Njörun - Goddess of Norse Mythology

Image of Njörun, the Norse goddess, depicted in an artistic style.
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An artistic interpretation of Njörun, the little-known goddess of Norse mythology, often associated with the earth and the sister-wife of Njörðr.

Njörun (pronounced: "nyor-un") also known as Njǫrun, is a little-known goddess of Norse mythology. She is attested only in the Prose Edda and some kenningars of the Poetic Edda. Her name is etymologically connected to the male god Njörðr and Proto-Germanic Nerthus, and scholars believe that she could be the personification of the earth or Njörðr's sister-wife.

The name "Njörun" in Old Norse runes is written as:

ᚾᛃᛟᚱᚢᚾ

In Snorri's Edda, Njörun is enumerated in the list of Ásynjur, but no other information about her is given. Other attestations of her name occur in kenningar indicating women found in various sagas and works by other poets. Examples of kenningar are Eld-Njörun (Njörun of fire) and Draum-Njörun (Njörun of dream).

Njörun is a mysterious figure of whom little is known, and some scholars speculate that she may have been a later invention. Others have suggested that the name derives from the root njǫr, which originates from Nerthus, the Proto-Germanic earth goddess described in Tacitus. Initially, Njǫrðr may have been a female deity of the earth, then transformed into a male and patron of the sea.

Another theory is that Njörun may simply be the female counterpart of Njǫrðr, after which she is named. However, Njörun and Gefjon are the only Norse goddesses to bear this suffix, and Gefjon is not paired with another god. The other divine couples having the same etymology are Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn, Ullr and Ullinn, and the High Germanic deities Phol and Volla (later Fulla).

Njörðr's sister-wife is the one who, following an incestuous relationship with her brother, gave birth to the divine twins Freyr and Freyja. This unknown and unnamed figure is featured extensively in Norse sources, primarily in the two Eddas, in the Ynglinga saga, and in the Lokasenna. Both she and Njörðr were of the Vanir bloodline, where sibling marriages were the norm.

Reconstructing the figure of this divinity is made difficult not only by the lack of information in the sources but also by some contradictions. For example, in Skírnismál, Freyr is the son of Njörðr and Skaði. In Ynglinga saga, Freyr and Freyja are clearly the children of Njörðr and her unnamed sister. The Ynglinga account goes on to say that the sons left Vanaheimr with their father to accompany him as a hostage after the war between the Æsir and the Vanir.

In Lokasenna, Freyr and Freyja are the result of incest, and Loki accuses Njörðr of having slept with his own sister. Gylfaginning, the first part of Snorri's Edda, contradicts this by stating that Freyr and Freyja were born of the union between Njörðr and Skaði.


Please note that the information provided about Njörun and Norse mythology is complex and may be subject to interpretation and debate. The myths and stories of Norse mythology have evolved and been passed down through oral tradition and written accounts, and there may be variations in the way they are told and understood. This information should be used as a general reference and not as a definitive source on the subject.


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Other Norse Gods and Goddesses


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