetic Edda,
Ing Fro’s eventual winning of her hand in marriage was far from easy, and
came ultimately as a result of the threat of a powerful curse. This has led
scholars to associate her icy demeanor to winter’s hard grip upon the arable
land, and the reluctant winning of her ‘affection’ as symbolic of the thaw
that accompanies the transition of the seasons- from winter into spring (or
summer).
- Grida [An Grid] This Giantess is Widar's mother and a friend and help to the
Gods. She is known
for her strength, and the powerful accouterments she keeps: a Girdle of
might, iron gloves and a magnificent
rod or staff which is rumored to be indestructible.
- Hadu [An Hoder] Hadu is the blind God of war, a God of brute strength and
force. His blindness is often equated with the non-judgment or the blind
wrath of battle. Such a comparison does reflect the
character of the God in mythological sources that do in fact depict him as
being free of particular malice or
evil mindset. Hadu is said (in Nordic accounts) to have unintentionally
delivered the fatal blow which sent
his brother, Balder to Hella’s hall (at Locho's instigation and guidance).
- Heimo [An Heimdall] The Eternal Watcher is a son of Wodan and the Nine
Waves, the
daughters of Eger and Rahana. Heimo is the trusted and able sentry who wards
Ensigart and the bridge
that connects the shining realm of the Gods to the world of man. He requires
little or no sleep and can see
for countless leagues by day or night. As the divine hero Iring, he walked
amoung our most ancient fathers,
and laid the foundations for the various tribal cultures. Heimo gifted them
with social order, civilization,
and runes.
- Hella [An Hel] Hella is the daughter of Locho and ruler of the underworld,
or realm of the Dead: Hellaheim. She welcomes all those who die and are
unworthy of the higher abodes of the Gods- which, is
to say the majority of Mankind. This in itself isn't bad- and is truly the
natural course within the scheme
of things, though is certainly something that has been basely twisted by
later Christian writers into
something more fitting of horror fiction.
- Herimuot [An Hermod] This son of Wodan is the swift and sure messenger of
the Gods.
Herimuot is famous for his courage and determination- traits which allow him
to act boldly and without the slightest bit of hesitation in carrying out
his duties, with resolute firmness even in the face of grave danger, harm,
or imminent death!
- Holda [An Hulda] Despite the ill treatment we see of the Goddess in later
legends (which often
depict her as cruel, ugly / physically deformed or malicious), Holda is in
fact a kindly, gracious and helpful Goddess -as indicated by the root
meaning of her name (OHG hold: inclined, devoted, gracious, kind).
She is strongly associated to the labors of the home and housekeeping, and
the home-crafts of women,
spinning in particular. Holda gifted mankind with flax, the knowledge and
skills of its
production / processing, and it is she who wards its cultivation and
harvest.
- Holle [Frau Holle] This name is a later derivative of Holda; See Holda
- Ing Fro [An Frey] The Frouwa's twin brother is Lord of the Earth, and a God
of fertility and prosperity. He is strongly associated to the Being and
maintenance of fridu (frith) and the institution of
Sacral Kingship -a characteristic he shares with Wodan. As the lore tells
us, he was given Alpaheim
-The Home of the Elves- as a gift for having gotten his first tooth, and so
he presides over the Elves as
their King. His wife is the bright and beautiful Giantess, Garta.
- Iring [An Rig] see Heimo.
- Irmin A name of Wodan: see the article Irmin and the Irminsul.
- Locho [An Loki] Locho is a complex and cunning Giant- he is said to be quite
fair in appearance,
but capricious in manner, with a heart full of chaos. In the myths, he is at
times presented as being
less-than-malicious in his tomfoolery, or even helpful in some situations.
More typical, he keeps true to his anarchic nature, and at times can be
outright sinister in his motives, dealing grave evil and hardship to the
Gods. Contrary to thoroughly modern pseudo-Heathen trends, Locho never
enjoyed a votive following or cult, nor was he ever offered sacrifice. No
horn or cup was lifted to him, and there are no place-names
which recall centers of his worship (or reverence, for that matter) in any
region of Europe.
