Here is a brief description of the seven kinds of nature spirits. In Old Norse, ‘nature spirits’ are called vættir, literally ‘beings’. For English, I always use the plural form of the Old Norse names as if both singular and plural. So, ‘one alfar’ and ‘many alfar’.
The alfar is the Norse elf, a sky spirit associating with sun, sunlight, solar corona, and sunrays, along with sexuality, beauty, fate, success, magic, and technology. The Norse concept of elf is distinct from the concepts of an elf in other cultures. For example, among the Scottish, the elf is a land spirit who lives underground, under the influence of the Celtic sidhe. Even so the Scottish elf likewise associates with sexuality, fate, magic, and technology. Norse and Scottish cultures especially attribute beauty and charisma to their respective elves.
The dvergar is the Norse dwarf. Similarly, the Norse concept of dwarf is distinct from that of other cultures. The dvergar are fully human size, generally malevolent, and strictly nocturnal, petrifying in sunlight. The Eddas and Sagas portray them as highly intelligent, skillful in magic, curses, shapeshifting, and technology − and typically traitorous.
Regarding size, dvergar are the same size as humans. In Sæmundar Edda, the poem Alvíssmál describes the dvergar as having the ‘body of a þursar’ (þursa líki). This þursar is a grotesque type of jǫtnar, meaning dvergar are the same size as jǫtnar. Most jǫtnar are human size, but many are giant size. However in stories, dvergar interact normally with humans without comment about size, and the human size is understood. The poem Reginsmál describes an individual dvergar named Reginn as being a ‘dvergar of stature’ (dvergr of vǫxt). Here, the ‘stature’ refers to the greatness of his dvergar magic. Likewise he is ‘skillful’, ‘wise’, ‘fierce’, and ‘multiply knowledgeable’ knowing all forms of magic, prophesy (spá), mind magic (seiðr), shapeshifting (hamfarir), and spellsong (galdr). The poem Vǫluspá lists Reginn as one of the dvergar. In Snorris Edda, in its section Skáldskaparmál, the family of Reginn inhabits the realm of the dvergar, Svartalfaheimr, altho he himself lives in the realm of the humans. In Norway and Sweden, there are carvings in runestones and stave churches that depict this dvergar Reginn as the same size as the human Sigurðr.
The concept of a small dwarf is Non-Norse. However, it does appear in a late Old Norse text that translates a foreign text. After Christianization, and under the influence of continental European literature, the late chivalric saga, Þiðreks Saga av Bern, translates Low German poetry about King Theoderic, set in northern Germany. It mentions a German dwarf, a zwerg, who according to the German worldview is the size of a small child. This particular zwerg is wellknown, a zwerg king named Alberich. The Old Norse saga renders the name of this German dwarf into Old Norse by its cognates: a ‘dvergar’ named ‘Alfríkr’, but must specify that this German type of dvergar is unusually small. Originally, the German zwerg was a spirit that resembled a human child. But later it came to be perceived as an adult spirit that nevertheless remained the small size of a child. A similar process of diminution happened to the German kobold, the English fairy, and so on.
In both Eddas, Sæmundar and Snorris, the dvergar goes by the nickname ‘alfar of blackness’ (svartalfar). Similarly, Snorris Edda also characterizes them as ‘alfar of darkness’ (døkkalfar). Certain individual dvergar have personal names and nicknames, such as Alfr, Vindalfr, and Gandalfr. Generally, the blackishness refers simultaneously to their black hair, their sunless lifestyle, and their cruel mentality. The comparison to an alfar is ironic. Where alfar are helpful, the dvergar are unhelpful to the point of cruelty. However, dvergar can be a source of powerfully good fortune if convinced to help. In these rare instances, the supplicant generally tricks the dvergar into helping, then later the dvergar seeks revenge for being tricked. Or the dvergar helps because of some ulterior motive, that ends up harming the person helped. Nevertheless help from a dvergar can be valuable, even if dangerous. In this sense of good fortune, a dvergar is nicknamed an ‘alfar’.
Despite the nickname ‘alfar’, the dvergar are not actually one. For example, there is an individual nature spirit, named Bárðr, whose father is a mix of various kinds of jǫtnar and whose mother is human. He began life in the human realm and became a king, but eventually abandoned his kingdom to join the realm of the jǫtnar. From there, this half-jǫtnar spirit often safeguards humans from other jǫtnar. He gained the nickname the ‘æsir of Snow Glacier’ (Snæfelláss). At no point is he actually an æsir, but gains the nickname because he defends against hostile jǫtnar, similar to the way the æsir called Þórr defends against hostile jǫtnar. Samewise, altho dvergar gained the nickname ‘alfar’, these dvergar are at no point actually an alfar.
