Æsir-Vanir War
Encyclopedia
In Norse mythology
, the Æsir–Vanir War was a war that occurred between the Æsir
and the Vanir
, two groups of gods. The war ultimately resulted in the unification of the two tribes into a single tribe of gods. The war is an important event in Norse mythology, and the implications of the war and the potential historicity
surrounding the accounts of the war are a matter of an amount of scholarly debate and discourse.
Fragmented information about the war appears in surviving sources. The war is described in Völuspá
, a poem collected in the Poetic Edda
in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the book Skáldskaparmál
in the Prose Edda
, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson
, and in euhemerized form in the Ynglinga saga
from Heimskringla
, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
In two stanzas of Völuspá, the war is recounted by a völva
(who refers to herself here in the third person) while the god Óðinn questions her. In the first of the two stanzas, the völva says that she remembers the first war in the world, when Gullveig
was stabbed with spears and then burnt three times
in one of Óðinn's halls, yet that Gullveig was reborn three times. In the later stanza, the völva says that they called Gullveig Heiðr
(Meaning "Bright One" or potentially "Gleaming" or "Honor") whenever she came to houses, that she was a wise völva, and that she cast spells. Heiðr performed seiðr
where she could, did so in a trance
, and was "always the favorite of wicked women."
In a later stanza, the völva then tells Óðinn that all the powers went to the judgment seats and discussed whether the Æsir should pay a fine or if all of the gods should instead have tribute
. Further in the poem, a stanza provides the last of the völva's account of the events surrounding the war. She says:
These stanzas are unclear, particularly the second half of stanza 23, but the battle appears to have been precipitated by the entry of Gullveig/Heiðr among the Æsir. Stanza 23 relates a difficulty in reaching a truce which led to the all-out war described in stanza 24. However, the reference to "all the gods" could, in Lindow's view, indicate a movement towards a community involving both the Æsir and the Vanir. Ursula Dronke
points to extensive wordplay on all the meanings of the noun gildi and the adjective gildr to signal the core issue of whether the Æsir will surrender their monopoly on human tribute and join with the "all-too-popular" Vanir; as their only alternative, they attack again.
explains the origin of poetry. Bragi says that it originated in the Æsir–Vanir War, when during the peace conference the Æsir and the Vanir formed a truce by all spitting into a vat. When they left, the gods decided that it should not be poured out, but rather kept as a symbol of their peace, and so from the contents made a man, Kvasir
. Kvasir is later murdered, and from his blood is made the Mead of Poetry
.
." However, according to Snorri, the people of Vanaland were well prepared for the invasion; they defended their land so well that victory was up for grabs from both sides, and both sides produced immense damage and ravaged the lands of one another.
Snorri states that the two sides eventually tired of the war and both agreed to meet to establish a truce. Snorri continues that the two sides did so and exchanged hostage
s. Vanaland are described as having sent to Asaland their best men: Njörðr—described as wealthy—and his son Freyr
in exchange for Asaland's Hœnir
—described here as large, handsome, and thought of by the people of Vanaland well suited to be a chieftain. Additionally, Asaland sends Mímir
—a man of great understanding—in exchange for Kvasir
, who Snorri describes as the wisest man of Vanaland.
Snorri continues that, upon arrival in Vanaland, Hœnir was immediately made chief and Mímir often gave him good counsel. However, when Hœnir was at meetings and at the Thing
without Mímir by his side, he would always answer the same way: "Let others decide." Subsequently, the Vanaland folk suspected they had been cheated in the exchange by the Asaland folk, so they seized Mímir and beheaded
him and sent the head to Asaland. Óðinn took the head of Mímir, embalmed
it with herb
s so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets.
According to Snorri, Óðinn then appointed Njörðr and Freyr to be priests of sacrificial customs
and they became Diar ("Gods") of the people of Asaland. Freyja, described as daughter of Njörðr, was the priestess of these sacrifices, and here she is described as introducing seiðr
to Asaland.
by a more aggressive, warlike cult. This has been proposed as an analogy of the invasion of the Indo-Europeans
. Georges Dumézil
stated that the war need not necessarily be understood in matters of historicity more than any other myth because it is set before the emigration from the Middle East
and, he states, accounts are more focused on the truce than on details regarding the battles.
Scholars have cited parallels between the Æsir–Vanir War, The Rape of the Sabine Women
from Roman mythology
, and the Mahabharata
from Hindu mythology
, providing support for a Proto-Indo-European
"war of the functions." Explaining these parallels, J. P. Mallory states:
Lindow states that he feels that even if the two are not identical, the various accounts of the war seem to share the idea of a disruptive entry of persons into a people. Lindow compares the appearance of Gullveig/Heiðr into the Æsir to that of Hœnir and Mímir's disruption amongst the Vanir in Heimskringla. Lindow further states that all three accounts share the notion of acquisition of tools for the conquest of wisdom; the practice of seiðr
in two accounts and the head of Mímir in one.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, the Æsir–Vanir War was a war that occurred between the Æsir
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
and the Vanir
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr . After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir...
