hochgouez-nerzhus - Tumblr blog

hochgouez-nerzhus · 2 years

Text

Norse goddesses and figures I worship and work with. Please note that while I can provide sources upon request for most of this, some is insight from personal experience.

Angrboða. Frost Giant/Jotun and lover of Loki. Co-parent of Hela, Jörmungandr, and Fenrir. Not much is known about her unfortunately, though there is a piece of art called The Lady of the Beasts and many associate this with her.

Freyja. Vanir goddess. Sister/twin of Freyr and daughter of Njörðr. She is a goddess of battle and she, along with Odin, claims half the souls of the nobly deceased for her hall. She is a goddess of fertility and sexuality as well, and her chariot is driven by cats. Her love-life is a bit complicated (some believe her lover is the named Óðr while others think "Óðr" is another name for Odin, others still believe it to be her twin Freyr). She is also a goddess of magic and many think the witch who introduces magic into Asgard (in the tales, this witch is referred to as Gullveig) is actually her.

Frigg. Aesir goddess. Wife of Odin, mother of Baldr. Some believe her and Freyja to be the same goddess; I am not of this belief. Frigg is associated with weaving and it is said only she and the Norns know what is to come next in the tapestry of time and fate.

Hela. Goddess of Hel. Daughter of Loki and Angrboða. Hela is often depicted as having a half-corpse half-living appearance. Whether this is visualized in a skeletal means is up for interpretation (others find this visualizes more by means of rotting skin, though this is less frequent). Hela rules over the underworld, where souls who have died peacefully or of illness reside.*

Iðunn. Aesir goddess. Wife of Bragi. Iðunn is the keeper of the apples which maintain the other gods' vitality. She has an innocent, kind, and trusting nature. Unfortunately, Loki uses this to their advantage and kidnaps her on behalf of the Jotun Thiazi. She is ultimately returned to Asgard unharmed and is once more able to help the gods stay healthy and youthful.

Sif. Aesir goddess. Wife of Thor. Sif's main characteristic is her long, golden hair. Initially her head of hair is just figuratively gold, but through a mischievous series of events initiated by Loki, she eventually is gifted hair made of literal (magically light-weight) gold. Thor is very protective of Sif on several occasions and the relationship between them can be visualized as a thunderstorm nourishing a harvest with rainfall.

Sigyn. Goddess of unknown origin. Wife of Loki. Sigyn is a loyal, loving partner and she is the absolute essence of "ride or die." She and Loki parent two sons, Vali** and Nari, who are later killed as part of the binding of Loki. One is turned into a wolf, who slays the other, and then the wolf is killed. The wolf's intestines are used to tie Loki to a giant stone slab, where they are laid underneath a serpent. The serpent drips its venom onto Loki's forehead, causing Loki pain. Sigyn steps in and holds a bowl, preventing the venom from touching her partner's skin. This goes on until Loki's eventual escape and the commencement of Ragnarok.

Skaði. Joten warrior. Daughter of Thiazi and wife of Njörðr. She comes to Asgard to avenger her father's death but is mollified with the offer to choose her own husband. She immediately eyes Baldr, a very handsome god, but the other gods make it more interesting. She can only choose by the men's feet. She chooses the prettiest feet, assuming they'd belong to the prettiest man, but she is mistaken. The handsome feet belong to Njörðr and the two wed. She moves to the sea with him but the boat makes her sea-sick and the gulls keep her up all night. He then moves with her to the mountains, but the wolves keep him awake all night and he cannot stand the cold. Ultimately they decide to live separately, but it is a mutual and amicable decision.

*Please note this is a somewhat controversial topic and there are multiple viewpoints on the subject. I am personally of the opinion that if the person feels they have battled an illness like a warrior battles an invader, and they wish to go to Valhalla, then that will be the case. If the person feels they have battled an illness but wish to rest, then they may do so in Hel with honor and dignity. It is not for outside observers to decide.

**Please note this Vali is different from the Vali who slays Hoðr.

416 notes · View notes

hochgouez-nerzhus · 2 years

Video