The 40 most important Viking Gods (and their history)

Few historical cultures have been reflected as much in contemporary artistic manifestations as the Nordic. And it is that everything related to the Vikings, the Germanic warriors who came from the Nordic peoples of Scandinavia, famous for being great navigators and because they carried out bloody looting in Europe, gives a lot of play in current popular culture.

The Nordic peoples from which these Vikings came were found in what are now the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. And beyond the story of how the Vikings managed to make inroads from the 8th century through many European regions, something incredibly interesting is to immerse ourselves in their mythology, one of the most special in the world.

Norse mythology includes everything related to the religion, beliefs and legends of the Germanic Scandinavian peoples that, despite not being a religion as such and that there were never sacred books (everything was based on oral transmission) nor the idea of ​​a truth Delivered to mortals, this mythology has reached our days thanks to medieval texts that were written before or after Christianization.

So, in today's article, we are going to immerse ourselves in the vastness of Norse mythology, one that has remained to this day and that has been captured thousands of times in both literature and cinematography. Let's see the amazing stories and the meaning behind the most important Viking gods of Scandinavian folklore.

What are the main Norse deities?

We all know Thor, Odin or Loki, as they have been represented many times in popular culture. But Norse mythology is much more extensive. So much so, that within this mythology, two main groups of gods are divided that occupy different kingdoms within the Yggdrasi tree. Thus, we have, on the one hand, the Æsir and Asynjur, inhabiting Asgard; and, on the other hand, the Vanir, inhabiting Vanaheim. Let's see which are the Viking gods within each group.

1. The Æsir and the Asynjur

The Æsir and the Asynjur are the main gods and goddesses, respectively, who make up the Norse pantheon. It is about the youngest deities, being so the younger generation of gods and goddesses within Norse mythology. They inhabit Asgard and, being mainly related to power and war, they are all related to Odin, the famous Viking god who created the world.

It is important to emphasize that, despite being gods, the Æsir and the Asynjur are mortal (most are condemned to die during Ragnarök, which according to Norse mythology is the battle of the end of the world), although they remain young thanks to the Iðunn apples. Having understood this, we can move on to see what are the Viking gods that inhabit Asgard.

1.1. Odin

Odin is the God of Gods and therefore leader of the Æsir. Always accompanied by crows, it is associated with human sacrifices, hence it is missing an eye.

1.2. Thor

Thor is the son of Odin and surely the most popular Viking god. Thor is the god of thunder and he is always depicted alongside the mjolnir, a hammer forged by dwarves that only he can lift. Represents force, power and war.

1.3. Loki

We mention Loki for his popularity, but technically not a god viking. Son of giants, Loki is a mysterious entity that mixes with the gods of Asgard and even, using his ability to deceive and wreak havoc, pretends to be one of them.

1.4. Frigg

Frigg is the goddess of love, fertility and marital fidelity*. She is Odin's wife and as divine capacities she had the gift of prophesying and knowing the destiny of all humans. He is the only deity, apart from Odin, with the right to occupy the throne of Asgard and observe the Universe.

1.5. Tyr

Tyr is the god of war and wisdom on the battlefield. He is considered the strongest Viking deity after Thor and an arm was amputated as a sacrifice so that the gods could save the world from the wolf Fenrir. He is the absolute warrior of Asgard.

1.6. Freyja

Freyja is the Viking goddess of fertility and romance. It is said that, of how deeply in love she was with her husband Óðr, when he was not with her, she cried tears of gold.

1.7. Óðr

Óðr is the Viking god of energy and intelligence, in addition to the husband of the god Freyja.

1.8. And go

Eir is the Viking goddess of resurrection and healing.

1.9. Andhriminir

Andhriminir is the Viking god cook to the other gods of Asgard and one of the warriors of Valhalla, a majestic hall in the city of Asgard.

1.10. Fulla

Fulla is the Viking goddess of abundance, plus one of Frigg's three maids.

1.11. Balder

Balder is the Viking god of truth and light.

1.12. Gefjun

Gefjun is the Viking goddess of virtue who stood out for her powers as a seer.

1.13. Bor

Bor is the Viking god Odin's father, but there is not much information about him and his attributes.

1.14. Gna

Gna is the Viking goddess who, being one of Frigg's three servants, is in charge of running errands in other worlds for her.

1.15. Bragi

Bragi is the Viking god of poetry and bards.

1.16. Hlin

Hlin is the Viking goddess who, being the third and last of Frigg's servants, is the deity of consolation.

1.17. Buri

Buri was the first of the Asgardian gods to exist and, therefore, first deity of the Æsir, father of Bor and grandfather of Odin.

1.18. Iðunn

Iðunn is the Viking goddess guardian of the apples that allow the rest of the gods of Asgard to stay young despite being mortal.

1.19. Dagr

Dagr is the Viking god who personifies the day.

1.20. Jord

Jord is the Viking goddess who personifies the earth.

1.21. Delling

Delling is the Viking god of the dawn.

1.22. Lofn

Lofn is the Viking goddess of women.

1.23. Forseti

Forseti is the Viking god of truth, peace, and justice.

1.24. Nanna

Nanna is the Viking goddess wife of Balder, who, when her husband dies, dies of grief.

1.25. Heimdall

Heimdall is the Viking guardian god, the Bifröst watchman, a portal that allows travel to any of the nine worlds.

1.26. Nott

Nótt is the Viking goddess who personifies the night.

1.27. Höðr

Höðr is the Viking god of winter and warriors. Balder's brother, he was a blind god.

1.28. Saga

Saga is the Viking goddess of divination.

1.29. Magni

Magni is the son of Thor and the Viking god of fury on the battlefield.

1.30. Syn

Syn is the viking goddess of truth and vigilance which, according to Norse mythology, was invoked as an aid in trials by the accused.

1.31. Vili

Vili is the Viking god who, being Odin's brother, is the deity of emotions and the one who granted intelligence to human beings.

1.32. Viðarr

Viðarr is the Viking god of revenge and silence.

2. The Vanir

The Vanir represent the oldest generation of Norse gods. They do not inhabit Asgard, but Vanaheim. They were led by Njörðr, the god of the sea, and dominated the magical arts, practicing, unlike the Æsir, incest and inbreeding. These are deities associated with fertility and prosperity and have not transcended so many to this day, since it is likely that much of the mythology of these gods has been lost. Still, we present the most important ones.

2.1. Njörðr

Njörðr is the Viking god of the sea, navigation and the coast and, as we have said, is the leader of the Vanir.

2.2. Skaði

Skaði is Njörðr's wife and goddess of winter and hunting.

23. Nerthus

Nerthus is the divine figure that represents the earth.

2.4. Frey

Frey is the god of fertility, the rising sun and the rain.

2.5. Freya

Freya is the goddess of magic, divination, love and beauty.

2.6. Gullveig

Gullveig is the goddess who started the war between the Vanir and the Æsir.

2.7. Kvasir

Kvasir He is the wisest god among the Vanir and it was created from the saliva of other deities.

2.8. Lytir

Lytir is a Viking god of divination.

2.9. Gerd

Gerd is the Viking god of sex and fertility. She is Frey's wife.