In
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...
, Njörðr (
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
: ) is a god among the
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; Old Norse:, singular Vanr) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the ...
. Njörðr, father of the deities
Freyr
Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested Æsir, god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, prosperity, fair weather, and good harvest. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was ...
and
Freyja
In Norse mythology, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a char ...
by
his unnamed sister, was in an ill-fated marriage with the goddess
Skaði
In Norse mythology, Skaði (; Old Norse: ; sometimes anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a jötunn and Æsir, goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Skaði is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 1 ...
,
lives in
Nóatún and is associated with the sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility.
Njörðr is attested in the ''
Poetic Edda
The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the ''
Prose Edda
The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' () or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often considered to have been to some exten ...
'', written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
, in
euhemerized form as a beloved mythological early king of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in ''
Heimskringla'', also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, as one of three gods invoked in the 14th century ''
Hauksbók
Hauksbók (; 'Book of Haukr') is a 14th-century Icelandic manuscript created by Haukr Erlendsson. Significant portions of it are lost, but it contains the earliest copies of many of the texts it contains, including the '' Saga of Eric the Red''. ...
''
ring oath, and in numerous
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n
place names
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...
. Veneration of Njörðr survived into the 18th or 19th century
Norwegian folk practice, where the god is recorded as Njor and thanked for a bountiful catch of fish.
Njörðr has been the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse and theory, often connecting him with the figure of the much earlier attested Germanic goddess
Nerthus
In Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with a ceremonial wagon procession. Nerthus is attested by first century A.D. Roman historian Tacitus in his ethnographic work ''Germania''.
In ''Germania'', Tacitus records that a group of G ...
, the hero
Hadingus, and theorizing on his formerly more prominent place in
Norse paganism
Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic paganism, Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse language, Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into Germanic peoples, distinc ...
due to the appearance of his name in numerous place names. ''Njörðr'' is sometimes modernly
anglicized
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as Njord, Njoerd, or Njorth.
Name and eponyms
The name ''Njörðr'' corresponds to that of the older Germanic fertility goddess ''
Nerthus
In Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with a ceremonial wagon procession. Nerthus is attested by first century A.D. Roman historian Tacitus in his ethnographic work ''Germania''.
In ''Germania'', Tacitus records that a group of G ...
'' (early 1st c. CE). Both derive from the
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...
theonym
A theonym (from Greek (), 'god', attached to (), ) is a proper name of a deity.
Theonymy, the study of divine proper names, is a branch of onomastics, the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. Theonymy helps develop an und ...
''*Nerþuz''.
The original meaning of the name is contested, but it may be related to the Irish word ''nert'' which means "force" and "power". It has been suggested that the change of sex from the female ''Nerthus'' to the male ''Njörðr'' is due to the fact that feminine nouns with u-stems disappeared early in Germanic language while the masculine nouns with u-stems prevailed. However, other scholars hold the change to be based not on grammatical gender but on the evolution of religious beliefs; that *Nerþuz and Njörðr appear as different genders because they are to be considered separate beings.
[Hellquist (1922:519)] The name ''Njörðr'' may be related to the name of the Norse goddess
Njörun
In Norse mythology, Njörun (Old Norse: ''Njǫrun'' , sometimes modernly anglicized as ''Niorun'') is a goddess attested in the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and various kennings (including once in the ''Poetic Ed ...
.
[Jónsson (1913:110) and Magnússon (1989:671).]
Njörðr's name appears in various place names in Scandinavia, such as ''Nærdhæwi'' (now Nalavi,
Närke
Närke () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the sou ...
), ''Njærdhavi'' (now Mjärdevi,
Linköping
Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...
; both using the religious term
vé), ''Nærdhælunda'' (now Närlunda,
Helsingborg
Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
), ''Nierdhatunum'' (now Närtuna,
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.
The name literally ...
) in Sweden,
[ Njarðvík in southwest Iceland, Njarðarlög and Njarðey (now Nærøya) in Norway.][Vigfússon (1874:456).] Njörðr's name appears in a word for sponge
Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...
