#Vanir Gods

[sigyn-foxyposts]

"The children of Njord 🌊"

Thank you @piratespacex for coming up with the filler names for the recently discovered 9 daughters!! 🥺

All of these are just my headcannons, filling in the blanks of the possible daughters of Njord that we never got to know. None of the kids are cannon but Freyja, Freyr, Ráðveig and Kreppvör!

Info on them below ⬇️

Those who are orange belong to Nerthus and blue to Skadi!

Freyr (Lord) & Freyja (Lady)

We know the Vanir twins already lmao!

Ráðveig (Advice)

Ráðveig meaning "advice" is the daughter of Njord and Nerthus. Like her name suggests she is great at giving advice and her burning passion is to aid her people. After Njord left Vanaheim together with her oldest siblings, Ráðveig was suddenly in charge of things until they heard from them again. She tried her best to provide for the Vanir gods, especially after the newly held war but it proved to be a struggle but her efforts were not in vein. Ironically enough she developed a platonic relationship with Hoenir, the Aesir god who couldn't give advice.

Állisvilum (Eel)

Állisvilum meaning "Eel" is the daughter of Njord and Nerthus. Like her name she is as sly and threatening as an Eel and lanky in appearance. Like her sister Freyja she is a total badass on the battlefield and thrives there better than anywhere else in Vanaheim. She fought in the Aesir Vanir war bravely and hates the Aesir gods with burning passion for not only separating her family, but slaughtering her people.

Veigrippa (Alcohol grip)

Veigrippa meaning "Alcohol grip" is the daughter of Njord and Nerthus. She is the Vanir goddess of mead and is the biggest party girl to ever be known. Often she spotted serving the gods of vanaheim, brewing and dancing around. Veigrippa is incredibly jealous of the Aesir gods for possibly having better mead then her! To the point she might have tried to steal their goat Heidrun from them a few times..

Ljóssa (Light)

Ljóssa meaning "Light" is the daughter of Njord and Nerthus. She is very bright and outgoing, almost the personification of light itself according to the Vanir people. She wants nothing more than for her people to thrive especially after the consequences of the war and is very active in their community, often found near Ráðveig. Surprisingly, she doesn't blame the Aesir gods for the war but rather Gullveig for sharing so much knowledge, especially to Odin.

Nernhardt (Bear strong)

Nernhardt meaning "Bear strong" is the daughter of Njord and Skadi. She's the eldest of the couples children and strives to be the strongest to prove that her jotun legacy isn't one to mess with. She idolizes her mother and grandfather heavily and is very competitive, even against her own sisters and mother. She also gets very easily offended, because she can't really understand when someone is being genuine or intentionally mocking her.

Sýrult (Acidic)

Sýrult meaning "Acidic" is the daughter of Njord and Skadi. She is a total menace and is cruel because she can. Like acid she spreads nothing but pain and will try her best to burn right through you with a grin. She got most of her nature from Skadi's bad side and hates the Aesir for what they did to her grandfather, even though she wasn't born back then. It was also her idea to hang a poisonous snake above Loki during his punishment, she's proud of it too!

Feigarbet (Coward's bet)

Feigarbet meaning "Coward's bet" is the daughter of Njord and Skadi. She loves making bets with people, cheat and steal through her scandals. Boasting about her fake achievements and instantly regretting it when people prove to be better than her or want their things back. She will flee and hide behind her family, constantly in a state where she can't trust anyone because she knows people are out to get her. Which is where her cowardly nature comes in, even worse for her.. She is unable to control herself. 

Snjórelsi (Snowfall)

Snjórelsi meaning "Snowfall" is the daughter of Njord and Skadi. Surprisingly, unlike most of her family members she takes her nature from Njord and is a total sweetheart to everyone she meets, causing people to become confused on how she is related to such cruel people but Njord! She's soft, calm and collected, also very white in appearance hence her being named after snow.

Kreppvör (Crisis Aid)

Kreppvör meaning "Crisis Aid" is the daughter of Njord and Skadi. While it's a good trait to be careful and ready to aid someone in the need of help, Kreppvör often over does it. She's overprotective in her own way and very skittish, jumping at the slightest touch or sound. While her mother and oldest sisters moved back to Jotunheim after the divorce, she stayed behind with her father Njord. Which is why her name, despite being the youngest and less honorable survived through the legends.

[dvktheartist]

Gullskögul (Golden Skögul) (Skögul means "shaker" or "one who incites battle"—often linked to the Valkyries, but here, it is the one who shakes the fields, the one who stirs the wind through the golden stalks before winter arrives.) I was thinking of spring and Norse Mythology/Lore and decided to work further on this.

