Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Vanir
*** Shopping-Tip: 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
PIE root *''wen''- "to strive, win", cognate to
Venus (compare
Vanadis),
Wynn (
Proto-Germanic ''*Wanizaz'').
Members
They include
Niord 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. Although the Vanir are respected for their having the power to keep peace, one incident with Freyr caused a war between the Vanir and Æsir. Freyr, sitting on top of
Odin's throne above the worlds spied a woman who he fell in love with. He married her and traded his sword to the
giant (mythology) giants thus infuriating Odin and giving cause to the beginnings of fear of
Ragnarök. To end the war between the gods, the Vanir cut off the head of
Mimir MÃmir 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,
Lytir Lýtir,
Gerðr and
Odr 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
Mythological kings of Sweden 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
Tanakvisl TanakvÃsl or
Vanakvisl VanakvÃsl (''TanakvÃsl eða VanakvÃsl'') etymologizing ''Vanir'' as the "
Don River, Russia 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
Elf 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
Ã?lfheim.
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. Niord, 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 streches of ocean. 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.
Misconceptions
Many misconstrue the groupings of the gods with the Pantheons of Greek and Roman mythologies. The gods did not reside in one area. They were dispersed along the branches of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. Another major misconception, brought on by Christian bias, is that the early Norse saw the gods as something to emulate in character and emotion. Although the gods were respected for their powers, people did not emulate the gods the way some Christians try to emulate and celebrate Jesus.
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''
*
MÃmir'', an Æsir hostage''
*
Kvasir
*
Lytir Lýtir
*
Niord Njǫrðr
*
Skaði
There is a possible connection between
Heimdall and the Vanir, noted by H.R. Ellis Davidson.
External links
-
Vanic Vé
{{NorseMythology}}
Category:Norse mythology
ca:Vanir
da:Vane (nordisk mytologi)
de:Wane
el:ΒανίÏ?
eo:Vanioj
fr:Vanes
is:Vanir
it:Vanir
he:ו×?× ×™×¨
lt:Vanai
lv:VÄ?ni
nl:Wanen
ja:ヴァン神�
nn:Vaner
pl:Wanowie
pt:Vanir
ro:Vanir
ru:Ваны
sv:Vanerna
*** Shopping-Tip: Vanir