; ''Njarðarvöttr'' (Old Norse: , "Njörðr's glove"). Additionally, in Old Icelandic translations of Classical mythology
Classical mythology, also known as Greco-Roman mythology or Greek and Roman mythology, is the collective body and study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. Mythology, along with philosophy and political thought, is one of the m ...
the Roman god Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...
's name is glossed as "Njörðr".
Attestations
''Poetic Edda''
Njörðr is described as a future survivor of Ragnarök in stanza 39 of the poem '' Vafþrúðnismál''. In the poem, the god Odin
Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
, disguised as " Gagnráðr" faces off with the wise jötunn Vafþrúðnir in a battle of wits. While Odin states that Vafþrúðnir knows all the fates of the gods, Odin asks Vafþrúðnir "from where Njörðr came to the sons of the Æsir", that Njörðr rules over quite a lot of temples and hörgrs (a type of Germanic altar), and further adds that Njörðr was not raised among the Æsir. In response, Vafþrúðnir says:
In Vanaheim the wise Powers made him
and gave him as hostage to the gods;
at the doom of men he will come back
home among the wise Vanir.[Larrington (1999:46).]
In stanza 16 of the poem '' Grímnismál'', Njörðr is described as having a hall in Nóatún made for himself. The stanza describes Njörðr as a "prince of men", that he is "lacking in malice", and that he "rules over the "high-timbered temple."[Larrington (1999:54).] In stanza 43, the creation of the god Freyr's ship Skíðblaðnir is recounted, and Freyr is cited as the son of Njörðr.[Larrington (1999:58).] In the prose introduction to the poem '' Skírnismál'', Freyr is mentioned as the son of Njörðr, and stanza 2 cites the goddess Skaði
In Norse mythology, Skaði (; Old Norse: ; sometimes anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a jötunn and Æsir, goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Skaði is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 1 ...
as the mother of Freyr.[Larrington (1999:61).] Further in the poem, Njörðr is again mentioned as the father of Freyr in stanzas 38, 39, and 41.[Larrington (1999:67).]
In the late flyting poem ''Lokasenna
''Lokasenna'' (Old Norse: 'The Flyting of Loki', or 'Loki's Verbal Duel') is one of the poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. The poem presents flyting between the gods and Loki. It is written in the ljóðaháttr metre, typical for wisdom verse. ''L ...
'', an exchange between Njörðr and Loki
Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
occurs in stanzas 33, 34, 35, and 36. After Loki has an exchange with the goddess Freyja, in stanza 33 Njörðr states:
That's harmless, if, besides a husband, a woman has
a lover or someone else;
what is surprising is a pervert god coming in here,
who has borne children.[Larrington (1999:90).]
Loki responds in the stanza 34, stating that "from here you were sent east as hostage to the gods" (a reference to the Æsir-Vanir War) and that "the daughters of Hymir
Hymir (Old Norse: ) is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the owner of a brewing- cauldron fetched by the thunder god Thor for Ægir, who wants to hold a feast for the Æsir (gods). In ''Hymiskviða'', Hymir is portrayed as the father of Týr, ...
used you as a pisspot, and pissed in your mouth."[ In stanza 35, Njörðr responds that:
]
That was my reward, when I, from far away,
was sent as a hostage to the gods,
that I fathered that son, whom no one hates
and is thought the prince of the Æsir
Æsir (Old Norse; singular: ) or ēse (Old English; singular: ) are deities, gods in Germanic paganism. In Old Nordic religion and Nordic mythology, mythology, the precise meaning of the term "" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods i ...
.
Loki tells Njörðr to "stop" and "keep some moderation", and that he "won't keep it a secret any longer" that Njörðr's son Freyr was produced with his unnamed sister, "though you'd expect him to be worse than he is." The god Tyr then interjects and the flyting continues in turn.[
Njörðr is referenced in stanza 22 of the poem '']Þrymskviða
''Þrymskviða'' (Þrym's Poem; the name can be Old Norse orthography, anglicised as ''Thrymskviða'', ''Thrymskvitha'', ''Thrymskvidha'' or ''Thrymskvida'') is one of the best known poems from the ''Poetic Edda''. The Norse mythology, Norse my ...
