Common Germanic deities
This article lists gods and goddesses that may be reconstructed for Proto-Germanic or Common Germanic Migration period paganism, or which figure in both West and North Germanic mythology. See list of Germanic deities for a complete list of Germanic gods and goddesses, including those for whom there is insufficient attestation to produce Common Germanic reconstructions.
Deities
Proto-Germanic reconstructions marked with an asterisk.
- Goddesses
- *Nerþuz, described by Tacitus as Mother Earth, possibly continued in Old Norse: Njǫrðr (Njord, Njorth).
- *Frijjō, "wife" (specifically here the wife of Wōdanaz), Old English: Frige, Old Norse: Frigg, cf. Sanskrit priyā "mistress, wife".
- *Wurdiz, "fate", Old Norse: Urðr (Urd, Urth), Old English: Wyrd.
- *Sōwilō, the Sun, Old Norse: Sól, Old English Sunne, Old High German: Sunna.
- *Austrǭ, Dawn goddess Easter, Old English: Ēostre, Old Saxon: *Ōstara, Old Frisian: Āsteron.
- Gods
- *Wōdanaz, "lord of poetic/mantic inspiration", "Germanic Mercury", Old Norse: Óðinn (often Anglicized Odin or, especially in older texts, Othin), Old English: Wōden, Old High German Wuotan.
- *Þunraz, "thunder", "Germanic Jupiter", Old Norse: Þórr (Thor), West Germanic: Donar, Old English: Þunor.
- *Teiwaz, god of war and possibly early sky god, "Germanic Mars", Old Norse: Týr, Old English:Tiw, Old High German: Ziu, continues Indo-European *Dyeus.
- *Wulþuz, "glorious one", possibly originally an epithet, mentioned on the Thorsberg chape, continued in Old Norse: Ullr, Old English: Wuldor, Gothic: Wulþus.
- *Ingwaz or Inguz, identified with the god addressed as Fraujaz "lord"; Old High German Frô, Gothic: Frauja, Old English: Frēa, Old Norse: Freyr.
Semi-gods or mythical heroes
- *Auzawandilaz, Old English: Ēarendel; Old Norse: Aurvandil; Lombardic: Auriwandalo; Old High German: Orentil, Erentil; Medieval Latin: Horuuendillus, the morning star(?), Gothic: Auzandil.
- *Gautaz, Old English: Geat; Old Norse: Gautr, mythical ancestor of royal houses.
- *Wēlanduz, Old English: Wēland; Old Norse: Völundr or Velentr; Old High German: Wiolant; from *Wēla-nandaz, literally "battle-brave",[1] a mythical smith.
- *Agilaz, Old English: Ægil, Alamannic: Aigil, Old Norse: Egil, a mythical archer.
- *Wadą, Old English: Wada, Old Norse: Vaði, Middle High German: Wate, associated with bodies of water, the father of Wayland the Smith.
Mythical races
Cosmology
- *Medjanagardaz inhabited world
- erþo anþi uppahemenaz Germanic formula for "heaven and earth", notably naming earth first. Mentioned in the Norse Edda, Skarpåker Stone and Old High German Wessobrunner Gebet etc.
- *Haljō Underworld
- *Muþspell (see Muspilli and Muspelheim) Disastrous world-ending (c.f. Ragnarok)
References
- see Hellmut Rosenfeld, Der Name Wieland, Beiträge zur Namenforschung (1969).
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