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 Proto-Indo-European root *wen- "to strive, win", cognate to Venus (compare Vanadis), Wynn (Proto-Germanic *Wanizaz), archaic Greek Wanax.

Members

They include Njord 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. The poem Skirnismol, from the Icelandic Poetic Edda, tells the story of Freyr finding love. Freyr, sitting on top of Odin's throne above the worlds spied the Jotun-giantess Gerðr, with whom he fell in love. He traded a horse and his enchanted sword to Skirnir, his companion, if he would go to Gerðr and express Freyr's love for her. Skirnir did so, and after threatening Gerðr with curses, she agreed to marry Freyr. Because of this incident, Freyr will have no sword at Ragnarok.

To end the war between the gods, the two sides exchanged hostages. The Vanir were, however, tricked. Outraged they cut off the head of one of the hostages, 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.

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.

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 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.

Cult of the Vanir

The Vanir are associated with bringing an understanding of celestial bodies to the Norse. Njord, 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 stretches of ocean, though it was not the primary source of navigation. It is also understood that the Vanir were responsible for sexual practices and healing.

Links with other Pantheons

The war between the Vanir and the Æsir, together with their status as gods of agiculture and fertility, have led some scholars to identify them as an earlier pantheon supplanted by the Æsir. This mirrors theories about the Titans and the Greek and Roman gods, similarly primal gods replaced by newcomers who resided in the sky (or in the latter case Mount Olympus); earth-gods and fertility worship being replaced by sky-gods and martial worship. Another comparison may be made between the Irish— and other Indo-Europeans —invading, and subsequently conquering Milesians, and their fertility goddesses, and gods, the Tuatha De Danaan ("People of the Goddess Danu/Dana; the Tuatha had already done the same to the even older Fir Bolg.

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.

External links

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