'', where he is referred to as the father of the goddess Freyja. In the poem, the jötunn Þrymr mistakenly thinks that he will be receiving the goddess Freyja as his bride, and while telling his fellow jötunn to spread straw on the benches in preparation for the arrival of Freyja, he refers to her as the daughter of Njörðr of Nóatún.[Larrington (1999:100).] Towards the end of the poem '' Sólarljóð'', Njörðr is cited as having nine daughters. Two of the names of these daughters are given; the eldest Ráðveig and the youngest Kreppvör.[Thorpe (1907:120).]
''Prose Edda''
Njörðr is also mentioned in the ''Prose Edda'' books ''Gylfaginning
''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first main part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'', after the initial Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' takes the form of ...
'' and ''Skáldskaparmál
''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'Poetic Diction' or 'The Language of Poetry'; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda'', compiled by Snorri Sturluson. It consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bra ...
''.
''Gylfaginning''
In the ''Prose Edda'', Njörðr is introduced in chapter 23 of the book ''Gylfaginning''. In this chapter, Njörðr is described by the enthroned figure of High as living in the heavens at Nóatún, but also as ruling over the movement of the winds, having the ability to calm both sea and fire, and that he is to be invoked in seafaring and fishing. High continues that Njörðr is very wealthy and prosperous, and that he can also grant wealth in land and valuables to those who request his aid. Njörðr originates from Vanaheimr and is devoid of Æsir stock, and he is described as having been traded with Hœnir in hostage exchange with between the Æsir and Vanir.[Byock (2006:33–34).]
High further states that Njörðr's wife is Skaði, that she is the daughter of the jötunn Þjazi, and recounts a tale involving the two. High recalls that Skaði wanted to live in the home once owned by her father called Þrymheimr ("Thunder Home"). However, Njörðr wanted to live nearer to the sea. Subsequently, the two made an agreement that they would spend nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
nights in Þrymheimr and then next three nights in Nóatún (or nine winters in Þrymheimr and another nine in Nóatún according to the ''Codex Regius
Codex Regius (, "Royal Book" or "King's Book"; ) or GKS 2365 4º is an Icelandic codex in which many Old Norse poems from the ''Poetic Edda'' are preserved. Thought to have been written during the 1270s, it is made up of 45 vellum
Vellum ...
'' manuscript[Byock (2006:141).]). However, when Njörðr returned from the mountains to Nóatún, he says:
Hateful for me are the mountains,
I was not long there,
only nine nights.
The howling of the wolves
sounded ugly to me
after the song of the swans.
Skaði then responds:
Sleep I could not
on the sea beds
for the screeching of the bird.
That gull wakes me
when from the wide sea
he comes each morning.
High states that afterward Skaði went back up to the mountains to Þrymheimr and recites a stanza where Skaði skis around, hunts animals with a bow, and lives in her fathers old house.[ Chapter 24 begins, which describes Njörðr as the father of two beautiful and powerful children: Freyr and Freyja.][Byock (2006:35).] In chapter 37, after Freyr has spotted the beautiful jötunn Gerðr
In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse: ; "fenced-in"Orchard (1997:54).) is a jötunn, Æsir, goddess, and the wife of the god Freyr. Gerðr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ''P ...
, he becomes overcome with sorrow, and refuses to sleep, drink, or talk. Njörðr then sends for Skírnir to find out who he seems to be so angry at, and, not looking forward to being treated roughly, Skírnir reluctantly goes to Freyr.[Byock (2006:45).]
''Skáldskaparmál''
Njörðr is introduced in ''Skáldskaparmál
''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'Poetic Diction' or 'The Language of Poetry'; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda'', compiled by Snorri Sturluson. It consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bra ...
'' within a list of 12 Æsir attending a banquet held for Ægir. Further in ''Skáldskaparmál'', the skald
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...
ic god Bragi
Bragi (Old Norse) is the skaldic god of poetry in Norse mythology.