- Mano [An Mani] Mano is the son of Mundilfaro and brother of Sunna. He drives
the wain which
carries the Moon across the sky of Night, and is considered to be the
embodiment of its Holy might.
- Mimi [An Mimir] Mimi is the brother of Wodan's Giantess-Mother, Bezzia and
the keeper of one
of the three levels of the tripartite Well of Wurt: the Well of Memory (Mimesbrunno).
He is known to
have taught Wodan great and mystical wisdoms and magical formulae,
furthering his own immense store
of Knowledge by drinking daily from the timeless spring which remains in his
charge.
- Mundilfaro [An Mundilfari] Mundilfaro is a celestial being who governs the
turning of the
skies and the wheeling of Heavenly bodies upon their due courses or orbits.
His name is relative to such a function, suggesting the movement or
revolution of the handle of the mill (Ice möndull)- in this case, the
mythical Word-Mill (OHG Weltmulin): the apparatus which gives motion to sea
currents and cosmic circuits. Snorri names him as the father of Sunna and
Mano.
- Nanda [An Nanna] Nanda is the wife of Balder and mother of Forsizo. Her name
indicates
boldness and a willingness to dare or strive, and true to her character,
there is a heart of strength and
courage which underlies the gentleness of her subtle disposition. This is in
stark contrast to the impression
we are given by Snorri in his accounts, particularly in his narration of the
myth of Balder’s death (in which
the Christian skald tells of her dying from sheer grief at the loss of her
beloved). Nanda’s fortitude demands
a resolve to strive forward, to continue despite loss and hardship- so too,
we might expect such a Bold Goddess to willingly walk alongside her husband,
even into the darkest of shadows- to remain with him in ‘death’ as she had
done so in ‘life’! Nanda shines as the epitome of feminine courageousness,
unwavering loyalty, and nobility of heart.
- Nehalennia Nehalennia seems to have been a regional Goddess of the early
Frisians, though some scholars speculate that she was in fact a deified
meriwife (water-sprite). Carvings of her support the
claim for a Goddess- inscriptions depict her with symbols characteristic of
Mother-deities, or of Goddesses known for their support in fertility and /
or the prosperity of the folk. These include apples or fruit, loaves,
baskets, and (presumably) hunting hounds. In some representations,
Nehalennia is pictured alongside a
ship-prow. The ship (and the later wagon) is a staple of Wanic fertility
processions, and many scholars feel
that this furthers her link to fertility, and perhaps draws a connection to
the Wana as well; others suggest
that it may also represent her warding of the Frisian sailors upon the seas.
- Nirda [An Nerthus] Nirda is Nirdu's sister and mother of Ing Fro and
Walburga Frouwa. Like her brother, she is strongly associated with frith,
fertility and fertility rites. Together, Nirda and Nirdu govern the
prosperity and wealth of men, fecundity of the land and good harvests.
- Nirdu [An Njord] The King of the Wana is Nirda’s brother, and father to Ing
Fro and Walburga Frouwa. He was directly responsible for bringing the
primeval war between the Gods to an end, and in establishing frith between
the two tribes. Down through the ages, Heathen have remembered him for this
monumental feat, and to this day, still call upon him for peace. Nirdu has
sway over the fertility of the land, success of crops and wealth of men,
though his main attribute remains the dominion over the prosperity and
blessings gotten from the seas. This connection is recalled in the name of
his home, Scefstat -literally, Ship Stead. Nirdu was married to the risiwife
(giantess), Scata at one point, though after each failed to adjust to
life at the homestead of the other, the marriage dissolved. Nirdu can be
found in the genealogy of Swedish Kings -according to some sources, he was
their first ruler; in others, he is listed subsequent to Ing Fro.
