7 Obscure Facts about Njord, Norse Mythology God of Wealth

Who is Njord in Norse mythology?

Njord is the god of the sea, seafaring, commerce, and wealth in Norse mythology. Because of his extensive powers and vital importance of the sea navigation for the Norse, Njord is one of the most important gods in the Norse pantheon.

Njord is a Vanir god. Njord is a primary deity of the Vanir, one of two main groups of gods in Norse mythology (the other being the Æsir).

The Vanir are generally associated with fertility, prosperity, and nature, while the Æsir are linked more with power, warfare, and governance.

The distinction is not always black and white, and the two groups intermingle in many myths, especially after the Æsir-Vanir war.

God of the Sea: The sea was a vital aspect of Norse life, since fishermen used it to provide food, merchants navigated the sea to produce wealth, and the Vikings traveled across the sea to raid and plunder distant lands.

Because of this, the Norse held Njord in very high regard, and his protection and blessing were often sought by the Norse.  

However, due to his affiliation with the Vanir, Njord was seen more as a god of prosperity and safe voyages and not as a war deity like Odin or Thor.

Finally, Njord’s home is said to be Nóatún (meaning “ship-enclosure”, “ship-place” or “haven”), which is located somewhere above or near the sea.

Father of Frey and Freya. Njord is described as the father of two very important gods in Norse mythology: Frey, god of harvest and peace, and Freya, goddess of fertility, love, and magic.

Notably, the mother of Frey and Freya is said to be Njord’s unnamed sister, instead of Njord’s traditional wife, Skadi.

Njord’s role in the Æsir-Vanir War: As mentioned previously, the Norse divided their gods into two distinct groups, the Vanir and Æsir.

The reason for this is unclear, but one likely historical theory is that the Vanir gods belonged to a migratory people who arrived in the Scandinavian region, fought with the locals, but eventually made peace and integrated with them to become one people.

The Æsir-Vanir War thus symbolizes this conflict at a religious level. The Vanir gods came from a distant land called Vanaheim and entered a long conflict with the Æsir.

After a long, inconclusive war, the two sides decide to make peace by exchanging hostages. The Æsir provide Hoenir and Mimir, while the Vanir send Njord, Freyr, and Kvasir.

Thus, Njord helped to unify the pantheon and bridge the differences between the two groups.

What is Njord’s appearance?

The Norse mythological texts do not mention Njord’s physical appearance in any great detail, other than saying he fair and beautiful to look at.

This is in contrast to how the Norse Eddas describe other gods in more detail, such as Thor, Odin, or even Loki.

As such, Njord’s appearance is left to the imagination. However, because of his roles and powers, there are a few clues that one can use to piece together what Njord’s appearance might be:

For example, given Njord’s association with the sea, he might be depicted with a long beard resembling seaweed or wearing garments that evoke the colors and textures of the ocean, such as deep blues or shimmering greens.

Similarly, he can be depicted as walking barefoot and is related to the idea that he is closely connected to the seashore, often walking along the beaches and being intimately connected with the tidal world.

Beyond just the sea, Njord is also the god of wealth and prosperity. Elements that hint at this—like golden jewelry or ornaments suggesting abundance—could also be part of his imagery.

Finally, given his role as a protective figure for sailors and fishermen, Njord might be depicted with a calm, reassuring expression, which symbolizes the peace and safety sailors would hope for when at sea.

Story of Njord and the marriage to his wife, Skadi

Njord marries Skadi:

In an interesting myth, the Prose Edda claims Skadi is the wife of Njord.

The giant Thjazi had been slain by the Æsir, and as a result, Thjazi’s daughter Skadi went to Asgard to avenge him.

The Æsir found her beauty striking and were unwilling to harm her. At the same time, however, they knew they had brought about her father’s death and were therefore willing to atone for his killing.

As atonement, the Æsir offered Skadi a permanent abode in Asgard and allowed her to choose a husband from their number, but to choose him by the feet only, for she would see no more than these in making her selection.

Her favorites were Balder and Njord, but she preferred Balder the most.

When the time came to choose, she was spun twice but mistakenly chose the feet of Njord, whom she thought were the feet of Balder.

This identification ritual is a form of a folk-tale formula, but the naked foot incident of Norse mythology has been connected with marriage rites in which only the foot of the future spouse is seen and with fertility rites in which bare feet play a part.

Njord and Skadi alternate dwellings:

After their marriage, Njord brings Skadi to his home of Nóatún, since he had to take care of all the ships on the sea, and the sailors needed his protection.

At first, Skadi went with him, but found Nóatún unbearable to live in, because of the constant cries of sea gulls, beating of waves and chill sea winds. After a while, Skadi longed for her ancestral home, the forests of Thrymheim (“Home of Noise”).

Not wanting to separate from Skadi, Njord accompanied Skadi to her old home. However, just as Skadi was unable to adapt to Nóatún, so too did Njord find Thrymheim unpleasant to live in, since the howling wolves and the growling bears kept him awake at night:

Njord:
'I love not the mountains, I dwelt not long in them,
Nine nights only;
Sweeter is to me the song of the swan
Than the wild wolf's howl.'

To this Skadi replied:

'My sleep was troubled on the shore of the sea
By the screaming of sea-birds.
Every morning the sea-mew wakens me
Returning from the deep.'