Etymology
The theonym Bragi probably stems from the masculine noun ''bragr'', which can be translated in Old Norse as 'poetry' (cf. Icelandic ''bragur'' 'poem, melody, wise' ...
recounts the death of Skaði's father Þjazi by the Æsir. As one of the three acts of reparation performed by the Æsir for Þjazi's death, Skaði was allowed by the Æsir to choose a husband from amongst them, but given the stipulation that she may not see any part of them but their feet when making the selection. Expecting to choose the god Baldr
Baldr (Old Norse also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, he is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was known in ...
by the beauty of the feet she selects, Skaði instead finds that she has picked Njörðr.
In chapter 6, a list of kenning
A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single-word noun. For instance, the Old English kenning () means , as does ().
A kenning has two parts: a base-word (a ...
s is provided for Njörðr: "God of chariots", "Descendant of Vanir", "a Van", father of Freyr and Freyja, and "the giving God". This is followed by an excerpt from a composition by the 11th century skald
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...
Þórðr Sjáreksson
Þórðr Sjáreksson was an 11th-century Icelandic skald. He composed a ''drápa'' on Þórólfr Skólmsson, four strophes of which have been preserved in the kings' sagas. He also composed a memorial ''drápa'' on the canonised Olaf II of Norway, ...
, explained as containing a reference to Skaði leaving Njörðr:
Gundrun became her son's slayer; the wise god-bride kadicould not love the Van; Kialar dintrained horses pretty well; Hamdir is said not to have held back sword-play.
Chapter 7 follows and provides various kennings for Freyr, including referring to him as the son of Njörðr. This is followed by an excerpt from a work by the 10th-century skald Egill Skallagrímsson that references Njörðr (here anglicized as "Niord"):
For Freyr and Niord have endowed Griotbiorn with a power of wealth.
In chapter 20, "daughter of Njörðr" is given as a kenning for Freyja. In chapter 33, Njörðr is cited among the gods attending a banquet held by Ægir. In chapter 37, Freyja is again referred to as Njörðr's daughter in a verse by the 12th century skald Einarr Skúlason. In chapter 75, Njörðr is included in a list of the Æsir. Additionally, ''Njörðr'' is used in kennings for "warrior" or "warriors" various times in ''Skáldskaparmál''.
''Heimskringla''
Njörðr appears in or is mentioned in three Kings' sagas
Kings' sagas (, , ) are Old Norse sagas which principally tell of the lives of semi-legendary and legendary (mythological, fictional) Nordic kings, also known as saga kings. They were composed during the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, ...
collected in ''Heimskringla''; ''Ynglinga saga
''Ynglinga saga'' ( ) is a Kings' sagas, Kings' saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelanders, Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It is the first section of his ''Heimskringla''. It was first translated into Engl ...
'', the ''Saga of Hákon the Good'' and the ''Saga of Harald Graycloak''. In chapter 4 of ''Ynglinga saga'', Njörðr is introduced in connection with the Æsir-Vanir War. When the two sides became tired of war, they came to a peace agreement and exchanged hostages. For their part, the Vanir send to the Æsir their most "outstanding men"; Njörðr, described as wealthy, and Freyr, described as his son, in exchange for the Æsir's Hœnir. Additionally, the Æsir send Mímir in exchange for the wise Kvasir
In Norse mythology, Kvasir (Old Norse: ) was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Gal ...
.[Hollander (2007:8).]
Further into chapter 4, Odin appoints Njörðr and Freyr as priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
of sacrificial offerings, and they became gods among the Æsir. Freyja is introduced as a daughter of Njörðr, and as the priestess at the sacrifices. In the saga, Njörðr is described as having once wed his unnamed sister while he was still among the Vanir, and the couple produced their children Freyr and Freyja from this union, though this custom was forbidden among the Æsir.
Chapter 5 relates that Odin gave all of his temple priests dwelling places and good estates, in Njörðr's case being Nóatún.[Hollander (2007:10).] Chapter 8 states that Njörðr married a woman named Skaði, though she would not have intercourse with him. Skaði then marries Odin, and the two had numerous sons.[Hollander (2007:12).]
