Giants, Gods and Beasts: A Guide to Norse Mythology

The Vanir, Gods of Nature

Skadi, the Bride of Njord
By killing Thjazi, the gods had unleashed the wrath of his daughter, the wild huntress Skadi. She stormed into Asgard, demanding they pay for her father's death. Since Thjazi already had plenty of gold, which was normally used to pay compensation for a man's death, the gods decided to give Skadi a husband instead. She agreed to this, but they would have to make her laugh first. In turn, she would have to choose her husband by his legs only. After Loki made Skadi laugh by having a goat ram him in the privates, she prepared to select her spouse. A thick curtain of fog covered the male gods' upper bodies and she carefully looked at each pair of legs, determined to find a pair as perfect as her own. When she found a match, however, those legs belonged to Njord, much to her chagrin. The two of them were an ill-matched couple, since she loved the mountains, whereas he loved the seas. After spending nine nights each at each other's halls, Skadi and Njord split up, but they remained on good terms at the gods' meetings.

And so Skadi became the goddess of winter hunting, the lady of the skis, bows, and arrows. She would've been happier with Thor's stepson Uller, the god of hunter-skiers. He glided through the mountains on his skis as fast as the arrows he shot from his bow. No one, not even Skadi, was his equal at hunting. Still, he would've truly been a better match for her.

Frey and Gerd
Njord's son was Frey, lord of the elves and the god of peace, prosperity, wealth, fertility, and balance. He was the one who sent sunshine and rain to Midgard, promoted new growth, and make the farmers' fields bountiful. He kept the extremities, fire and ice, in check, much to the anger of Muspelheim's inhabitants. Whenever Frey rode Gullinbursti through the sky, the sun shone brighter and crops doubled. Best of all, he had a magic sword that lashed out on its own. There was only one thing he was missing in his life, though, and that was a loving wife.

One day, Frey snuck onto Lidskjalf, Odin's all-showing throne. He looked into Jotunheim and saw Gerd, the beautiful but cold-hearted daughter of the giant Gymir. Poor Frey started pinning for the lovely giantess, since he could never endure a journey to Jotunheim. Midgard felt his despair, as he forgot to balance sunshine and rain and enrich the soil. Skirnir, Frey's messenger, took pity on his master and promised to bring him Gerd in exchange for the magic sword. Frey agreed to this, and so his humble messenger rode to Gymirheim, where he captured Gerd in a sack and took her to Barri, a sacred barley field, where he met with his master. When Frey took the giantess in his his arms, her heart melted and she became a loving wife. Midgard bloomed again and the harvest was as twice as bountiful as before.

Freya's Necklace
Frey's twin sister was Freya, the beautiful goddess of love. She rode around in a cat-drawn wagon with her sweet little daughter Noss in her lap. Freya was a rather sad goddess because her husband Od was lost. Often did she search for him, either in her cat-wagon or in the form of golden falcon. At night, she would shed tears of amber for her husband.

Still, Freya had much to be happy for, including Brisingamen, her lovely necklace, set with blazing gems. It had been crafted by four dwarves, whom she all married in exchange for the necklace. Together, they spawned the first of the svartalfar, dwarves as black as night and as handsome as elves, for the Vanir's blood flowed through their veins.

One night, Loki greedily and sneakily stole Brisingamen from Freya while she was sleeping. Then he rushed to the sea, changed into a seal, swam to a rock in the middle of the sea, and sat on the necklace to hide it. Heimdall overheard this and defeated Loki as a seal as well. He retrieved Brisingamen and returned it to Freya.