- Ostara [An Idun] The wife of Brego is the Goddess of the radiant dawn, of
the strengthening might which empowers the waxing light of the day. She is a
goddess of renewal and rebirth, and so a fitting
Matron of Spring (early summer) and the regeneration of life and fertility
which comes with the return of the growing season. Ostara’s patronage over
fertility and regeneration goes beyond that as known and enjoyed
in Mittigart, spanning into the divine realm of the Gods themselves- in
this, Ostara (Idun or Iðunn to the Scandinavians) is said to keep the
treasured apples which grace the Gods with immortality. The apples, of
course are merely a mythic representation of the primordial seeds of life
and generative / regenerative
ability, the source of life and ‘life germination’ which Ostara bears within
her very Being!
- Paltar An alternate Old High German spelling of Balder.
- Paru [An Bor] Paru is the son of Poro and husband to the giantess, Bezzia (Balthorn’s
daughter). Together, they have three sons, Wodan, Willo, and Wih.
- Phol An alternate (perhaps Latinate) and abbreviated from of Balder (Palter)
found in the first line of
the second charm from Merseberg. In the manuscript, the name was originally
given as Pol. The h was scribbled in above the o (and in smaller character),
and so is obviously a later insertion. Properly rendered,
the name would remain as Pol as derived from Pal = Paltar or Balder.
- Poro [An Buri] Poro is the progenitor of all the Race of Gods. He was shaped
out of the solidification
of primal ur-matter, the solidification of potential and energy. As is
recounted in the myths, Poro was born
from Odhumbal’s licking at the rime which collected within Ginentigruba. He
would later produce a son,
Paru, the father of Wodan, Willo, and Wih.
- Rahana [An Ran] Rahana is the covetous Giant-wife of Eger who draws within
her net those lost
at sea. She stirs up the tempests that swallow ships beneath the angry
waves, or shatters their hulls against
the jagged rocks lurking beneath the swells. In stormy or troubled waters,
sailors of old would hide gold
pieces upon their person as payment for her hospitality in the event that
they should be drowned. Nordic customs tell us that when those lost at sea
showed themselves at the funeral feast, it was a sign that Rahana
had indeed given them a glad and welcome reception.
- Saga [An Saga] Saga is the daughter of Wodan and Frija and Goddess of
history, historical chronicles, and myth. Where Wodan is known for his gift
of Wode, Saga is known to teach men the skills necessary to effectively
utilize it in weaving the crafty spells which preserve the holy and living
accounts of our Gods and folk.
- Scata [An Skadi] This Giantess was elevated to the status of a Goddess at an
early date- skalds have long called her the Goddess of the ski and snowshoe,
and is a well-known bow-wife and huntress. These characteristics, along with
her name -meaning shadow- point to a mistress or Goddess of the darker half
of the year: winter. She was once married to Nirdu, though not too happily.
Neither could suffer to live at
the abode of the other, so they tried staying at each for nine nights
apiece. Nirdu disliked the mountain
terrain of Scata’s estate, and was abhorred by the crying of the wolves.
Scata, for her own part despised
the song of the gulls, and couldn’t sleep for the noise of the harbor. In
the end, they failed in trying to bridge
the chasm of their differences, and eventually parted.
- Sibba [An Sif]- Sibba is the wife of Donar and mother of Wuldar. Sibba’s
name [based on Old High German sibba (also sippa)] is cognate to the Gothic
sibja -both OHG and Go. Forms indicate a relation by blood, kindred and
peace; from the OHG root comes MiHG and MoHG Sippe- kindred, blood-relation,
clan.
As Donar wards and supports society, Sibba is responsible for the kindred or
clans (OHG sippâ;
MoHG Sippen) within that society - she ensures their prosperity and
well-being, gifting them with a true realization of frith: the peace,
comfort and security which lies at the root of each -a firm foundation for
the
joy, strength, and furtherance which can only come from a hale and
prosperous sippa.
