Saga is the Norse Goddess of poetry and history. She is one of Frigg‘s handmaidens, and possibly a daughter of Odin. She lives in a hall called Sokkvabekk, which means “sunken benches,” next to a flowing stream. She drinks daily with Odin from golden goblets. Saga’s name means “seeress,” and has come to mean any great telling of history.

Lofn (pronounced LAW-ven) is the Norse Goddess of forbidden love. She is one of Frigg’s handmaidens, and serves Frigg (who is the Goddess of marriage) by removing the obstacles that lovers face. She also presides over the marriage of the two that she has brought together. Lofn’s name, which means “praise,” is also seen as Lofna, Lofe, and Lofua.

Hlín (pronounced LEAN) is the Norse Goddess of consolation. She is one of Frigg’s handmaidens, and Frigg sends her to protect those whom she wants kept safe. Hlín also comforts mourners and kisses away their tears. She listens to prayers to Frigg, relaying the wishes of worshippers and advising on their fulfillment. Hlín’s name, which means “protector” or “shelterer,” is also seen as Hlyn or Lin.

Gná (pronounced NYA) is the Norse Goddess of the breeze. She is one of Frigg‘s handmaidens, and acts as her messenger and scout. Her horse, Hófvarpnir (Hoof-thrower), is able to run across air and water, carrying Gná to her destinations. On one of her journeys, Gná came across a king who was in despair over his lack of an heir. She reported this back to Frigg, along with the fact that the king had always been a faithful worshipper, making offerings of fruit to the Gods. Frigg gave Gná a magical apple to take back to the king. When Gná returned to where she had seen the king, she transformed into a crow and perched in the tree above him. She dropped the apple down, and the king, realizing it was a gift from the Gods, took it home for his wife to eat. In answer to their prayers, she became pregnant and bore a son to carry on the family name. The son, Volsung, became a great hero, immortalized in the Volsunga Saga. Gná’s name, which means “to fly high,” is also seen as Gnaa or Ljod.

Eir (pronounced AIR) is the Norse Goddess of healing. She is one of Frigg‘s twelve handmaidens, and is also named in a list of the Valkyries. Eir was called upon for healing especially by women, and any woman who climbed the mountain on which she lived would return healed. Her name, which means “mercy,” is also seen as Eil, Eira, Eria, and Eyra.

Yambe-akka is the Sami Goddess of the underworld. She is represented as an old crone, and the trembling of her hands is what causes earthquakes. Yambe-akka shepherds the souls of the dead to the underworld. She is featured in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series as a Goddess of death of witches, who brings joy along with death. Yambe-akka’s name, which means “old woman of the dead,” is also seen as Yabme-akka, Jabme-akka, Jameakka, Jabmeks, Jabmi-akko, or Jami-ajmo-ollmaj.

Sigyn (pronounced SEEG-in) is the Norse Goddess of fidelity and devotion. She is the wife of Loki, and she watches over him in his captivity. After Loki orchestrated the death of the God Baldr, the Gods captured him and his two sons by Sigyn, Váli and Narfi. Váli was transformed into a wolf, and he then turned on his brother and killed him. The Gods then used Narfi’s intestines to bind Loki to three rocks, and the Goddess Skaði places a poisonous snake over his head. The venom from the snake drips down towards Loki, but Sigyn catches it in a bowl to save him. When the bowl is full, she must turn away to empty it, and the drops that fall on Loki cause him such pain that he thrashes violently, resulting in great earthquakes. Loki remains bound with Sigyn by his side until Ragnarök, the Twilight of the Gods. Sigyn’s name, which means “victorious girlfriend,” is also seen as Signy or Siguna.

Jörð (pronounced YORTH) is the Norse Goddess of the earth. She is one of Odin’s concubines and mother of the God Thor. As Goddess of the earth, she is the one who gave the apple tree of immortality to Idun to guard. Her name, which means “earth,” is also seen as Iord, Jord, or Jorth, and other names for her include Hlódyn (“hearth”) and Fjörgyn (“land”).

Angrboda is the Norse Goddess known as the Mother of Monsters. She is a frost giantess and the mistress of the trickster God Loki. With him, she is the mother of three legendary monsters—Fenrir, a gigantic wolf; Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Serpent; and Hel, Goddess of the dead. A prophecy had told Odin that the children of Angrboda and Loki would bring trouble to the Gods, so he had the three brought to him. He cast Hel into Niflheim, the realm of cold and darkness, and gave her dominion over the underworld. The serpent Jörmungandr was cast into the sea, where he grew so big that he could encircle the whole world and swallow his own tail. The wolf Fenrir was raised by the Gods until he grew too large to be controlled, at which point they chained him to an island. Angrboda’s name means “herald of sorrow” and is also seen as Angrboða, Angerboda, or Augurboda.

Gerd is the Norse Goddess of fertile soil. She is a giantess, and was described as being very beautiful. When her future husband Freyr, twin brother of Freyja, first saw her, he likened her to a sunbeam among shadows, so great was her beauty. Freyr, who was the God of light and fertility, sent a messenger to woo Gerd for him, but she did not want to leave her home to marry the God. The messenger offered her golden apples and a magical ring, but this did not sway her. He threatened to cut off her head, but she was not afraid. Only when he threatened her with a curse that would leave her alone and desolate on a dark mountaintop did she relent. Gerd agreed to meet Freyr in nine days, and they were married. Gerd’s name means “enclosure” and is also seen as Gerda or Gerðr.