The Vanir Freyr, and his boar, an animal associated with the Vanir.

Etymology

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. The name could also be from an alternate meaning of the same PIE root *wenos, "lust".

Attested Vanir

The three clearly identified Vanir include:

• Njord the father of the gods of Vanir and god of the sea
• Freyr the god of fertility
• Freyja a goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and war

These are identified only as the Vanir who lived among the Ęsir, because of a hostage exchange described in the Poetic Edda; there may have been others.

Since Freyr is elsewhere listed as having residence Įlfheimr (Elf-home), it is possible that the Elves were also considered Vanir.

Potential Vanir

The identification as Vanir of Skaši, Lżtir, Geršr and Óšr is debated. Óšr is mentioned in the Eddas very briefly as a husband of Freyja, but nothing more is actually known about him, although Óšr is often listed as one of Odin's alternate names.

There is a possible connection between Heimdall and the Vanir, noted by the scholar H.R. Ellis Davidson.^[1]

The gods Njörd and Freyr appear in Snorri's Ynglinga saga as human Kings of Sweden. Their human descendants on the Swedish throne may be called Vanir, such as:

• Fjölnir who was the son of Frey and the giantess Geršr.
• 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 Snęr.

Since other figures in the Ynglinga saga have the same names and traits as Norse gods, it possible that these also were the names of gods in other stories.

Because of the connection between the names of Njord and Nerthus, and since she is referred to by Tacitus as equivalent to Terra Mater, it is likely that Nerthus could also be considered Vanir.

Vanaheimr

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

Hostage exchange

In the Poetic Edda, 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, Mķmir, and sent it to the Ęsir. 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.

Giantess Geršr

The poem Skķrnismįl, from the Poetic Edda, tells the story of Freyr finding love. Freyr, sitting on Hlišskjįlf spied the Jotun-giantess Geršr, with whom he fell in love. He asked Skirnir, his companion, if he would go to Geršr and express Freyr's love for her. Skirnir did so and after threatening Geršr with curses, she agreed to marry Freyr. One of the objects traded in the bargain was Freyr's enchanted sword and because of this incident, Freyr will have no sword at Ragnarok.

Relation to Elves

The Eddas possibly identify the Vanir with the elves (Įlfar), frequently interchanging "Ęsir and Vanir" and "Ęsir and Įlfar" to mean "all the gods". As both the Vanir and the Įlfar appear to be 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 Vanir ruler of the elves in Įlfheim.

Contemporary reconstruction of Norse religion focusing on the Vanir is sometimes called Vanatrś.

Parallels

The war between the Vanir and the Ęsir, together with their status as gods of agriculture and fertility, have led some scholars to identify them as an earlier pantheon supplanted by the Ęsir. 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. Similar to the way the Babylonian primeval beings were replaced by the gods in Enūma Eli?. Other myths of wars between primordial entities and newcoming sky-gods are the fights between Yam and Hadad, and of Vritra with Indra.

Another comparison may be made to the Tuatha Dé Danann (People of the Goddess Danu/Dana) who invaded Ireland and subsequently defeated the Formorians who are often likened to the Greek Titans.

The Vanir are also associated with the Sįmi (Old Norse finnar).

Notes

References

External links

• Viktor Rydberg's "Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland" e-book
• W. Wagner's "Asgard and the Home of the Gods" e-book
• "Myths of Northern Lands" e-book by H. A. Guerber
• Peter Andreas Munch's "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes" e-book
• "Coexistence of Saami and Norse culture ? reflected in and interpreted by Old Norse myths" by Else Mundal
• "Prolegomena to a Cosmology of Healing in ''Vanir'' Norse Mythology"

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