#vanir

[bowldrips]

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

[steelsuit]

Hero portraits that I've had an opportunity to make for Lavapotion's Songs of Conquest newest expansion the Vanir! Please check it out!

[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

[summerkingdesigns]

Rashard, the Stormwing, the Star-sent. The Summer King.

[gabbyp09]

[simple-persica]

I got sidetracked from something I was working on and decided to do Freyja, so here's my concept page for her.

[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

[the-pagan-crow]

Deity Spotlight: Freyr

AKA Frey, Yngvi, Ing, Ingwi, Yngvi-Freyr

(Note: Freyr's mother is a highly debated topic. We know that his mother was likely his father's sister, but there is debate over what her name is)

Quick Facts:

Tribe: Vanir

Domain: Fertility, Prosperity, and Peace

Parents: Njörd and Nerthus/Njörun

Sibling: Freyja

Spouse: Gerðr

Child: Fjölnir

Mythologically Backed Facts (VPG)

Freyr is a god of fertility, prosperity, and peace. He was born a Vanir to Njörd and Njörd's sister, but moved to Asgard as a baby after the Æsir-Vanir war. Both his parents were Vanir, with his father being considered ruler of the Vanir. With Gerðr, he had one child, Fjölnir. Fjölnir is said to have become the king of what we now call Sweden, making him the first of the Ynglings, and many people consider Freyr the father of the Yngling dynasty (more on that later).

Lord of Alfheim: When Freyr moved to Asgard as a baby, the Æsir gifted him Alfhiem, realm of the Alfar (elves), as a present when he got his first tooth. While there aren't many attestations about this story, or about Alfheim and the Alfar in general, this is a pretty important part of his mythology. Some people will call him the King or Lord of the Elves.

Father of the Ynglings: Freyr, as the father of Fjölnir, is said to be the father of the Yngling dynasty. To my understanding, this dynasty is the first known dynasty of Sweden, and of Scandinavia as a whole, but they ruled in modern day Sweden. The Ynglings would claim that they were decendants of Freyr, possibly to maintain their rule (although this is slight speculation on my part).

Gullinbursti: Made from gold by the dwarf brothers Brokk and Sindri, Gullinbursti is Freyr's boar. Gullinbursti is said to move through air and water faster than any horse. As a symbol of Freyr's rule over prosperity, Gullinbursti is an important companion of Freyr.

Skídðblaðnir: This magical ship, made by the same dwarves who made Gullinbursti, is Freyr's ship that can hold all the gods and their gear while also being able to be folded up and fit in a pocket. This important item of Freyr's also goes back to his roots as son of a sea god.

Gerðr and Freyr's Love Story: If you're interested in reading about their story, please read our Deity Spotlight about Gerðr located here.

Our Experiences (UPG)

Surtr and Ragnarok: At the end of the world, when the gods must face the Jötunar in Ragnarok, Freyr will face Surtr. However, because he gave up his sword to win Gerðr's hand, Freyr will be slain by the Jötunn.

We have worked with Freyr for several years now. He is a big part of our practice and craft.

He is a very kind deity, but he can push his practioners to be their best selves. He loves nature and agriculture. He likes shades of green, yellow, some browns, and blues.

Like with Gerðr, we'll take nature walks with him. We've offered him sea water, and we've also offered him coins because of his association with prosperity. Also due to this association, we did a good luck spell with him once.

He has a very rich mythology and history, and he is very cool and fun to work with. He can be "quiet" sometimes. For instance, he may not answer questions through tarot unless you word them exactly as you mean. He also might not give as many cards as a "chattier" deity such as Loki.

As always, if we get anything wrong, please let us know nicely! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!

For further reading, feel free to view this article. Always remember to take things with a skeptical eye and cross reference, but the article has a lot of good information.

[lilac-witch]

Solitude - Hunt Athalar x Reader

masterlist

Summary: Y/n seeks solitude from the stress of life in Lunation following the exile of the Asteri. Meaning: "the act of being alone and away from society" Word Count: 1k. Warnings: Strong language.

-------------

Lunathion was a city jack-full of buildings, vehicles and an obscene amount of Vanir. It was home and yet it could sometimes feel like a prison. Or rather like you were a sardine in a can.

Avallon, however, was the complete opposite.

Ever since the death of Avallon's king and the end of the war with the Asteri, Avallon had become something of a sanctuary. A home away from home when the stress of caring for an entire city became too much.

It was in Avallon that Y/n presently found herself, following the harrowing argument she'd had with her mate.

------------

"You're never around anymore, Hunt! It's like we live on opposite sides of the fucking planet!" Y/n yelled, face contorted in anger towards her mate.

"My sincerest apologies, Your Higness," Hunt sneered. "In case you've forgotten, some of us are trying to keep an entire city from becoming one great ruin!"