- Sindgund [Alt Sinthgund] The only mention of Sindgund comes from the second
of the Merseberg charms, where she is named as a sister to Sunna. The
components of her name offer some
insight to her character: the first element, sind indicates travel, a path
or course, or as in gi-sindo: comrade
or traveling companion. The terminal element or ‘ending’ (gund) suggests
battle or conflict. If we consider
the eleventh verse from Wodan’s rune poem {…if I should lead old friends to
battle / under the shield
I sing / and with power / they fare hale into battle / and hale from battle
/ and hale wherever
they are} and its connection to the Rune SIG (a solar rune signifying the
power of the sun, a rune of hale-being, victory, and obvious warding) we are
offered an understanding of Sindgund as Sunna’s shoulder companion - the
shield maiden who accompanies the Sun-Goddess in her fairing, holding the
buckler that protects her from the searing heat of the star’s fire -a
Goddess of warding, perhaps associated with war
and a provider of safe passage and protection in both travel and battle.
- Sunia [An Syn]- Sunia is a keeper of truth, and is concerned with the
furtherance and maintaining
of justice. She is particularly known for coming to the aid of defendants at
trial or Thing -protecting the wrongfully accused or attacked in such
settings. Further, she is a keeper of the door of the Hall, denying
access to all those who are unfit, unworthy, or likewise unwelcome to enter.
- Sunna Sunna is the resplendently beautiful Goddess who drives the wain that
ferries the burning
sphere of the sun across the sky. She follows her brother, Mano in due
course accompanied by her sister Sindgund.
- Wachilt [MoHG Frau Wachild] Wachilt is a maiden of the waves, a mistress of
the watery
depths. She is Wado’s mother, and ancestress to Weland and Witugouwo (Weland’s
son). She is known
to be wise in the lore and craft of Healing, and to have blessed her son,
Wado with her wisdoms.
- Wado [An Wade] Wado is the son of the meriwife Wachilt and father of Weland,
the infamous,
mythic master of smiths and smith craft. While often referred to by his
gigantic build, Wado was properly
the offspring of the union of Water-sprite and Man. His father, Wilcinus was
a king from the Baltic region
who seduced Wachilt during a chance meeting in wood near the coast. Wado had
long white hair and beard
as is characteristic of the nichus (water-sprite), and was said to be
skilled in healing arts (which he learned
from his mother, Wachilt). As legend tells us, Wado (with his young son
mounted upon his shoulders) once waded across Groena Sound as he made his
way to the halls of the Black Elves, where he sought fosterage
for Wieland. Here, by their hands, Wado would later meet his untimely
demise. His grave can still be found
in the northeast of Yorkshire, England.
- Walburga Frouwa [An Freya] Walburga Frouwa is Ing Fro’s twin sister, and
most popular of all Goddesses among Heathen of eldritch times as well as
today. In the Norse sources,
Walburga Frouwa is named strictly by her title (Freya) as is her brother Ing
Fro (Frey): Lady and Lord, respectively, and its from this association of
name that Wicca’s ‘Lord and Lady’ is drawn. The Frouwa is infamous for her
abilities at magan-craft and witching, and its of no surprise to find her as
the patroness of witches, and the center of praise on Walburganaht (a
long-standing witches’ holiday). Walburga Frouwa’s
wain is drawn by cats, which are thought to be sacred to her -the popular
image of a witch accompanied
by a (black) cat originates from the association of the felines to the
Goddess.
- Wara [An Var]- Wara hears the words spoken between women and men, and marks
well the
promises made between them. She is a patroness of the faithfulness of
marriage, a keeper of plighted troth
and vows and of the honesty (or lack-thereof) and true heart of such words
of binding.
- Weland [MHG Wieland; An Weyland, Volund] Wado's son is the master of smiths
and smith
craft. His abilities have earned him quite a high regard over the ages, and
he seems to enjoy a rather deified place among today’s Heathen / Heathen
craftsmen. Even in ancient times, he was renown far and wide for
the unsurpassed excellence of his work, and the unrivalled beauty of his
finery.
He is a descendent of Wachilt, and father of the renown Gothic hero,
Witugouwo (Go. Vidigoia).
