There are some who identify as Vanatru who feel very strongly that Heimdall is one of the Vanir, and some who feel that Heimdall is not Vanir at all.  In a Vanic practice it is important to identify who is Vanir and who is not.  So, we will explore who Heimdall is, and what it means for being counted among the Vanir:

Heimdallr is the name of one: he is called the White God. He is great and holy; nine maids, all sisters, bore him for a son. He is also called Hallinskídi (Bent Stick) and Gullintanni (Gold-Teeth); his teeth were of gold, and his horse is called Gold-top. He dwells in the place called Himinbjörg (Sky-Mountain) hard by Bifröst: he is the warder of the gods, and sits there by heaven’s end to guard the bridge from the Hill-Giants. He needs less sleep than a bird; he sees equally well night and day a hundred leagues from him, and hears how grass grows on the earth or wool on sheep, and everything that has a louder sound. He has that trumpet which is called Gjallar-Horn, and its blast is heard throughout all worlds. Heimdallr’s sword is called Head. It is said further:

Himinbjörg ‘t is called, where Heimdallr, they say,
Aye has his housing;
There the gods’ sentinel drinks in his snug hall
Gladly good mead.

And furthermore, he himself says in Heimdalar-galðr:

I am of nine mothers the offspring,
Of sisters nine am I the son.
Gylfaginning

It is noted by H.R. Ellis Davidson that Þrymskviða 15 says “Then Heimdall spoke,  whitest of the Æsir | Like the other Vanir he knew the future well.“  From this, we can infer a possible connection with the Vanir.  There are also certain qualities Heimdall has that can be described as Vanic.

It’s worth noting that one of Freya’s names is Mardoll, which is similar to Heimdall, “Heim” means “home” and “Mar” is “sea”, and the -doll/-dall suffix seems to be related to the Norse “-dal” meaning “dales”, and it seems Freya’s connection with the sea would also connect Her with Heimdall. Indeed, Heimdall at one point fought with Loki for Freya’s Brisingamen necklace, which is something a brother, relative, or close friend would do.  And to further connect these Deities with the sea, and possibly by blood, it is stated in Lokasenna that Njord had kinky sex with the nine daughters of Ran and Aegir, who are Heimdall’s mothers:

Be silent, Niörd!
Thou wast sent eastward hence,
a hostage from the gods.
Hýmir´s daughter had thee
for a utensil,
and flowed into thy mouth.
Lokasenna 34

Moreover, Heimdall has gold teeth, and the Vanes do indeed have a connection with all things gold, evidenced by Frey (boar, crops), Freya (Brisingamen), Sif (hair, crops), and Idunna (apples).  Finally, His senses are noted as being the most acute of any Deity, and the Vanir are not only very sensual but seem to notice the fine details in the bigger picture.  He wields a sword, which is a weapon also wielded by Frey prior to giving it as Gerda’s bride-price.

However, even with these characteristics present, there is also a case to be made that Heimdall is wholly of the Aesir. Here is more on Heimdall, from the Prose Edda:

How should one periphrase Heimdallr? By calling him Son of Nine Mothers, or Watchman of the Gods, as already has been written; or White God, Foe of Loki, Seeker of Freya’s Necklace. A sword is called Heimdalir’s Head: for it is said that he was pierced by a man’s head. The tale thereof is told in Heimdalar-galdr; and ever since a head is called Heimdallr’s Measure; a sword is called Man’s Measure. Heimdallr is the Possessor of Gulltoppr; he is also Frequenter of Vágasker and Singasteinn, where he contended with Loki for the Necklace Brisinga-men, he is also called Vindlér. Ùlfr Uggasòn composed a long passage in the Húsdrápa on that legend, and there it is written that they were in the form of seals. Heimdallr also is son of Odin.
Skaldskaparsmal VIII.

It explicitly states here that Heimdall is son of Odin.  Of course, Snorri is also the same author who said the Norse Gods are from Troy, and promoted the Adam and Eve creation story, and in one of his accounts Odin is Thor’s father, in another Thor is Odin’s father.  So Snorri is not necessarily the most reliable source on lineage of Deities, however it is noted in the Poetic Edda poem Rigsthula:

In ancient Sagas it is related that one of the Æsir named Heimdall, being on a journey to a certain sea-shore, came to a village, where he called himself Rig.

Rig is Heimdall, not Odin as some have erroneously claimed, and it makes sense that the warder of the Bifrost bridge, between Midgard and Asgard, would be especially invested in humanity.  While Rigsthula has been dismissed by some modern Heathens as racist or classist, I personally don’t see it that way.  The thing that stands out to me in this tale is we can’t all do everything we want, we do have limitations based in nature, nurture, and willingness of effort, with how far we can go in the world and achieve.  But, this is OK as there is no shame in the lowlier jobs in life, so long as it’s honest work – all have connection to Rig and the Gods don’t make junk.  Heimdall as Rig was fair and kind to the human families he stayed with, to the lines He produced, and so whatever our lot in life, we should not put ourselves down or look badly at others for being rich or poor.

But indeed, Rig-Heimdall contributing to the societal structure strikes me as very Aesic, as the Vanir seem more egalitarian, when the population was a lot smaller and there was less diversity in what people did for careers – basically the job back then was to help with the farming in some way; the Aesir are Gods of “civilization”.  Heimdall’s primary job as the warder of the Bifrost bridge is very much like that of a Divine policeman.  Not that the Vanir can’t be protective and even aggressive if need be, and the Vanic form of aggression seems to be that of defending home and family – but a primary position as a defensive/protective Deity is not characteristically Vanic.

I don’t get the “feeling” that Heimdall is Vanic, although I’m willing to concede a strong argument can be made either way for or against, and I’m also of the opinion that even if Heimdall is not one of the Vanir, He is well-loved by Them, especially Freya.  I myself have a good relationship with Him as do several of my Vanic-leaning friends.  So, to call Heimdall with the Vanir in a Vanic-specific ritual, He gets along well with Them, His general good will is compatible with Vanic energies and workings, and it is not as big of an issue as mistaking, say, Odin or Thor as one of the Vanir.  That being said, Heimdall calls few to His patronage, since He is very busy and His standards are quite high, and as such His manifestations in Middle-Earth are few and far between.

© 2009 Svartesól.