InNorse cosmology,Vanaheimr (Old Norse for 'home of theVanir'[1]) is a location associated with theVanir, a group of gods themselves associated withfertility,wisdom, and theability to see the future.
Vanaheimr is attested in thePoetic Edda; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and theProse Edda and (ineuhemerized form)Heimskringla; both written in the 13th century bySnorri Sturluson. In thePoetic Edda and theProse Edda, Vanaheimr is described as the location where the godNjörðr was raised.
Vanaheimr is mentioned a single time in thePoetic Edda; in a stanza of the poemVafþrúðnismál. InVafþrúðnismál,Gagnráðr (the godOdin in disguise) engages in a game of wits with thejötunnVafþrúðnir. Gagnráðr asks Vafþrúðnir whence the Van god Njörðr came, for, though he rules over manyhofs andhörgrs, Njörðr was not raised among the Æsir. Vafþrúðnir responds that Njörðr was created in Vanaheimr by "wise powers" and references that Njörðr was exchanged as a hostage during theÆsir-Vanir War. In addition, Vafþrúðnir comments that, when the world ends (Ragnarök), Njörðr will return to the "wise Vanir" (Bellows here anglicizesVanir toWanes):
- Benjamin Thorpe translation:
- In Vanaheim wise powers him created,
- and to the gods a hostage gave.
- At the world's dissolution,
- he will return to the wise Vanir.[2]
- Henry Adams Bellows translation:
- In the home of the Wanes did the wise ones create him,
- And gave him as a pledge to the gods;
- At the fall of the world shall he far once more
- Home to the Wanes so wise.[3]
In chapter 23 of theProse Edda bookGylfaginning, the enthroned figure ofHigh says that Njörðr was raised in Vanaheimr, but was later sent as a hostage to theÆsir.[4]
TheHeimskringla bookYnglinga saga records aneuhemerized account of the origins of Norse mythology. In chapter 1, "Van Home or the Home of the Vanir" is described as located around theDon River (which Snorri writes was once called "Tana Fork" or "Vana Fork").[5] Chapter 4 describes the Æsir-Vanir War, noting that during a hostage exchange, the Æsir sent the godHœnir to Vanaheim and there he was immediately made chieftain.[6] In chapter 15, the kingSveigðir is recorded as having married a woman named Vana in "Vanaland", located inSweden. The two produced a child, who they namedVanlandi (meaning "Man from the Land of the Vanir"[7]).[8]
_The_Cosmos_in_the_Norse_mythology.jpg)
The existence ofNine Worlds receive mention in some Old Norse texts. These worlds are nowhere specifically listed in sequence, but are generally assumed to include Vanaheimr.Henry Adams Bellows considers the other eight to beAsgard,Álfheimr,Midgard,Jötunheimr,Svartálfaheimr,Niflheim,Múspellsheimr andHelheim.
Hilda Ellis Davidson comments that exactly where Vanaheimr fall among the Nine Worlds isn't clear, since "the chief gods Freyr and Njord with a number of others, are represented along with theÆsir in Asgard, but it seems probable that it was in theunderworld." Davidson notes a connection between the Vanir and "theland-spirits who dwelt inmounds and hills and in water [...].[9]
Rudolf Simek claims that Snorri "unquestionably" invented the nameVanaheimr as a Vanir counterpart toAsgard, but does not mention theVafþrúðnismál reference.[10]
| Astronomical bodies |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | ||
| Water bodies | ||
| Worlds |
| |
| Cosmogenesis, cyclic time, and eschatology | ||
| Other | ||