Other Definitions
vanir (dict)
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VanirVanir is the name of what is usually considered one of the two pantheons of gods in Norse mythology. They include Njǫrr, Freyr and Freya (Freyja), who lived among the sir since the end of the conflict between the two clans of gods (traded for Mmir and Hœnir); the identity as Vanir of Skai, Ltir, Gerr and r may be debated. Skai was a giantess married to one of the Vanir (Njǫrr); Gerr was also a giantess, with whom Freyr fell in love and with whom he managed to have a union, having sold his sword as payment; but it is not clear whether this union amounted to more than a single meeting. r is mentioned in the Eddas very shortly as the husband of Freyja, but nothing more is actually known about him (although it is often remarked that it was one of inn's names). The Vanir live in Vanaheim, also called Vanaland; Snorri Sturluson calls their land Tanakvsl or Vanakvsl. They are gods of fertility and prosperity, and they are seen as belonging to the earth, while the sir ruled the sky. The Vanir have a deep knowledge of magical arts, so that they also know the future. It is said that it was Freyja who taught magic to the sir. They also practiced endogamy and even incest, both forbidden among the sir; as an example Freyr and Freyja were children of Njǫrr and his sister (see Nerthus). The Eddas identify the Vanir with the elves (Alfar), frequently interchanging "Æsir and Vanir" and "Æsir and Alfar" to mean "all the gods". As both the Vanir and the Alfar were fertility powers, the interchangeability suggest that the Vanir may have been synonymous with the elves. It may also be that the two names reflected a difference in status where the elves were minor fertility gods whereas the Vanir were major fertility gods. Freyr would thus be a natural Van ruler of the elves in lfheim. Contemporary reconstruction of Norse religion focussing on the Vanir is sometimes known as Vanatrú. Vanir and their Guests There is a possible connection between Heimdall and the Vanir, noted by H.R. Ellis Davidson. The Vanir as Swedish kings The gods Njord and Freyr appear in Snorri's Ynglinga saga as Kings of Sweden. Their descendants on the Swedish throne can be called Vanir, such as: - Fjlnir who was the son of Frey and the giantess Gerd.
- Sveigder who married Vana of Vanaheim and had the son Vanlade.
- Vanlade whose name connects him to the Vanir, and who married a daughter of the Jotun Snr.
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