, two groups of gods. The war ultimately resulted in the unification of the two tribes into a single tribe of gods. The war is an important event in Norse mythology, and the implications of the war and the potential historicity
Historicity
Historicity may mean:*the quality of being part of recorded history, as opposed to prehistory*the quality of being part of history as opposed to being a historical myth or legend, for example:** Historicity of the Iliad**Historicity...
surrounding the accounts of the war are a matter of an amount of scholarly debate and discourse.
Fragmented information about the war appears in surviving sources. The war is described in Völuspá
Völuspá
Völuspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a völva addressing Odin...
, a poem collected in the Poetic Edda
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the book Skáldskaparmál
Skáldskaparmál
The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined...
in the Prose Edda
Prose Edda
The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, and in euhemerized form in the Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It was first translated into English and published in 1844....
from Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
Poetic Edda
Völva
A vǫlva or völva is a shamanic seeress in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology....
(who refers to herself here in the third person) while the god Óðinn questions her. In the first of the two stanzas, the völva says that she remembers the first war in the world, when Gullveig
Gullveig
In Norse mythology, Gullveig is a being who was speared by the Æsir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn. Upon her third rebirth, Gullveig's name becomes Heiðr and she is described as a knowledgeable and skillful völva. Gullveig/Heiðr is solely attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th...
was stabbed with spears and then burnt three times
Numbers in Norse mythology
The numbers three and nine are significant numbers in Norse mythology and paganism. Both numbers appear throughout surviving attestations of Norse paganism, in both mythology and cultic practice....
in one of Óðinn's halls, yet that Gullveig was reborn three times. In the later stanza, the völva says that they called Gullveig Heiðr
Heiðr
Heiðr is the seeress and witch mentioned in one stanza of Völuspá, related to the story of the Æsir-Vanir war:...
(Meaning "Bright One" or potentially "Gleaming" or "Honor") whenever she came to houses, that she was a wise völva, and that she cast spells. Heiðr performed seiðr
Seiðr
Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. Sometimes anglicized as "seidhr," "seidh," "seidr," "seithr," or "seith," the term is also used to refer to modern Neopagan reconstructions or emulations of the...
where she could, did so in a trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
, and was "always the favorite of wicked women."
In a later stanza, the völva then tells Óðinn that all the powers went to the judgment seats and discussed whether the Æsir should pay a fine or if all of the gods should instead have tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
. Further in the poem, a stanza provides the last of the völva's account of the events surrounding the war. She says:
- Odin shot a spear, hurled it over the host;
- that was still the first war in the world,
- the defense wall was broken of the Æsir's stronghold;
- the Vanir, indomitable, were trampling the plain.
These stanzas are unclear, particularly the second half of stanza 23, but the battle appears to have been precipitated by the entry of Gullveig/Heiðr among the Æsir. Stanza 23 relates a difficulty in reaching a truce which led to the all-out war described in stanza 24. However, the reference to "all the gods" could, in Lindow's view, indicate a movement towards a community involving both the Æsir and the Vanir. Ursula Dronke
Ursula Dronke
Ursula Dronke is a medievalist and former Reader in Old Norse at the University of Oxford. She is the Emeritus Vigfússon Reader in Ancient Icelandic Literature and Antiquities and an Emeritus Fellow of Linacre College. She also formerly taught in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at...
points to extensive wordplay on all the meanings of the noun gildi and the adjective gildr to signal the core issue of whether the Æsir will surrender their monopoly on human tribute and join with the "all-too-popular" Vanir; as their only alternative, they attack again.
Prose Edda
In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál (chapter 57), the god BragiBragi
Bragi is the skaldic god of poetry in Norse mythology.-Etymology:Bragi is generally associated with bragr, the Norse word for poetry. The name of the god may have been derived from bragr, or the term bragr may have been formed to describe 'what Bragi does'...
explains the origin of poetry. Bragi says that it originated in the Æsir–Vanir War, when during the peace conference the Æsir and the Vanir formed a truce by all spitting into a vat. When they left, the gods decided that it should not be poured out, but rather kept as a symbol of their peace, and so from the contents made a man, Kvasir
Kvasir
In Norse mythology, Kvasir was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood...
. Kvasir is later murdered, and from his blood is made the Mead of Poetry
Mead of poetry
In Norse mythology, the Poetic Mead or Mead of Poetry , also known as Mead of Suttungr , is a mythical beverage that whoever "drinks becomes a skald or scholar" to recite any information and solve any question. This myth was reported by Snorri Sturluson...
.
Heimskringla
In chapter 4 of Heimskringla, Snorri presents a euhemerized account of the war. Snorri states that Óðinn led a great army from Asia ("Asaland") to attack the people of "VanalandVanaheimr
In Norse mythology, Vanaheimr is one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Vanir, a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future...