She could feel her blood boiling. How dare he use her title like that, when he knew how she felt about it, how Hypaxia felt after being exiled from the witch clans.

"And what the fuck do you think I've been doing? Sitting on my ass looking pretty? I've spent hours down in the labs with Hypaxia, working on a better solution for curing the water, trying to find an alternative source of power! But at least when we make plans to hang out, I make the effort to actually fucking show up!"

She must have been red in the face at this point, her flailing arms further emphasising her point.

"Research is not the same as sitting through meetings with city leaders, or taking to the streets to keep the peace, Y/n! So fucking shoot me if you are not my top priority at the moment!" Hunt bellowed in response.

It was like time stopped and the air stilled.

Y/n's eyes which had previously been blazing with fury had now turned downwards, her mouth agape in shock.

Hunt's own expression faltered. He took a step forward, hand stretching out to reach for her.

"Don't touch me, Athalar."

The depth of her tone was a shock to Hunt's system, halting him in his path. Y/n seized the moment, swiftly creating a portal from their shared apartment to the green hills of Avallon, and took the leap.

-------------

It had been a week since their fight, and Y/n hadn't seen Hunt since. He hadn't come looking for her, and she hadn't gone home, both were too stubborn to come to terms with their faults.

"He's losing his shit, you know."

Y/n turned to the timber voice, its owner looming over her sitting form.

Y/n turned back to the view of the ocean below the cliff's edge. "Have you become his messenger pigeon, Baxian? Did Hunt not have the balls to come and find me himself?"

Her words were harsh, but they reflected the hurt she felt.

"Ouch blondie, you'll hurt my feelings," Baxian joked, cracking a smile that lifted her spirits ever so slightly.

She watched as the Hellhound lowered himself to sit beside her.

"He's really beating himself up. He knows he fucked up, and that what he said was way out of line, but you know Hunt... He never did have a way with words."

"No fucking kidding," she grumbled back, resting her chin on her bent knees.

"You're not going to come home, are you?"

Baxian had always been a good friend to her. So good a friend, that it sometimes seemed like he could read her mind.

"No, I'm not," she murmured. "Not yet at least."

"What should I tell him?"

"Whatever you want, Bax. I don't have the energy to care right now."

Y/n could feel his gaze on her but chose to ignore it. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the sun shine down on her skin. She let the week of elusive sleep finally take her.

-------------

When Y/n awoke, she was no longer on the cliffside. No, she now found herself beneath blankets, atop a comfortable bed. A very familiar bed.

She shot up, glancing around the room. She was back in Lunathion. Back in the apartment. Back in their room.

The door to the bedroom swung open quietly, Hunt's hulking form moving into the space. He looked as exhausted as she felt, as though he had also not been granted any sleep.

His eyebrows rose in shock as he observed her form, clearly still expecting her to be asleep.

"You're awake."

"And you kidnapped me," she said bluntly.

Hunt scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his that Y/n had observed from the first time they'd met.

"Is it considered kidnapping if I simply brought you home?"

"You brought me home against my will, without my consent."

She crossed her arms in defiance. She could do this all day.

Hunt sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm really fucking sorry."

Y/n watched as he hunched over, palms covering his face in silent grief.

"Bryce keeps giving me new tasks, and Isaiah expects me to train the new legions, and it just seems like it never ends. Like time has become a figment of my imagination. I never meant to take it out on you. Gods know you've been overworked yourself, but fuck, the stress just got to me."

She watched him for a while longer, as he watched her back, gauging her reaction. Eventually, Y/n sighed, opening her arms for him.

Hunt let out a whimper of sorts before finding comfort in her warmth.

"Pull this kind of shit with me again, Athalar, and I'll wipe the training grounds with your face," she warned, running her fingers through his dark locks.

Y/n felt him nod and heard the deep chuckle reverberate through his chest in response.

Solitude was good for a while, but it was nothing like being home.

-------------

[steelsuit]

little prop pictures I've made for SoC Vanir DLC !

[everythingloveandanimated]

Something I would LOVE to read Murtagh saying to Vanir, who is not restraining himself with snide comments.

Murtagh: I’ve spent my entire life around nobles who look down at me for my parentage and social position. You are not a new challenge for me, Ambassador.

(Could be taken as fighting words I know, but dang I want something like this!)

[runningw-thewolves]

(TAKE 2 CAUSE SHIT IS WEIRD) I've made a Fenrir (primarily but open to all Heathens/Norse Pagans) Tumblr community. Reblog if you'd like an invite!

(Obviously I won't be accepting bigots, boot-lickers and the likes. To Hell with that noise. No frith for Nazis and Bigots.)

UPDATE: Here’s the link to join: https://www.tumblr.com/join/6MJrxVwl

[fornasedensgudar]

Freya Vanadis

[indigoswallow]

Vanir

[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.