[sigyn-foxyposts]

They are the best! I cant express how much i love Nerthus, Njord and Mimir. Grumpy old head, so true!!

Vanir doodles!! Cause honestly… they’re the best tribe >:)

[bowldrips]

Another installment of my translation of the Lokasenna into memes, inspired by a convo with @poeticnorth XD.

[moonlight1237]

Elder ᚠᚱᛖᛁᛃᚨ Younger ᚠᚱᛁᛁᛁᛅ

Freyja/Frøya (The Lady)

Epithets, Titles, and Kennings

Gullveig (gold-greed)

Vanadís (lady of the Vanir)

Gefn (giver)

Horn (flax)

Mardoll (root word Marr meaning sea. Sea bright)

Syr (sow)

Valfreyja (Lady of the Slain)

Lady of Fire

Heid (Völva from Voluspa)

Lady of the Disir

Prong (throng of the people?)

Skialf (This could be associated with a hall as most halls' names ended in this word, but also the name is associated with a wife who hung her husband a king)

Queen of Folkvangr

Chief of The Vanir

Queen of The Valkyrie

Possessor of The Fallen

Daughter of Njord (Dottur Njardur)

Sister of Frey (Syster Freys)

Wife of Od (Konu Od)

Mother of Hnoss (Modur Hnossar)

Processor of the fallen slain and of sessrumnir and tom-cats (eigandi vaffalls ok sessruimni ok fressa)

Of Brisingamen (Brisingamens)

Van-deity (Vana god)

Gondul ( a queen who makes two kings fight)

Astagud (deity of love)

Blotggdja (sacrificial goddess)

Of the Vanir’s consort (Brudr Vana)

Of Odr’s bedmate (bedvina Ods)

The god who’s weeping is beautiful

Ruling/Domain

Folkvangr is her realm and Sessrumnir is her hall.

(and is sometimes said to be where she takes her half of the dead but this is disputed)

Family

Njord is her father originally hailing from the Vanir but was exchanged as a hostage to the Æsir with his children (Freyr and Freyja). He is a god of ships and wind, commonly associated with wealth. Her mother is never mentioned but is speculated to be Skadi or Njords sister, an unnamed Vanir goddess, a final theory being Nerthus. A Germanic goddess from the time of Tacitus, during his accounting supposedly a goddess was worshiped all over Gaul. Her idol was brought around in a cart and kept in a sacred grove.

Her twin is Frey(r), and he rules over Alfheim. They make up a commonly seen idea of the worship and presence in mythology around the world of twin gods. Their names, which we commonly know translate to “Lord” (Freyr) and “Lady” (Freyja), are speculated to account for a fertility cult surrounding the Vanir possibly. During the Lokasenna, Loki accuses the two siblings of incest during his slander.

“Loki spake:

32. "Be silent, Freyja! | thou foulest witch,

And steeped full sore in sin;

In the arms of thy brother | the bright gods caught thee

When Freyja her wind set free." (The Poetic Edda, Translation by Henry Adam Bellows)

We have no other evidence to support this idea apart from the belief that the Vanir practiced incest in marriage and that Njord possibly was married to a sister at one point in time but still no evidence upholds these claims. Both Freyja and Freyr share a vast association with fertility and the land they also both are depicted to ride a boar and at a point, they each are mentioned riding a boar named “Gullinbursti” (“Golden-Bristles”).

She has 2 daughters Hnoss and Gersemi both of which translate to "treasure" though only mentioned in Christian sources and Gersemi is only mentioned once. In the Eddas, it says she has a husband named Oðr which is one of Odin's names, and gets into the Frigga and Freyja debate.

History

Getting into the debate on Freyja and Frigga it’s a tough battle between the texts, history, and linguistics. In the myths it’s very evident that they are separate goddesses with different personalities and attributes, Loki in the Lokasenna insults them both separately. From their names as we know them now Freyja only translates to “Lady” and Frigga means “to love” and we see that repetition across old Norse and Proto-Germanic with her name, we also see that Frigga's name is the closest associated to the word “Friday” with the days of the week transferring from the Romans to the germanic tribes we see how simply they took the names of the Romans gods and swapped them for associated Scandinavian gods, going from the romance language meaning “Venus day” to “Frigs day” as her germanic translations were so closely associated with love, which is another cross between her and Freyja, Frigga commonly is seen as a more domestic goddess and a wife, we see Freyja as this love goddess and in the text especially by Snorri Freyja is sexualized and made to be a promiscuous goddess, which could easily be that we are seeing what was once one goddess split into two versions or faucets of what they were before. One other confusing part for many people is Freyja’s husband Odr who is known to be the god Odinn. Freyja is also known heavily for her weeping when off searching for her husband, during Baldur's death Frigga's exaggerated focus is her weeping, which could easily be nothing important. But modernly the generally acceptable answer is that they are two different goddesses both important in their own right and status.

