Freya, Norse goddess of love, magic, and war
Freya in Norse mythology: goddess of love, fertility, and seiðr magic, commander of the Valkyries, and ruler of Fólkvangr where she receives half of all warriors slain in battle.
Norse mythology
Gods & goddesses — Norse mythology
The Norse gods know they are going to die: Ragnarök has been foretold, and everything Odin does is an attempt to postpone it. Each entry sets out the god's attributes, family, function and role in the last battle, keeping the Aesir and the Vanir distinct. The sources are the Poetic Edda and Snorri's Edda, with a note on what Snorri adds or reframes, and an explicit caveat where a figure — Sif, Hodr, Bragi — survives in only a handful of stanzas.
Loki, Norse god of mischief and chaos in Norse mythology
Loki in Norse mythology: trickster of the Aesir, father of Fenrir, the World Serpent and Hel, architect of Baldr's death, and leader of chaos forces at Ragnarök.
Odin, Allfather and ruler of Valhalla in Norse mythology
Odin, the Allfather of Norse mythology: his sacrifice for runic wisdom, his ravens, his gathering of warriors for Ragnarök, and his rule of Valhalla.
Thor, god of thunder and protector of mankind in Norse mythology
Thor, the Norse god of thunder: his hammer Mjöllnir, his battles against giants, his fishing for Jörmungandr, and his fateful duel at Ragnarök.
Aegir, Norse god of the sea and brewer to the gods
Aegir in Norse mythology: the sea jötunn, husband of Ran and father of the nine waves, whose gold-lit hall hosts the feast that turns into the flyting of Lokasenna.
Baldr, Norse god of light and beauty
Baldr, son of Odin and Frigg, Norse god of light and beauty: his invulnerability, death by mistletoe orchestrated by Loki, and the promised resurrection after Ragnarök.
Bragi, Norse god of poetry and husband of Idunn
Bragi, the Norse god of skaldic poetry: son of Odin, husband of Idunn, mocked as a coward by Loki, and the voice that narrates the myths in Snorri's Skáldskaparmál.
Freyr, Norse god of fertility, peace and prosperity
Freyr in Norse mythology: the Vanir god of fertility, sunshine and kingship who gives up his magic sword for love and falls to the giant Surtr at Ragnarök.
Frigg, queen of Asgard and mother of Baldr in Norse mythology
Frigg, queen of the Aesir and Odin's wife: her silent gift of foresight, the oath to protect Baldr, her grief after his death, and her legacy in the name Friday.
Heimdall, guardian of Asgard and herald of Ragnarök
Heimdall, Norse god who guards the Bifröst bridge: his birth from nine mothers, superhuman senses, the Gjallarhorn, his rivalry with Loki, and mutual death at Ragnarök.
Hel, Norse goddess of the dead and ruler of the underworld
Hel in Norse mythology: daughter of Loki, ruler of the realm of those who die of sickness and age, keeper of Baldr, and the half-living, half-corpse figure of the Eddas.
Hodr, the blind god who kills Baldr in Norse mythology
Hodr in Norse mythology: the blind son of Odin whose hand Loki guides to kill Baldr, his death at the hands of one-night-old Vali, and his return after Ragnarok.
Idunn, Norse goddess of youth and the golden apples
Idunn in Norse mythology: the goddess whose apples of youth keep the gods immortal, and whose abduction by the giant Þjazi nearly brings old age to Asgard.
Mimir, keeper of the well of wisdom in Norse mythology
Mimir in Norse mythology: the wisest of beings, his well beneath Yggdrasil where Odin pledged his eye, and the severed head Odin consults until the eve of Ragnarok.
Nanna, Norse goddess and wife of Baldr
Nanna in Norse mythology: Baldr's wife and mother of Forseti, the goddess whose heart bursts at her husband's funeral and who sends gifts back from the realm of Hel.
Njord, Norse god of the sea, wind and wealth
Njord in Norse mythology: Vanir god of the sea, wind and wealth, father of Freyr and Freya, and the mismatched husband of the giantess Skaði.
Sif, Norse goddess of golden hair and wife of Thor
Sif in Norse mythology: the golden-haired wife of Thor, mother of Ullr, whose stolen hair forced the dwarves to forge Mjolnir and the other treasures of the gods.
Sigyn, Loki's wife and the goddess who holds the bowl
Sigyn in Norse mythology: the wife of Loki and mother of Narfi, the goddess who catches the serpent's venom above her bound husband until Ragnarok.
Skadi, Norse giantess and goddess of skiing and the hunt
Skadi in Norse mythology: the giantess who came armed to Asgard for her father's wergild, chose Njord by his feet, and later hung the serpent over the bound Loki.
Tyr, Norse god of law and war
Tyr, Norse god of justice and war: his sacrifice to bind Fenrir, the etymology of Tuesday, his role in the Thing assembly, and his mutual death with Garm at Ragnarök.
Ullr, Norse god of the bow, skis and oaths
Ullr in Norse mythology: Sif's son and Thor's stepson, the archer and skier of Ydalir, an oath god whose cult left far more place names behind than surviving myths.
Vidar, the silent god who avenges Odin at Ragnarok
Vidar in Norse mythology: son of Odin and the giantess Gridr, the silent god whose thick shoe pries open Fenrir's jaws and who outlives the fires of Ragnarok.