Aegir: The god of the sea. His wife is the sea goddess Ran with whom he has nine daughters (the billow maidens), who wore white robes and veils.

Asgard: One of the nine worlds and the homeland of the Aesir, the race of warrior gods. Located on the highest level of the Norse universe, it is surrounded by a high wall of closely fitted stone blocks. Also found on this level are the worlds of Alfheim and Vanaheim as well as Valhalla, an immense hall where warriors slain in battle await the final conflict. In the middle of Asgard lies the plain of Idavoll (or Ida) where the Aesir meet to decide important issues. There the gods assemble in the hall of Gladsheim and the goddesses in the hall of Vingolf. The gods also meet daily at the Well of Urd, beneath the Asgard root of the ash tree Yggdrasil.

Asgardreid: "Asgard's Ride" or "Asgard's Chase". In Norse (Teutonic) mythology the wild ride of Odin and Frigg. It is still spoken of as being especially active during the dark, stormy Yule nights.

Balder: The god of light, joy, purity, beauty, innocence, and reconciliation. Son of Odin and Frigg, he was loved by both gods and men and was considered to be the best of the gods. He had a good character, was friendly, wise and eloquent, although he had little power. His wife was Nanna daughter of Nep, and their son was Forseti, the god of justice. Balder's hall was Breidablik ("broad splendor").

Bragi: The god of eloquence and poetry, and the patron of skalds (poets) in Norse mythology. He is regarded as a son of Odin and Frigg. Runes were carved on his tongue and he inspired poetry in humans by letting them drink from the mead of poetry. Bragi is married to Idun, the goddess of eternal youth. Oaths were sworn over the Bragarfull ("Cup of Bragi"), and drinks were taken from it in honor of a dead king. Before a king ascended the throne, he drank from such a cup.

Dagur: The god of day. He is the son of Delling, the god of twilight, and Nott. The gods gave Dagur a chariot and put him in the sky. His chariot is pulled by the horse is Skinfaxi, whose shining mane illuminates the earth and the sky.

Fenrir: Fenrir (or Fenris) is a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf. He is the eldest child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods learned of a prophecy, which stated that the wolf and his family would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world. They caught the wolf and locked him in a cage. Only the god of war, Tyr, dared to feed and take care of the wolf.

Forseti: The god of justice. He is the son of the god Balder and his mother is Nanna. He rules in the beautiful palace Glitnir, which serves as a court of justice and where all legal disputes are settled. Glitnir has a roof of silver that is supported by pillars of red gold.

Freyr: The god of the sun and rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests. He is both a god of peace and a brave warrior. He is also the ruler of the elves. Freyr is the most prominent and most beautiful of the male members of the Vanir, and is called "God of the World." After the merging of the Aesir and the Vanir, Freyr was called "Lord of the Aesir." Freyr was also called upon to grant a fertile marriage.

Glen: The husband of Sol.

Heimdall: The god of light, the son of nine mothers (variously given as the daughters of Geirrendour the Giant or of Aegir). He was born at the end of the world and raised by the force of the earth, seawater and the blood of a boar. Because of his shining, golden teeth he is also called Gullintani ("gold tooth"). His hall is Himinbjorg, The Cliffs of Heaven, and his horse is Gulltop. Heimdall carries the horn Gjallar.

He is the watchman of the gods and guards Bifrost, the only entrance to Asgard, the realm of the gods. It is Heimdall's duty to prevent the giants from forcing their way into Asgard. He requires less sleep than a bird and can see a hundred miles around him, by night as well as by day. His hearing is so accurate that no sound escapes him: he can even hear the grass grow or the wool on a sheep's back. At the final conflict of Ragnarok he will kill his age-old enemy, the evil god Loki, but will die himself from his wounds.

Hermod: The son of Odin and Frigg and the messenger of the gods.

Hod: The blind god of darkness and winter, the son of Odin and Frigg. When the gods enjoyed themselves by using his brother Balder as a target, Hod unintentionally killed him by throwing a fig made of mistletoe, the only object that could harm Balder.

Holler: The god of death and destruction and the one who brings diseases and disasters. He drags people to his dungeon where he tortures them to death.

Honir: The long-legged god of the Aesir, known for his indecisiveness. He is one of the gods that will survive Ragnarok.

Huginn & Muninn: Huginn ("thought") and Muninn ("memory") are the two ravens of the chief god Odin. Each morning Odin sends forth these raven and they fly over the earth. At night they return and sit on his shoulders to tell him what they heard and saw.

Jormungand: One of the three children of the god Loki and his wife, the giantess Angrboda. The gods were well aware that this monster was growing fast and that it would one day bring much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to render it harmless. He threw the serpent in the ocean that surrounds the earth, but the monster had grown to such an enormous size that it easily spans the entire world, hence the name Midgard Serpent. It lies deep in the ocean where it bites itself in its tail, and all of mankind is caught within his coils. At the destruction of the universe, Jormungand and Thor will kill each other.

Loki: One of the major deities in the Norse pantheon. He is a son of the giant Farbauti ("cruel striker") and the giantess Laufey. He is regarded as one of Aesir, but is on occasion their enemy. He is connected with fire and magic, and can assume many different shapes (horse, falcon, fly, etc.). He is crafty and malicious, but is also heroic: in that aspect he can be compared with the trickster from North American myths. The ambivalent god grows progressively more unpleasent, and is directly responsible for the death of Balder, the god of light.

Magni & Modi: The sons of Thor. Magni was considered the god of might, or strength, and was believed to be the only being in the Norse universe stronger than his father. His worshippers praised great strength and feats thereof. Magni was supposedly the only one besides Thor able to lift Mjollnir. Modi was the god of battle wrath.

