Birmver Deities

Hildr - Giantess of war, valor, and honor

• Name means "battle"
• One of the Valkyrie (a group of 12)
• Raises the valiant dead from the battlefield and takes them to Folkvangr/Valhalla

Brynhildr - Jotunsdotter, The Shieldmaiden

• Names means "battle armor"
• The first of the Jotunsdottrar
• Ascended into demigod status beside her mother Hildr

Angrboda - Mother of Beasts, Giantess of wolves and monsters

• Name means "one who brings grief" or "she-who-offers-sorrow"
• Also known as Iárnvidia, "She of the Iron Wood"
• Mother of the wolf Fenrir, the world-serpent Jormundgandr, and the goddess Hel
• Also countless other monsters
• Her monstrous children are meant to test the Jotunsdottrar

Skadi - Giantess of winter, hunting, and justice

• Name means either "harm" or "shadow"
• Lives on the highest mountain peak where the snow never melts
• Instead of darkness, cold, and death, she represents survival and subsistence through winter
• Invented snowshoes and skis

Hyndla - Giantess of bloodlines, prophecy, and shamanism (dogs)

• Names means "hound"
• Lives deep in an ice cave in the homeland guarded by ettins
• Appears as a very old wisewoman, bent with age to a height not much greater than human
• Seemingly asleep most of the time
• Travels about in the astral realm ("faring forth") tracing every creature's ancestry
• Can follow a bloodline from the past to make a prediction about the future

Odin - God of battle, knowledge, poetry, magic, and runes

• Name means "inspiration, rage, frenzy"
• Called the All-Father
• Has literally dozens of different names as he regularly adopts disguises
• Sacrificed an eye for knowledge, wisdom, and the "far sight"
• Somewhat popular among the Vos and Varsk
• Tolerated by the Jotunsdottrar as Odin's mother was a giantess (Bestla)
• Considered a conniving and inscrutable deity
• Known to favor certain mortals to the detriment of others
• As long as Odin's chosen come out on top
• Particularly favors berserkers and warrior-shamans (bear and wolf totems)
• Also known as a god of outcasts and outlaws
• Also the patron god of magic-users (typically considered a feminine art among the Vos/Varsk but a masculine one among the Jotunsdottrar)
• Rides the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, wields the magic spear Gungnir, and is accompanied by his familiar (fylgjur/fylgja) ravens (Hugin and Munin) and his wolves (Geri and Freki)

Thor Odinsson - God of battle, storms, strength, and the Vos/Varsk

• Name means "thunder" and "son of Odin"
• Called the Giant-Slayer
• Wields the magic hammer Mjollnir (which means "lightning")
• Very popular among the Vos and Varsk, particularly as you move inland
• Barely tolerated by the Jotunsdottrar as Thor's father was half-giant and his mother, Jord, was a giantess
• Not wise to call him "Odinsson" or especially "Giant-Slayer" within hearing range of a Jotunsdotter
• Viewed as the god who safeguards civilization

Freyr + Freya - God and goddess of elves, warriors, magic

• Names mean "lord" and "lady"
• Androgynous sibling-spouses of the elven pantheon
• Skilled at war, magic, poetry, and art

Snorri - Placehold god for dwarves