Name Description
      AesirChief gods of Asgard; one of two groups of gods, the Aesir and the
      Vanir
      AndvariDwarf; robbed of gold and magic ring by Loki
      Angerbotha(Angerboda, Angrboda)Giantess; mother by Loki of Fenrir, Hel,
      and Jormungand
      Asgard (Asgarth)Abode of the Aesir gods
      AskFirst man; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur
      AsynjurGoddesses of Asgard
      AtliSecond husband of Gudrun; invited Gunnar and Hogni to his court, where
      they were slain; slain by Gudrun
      Audhumia (Audhambla, Audhumla)Cow that nourished Ymir, whom she created by
      licking ice cliff
      Balder (Baldur, Baldr)God of light, spring, peace, joy; son of Odin;
      inadvertently slain by Hod at instigation of Loki
      BergelmirFrost giant who, with his wife, was the only giant to survive
      death of Ymir
      BifrostRainbow bridge connecting Midgard and Asgard
      Bor (Bur)Son of Buri; father of Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur
      BragiGod of poetry
      BranstockGreat oak in hall of Volsungs; into it, Odin thrust the magic
      sword Gram, which only Sigmund could draw forth
      BrynhildValkyrie; wakened from magic sleep by Sigurd; married Gunnar;
      instigated death of Sigurd; killed herself and was burned on pyre beside
      Sigurd
      Buri (Bori, Bure)Progenitor of gods; father of Bor; created by Audhumia
      EinherjarThe chosen slain, whose souls dwelled in Valhalla
      EmblaFirst woman; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur
      FafnirSon of Hreidmar, whom he slew for gold in Otter's skin; in form of
      dragon, guarded gold; slain by Sigurd
      FenrirWolf; offspring of Loki; posed a threat to the gods until they were
      able to restrain him
      Forseti (Forsete)Son of Balder; god of justice and conciliation
      Frey (Freyr)God of wealth and crops; son of Njord; originally one of Vanir
      Freya (Freyja, Frea)Goddess of love and beauty; sister of Frey; originally
      one of Vanir
      Frigg (Frigga)Chief goddess; goddess of marriage; wife of Odin
      GarmWatchdog of Hel
      GerdWife of Frey; the most beautiful of all women
      GimleHome of blessed after Ragnarok
      GinnungagapYawning chasm that existed at the beginning of the universe;
      within it were Niflheim and Muspelheim
      Gladsheim (Glathsehim)Hall of the gods in Asgard
      GleipnirMagic cord used to shackle Fenrir
      GrimhildMother of Gudrun; administered magic
      GudrunDaughter of Giuki; wife of Sigurd; later wife of Atli and Jonakr
      GunnarSon of Giuki; in his semblance Sigurd won Brynhild for him; slain at
      hall of Atli
      GuttormSon of Giuki; slew Sigurd at Brynhild's request
      Heimdall (Heimdallr)Guardian of Asgard; son of Odin
      HelGoddess of the dead and queen of the underworld; daughter of Loki
      HelA realm of the dead within the underworld; a place of fog and intense
      cold
      HermodMessenger of the gods; son of Odin and Frigg
      HiordisWife of Sigmund; mother of Sigurd
      Hod (Hoder, Hodur)Blind god of night and darkness; tricked by Loki into
      slaying Balder
      HoenirOne of the creators of Ask and Embla; son of Bor
      HreidmarFather of Regin, Otter, and Fafnir; demanded Otter's skin be
      filled with gold; slain by Fafnir, who stole the gold
      Idunn (Ithun, Iduna)Keeper of the golden apples of youth; wife of Bragi
      JonakrThird husband of Gudrun
      JormungandMidgard Serpent; chief enemy of Thor; symbol of evil
      JormunrekSlayer of Swanhild; slain by sons of Gudrun
      JotunRace of giants
      Jotunheim (Jotunnheim, Jotunheimr)Abode of the giants
      Lif and LifthrasirFirst man and woman after Ragnarok
      LokiGod of evil and mischief; instigator of Balder's death
