Nerthus

Nerthus was the Vanir Goddess of Earth and Fertility. She was the wife of Njörd, the mother of Freyr and Freya, and the maternal grandmother of Baldur. Nerthus participated and died in the Aesir-Vanir War, killed by Magni and Modi.

Quick Answers

Who were the children of Nerthus in Norse mythology?

Nerthus, a prominent figure in Norse mythology, is recognized as the Vanir Goddess of Earth and Fertility. She bore two children, Freyr and Freya, with her husband Njörd. Additionally, she is the maternal grandmother to Baldur and the great-grandmother to Forseti.

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How did Nerthus die in the Aesir-Vanir War?

During the Aesir-Vanir War, Nerthus, a Vanir deity and embodiment of Mother Earth, met her end at the hands of Magni and Modi, Aesir warriors and Thor's offspring. Her divine immortality did not grant invincibility, and she fell in battle. As a Seiðr magic user and Earth Goddess, she likely had earth-controlling abilities.

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What role did Nerthus play in Germanic Paganism?

In Germanic Paganism, Nerthus was a fertility goddess and an embodiment of Mother Earth. Her worship, particularly by the Suebi tribe, was marked by peace and hospitality, with iron objects secured and warfare ceased. Scholars have theorized a connection between Nerthus and the deity Njörðr, suggesting she could be his unnamed sister-wife referenced in Old Norse texts.

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Who was Nerthus' husband in Norse mythology?

Nerthus, the Vanir Goddess of Earth and Fertility in Norse mythology, was wedded to Njörd, the God of the Sea. They parented Freyr and Freya. Nerthus was a participant in the Aesir-Vanir War and met her end in battle.

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What tribes venerated Nerthus according to Tacitus?

The goddess Nerthus was revered by some Germanic tribes, as documented by Tacitus. Her presence was marked by festivities, hospitality, and peace, with iron objects secured and warfare ceased. Following her visit, priests escorted her back to her temple.

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Germanic Mythology

In Germanic Paganism, Nerthus (High German), Nerþuz (Proto-Germanic) is a goddess of fertility and an incarnation of the Mother Earth.

In Germania, Tacitus records that the remote Suebi tribes were united by their veneration of the goddess at his time of writing and maintained a sacred grove on an (unspecified) island and that a holy cart rests there draped with cloth, which only a priest may touch. The priests feel her presence by the cart, and, with deep reverence, attend her cart, which is drawn by heifers. Everywhere the goddess then deigns to visit, she is met with celebration, hospitality, and peace. All iron objects are locked away, and no one will leave for war. When the goddess has had her fill she is returned to her temple by the priests. Tacitus adds that the goddess, the cart, and the cloth are then washed by slaves in a secluded lake. The slaves are then drowned.

The name Nerthus is generally held to be a Latinized form of Proto-Germanic *Nerþuz, a direct precursor to the Old Norse deity name Njörðr. While scholars have noted numerous parallels between the descriptions of the two figures, Njörðr is attested as a male deity. Various scholarly theories exist regarding the goddess and her potential later traces amongst the Germanic peoples, including that the figure may be identical to the unnamed sister-wife of Njörðr mentioned in two Old Norse sources.

In a version of Norse Mythology she is the sister to Odin's wife Fjörgyn and Heimdall's grandmother Rán. This would make her the sister-in-law to Odin, grandaunt to Heimdall and aunt to Thor.

In the God of War series

Pre-God of War

During the Aesir-Vanir War, Nerthus took part on the conflict on the side of her people, the Vanir. However, she became one of the endless casualties of the war after she was killed in combat by Magni and Modi, two Aesir warriors and sons of Thor.

Powers & Abilities

• Immortality: As a goddess, Nerthus was immortal, but still could be killed by powerful beings and was slain in battle.
• Seiðr Practitioner: While unknown to the degree of her skill as a Vanir goddess she used the magic of Seiðr.
• Geokinesis: Being Goddess of the earth, it is presumable that she can control the earth.

Trivia

• Nerthus, as the Goddess who represents the Mother Earth, is the Germanic counterpart of Gaea (Gaia). As the Germanic counterpart of Njörd, she can also be considered an equivalent of Poseidon.
• In norse mythology, Nerthus is the twin sister and wife of Njörd, the mother and paternal aunt of Freyr and Freya, and the maternal grandmother and paternal great-aunt of Fjölnir and Eirikr (sons of Freyr with his wife Gerd), and Hnoss and Germesi (daughters of Freya with her husband Ödur).