The vanir are a kind of nature spirit that is peculiar to the Norse worldview and seems to lack existence in other European cultures. Individual vanir have personal names with cognates in related languages, namely Njordr, Freyja and Freyr. However, the vanir as a separate kind of nature spirit, as well as Freyja as a separate person from Frigg, seems unique to the Norse worldview.
With regard to cosmic features, the vanir are animistic spirits of sexuality and fate, who associate with magic, fertility of livestock and crops, fertile skies with rain and warm sunshine, and fertile land with lush plants, plus success, shining beauty, wealth, love, friendship, and peace. These aspects of the vanir overlap with the aspects of the alfar. Indeed, in Sæmundar Edda, the poem Grímnismál describes the realm of the alfar (Alfheimr) as a subset of the vanir, being a gift in the service to one of the vanir, Freyr. The alfar have in common with the vanir the concepts of warm sunshine, fate, good fortune, success, prophesy, sex, beauty, and magic.
The nature spirits Freyr and Freyja are twins and lovers. Both are spirits of sexuality. The male Freyr seems to associate more with the sky in the sense of life-giving weather and fate in the sense of success. The female Freyja seems to associate more with fate in the sense of prophecy. Their father Njǫrðr seems to associate more with the land, honored for fertile harvests in an annual celebration in Trónðheimr, mentioned in Heimskringla by Snorri. But the father perhaps associates more as fertile winds, explaining his association with both good harvests and seafaring ships. Both siblings are accomplished mages known for magic. In Vǫluspá, the æsir Óðinn learns mind magic (seiðr) from the sister. In Skírnismál, the brother has a messenger, Skírnir (‘clear one’, blue sky), who is a powerful mage casting a spellsong (galdr) while carving runes to formulate a curse, and who is apparently a human who learned the magic from the brother.
The vanir brother himself uses mind magic (seiðr). Mind mages, such as the vǫlur shaman in Eiríks Saga Rauða, sometimes use a high seat that is ritually elevated on a wooden framework, called ‘enchantment scaffolding’ (seið-hjallr). Hliðskjálfr (‘the shaking of the gateway’) appears to be this kind of ritual chair. When the brother climbs up on it, he employs magic to project his ‘mindforce’ (hugir) outofbody to distant remote locations.
The vanir are animistic spirits of sexuality, beauty, love, friendship, and peace, fate, prophesy, success, and magic. The alfar overlap much of this.
The jǫtnar is a spirit of wilderness, chaos, and the deadly forces of nature. The etymology of the name is generally explained as relating to the word ‘eat’, possibly in the sense of eating humans, where natural disasters kill humans, and generally associating with the consuming quality of entropy.
The Old Norse word jǫtnar often translates less accurately into English as ‘giant’. Certain jǫtnar are a head taller than humans, or even the size of a mountain, or even the size of a realm. But most jǫtnar are the size of a normal human. For example, Loki and Gerðr. Loki can wear the cloak the vanir , Freyja. The father of Gerðr can wield the sword of the vanir, Freyr. They are the same size. Many jǫtnar live among humans and interact normally with humans, even if exhibiting a more muscular physique. Jǫtnar can grow to be various sizes. Hrólfs Saga Gautrekssonar describes two jǫtnar brothers, here referred to as ‘trǫll’. One brother is human size. The other brother is a towering giant.
There are several types of jǫtnar. Mainly, they divide between the beautiful risar versus the grotesque þursar. A certain jǫtnar family might include members that are beautiful risar, members that are monstrous þursar, and other members that are a mix of both. Moreover, some jǫtnar shapeshift into a beast form, such as monstrous serpent, eagle, bull, horse, or so on. Rather than using the English word ‘giant’, it is probably clearest to use the Norse names when referring to the Norse concepts, and emphasize the jǫtnar as animistic spirits of the chaos of wilderness − opposite the spirits of the order of civilization. Their size is less significant than the kinds of threat that they pose.
All jǫtnar know magic. Indeed trǫll is an other name for jǫtnar. The Old Norse term trǫll literally means ‘witch’, mage, enchanter. The related verb trylla means ‘to bewitch’ someone. Some trǫll are known for mind magic (seiðr) to play with the minds of others, including charm, illusion, curse, and outofbody psychic attacks. Some are known for shapeshifting (hamfarir), where berserkar rage is an aspect of animalistic shapeshifting. Others have other skills, such manifesting violent weather, healing, or so on. There is such a thing as a benevolent trǫll, but like the English term ‘witch’ where there is such thing as a good witch, if unspecified, it conveys mainly negative connotations.
