Pages relating to deities in the world of Midgard.

B

Baldr

Baldr is the son of Odin and Frigg, and is venerated in the Church of Odin as a god of courage, battle, kindness, mercy, grace and the sky. It is said that though he never wore armor into battle, he only ever suffered one blow, which took his life.

F

Fenrir

Fenrir is an immense wolf that was begat through the coupling of Loki and a jotunn. One of three children, the gods traced prophecies that from these siblings great mischief and disaster would arise for them. Thus was Fenrir raised by Odin and Tyr in Asgard, where they could keep close watch on him. Fenrir grew quickly, and as all prophecies foretold Fenrir would cause the gods harm, Odin has three fetters fashioned for Fenrir. The first, greatly strong, was called Leyding. They brought Leyding to Fenrir and suggested that the wolf try his strength with it. Fenrir judged that it was not beyond his strength, and so let the gods do what they wanted with it. At Fenrir's first kick the bind snapped, and Fenrir loosened himself from Leyding. The gods made a second fetter, twice as strong, and named it Dromi. The gods asked Fenrir to try the new fetter, and that should he break this feat of engineering, Fenrir would achieve great fame for his strength. Fenrir considered that, while the fetter was very strong, his strength had grown since he broke Leyding; and also that he would have to take some risks if he were to become famous. Fenrir allowed them to place the fetter.

Fenrir shook himself, knocked the fetter to the ground, strained hard, and kicking with his feet, snapped the fetter – breaking it into pieces that flew far into the distance. High says that, as a result, to "loose from Leyding" or to "strike out of Dromi" have become sayings for when something is achieved with great effort. Fearing they would be unable to bind Fenrir, the Aesir sent Freyr's messenger Skirnir down into the land of Svartalfaheimr to have the dwarves make a fetter called Gleipnir. The dwarves constructed Gleipnir from six ingredients elements. The fetter was smooth and soft as a silken ribbon, yet strong and firm. Skirnir brought the ribbon to the Aesir, and they thanked him heartily for completing the task.

The gods showed Fenrir the silken fetter Gleipnir, told him to tear it, stated that it was much stronger than it appeared, passed it among themselves, used their hands to pull it, and yet it did not tear. However, they said that Fenrir would be able to tear it, to which Fenrir replied:

It looks to me that with this ribbon as though I will gain no fame from it if I do tear apart such a slender band, but if it is made with art and trickery, then even if it does look thin, this band is not going on my legs.

The Aesir said Fenrir would quickly tear apart a thin silken strip, noting that Fenrir earlier broke great iron binds, and added that if Fenrir wasn't able to break slender Gleipnir then Fenrir is nothing for the gods to fear, and as a result would be freed. Fenrir responded:

If you bind me so that I am unable to release myself, then you will be standing by in such a way that I should have to wait a long time before I got any help from you. I am reluctant to have this band put on me. But rather than that you question my courage, let someone put his hand in my mouth as a pledge that this is done in good faith.

With this statement, all of the Aesir look to one another, finding themselves in a dilemma. Everyone refused to place their hand in Fenrir's mouth until Tyr put out his right hand and placed it into the wolf's jaws. When Fenrir kicked, Gleipnir caught tightly, and the more Fenrir struggled, the stronger the band grew. At this, everyone laughed, except Tyr, who there lost his right hand. When the gods knew that Fenrir was fully bound, they took a cord called Gelgja hanging from Gleipnir, inserted the cord through a large stone slab called Gjoll, and the gods fastened the stone slab deep into the ground. After, the gods took a great rock called Thviti, thrust it even further into the ground as an anchoring peg. Fenrir reacted violently; he opened his jaws very wide, and tried to bite the gods. Then the gods thrust a sword into his mouth. Its hilt touched the lower jaw and its point the upper one; by means of it the jaws of the wolf were spread apart and the wolf gagged. Fenrir "howled horribly", saliva ran from his mouth, and this saliva formed the river Ván. There Fenrir will lie until Ragnarok.

Before Fenrir was bound, he begat three children to witches: Garm, an immense wolf whose howls summon snowstorms; Hati, a wolf whose howls summoned destructive winds; and Skoll, a wolf whose maw dribbled with sparks and whose cries summoned volcanic eruptions from the earth's depths. Fenrir is primarily worshipped by kobolds, though he is acknowledged as a deity of growth and challenge by the Church of Odin.

Freyja

Freyja was once known as a benevolent goddess, capable of loving all living beings. Worship of Freyja is known as Freyjanity and it is practiced mainly in Arunafeltz. One day, her husband, Odin betrayed her, banishing her from Asgard, the world of gods. Betrayed by the one she trusted the most, Freyja turned into a goddess of destruction, who has sworn revenge against Odin and his creations in Midgard.

Freyr

Freyr is the twin brother of the goddess Freyja. A god of war, fertility, prosperity, harvests and weather, he was worshiped by elves as their creator and guide. He was once allied with Odin, but when the normans sacked Geffenia, he turned his back on his brother and began to plot with his sister the events that would bring about Ragnarok. Now venerated by demons and the bitter among the remaining elves, Freyr is venerated as a saint in Freyanity. Beyond the cares of mortals, Freyr drinks the blood of sacrifices and waits patiently for revenge.

