Vanaheim

Vanaheim, known in Old Norse as Vanaheimr, was one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree and the home of the Vanir gods. Ruled by the wise and powerful Njord, it was a world of lush jungles and dangerous fauna, traditionally associated with magic, fertility, and wisdom. The peaceful nature of the Vanir clashed with the warlike Aesir of Asgard, who became their steadfast enemies, and the animosity between the two erupted into the cataclysmic Aesir-Vanir War. The realm would not be freed until the fall of Asgard at Ragnarok.

A realm of wild magic#

Vanaheim was a vast and varied world, the largest of the realms, dominated by a strange mixture of forest and jungle cut by a complex network of rivers and streams. Its flora and fauna were abundant and often dangerous, and wild magic permeated everything, making it an ideal breeding ground for entities such as Wisps. Abandoned Vanir settlements and older constructs like Njord's Temple had long since been reclaimed by nature. To the north lay a desert-like canyon, once a lush valley fed by a great river. The realm was unique in that day and night could change in the blink of an eye, owing to the presence of the Celestial Wolves Skoll and Hati, rescued and brought to the realm by the Vanir resistance long ago, and the paths available on land shifted depending on whether it was day or night.

The Aesir-Vanir War#

The extreme animosity between the peaceful Vanir and the warlike Aesir culminated in the Aesir-Vanir War, which devastated both Asgard and Vanaheim. Despite the superior military power of the Aesir led by Odin, the Vanir led by Freya fought the invasion to a stalemate through their superior magic and the very environment of their realm. After centuries of war, an uneasy peace was brokered in the form of a marriage between the All-Father and Freya. But following the collapse of their union and Freya's banishment to Midgard, the Asgardians seized the chance to subdue Vanaheim at last, though they had to contend with a guerrilla resistance led by Freyr. The realm would remain under Aesir occupation until the fall of Asgard.

Breaking the curse and the slaying of Nidhogg#

Vanaheim was opened to Kratos when Freya sought his help to destroy the source of Odin's curse that bound her to Midgard, an uneasy alliance given her desire to kill the slayer of her son. Kratos traveled there with Freya, Mimir, and Brok, finding the realm seemingly lifeless and its wildlife dangerous, before meeting a group of Vanir fighters led by Freyr himself. The source of the curse lay in the roots of the World Tree, bound in Odin's knots and guarded by the legendary dragon Nidhogg. After a brutal struggle the pair slew the creature, and Freya destroyed the knots and freed herself. Realizing that Odin, not Kratos, was her true enemy, she at last found the strength to forgive the Ghost of Sparta.

The rally and the rescue of Freyr#

Kratos and Atreus later returned to join forces with Freya and Freyr against Asgard. Meeting the Vanir councilor Hildisvini, now in human shape, they learned that the Aesir had trapped the Moon in a reliquary and stolen it, sending the Celestial Wolves Skoll and Hati into slumber. Kratos and Atreus hunted down the raiding party and restored the Moon to the sky, reawakening the wolves and granting Kratos the power to switch between day and night through Celestial Altars. With this power, the allies mounted an operation that rescued Freyr from the Einherjar, though the renegade Traveler Birgir was lost in the desert canyon.

Ragnarok and the new peace#

As the war began, Vanaheim became a major staging point for Ragnarok. Freya returned to summon the Vanir, along with Sigrun and the freed Shieldmaiden Valkyries, and upon hearing Gjallarhorn the Vanir launched their assault on Asgard through their realm gates, taking part in its destruction. In the aftermath, in an act of compassion, the Vanir allowed the fleeing Aesir to make new homes in Vanaheim, spearheaded by Lady Sif and Hildisvini. The act ended the ancient Aesir-Vanir conflict for good and paved the way for lasting peace. The two tribes agreed to Freya's proposal of a governing council, in place of a single All-Father, to maintain peace across the Nine Realms.