Gefjon (pronounced GEF-yon) is the Norse Goddess of fertile ground and virgins. Yes, contradictory, but she is a Goddess and normal rules don’t always apply. The predominant myth about her is from a ninth century poem by Bragi the Old and was retold by Snorri Sturluson in the thirteenth century. He relates how Odin had sent Gefjon out to look for more land, and she came to the court of King Gylfi of Sweden. She entertained the king, and in return he gave her a grant of as much land as four oxen could plough in one day and one night. Gefjon went to the land of the giants where she had four sons with a giant. She turned the four sons into oxen and brought them back to King Gylfi. They dug up so much earth that they created a lake, Lake Mälaren, and the earth that they had dug they dumped into the sea where it formed an island, Zealand, which is now part of Denmark. Gefjon then moved to the island and married Odin’s son Skjöld, and their children became the royal family of Denmark.

Elsewhere in his works, Snorri Sturluson refers to Gefjon as a virgin Goddess, although the trickster God Loki claims that this is not true. Gefjon is one of Frigg’s handmaidens, and she in turn is served by women who died as virgins. Her name means “giver” and is also seen as Gefion, Gefjun, or Gebjun.

Verðandi is the Norse Goddess of present fate. She is the middle of the three Norns, Goddesses of destiny. The Norns are in charge of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Every day, they take water from the Well of Fate, mix it with clay, and pour it over the tree’s branches. This stops it from decaying.

Verðandi, as the middle of the Norns, rules over the present. Her name means “that which is”. Verðandi winds the thread of life after it is spun by her older sister Urð; the youngest sister, Skuld, then cuts the thread at the appointed time, ending the life. As the Norn of the present, Verðandi is depicted looking straight ahead, as compared to her sisters who look either backward to the past or forward to the future. Her name is also seen as Verdandi or Verthandi.

Urð is the Norse Goddess of past fate. She is the oldest of the three Norns, Goddesses of destiny. The Norns are in charge of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Every day, they take water from the Well of Fate (also called the Well of Urð), mix it with clay, and pour it over the tree’s branches. This stops it from decaying.

Urð, as the oldest of the Norns, rules over the past. Her name means “that which has been”, and is the root of the English words earth and weird–the Norns were the original Wyrd Sisters. Urð spins out the thread of life, which is then wound by the middle sister, Verðandi, and cut by the youngest of the Norns, Skuld. As the Norn of the past, Urð is depicted looking backwards in comparison to her sisters. Her name is also seen as Urda, Urth, Urdr, and Urthr.

Skuld is the Norse Goddess of future fate. She is the youngest of the three Norns, Goddesses of destiny, and is also a Valkyrie. The Norns are in charge of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Every day, they take water from the Well of Fate, mix it with clay, and pour it over the tree’s branches. This stops it from decaying.

Skuld, as the youngest of the Norns, rules over the future. Her name means “shall be” or “she who is becoming”, and is the root of the English word “should”. It is Skuld who determines the time of death, for she is the one who cuts the thread of fate that her sisters have spun (Urð) and wound (Verðandi).

Luot-chozjik is the Sami Goddess of the reindeer. She appears as a human woman, but she is covered in reindeer fur. She protects the reindeer as they graze.

Tuulikki (pronounced TOO-le-kee) is the Finnish Goddess of forest creatures, daughter of Mielikki and Tapio. Her name means “little wind,” and she plays a role very similar to that of her mother. Both Tuulikki and Mielikki were asked to help hunters in finding game, and Tuulikki also protected breeding animals, ensuring a continued supply.

Mielikki (pronounced MEE-le-kee) is the Finnish Goddess of hunting and forests. Her name means “darling,” and she is called upon for success in hunting. She is wife of Tapio, the forest God, and mother to Tuulikki, Goddess of forest creatures, and Nyyrikki, God of hunting.

Völuspá is the Norse Goddess of wisdom and prophecy. She is the seer or völva who tells Odin the story of how the world was created, and how it would come to its end. She is not named in the poem, and subsequent tellings have given her the name of her work, which means “the völva’s prophecy.”

You knew it was going to be a Goddess of Love today, didn’t you!

Freyja (pronounced FRAY-ah) is the Norse Goddess of love and fertility. She is the chief Goddess of the Vanir, who were mainly fertility Gods. Freyja is similar to Frigg in that she is a love and fertility Goddess, but where Frigg’s role was mainly as wife and mother, Freyja is seen more as a lover, the symbol of sexuality and passion. She was married to the God Óðr, who is mentioned only briefly in Norse myths. He seems to have left her for a long journey and she searched the earth for him, crying tears that turned to gold.

Freyja is also Goddess of war, battle, death, and magic. She heads the Valkyries, and half of the chosen slain warriors she takes to her palace, Sessrúmnir, in particular the female warriors, bards, and craftsmen. Freyja also taught the mysteries of magic to Odin. She possesses many magical items, including a cloak that allows her to turn into a hawk or falcon and a golden necklace called Brísingamen, and she travels either by riding her golden boar, Hildisvini, or in her chariot pulled by her sacred cats.

Freyja’s name means “Lady,” and is also seen as Frauja, Frea, Freia, Freija, Freja, Freo, Freya, Freyju, Friia, Frija, Fröa, Fröe, Frouwa, Frowa, Froya, Frøya, Frue, and Frya. She is also known as Vanadis (Goddess of the Vanir), Mardöll (sea-bright), Hörn (flax, from her golden hair), Gefn (giver), and Sýr (sow, from her role as fertility Goddess). Epithets for Freyja include:
Possessor of the Slain
Mistress of the Chosen
Mistress of the Valkyries
of Sessrúmnir
of the Gib-Cats
of Brí­singamen
Goddess of the Vanir
Lady of the Vanir
Goddess Beautiful in Tears

Frigg is the Norse Goddess of the sky, marriage, motherhood, love, fertility, and the domestic arts. She and Freyja are the two most important Goddesses in the Norse pantheon, with Frigg as head of the Æsir (mostly warrior Gods) and Freyja as head of the Vanir (mostly fertility Gods). Frigg is married to Odin, God of wisdom and war, and her myths mainly pertain to her role as wife and mother. She is the patron Goddess of spinners and weavers, and she spins the clouds in the sky.

Frigg is attended by twelve handmaidens: Eir, Fulla, Gefjon, Gná, Hlí­n, Lofn, Saga, Sjöfn, Snotra, Syn, Vár, and Vör. Her name means “beloved one”, and is also seen as Fria, Frig, Friga, Frige, Frigga, Friggja, Frika, and Fricka.