What Weapons Did the Gods Use in Norse Mythology?

In Norse mythology, there were two tribes of gods: the Vanir and the Aesir. While the ruler of Vanir gods was Njord the Seafaring God, that of Aesir was Odin the Allfather. The Vanir gods were much associated with magical power and the Vanir gods were much with their physical weapons. In this blog post, we are to discuss the powerful weapons in Norse mythology 

Odin the Allfather and Gungnir Spear

The first god in the list is Odin the Allfather. In Norse mythology, Odin had a powerful spear whose name was Gungnir. The Gungnir spear never missed its target once it was hurled away. Gungnir was a gift from Loki to Odin when Loki came to the land of the dwarves and commissioned them to make some treasures. 

Thor God of Thunder and Mjolnir hammer 

"Mjolnir" meant "Crasher" or "Grinder". In the past, the reputation of Mjolnir and Gungnir spear might have been equal. Yet, since the adoption of Mjolnir hammer in modern work, its popularity has reached a new level that no other weapon in Norse mythology could rival. 

Mjolnir hammer was also a gift from Loki to Thor. It was created during the time that Loki wandered to Svartalfheijm to ask the dwarves to make treasures. 

Artifact of Viking Thor's hammer amulet with the inscription "This is Hammer"

The Mjolnir hammer once was hurled away would never miss its target. It was believed that since the day that Thor possessed Mjolnir hammer, he hadn't left the house without carrying the hammer along. 

Freyr God of Fertility, Sword, and Antler

Freyr was the god of fertility that came from the Vanir god tribe. He was the prince of Vanaheim (land of the Vanir) and ruled over the Alfheim land of the elves. At the beginning of Norse mythology, Freyr had a powerful sword that could fight against the enemies automatically to defend him. But when Freyr happened to fall in love with Gerd the giantess, he was ready to give up everything to win her heart. 

No one had ever won the heart of Gerd which made Freyr both happy and unhappy. He promised his servant Skírnir to give him the magical sword if Skírnir could help him marry Gerd. Somehow Skírnir managed to bring Gerd to Freyr as his bride. And Freyr finally married Gerd at the cost of his sword. 

Freyr, his golden Gullinbursti boar, and the antler as his final weapon.

Later, Freyr joined the battle with a new weapon: an antler. In Ragnarok, he wielded an antler in the final combat with Surt the giant of fire. Yet, Freyr lost to the hand of Surtr. 

Heimdall Asgard Guardsman and Horn

In Norse mythology, Heimdall was the name of Asgard Guardsman and he was also the son of Odin. Heimdall was wise and handsome. He had very sharp eyesight which helped him see everyone approaching Asgard. His hearing was acute as he could hear the grass growing up from the land above. 

Heimdall had a horn whose name was Gjallarhorn the Yelling Horn of Heimdall. Once Heimdall noticed someone was approaching Asgard, Heimdall would blow the horn to inform the gods. But no one liked the sound of the Gjallarhorn because of its connection with Ragnarok Doom of Gods. In the prophecy, when the Gjallarhorn's sound blew, Ragnarok took place. 

Heimdall blew the Gjallarhorn

Vidar God of Revenge, Shoe, and Sword 

Vidar was a less known god in Norse mythology. He was the son of Odin and initially, Vidar was the god of Silence. He could spend all of his time sitting in his garden and gazing at the plant he grew. 

It was not until Ragnarok that Vidar finally broke his silence. Odin the Allfather was destined to fall in Ragnarok and that was the last straw for Vidar to tolerate. On hearing the death of his beloved father, Vidar set out to seek revenge for it. He wore his magical shoe which was created for this moment only. One foot stepped into the jaw of Fenrir, the sword thrust through the mouth of the wolf, and Vidar used his bare hand to split the jaws apart. 

After Ragnarok, Vidar was honored as the God of Revenge in Norse mythology. 

Ullr God of Archery and Glory

Ullr was also a less known god in Norse mythology. The importance of this god remains a heated debate for scholars. But the majority of them believe that the real Ullr had been a more important god in his time than the Ullr was written down by the Christian writers. 

Ullr was honored as the God of Glory in Norse mythology as his name indicated. He was good at shooting arrows. This turned him into the god of archery in Norse mythology.