This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
The Vanir are one of the two tribes of Norse Gods along with the Aesir, and are known for their connection to nature and magic. They are natives of Vanaheim, one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree.
Norse Mythology
The Vanir (singular: Vanr) are a group of Gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir were one of two groups of Gods venerated by the ancient Nordic pagans (the other being the Æsir). In the aftermath of the Aesir-Vanir War, they became a subgroup of the Aesir.
The Vanir most likely symbolized the peaceful aspects of nature, in contrast with the Æsir who symbolized the violent aspects of nature.
Tensions between the Vanir and the Aesir were triggered when the Aesir speared and burned a female figure named Gullveig three times, in which she was reborn every time she was killed, though scholars proposed that she is also the Vanir Goddess Freyja, as both she and Gullveig are the same figure.
During the Aesir-Vanir War, the Vanir were equally matched with the Aesir. When the war ended in a stalemate, the Vanir and Aesir made a peace agreement and decided to give each other hostages as tribute. The Vanir God Njörd along with his two children Freyja and Freyr were given to the Aesir while the Aesir God Hœnir and Odin's advisor Mimir were given to the Vanir.
Things would soon turn sour for the Vanir when Hœnir began giving them useless advice, due to Mimir's absence. As a result, the Vanir believed that they had been cheated during the exchange of hostages. In their fury, they beheaded Mimir and sent his head back to Asgard, where it was preserved by Odin.
Instead of resuming war with each other, the Vanir and Aesir spat into a vat, in which its contents were not poured out, since they were kept as a symbol of harmony between them. From their spit, a wise being named Kvasir was created.
God of War (2018)
The Vanir always had simmering tensions with their rival tribe, the Aesir. It was when the Aesir attempted to murder one of their leaders, Freyr, that the Vanir attempted an act of diplomacy, which consequently led to an outbreak of war.
Despite their enemies' immense strength, the Vanir proved to be their equal and delivered devastating damage to the Aesir. Their battles raged on for centuries until both sides were finally fed up with the senseless conflict, having no choice but to compromise in order to achieve peace.
Mimir served as the ambassador of the two tribes, proposing that one of their leaders, Freya, was set to marry the King of the Aesir, Odin, a proposal that finally brought peace to both the Vanir and Aesir.
However, Odin's increasing paranoia forced Freya to leave him, thus breaking the fragile peace and once again igniting a war between the two tribes of Gods.
Since Odin banished Freya to Midgard and cursed her to never leave, this prevented her from explaining her actions to her tribe. The Vanir made out of this as betrayal, due to her lack of arrival.
God of War Ragnarök
It revealed that the Aesir had established a military foothold in Vanaheim, which forced many of the Vanir to scatter and go into hiding. Freyr, after having returned to his home realm following his abandonment of Alfheim, proceeded to form a Vanir resistance in secret, which consists of his Vanir allies; the Dark Elf Beyla and her Light Elf husband Bygvir, Birgir, a former Traveller, and Lunda, a female dwarf and an old friend of Brok.
When Kratos, Mimir, and Brok arrive in Vanaheim with Freya to undo Odin's curse, Freyr proceeds to trap Brok and confront Kratos from the shadows. Due to his paranoia and distrust of anyone, he believed that the Spartan was working for the Aesir. When he demands Kratos on where his sister is, Freya, in her falcon form, reveals herself to her brother and explains that Kratos and Mimir are working for her and that she has come to reclaim what she had lost.
Hearing this, Freyr remarked that it was too late to undo what had been done, but a determined Freya insisted that she would and ordered her brother to let Kratos and Mimir pass. Now knowing that the two are not enemies, Freyr's hostility lessened. Following a long battle with Nidhögg and Freya was able to undo the curse, The two returned to the Vanir resistance where she finally reunited with her brother in her normal form.
Much later, the Vanir participated in Ragnarök, in which they invaded Asgard with the forces of Alfheim and Helheim. After Asgard was destroyed, the Vanir allowed the surviving Aesir to move in with them, finally bringing peace between the two tribes of gods.
