Germanic deity

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A Germanic deity can be inferred from the Old Norse (an.), Old English (ae.) And Old High German (ahd.) Tradition and leads to a time when there are no written records about the Germanic peoples. The Old Saxon (as.) And Gothic ( Gothic ) evidence are very sparse .

The fact that the Germanic peoples believed in anthropomorphic deities as early as the pre-Roman Iron Age is proven by simple human-like fork idols from the pre-Christian centuries that were found in Denmark and northern Germany. Notably, these Germanic gods had names that had a clear simple meaning, such as thunder or abundance . When these Germanic god names came up is the subject of speculation, but it must have happened in a period when the different dialects were still very close.

Not much can be said about the nature of the gods of that time. Based on the comparative Indo-European religious studies, it is plausible that Wodan-Odin was always thought with one eye , but when this idea came up, it was also used by the Balts (Velinas), the Celts ( Lug , closes one eye when doing magic) and, to some extent, the Romans ( Horatius Cocles ) is known cannot be determined.

Germanic deities

Wôðanaz
"Lord of (holy) inspiration": main god Odin (northern German) or southern German. Wodan (an. Óðinn; ae. Wóden; as. Woden; ahd. Wuotan; nhd. Wotan). To ie. Root * H2weH2- "inspire"; see. gall.-lat. father's "seer", air. fáith "poet". After * Wôðanaz, Wednesday was named in some languages (English Wednesday, nl. Woensdag, Swedish Onsdag). The god may already be thought of as one-eyed.
Þunraz
"Thunder": Thunder god Thor or Donar (an. Þórr; ae. Þunor; as. Thunaer; ahd. Donar). To ie. (s) tenH2- "thunder"; see. Latin tonare. Thursday is named after * Þunraz . A primitive weapon can be attributed to the god of thunder (club, ax, hammer) and the myth that he fought against a water monster is old. At least among the northern Germans, however, this myth has undergone a major change in that the fight was postponed to the end ages.
Teiwaz
"God": the god of law and war Tyr or Ziu (an. Týr; ae. Tiig; ahd. Only passed down as a rune name : ᛠ ziu). To ie. * deiwós "God"; see. lat. deus. Tuesday (al. Zyschtig, English Tuesday, Swedish Tisdag) is named after * Teiwaz . * Teiwaz may initially have been the god of the legal order and only became a god of war with the militarization of the Thing Assembly . This process may be very old, but it may also have been caused by the Roman conquests.
Frîjô
"Wife": mother goddess Frigg or Frija (an. Frigg; ahd. Friia). To ie. * priHéH2 "beloved, wife"; see. Sanskrit priyā "beloved, wife". Friday was named after * Frîjô . She is the wife of the chief god and mother of gods; she is not to be confused with the goddess of love and fertility.
Fullô
"Abundance": goddess of fertility (an. Fulla ; ahd. Uolla , also the male Phol ). To ie. plH1nós "full"; see. lat. plenus. The Teutons have several pairs of gods with the same name (Phol & Uolla; Fjörgynn & Fjörgyn; Njördr & Nerthus), all of which belong to the sphere of fertility. This move can only be found among the Romans with Liber and Libera .
Gautaz
Ancestor of various royal families (an. Gautr ; ae. Géat; as. Hathagat "father of the fathers"; ahd. Gausus , ancestor of the Longobard kings Audoin and Alboin ; Gothic Gapt, ancestor of Ermanarich and Theoderich ).
Ermunaz / Erminaz
"Great, universal": (an. Jörmunr; as. Hirmin ). Probably a form of * Wôðanaz or * Teiwaz.
Ansewez
Gods family of Asen (got anseis;. At Æsir;. ESA ae.). To ie. H2ens-; see. ai. ásura "demigod, demon". The other Wanen family is only found in Scandinavia. The thesis that Aesir, the warlike Indo-Europeans and Wanen represented the original, peaceful matriarchy is considered outdated .

The Germans definitely worshiped a sun goddess (Germ. * Sawelô; an. Sól; ahd. Sunna), a moon god (Germ. * Mênan; an. Máni) and the earth mother (Germ. * Erþô; an. Jörð; ae. Erce eorþan módor).

