List of Germanic deities

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A scene from one of the Merseburg Incantations: gods Wodan and Balder stand before the goddesses Sunna, Sinthgunt, Volla, and Friia (Emil Doepler, 1905) Wodan Heilt Balders Pferd by Emil Doepler.jpg
A scene from one of the Merseburg Incantations: gods Wodan and Balder stand before the goddesses Sunna, Sinthgunt, Volla, and Friia (Emil Doepler, 1905)

In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabit Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature, various chronicles, runic inscriptions, personal names, place names, and other sources. This article contains a comprehensive list of Germanic deities outside the numerous Germanic Matres and Matronae inscriptions from the 1st to 5th century CE.

Contents

Gods

NameName meaningAttested consorts and sexual partnersAttested childrenAttestationsGroup
Alcis (Latinized Germanic)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedGermaniaNone, but share similarities with Jötunn
Baldr (Old Norse), Bældæg (Old English)Old Norse form is contested. Old English form directly translates as "shining day". [1] Nanna Forseti Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense , Annales Lundenses , possibly Beowulf Æsir
Bragi (Old Norse)Connected with Bragr ("poetry") [2] Iðunn None attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Vanir
Dellingr (Old Norse)Possibly "the dayspring" [3] or "shining one" [4] Nótt Dagr Poetic Edda, Prose EddaUnknown, but could be Jötunn
Forseti (Old Norse)"Chairman" [5] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Freyr (Old Norse), Frea (Old English), Yngvi (Old Norse), Ing (Old English)"Lord" [6] Gerðr Fjölnir (Heimskringla) Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum , Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Ögmundar þáttr dytts , Gesta Danorum, various others Vanir
Heimdallr (Old Norse)"World-brightener" [7] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda, Poetic Edda Æsir
Hermóðr (Old Norse), Heremod (Old English)"War-spirit" [8] None attested Sceaf (Old English only)Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Beowulf, Old English royal genealogies Æsir
Höðr (Old Norse)"Warrior" [9] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf Æsir
Hœnir (Old Norse)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Æsir
Lóðurr (Old Norse)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, skaldic poetryUnknown, but could be Vanir
Loki (Old Norse)Contested Sigyn, Svadilfari, Angrboda Nari/Narfi, Váli, Fenrir, Hel, Jormungandr, and Sleipnir Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Loka Táttur , Norwegian rune poem, Danish folk tales Vanir
Móði and Magni (Old Norse)"Courage" and "Strength"None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Máni (Old Norse)"Moon" (Gives his name to Monday).None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Mímir (Old Norse)"Rememberer"None attestedSons, unnamedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Vanir
Meili (Old Norse)"the lovely one" [10] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Njörðr (Old Norse)ContestedOnce unnamed sister, once Skaði Freyr, FreyjaPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Egils saga, Hauksbók ring oath, place names Vanir
Odin: Óðinn (North Germanic), Wōden (West Germanic), *Wōðanaz (Proto-Germanic) (see List of names of Odin for more)"Frenzy" [11]

(Gives his name to Wednesday).

Frigg (consort), Skaði (Heimskringla only), Gunnlöð, Jörð, Rindr See Sons of Odin Most attestations of Germanic paganism Æsir
Óðr (Old Norse)"The frenzied one" [12] Freyja Hnoss, Gersemi Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Vanir
Saxnōt (Old Saxon), Seaxnet, Seaxnēat, Saxnat (Old English)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedOld Saxon Baptismal Vow, Old English royal genealogiesUnknown, but could be Æsir
Thor: Þórr (North Germanic), Þunor (Old English), Thunaer (Old Saxon), Donar (Southern Germanic areas)"Thunder", all names stem from Proto-Germanic *ÞunraR [13]

(Gives his name to Thursday).

Sif (consort), Járnsaxa Móði and Magni, Þrúðr Most attestations of Germanic paganism Æsir
Tuisto (Latinized Germanic)"double", from the Proto-Germanic root *twai – "two"; "a god, born of the earth" (deum terra editum)None attested Mannus GermaniaNone, but share similarities with Jötunn
Týr (Old Norse), Tīw, Tīg (both Old English), Ziu (Old High German)"God", derived from Proto-Germanic *Tīwaz [14]

(Gives his name to Tuesday).

Unnamed, possibly Zisa None AttestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Hadrian's Wall altar Æsir
Ullr (Old Norse)Something like "Glory" [15] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Gesta Danorum, Thorsberg chape, toponyms in Norway and Sweden Æsir
Váli (Old Norse)"Chosen"None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum (as Bous) Æsir
Viðarr (Old Norse)Possibly "wide ruler" [16] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Vé (Old Norse) Vé [17] Possibly FriggNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Vili (Old Norse)"Will" [18] Possibly FriggNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir

Goddesses

NameName meaningAttested consorts and sexual partnersAttested childrenAttestationsGroup
Baduhenna (Latinized Germanic)Badu-, may be cognate to Proto-Germanic *badwa- meaning "battle." The second portion of the name -henna may be related to -henae, which appears commonly in the names of matrons. [1] None attestedNone attested Tacitus's Annals Matronae
Bil (Old Norse)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedProse EddaUnknown, but could be Æsir
Beyla (Old Norse)Proposed as related to "cow," "bean," or "bee." [19] Byggvir None attested Poetic Edda Unknown, but could be Vanir
Dís (Old Norse)"goddess" [20] None attestedNone attested Poetic Edda Disir
Eir (Old Norse)"Peace, clemency" [21] or "help, mercy" [22] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Ēostre (Old English)"East" [23] (Gives her name to Easter according to Bede).None attestedNone attested De temporum ratione None, but share similarities with Jötunn
Freyja (Old Norse) (See List of names of Freyja for more)"Lady" [24] Freyr, Óðr Hnoss, Gersemi Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla , Sörla þáttr Vanir
Frigg (Old Norse)Derived from an Indo-European root meaning "Love" [25]

(Gives her name to Friday, as the Germanic equivalent of Venus).

Odin (consort), Vili, Vé Baldr, Höðr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum , Historia Langobardorum , Second Merseburg Incantation Æsir
Fulla (Old Norse)Possibly "bountiful" [26] None attestedNone attested Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Gefjun (Old Norse)Related to "giving" [27] Skjöldr, unnamed jötunn Four oxen Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga, Völsa þáttr Unknown, could be Vanir
Gersemi (Old Norse)"Treasure, precious object" [28] None attestedNone attestedHeimskringla Vanir
Gerðr (Old Norse)"Fenced in" [29] Freyr Fjölnir (Heimskringla)Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla Jötunn
Gná (Old Norse)Possibly related to Old Norse Gnæfa, meaning "to project" [30] None attestedNone attestedProse EddaOriginally Vanir, became Æsir
Gullveig (Old Norse)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda Vanir
Haeva  [ de ] (Latinized Germanic)Possibly "marriage" [31] Possibly Hercules Magusanus None attestedVotive stone from the Netherlands (CIL XIII 8705)None, but share similarities with Æsir
Hariasa Possibly related to the valkyrie name Herja or meaning "goddess with lots of hair" [32] None attestedNone attestedStone from Cologne, Germany (CIL XIII 8185)None, but share similarities with Æsir
Hlín (Old Norse)Possibly related to the Old Norse term hleinir, itself possibly meaning "protects" [33] [34] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Hludana (Latinized Germanic)"The famous" [31] None attestedNone attestedVotive stones from the Netherlands and Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanyNone, but share similarities with Æsir
Hnoss (Old Norse)"Treasure" [33] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda Vanir
Hretha (Old English)Possibly "the famous" or "the victorious" [35] None attestedNone attestedDe temporum rationeNone, but share similarities with Æsir
Idis (Old Norse)well-respected and dignified womanNone attestedNone attested Merseburg charms Idisi
Ilmr (Old Norse)Potentially related to Old Norse ilmr, a masculine noun meaning "pleasant scent" [36] [37] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda, skaldic poetryUnknown, could be Æsir
Iðunn (Old Norse)Possibly "ever young" [38] Bragi None attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Irpa (Old Norse)Possibly relating to "dark brown" [39] None attestedNone attested Jómsvíkinga saga , Njáls saga Unknown, could be Æsir
Lofn (Old Norse)Potentially related to "Praise" [40] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda Æsir
Nanna (Old Norse)Possibly "mother" from nanna, or potentially related to nanþ-, meaning "the daring one" [41] Baldr Forseti Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum , Chronicon Lethrense , Setre Comb Æsir
Nehalennia (Latinized Germanic)Possibly "she who is at the sea"None attestedNone attested Votive altars discovered around what is now the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands None, but share similarities with Jötunn
Nerthus (Latinized Germanic, from Proto-Germanic *Nerthuz) Latinized form of what Old Norse Njörðr would have looked like around 1 CE. [42] None attestedNone attested Germania None
Njörun (Old Norse)Possibly related to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio [43] [44] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Æsir
Norns (Old Norse)
(Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld)		UnknownNone attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, skaldic poetry Nornir
Rán (Old Norse)"Theft, robbery" [45] Ægir Nine daughters Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna Jötunn
Rindr (Old Norse)Possibly related to *Vrindr [46] Odin Váli Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum Jötunn
Sága (Old Norse)Possibly "to see" [47] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry Æsir
Sandraudiga (Latinized Germanic)"She who dyes the sand red." [48] None attestedNone attestedNorth Brabant stoneNone
Sif (Old Norse)"In-law-relationship" [49] Thor Þrúðr, Ullr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Sigyn (Old Norse)"Victorious girl-friend" [50] Loki Nari, Narfi and/or Váli Poetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Sinthgunt (Old High German)ContestedNone attestedNone attestedSecond Merseburg IncantationNone
Sjöfn (Old Norse)"Love" [51] None attestedNone attestedProse EddaUnknown, could be Æsir
Skaði (Old Norse)Possibly related to Scandia . [52] Ullr, Odin, once Njörðr. Sæmingr Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga Jötunn
Snotra (Old Norse)"The clever one" [53] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda Æsir, although very similar to Vanir
Sól (Old Norse), Sunna (Old High German)"Sun" [54]

(Gives her name to Sunday).