Powers and Abilities
The Vanir are renowned for their natural affinity for magic, more specifically the arts of Seiðr. During one of their battles against the Aesir, their Seiðr spells were capable of pushing back what was described as the largest army ever gathered, inflicting tremendous losses on their enemies.
Ancient Vanir arts, known as the Old Magic, were capable of reanimating the dead, and some of them even had the ability to manipulate time itself.
One of the most significant accomplishments of Vanir's magic is invulnerability to all threats, physical or magical, which Freya blessed or "cursed" Baldur with. The only thing that can break the spell is mistletoe; as Mimir describes, though Vanir's magic is powerful, its rules remain slippery and elusive. It makes sense if anyone is a witch.
It seems the mystical ways of the Vanir can be taught to other races since Freya was the one who taught her former husband Odin the art of Seiðr, and Sindri, a Dwarf, went to Vanaheim to learn their magic in order to improve his smithing skills.
They also seem to be great builders, since the Vanir created the fabled Skíðblaðnir, a ship that was capable of flying and was described as the best of ships.
Known Vanir
Gods
- Njörd: The King of the Vanir, father of Freyr and Freya and God of the Sea.
- Nerthus: The Queen of the Vanir, mother of Freyr and Freya and Goddess of Fertility. A Vanir slain by Magni and Modi during the Aesir-Vanir War. (Deceased)
- Freyr: Son of Njördr and Nerthus, One of the leaders of the Vanir, overlord of the Light Elves of Alfheim and the twin brother of Freya. (Deceased)
- Freya: A former leader of the Vanir, former Queen of the Valkyries, former Queen of the Aesir, ex-wife of Odin and the twin sister of Freyr.
- Baldur: A son of Odin and Freya, God of Light and Peace, half-Vanir through his mother Freya. Baldur is a manic Aesir God driven insane by the curse of immortality cast upon him by his own mother out of fear of him dying which rendered him unable to feel anything. His death begins the Fimbulwinter, which heralds Ragnarök, the Twilight of the Gods. (Deceased)
- Hildisvíni: Freya's advisor and companion during her exile in Midgard. While in the realm, he was trapped in the form of a boar.
- Gná: A Vanir loyal to Asgard who became Queen of the Valkyries after Sigrún and her sisters' fall to madness. (Deceased)
- Skírnir: Freyr's personal messenger and wielder of the wand Gambanteinn. Sought refuge in the Great Gate of Alfheim, but was instead killed by the Drake Gravel Belly. (Deceased)
- Kvasir: God of Peace, Mead and Wisdom (Deceased)
- Odr: God of Intelligence, Travel and Energy.
Trivia
- In Norse mythology, the ship Skíðblaðnir (Old Norse "assembled from thin pieces of wood") wasn't created by the Vanir, but rather by a group of Dwarves known as the Sons of Ivaldi. It wasn't described as a flying ship either, but rather a ship that always had a favorable wind and could be folded and stored like cloth when not used.
- Apparently, the Vanir are aware of the existence of microbes, such as germs and bacteria, as Sindri recounted how he met a Vanir witch who told him about "little beasties" that live on everything and are so small, one cannot see them, and how they can make people sick. The witch also told him about the antibacterial properties of oak wood. Overall, it appears that the Vanir (barring the use of magic) are more ahead in the field of medicine in the time of the series is set in.
- To date the Vanir Gods are the only known set of gods to possess a specifically named power as with Seiðr. However, it isn't exclusive to only them as other races like the Aesir, Jötnar, dwarves, or even mortals can learn Seiðr. However, while Seiðr can be learned by others it appears they are the strongest practitioners of it. This could be a result of their more peaceful disposition and connections to nature and magic or from practicing it for so many millennia.
- Angrboda states that Vanir's magic was something that the Vanir learned from the Giants. However, it should be noted that each race can make new techniques as Odin made new spells to use against Freya. This could also imply the more powerful old magic of the Vanir were the techniques the Vanir developed after learning it.