Norse Mythology Names

Ægir m Norse Mythology
Means "sea, ocean" in Old Norse. According to Norse mythology Ægir was a god or giant (jǫtunn) who lived under the ocean.

Alf 1 m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse alfr meaning "elf". In Norse legend this was the name of king, the suitor of a reluctant maiden named Alfhild. She avoided marrying him by disguising herself as a warrior, but when they fought she was so impressed by his strength that she changed her mind.

Alfr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Alf 1.

Alvis m Norse Mythology, Latvian
From the Old Norse Alvíss meaning "all wise". In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf who was to marry Thor's daughter Thrud. Thor was not pleased with this so he tricked Alvis by asking him questions until the sun rose, at which time the dwarf was turned into stone.

Alvíss m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Alvis.

Angrboða f Norse Mythology
Means "she who brings grief" in Old Norse, derived from angr "grief" and boða "to forebode, to proclaim". According to Norse mythology Angrboða was a giantess (jǫtunn) and the mother of three of Loki's children: Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Hel.

Ask m Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse askr "ash tree". In Norse mythology Ask and his wife Embla were the first humans created by the gods.

Askr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Ask.

Atli m Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse form of Attila, used in the Norse Völsungasaga to refer to a fictional version of Attila the Hun.

Balder m Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Baldr meaning "hero, lord, prince", derived from baldr meaning "brave, bold". In Norse mythology Balder was the handsome son of Odin and Frigg. Because of the disturbing dreams he had when he was young, his mother extracted an oath from every thing in the world that it would not harm him. However the devious god Loki learned that she had overlooked mistletoe. Being jealous, he tricked the blind god Hoder into throwing a branch of mistletoe at Balder, which killed him.

Baldr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Balder.

Borghild f Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Derived from the Old Norse elements borg "fortification" and hildr "battle". In the Norse Völsungasaga she was the wife of Sigmund.

Borghildr f Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Borghild.

Brage m Norse Mythology, Norwegian
Modern Scandinavian form of Bragi.

Bragi m Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Derived from Old Norse bragr meaning "first, foremost" or "poetry". In Norse mythology Bragi is the god of poetry and the husband of Iðunn.

Brokkr m Norse Mythology
Means "badger" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, the brother and assistant of Sindri.

Brynhild f Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Norwegian form of Brynhildr.

Brynhildr f Norse Mythology, Old Norse
Old Norse cognate of Brünhild. In the Norse legend the Völsungasaga Brynhildr was rescued by the hero Sigurd in the guise of Gunnar. Brynhildr and Gunnar were married, but when Sigurd's wife Gudrun let slip that it was in fact Sigurd who had rescued her, Brynhildr plotted against him. She accused Sigurd of taking her virginity, spurring Gunnar to arrange Sigurd's murder.

Eir f Norse Mythology, Icelandic (Rare), Norwegian (Rare)
Means "mercy" in Old Norse. This was the name of a Norse goddess of healing and medicine.

Elli 3 f Norse Mythology
Means "old age" in Old Norse. In the Prose Edda this is the name of an old woman (old age personified) who wrestles with and defeats the god Thor.

Embla f Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian
Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse almr "elm". In Norse mythology Embla and her husband Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.

Erna 2 f Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means "brisk, vigorous, hale" in Old Norse. This was the name of the wife of Jarl in Norse legend.

Fenrir m Norse Mythology
From Old Norse fen meaning "marsh, fen". In Norse mythology Fenrir was a ferocious wolf, one of the offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Because it was foretold he would bring about disaster, the gods bound him with a magical fetter, though in the process Tyr's hand was bitten off. At the time of Ragnarök, the end of the world, it is told that he will break free and kill Odin.

Frea f Norse Mythology
Variant of Freya.

Frey m Norse Mythology
Variant of Freyr.

Freya f Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother Freyr and father Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.... [more]

Freyja f Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Icelandic and Old Norse form of Freya.