As jǫtnar, some trǫll are goodlooking while others hideous. The risar are a kind of jǫtnar who are famous for beauty and strength. These nature spirits personify beautiful aspects of dangerous nature, including majestic mountains, pristine snows, captivating fire, shimmering aurora borealis, lulling waterfalls, and so on. They sometimes have children with humans. Certain human clans descend from a risar ancestor.
The Norse value male beauty. Risar, like alfar, are celebrated for their extreme beauty. Þorsteins Saga Víkingssonar says, ‘Logi (‘blaze’, a human-size fire risar) was bigger and stronger than any other in that land. ... Logi was the most beautiful (fríðastr) of all men. He brought about in himself the muscularity and stature in his clan because of he was of the risar kind.’ Similarly, Bárðar Saga Snæfellsáss says the jǫtnar father of Bárðr ‘was coming from risar kind in the clan of his father. And that is an appealing (vænna) folk, and stronger than other men.’ Bárðr the half-risar son inherits his fathers goodlooks. ‘This lad was both great (in the brawn of his physique) and appealing (vænn) to see. (So) that men found (it) difficult to have seen a more splendid (fegra) masculine man.’ The traits of the beauty of male risar include masculinity, muscularity, and goodlooks.
Note, early modern Norwegian folkbelief tends to refer to the trǫll as ‘under-earthers’ (underjordisker), nature spirits that dwell underground, in mountains, or underwater. Where trǫll means mage, it serves as a loan translation to equate the British concept of faerie that means ‘magic’. Likewise, these underearthers dwell underground similar to the Irish sidhe. In the sense of extreme beauty, the folkbelief occasionally refers to certain trǫll as an ‘elf’ (alver ≈ alfar).
Jǫtnar are highly diverse with appearances ranging from superhumanly beautiful to grotesquely terrifying, and with heights ranging from typical human to tallest mountain. The jǫtnar personify magic, and associate with dangerous aspects of wild nature: cliff, fire and water, air and ice, animal and plant.
Besides humans (mennskar) as a kind of nature spirit, jǫtnar as a spirit of wilderness and æsir as a spirit of civilization are the most frequent nature spirits in Norse texts.
The æsir is an animistic spirit of civilization, order, and creative forces of nature, as well as cognition. Cognition includes consciousness, will, knowing something to be true, inspiration (various mind altering experiences, including transcendental insight, poetic inspiration, berserkar rage, and magical trance), honor, boasting, oath of commitment, and so on. However, longterm sensory memory associates more with the jǫtnar, and intellectual knowledge more with the dvergar. Some æsir associate with the sky, such as Óðinn the sky generally, Baldr the daylight, and Þórr the lightning storms. The sky with its cycles of day and night, summer and winter, circling sun, moon, and stars, equates cosmic order and conscious will. Some æsir are more abstract concepts of civilization, like Sif who is a spirit of in-laws, in other words, the formation of family by means of a legally binding marital oath rather than by blood. Cognitive experiences are a kind of cosmic feature having æsir as the kind of vættir that personifies them.
The name æsir means a ‘spirit’ (from Proto IE ansu-) and relates to other Old Norse terms such as andi ‘spirit’, and ǫnd ‘breath’, ‘lifeforce’. These vættir are also called goð, literally ‘invoked’ ones. Humans ‘invoke’ them to honor their presence as civilization and defense against the dangerous forces of nature. Yet the Norse heroes of the eddas and the sagas almost never pray to the æsir for help. In times of crisis, these heroes normally rely on themselves, their skill at warfare or their skill at magic. For otherworldly assistance, they are more likely to turn to jǫtnar, alfar, and dvergar. The heroes do avoid offending the æsir. The Old Norse term goð is often translated less accurately into English as a ‘god’, however despite being a cognate that shares the same etymology, the words ‘goð’ and ‘god’ have different meanings. The æsir are mortals who age and die, like humans do, according to Snorris Edda, in Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál. The æsir are not especially powerful, and even one dvergar can capture three æsir at the same time, namely Óðinn, Loki, and Hœnir, according to Völsunga Saga. Nor are they omniscient, indeed even shapeshifting can trick them, and events away from their presence remain unknown. The æsir learn the magic abilities that humans do in the same way that humans do, such as prophesy (spá), mind control (seiðr), and shapeshifting (hamfarir), according to Gylfaginning. The æsir of order and the jǫtnar of chaos are about equally powerful, and when in battle, it is probably fair to generalize that jǫtnar successfully destroy æsir, except æsir survive the destruction by innovating a new tactic that outmodes jǫtnar. Various Norse aristocratic families claim descent from various nature spirits, alfar, jǫtnar, æsir, and vanir, where all of these clans of vættir are about equally prestigious. The æsir are a kind of nature spirit according to a largely prehistoric animistic worldview. The translation ‘god’ is misleading at best. Indeed, when Christians missionized the Norse aborigines, the Christians were forced to invent a new Norse word ‘guð’ to describe God, because the indigenous Norse term goð failed to convey the Christian sense of ‘deity’.
