German Deities

mythology A number of Germanic gods

are mentioned in Old Norse
literature and they are
divided into the Æsir and
As the Germanic languages the Vanir. The Æsir are
developed from Proto-Indo- primarily gods of war and
European language, Germanic dominate the latter, who are
mythology is ultimately a gods of fertility and wealth.
development of Proto-Indo-
European mythology.
Archaeological remains, such as
petroglyphs in Scandinavia, suggest
continuity in Germanic mythology
since at least the Nordic Bronze Age
The myths of the
Germanic peoples
feature narratives
focused on Germanic
deities and a variety of
other entities.

The chief god of the Æsir is
Odin, a god associated with
war, seiðr (witchcraft), and
wisdom. He was probably
worshipped primarily by kings
and noblemen rather than the
common people. Odin is the
lord of Asgard, the abode of the
gods, which includes the
majestic hall Valhalla, where
warriors who died a heroic
death in battle (Einherjar) were
admitted in order to prepare
them to help Odin in the
coming Ragnarök
Legacy
During the Middle Ages,
Germanic peoples were
converted to Christianity.
The study of Germanic
mythology has remained an
important element of
Germanic philology since
the development of the
field and the topic is an
integral component of
Heathenry, the modern
revival of Germanic
paganism. Elements of
Germanic mythology have
survived into modern
Germanic folklore.