Freyr m Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Means "lord" in Old Norse. This is the name of a Norse god. He may have originally been called Yngvi, with the name Freyr being his title. Freyr is associated with fertility, sunlight and rain, and is the husband of the giantess Gerd. With his twin sister Freya and father Njord he is one of the group of deities called the Vanir.

Frigg f Norse Mythology
Means "beloved" in Old Norse, ultimately derived from the Indo-European root *pri- "to love". In Norse mythology she was the wife of Odin and the mother of Balder. Some scholars believe that she and the goddess Freya share a common origin.

Gandalf m Norse Mythology, Literature
Means "wand elf" in Old Norse, from the elements gandr "wand, staff, magic, monster" and alfr "elf". This name belongs to a dwarf (Gandálfr) in the Völuspá, a 13th-century Scandinavian manuscript that forms part of the Poetic Edda. The author J. R. R. Tolkien borrowed the name for a wizard in his novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954).

Gandálfr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Gandalf.

Gerd 2 f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Gerðr, derived from garðr meaning "enclosure". In Norse myth Gerd is a beautiful giantess (jǫtunn). Freyr falls in love with her, and has his servant Skírnir convince her to marry him.

Gerðr f Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Gerd 2.

Grid f Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Gríðr, probably derived from either gríð "zeal, vehemence" or grið "peace". In Norse myth she was a giantess (jǫtunn), the mother of Vidar by Odin. She aided Thor in his fight against the giant Geirrod.

Grímhildr f Norse Mythology, Old Norse
Old Norse cognate of Kriemhild. In the Norse Völsungasaga Grímhildr is the mother of Gunnar and Gudrun, while in the Germanic counterpart the Nibelungenlied Kriemhild is the sister of Günther and she herself has a role equivalent to Gudrun.

Gríðr f Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Grid.

Gróa f Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Derived from Old Norse gróa meaning "to grow". This is the name of a seeress in Norse mythology.

Gudrun f Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
From the Old Norse name Guðrún meaning "god's secret lore", derived from the elements guð "god" and rún "secret lore". In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of Sigurd. After his death she married Atli, but when he murdered her brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him.

Gunnar m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Norse Mythology
From the Old Norse name Gunnarr, which was derived from the elements gunnr "war" and arr "warrior" (making it a cognate of Günther). In Norse legend Gunnar was the husband of Brynhildr. He had his brother-in-law Sigurd murdered based on his wife's false accusations that Sigurd had taken her virginity.

Gunnarr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Gunnar.

Gunnr f Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse gunnr meaning "war". This was the name of a valkyrie in Norse legend.

Guðrún f Old Norse, Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse form of Gudrun, as well as the modern Icelandic form.

Heidrun f Norse Mythology, German
Derived from Old Norse heiðr meaning "bright, clear" and rún meaning "secret". In Norse mythology this was the name of a goat that would eat the leaves from the tree of life and produce mead in her udder.

Heimdall m Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Heimdallr, derived from Old Norse heimr "home, house" and dallr "glowing, shining". In Norse mythology he is the god who guards the Bifröst, the bridge that connects Asgard to the other worlds. It is foretold that he will blow the Gjallarhorn to wake the gods for the final battle at the end of the world, Ragnarök. During this battle, he will fight Loki and they will slay one another.

Heimdallr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Heimdall.

Heimir m Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Norse cognate of Hama. In the Völsungasaga he is a king of Hlymdalir.

Heiðrún f Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Heidrun.

Hel f Norse Mythology
In Norse mythology this was the name of the daughter of Loki. She got her name from the underworld, also called Hel, where she ruled, which meant "to conceal, to cover" in Old Norse (related to the English word hell).

Hildingr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Means "chief, warrior", a derivative of Old Norse hildr "battle". This is the name of a character in the Norse tale Frithiof's Saga.

Hildr f Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse cognate of Hilda. In Norse legend this was the name of a valkyrie.

Hoder m Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Hǫðr, derived from hǫð meaning "battle". In Norse mythology he was a blind god, tricked by Loki into killing his brother Balder.

Hǫðr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Hoder.

Huld f Norse Mythology
Old Norse variant of Hulda 1.