Frøya has a necklace she always wears. Its name is Brisgamen is a torc/necklace made by the dwarves and frøya supposedly spent a night with each of them who made it to get Brisingamen. In other myths Thor wears it dressed as Frøya during the fake wedding to Thrym the giant who stole Thor's hammer, then when Loki stole it and gave it to Odin. Odin made her start a war to get it back.

She also had a Boar named Hildisvini "Battle-swine" which she turned her husband oðr into and rode in one of the myths.

In the Grimnismal translation, it says "then" Odin picks not "and" giving the idea Freyja picks first but it's never mentioned otherwise. But modernly we accept that she does have the first pick. Gullveig is believed to be another name for frøya, she was a sorceress who predicted the Æsir, Vanir war and was burned alive 3 times by the Æsir each time coming back to life and was struck by spears and still didn't die.

She, like Odin, was known to use many different names throughout the myths and in her travels. She's the one who taught Odin and the other Æsir gods how to do Seidr magic. After the Æsir, Vanir war they exchanged hostages, and Frøya, Njordh, and Frey went to live with the Æsir in Asgard.

The Dís or Disir are referenced very often, always female, some called them female ancestors or fate goddesses which would include them in the Norns but they're also mentioned as Valkyrie in a sense as the Valkyrie were the Helpers of Odin and Freyja, they choose the who will fall and who lives during battles, etc. But most translations of the word Dís translated in Old Norse to "Lady", which is one of the same translations of Freyja, as Freyr and Freyja are "Lord" and "Lady". But then you have the many names used for Freyja, one being Vanadis, which they say means Lady of the Vanir (Vanir is one of the tribes of gods), but also some believed it meant that she was "the great dís" or Lady of the Disir Vanir, but it is known that they would call Freyja "Queen of the Valkyrie" and by translations possibly leader of the Dís, which then leads to more questions on the connection between the 2 (dís and Valkyrie). It’s known that Odin had his group of Valkyrie but that he had a group of "women" called "Odins Dís". Then you have 2 celebrations throughout the year, Disablot and disthing (this one has different names) which seem to mark the coming and going of winter, but also were more secretive and mainly within the home, some believed to be drawing down the ancestors magic from the alfar (elves) which with Freyja association to being "mistress of the home" (gets into the debate on her a frigg) and the name of the celebration may not have been the elves but the Dís possibly either as female ancestors or believe in ancestral connections to minor gods as a societal whole. Considering it wasn't uncommon for nobility to claim ancestry of some of the more famed gods (Odin, Freyr, etc)

Of course, Freyja is now a major goddess, if she wasn't before or even if she and Frigg were once the same being. They are now spilt just as Freyja is now much more important, but seeing the translation of Vanadis possible as "The great Dís" and Freyja having a connection to Gullvieg being Freyja and the connection to Freyja having rulership over Seiðr, etc. Could connect her to have been simply a leader of the Dís and or Valkyrie, and maybe it wasn't even her actual name considering Freyja translates to Fraujō in proto-Germanic, which becomes Frau in modern German, Frau means "woman" leading to the idea Freyja meant "Mistress" or "Lady" which is a title, not a name, which is interesting anyways. But of course, taking into account Old Norse poetry all the gods had different names and kennings. Which could mean we lost her original name.

The myths never actually show her as a Vølva but her association with magic gives us the idea she is along with the repeated idea that she was a goddess of sacrifices and that she was a “priest” in some texts, with the further association to gullveig this leads to the association that she could be a volva.

She has been described as having a chariot pulled by cats but they’re most likely domestic house cats based on the translations in stories the words used to mean only “cats” and if they were lynx or larger cats many translators believe the word directly referred to those animals would’ve been used instead, many older stories passed down orally mainly referred to her cats to be larger but we have no further evidence for either side.

Historical worship/practice

She had a fertility cult in the Viking age that stopped due to Christianity and a cult that lasted up until Snorri's age and time but that stopped soon after.

Hǫrg hann mér gerði, hlaðinn steinom,nú er griót þatat gleri orðit; rauð hann í nýionauta blóði, æ trúði Óttarrá ásynior (Hyndluljóð st. 10).