Semi-divine beings

Auzawandilaz
a star hero, probably the morning star (an. Aurvandill ; ae. Éarendel). To ie. * H2eus- "shine"; see. agronomy Eosphorus and Lat . Auseklis , both gods of the morning star. In the medieval German book of heroes , Orendel is the first of the heroes, which could also be a reference to the morning star (the first champion of the day).
Wêlanduz
the elven-like Wieland the blacksmith (an. Volundr; ae. Wéland; ahd. Uuielant).

Other beings are: giants (* þurisaz; aisl. Þurs; ae. Þyrs; ahd. Duris), dwarfs (* dwergaz; aisl. Dvergr, ae. Dweorg, ahd. Twerc), elves (* albaz; aisl. Álfr, ae . ylfe, ahd. alb), water spirits (* nikwuz to nykr., ahd. nichus) and pile idols .

Germanic cosmology and eschatology

Meðjanagarðaz
"Mittelhof": Midgard , the earth as the place where people live (got. Midjungards; an. Miðgarðr; ae. Middangeard; as. Middilgard; ahd. Mittigart).
erþo anþi uppahemenaz
"Earth and Heaven" (got. Airþa jah himins; an. Jörð oc upphiminn; ae. Eorðe 7 upheofon; as. Ertha endi uphimil; ahd. Ero 7 ufhimil). This is a solid rod-end Germanic formula and is contrary to the biblical "heaven and earth" in reverse order.
hemenabergaz
"Himmelberg": Asgard , residence of gods (aisl. Himinbjörg ; ahd. Himilinberg). Like many other peoples, the Germanic peoples seem to have been convinced that the gods lived in prominent mountains.
haljô
"Hell": Utgard , subterranean world of the dead (got. Halja; an. Hel ; ae. Hell ; as. Hellia; ahd. Hellea). For the Teutons, hell was more of a dark, cool abode for the dead than a place of punishment. There is also the idea that the world of the dead was a green meadow (Germ. * Wangaz; Got. Waggs "paradise", ae. Neorxnawong).
muþspell-?
End of the world (aisl. Muspell; as. Mutspelli; ahd. Muspilli). The etymology of the word is unknown.

Norse deities

Edda : Aurvandill , Balder , Bragi , Eggthér , Fjölnir , Fjörgyn , Forseti , Freya , Freyr , Frigg , Fulla , Gautr , Gefjon , Gerda , Gna , Heimdall , Hel , Hermodr , Hödur , Hönir , Idun , Jörd , Lofn , Loki , Magni and Modi , Mani , Mimir , Nanna , Njörd , Nótt , Odin , Rán , Rindr , Sif , Sigyn , Skadi , Snotra , Sol , Surt , Tyr , Thor , Uller , Urd , Wali , Vé , Vidar , Vili , Yngvi , Aegir et al. v. a. m.

Varieties of Saxo Grammaticus ( Denmark ) : Balderus , Bous , Frigga , Frø , Gevarus , Høtherus , Horvendillus , Mimingus satyrus , Mithothyn , Nanna , Ollerus , Othinus , Rinda , Thoro , Utgarthilocus . Saxo describes them as mortal heroes.

Anglo-Saxon deities and mythical heroes

Ærta , Éarendel , Éastre , Erce , Folde , Géat , Hengist and Horsa , Hréðe , Ing , Mæðhilde , Seaxnéat , Tíg , Þunor , Wéland , Wóden , Wyrd . * Fríg, * Fréa, Grím are not attested to, but often mentioned in the literature.

Continental Germanic deities and mythical heroes

Saxony and Frisians : Fositae , Fricco , Hathagât , Hirmin , Iring , Saxnôte , Thunaer , Wôden , Wurth .

Franconians , Thuringians , Alemanni , Lombards ("High German tribes"): Balder , Donar , Fol , Folla , Frîja , Gaut , Sinhtgunt , Sunna , Wieland , Wuotan , Zîu .

Gothic deities

See also

literature