A Compendium of the Ancient Gods

Volume V

The Northern Inheritance

Northern and Eastern Europe. c. 2000 BCE to 1600 CE

Norse, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, Baltic, Finnic, Hungarian and Albanian traditions, most written down by Christian authors long after the gods were last worshipped.

The Norse and Germanic Gods

43 works. Sources for this bay

Yggdrasil, plate
Yggdrasil ig-drah-sil The World-Tree — frame of the cosmos
Odin, plate
Odin oh-din Allfather — God of War, Wisdom, and Death
Thor, plate
Thor thor God of Thunder — Defender of Asgard
Freyr, plate
Freyr frayr Lord of the Vanir — God of Plenty and Peace
Freyja, plate
Freyja fray-yah Lady of the Vanir — Goddess of Love, Magic, and the Slain
Frigg, plate
Frigg frigg Queen of the Aesir — Wife of Odin
Baldr, plate
Baldr baldr The Beautiful — His Death the Beginning of Ragnarök
Loki, plate
Loki lo-ki The Trickster — Companion and Betrayer of the Gods
Týr, plate
Týr týr God of Single Combat and Sworn Oaths
Heimdallr, plate
Heimdallr heim-dallr Watchman of the Gods — Guardian of Bifrost
Hel, plate
Hel hel Queen of the Underworld — Daughter of Loki
Njord, plate
Njord njord God of the Sea and Wealth
Skadi, plate
Skadi ska-di Giantess of Mountains and Skis — Reluctant Bride
Idunn, plate
Idunn i-dunn Keeper of the Apples of Youth
Bragi, plate
Bragi bra-gi God of Poetry — Husband of Idunn
Vidar, plate
Vidar vi-dar The Silent God — Avenger of Odin at Ragnarök
Vali, plate
Vali va-li Avenger of Baldr
Hodr, plate
Hodr hodr The Blind God — Unwitting Killer of Baldr
Forseti, plate
Forseti for-se-ti God of Justice — Son of Baldr
Ullr, plate
Ullr ullr God of Skiing, Hunting, and the Bow
Sif, plate
Sif sif Goddess with Golden Hair — Wife of Thor
Aegir, plate
Aegir ae-gir Lord of the Sea — Brewer of Ale for the Gods
Ran, plate
Ran ran Goddess of the Sea — Catcher of the Drowned
Fenrir, plate
Fenrir fen-rir The Wolf — Devourer of Odin at Ragnarök
Jörmungandr, plate
Jörmungandr jör-mun-gandr The World-Serpent
Sleipnir, plate
Sleipnir sleip-nir Eight-Legged Steed of Odin
Valkyries, plate
Valkyries val-ky-ries Choosers of the Slain
Norns, plate
Norns norns The Three Fates of the Norse Cosmos
Ymir, plate
Ymir y-mir The Primordial Giant — from whose body the world was made
Audhumla, plate
Audhumla aud-hum-la The Primal Cow — who licked the first god from the ice
Borr and Bestla, plate
Borr and Bestla borr and best-la The Parents of Odin — son of the first man, daughter of the giants
Vili and Vé, plate
Vili and Vé vi-li and vé Odin's Brothers — co-creators of the human race
Tuisto and Mannus, plate
Tuisto and Mannus tuis-to and man-nus The Germanic Earth-Born and his Son — primordial ancestors of the German peoples
Nerthus, plate
Nerthus ner-thus The Germanic Earth-Mother — whose chariot crossed the fields in spring
Mimir, plate
Mimir mi-mir The Wisest of Beings — whose head spoke from the well of wisdom
Kvasir, plate
Kvasir kva-sir The Wisest of Men — whose blood made the Mead of Poetry
Gefjon, plate
Gefjon gef-jon The Goddess Who Plowed Zealand from Sweden — patroness of virgins
Gullveig, plate
Gullveig gull-veig The Witch Thrice Burnt — whose murder began the war of the gods
Wayland, plate
Wayland way-land The Smith — Völundr in the Old Norse, Welund in the Old English
Sigurd, plate
Sigurd si-gurd The Dragonslayer — Sigurd Fáfnisbani, Siegfried of the Nibelungenlied
Brynhildr, plate
Brynhildr bryn-hildr The Valkyrie — pledged to Sigurd, betrayed, who summoned his murder
Fafnir, plate
Fafnir faf-nir The Dragon — son of Hreidmar, slain by Sigurd
Grendel and Grendel's, plate
Grendel and Grendel's gren-del and gren-del's The Monsters of Heorot — slain by Beowulf