(He’s made a sanctuary for me, faced with stone, now that stone has turned to glass; he’s reddened it with fresh ox blood, Ottar has always trusted in the goddesses.)

This is one of the only examples of her worship or any goddess worship in the texts.

She and Frigga were called on during childbirth, and historically, our source came from a midwife.

In history, women of higher status would be named after Freyja in a sense being called “Fruvur” (ladies). Referring to the text before we see that many women who ruled over the household would be titled in her honor showing her ruling over the home at those times.

Associations

Death

Love

Lust

Magic (especially Seidr)

War

Cats

Wealth

Divination

Fertility

Beauty

Glory

Days of the Week

Friday, “Frigs day”

Special days

Alfarblót

Disablot

Elements

Fire

Numbers

9- Nine is a number found everywhere in Norse mythology, although nobody is sure why as it’s never explained anywhere.

Colors

Gold

Light Pink

Green

Copper

Silver

Yellow

Light Purple

Red

Brown

Animals

Cats

Horses

Boar/Sows

Rabbits

Swallows

Lynx

Falcons/Birds of prey

Ladybugs

Cuckoo

Plants and Flowers

Basil

Roses

Roseroot

Common Valerian

Mugwort

Rosemary

Apples

Primrose

Raspberries

Strawberries

Cinnamon

Poppy's

Daisy's

Almonds

Hay

Snow Blossoms

Linden

Essential oils/incense

Strawberry

Lavender

Lilac

Juniper

Cinnamon

Any sweet scents

Any baked good scents

Amber

Mint

Peppermint

Rose

Mulberry

Rosemary

Vanilla

Jasmine

Cypress

Sandalwood

Myrrh

Birch

Crystals and Metals

Rose quartz

Amber

Gold

Carnelian

Citrine

Any moonstone

Malachite

Black Tourmaline

Pink Tourmaline

River rock

Rubies

Divinational associations (runes/tarot)

Fehu, Sowilo, Berkano, Queen of wands, Queen of swords, The empress, The high priestess, The lovers, The star (Wildwood deck The Seer, and The Woodward)

Offerings and Devotional acts

Any Meads

Flowers (pressed or fresh)

Anything handmade for her

Stretching

Learning sword work

Exercising

Things are respectfully taken from nature

Jewelry

Poetry (especially traditional Norse)

Hot chocolate

Any tea

Wine

Sweet drinks or spices like cinnamon

Potatoes

Stews

Any meats

Any Berries

Ethically gathered Bones, Cat claws, and cat whiskers (DO NOT HARM AN ANIMAL FOR THESE)

Self-Care

Spending time in nature

Learning runes

Learning distaff spinning

Any imagery associated with her

Learning magic or divination

Any baked goods (bread, muffins, honey cakes, etc)

Honey

Honeycomb

Cat statues

Boar imagery

Fostering cats/kittens

Lighting candles every day in her honor

Burning incense for her (she likes things with flames or burning)

Bonfires

Flax bundles

A staff making a staff for your craft if you practice Seidr they are commonly used in it and you could make your devotional staff for that and have it by her altar.

Braiding your hair

Support women’s rights

Start a flower garden

Care for your significant other

Volunteer or support shelters

Honor your ancestors

Feed strays

Chants

Runic Chants/chanting the runes

Old Norse songs

(Both are commonly used in seidr)

Poem to Freyja-

https://www.tumblr.com/tears-of-amber/747489845291679744/freyja-in-the-honeysuckle-breeze-freyja-in-the?source=share

SOURCES

Poetic Edda translated by Jackson Crawford

Tales of Norse Mythology by Helen A. Guerber

The Norse Gods and Goddesses (Intro.)

Frigg and Freyja

The Vanir

The Vǫlva (Norse Seeress) and Seiðr

Valkyries (Valkyrjur)

Fólkvangr (Folkvang)

THE NORSE GODS: FREYJA || General info, what working with Freyja is like and offerings

