The Company of Goddesses
Beyond the great goddesses of Norse myth stands a company of lesser ásynjur, each named in the Prose Edda with a particular power or duty. They appear only briefly in the sources, yet together they fill out the busy, well-ordered household of the gods.
Many of these goddesses attend upon Frigg, the queen of Asgard, or govern some quiet corner of human life, from love and oaths to protection and good manners. Their names were once invoked in the small and daily matters of the Norse world.
Though little more than their functions survives, these figures show how richly the Norse imagined the divine, with a goddess for nearly every turn of the heart and the hall.
The Lesser Goddesses
Sjöfn
Love and desire
Turns the hearts and minds of men and women toward love.
Lofn
Forbidden unions
Grants leave for lovers to come together, even when it is otherwise forbidden.
Vár
Oaths and vows
Hears the oaths and agreements sworn between people, and punishes those who break them.
Vör
Wisdom and awareness
So wise and searching that nothing can be hidden from her.
Syn
Defense and denial
Guards the doors of the hall against those who should not enter, and is invoked as a defense at trials.
Hlín
Protection
Appointed by Frigg to shield from danger those the queen wishes to keep safe.
Snotra
Prudence
Wise and courteous, goddess of self-discipline and gentle manners.
Gná
Messages
Frigg's messenger, who rides the horse Hófvarpnir through the sky and over the sea.
Quick Facts
More Goddesses
Residence
Asgard
Among the goddesses in the halls of the Æsir
Note
Scholars debate whether some of these names are true goddesses or aspects and by-names of Frigg herself.