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The Vanir are usually considered one of the two pantheons of gods in Norse mythology. They include Niord, Freyr and Freya, who lived among the Aesir since the end of the conflict
between the two clans of gods (traded for Mímir and Honir); the identity as Vanir of Skadi, Lýtir, Gerdr and Odr may
be debated. Skadi was a giantess married to one of the Vanir (Niord); Gerdr was also a giantess, with whom Freyr fell in love and
with whom he managed to have a union, having sold his sword as payment; but it is not clear whether this union amounted to more
than a single meeting. Odr is mentioned in the Eddas very shortly as the husband of Freya, but nothing more is actually known
about him (although it is often remarked that it was one of Odin's names).
The Vanir live in Vanaheim, also called Vanaland; Snorri Sturluson calls their land Tanakvísl or Vanakvísl. They are gods of fertility and
prosperity, and they are seen as belonging to the earth, while the Aesir ruled the sky. The Vanir have a deep knowledge of
magical arts, so that they also know the future. It is said that it was Freya who taught magic to the Aesir. They also practiced
endogamy and even incest, both forbidden
among the Aesir; as an example Freyr and Freya were children of Niordr and his sister (see Nerthus).
The Eddas identify the Vanir with the elves (Alfar), frequently interchanging "Ćsir
and Vanir" and "Ćsir and Alfar" to mean "all the gods". As both the Vanir and the Alfar were fertility powers, the
interchangeability suggest that the Vanir may have been synonymous with the elves. It may
also be that the two names reflected a difference in status where the elves were minor fertility gods whereas the Vanir were
major fertility gods. Freyr would thus be a natural Vanir ruler of the elves in Alfheim.
Vanir and their Guests
There is a possible connection between Heimdall and the Vanir, noted by H.R.
Ellis Davidson.
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