Freyja (Freya) Norse Goddess of Love, Warriors, and Cats

My Experiences with Deities: Freyja

Seiðr Magic and Gender

https://teaandrosemary.com/freya-goddess/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/goddess-freyja-facts-symbols-norse-mythology.html

https://historycooperative.org/freyja-the-norse-goddess-of-love/

https://historiska.se/norse-mythology/freyja-en/

https://hrafnar.org/articles/dpaxson/asynjur/freyja/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freyja

https://www.northvegr.org/nordic-goddess/froya-freyja

https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/freyja-sensuality

https://www.voluspa.org/index.htm

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm

https://www.academia.edu/90730001/45_Freyja

https://www.academia.edu/9715739/The_Cult_of_Freyr_and_Freyja

gods and myths of northern Europe

by h.r. ellis davidson

norse mythology - guide to the gods, heroes, rituals and beliefs

- john lindow

https://www.tumblr.com/fjorn-the-skald/153799577907/kennings-for-the-vanir-sk%C3%A1ldskaparm%C3%A1l?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/broomsick/760015871374721024/i-want-to-ask-a-question-would-freyja-be?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/tears-of-amber/714440167683964928/freyja-a-deity-deep-dive-some-upg?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/chaos-bites/746330888775909376/subtle-freyja-worship-honor-passed?source=share

[j0rbits-art]

older atreus, baby baldur, & Hel concepts from 2022

[gabbyp09]

[tears-of-amber]

Today I honor the Vanir! And on this fourth night of Yule, I will offer my songs to Freyja. 🎶🎄❤️

[freytos]

meanwhile in vanaheim.

im sorry, but they have this energy to me

[godsofhumanity]

Skadi: "You'll never find the body" is such a boring threat. A better threat would be, "You'll never stop finding the body." Freyja: Or just say, "They'll be finding parts of you for at least four months... and you'll still be alive for three of them." Skadi: Now that's a threat! Njord, covering Freyr's ears: *horrified silence*

[medievildead]

Headcanons about Vanir practices and culture (God of War)

Simply because I like exploring cultural differences in fantasy universes. Also, I can do whatever I want and make shit up.

(CW; some of these have to do with sexual culture, pregnancy, childbirth. The Vanir gods were fertility and pleasure gods in nordic mythology after all, usually depicted with huge erections. So be warned)

-The Vanir are incredibly brotherly to one another, not just their actual siblings. While they do refer to their actual brothers and sisters as such, they also refer to their friends and neighbours as brothers and sisters, their elders as fathers and mothers and etcetera. This is also what started the absurd rumors in Asgard that the Vanir were incestuous, they completely misunderstood the terminology and assumed that, when Vanir would refer to their spouses with familial terms like "sister" and "brother", it was literal.

-Vanir are not completely humanoid, and often times have more mammalian/naturistic (can't think of the word for it) behaviours, that basically translates to adapting to the seasons. Body hair grows thicker for colder seasons and they trim their hair for the warmer seasons, their eyesight adapts to the weather, etcetera.

-ALL Vanir have an animal form, not just Hildisvini and Freya. Freyr can turn into a buck, but he scarcely does this (his own choice). Because of this, the Aesir see Vanir as less than human often times. Rumours about them pollute asgard. They spread propaganda amongst one another about the vanir still being cannibals, and call them untamed creatures, believing the animal forms are their "true forms" and the human appearance is merely a facade.

-Vanir believe its inhumane to waste any part of nature when natures life is taken. If a tree is cut down every branch will be used, every leaf will be gardened and every strip of bark will become paper or fuel. A harvest must always be replanted or recycled. If an animal is killed for meat it is never wasted, the bones are ground or carved, the meat is cooked, the skin is turned to pelt, and the organs are used aswell. If a flower is plucked, the earth must be thanked. They are one with their surroundings, always.

-Vanir are beings associated with peace, fertility, witchcraft, harvest, and wisdom. The realm itself is very magical and consisting of blooming flora and magic fauna, similar to life found in Midgard but much larger and whimsical due to the enchantment of the earth there.

-Vanir practice most commonly Seiðr magic, a magic that is connected with flora and can amplify the potency of root growth, poisons and toxins, regeneration (healing living things), so on and so forth. Anything that can be naturally produced by living things. Seiðr magic is frowned upon and considered disgraceful by Asgardians. Outside of the Vanir, it's mostly only practiced by beings that use dark arts.

-Vanir culture was considered very odd to the rest of the realms, due to yltheir familial culture was different, marriage rituals were different, and birth/death rituals were very different. Even death rituals were a massive celebration of life. Most other realms viewed the Vanir with confusion because of how peace-loving they were.

-A looooong time ago, the Vanir did cannibalistic rituals. Not out of hunger, it was a willing sacrifice to nature and rebirth thing. They no longer practice this in any regard what-so-ever, but it is one of the many stereotypes that other realms bring up to make the vanir seem primitive and barbaric.