The context is somewhat complex. Among the Norse in the north, remote regions of Norway seem strictly animistic, while among the Saxons in the south, urban centers of Germany seem strictly polytheistic, under Roman influence. Meanwhile there are gradations in between. Any human sacrifice indicates a hierarchical polytheism of masters and servants that has departed from the egalitarian animism of good neighbors.
In the animistic worldview, the nature spirit is the thing itself. For example, an animist who shares food with a river spirit, drops it into its water, thus the river itself can taste the food. Compare the thunderbird of certain Native American peoples. The thundercloud is itself the thunderbird. Looking at the cloud is looking at the thunderbird, being a kind of a soaring eagle that carries snake-like lightning in its talons. When there are no thunderclouds, then likewise the thunderbird is absent. For the Norse people, arctic storms are a kind of eagle, a shapeshifted jǫtnar. When lightning flashes, the ‘thunder’ spirit Þórr is present, a kind of warrior hurling his hammer-like lightning. When there is no lightning, then there is no thunder spirit. Note, as a punisher of oath-breakers, the thunder spirit may alternatively be present in the abstract form of an oath or marriage vow. But if there are no oaths, likewise the thunder spirit is absent. What a modern Westerner might think of as an inanimate object or concept, is for an animist a kind of living being with a psychic presence. The thing is a feature of reality and part of the mindscape. The personality of this being corresponds to the experienced qualities. Fire is beautiful and shifty, and so on. These living beings can interact with each other thru dreams, visions, and otherworldly encounters.
The purpose of a shaman is to interact with these neighboring nature spirits to keep relationships cordial. The spiritual leaders of the Norse people are the vǫlur shamans, characteristically female, who interact mainly with jǫtnar and alfar. Arguably the skald bards, characteristically male, are also spiritual leaders who transmit lore about the æsir for a courtly context of law and administration.
It is the kinds of things that the æsir embody that makes these nature spirits significant − civilization and defense against wilderness threats. Yet in terms of power, they are moreorless equal to other kinds nature spirits, including humans.
The Náir is the spirit of a ‘corpse’. Normally this spirit is a venerated ancestor at a grave. Because a living human and a dead corpse are different features of the cosmos, they are different kinds nature spirits. Despite being of human kind, the human enters the realm of the dead and becomes a member of it. All vættir become náir at death, whether jǫtnar or æsir or any other kind. The náir generally look after the fates of their living descendents. One particularly potent náir who brought especially good fortune to those paying their respects, gained the nickname ‘elf’, Ólafr Geirstaðaalfr (alfar of Geirstaðr). Normally, the alfar are responsible for successful outcomes.
On rare occasions, such as to avenge a murder or save a relative, the ‘mindforce’ (hugir) of the corpse spirit magically animates the corpse as an undead draugar, a Norse revenant. Essentially this is shapeshifting, and might include teleportation. Some also know mind magic to influence or curse others. The draugar is dangerous, known for supernatural strength and a single-minded mission. Sometimes the undead is insane in the confusion between life and death, thus killing the living without realizing it. The insane ones seem more likely to haunt the vicinity of their grave site. The name draugar relates to 'delusion', possibly something like a dreamlike manifestation.
In Grettis Saga the draugar is malevolent, but in Njáls Saga the draugar is joyful. In Eyrbyggja Saga, the draugar is insane and causes the corpses of those that it kills to also rise as draugar.
Physically destroying the corpse likewise ‘kills’ the draugar.
The seventh clan of nature spirits is the 'human', mennskar. Old Norse also calls humans menn, but this can ambiguously mean either ‘humans’ a synonym of mennskar, or ‘male adults’ a synonym of karlar. Mennskar always means the humans, in contrast to the six other kinds of vættir. Humans too are a feature of the cosmos that possesses a psychic presence.
The ethic of the spirituality of animism is to maintain good relations with neighbors, or at least shrewd arrangements, thus live in harmony with the cosmos.
