Misconceptions 9, 10, and 11: Vanir Hostages
9. The Aesir treated their Vanir hostages well.
Like the other misconceptions held by so many (Neo) Heathens and scholars, there is ample evidence in the surviving mythology of the Aesir to the contrary. There is plenty of evidence that the Vanir treated the Aesir well. Treating the Aesir well is consistent with the Vanir’s values of peace, pleasure, and plenty. There is little, if any, evidence of the Aesir treating the Vanir well and plenty of evidence of them treating the Vanir cruelly.
Some examples: Odin and his cohorts tried their best to murder Gullveig in Odin’s own hall. Rather than setting things straight in a peaceful way with the Vanir for what they did to Gullveig, Odin hurled his spear and the Aesir started the war. Given an opportunity to end the war, the Aesir acted in bad faith toward the Vanir in the exchange of hostages. When rebuilding Asgard’s wall after the war, they promised to give Freyja along with the sun and the moon to a migrant mason for rebuilding the wall. Freyja is the property of no male, especially the Aesir gods. She was not the Aesir’s to give. In something like a parlor game the Aesir forced Skadi and their Vanic hostage, Njordr, to marry. Not surprisingly, their marriage failed.
While in captivity Odin assigned his servant Skirnir to Freyr. When Skirnir went to woo Gerdr on Freyr’s behalf, Skirnir used the opportunity to gain some personal glory by an excursion into Giant Land*. He took Freyr’s horse and renowned sword for his mission. Like Thor he slew a giant in Giant Land. He then used vicious and violent means to manipulate Gerdr into agreeing to marry Freyr. He never returned Freyr’s sword. Loki gave Idun to the giant Thiazi. He also stole the Brisingamen from Freyja. While someone could make a list of ways in which the Aesir treated the Vanir well, I do not think that it would outweigh the list of the many ways this Aesir dishonored the Vanir.
* Skirnismal is misconceived by many as being about Freyr. It is not. It is about Skirnir, hence the title of the poem. Freyr is a minor character in the story. See Misconception 20.
10. Freyja was a hostage of the Aesir along with Njordr and Freyr.
While many refer to Freyja as a hostage, there just isn’t any mythological evidence that Freyja was a hostage along with Njordr and Freyr. My assumption is that she visited them in Asgard by her own choice, because she loved them and wanted to be with them. Hmm, are there any stories that include Njordr, Freyja and Freyr together? Are there any stories in which Njordr and Freyr, Njordr and Freyja, or Freyja and Freyr appear together? What are the settings of the stories we have of Freyja? More on this later.
11. The Vanir were assimilated into the Aesiric pantheon.
Well, yes and no. I think that in one sense the Vanir were assimilated into the Aesir in that some were mythologically co-opted into the Aesir like other Old European goddesses and gods were mythologically co-opted the pantheons of the Indo-European tribes who came to dominate them. I have a hunch, and that is all that it is at this point, that Odr, Heimdall, Ullr, Idun, Frigg’s so-called maidens and others in the myths of the Aesir are Vanir goddesses and gods who have been mythologically co-opted into the Aesir.
However, in another sense I think that in reality all of the Vanir have stayed Vanir and not been co-opted into the Aesir. There is no conclusive evidence in the surviving mythology that Freyja ever married Odin. Unlike many Old European goddesses who in myths were raped or taken as wives by the Indo European patriarchal gods, Freyja managed in the myths of the Aesir to remain free. Of Njordr Snorri writes in his Prose Edda, “Njordr is not of the Aesir family.” He goes on to write about Freyja and Freyr being Njordr’s children. He never gives the impression that the Vanir hostages, Njordr and Freyr, or Freyja ever “joined” the Aesir family of gods and goddesses. The rest of the Vanir stay clear of the Aesir and remain in Vanaheim.