The Vanir: the gods of nature and magic

The Vanir were one of the two tribes of Norse gods, natives of Vanaheim renowned for their bond with nature and their mastery of the magic called Seidr. Long the equals of the war-like Aesir, they fought a war of centuries against them before an uneasy peace was sealed by the marriage of Odin and Freya, and in the end they outlasted their rivals to give the survivors refuge.

A tribe of nature and magic#

The Vanir were one of the two tribes of Norse gods, set apart from the Aesir by their connection to nature and their gift for magic. Their home was Vanaheim, one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree. Their leaders included Freya and her twin brother Freyr, and their number counted gods of the sea, of fertility, of peace, and of wisdom, alongside companions such as Hildisvini and the Valkyrie Gna.

The war with the Aesir#

The Vanir long held simmering tensions with their rival tribe, the Aesir. When the Aesir attempted to murder one of their leaders, Freyr, the Vanir answered first with an act of diplomacy, but the attempt led instead to open war. Despite the immense strength of their enemies, the Vanir proved their equal and dealt them devastating harm, and the battles raged on for centuries until both sides, weary of the senseless conflict, had no choice but to compromise. Mimir served as ambassador between the tribes and proposed that the Vanir leader Freya wed the Aesir king Odin, a union that at last brought peace.

That peace did not hold. Odin's growing paranoia drove Freya to leave him, and he banished her to Midgard and cursed her never to depart, so that she could not explain herself to her own tribe. The Vanir took her absence for betrayal, and the old enmity flared once more.

The Vanir resistance#

In later days the Aesir established a military foothold in Vanaheim, forcing many of the Vanir to scatter and hide. Freyr, having returned to his home realm, formed a secret resistance from his remaining allies, among them the dark elf Beyla and her light elf husband, a former Traveller named Birgir, and the dwarf Lunda, an old friend of Brok. When Kratos, Mimir, and Brok arrived with Freya to undo Odin's curse, the distrustful Freyr trapped Brok and confronted Kratos from the shadows, believing him an agent of the Aesir, until Freya revealed herself and vouched for them. His hostility eased, and after a long battle with Nidhogg the curse was broken and brother and sister were reunited.

Seidr and the Old Magic#

The Vanir were renowned for their natural affinity for magic, and above all for the arts of Seidr. In one battle against the Aesir their spells pushed back what was described as the largest army ever gathered, inflicting tremendous losses. Their ancient arts, the Old Magic, could reanimate the dead, and some could even bend time itself. The greatest of their workings was the gift of invulnerability that Freya laid upon her son Baldur, a spell broken only by mistletoe. Their ways could be taught to others, for Freya herself taught Seidr to Odin, and the dwarf Sindri journeyed to Vanaheim to learn their magic and improve his smithing. They were great builders besides, credited with crafting a fabled ship said to fly and reckoned the finest of all vessels.

Endurance beyond Ragnarok#

In the final days, the Vanir took part in Ragnarok, invading Asgard alongside the forces of Alfheim and Helheim. After Asgard was destroyed, the Vanir allowed the surviving Aesir to move in among them, bringing at last a lasting peace between the two tribes of gods.