Agnar
Three times the Aesir cast Gullweig into the fire, and three times she rose up, more beautiful than ever. She went into every hall in Asgard, casting spells and teaching magic.
Then Gullweig went to the Vanir and told them how cruelly she had been treated by the Aesir. Soon an army of Vanir, perhaps led by brave Njord, appeared at the walls of Asgard, ready to avenge Gullweig. Odin cast his spear, Gungnir, and the battle raged until both armies grew tired of the slaughter. It seemed that neither side could win— or lose.
The leaders of the Aesir and the Vanir got together to discuss terms. In the end, they agreed that there should be eternal peace between them and that together they would stand fast against the common enemy, the giants.
To seal the peace treaty, the Aesir and the Vanir spat into a jar, as was the custom of the Northmen when making treaties. From the spittle formed Kvasir, the wisest of the wise( see“ The Mead of Poetry,” under Odin).
As a sign of good faith, the sides exchanged gods. Odin sent his brother Hoenir and the wise god Mimir( 2) to live among the Vanir. And Njord and his son and daughter, Frey and Freya, settled in Asgard.
At first the Vanir were delighted with the handsome Hoenir. They made him one of their leaders, but they soon noticed that Hoenir could make no decisions unless he consulted Mimir. They felt that the Aesir had cheated them. They did not dare harm Odin’ s brother, however, so they cut off Mimir’ s head and sent it back to Odin. Odin immediately used his magic to restore the head to life. He placed it in a spring, known as Mimir’ s Well, at the foot of the sacred tree, Yggdrasil, and he regularly went to seek wisdom from Mimir.
According to some scholars, this myth may represent folk memory of the conflict between the adherents of two different cults, which were then brought together. After the conflict, the Aesir win control of the embodiment of wisdom and inspiration— Kvasir— in one myth, and the head of Mimir in another, they learn the magic of the Vanir, and all the gods are now referred to as Aesir.
Agnar Son of Hrauding and brother of Geirrod( 2). When he and his brother were shipwrecked, they were befriended by an old couple who were Odin and Frigg in disguise. Frigg took special care of Agnar, who was eventually betrayed by his brother, Odin’ s protegé.
In later years, another Agnar( probably the son of Geirrod) took pity on Odin, who had been captured and slung between two fires. After Agnar had given Odin ale to quench his thirst, Odin chanted a song that was known as the Grimnismal.
alfablot A sacrifice made by humans to the alfa, or elves. Traditionally, the alfablot took place in the worshipper’ s home at the beginning of winter and was performed by women. A skaldic poet who traveled through Iceland in the early 11th century recounts this ritual in his work. Information from Sweden suggests that in some parts of Scandinavia the alfablot was an outdoor ritual during which people sought help from the elves.
Alfheim The home of the light-elves and one of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology, according to Snorri Sturluson in his Gylfaginning. Alfheim was located at the top of the world tree, Yggdrasil, with Asgard, the home of the Aesir, and Vanaheim, home of the Vanir.
According to the poem Grimnismal, part of the
Poetic Edda, in very ancient times the gods gave Alfheim to the god Frey, who was sometimes connected with elves, as a gift when he cut his first tooth.
Alfodr( All-Father) A name for Odin used frequently in the Poetic Edda, Skaldic poetry, and Snorri Sturluson’ s work. Odin is recognized as the father of all the Aesir gods and goddesses, but he has this role in name only. He is also known as the father of all dead warriors. In addition Odin can be considered the father of all human beings, for when Odin and his brothers, Vili and Ve, found the shapes of the first man and woman, Ask and Embla, on a beach, they gave them the spirit, mental powers, and warmth they needed to become fully human.
Alfrigg One of the four dwarf brothers who made the marvelous Brisinga men necklace for the goddess Freya. The brothers were talented at the smith crafts and were discovered one day by Freya as they worked on the golden necklace. They drove a hard bargain for the necklace.
The brothers of Alfrigg— Berling, Dvalin( 1), and Grerr— are named only in the Sorla thattr, a tale found in the manuscript Flateyjarbok.