The Mythology Book

140

THE FIRST WAR

IN THE WORLD

WAR OF THE GODS

T

he Norse described their

gods collectively as the

Aesir, from which Asgard,

the realm of the gods, was named.

However, they believed that there

had originally been two families

of gods: the Aesir and the Vanir.

The Norse believed that at the

dawn of history, the Aesir and

Vanir fought a war over who had

the right to receive tribute (worship

and sacrifices) from humans.

The war of the gods began because

of the Aesir’s treatment of a witch

called Gullveig during her visit to

Odin’s hall in Asgard. Three times

the Aesir tried to burn her, but each

time she came back to life. Gullveig

could create magic wands and cast

spells, and had the gift of prophecy.

This marked her out as one of the

Vanir goddesses. After the Vanir

complained about Gullveig’s

treatment, both sides met at

Urdarbrunn (the “Well of Fate”) to

settle their differences.

Peace and war

At Urdabrunn, Odin threw a spear

at the Vanir and war broke out. The

Vanir stormed Asgard; in return,

the Aesir ravaged the Vanir’s home,

Vanaheim. Neither side could win,

so the gods agreed to exchange

hostages and live in peace, sealing

the treaty by all spitting into one

bowl. From their spit, the gods

created Kvasir, a being of

exceptional wisdom.

After the war, the sea god Njord,

who was leader of the Vanir, his son

Freyr, and his daughter Freyja went

to live with the Aesir, as did Kvasir.

In return, Honir and the wise god

Mímir, from the Aesir, went to live

in Vanaheim. However, the Vanir

The goddess Freyja was seized

by giants in Das Rheingold, the first

opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle. This

1910 illustration shows her being

dragged away from the gods.

IN BRIEF

THEME

Warring gods

SOURCES

Poetic Edda, Anonymous,

10th–13th century ce;

Heimskringla (“History

of the Norse Kings”),

Snorri Sturluson, c. 1230 ce;

Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson,

ca. 1220 ce.

SETTING

Asgard and Vanaheim—

separate realms inhabited by

two distinct families of gods:

the Aesir and the Vanir.

KEY FIGURES

Odin Leader of the Aesir.

Gullveig A witch and seeress.

Njord Leader of the Vanir.

Kvasir A wise being created

from the spittle of the gods.

Mímir A disembodied head;

source of wisdom.

Honir Odin’s companion.

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NORTHERN EUROPE 141

See also: The war of the gods and Titans 32–33 ■ A complex god 164 ■

The twilight of the gods 150–57 ■ The game of dice 202–03 The walls of Asgard

The gods hired a giant to

rebuild the walls of Asgard

after their war with the Vanir.

They agreed to give him the

sun, the moon, and the

goddess Freyja if he would

complete the task in a single

winter, believing this was

impossible. For his part, the

giant agreed to work alone,

aided only by his stallion.

When they saw that the giant

would finish on time, the gods

ordered Loki to find a way to

get out of keeping their

promise. Turning himself into

a mare, Loki lured the giant’s

stallion away so that the giant

missed his deadline. Realizing

he had been cheated, the

giant flew into a rage, and

Thor killed him. The gods

had become oath-breakers,

corrupted by power. Odin also

received an unexpected gift

from Loki as a result of the

deception—an eight-legged

foal, Sleipnir, fathered by the

giant’s stallion.

Odin sits astride Sleipnir in this

18th-century Icelandic illumination.

Sleipnir was born to Loki while the

trickster took the form of a mare.

were unhappy with their hostages.

When Mímir was there to tell him

what to say, Honir gave good

advice, but when Mímir was away,

he could only reply, “Let others

decide.” Feeling they had been

cheated, the Vanir beheaded Mímir

and sent Honir, with his head, back

to Asgard. Odin preserved Mímir’s

head and gave it the power of

speech so that he could benefit

from its wisdom. The distinction

between the gods eventually faded

when the Vanir became Aesir and

shared the tribute from humans.

Clash between cults

The story of the war of the gods

could be interpreted as a mythic

representation of a clash between

two religious cults. It is possible

that the Vanir were the gods of

Stone Age Scandinavian farmers

(c. 11,000–1800 bce), while the Aesir

were the gods of Indo-Europeans

who migrated into the region in

the Bronze Age (c. 1800–500 bce). ■

The Aesir The Vanir

Lived in Asgard, one of

the nine worlds.

Lived in Vanaheim, one of

the nine worlds.

Origins shrouded

in mystery.

Descended from Vili,

Vé, and Odin.

Key figures include Freyja,

Freyr, and Njord.

Key figures include

Thor and Loki.

Associated with fertility

and nature.

Associated with power

and war.

They made a truce by this

procedure, that both sides

went to a pot and spat into it.

Prose Edda

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