The Vanir are one of two groups of Gods in the Germanic pantheon (the other being Aesir), originating from the world of Vanaheim, and commonly holding domain over nature, fertility, and magic. 

The Vanir are only mentioned in Old Norse primary sources and not the broader corpus of continental Germanic or Anglo-Saxon lore.  This has led some scholars to speculate the idea of an Aesir-Vanir division is a later literary invention.  However, the battle between the Aesir and Vanir as recounted in the Voluspa strongly suggests an earlier time of Vanic worship being suppressed and supplanted by Aesir dominance; this makes more sense when looked at in the context of European history, where the indigenous Funnelbeaker/Ertebolle-era people had artifacts that suggest beings and practices associated with Vanir-worship, and were invaded by the migrating Proto-Germanic tribes.

According to the primary sources, there are three explicitly named Vanir: Frey, Freya, and Njord.  Snorri mentions Njord's sister-wife, who many scholars and Heathens agree is Nerthus, a Goddess mentioned by Tacitus.  Kvasir is another Deity named as Vanir, formed from the spittle of the Aesir-Vanir truce.  Of the three primary named Vanir, the names Frey and Freya mean "Lord" and "Lady" respectively, and the name "Njord" is of uncertain meaning.  Frey has domain over sunshine, rainfall, and the changing seasons.  He is associated with farming, and was called upon at weddings.  Njord, His father, is associated with fishing, and is noted for wisdom.  Freya is a Goddess of both love and war, as well as magic.  Both Frey and Freya were often depicted in antiquity in an explicitly sexual way.

It may be that there are a multitude of unnamed inhabitants of Vanaheim who are Powers of nature but largely unconcerned with interacting with humanity at this point in time.  However, many who identify as Vanatru, through esoteric work, have discovered there are Gods mentioned in the primary sources who fit the Vanic type very well, and more so for having a vague reference to lineage or none at all.

Finally, a note should be made with regards to the elves.  Frey is said to rule over the light-elves, who seem to be similar to but not the same as the Vanir.  The Vanir and the elves are probably related in the same way that the Aesir and giants are related; most Aesir are of giant lineage and the thing that differentiates between a God and a giant seems to be function and alignment, not lineage.  We can by comparison assume that the Vanir as a whole are Powers of the "really big" things of nature - birth and death cycles of entire ecosystems, weather patterns - and the elves are helpers for "smaller" things - plant growth, guardians of a specific bio-region.


© 2009 Svartesól.