The higher divinities are seperated into two kinds, the aesir and the vanir, the aesir are the gods and goddesses of social order & consciousness, while the vanir are the divinities of nature and well being. Odin & freyja cross over into magical divinities at will.
The below mentioned gods and goddesses are key deities who open the way to the divine realms, they are the main deities to whom gifts are usually given.
THE AESIR
ODIN/WODEN
Odin is the chief god, he is the god of the rune masters, he is the god who sacrifices himself to himself in order to gain the runes - the knowledge of self, the cosmos & the power to act within these realms & reshape parts of them at will. Odin is the god of poetry, magic, ecstasy & divine synthesis of consciousness. Animals attributed to Odin are : ravens, wolves, the horse & the serpent.
TÍW/TYR
Tiw is the god of law, he rules over justice & rational thought. He measures all things out in their right & proper order
THOR/THUNAR
The name thunar means the thunderer. Thor is the god of steadfast loyalty, he is a true defender of the gods & humanity, he is the warrior of the gods, his chief weapon is mjóllnir the hammer. The animal attributed to Thor is the goat.
FRIGGA/FRIGG
Frigga is the wife of Odin, although she has great prophetic knowledge, she rarely speaks it. She is an important goddess among the aesir who influence the maintaining of social order within domestic existence.
THE VANIR
FREIA/FREYJA
Freyja is the goddess of magic, eroticism & physical well being. Freyr is Freyja's twin brother, the names mean "lord & lady". Her chief kind of magic is the seith, this usually involves a trance induction & may also involve travel between & among the various worlds of yggdrasill. She also controls the powers of the natural cycles - for which her magical necklace, the brisingamen, is a symbol. Animals attributed to Freyja are the sow and cats.
FREI/FREYR
Freyr is the lord of prosperity, material & physical well being, peace & eroticism. He is said to be the veraldargodh - the god of the world. He controls the natural processes in the land & in the air over the land. Animals attributed to Freyr are the horse, the boar & the deer or stag.
NJORTH/NJÓRDHR
He is the father of Freyr & Freyja. Njórdh is the lord of material well-being & abundance. He controls the natural processes in the sea & in the air over the sea.
NORSE GODS & GODDESSES
BRAGI : The god of eloquence; wisdom & poetry are also in his domain. He is married to IDHUNN.
EIR : Goddess of healing, the physician of the gods and goddesses.
FORSETI : A god of justice, he can reconcile opposing sides on any issue.
GEFJON : Goddess of virtue, she is the gracious, giving one, from her you may obtain gifts of the body & spirit.
GNÁ : Goddess of transformation, she raises awareness to towering heights.
HEIMDALLR : The god of guardianship. Clairvoyance & vigilance are also qualities ruled over by him.
HLÍN : Goddess who protects people from physical danger.
HÓDHR : The god of blind force, he is brute strength & the embodiment of conflict.
IDHUNN : Goddess of eternal renewal, she helps to sustain the vigor of divine forces in the universe as the guardian of the golden apples of the aesir.
LOFN : Goddess of indulgence, from her permission can be granted to indulge in sexual acts otherwise forbidden by law or custom.
LOKI : He is not fully a god, but he is the blood-brother of Odin & is the companion of the aesir. He is associated as a God of fire. He rules over beauty & deception, cunning & guile. He is the trickster & mischief maker. Loki was also known as the shapeshifter, in his guise as a mare, he fathered Sleipnir, the eight legged horse of Odin. With the giantess Angrboda, he is the father of Fenris, the wolf, Jormungand, the giant serpent & Hel, ruler of the underworld. With Sigyn he fathered Vali & Narvi. Loki is powerful in laughter & humour, some think he is the shadow side of Odin.
SÁGA : Her name means "seeress" or "speaker of prophecy." she is likely an active aspect of frigga & is powerful in prophetic knowledge.
SIF : The wife and consort of Thor. Goddess of corn and fertility. She was the goddess with beautiful golden hair. Not much is known about Sif but she was possibly a Vanir goddess originally, like the goddess Freya.
SJÓFN : Goddess of love, she can be called upon to turn anyones mind to the thought of love.
SNOTRA : The goddess of intelligence.
SYN : Goddess of denial, she is a powerful defender in legal matters in which one is accused.
ULLR : He is a powerful figure to invoke for battle because of the martial skill he gives.
VALI : A god of vengeance, the avenger of baldur.
VÁR : Goddess of honesty, she takes vengeance on those who break their promises made in formal vows or contracts.
VIDHARR : A god of vengeance, he is the avenger of his father Odin. He is the god of silence & is good for overcoming in crisis.
VÓR : Goddess of awareness, she is very wise, nothing can be hidden from her insight & intuition.
THESE GODS & GODDESSES CAN BE INVOKED & GIFTS GIVEN TO THEM IN EXCHANGE FOR GIFTS WHICH THEY ARE ABLE TO RETURN TO YOU.
Some of this information was taken from: Northern magic by, Edred Thorsson, published by Llewellyn 1992