Hulda 1 f Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse hulda meaning "hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable".

Idun f Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian
Modern Scandinavian form of Iðunn.

Idunn f Norse Mythology, Norwegian
Norwegian variant form of Iðunn.

Iðunn f Norse Mythology, Old Norse, Icelandic
Probably derived from Old Norse ið "again" and unna "to love". In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth.

Jarl m Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Norse Mythology, Old Norse
Means "chieftain, nobleman" in Old Norse (a cognate of the English word earl). In the Norse poem Rígsþula Jarl is the son of the god Ríg and the founder of the race of warriors.

Jörmungandr m Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Jǫrmungandr, derived from jǫrmun "great, large" and gandr "monster, magic, wand". In Norse mythology Jörmungandr was an enormous sea serpent, also known as the World Serpent because he was said to encircle the world. He was one of the offspring of Loki and Angrboða. During Ragnarök, the battle at end of the world, it is said that he will fight his old enemy Thor and both of them will die.

Jǫrmungandr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Jörmungandr.

Kára f Norse Mythology
Probably from Old Norse kárr meaning "curly, curved". In Norse legend this was the name of a valkyrie.

Loke m Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Modern Scandinavian form of Loki.

Loki m Norse Mythology
Meaning unknown, possibly derived from the Germanic root *luka meaning "knot, lock". In Norse mythology Loki was a trickster god associated with magic and shape shifting. Loki's children include the wolf Fenrir, the sea serpent Jörmungandr, and the queen of the dead Hel. After he orchestrated the death of Balder, the other gods tied him to a rock below a snake that dripped venom onto his face. It is told that he will break free during Ragnarök, the final battle, and slay and be slain by Heimdall.

Magni m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Derived from the Old Norse element magn meaning "mighty, strong". In Norse mythology this name is borne by a son of Thor and the giant Járnsaxa.

Nanna 1 f Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Possibly derived from Old Norse nanþ meaning "daring, brave". In Norse mythology she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

Njord m Norse Mythology, Swedish (Rare), Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
From Old Norse Njǫrðr, which was possibly derived from the Indo-European root *ner- meaning "strong, vigorous". Njord was the Norse god associated with the sea, sailing, fishing and fertility. With his children Freyr and Freya he was a member of the Vanir gods.

Njǫrðr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Njord.

Oden m Norse Mythology
Swedish form of Odin.

Odin m Norse Mythology, English (Modern)
Anglicized form of Old Norse Óðinn, which was derived from óðr meaning "inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from the early Germanic *Woðanaz. The name appears as Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as Wotan, Wuotan or Wodan in continental Europe, though he is best known from Norse sources.... [more]

Ǫrvar m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Orvar.

Orvar m Swedish (Rare), Norse Mythology
Means "arrow" in Old Norse. Orvar Odd is a legendary Norse hero who is the subject of a 13th-century Icelandic saga.

Óðinn m Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Odin.

Sága f Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Saga.

Saga f Norse Mythology, Swedish, Icelandic
From Old Norse Sága, possibly meaning "seeing one", derived from sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word saga meaning "story, fairy tale, saga".

Sif f Norse Mythology, Danish, Icelandic
Old Norse, Danish and Icelandic form of Siv.

Sigmund m German, Norwegian, English, Norse Mythology
Derived from the Germanic elements sigu "victory" and mund "protector" (or in the case of the Scandinavian cognate, from the Old Norse elements sigr "victory" and mundr "protector"). In the Norse Völsungasaga this is the name of the hero Sigurd's father, the bearer of the powerful sword Gram. A notable bearer was the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the creator of the revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis.

Sigmundr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Sigmund.

Signý f Old Norse, Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse name that was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and nýr "new". In Norse legend she was the twin sister of Sigmund and the wife of Siggeir.

Sigrún f Old Norse, Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Derived from the Old Norse elements sigr "victory" and rún "secret". This was the name of a valkyrie in Norse legend.

