List of Germanic deities
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In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabit Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature, various chronicles, runic inscriptions, personal names, place names, and other sources. This article contains a comprehensive list of Germanic deities outside the numerous Germanic Matres and Matronae inscriptions from the 1st to 5th century CE.
Gods
| Name | Name meaning | Attested consorts and sexual partners | Attested children | Attestations | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcis (Latinized Germanic) | Elk or Temple, Contested | None attested | None attested | Germania | None, but share similarities with Jötunn |
| Baldr (Old Norse), Bældæg (Old English), Balder (Old High German) | Old Norse form is contested. Old English form directly translates as "shining day". | Nanna | Forseti | Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf | Æsir |
| Bragi (Old Norse) | Connected with Bragr ("poetry") | Iðunn | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | Probably Æsir |
| Byggvir (Old Norse), and maybe Beowa (Old English) | "Barley" | Beyla | None attested | Poetic Edda: Lokasenna, Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies, maybe Beowulf? | Unknown |
| Dagr (Old Norse) | "Day" | None attested | Unnamed "sons of Dagr" | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Unknown |
| Dellingr (Old Norse) | Possibly "the dayspring" or "shining one" | Nótt | Dagr | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks | Æsir |
| Forseti (Old Norse) | "Chairman" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Freyr (Old Norse), Frea (Old English), Yngvi (Old Norse), Ing (Old English) | "Lord" | Freyja, Gerðr | Fjölnir | Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Ögmundar þáttr dytts, Gesta Danorum, various others | Vanir |
| Heimdallr (Old Norse) | "World-brightener" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda, Poetic Edda | Æsir |
| Hermóðr (Old Norse), Heremod (Old English) | "War-spirit" | None attested | Sceaf | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Beowulf, Old English royal genealogies | Æsir |
| Höðr (Old Norse) | "Warrior" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Annales Lundenses, possibly Beowulf | Æsir |
| Hœnir (Old Norse) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | Æsir |
| Ítreksjóð (Old Norse) | Literally "repeated seething/boil" from the verbs "ítreka" (to repeat, to reiterate) and sjóða (to seethe, to boil). | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda: Skáldskaparmál: Nafnaþulur | Æsir |
| Lóðurr (Old Norse) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry | Unknown, but could be Vanir |
| Loki (Old Norse) | Contested | Sigyn, Angrboda, Svadilfari | Nari/Narfi, Váli, Jormungandr, Fenrir, Hel, Sleipnir | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Loka Táttur, Norwegian rune poem, Danish folk tales | Æsir, Jötunn |
| Mannus (Latinized Germanic) | "Man", from the Proto-Germanic root *mann- – "man" | None attested | None attested | Germania | Uncertain |
| Móði and Magni (Old Norse) | "Courage" and "Strength" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Máni (Old Norse) | "Moon" (Gives his name to Monday). | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Mímir (Old Norse) | "Rememberer" | None attested | Unnamed sons | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Vanir |
| Meili (Old Norse) | "the lovely one" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Nari/Narfi (Old Norse) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Uncertain |
| Njörðr (Old Norse) | Contested | Unnamed sister, Skaði | Freyr, Freyja, Ráðveig, Kreppvör, unnamed seven daughters | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Egils saga, Hauksbók ring oath, place names | Vanir |
| Odin: Óðinn (North Germanic), Wōden (West Germanic), *Wōðanaz (Proto-Germanic) (see List of names of Odin for more) | "Frenzy" (Gives his name to Wednesday). | Frigg, Jörð, Gríðr, Rindr, Gunnlöð, Nine Mothers of Heimdallr, Hroðr, Skaði, possibly others | See Sons of Odin | Most attestations of Germanic paganism | Æsir |
| Óðr (Old Norse) | "The frenzied one" | Freyja | Hnoss, Gersemi | Poetic Edda: Völuspá and Hyndluljóð, Prose Edda: Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál, Ynglinga saga: Heimskringla | Vanir |
| Saxnōt (Old Saxon), Seaxnet, Seaxnēat, Saxnat (Old English) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Old Saxon Baptismal Vow, Old English royal genealogies | Unknown, but could be Æsir |
| Thor: Þórr (North Germanic), Þunor (Old English), Thunaer (Old Saxon), Donar (Southern Germanic areas) | "Thunder", all names stem from Proto-Germanic *ÞunraR (Gives his name to Thursday). | Sif, Járnsaxa | Móði and Magni, Þrúðr, Lóriði | Most attestations of Germanic paganism | Æsir |