- Widar [An Vidar] Widar is the silent son of Wodan by the Giantess, Grida.
He is renown for his unwavering sense of duty and dependability, especially
in times of trial or need- even
the Gods themselves will often turn to his assistance in difficult or trying
situations! According to the myths, Widar possesses an exceptional shoe made
from the leather trimmings that are cut from each pair of new
shoes as the cobbler fashions the heel and toe. Craftsmen who wish to aid
the Gods in their Doom must
discard these scraps, as it has been done since ancient times.
He will avenge his father's death at Godotuom (Götterdämmerung).
- Wodan [An Odin] Wodan is foremost (and unquestionably the most complex) of
all Gods and
King of Ensigart. He is a master of wisdoms and runes, and expert in all
manner of magan-crafts. Before the dawning of time, Wodan and his brothers
Willo and Wih shaped the great All: These sons of Paru and
Bezzia slew the primordal Giant, Urgelmer and cast his body into
Ginentigruba -The Yawning Chasm that
lay between the 'zones' or realms of primal ice and fire. From Urgelmer's
corpse, the brothers shaped the world: These brothers slew Urgelmer, and
cast his body into Ginentigruba , which in that most ancient of
eras, did lay between the Northern and Southern Zones- at the center of the
chaos that was.
From Urgelmer’s corpse, Wodan, Willo, and Wih shaped the world - from his
flesh was made the first layer
of fertile soil; from Urgelmer’s bones was formed the mountains, and from
his teeth and splintered fragments
(of bone) was shaped the rocks and rough places of the earth. Urgelmer’s
blood was used to fill the sea and other watery places, and from his skull
was fashioned the sky; his brains were used to make the first clouds,
his hair was used to create the forests which cover the lands. Wodan, Willo,
and Wih then cast burning
sparks (gotten out of Muspilliheim into the sky - which today, are the stars
which bespeckle the heavens at night; from larger glowing embers, they made
the sun and moon. Wodan is a God of War and Lord of Walhalla, The Hall of
the Slain in which his chosen heroes reside. He is master of Wode - that
which constitutes the ‘greater’ or ‘higher passions’, governing heightened
states of personal awareness and self
such as agony, ecstasy, and rage. It is the very source of that which feeds
and drives ‘divine madness’ or ‘divine inspiration’. The wode can be
experienced through altered states, such as in certain trance and
‘active’ meditational workings or ordeal, and once stimulated, is utilized
in shamanic functions and in bringing
on the berserker’s rage -though doing so requires refined skills of control
and a well-disciplined will. This stimulation is to be literally ‘possessed
by the wode’, and is more reflective of the Gothic wóþs in this sense.
- Zisa Scandinavian sources acknowledge a wife of Ziu, though she is nowhere
named. Among the Germans, however, we find a Goddess (seemingly unfamiliar
to their Norse cousins) known as Zisa
(Lat Cizae), whose name is the feminine variant of the masculine Ziu. The
Roman chronicle, Excerptum ex Gallica provides us with at least one
place-name attributed to her, Cizarim and also preserves an
interesting account of a human sacrifice offered to Zisa for victory in
battle. In this, she shares attributes
known of her husband (having patronage over battle and warfare), likewise
receiving prisoners of war and some portion of the spoils won.
- Ziu [An Tyr] The God of the Sword is the firm keeper of oaths, a God of
triuwa and the fastness of an unwavering and unrelenting trust. He is renown
for his great wisdom, is unrivalled in his sense of duty and
nerve, and as the old tales tell us, was the only God brave enough to dare
to approach and bind the Wolf of Chaos -and unflinchingly sacrificed his
right hand in so doing! Ziu is a God of war, most often equated with Mars in
Latin chronicles . German of old Sacrificed to him (and Zisa, his wife) for
victory in battle, yielding
the first spoils, captives, and the weaponry taken in the conflict. In
keeping with his patronage over armed conflict, we find his hand in the
settings of Thing, ordeal and trial-by-combat.