      Lothur (Lodur)One of the creators of Ask and Embla
      ManiBeing who drove the moon; brother of Sol
      Midgard (Midgarth)Abode of humans; the Earth
      MimirGiant; guardian of the well in Jotunheim at root of Yggdrasil; had
      immense wisdom and knowledge of past, present, and future
      MjolnirMagic hammer of Thor
      MuspelheimHot, glowing land of fire in the south of Ginnungagap
      NaglfarShip to be used by giants in attacking Asgard at Ragnarok; built
      from nails of dead men
      NannaWife of Balder
      NibelungsDwellers in northern kingdom ruled by Giuki
      Niflheim (Nifelheim)Outer region of cold and darkness; site of Hel, the
      land of the dead
      Njord (Njorth; Njordr)Father of Frey and Freya; originally one of the
Vanir
      NottGiantess; personification of night
      NornsDemigoddesses of fate; Urd (Urdr), the past; Verdande, the present;
      Skuld, the future
      Odin (Othin)Chief of the Aesir; creator of the world with Vili and Ve;
      equivalent to Woden (Wodan, Wotan) in Teutonic mythology
      OtterSon of Hreidmar; slain by Loki; his skin was filled with the gold
      hoard of Andvari to appease Rodmar
      RagnarokFinal destruction of the present world in battle between gods and
      giants; some minor gods would survive, and Lif and Lifthrasir would
      repeople the world
      ReginBlacksmith; son of Hreidmar; foster father of Sigurd
      RerirKing of the Huns; son of Sigi
      SifWife of Thor; goddess of grain and fertility
      SiggeirKing of the Goths; husband of Signy; he and his sons slew Volsung
      and his sons, except Sigmund; slain by Sigmund and Sinflotli
      SigiKing of Huns; son of Odin
      SigmundSon of Volsung; brother of Signy, who bore him Sinflotli; husband
      of Hiordis, who bore him Sigurd
      SignyDaughter of Volsung; sister of Sigmund; wife of Siggeir; mother by
      Sigmund of Sinflotli
      SigurdSon of Sigmund and Hiordis; wakened Brynhild from a magic sleep;
      married Gudrun; slain by Guttorm at instigation of Brynhild
      SigynWife of Loki
      SinflotliSon of Sigmund and Signy
      SkidbladnirMagic ship made by dwarfs and owned by Frey; could be folded up
      like a handkerchief
      Sleipnir (Sleipner)Eight-legged horse of Odin
      SolBeing who drove the sun; sister of Mani
      Surt (Surtr)Fire demon; would slay Frey at Ragnarok
      SvartalfaheimAbode of dwarfs
      SwanhildDaughter of Sigurd and Gudrun; slain by Jormunrek
      ThorGod of thunder; oldest son of Odin; equivalent to Germanic deity Donar
      TyrGod of war; son of Odin; equivalent to Tiw in Teutonic mythology
      Ull (Ullr)Hunter god; son of Sif; stepson of Thor
      Valhalla (Valhall)Great hall in Asgard where Odin received souls of heroes
      killed in battle (Einherjar)
      ValiOdin's son; Ragnarok survivor
      ValkyriesVirgins, messengers of Odin, who selected souls of heroes who
      died in battle and took them to Valhalla
      VanirOne of the two races of gods; three survivors, Njord, Frey, and
      Freya, are associated with Aesir
      VeBrother of Odin; one of the creators of the world
      Vidar (Vithar)Son of Odin; survivor of Ragnarok
      ViliBrother of Odin; one of the creators of the world
      VingolfAbode of goddesses in Asgard
      VolsungDescendant of Odin, and father of Signy and Sigmund; his
      descendants were called Volsungs
      YggdrasilGiant ash tree springing from the body of Ymir and supporting the
      universe; its roots extended to Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim
      Ymir (Aurgelmir)Primeval frost giant killed by Odin, Vili, and Ve; world
      was created from his body; also, from his body sprang Yggdrasil
Troth of Odin  The Norse Gods
Index 9
1