-Back when cannibalism was practiced, Vanir bodies were never left to take up space. If a Vanir was ready to die (they usually didn't die like humans died in these rituals, they just decided when their time was up, and wanted the cycle of life to continue) they would sacrifice themself, and a very non-grotesque tradition would play out. They'd be killed cleanly, harvested, eaten in the most clean way possible, and all remains would be fed to the land (think like fertilizer, but magic energy) and they'd in turn be reborn as nature. But all their actual good cuts of meat would be genuinley eaten by the other vanir, filling them with energy and etc, and their bones and hair would be used for tools, crafting, and practicing magic.

- Like I said previously, this is a very old, no-longer-practiced ritual by the Vanir. But it's still known about and its why the Aesir see them as wild animals. HOWEVER. Freyr returned to cannibalism because he had no choice but to. The aesir captured, if they had to get rid of the body, Freyr would take it and work on picking the bones clean on his own time. He was tired, hungry and exhausted, and after the genocide of his people, no more Mr. Nice Guy from Freyr. He can go a little insane. As a treat.

-Vanir could withstand cannibalism unlike humans or Aesir, they could stand it moreso than jotunn even. They wouldnt suffer any negative side effects from it.

-As mentioned before, Vanir have the ability or have a form that is or resembles an animal (Freyas falcon, Hildisvini's boar, etc) and this is another remnant of magic and witchcraft that they utilize.

- Because of the natural fertility magic of the land, pollen from Vanaheim flora is a key ingredient to the most effective tonics, tinctures, philters, elixirs, and fertilizers. It's also used in herbal blends to assist animals with mating.

-Vanir sperm is incredibly fertile, both in the literal and magical sense. This refers to both the Vanir people and the native animals to Vanaheim. So not just pollen from Vanaheim but sperm from Vanahiem (person OR animal) can genuinley be used a key ingredient to fertilizers and aphrodisiacs.

-As beings of both fertility *and* pleasure sex was something done for both fun as well as for procreation, both were seen as seperate activities.

-Sex for fun was a spectacle in its own right! Though expectantly done privately, it was often times done in gatherings, much like bonobos do, as an act of peace and love, and orgies could last for days. Vanir friends and couples would often meet each other for the first time at seasonal pleasure gatherings.

-Vanir procreation was a seperate celebration altogether. Yearly during the beginning of spring, they refer to this time as ástartímabil (lover season) and declare it the optimal time to procreate, as they believe this is the time of year when fertility blessings are blooming from the land. They seek the the land blessed by the spirits and opt to have sex in bountiful areas of the forest, often times surrounded by others at shrines who give blessings of good harvest while the couple has sex. Its not seen as an act of voyeurism at all either, just watching something beautiful, like a tree being planted.

-Vanir pregnancy cycles are much shorter than humans, only lasting around six months as opposed to the average human maternity cycle of nine months. As most vanir mothers become impregnated at the time of spring, the celebrations of birth are held most comminly around the time of autumn and the harvest months.

-All Vanir births are cherished and celebrated as natures blessing, and births can often attract crowds of others wanting to observe and give good heart (think Bambi's birth, and the crowd it drew). Birth is seen as such a gracious part of nature and the beginning of life is such a celebration. The Vanir are as "hippie" as it gets, and they truly are a people of love.

-It's very, very, very uncommon for Vanir to give birth to twins. Because the maternity period is so short, it's rare for the body to be able to maintain such. If a family wanted two children, a mother would simply become pregnant a year after the first birth to have a second child in time. That's also why Freyr and Freya were seen as the most important gifts to the realm, Vanir twins hadn't really been witnessed before.

[fornasedensgudar]

Freya Vanadis

[moviemunchies]

GOSH it’s been a week, am I right? We had an election, the results of which were… uh, yeah, we elected a megalomaniacal senior citizen who tries flushing classified documents down his toilet. I’m going to let off some steam.

I’m here to tell you that Twilight of the Gods, despite getting a better reception than a lot of Zack Snyder projects, is hot garbage.

Sigrid is a half-giant, and on her wedding day, Thor comes and kills her family. Blah, blah, revenge quest, gather a group of outcast badasses to fight the Big Bad threat–

Wait, wasn’t the gist of it–the gathering a group of warriors to fight a bigger, institutional tyrannical threat–the same Plot as Rebel Moon? This even has a campfire sequence before the big battle where the heroes talk about the motivations and backstories. Goshdarnit, Zack. I know you’re not the only person working on this, but really?

That aside, the problem with Twilight of the Gods isn’t that the Plot is bad; yeah, it’s thin, but that’s not necessarily bad. You can have a great story with a thin Plot. Look at John Wick. No, the biggest problem I had is that so many of the characters’ actions and development make absolutely no sense. Characters will choose a path that doesn’t add up other than to move the Plot forward. Big things will happen, and revelations will drop, and the people involved do not care.

