Frey, the son of Njord, rules rain and sunshine and the productiveness
of the soil, and his aid is needed to get good crops, peace, and
wealth. His dwelling is Alfheim. He sails in the magnificent ship
"Skibladner," which was built for him by the dwarfs. His wife is the
Yotun daughter Gerd, but in order to get her he had to give away his
good sword, so that he will be unarmed in the coming final battle of
the gods.
Tyr, Odin's son, is the god of courage and victory, whom brave men call
upon in battle. He has only one hand, for the Fenris-Wolf bit off his
right hand.
Brage, the long-bearded, is the god of eloquence and poetry. His wife
is Idun, who has in her keeping the apples of which the gods eat to
preserve their eternal youth.
Heimdal, the white god with teeth of gold, was in the beginning of time
born by nine Yotun maidens, all sisters. He is the watchman of the
gods. He is more wakeful than birds. He can see a hundred miles off,
and he can hear the grass grow. His dwelling is Himinbjorg, which is
situated where the Bifrost bridge reaches heaven. When he blows his
Gjallar-horn it is heard throughout the world.
Among the other gods were Haad, son of Odin, blind but strong; the
silent and strong Vidar; Vale, the archer; Ull, the fast ski-runner,
and Forsete, the son of Balder, who settles disputes between gods and
men.
Among the goddesses (or _asynier_), Frigg, Odin's wife, is the
foremost. She knows the fate of everybody and shields many from danger.
Her dwelling is Fensal. Next comes Freya, the goddess of love. She is
the daughter of Njord and sister of Frey. She is also called Vanadis,
or the goddess of the Vanir. She was married to Odd, and by him had a
daughter, Noss. But Odd left her, and Freya weeps in her longing for
him, and her tears are red gold. When she travels her wagon is drawn
by two cats. The name of her dwelling is Folkvang. There were also a
number of other goddesses, who were in the service of either Frigg or
Freya.
Æger, the ruler of the turbulent and stormy sea, is a Yotun, but he
is a friend of the gods. When they visit him his hall is lighted with
shining gold. His wife is Ran, and their daughters are the waves.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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