 Glenr daughter, unnamed Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose EddaNone, but shares similarities with Vanir
Syn (Old Norse)"Refusal" [55] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda Aesir, Disir, Matronae
Tamfana (Latinized Germanic)UnknownNone attestedNone attestedGermania, Tamfanae sacrum inscriptionUnknown
Þrúðr (Old Norse)"Power" [56] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda, Karlevi Runestone Æsir
Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Old Norse)Literally "Þorgerðr Hölgi's Bride" [57] None attestedHölgi, possibly othersJómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga saga Æsir
Vár (Old Norse)"Beloved" [58] None attestedNone attestedPoetic Edda, Prose Edda Æsir
Vihansa (Latinized Germanic)"War-goddess" [59] None attestedNone attestedVotive stone from Belgium (CIL XIII 3592)Unknown
Vör (Old Norse)Possibly "the careful one" [60] None attestedNone attestedProse Edda, Poetic Edda Thrymsvitha Æsir
Zisa Possibly related to *TiwazNone attestedPossibly Tyr via linguistic connectionCodex Monac, Codex Emmeran, and Suevicarum rerum scriptoresUnknown, could be Æsir

Pseudo-deities and purported deities

Notes

  1. 1 2 Simek (2007:26).
  2. ↑ Simek (2007:43).
  3. ↑ Bellows (1936:75).
  4. ↑ Orchard (1997:32).
  5. ↑ Orchard (1997:46).
  6. ↑ Orchard (1997:47).
  7. ↑ Orchard (1997:78).
  8. ↑ Orchard (1997:83).
  9. ↑ Orchard (1997:88).
  10. ↑ Simek (2007:210).
  11. ↑ Orchard (1997:123).
  12. ↑ Orchard (1997:121).
  13. ↑ Simek (2007:322).
  14. ↑ Simek (2007:337).
  15. ↑ Lindow (2001:301).
  16. ↑ Orchard (1997:174—175).
  17. ↑ Orchard (1997:173).
  18. ↑ Simek (2007:363).
  19. ↑ Lindow (2001:78).
  20. ↑ August Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Indogermanischen Sprachen Part 3 Wortschatz der Germanischen Spracheinheit, 4th ed. rev. Alf Torp, Hjalmar Falk, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1909, OCLC 491891019, "dîsî, dîsi," p. 206 Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine .
  21. ↑ Lindow (2001:105).
  22. ↑ Orchard (1997:36).
  23. ↑ Barnhart (1995:229).
  24. ↑ Lindow (2001:126)
  25. ↑ Lindow (2001:129).
  26. ↑ Orchard (1997:49).
  27. ↑ North (1997:71).
  28. ↑ Simek (2007:106).
  29. ↑ Orchard (1997:54).
  30. ↑ Lindow (2001:147).
  31. 1 2 De Vries, Jan (20 April 2011). Die Götter – Vorstellungen über den Kosmos – Der Untergang des Heidentums (in German). Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 320. doi:10.1515/9783110855197. ISBN   978-3-11-085519-7.
  32. ↑ Simek (2007:131).
  33. 1 2 Lindow (2001:177).
  34. ↑ Hopkins, J.S., 2016–17. Goddesses Unknown III: On the Identity of the Old Norse Goddess Hlín. RMN Newsletter, 12–13, 30–36.
  35. ↑ Simek (2007:159).
  36. ↑ Grimm (1888:1374).
  37. ↑ Hopkins, J.S., 2014. Goddesses Unknown II: On the Apparent Old Norse Goddess Ilmr. RMN Newsletter, 8, pp.32-38.
  38. ↑ Lindow (2001:199).
  39. ↑ Simek (2007:176).
  40. ↑ Lindow (2001:213).
  41. ↑ Simek (2007:227).
  42. ↑ Lindow (2001:237–238)
  43. ↑ Finnur Jónsson (1913:110) suggests a Njörðr connection, Magnússon (1989:671) suggests Njörðr and Nerio.
  44. ↑ Hopkins, J.S., 2012. Goddesses Unknown I: Njǫrun and the Sister-Wife of Njǫrðr. The Retrospective Methods Network Newsletter, 5 (December 2012), 39-44.
  45. ↑ Simek (2007:260).
  46. ↑ Simek (2007:266).
  47. ↑ Lindow (2001:265).
  48. ↑ Nordisk Familjebok (1916:665).
  49. ↑ Lindow (2001:266).
  50. ↑ Orchard (1997:146).
  51. ↑ Lindow (2001:268).
  52. ↑ Simek (2007:287).
  53. ↑ Simek (2007:296).
  54. ↑ Orchard (1997:152).
  55. ↑ Orchard (1997:157).
  56. ↑ Orchard (1997:165).
  57. ↑ Simek (2007:326–327).
  58. ↑ Simek (2007:353).
  59. ↑ Schonfeld, M. (Moritz) (1911). Wörterbuch der altgermanischen personen-und völkernamen; nach der überlieferung des klassischen altertums. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library. Heidelberg, C. Winter.
  60. ↑ Simek (2007:368).
  61. 1 2 3 4 Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 2. Leipzig 1905, S. 832.

References

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