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Vanir

[vah-nir]
noun (often lowercase) (used with a plural verb) Scandinavian Mythology.
  1. a race of gods, first in conflict with the Aesir, later allied with them. They function as fertility divinities and include Njord, Frey, and Freyja.

Origin of Vanir

< Old Norse, probably from the same root as vinr friend, Latin Venus Venus, Sanskrit vánas desire
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for vanir

Historical Examples of vanir

  • We want to know what the company of one of the Vanir is like.

  • None of the Asyniur and none other of the Vanir possessed a thing so beautiful.

  • None of the Æsir or the Vanir knew on what adventure Thor was bent.

  • She came within and she had her seat amongst the Æsir and the Vanir.

  • When he said this all who were there of the Vanir rose up, their faces threatening Loki.

British Dictionary definitions for vanir

Vanir

noun
  1. Norse myth a race of ancient gods often locked in struggle with the Aesir. The most notable of them are Njord and his children Frey and Freya

Word Origin for Vanir

from Old Norse Vanr, a fertility god
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012