-There’s an episode where Loki tells Leif that he’s the Scapegoat God–his entire role in the pantheon is to be the douchebag everyone hates and takes the blame when things go wrong, or when people make bad decisions. And he hates it. Loki’s stuck with a role he despises. You would think this would have some reaction from Leif, and affect the interactions between the two in some meaningful way down the line. Nope!

-The dragon Fafnir used to be Andvari’s friend, another dwarf. When they defeat him, Fafnir turns back into a dwarf, and Andvari insists that they spare him. Leif kills Fafnir anyway, because he’s angsting about his lover Sigrid becoming more vicious. Andvari, nor any of the other characters, have any reaction to him killing someone who he wasn’t supposed to on a whim, much less the friend of a friend.

-Speaking of that: Andvari’s backstory with Fafnir and Loki isn’t explained by Andvari, one of the main members of the group, I remind you, but by Egil, summarizing to Leif and Sigrid the next morning being like, “Yeah, so last night he was telling us all about it!” Why didn’t you just show us Andvari telling his own story?!

-Also, Loki kills Andvari when Andvari tries to kill him. Everyone is shocked, and Leif is clearly sad when we see him burying Andvari. And then no one really cares that their ally killed one of their friends

-Hervor at one point wonders aloud if killing Thor will screw up the afterlife or the weather cycle. Hey, geez, maybe that would have been a good thing to ask before you agreed to go kill Thor? Especially as her life goal is apparently to meet up with her already-deceased sons in Valhalla. Hervor’s got no apparent motivation to be on this quest, either, other than friendship with Sigrid–I mean, hey, go kill gods with your friends amirite?

-Thyra, who was raised by the Vanir, is apparently perfectly happy to side with new friends against them when they’re framed for poisoning them. Why? I don’t know, she has a crush on Sigrid, I guess.

-Oh gosh, the Campfire Episode. Shrooms are passed away For Reasons, Thyra has a threesome with Sigrid and Leif which is apparently Oh-So-Magical for her (she swears eternal devotion to them afterwards, basically), and then Odin reveals himself there and the episode ends–and no one gives a damn about Odin appearing to Sigrid and talking to her, given they’re about to go to war with him.

The creators of this series did not care about a coherent story or cast of characters. It’s made up of moments that someone in a writing room said, “Wouldn’t this be awesome?!” (for the reveals, action scenes, and dialogue) or, “Wouldn’t this be hot?!” (for the at-least-once-an-episode sex scenes). That this has gotten a somewhat good reception is astounding to me. Castlevania, for all its flaws, had spectacular fight scenes and animation. This has even less redeeming qualities. I mean, the writers really said, “Hey, what if Jormungandr were actually a hot chick that has sex with Thor?!” and people… went along with that? And think this is good writing?

I suppose that at the very least, it’s clear that they did a lot of research on Norse mythology for this series, and people appreciate that. Then again, it makes the deviations stand out all the more. Why on Earth is Freya’s brother, king of the Vanir, Tiwaz? The 2018 God of War also made a lot of changes to the mythology, while still clearly having done tons of research as well, so those changes were done in service to the story and characters. Changes here are only there because… I don’t know why. To make it more gruesome?

And I spent the entire series saying, “Hey, I don’t know how any of this works!” We see they take quite a journey to get to Jotunheim, though apparently anywhere else in the Nine Realms is pretty easy to find, if not necessarily to get to. The crew gets god-killing weapons, and kills Vanir and Aesir mooks by the bucketload (how did they all get that good at fighting that they can wipe out gods with ease??), and yet when it comes to Thor himself, sometimes they’re god-killing weapons go through him, like he’s a boss fight and they have to wear down his first health bar before they can kill him. And Thor kills Sigrid’s family by making them explode with lightning (pretty sure that’s not how lightning works), but when fighting the protagonists he doesn’t do anything nearly as effective, swinging his hammer around wildly. He should be able to kill them at any time, and doesn’t, because Plot.

This is terrible writing. This is terrible character development. The animation’s cool, I guess, and that’s kind of it. There’s so much better fiction about mythology out there, so check that out instead of this.