In chapter 9, Odin dies and Njörðr takes over as ruler of the Swedes, and he continues the sacrifices. The Swedes recognize him as their king, and pay him tribute. Njörðr's rule is marked with peace and many great crops, so much so that the Swedes believed that Njörðr held power over the crops and over the prosperity of mankind. During his rule, most of the Æsir die, their bodies are burned, and sacrifices are made by men to them. Njörðr has himself "marked for" Odin and he dies in his bed. Njörðr's body is burnt by the Swedes, and they weep heavily at his tomb. After Njörðr's reign, his son Freyr replaces him, and he is greatly loved and "blessed by good seasons like his father."[Hollander (2007:13).]
In chapter 14 of ''Saga of Hákon the Good'' a description of the pagan Germanic custom of Yule
Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern ...
is given. Part of the description includes a series of toasts. The toasts begin with Odin's toasts, described as for victory and power for the king, followed by Njörðr and Freyr's toast, intended for good harvests and peace (). Following this, a beaker is drunk for the king, and then a toast is given for departed kin.[Hollander (2007:107).] Chapter 28 quotes verse where the kenning "Njörðr-of-roller-horses" is used for "sailor".[Hollander (2007:119).] In the ''Saga of Harald Graycloak'', a stanza is given of a poem entitled ''Vellekla'' ("Lack of Gold") by the 10th century Icelandic skald
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...
Einarr skálaglamm that mentions Njörðr in a kenning for "warrior".[Hollander (2007:135).]
''Egils saga''
In chapter 80 of the 13th century Icelandic saga '' Egils saga'', Egill Skallagrímsson composes a poem in praise of Arinbjörn ('' Arinbjarnarkviða''). In stanza 17, Egill writes that all others watch in marvel how Arinbjörn gives out wealth, as he has been so endowed by the gods Freyr and Njörðr.[Scudder (2001:163)]
Modern era folk practice
Veneration of Njörðr survived into 18th or 19th century Norwegian folk practice, as recorded in a tale collected by Halldar O. Opedal from an informant in Odda
Odda () is a list of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Hordaland counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality i ...
, Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...
, Norway. The informant comments on a family tradition in which the god is thanked for a bountiful catch of fish:
The old folk olk in the olden days?were always rather lucky when they went fishing. One night old Gunnhild Reinsnos (born in 1746) and Johannes Reinsnos were fishing in the Sjosavatn. They had taken a torch and were fishing with live bait. The fish bit well, and it wasn't long before Gunnhild had a week's supply of fish for her pot. So she wound her line around her rod with the words: "Thanks be to him, to Njor, for this time."
Scholar Georges Dumézil
Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French Philology, philologist, Linguistics, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and comparative mythology, mythology. He was a prof ...
further cites various tales of "sea people" () who govern over sea weather, wealth, or, in some incidents, give magic boats, and proposes that they are historically connected to Njörðr.
Scholastic reception
Nerthus
Njörðr is often identified with the goddess Nerthus
In Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with a ceremonial wagon procession. Nerthus is attested by first century A.D. Roman historian Tacitus in his ethnographic work ''Germania''.
In ''Germania'', Tacitus records that a group of G ...
, whose reverence by various Germanic tribes
The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts ...
is described by Roman historian Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.
Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...
in his 1st CE century work ''Germania
Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...
''. The connection between the two is due to the linguistic relationship between ''Njörðr'' and the reconstructed ''*Nerþuz'', "Nerthus" being the feminine, Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
ized form of what ''Njörðr'' would have looked like around 1 CE. This has led to theories about the relation of the two, including that Njörðr may have once been a hermaphroditic god or, generally considered more likely, that the name may indicate an otherwise unattested divine brother and sister pair such as Freyr and Freyja. Consequently, Nerthus has been identified with Njörðr's unnamed sister with whom he had Freyja and Freyr, which is mentioned in ''Lokasenna''.
Bieka-Galles
In Saami mythology, Bieka-Galles (or Biega-, Biegga-Galles, depending on dialect; "The Old Man of the Winds") is a deity who rules over rain and wind, and is the subject of boat and wooden shovel (or, rather, oar) offerings. Due to similarities in between descriptions of Njörðr in ''Gylfaginning'' and descriptions of Bieka-Galles in 18th century missionary reports, Axel Olrik
Axel Olrik (3 July 1864 – 17 February 1917) was a Denmark, Danish folklore, folklorist and scholar of mediaeval historiography, and a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative.