The Celtic Mythologies

34 works. Sources for this bay

Danu, plate
Danu da-nu Mother of the Tuatha Dé — Irish Ancestral Goddess
Dagda, plate
Dagda dag-da The Good God — Father of the Tuatha Dé
Lugh, plate
Lugh lugh The Many-Skilled — Hero-God of Light and Crafts
Morrígan, plate
Morrígan mor-rí-gan The Phantom Queen — Goddess of Battle and Sovereignty
Brigid, plate
Brigid bri-gid Goddess of Smithcraft, Healing, and Poetry — Triple Goddess
Nuada Airgetlám, plate
Nuada Airgetlám nua-da air-get-lám Nuada of the Silver Hand — King of the Tuatha Dé
Manannán Mac Lir, plate
Manannán Mac Lir ma-nan-nán mac lir Lord of the Sea — Son of the Sea
Ogma, plate
Ogma og-ma God of Eloquence — Inventor of the Ogham Script
Cú Chulainn, plate
Cú Chulainn koo-khul-in The Hound of Ulster — Hero of the Ulster Cycle
Fionn Mac Cumhaill, plate
Fionn Mac Cumhaill fionn mac cum-haill Leader of the Fianna — Hero of the Fenian Cycle
Arianrhod, plate
Arianrhod a-rianr-hod Welsh Goddess of the Silver Wheel — Mother of Lleu
Rhiannon, plate
Rhiannon rhian-non Welsh Goddess of Sovereignty — Lady of Horses
Bran the Blessed, plate
Bran the Blessed bran the bles-sed Giant King of Britain — His Severed Head a Talisman
Epona, plate
Epona e-po-na Continental Celtic Horse-Goddess
Cernunnos, plate
Cernunnos cer-nun-nos The Horned God — Lord of Animals
Belenos, plate
Belenos be-le-nos Continental Celtic God of the Sun and Healing
Taranis, plate
Taranis ta-ra-nis Gaulish Thunder-God
Teutates, plate
Teutates teu-ta-tes Gaulish Tribal God — God of the People
Esus, plate
Esus e-sus Gaulish God of the Tree-Felling
Sucellus, plate
Sucellus su-cel-lus The Good Striker — Hammer-Bearing Father-God
The Cailleach, plate
The Cailleach the cail-leach The Old Veiled One — primordial hag-goddess of the Celtic landscape
Ceridwen, plate
Ceridwen ce-rid-wen The Welsh Witch of Inspiration — keeper of the cauldron of awen
Math Fab Mathonwy, Gwydion, plate
Math Fab Mathonwy, Gwydion math fab ma-thon-wy, gwy-dion The Welsh Magician-King and his Sister's Son — and the woman made of flowers
Dian Cécht, plate
Dian Cécht dian cécht The Healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann — physician of the gods
Airmed, plate
Airmed air-med Daughter of Dian Cécht — keeper of the herb-knowledge
Goibniu, Credne, and Luchta, plate
Goibniu, Credne, and Luchta goib-niu, cred-ne, and luch-ta The Three Craftsmen of the Tuatha — smith, bronze-worker, and wright
Boann, plate
Boann boann Goddess of the River Boyne — wife of the Dagda
Medb, plate
Medb medb Queen of Connacht — instigator of the Cattle Raid of Cooley
Midir and Étaín, plate
Midir and Étaín mi-dir and é-taín The Lovers of the Fairy Mound — recovered through three lives
Scáthach, plate
Scáthach scá-thach The Warrior-Woman of the Isle of Skye — instructress of Cú Chulainn
Taliesin, plate
Taliesin ta-lie-sin The Welsh Bard — twice born, once mortal and once divine
Maponos, plate
Maponos ma-po-nos The Divine Youth — the British Apollo, hunter and singer
Grannus and Sirona, plate
Grannus and Sirona gran-nus and si-ro-na Gallo-Roman Apollo and his consort — healers of the eastern Gallic provinces
Nantosuelta and Sucellus, plate
Nantosuelta and Sucellus nan-to-suel-ta and su-cel-lus The Gallic Pair — the Goddess of the Winding Stream and the God of the Mallet

The Slavic Gods and Spirits

24 works. Sources for this bay

Perun, plate
Perun peh-roon God of Thunder — Chief of the Kievan Pantheon
Veles, plate
Veles veh-les Underworld God — Patron of Cattle and Wealth
Svarog, plate
Svarog sva-rog Sky-God — Father of Dazhbog
Dazhbog, plate
Dazhbog dazh-bog Solar God — Giver of Wealth
Stribog, plate
Stribog stri-bog Wind God — Lord of the Air
Mokosh, plate
Mokosh mo-kosh Mother Earth — Spinner of Fates
Lada, plate
Lada la-da Goddess of Spring, Love, and Marriage
Morana, plate
Morana mo-ra-na Goddess of Winter and Death
Svetovid, plate
Svetovid sve-to-vid Western Slavic God of War — Of the Four-Faced Image
Triglav, plate
Triglav trig-lav Three-Headed God of Western Slavs
Jarilo, plate
Jarilo ja-ri-lo Spring God — Fertility, Vegetation, Harvest
Domovoi, plate
Domovoi do-mo-voi Household Spirit — The Old Man of the House
Leshy, plate
Leshy le-shy Forest Spirit — Master of the Wood
Rusalka, plate
Rusalka ru-sal-ka Water Spirit — Drowned Maiden of the River
Baba Yaga, plate
Baba Yaga ba-ba ya-ga The Witch of the Forest — who lives in a hut on chicken legs
Rod, plate
Rod rod The Slavic Creator God — eldest power, fount of generation
The Rozhanitsy, plate
The Rozhanitsy the roz-ha-nit-sy The Slavic Birth-Givers — fate-spinning sisters, like the Norns
The Zoryas, plate
The Zoryas the zo-ryas The Dawn Maidens — sisters who keep the doomsday hound
Khors, plate
Khors khors The East Slavic Sun-God — companion of Dazhbog
Simargl, plate
Simargl si-margl The Winged Hound — sole survivor of an Iranian dream
Svarozhich, plate
Svarozhich sva-roz-hich Son of Svarog — known to the West Slavs as Radegast
Koschei, plate
Koschei kos-chei The Deathless — whose soul is hidden in an egg in a duck on an island
Vodyanoy, plate
Vodyanoy vo-dya-noy The Russian Water-Sprite — drowner of the unwary, master of fish
Bannik and Polevik, plate
Bannik and Polevik ban-nik and po-le-vik The Bath-Spirit and the Field-Spirit — guardians of two Russian thresholds