Mani: The personification of the moon, son of Mundilfari and brother of Sol, the sun. At night he rides a chariot pulled by horses through the sky, and determines its waxing and waning. The wolf Hati ("hate") chases him. Whenever the wolf managed to catch the moon, a lunar eclipse would take place. This caused great consternation, and by making a lot of noise people tried to scare the wolf away.

Miming: A minor forest god.

Mimir: The wisest god of the Aesir and one of the two gods sent as hostages to the Vanir.

The Nine Worlds: The nine worlds of Norse mythology.

The first level: Asgard, world of the Aesir; Vanaheim, land of the Vanir; and Alfheim, land of the light elves.
The second level: Midgard, Land of humans (middle world/garden); Nidavellir, Land of the dwarfs; Jotunheim, Land of the giants (Jotuns); and Svartalfheim, Land of the dark elves.
The third level: Hel, Realm of the dead; and Niflheim, World of the dead.

If Hel and Niflheim comprised one world, as is suggested in some sources, the ninth may have been Muspelheim (Muspell), the land of the fire giants. This region had no place in the tricentric structure of the universe, and Snorri Sturluson wrote that is was the first world to exist and that is lies in the southern hemisphere. Also, the worlds of Svartalfheim and Nidavellir may have been the same. No valid distinction can be drawn between the dwarfs and dark elves; they appear to have been interchangeable.

Njord: The god of winds, sea and fire. He brings good fortune at sea and in the hunt. He is married to the giantess Skadi. His children are Freya and Freyr, whom he fathered on his own sister.

Odin: The chief divinity of the Norse pantheon, the foremost of the Aesir. Odin is a son of Bor and Bestla. He is called Alfadir, Allfather, for he is indeed father of the gods. With Frigg he is the father of Balder, Hod, and Hermod. He fathered Thor on the goddess Jord; and the giantess Grid became the mother of Vidar.

Odin is a god of war and death, but also the god of poetry and wisdom. He hung for nine days, pierced by his own spear, on the world tree. Here he learned nine powerful songs, and eighteen runes. Odin can make the dead speak to question the wisest amongst them. Odin's attributes are the spear Gungnir, which never misses its target, the ring Draupnir, from which every ninth night eight new rings appear, and his eight-footed steed Sleipnir. The wolves Freki and Geri, to whom he gives his food (for he himself consumes nothing but wine) accompany him. Odin has only one eye, which blazes like the sun. His other eye he traded for a drink from the Well of Wisdom, and gained immense knowledge.

Surt: A Fire Giant who lives with the People of Muspel in Muspelheim, the realm of fire to the south. There he stands ever alert, brandishing his great, fiery sword that shines brighter than the sun. In Ragnarok, he is the one who sets the world on fire and burns it down.

Thor: The god of thunder. He is a son of Odin and Jord, and one of the most powerful gods. He is married to Sif, a fertility goddess. His mistress is the giantess Jarnsaxa ("iron cutlass"), and their sons are Magni and Modi and his daughter is Thrud. Thialfi, his servant and the messenger of the gods, helps Thor.

Tyr: The god of war and the patron god of justice, the precursor of Odin. Tyr is represented as a man with one hand, because the gigantic wolf Fenrir bit off his right hand. His attribute is a spear, the symbol of justice, as well as a weapon.

Ull: ("glory") The god of justice and dueling, as well as the patron god of agriculture. He excels in archery and in skiing and lives in his hall Ydalir ("yew dales"). He is regarded as the son of Sif and the stepson of Thor. When the giantess Skadi divorced Njord she married Ull.

Ve: One of ancient Scandinavian gods and, together with Odin and Vili, the son of the primordial pair of giants Bor and Bestla. The three brothers created heaven and earth from the slain body of the primeval being Ymir and built the twelve realms. They also created Ask and Embla, the first pair of humans.

Vidar: The son of Odin and the giantess Grid (Gridr). He is the god of silence and revenge, the second strongest of the gods.

Vili: One of the primordial gods, brother of Odin and Ve. The three of them were responsible for the creation of the cosmos, as well as the first humans.

Yggdrasil: ("The Terrible One's Horse"), also called the World Tree, is the giant ash tree that links and shelters all the worlds. Beneath the three roots are the realms of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim. Three wells lie at its base: the Well of Wisdom (Mímisbrunnr), guarded by Mimir; the Well of Fate (Urdarbrunnr), guarded by the Norns; and the Hvergelmir (Roaring Kettle), the source of many rivers. Four deer run across the branches of the tree and eat the buds; they represent the four winds. There are other inhabitants of the tree, such as the squirrel Ratatosk ("swift teeth"), a notorious gossip, and Vidofnir ("tree snake"), the golden cock that perches on the topmost bough. Nidhogg and other serpents gnaw upon the roots. On the day of Ragnarok, the fire giant Surt will set the tree on fire. Other names for the tree include Ask Yggdrasil, Hoddmimir's Wood, Laerad and Odin's Horse.

Ymir: The primordial giant and the progenitor of the race of frost giants. He was created from the melting ice of Niflheim, when it came in contact with the hot air from Muspell. From Ymir's sleeping body the first giants sprang forth: one of his legs fathered a son on his other leg while from under his armpit a man and women grew out. The frost kept melting and from the drops the divine cow Audumla was created. From her udder flowed four rivers of milk, on which Ymir fed. The cow itself got nourishment by licking frost and salt from the ice. On the evening on the first day the hair of a man appeared, on the second day the whole head and on the third day it became a man, Buri, the first god. His grandchildren are Odin, Ve and Vili.