Brage is very wise and eloquent, and the god of skaldic poetry and prose. (Drawing by: Carl Wahlbom)
In the beginning there were only native forests and wasteland. The Aesirs, one main group of Norse gods, cleared places to stay, both for themselves and the humans. They named the human’s home Midgard – because it is placed in the middle of the world. And in the middle of Midgard – so that the humans should not feel lonely and abandoned – the gods built a place for themselves: Asgard.
Asgard is a huge castle surrounded by thick walls. To get there you have to ride over the rainbow Bifrost. Strong defenses were built around Midgard as protection against the wild and unknown outside where dark and sinister forces are raging. There – in Utgard and Jotunheim – giants and trolls live. Everything is arranged like tree-rings. And furthest out, in all directions, is the vast world ocean where the Midgard Serpent lives.
There are twelve main gods in Norse mythology: Odin, Thor, Balder, Vidar, Vale, Brage, Heimdall, Ty, Njord, Froy, Ull and Forsete, – where Njord and Froy are not Aesirs, but Vanirs living in Asgard. Sometimes, Age and Loki is also considered Aesirs.
The female gods in Norse mythology are called Asynja. The main goddess is Frigg.
Odin is the Allfather of the Norse gods and the ruler of Asgard. (Illustration: Victor Villalobos)
Odin is king of the Aesirs, but Thor is probably the one most worshiped. There are many interesting stories about Thor, while Odin mostly is depicted as a wanderer in search of wisdom and knowledge.
Here is a description of the twelve most important gods, and the main goddess Frigg:
Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn) is the most powerful and wisest god. Odin is the Allfather of the Norse gods and the ruler of Asgard.
Thor (Old Norse: Þórr, Thórr) is Odin’s youngest son and the second most powerful god. He is the god of thunder, master of the weather and the strongest warrior.
Balder (Old Norse: Balder, Baldr, Baldur) is associated with light, beauty, love and happiness.
Vidar (Old Norse: Víðarr) is son of Odin and the giantess Grid, and only beaten by Thor when it comes to strength.
Vale (Old Norse: Váli) is the son of Odin who was bred as avenger of Balder by raping the giantess Rind.
Brage is very wise and eloquent, and the god of skaldic poetry and prose.
Heimdall is the guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard, which is the main road into the heavenly kingdom .
Ty, or Tyr, is the god of war – the one who decides who win battles.
Njord (Old Norse: Njǫrðr) is the god of the sea and seafarers.
Froy (Old Norse: Freyr) is the god of fertility. Frey is associated with virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and is often depicted with a large phallus.
Ull (Old Norse: Ullr) is the son of Sif, Thor’s wife. “Ull” means “the honorable,” and he was the best of all archers and skiers.
Forseti is the god of justice.
Frigg (Old Norse: Frigga) is Odin’s wife, extremely beautiful, the foremost among the goddesses and the queen of Asgard. She is goddess of love and fate, described as having the power of prophecy yet she does not reveal what she knows.
- See also: The Norse Creation Myth
Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews
Source: The Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse anonymous poems.
Ægir???
Hi, and thank you for your comment!
If Ægir was a Norse god, he certainly would be on the list. Unfortunately, he is not. Ægir is a Jotun, a sea giant, god of the ocean and king of the sea creatures famous for hosting parties for the gods.
Thor
But the Jotun are gods as well as the Aesir. They’re just the “villain gods” where the Aesir are the “hero gods”.
What of Loki… where does he fit in?
Loki is also a jötunn, a giant. In the golden age, the universe was populated only by giants, gods and dwarfs, the three races that existed. In the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, one may see how they differ: when the giants take Freya, the only one who can pluck the golden apples of youth, all gods start to age and wither, except Loki, because he is not a god.
Its Idunn not Freya who can pluck the golden Apples
Uhm Hi, I’ve got an argument over Odin, now yes he is the wisest but he is not the most powerful, Fenrir is. Hear me out, please, during ragnorak if Odin was the most powerful he wouldn’t have died, but he did. Fenrir ate him as he did with Tyr’s arm. Also he was able to break every existing chain the gods put on him, they had to go to the dwarfs to make chains from the non exsistent, chains made of women’s beards, fish’s breath, etc. that alone was the only one that could hold him. After that they locked him up inside a cage covered in those chains where he is stuck in, tho his brothers (or sister I don’t exactly remember them) are trapped on earth he is in his own realm because he was too strong.
No wring