Æsir-Vanir War
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In Norse mythology, the Æsir-Vanir War was a war that occurred between the Æsir and the Vanir, two tribes of gods. The war ultimately resulted in the unification of the two tribes into a single tribe of gods. The war is an important event in the canon, and the implications of the war and the potential historicity surrounding the accounts of the war are a matter of an amount of scholarly debate and discourse.
Fragmented information about the war appears in surviving sources. The war is described in Völuspá, a poem collected in the Poetic Edda in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the book Skáldskaparmál in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in euhemerized form in the Ynglinga saga from Heimskringla, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
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[edit] Attestations
The following attestations provide information about the war:
[edit] Poetic Edda
In stanzas 21 to 24 of Völuspá, the war is recounted by a Völva (whom refers to herself here in third person) while Odin questions her. In stanza 21, the Völva says that she remembers the first war in the world, when Gullveig was stabbed with spears and then burnt her three times in one of Odin's halls, yet she was reborn three times. In stanza 22, the Völva states that they called Gullveig Heiðr (Meaning "Bright One"[1] or potentially "Gleaming" or "Honor"[2]) whenever she came to houses, that she was a wise Völva, and that she cast spells. The Völva states that Heiðr performed Seid where she could, did so in a trance, and was "always the favorite of wicked women."[1]
In stanza 23, the Völva then tells Odin that all the powers went to the judgement seats and discussed whether the Æsir should pay a fine or if all of the gods should instead have tribute. Stanza 24 is the last of the Völva's account of the events surrounding the war. She states:
- Odin shot a spear, hurled it over the host;
- that was still the first war in the world,
- the defense wall was broken of the Æsir's stronghold;
- the Vanir, indomitable, were trampling the plain.[1]
John Lindow states that he feels that the stanzas are very unclear and that he has particular trouble translating the second half of stanza 23 but states that the stanzas seem to relay information about a battle precepitated by the entry of Gullveig/Heiðr amongst the Æsir.[3] Lindow states that stanza 23 seems to relate to an inability to reach a truce during the war and that, if so, it flows well into the all out war described in stanza 24, though that wording in stanza 23 could also indicate a movement towards a community involving both the Æsir and Vanir.[3]
[edit] Prose Edda
In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Ægir, a god associated with the sea, is holding a feast. At the feast, Ægir asks Bragi, a skaldic god, about the origin of poetry. Bragi responds:
It originated when the gods were at war with that people called the Vanir, and the two sides agreed to hold a peace meeting. They reconciled their differences by following procedure: both sides went into a vat and spat in it. At their mark, the gods, not wanting to lose this mark of the truce, took the spittle and from it they created a man called Kvasir. He was so wise that no one could ask him a question he could not answer.[4]
Bragi further explains that Kvasir then traveled around the world teaching men knowledge, was murdered, and how his blood eventually became the Mead of Poetry.
[edit] Heimskringla
In chapter 4 of Heimskringla, Snorri presents an euhemerized account of the war. Snorri states that Odin led a great army from Asia ("Asaland") to attack the people of "Vanaland." However, according to Snorri, the people of Vanaland were well prepared for the invasion; they defended their land so well that victory was up for grabs from both sides, and both sides produced immense damage and ravaged the lands of one another.[5]
Snorri states that the two sides eventually tired of the war and both agreed to meet to establish a truce. Snorri continues that the two sides did so and exchanged hostages. Vanaland are described as having sent to Asaland their best men: Njörðr—described as wealthy—and his son Freyr, while Asaland sent to Vanaland Hœnir—described here as large, handsome, and thought by the people of Vanaland well suited to be a chief—and Mimir—a man of great understanding. Further, Snorri reveals that Vanaland additionally sent over Kvasir, who Snorri describes as the wisest man of Vanaland.[5]
Snorri continues that, upon arrival in Vanaland, Hœnir was immediately made chief and Mimir often gave him good counsel. However, when Hœnir was at meetings and at the Thing without Mimir by his side, he would always answer the same way: "Let others decide."[5] Subsequently, the Vanaland folk suspected they had been cheated in the exchange by the Asaland folk, so they seized Mimir and beheaded him and sent the head to Asaland. Odin took the head of Mimir, embalmed it with herbs so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets.[5]
According to Snorri, Odin then appointed Njörðr and Freyr to be priests of sacrificial customs and they became Diar ("Gods"[5]) of the people of Asaland. Freyja, described as daughter of Njörðr, was the priestess of these sacrifices, and here she is described as introducing seid to Asaland.[5]
[edit] Theories
A number of theories surround the Æsir-Vanir War.
[edit] Gullveig/Heiðr and Freyja
Many scholars consider the figures of Gullveig/Heiðr and Freyja the same.[6] These conclusions have been made through comparisons between the figure of Gullveig/Heiðr's use of seid in Völuspá and the mention of Freyja introducing seid to the Æsir from the Vanir in Heimskringla.[3] This is at times taken further that their corruption of the Æsir led to the Æsir-Vanir War.[3]
[edit] Indo-European invasion
As the Vanir are often considered fertility gods, the Æsir-Vanir War has been commonly proposed as a reflection of the invasion of local fertility cults somewhere in regions inhabited by the Germanic peoples by a more aggressive, warlike cult.[3] This has been proposed as an analogy of the invasion of the Indo-Europeans.[3] Georges Dumézil stated that the war need not necessarily be understood in matters of historicity more than any other myth because it is set before the emigration from the Middle East and, he states, accounts are more focused on the truce than on details regarding the battles.[7]
[edit] Disruptive persons and tools
Lindow states that he feels that even if the two are not identical, the various accounts of the war seem to share the idea of a disruptive entry of persons into a people.[3] Lindow compares the appearance of Gullveig/Heiðr into the Æsir to that of Hœnir and Mimir's disruption amongst the Vanir in Heimskringla.[3] Lindow further states that all three accounts share the notion of acquisition of tools for the conquest of wisdom; the practice of seid in two accounts and the head of Mimir in one.[3]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Dumézil, George (1973). Gods of the Ancient Northmen, trans. Einar Haugen. University of California Press ISBN 0052003507
- Grundy, Stephan (1998) "Freyja and Frigg" as collected in Billington, Sandra. The Concept of the Goddess Routledge ISBN 0415197899
- Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195153820
- Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda. Oxford World's Classics ISBN 0192839462
- Byock, Jesse (Trans.) (2006). The Prose Edda. Penguin Classics ISBN 0140447555
- Hollander, Lee Milton. (Trans.) (1964). Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. University of Texas Press ISBN 0292730616
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