As a compromise, Njord and Skadi agreed to spend nine days together in Thrymheim and three days together in Noatun, and in that way, the two continued to live.

The explanation given by some scholars of the nine nights’ stay in Thrymheim and three at Noatun is that “nights” signifies months and that the sea in the extreme North is open for sea voyages only for three months of the year. During the other nine, it is sealed by ice and winter storms.

Njord’s powers and role

God of the Sea: At his core, Njord is intimately tied to the sea. As the supreme deity of the sea, Njord holds dominion over the oceans, their ebbs and flows, and all that they contain. Njord also has rulership over all other smaller sea deities, such as Aegir and Ran.  

Protector of Sailors and Fishermen: Sailors and fishermen would pray to Njord for safe voyages, calm seas, and bountiful catches. In a world where so much depended on having a calm sea, Njord’s favor was earnestly sought.

Bringer of Wealth: The sea was a source of trade, exploration, and expansion for the Norse, and Njord’s blessings could lead to successful trade missions and raids.

Master of the Winds: Njord’s dominion also extended to the winds that blew across the sea. This control over the winds was crucial for the Vikings, whose primary mode of transportation across the vast oceans was their wind-driven longships.

Embodiment of Fertility: Being a Vanir deity, Njord also had connections to fertility. Njord’s control over the sea—a source of life and sustenance—gave him a role in ensuring the fertility of the land as well. The cycle of water from sea to rain that wets the soil connects Njord and his son Freyr as life-bringers.

Mediator and Peacemaker: Njord’s presence in Asgard, following the Æsir-Vanir war, also positioned him as a symbol of reconciliation and peace. As a hostage-turned-honored guest, he bridged the differences between the two groups of gods, thus being a god of unity and collaboration.

Njord and the other Norse sea gods: Aegir and Ran

Although Njord was the supreme god of the sea, Norse mythology also mentions other important sea deities. The most notable of these are Aegir and his wife, Ran.

Aegir and Rán are giants (Jotunn) rather than gods from the Aesir or Vanir families. This distinction is important because the Norse usually perceived the destructive and chaotic aspects of nature, such as wildfires or storms, to be caused by giants, whereas the beneficial aspects, such as rain, bountiful harvests, and calm seas, were thought to be produced by the Æsir or Vanir gods.

In Norse mythology, Aegir was a personification of the calm and peaceful sea that allowed merchants to navigate unimpeded.

By contrast, Aegir’s wife Ran (roughly translated as “robber”), was of a cruel and avaricious disposition, and it was she who caused all shipwrecks.

Her favorite pastime was lurking near dangerous rocks, where she would entice mariners and entangle them in her net, break their vessels into jagged cliffs, and then drown them into cheerless realms.

As a member of the Vanir gods and supreme deity of the sea, Njord can be assumed to hold power over the jotuns Aegir and Ran, in a similar way to how Poseidon in Greek mythology holds power over the minor water deities such as Achelous or sea nymphs.

What are Njord’s symbols?

Unlike other gods in the Norse pantheon, Njord does not have a specific rune that symbolizes him and his powers.

Instead, the Norse represented Njord through various other objects, mostly relating to his function as god of the sea, wealth, and prosperity:

Ships and Boats: As the god of the sea and protector of sailors and fishermen, ships and boats are the most common symbols associated with Njord. The Viking longship, in particular, is not just a symbol of Njord but of the Viking culture as a whole.

Water and Waves: Waves signify both the bounty of the sea and its unpredictable dangers. As such, waves represent the dual nature of Njord’s domain, where he can both provide for and challenge those who venture into his realm.

Fish and Fishing Tools: The fish is another common symbol that represents Njord.

Gold and Coins: Njord’s association with wealth and prosperity means that gold or coins are symbols of his. This connection between water deities and wealth can be found in other cultures as well, since waterways were essential trade routes and sources of valuable goods.

Njord after Ragnarock

Njord’s mission as a hostage to the Aesir is accomplished after Ragnarock

Many of the most important Norse gods meet their end during the cataclysmic events of the end times, or Ragnarok.

Interestingly however, Njord’s fate during this time is left mostly unresolved.

While the destinies of many gods like Odin, Thor, Freyr, and others are explicitly mentioned, Njord’s exact role and fate remain a bit more ambiguous.

The only concrete information about Njord’s fate comes from the Poetic Edda in the section known as Vafþrúðnismál which states that Njord will return to the Vanir during or after Ragnarök:

In Vanaheim the wise Powers made him
and gave him as hostage to the gods;
at the doom of men he will come back
home among the wise Vanir.

The Norse mythological texts do not explain why Njord survives Ragnarok, especially since his son Freyr, also a Vanir god, is explicitly said to have died in a duel with the giant Surtr.

As for his return to Vanaheim, it can be assumed that the destruction of most the Æsir at Ragnarok essentially releases Njord from his obligation as being a hostage to the Æsir, and so he can now return to his ancestral home.

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Resources:

• The Mythology of All Races – Eddic by John Arnott MacCulloch, Louis Herbert Gray
• The Norsemen Myths and Legends by Guerber Helene Adeline
• Asgard and the Norse heroes by Katharine Boult
• Old Norse stories by Sarah Powers Bradish
• Teutonic Mythology by Viktor Rydberg & Anders Rasmus Bjorn
• Teutonic Mythology by Jacob Grimm