The Vanir And The Aesir

Most neo-pagans who practice or are fond of/linked somehow, to the Northern pagan traditions, are only concentrated in the existance of on typo of deities, one specific group of gods. It is important to understand that the Norse pantheon has more than just one group of deities, it isn't only the Aesir, but also the Vanir, there are of course other deities and spiritual beings who belong to neither of these two groups and are often divided into many "categories", but the main objective of this post is to talk about both the Vanir and the Aesir in a very short text, or I would have to write a book about it if I really wanted to go deep into the subject.
The divinities of order are divided into two main "families", the Aesir and the Vanir.

In the myth, it seems that the Vanir deities came before the other gods. Pastoral deities associated with harvests, fertility matters, of both humans and animals, and also the very earth, healing, peace and also linked to magic and spiritual work. In our own world this can be explained by the fact that when we humans found that it was possible to create our own food and we stoped being hunters and gatherers and settled to become farmers and shepherds, the main deities we turned to, were the deities linked to what we needed the most, which I explained above, and before that, we lived in small communities with at least one spiritual guide (a shaman) who helped the community in spiritual matters, magic, communicate with the spirits of this world and the beyond, so it is natural that the Vanir or any other deities of other cultures linked to these matters, were he first ones to appear. However, further in history, few were those Germanic peoples who worshiped these gods by the time the Romans launch their invasions. We can see in the book "Germania" by Tacitus, that the Germanic tribes worshiped the warrior gods who came before the ones linked with the earth and magic, because it was a warrior society, and by that time, agriculture was seldom made by any one in the Germanic tribes, they were more concentrated in making war and hunting. We can see clearly that the deities linked to fertility, harvest, magic and such, were forgotten by many, put aside by those societies, and the warrior deities ruled. The warrior deities were so much worshiped, that there was the thought that the warrior deities came first, in the case of the Norse/Germanic peoples, the Aesir came first, and when things started to settle in Europe and the Roman empire started to fall, the the Norse/Germanic tribes turned to agriculture again and thus the earth deities were reborn. So it seemed that (in the case of the Norse/Germanic peoples) the Vanir gods came after the Aesir, but in truth it wasn't such. The Vanir deities are also linked to rebirth, the rebirth of all things in nature that die and go back to the earth to reborn again, and even in History we see this rebirth in the cultures of Europe.

The most notable of all the Vanir deities, are the children of Njörd. The twins Freyr and Freyja. As I have written before, the other dynasty of deities are known as the Aesir. Headed by Odin and his wife Frigga. Among these deities we find the most famous gods, such as Thor and Tyr, who left their marks because of the reasons I have stated above, when the Germanic/Norse tribes turned to these warrior gods and spread terror all over Europe and among themselves. Thor and Tyr aren't the only sons of Odin. The king of the gods has many sons, such as Baldr and Hodr(Hodur), representing light and dark. This myth is the reflection that many Norse/Germanic chieftains and/or Kings needed many sons to continue their father's legacy, to replace him in many deeds, to be the head of different armies and rule over different lands. Among the Aesir, there is also Heimdall, guardian of Asgard, again one of Odin's sons, with one of the nine daughters of the ocean god Aegir. Heimdal is the god "who stood between", the ancestor of humankind who revealed the secrets of the runes to his mortal descendants. As might be expected, he figures largely in runic symbolism, having associations with no fewer then five runes out of the twenty-four in the rune sequance.

In the Vanir side, we have Njörd, god of the sea, to whom the Norse/Germanic peoples turned to when they started fishing and raiding, a god that was both needed before and after the coming of the Aesir in the cultures of these people. Freyr and Freyja, linked to fertility and magic, much worshiped by the shamans of the Norse/Germanic tribes (the seiðman and siðkona), much needed before the coming of the Aesir, and unfortunately put aside since then.

Many are the deities of the Norse/Germanic pantheon, but keep in mind that the Aesir are not the most important, nor were they the first to appear.

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Asgard Home of the Aesir - 7th part

Folkvang and Sessrumnir

When the Aesir and the Vanir tribes of gods ceased the war between them, there was an exchange of gods as a token of peace between the two tribes. One of the most famous deities of the Vanir to be sent to the Aesir side was Freyja.

She is the goddess of love, fertility, the pleasures of the body, spring season and also war and magic, she is very much honored by all. She is the eldest child of Njörd and Nerthus and sister to Freyr. She is the patron of those who work with the norse magic, Seidr, especially the women. It was Freyja who taught Odin the magic arts of Seidr/Seiðr.

This is a goddess that can be seen in Asgard and also in Vanaheim, traveling from one real to another for many purposes throughout the year. But this post is about the places of Asgard, so I will only be writting about her hall in Asgard.
While in the real of the Aesir, she is frequently seen in her hall, Sessrumnir, and also with the Valkyries of Valhalla, because too often she rides to war with them to pick those who have fallen in battle and take them with her, especially women, although, she will only take those sworn to her or to any other Norse god with the exception of those who are sworn to Odin, Thor or those who have to be sent to Helheim.

Freyja's duties in Asgard are not equal to those of Vanaheim, her works in Asgard are linked to war and death. It is in Asgard that she keeps all she needs to go to war including her female pig called Hildisvin which is the offspring of Gullinbursti, the great boar of Freyr, brother of Freyja.