Olrik was born in Frederiksberg, the son of the artist H ...
identified this deity as the result of influence from the seafaring North Germanic peoples
North Germanic peoples, Nordic peoples and in a medieval context Norsemen, were a Germanic peoples, Germanic linguistic group originating from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are identified by their cultural similarities, common ancestry and com ...
on the landbound Saami.
Hadingus
Parallels have been pointed out between Njörðr and the figure of Hadingus, attested in book I of Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
' 13th century work '' Gesta Danorum''. Some of these similarities include that, in parallel to Skaði and Njörðr in ''Skáldskaparmál'', Hadingus is chosen by his wife Ragnhild after selecting him from other men at a banquet by his lower legs, and, in parallel to Skaði and Njörðr in ''Gylfaginning'', Hadingus complains in verse of his displeasure at his life away from the sea and how he is disturbed by the howls of wolves, while his wife Regnhild complains of life at the shore and states her annoyance at the screeching sea birds. Georges Dumézil
Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French Philology, philologist, Linguistics, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and comparative mythology, mythology. He was a prof ...
theorized that in the tale Hadingus passes through all three functions of his trifunctional hypothesis
The trifunctional hypothesis of prehistoric Proto-Indo-European society postulates a tripartite ideology ("''idéologie tripartite''") reflected in the existence of three social classes or castes—clergy, priests, warriors, and commoners (farme ...
, before ending as an Odinic hero, paralleling Njörðr's passing from the Vanir to the Æsir in the Æsir-Vanir War.
Svafrþorinn
In stanza 8 of the poem " Fjölsvinnsmál", Svafrþorinn is stated as the father of Menglöð by an unnamed mother, who the hero Svipdagr seeks. Menglöð has often been theorized as the goddess Freyja, and according to this theory, Svafrþorinn would therefore be Njörðr. The theory is complicated by the etymology of the name ''Svafrþorinn'' (''þorinn'' meaning "brave" and ''svafr'' means "gossip") (or possibly connects to ''sofa'' "sleep"), which Rudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author ...
says makes little sense when attempting to connect it to Njörðr.
Modern influence
Njörðr has been the subject of an amount of artistic depictions. Depictions include ''Freyr und Gerda; Skade und Niurd'' (drawing, 1883) by K. Ehrenberg, ''Njörðr'' (1893) by Carl Frederick von Saltza, ''Skadi'' (1901) by E. Doepler d. J., and ''Njörd's Desire of the Sea'' (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.
Njörðr is one of the incarnated gods in the New Zealand comedy/drama " The Almighty Johnsons". The part of "Johan Johnson/Njörðr" is played by Stuart Devenie.
Citations
General and cited references
* Byock, Jesse (Trans.) (2006). ''The Prose Edda''. Penguin Classics
Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...
. .
*
*
*
* Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874). ''An Icelandic-English Dictionary: Based on the Ms. Collections of the Late Richard Cleasby''. Clarendon Press.
Hellquist, E. (1922): ''Svensk etymologisk ordbok''. C. W. K. Gleerups förlag, Lund.
* Hollander, M. Lee (Trans.) (2007).
Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway
' (). University of Texas Press
The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is the university press of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly and trade books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Caribbean, Caribbea ...
. .
* Jónsson, Finnur (1913). ''Goðafræði Norðmanna og Íslendinga eftir heimildum''. Hið íslenska bókmentafjelag.
* Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). ''The Poetic Edda''. Oxford World's Classics. .
*
* Magnússon, Ásgeir Blöndal (1989). ''Íslensk orðsifjabók''. Orðabók Háskólans.
*
* Scudder, Bernard (Trans.) (2001). ''Egil's Saga'' as collected in ''The Sagas of Icelanders''. Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
. .
*
* Thorpe, Benjamin (Trans.) (1907). ''The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson''. Norrœna Society.
External links
MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)
Illustrations of Njörðr from manuscripts and early print books.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Njordr
Semi-legendary kings of Sweden
Norse gods
Sea and river gods
Sky and weather gods
Vanir
Wind deities