A God of Peace and War

In a bygone age, Freyr was revered as the creator of elves, and was a stalwart ally of Odin in his fight against the primordial jotnar. Freyr's skill in battle earned him the favour of Odin, who took Freyja, Freyr's twin, as his wife. Freyr was presented with with a sword forged by Baldr, the gods' smith. This sword, Sviaror, granted Freyr control over the winds and clouds. The sword's magic was formed on Freyr's promise that he would never raise a sword against Odin, and would fight ever by his brother-in-law's side. So strong was his faith in Odin that he drew his blade against

As Midgard settled and mortals and monsters found their place, Freyr created the long-lived and wise elves. It was during this time that Odin cast Freyja out from Asgard, realm of the gods. Freyr, knowing full well the weight of his promise, chose with a heavy heart to side with Odin in the matter. He promised his sister that he would seek a solution, but none came.

Freyr was focused on his children. He left Asgard by choice, descending to Midgard to guide the elves, a god among mortals, and though Freyr was a god of war, in his wisdom, he chose peace for his people. To the elves, he imparted much knowledge, and for a time, the city-state of Geffenia was the light of Midgard, a beacon from whence knowledge shone. Races lived in peaceful coexistence within its borders, and Freyr's dominion over fertility and weather granted bounty. Save for mortal greed, it was a land without want.

A God of Sorrow and Power

Ever envious are the hearts of mortals. Through demonic whispers and divine indifference, Geffenia was assaulted. Freyr saw his people murdered by the twisted children of Ymir. Freyr fought alongside his people, but when he fought a norman general, Sviaror shattered. Normans are the children of Odin. Some legends say that the sword's breaking caused the ground to swallow Geffenia.

In the aftermath of the battle, Freyr was a broken king. His will broken, he was given to one of the demon generals as a plaything. This demon inflicted Freyr with a cursed wound, slowly corrupting Freyr's divine essence. Never again would he be the god he once was. Freyr became something between god and demon, requiring blood to use what remained of his godly powers.

Penitent and incensed by Odin's betrayal, he turned to his sister, Freyja. Freyr pledged to never again betray his sister, and, with her, began to plot the end of Asgard. Even now in his fallen state, Freyr is served by his messenger, Skirnir, and his retainers, Beyla and Byggvir

Frigg

Frigg is an Aesir and one of Odin's wives. She begat Baldr, god of light. In the Church of Odin, she is venerated as a goddess of motherhood, foresight, marriage, prophecy and wisdom. It is said that she perished during the Thousand-Year War.

O

Odin

Odin is the first and most powerful member of the Aesir. He slew the Jotunn Ymir and used the giant's body to form Midgard. Taking Ymir's heart, he shattered it into pieces and scattered them all over Midgard to help support its growth. His sweat gave birth to the creatures known as Poring.

Those who worship Odin are part of the Church of Odin and mainly practice their religion in Rune-Midgarts. Odin is commonly referred to as God by worshippers -- a recognition that his power is above all. In Prontera, a fountain of him riding his horse Sleipnir was erected to honour him, though this was moved to the Prontera Sanctuary's halls to accommodate a fountain in memory of all those who died when Morroc was destroyed. A shrine was also built to pay respect to him, although it has fallen into disrepair over the years.

S

Skirnir

Skírnir is Freyr's messenger and vassal. Skírnir was sent as a messenger to Jotunheim to conduct lovesick Freyr's wooing of the fair goddess Gerdr on condition of being given Freyr's dagger, Nachtzehrer, as a reward. The goddess refused the advances until Skirnir threatened Gerdr with his magic wand. Skírnir also performs favors for Odin. After the vicious wolf Fenrir evades capture, Skirnir visited the mountain dwarves, known for their mining and smithing. Together they forged the magical restraint Gleipnir for the purpose of binding the wolf.

T

Tyr

And the god said: 'There is also an As called Tyr. He is the bravest and most valiant, and he has great power over victory in battles. It is good for men of action to pray to him. There was a saying that a man is ty-valiant who surpasses other men and does not hesitate. He was so clever that a man who is clever was said to be ty-wise. It is one proof of his bravery that the Aesir were luring the fenwolf so as to get the fetter Gleipnir on him, he did not trust them that they would let him go until they placed Tyr's hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge. And when the Aesir refused to let him go then he bit off the hand at the wrist, and he is one-handed and he is not considered a promoter of settlements between people.

Tyr is an Aesir of war, victory, wisdom and promise-making. He slew many jotnarr in the Thousand-Year War.

Y

Ymir

Ymir is a primeval being born of primordial elemental poison and the ancestor of all Jotnar. Odin used fragments of the giant's heart to create Midgard. The fragments, known as Heart of Ymir, maintain Midgard's integrity and feed its growth.

Before there was anything in the world, there was Ymir and empty earth. He created sons and grew as a result. But his sons—Odin, Vili, and Ve—grew as well and in time they attacked and killed Ymir. When he fell, his blood flooded the world and killed everything in its path. Only Hvergelmir managed to escape the flood of blood and swore vengeance in what became Jotunheim.