Njord is one of the principal gods of the Vanir tribe of deities. He is also an honorary member of the Aesir gods, having been sent to them during the Aesir-Vanir War along with his son, Freyr, and his daughter, Freya
Description[]
Njord was particularly associated with wealth, fertility, the sea, and seafaring in historical Germanic religion. A saying among the Norse peoples held especially wealthy people to be “as rich as Njord.”
History[]
Background[]
Njord was the king of the Vanir and an old god who long represented the Vanir's interests, ruling over them with his wife Nerthus. He was also the father of Freyja and Freyr. Freyr mentions that Njord was not a particularly good father although Freyja counteracts this claim saying that while he was not like most fathers, he did cherish his family.
Æsir-Vanir War[]
Njord declared war on the Æsir when he discovered their heinous actions of trying to burn Freyja alive when she refused to partake in services for them. Njord was active during the Æsir-Vanir War, fighting the Æsir gods who desired to gain control over their use of Seiðr magic that allows them to see into the future. His daughter Freyja was at the center of this conflict since she was the most gifted practitioner of Seiðr. The war went on for several years, with both sides suffering great losses, especially Njord who lost Nerthus.
Eventually, the war stopped when Odin offered a truce. Njord and the Vanir attended a Thing with the Æsir where they would set aside their differences and rule as one conjoined tribe of gods over Midgard. The two sides agreed to pay tribute to each other by sending hostages to live among the other tribe. Freyja and Freyr of the Vanir went to the Æsir, and Hoenir and Mímir went to the Vanir.
Brief Marriage to Skadi[]
In the aftermath of the war, Njord was not as active as he used to be as the chief of the Vanir gods. Freyja mentions how he would wander the realms, in search for a maiden that equaled Nerthus' beauty. He was able to find one in the form of the goddess Skadi. Skadi, a giantess, had come to the Aesir seeking restitution for the slaying of her father. As part of the settlement, they agreed that she could have any of the gods she desired as her husband. She chose Njord by mistake, thinking him to be Baldr.
Their marriage was short and unpleasant. Half of their time was spent in Skadi’s home in the snowy mountains, which Njord couldn’t tolerate; the other half was spent in Njord’s home, Nóatún (“The Place of Ships”), which was located on the beach. Skadi could not tolerate Njord’s home as well, and thus the two parted ways.