The Baltic Pantheon

12 works. Sources for this bay

Dievas, plate
Dievas die-vas Lithuanian Sky-God — The Indo-European Sky-Father
Perkūnas, plate
Perkūnas per-kū-nas Lithuanian Thunder-God
Saulė, plate
Saulė saulė The Sun-Goddess — Mother of the Stars
Mėnuo, plate
Mėnuo mėnuo The Moon — Husband of Saulė
Aušrinė, plate
Aušrinė auš-rinė The Dawn-Star — Morning Goddess
Laima, plate
Laima lai-ma Goddess of Fate — Determiner of Destinies
Žemyna, plate
Žemyna že-my-na Mother Earth — Goddess of the Soil
Velnias, plate
Velnias vel-nias The Old One — Chthonic Adversary of Perkūnas
Auseklis, plate
Auseklis au-sek-lis The Latvian Morning Star — son of Saulė the Sun
Māra, plate
Māra mā-ra The Latvian Earth-Mother — patroness of cattle, of women, and of the household
Jumis, plate
Jumis ju-mis Latvian Spirit of the Double Ear — bringer of plenty
Jānis, plate
Jānis jā-nis The Latvian Midsummer Spirit — patron of the great solstice festival

The Finnic, Hungarian and Albanian Traditions

18 works, 18 awaiting their plates. Sources for this bay

Awaiting its plate
Ilmatar il-ma-tar Air-Spirit — Mother of Väinämöinen — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Ukko uk-ko The Old Man — Sky-God and Thunderer — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Väinämöinen väi-nä-möi-nen The Eternal Sage — Hero of the Kalevala — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Ahti ah-ti Lord of the Sea — Master of Waters — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Akka ak-ka The Old Woman — Earth-Mother and Female Counterpart — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Ilmarinen il-ma-ri-nen The Eternal Smith — Forger of the Sampo — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Tapio ta-pio Forest-God — Lord of the Woods — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Louhi lou-hi Mistress of Pohjola — Witch-Queen of the North — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Lemminkäinen lem-min-käi-nen The Reckless Hero — Slain and Resurrected — Finnic
Awaiting its plate
Isten is-ten The Magyar Sky-God — His Name Now the Word for God — Hungarian
Awaiting its plate
Turul tu-rul The Mythical Bird — Founder of the Magyar Royal House — Hungarian
Awaiting its plate
Zojz zojz Albanian Sky-God — The Indo-European Sky-Father Preserved — Albanian
Awaiting its plate
E Bukura E Dheut e bu-ku-ra e dheut The Beauty of the Earth — Ambiguous Chthonic Figure — Albanian
Awaiting its plate
Tuoni and Tuonetar tuo-ni and tuo-ne-tar King and Queen of the Finnish Underworld
Awaiting its plate
Hiisi hii-si The Finnish Forest-Demon — and the place that is his haunt
Awaiting its plate
Kullervo kul-ler-vo The Tragic Slave-Hero — orphan, kinslayer, suicide
Awaiting its plate
Kalev / Kalevipoeg ka-lev / ka-le-vi-poeg The Estonian Giant-Hero — son of the giant Kalev
Awaiting its plate
Zojz zojz Albanian Sky-God — The Indo-European Sky-Father Preserved — Albanian

Floor plan

The rooms follow one another in the order their peoples first appear in the written record.

  1. The Cradle of Citiesc. 3400 BCE to 395 CE. 115 works
  2. The Gift of the Nilec. 4000 BCE to 395 CE. 73 works
  3. The Olympian Orderc. 1600 BCE to 750 CE. 152 works
  4. The Persian Worldc. 2000 BCE to 1010 CE. 30 works
  5. The Levantine Borderlandsc. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 20 works
  6. The Edges of Empirec. 2000 BCE to 1500 CE. 33 works
  7. The Etruscan Worldc. 900 BCE to 750 CE. 22 works
  8. The Roman Inheritancec. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 58 works
  9. The Northern Inheritancec. 2000 BCE to 1600 CE. 131 works