[broomsick]

Personal ideas for simple devotional acts to Njörðr

Let us all praise the Lord of Ships, the Vanir King. He is the bestower of wealth and the guardian of seas, and his gifts are many! If you’re looking to start working with Njörðr, or worshipping him, these ideas make for quick and simple gestures that showcase your interest. They’re also perfect for a pagan who already maintains a close relationship with the sea, water spirits, or a sea deity. After all, spiritual practice gets hard to sustain when you’re working on a tight schedule! Which is why I hope these little personal ideas can inspire even those of you who already actively worship/work with Njörðr. 

First things first: pondering on what Njörðr stands for, what you think he can bring your life and what you think he would appreciate in return. 

Going for walks on windy days. Njörðr is said to raise winds that are favorable to sailboats! 

Cooking and eating sea products, especially if you can find them fresh! I usually keep an eye out for fishermen’s markets. It’s a good idea to buy locally if the opportunity presents itself. The most important thing is to make sure you’re buying from sustainable fish farming companies, especially if you’re at a restaurant or buying from a grocery store.

Putting the sound of waves as background music before sleep. You can visualize the sea, or the ocean, and use this image to connect with Njörðr either by simply meditating on him and his gifts, or even by praying to him.

If possible, spending time near bodies of water: water is a network which connects the land to the ocean. In the end, all rivers, no matter how small, are bound to the ocean. 

Watching documentaries on the sea, or on marine life! The simple gesture of learning about his domain, developing your understanding of it, can make you feel that much closer to the Father of Light-Bringers. 

Whenever you’re at a local beach, collecting seashells or rocks which catch your eye! They’re a way to bring a piece of the sea home with you! 

Since I cook a lot, there’s this little habit I’ve come to develop, of adding a pinch of sea salt (or fleur de sel) to every recipe. Of course, I won’t do this if I’m cooking a simple sandwich for myself: I’m talking about large pots of soup, meat pies, stews, etc. It’s a way of reminding myself that the Vanir bring about the fertility which allows us sustain ourselves. 

Learning sea shanties!!! Did you smile? That’s because sea shanties are fun, and what better way to honor a God than by having fun in their name! One of my favorite songs ever is a folk ballad about an old woman who begs her husband to leave the city and go back to the island where they used to live, where she could watch the seagulls and where he would fish their dinner. Songs such as these can make for beautiful and deeply personal offerings. Once you’ve learned a fisherman’s song, you’ll find yourself humming it in your day-to-day, and thinking of Njörðr as you’re doing so.

Making offerings of coin to him. I’ve heard that he was particularly fond of the coin-shaped chocolates that are wrapped in gold foil! Generally, anything that is made of gold or silver makes for a beautiful offering to him. You can, of course, keep such objects after offering them! The act of sharing them with Njörðr is symbolic, as are many offerings, and you are as entitled to keeping these valuables as you are to drinking offering alcohol after the ritual is done. Placing your silver/gold object on a windowsill or an altar for a day, a week or a month is enough to act as an offering.  

When it comes to the Vanir, you usually can’t go wrong with buying local products! What does your area specialize in, in terms of food? Now that summer’s at our door, we’ve reached the perfect time to look into local farmer’s markets. If, like me, you’re in the habit of offering alcohol to some or most of your deities, local draft beer is a great idea for Njörðr. In my area, grocery shops sometimes sell this one beer that’s made using salt water! It’s my go-to for Njörðr, understandably.

Acting generously, taking opportunities to share with others! It’s a way of honoring and embodying the Vanir King’s own benevolence.

As a follow-up, working on your ability to be compassionate: putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes, forgiving a wrong that has been done to you, finding compromise during a conflict with loved ones... If you are put in a position of leadership, lead others with care and attentiveness. Njörðr’s mythological son Freyr is heavily associated with peace. By protecting peace, you are honoring them both. 

Keeping a symbol of his on you as an amulet: representations of fish, anchors, lighthouses, ships, or anything else that symbolizes the sea all make for beautiful reminders of Njörðr’s presence. Especially if they are silver or gold-colored! In fact, a simple silver or gold coin, or even just a coin with special meaning in your heart, is the perfect amulet to keep in your wallet/purse in his honor. 

Learning to tie knots, or any other simple skill that is useful on a boat is fun and a great way to feel connected with the sea. This goes without saying but if you’ve got the chance to go for a boat ride, take it in his honor!

Asking him to grant you a safe journey before traveling long distances.

Art, Njörðr statue

[gifts-of-heimdall-runes]

Meditations on Freyr.

With the kind assistance of AI [CoPilot].

[mel-kusanagi]

"you seem uncomfortable," she spoke softly. "do i make you nervous, kratos?"

finally another drawing of them for today vjnfvnjkjd. reference used is this picture of han and leia from empire strikes back because yes