." However, according to Snorri, the people of Vanaland were well prepared for the invasion; they defended their land so well that victory was up for grabs from both sides, and both sides produced immense damage and ravaged the lands of one another.
Snorri states that the two sides eventually tired of the war and both agreed to meet to establish a truce. Snorri continues that the two sides did so and exchanged hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s. Vanaland are described as having sent to Asaland their best men: Njörðr—described as wealthy—and his son Freyr
Freyr
Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
in exchange for Asaland's Hœnir
Hœnir
In Norse mythology, Hœnir is one of the Æsir. He is mentioned as the one who helped Odin to create humans.- Attestations :In Ynglinga saga, along with Mímir, he went to the Vanir as a hostage to seal a truce after the Æsir-Vanir War...
—described here as large, handsome, and thought of by the people of Vanaland well suited to be a chieftain. Additionally, Asaland sends Mímir
Mímir
Mímir or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who is beheaded during the Æsir-Vanir War...
—a man of great understanding—in exchange for Kvasir
Kvasir
In Norse mythology, Kvasir was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood...
, who Snorri describes as the wisest man of Vanaland.
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
without Mímir by his side, he would always answer the same way: "Let others decide." Subsequently, the Vanaland folk suspected they had been cheated in the exchange by the Asaland folk, so they seized Mímir and beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
him and sent the head to Asaland. Óðinn took the head of Mímir, embalmed
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
it with herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets.
According to Snorri, Óðinn then appointed Njörðr and Freyr to be priests of sacrificial customs
Blót
The blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples, such as the pagan Anglo-Saxons...
and they became Diar ("Gods") of the people of Asaland. Freyja, described as daughter of Njörðr, was the priestess of these sacrifices, and here she is described as introducing seiðr
Seiðr
Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. Sometimes anglicized as "seidhr," "seidh," "seidr," "seithr," or "seith," the term is also used to refer to modern Neopagan reconstructions or emulations of the...
to Asaland.
Proto-Indo-European basis
As the Vanir are often considered fertility gods, the Æsir–Vanir War has been proposed as a reflection of the invasion of local fertility cults somewhere in regions inhabited by the Germanic peoplesGermanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
by a more aggressive, warlike cult. This has been proposed as an analogy of the invasion of the Indo-Europeans
Proto-Indo-Europeans
The Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
. Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Proto-Indo-European religion and society...
stated that the war need not necessarily be understood in matters of historicity more than any other myth because it is set before the emigration from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and, he states, accounts are more focused on the truce than on details regarding the battles.
Scholars have cited parallels between the Æsir–Vanir War, The Rape of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women is an episode in the legendary history of Rome in which the first generation of Roman men acquired wives for themselves from the neighboring Sabine families. The English word "rape" is a conventional translation of Latin raptio, which in this context means "abduction"...
from Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
, and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
from Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
, providing support for a Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European religion
Proto-Indo-European religion is the hypothesized religion of the Proto-Indo-European peoples based on the existence of similarities among the deities, religious practices and mythologies of the Indo-European peoples. Reconstruction of the hypotheses below is based on linguistic evidence using the...
"war of the functions." Explaining these parallels, J. P. Mallory states:
- Basically, the parallels concern the presence of first-(magico-juridical) and second-(warrior) function representatives on the victorious side of a war that ultimately subdues and incorporates third function characters, for example, the Sabine women or the Norse Vanir. Indeed, the Iliad
IliadThe Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
itself has also been examined in a similar light. The ultimate structure of the myth, then, is that the three estates of Proto-Indo-European societyProto-Indo-European societyProto-Indo-European refers to the single ancestor language common to all Indo-European languages. It is therefore a linguistic concept, not an ethnic, social or cultural one, so there is no direct evidence of the nature of Proto-Indo-European 'society'. Much depends on the unsettled Indo-European...
were fused only after a war between the first two against the third.
Other
Many scholars consider the figures of Gullveig/Heiðr and Freyja the same. These conclusions have been made through comparisons between the figure of Gullveig/Heiðr's use of seiðr in Völuspá and the mention of Freyja introducing seiðr to the Æsir from the Vanir in Heimskringla. This is at times taken further that their corruption of the Æsir led to the Æsir–Vanir War.Lindow states that he feels that even if the two are not identical, the various accounts of the war seem to share the idea of a disruptive entry of persons into a people. Lindow compares the appearance of Gullveig/Heiðr into the Æsir to that of Hœnir and Mímir's disruption amongst the Vanir in Heimskringla. Lindow further states that all three accounts share the notion of acquisition of tools for the conquest of wisdom; the practice of seiðr
Seiðr
Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. Sometimes anglicized as "seidhr," "seidh," "seidr," "seithr," or "seith," the term is also used to refer to modern Neopagan reconstructions or emulations of the...
in two accounts and the head of Mímir in one.