There are many other gods about whom little is known aside from their names. They do not appear to have played a major role in the religious life of the medieval germanic tribes. They are mentioned on altars found in Roman-occupied Germany as well as in the Eddas.

Some were undoubtedly fictitious creations of the Edda poets. Others are old gods no longer worshipped or marginal figures who were not worshipped but who were needed for symmetry or decoration.

The Aesir formed one large family and all the gods are related to the central figure Odin/Wotan. Buri is the father of Bor who is the father of Wodan, Wili and We. The same structure, but with different names is found in Tacitus: Tuisto is the father of Mannus who is the father of three sons from which the three main groups come, i.e. the Ingvaeones (North Germans), Irminones (Central Germans) and Istavones (Southern Germans).

The use of alliteration (Wodan, Wili, We) and the number 3 are used often in Germanic verse and mythology. There are 3 norns, 3 rune sticks for determining lots, 3 images of the gods in Uppsala. The number 3 is the base number in the Germanic counting system and is still the basis for English weights and measurements. 3 x 3 seems to have been a particularly sacred number and occurs in many stories.

Wodan had 7 sons. He begot Thor with Jord, Mother Earth, and Balder with Freyja. Balder's son Forseti was a god of peace and reconciliation like his father and he was worshipped in particular on the island of Haligoland [=sacred island] which until the 8th century was called Fositesland, i.e. Forseti's Island.

Heimdall, also known as Rig, is another son of Odin's. He is the Watcher with supernatural hearing and sight who stands guard at the entrance to Asgard on the Rainbow Bridge Bifröst and who will announce the beginning of Ragnarok with his horn Gjallar. His mothers were the waves, i.e. the nine daughters of Aegir, the sea-giant. He is also known as the White God and has teeth of gold as well as a horse with a golden mane. He may represent the rising sun in the early morning.

Hermod, another son of Wodan's, appears only in regard to Balder's death. He is he who rides down to Hel in a vain attempt to retrieve Balder.

Vidar and Vali, also sons of Wodan, are poetical creations needed to avenge the deaths of Wodan and Balder.

Bragi, likewise a son of Wodan, is the god of poets and singers. He is married to Idun who is in charge of the golden apples which grant immortality to the gods.

Claims that Tyr and Hodur are also sons of Wodan go against the evidence. In the Poetic Edda the giant Hymir is even described as the father of Tyr.

Honir and Lodur appear in the creation myth but are probably just different names for Vili and Ve. Honir, along with Mimir, are hostages in the war between the Aesir and the Vanir.

Tacitus mentions a pair of brothers known as the Alcis who were worshipped by the east germanic tribe of the Naharvalans. They were young and are reminiscent of the dioscuri Caspor and Pollux.

Tamfana was not a goddess but rather a sacred temple of the Marsians. The mistranslation of a word in Tacitus's Annals has led to this error.

Zisa (or Cisa) was the tutelary goddess of the city of Augsburg formerly known as Zizarim. Festivities were held in her honor on September 28. Her temple that stood on the Zisenberg was surrounded by woods and replaced in Christian times by St. Peter am Perlach. In 1615 a weathervane in the shape of Zisa holding her sacred pinecone was placed atop the church tower. Later she became identified with the Virgin Mary in her role as the undoer-of-knots. In Switzerland she is known as Cisara. Places named after her include: Zeise, Zeislsperg, Zaissenperig, Zitgers (formerly Cisuris). Tuesday is named after her (Zistag, Zistig, Zaistig) in this region. She is also associated with Tyr and may have been his wife.

Ostara or Eostre (Anglo-Saxon) is a fertility goddess after whom Easter is named. Her favorite animal is the hare or rabbit known for its great reproductive capacities. Most of our Easter customs go back to this goddess.

The Mothers were 3 women usually depicted in a seated position with baskets of fruits on their lap. These figures ensuring happiness, wealth and good health were restricted to the Roman-occupied area of Germany left of the Rhine.

Nehalennia is the name of a mother goddess found on 26 altars uncovered on the Dutch island of Walcheren in the Rhine delta.

Other goddesses known to us in name only: Alateivia, Baduhenna, Burovina, Garmangabi, Haeva, Hariasa, Harimella, Hludana, Sandraudiga, Sunucsal, Vagdavercustis, Vihansa, Viradecdis.

Local maternal goddesses were known as the disir to the North Germans and as the idisir to the Southern Germans. They functioned for the most part as good house spirits and guardian angels.

The three norns whose well lies at the foot of Yggdrasil and called Urd or Wyrd (the Past), Werdandi (the Present) and Skuld (the Future). These figures, who appear in Shakespeare's MacBeth as the three weird sisters or witches, meet during childbirth to determine a person's fate. They do this by carving a rune on a stick and then by picking up randomly three of these sticks which they then analyse in terms of the family members and background, i.e. they believed in the power of genes. There were also elf norns and dwarf norns.

Last modified: September 20, 2001