Sigurd m Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Norse Mythology
From the Old Norse name Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and varðr "guardian". Sigurd was the hero of the Norse legend the Völsungasaga, which tells how his foster-father Regin sent him to recover a hoard of gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. After slaying the dragon Sigurd tasted some of its blood, enabling him to understand the language of birds, who told him that Regin was planning to betray him. In a later adventure, Sigurd disguised himself as Gunnar (his wife Gudrun's brother) and rescued the maiden Brynhildr from a ring of fire, with the result that Gunnar and Brynhildr were married. When the truth eventually came out, Brynhildr took revenge upon Sigurd. The stories of the German hero Siegfried were in part based on him.

Sigurðr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Sigurd.

Sindri m Norse Mythology, Old Norse, Icelandic
Means "sparkle" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, also named Eitri. With his brother Brokkr he made several magical items for the gods, including Odin's ring Draupnir and Thor's hammer Mjölnir.

Siv f Swedish, Norwegian, Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Sif, which meant "bride, kinswoman". In Norse mythology she was the wife of Thor. After the trickster Loki cut off her golden hair, an angry Thor forced him to create a replacement.

Skadi f Norse Mythology
Variant of Skaði.

Skaði f Norse Mythology
Means "damage, harm" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology she was a giantess (jǫtunn) associated with the winter, skiing and mountains. After the gods killed her father, they offered her a husband from among them as compensation. She ended up marrying Njord.

Skuld f Norse Mythology
Means "debt, obligation" in Old Norse. She was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was also one of the valkyries.

Svanhild f Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Scandinavian cognate of Swanhild. In the Norse legend the Völsungasaga she is the daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun.

Svanhildr f Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Swanhild.

Thor m Norse Mythology, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
From the Old Norse Þórr meaning "thunder", ultimately from the early Germanic *Þunraz. In Norse mythology Thor is a god of storms, thunder, war and strength, a son of Odin. He is portrayed as red-bearded, short-tempered, armed with a powerful hammer called Mjölnir, and wearing an enchanted belt called Megingjörð that doubles his strength. During Ragnarök, the final battle at the end of the world, it is foretold that Thor will slay the monstrous sea serpent Jörmungandr but be fatally poisoned by its venom.

Þórr m Norse Mythology
Original Old Norse form of Thor.

Þrymr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Trym.

Trym m Norse Mythology, Norwegian
From Old Norse Þrymr meaning "noise, uproar". In Norse mythology he was a king of the giants who stole Mjölnir, Thor's hammer. Trym demanded that he wed the beautiful Freya in exchange for it, so Thor disguised himself in a wedding dress and killed the giant.

Týr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Tyr.

Tyr m Norse Mythology
From Týr, the Old Norse form of the name of the Germanic god Tiwaz, related to Indo-European *Dyews (see Zeus). In Norse mythology he was a god associated with war and justice, by some accounts a son of Odin. While the gods bound the great wolf Fenrir, Tyr placated the beast by placing his right hand in its mouth. After the binding was successful, Fenrir bit off Tyr's hand. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is foretold that Tyr will slay and be slain by the giant hound Garm.

Urd f Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Urðr meaning "fate". In Norse mythology Urd was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny. She was responsible for the past.

Urðr f Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Urd.

Vanadís f Norse Mythology
Means "goddess of the Vanir" in Old Norse. This was an epithet of the Norse goddess Freya, given because she was a member of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir).

Verdandi f Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Verðandi meaning "becoming, happening". Verdandi was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was responsible for the present.

Verðandi f Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Verdandi.

Vidar m Norwegian, Swedish, Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Víðarr, which was possibly derived from víðr "wide" and arr "warrior". In Norse mythology Víðarr was the son of Odin and Grid. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is said he will avenge his father's death by slaying the wolf Fenrir.

Víðarr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Vidar.

Völund m Norse Mythology
Scandinavian cognate of Wieland, found in the Poetic Edda.

Vǫlundr m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Völund.

Yngvi m Norse Mythology
Possibly an Old Norse cognate of Ing. This was an alternate name of the god Freyr, who as Yngvi-Freyr was regarded as the ancestor of the Swedish royal family.