Her hall is placed in a field called Folkvang/Fólkvangr and her hall is also has the same name, although her home is called Sessrumnir, which might be the same Hall or two different ones. As I have written on another post about the flora and fauna of Asgard, because it is a realm so bright and most of the year it is like summertime, it is hard for any flower to sprout and live there, but in Folkvangr most of the time is springtime, ir is the only place in Asgard that this happens, obviously because of Freyja. All of the area is really pleasent, filled with trees, most given to Freyja by Idunna, but there are a lot of gardens, springs, meadows and so on. It is the place where warriors also go, but it is more like a place of rest, to clear the mind of all those disorders of war.
This is the place where the warrior learns to balance both sides of his condition as a warrior, where the warrior learns how to behave, meditate, to ponder and appreciate the gentler side of the war arts which require discipline.

As nowadays cats are so popular (they are awesome by the way) I would like to mention that Folkvangr, especially around Freyja's hall and in it, is filled with cats.

The inside of the hall is beautiful, divided in small areas with fire places and beautifully carved walls and colums. The place itself encourages people to gather around and talk or entertain themselves with music and games, this is the perfect hall of those who have dificulties in friendships, sometimes even if the reason is as simple as not knowing how to speak/deal/approuche another of our own kind. This is one of the major reasons why the hall of Freyja is called both Folkvangr and Sessrumnir, because the first one is huge and it is a place filled with guests, and outside there is another hall, a small one where Freyja is often seen along with practicers of Seidr, and that smaller hall might be Sessrumnir.

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Freyr - God of Fertility, Love and Agriculture

Who is Freyr?

Freyr is the Norse/Germanic god of agriculture, land, fertility, marriage, and love, also known as Ing or Ingvi.

In the Norse/Germanic cosmology, Frey is a member of the second pantheon of Northern Gods, the Vanir Gods of Vanaheim, who are all concerned with agriculture and food-gathering of some sort. He is the son of Nerthus the Vanir Earth Mother, and Njord the god of sailors and fishermen. His twin sister is Freya, the goddess of fertility and love. His beloved wife is Gerda.

He is the keeper of every plant and animal who is killed that we might live. He is a god of frith - peace and order - as opposed to being a god of war and conflict. He is a Light-Bringer, a Joy-Bringer, a Frith-Bringer, a Gift-Giver, the Harvest King. He asks that we think about the food that we eat, how it was raised and treated, and whether it died in a clean manner. He asks that we think about how we treat those we love. 

What are his gifts?

His gifts are many. He gives fertility of body and fertility of land. He blesses the farmer and his crops and livestock. He bestows sexual desire and potency. He bestows love in all forms, regardless of what combination of people and genders may be involved.  He also blesses committed marriage - especially relationships that are frowned upon by the greater social order. He gives the light within that stands against the darkness of sorrow. As the God who gave up his sword for love, he helps foster peace in social affairs. He helps those who must sacrifice for others find joy and contentment in their giving. 

How can you honor frey? What actions must be taken?

Directly participate in raising the food that nourishes you and your family. If you don't have the means to garden, or keep a few chickens, then perhaps you could do some work for someone who does in exchange for some of the food.

Learn, and teach others, how to cook wholesome foods from ingredients you can afford.  

Bake bread, or brew beer, and share it with your family.

Make a commitment to consistently buy a basic food item, organic and sustainably raised. 

Buy heirloom seeds or trees or livestock for a local family farm or for yourself.

Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a painting of Freyr made by me. If you need more information or if you want to check my works, take a look at my Facebook page and make a like at --> www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

The Vanir and the Aesir

It is important to note that there is more than one type of god in the northern pantheon. Apart from the giants of frost and fire who it is said to dwell on the fringes of criation, the divinities of order were divided into two main families: the Aesir and the Vanir.
The Vanir seem to have predated the other gods, being pastoral deities associated with harvests, the fertility of beasts and humans and, not least, the earth itself, and also is a place of water, of shamans (the seiðman and siðkona), of peace and of healing. The most notable of the Vanir are the childrens of Njord, the beloved twins Frey and Freya, whose names mean "the lord" and "the lady" respectively.

The other godly dynasty is known as the Aesir. These are headed by Odin and his wife, Frigga, and it is among these deities that we find such familiar characters as Thor, the thunder god, and Tyr, god of war, both sons of Odin. Of course, as king of the gods, Odin is expected to have many sons, and among them can be numbered Baldur the Beautiful and his twin brother, Hodur the Blind, representing light and dark, day and night and summer and winter. The guardian of Asgard and the rainbow bridge that led to it is the ever-watchful Heimdall, himself a result of the union of Odin with one of the Nine sea giantesses ( none knows which one exactly except Odin himself and the nine daughters of Aegir ), known as the wave maidens. Heimdal is the god "who stood between", the ancestor of humankind who revealed the secrets of the runes to his mortal descendants. As might be expected, he figures largely in runic symbolism, having associations with no fewer then five runes out of the twenty-four in the rune sequance.
Before we leave the realm of Asgard, there is one god who is something of an anomaly: the treacherous Loki, born of the race of giants and the hated rival of Heimdall. Loki personifies wild, uncontrollable fire, in contrast to hos enemy, Heimdall, who symbolises a torch or a beacon, a friend to humankind. Nevertheless, Loki is blood brother to Odin, and his mischief was tolerated because of that kinship. However, Loki must have stretched the divine patience considerably, because it was he who caused the death of Baldur, and even though Sleipnir, one of his children, was considered benign, it was also he who was parent to Hella/Hela and the monstrous wolf, Fenris, who tried to destroy the universe and was fated to devour Odin at the end of the world at Ragnarok, the "Twilight of the Gods".