| Tuisto (Latinized Germanic) | "double", from the Proto-Germanic root *twai – "two"; "a god, born of the earth" (deum terra editum) | None attested | Mannus | Germania | None, but share similarities with Jötunn |
| Týr (Old Norse), Tīw, Tīg (both Old English), Ziu (Old High German) | "God", derived from Proto-Germanic *Tīwaz (Gives his name to Tuesday). | Possibly Zisa | None Attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Hadrian's Wall altar | Æsir |
| Ullr (Old Norse) | Something like "Glory" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry, Gesta Danorum, Thorsberg chape, toponyms in Norway and Sweden | Æsir |
| Váli (Old Norse) | "Chosen" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum (as Bous) | Æsir |
| Viðarr (Old Norse) | Possibly "wide ruler" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Vé (Old Norse) | Vé | Frigg | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Vili (Old Norse) | "Will" | Frigg | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
Goddesses
| Name | Name meaning | Attested consorts and sexual partners | Attested children | Attestations | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baduhenna (Latinized Germanic) | Badu-, may be cognate to Proto-Germanic *badwa- meaning "battle." The second portion of the name -henna may be related to -henae, which appears commonly in the names of matrons. | None attested | None attested | Tacitus's Annals | Matronae |
| Bil (Old Norse) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Unknown, but could be Æsir |
| Beyla (Old Norse) | Proposed as related to "cow," "bean," or "bee." | Byggvir | None attested | Poetic Edda | Unknown, but could be Vanir |
| Dís (Old Norse) | "goddess" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda | Disir |
| Eir (Old Norse) | "Peace, clemency" or "help, mercy" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Ēostre (Old English) | "East" (Gives her name to Easter according to Bede). | None attested | None attested | De temporum ratione | None, but share similarities with Jötunn |
| Freyja (Old Norse) (See List of names of Freyja for more) | "Lady" | Freyr, Óðr | Hnoss, Gersemi | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Sörla þáttr | Vanir |
| Frigg (Old Norse) | Derived from an Indo-European root meaning "Love" (Gives her name to Friday, as the Germanic equivalent of Venus). | Odin, Vili, Vé | Baldr, Höðr | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Historia Langobardorum, Second Merseburg Incantation | Æsir |
| Fulla (Old Norse), Volla (Old High German) | Possibly "bountiful" | None attested | None attested | Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Gefjun (Old Norse) | Related to "giving" | Skjöldr, unnamed jötunn | Skjǫldungar, unnamed four sons | Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga, Völsa þáttr | Unknown, could be Vanir |
| Gersemi (Old Norse) | "Relic" | None attested | None attested | Heimskringla | Vanir |
| Gerðr (Old Norse) | "Fenced in" | Freyr | Fjölnir | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla | Jötunn |
| Gná (Old Norse) | Possibly related to Old Norse Gnæfa, meaning "to project" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Gullveig (Old Norse) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda | Vanir |
| Haeva[de] (Latinized Germanic) | Possibly "marriage" | Possibly Hercules Magusanus | None attested | Votive stone from the Netherlands (CIL XIII 8705) | None, but share similarities with Æsir |
| Hariasa | Possibly related to the valkyrie name Herja or meaning "goddess with lots of hair" | None attested | None attested | Stone from Cologne, Germany (CIL XIII 8185) | None, but share similarities with Æsir |
| Hlín (Old Norse) | Possibly related to the Old Norse term hleinir, itself possibly meaning "protects" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Hludana (Latinized Germanic) | "The famous" | None attested | None attested | Votive stones from the Netherlands and Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany | None, but share similarities with Æsir |
| Hnoss (Old Norse) | "Treasure" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Vanir |
| Hretha (Old English) | Possibly "the famous" or "the victorious" | None attested | None attested | De temporum ratione | None, but share similarities with Æsir |
| Idis (Old Norse) | well-respected and dignified woman | None attested | None attested | Merseburg charms | Idisi |
| Ilmr (Old Norse) | Potentially related to Old Norse ilmr, a masculine noun meaning "pleasant scent" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | Unknown, could be Æsir |
| Iðunn (Old Norse) | Possibly "ever young" | Bragi | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Irpa (Old Norse) | Possibly relating to "dark brown" | None attested | None attested | Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga | Unknown, could be Æsir |
| Lofn (Old Norse) | Potentially related to "Praise" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Nanna (Old Norse) | Possibly "mother" from nanna, or potentially related to nanþ-, meaning "the daring one" | Baldr | Forseti | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Setre Comb | Æsir |
