The First Gods
Vili and Vé are the brothers of Odin, and with him they form the first family of the gods. All three are sons of Borr and the giantess Bestla, standing at the very beginning of the Norse story, before the world itself was made.
Together the three brothers slew the primordial giant Ymir and used his vast body to shape the cosmos: his flesh became the earth, his blood the seas, his bones the mountains, and his skull the dome of the sky. From a formless void they built an ordered world.
Walking along the new shore, the brothers found two logs and made from them the first man and woman, Ask and Embla. Odin gave them breath and life, Vili gave them wit and movement, and Vé gave them faces, speech, and the senses. From that gift all humankind descends.
Their Deeds
Shaping the World
With Odin they build the earth, sea, and sky from the body of the slain giant Ymir.
Gifts to Humankind
Vili grants wit and movement, and Vé grants the senses, to the first man and woman.
Keepers of Asgard
In one old tale, when Odin was long away, his brothers ruled in his place and shared his wife Frigg.
Quick Facts
Residence
Asgard
Among the first of the Æsir, from the dawn of the world
Family
- Group: Aesir
- Brother: Odin
- Parents: Borr and Bestla