9 worlds, vanaheim - February 22, 2021

Vanaheim: Realm of the Vanes

What does Vanaheim mean?

Vanaheim is the kingdom of the Vanesian gods located at
highest level of the Nine Worlds next to Asgard.

Only Snorri calls this the fictitious Vanes' home, where Njörð would have grown up, probably in order to create the counterpart of Ásgarð for the Vanes gods.

Who are the Vanes?

Vanes: (or Vanirs)
The Vanes were originally a group of Gods and Goddesses.
of fertility and wilderness, the enemies in arms of the Aesirian Warrior Gods.

They are regarded as the bearers of youth, health, and the
fertility, luck and wealth, as well as masters of witchcraft.

They live in Vanaheim.

They clashed with the Aesirs to establish a Divine supremacy but this
The only war between the Gods turned short, the Aesir and the Vanes could not be separated.

They then decided on a truce and to seal this peace pact, they decided to exchange some of them.

They sent Njord, Freyr and Freyja to the Aesir and the Aesir gave them the simpleton Honir and Mimir in place of Kvasir who was also given to the Aesir.

This exchange then provoked their anger and they beheaded Mimir and sent the head to Asgard.

However the conflict remained there and the war was over.

Little by little their influences faded and their history was lost forever, masked by that of the Aesir.

Notes : The distinction between these two divine branches has always been ambiguous even in the days when they were prayed to.

The theories of the texts of the XIIth century gathered by Snorri Sturluson raise the hypothesis
that the Aesir would in fact come from Asia.

Thor would have been the grandson of the king of Priam of Troy and Odin his descendant of the XII th generation!

Finally, the Vanes would have been the progenitors of the men living on the banks of the river.

River Don, also called Vanaquisl, but these hypotheses were abandoned as they were highly unlikely.

The Vanes would also reside in Thule.

Note: The Vanes were, however, rented by farmers who valued the fertility of Freyr, Freyja, and Njord.

Moreover, the word "Vanir" could derive from the Old Norse "Vinr", meaning "friends".