| Nehalennia (Latinized Germanic) | Possibly "she who is at the sea" | None attested | None attested | Votive altars discovered around what is now the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands | None, but share similarities with Jötunn |
| Nerthus (Latinized Germanic, from Proto-Germanic *Nerthuz) | Latinized form of what Old Norse Njörðr would have looked like around 1 CE. | None attested | None attested | Germania | None |
| Njörun (Old Norse) | Possibly related to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | Æsir |
| Norns (Old Norse) (Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld) | Unknown | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry | Nornir |
| Rán (Old Norse) | "Theft, robbery" | Ægir | Nine daughters | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna | Jötunn |
| Rindr (Old Norse) | Possibly related to *Vrindr | Odin | Váli | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum | Jötunn |
| Sága (Old Norse) | Possibly "to see" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry | Æsir |
| Sandraudiga (Latinized Germanic) | "She who dyes the sand red." | None attested | None attested | North Brabant stone | None |
| Sif (Old Norse) | "In-law-relationship" | Thor, unnamed jötunn | Ullr, Þrúðr, Lóriði | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Sigyn (Old Norse) | "Victorious girl-friend" | Loki | Nari, Narfi and/or Váli | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Sinthgunt (Old High German) | Contested | None attested | None attested | Second Merseburg Incantation | None |
| Sjöfn (Old Norse) | "Love" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Unknown, could be Æsir |
| Skaði (Old Norse) | Possibly related to Scandia. | Njörðr, Ullr, Odin | Sæmingr, possibly Ráðveig, possibly Kreppvör, possibly unnamed seven daughters | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga | Jötunn |
| Snotra (Old Norse) | "The clever one" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Æsir, although very similar to Vanir |
| Sól (Old Norse), Sunna (Old High German) | "Sun" (Gives her name to Sunday). | Glenr | Unnamed daughter | Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | None, but shares similarities with Vanir |
| Syn (Old Norse) | "Refusal" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda | Aesir, Disir, Matronae |
| Tamfana (Latinized Germanic) | Unknown | None attested | None attested | Germania, Tamfanae sacrum inscription | Unknown |
| Þrúðr (Old Norse) | "Power" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Karlevi Runestone | Æsir |
| Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Old Norse) | Literally "Þorgerðr Hölgi's Bride" | None attested | Hölgi, possibly others | Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga saga | Æsir |
| Vár (Old Norse) | "Beloved" | None attested | None attested | Poetic Edda, Prose Edda | Æsir |
| Vihansa (Latinized Germanic) | "War-goddess" | None attested | None attested | Votive stone from Belgium (CIL XIII 3592) | Unknown |
| Vör (Old Norse) | Possibly "the careful one" | None attested | None attested | Prose Edda, Poetic Edda Thrymsvitha | Æsir |
| Zisa | Possibly related to *Tiwaz | None attested | Possibly Tyr | Codex Monac, Codex Emmeran, and Suevicarum rerum scriptores | Unknown, could be Æsir |
Pseudo-deities and purported deities
- Astrild, a synonym for the Roman deity Amor or Cupid invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors
- Biel[de], a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
- Ercol, a synonym for the Roman deity Hercules used in King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version of Boethius de Consolatione Philosophiae
- Frau Berchta, a purported deity and female equivalent of Berchtold proposed by Jacob Grimm
- Holda, a purported deity proposed by Jacob Grimm
- Jecha, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
- Jofur, a synonym for the Roman deity Jupiter invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors
- Lahra, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
- Reto[de], a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
- Stuffo, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
Related deities
Notes
- Bellows, Henry Adams (Trans.) (1936). The Poetic Edda. Princeton University Press.
- Barnhart, Robert K (1995). The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology. HarperCollins ISBN 0-06-270084-7
- Grimm, Jacob (James Steven Stallybrass Trans.) (1888). Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix by James Stallybrass. Volume IV. London: George Bell and Sons.
- Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0
- Nordisk Familjebok (1916). Available online:
- North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-55183-8
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2
- Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1