Vanaheim

In Norse cosmology, Vanaheimr (Old Norse for 'Home of the Vanir') is a realm associated with the Vanir, a group of gods linked to fertility, wisdom, and the ability to foresee the future.

Vanaheimr is referenced in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources, as well as in the Prose Edda and (in an euhemerized form) in the Heimskringla, both written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. In the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Vanaheimr is described as the place where the god Njörðr was created.

Accounts

Vanaheimr is mentioned only once in the Poetic Edda, in a stanza from the poem Vafþrúðnismál. In this poem, Gagnráðr (the god Odin in disguise) engages in a game of riddles with the Jötunn Vafþrúðnir. Gagnráðr asks Vafþrúðnir where the Van-god Njörðr comes from, as Njörðr, though ruling over many courts, was not raised among the Æsir. Vafþrúðnir responds that Njörðr was created in Vanaheimr by "wise powers" and that he was exchanged as a hostage during the Æsir-Vanir war. Additionally, Vafþrúðnir says that after the end of the world (Ragnarök), Njörðr will return to the "wise Vanir":

Benjamin Thorpe translation: "In Vanaheim, wise forces created him,
And gave him as a hostage to the gods.
At the end of the world,
He will return to the wise Vanir."

Henry Adams Bellows translation: "In the home of the Wanes, the wise ones made him,
And gave him as a pledge to the gods;
At the world's end, he will once again
Return to the Wanes, so wise."

In Chapter 23 of the Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda, the throne figure of the High One states that Njörðr was raised in Vanaheimr but later sent as a hostage to the Æsir.

The Heimskringla, in the Ynglinga Saga, offers a refreshed account of the origins of Norse mythology. In Chapter 1, it describes the "Van-home or home of the Vanir" as being located near the river Don (which Snorri mentions was once called "Tana-Gabel" or "Vana-Gabel").

Chapter 4 discusses the Æsir-Vanir War and mentions that the Æsir, during a hostage exchange, sent the god Hœnir to Vanaheim, where he was immediately appointed as chieftain.

In Chapter 15, it is reported that King Sveigðir married a woman named Vana in "Vanaland," located in Sweden. They had a child named Vanlandi, meaning "Man from the Land of the Vanir."

Theories

The existence of the Nine Worlds is mentioned in some Old Norse texts. These worlds are not explicitly listed in any particular order, but it is commonly believed that Vanaheimr is one of them. Henry Adams Bellows lists the other eight worlds as Asgard, Álfheimr, Midgard, Jötunheimr, Svartálfaheimr, Niflheim, Múspellsheimr, and possibly Niðavellir.

Hilda Ellis Davidson notes that it is unclear exactly where Vanaheimr fits among the Nine Worlds, as "the main gods, Freyr and Njörðr, along with a number of others, are represented with the Æsir in Asgard, but it seems likely that it was in the underworld." Davidson also draws a connection between the Vanir and "the land-spirits that dwelled in hills and waters..."

Rudolf Simek suggests that Snorri "undoubtedly" invented the name Vanaheimr as the Vanir counterpart to Asgard, but does not mention its connection to Vafþrúðnismál.