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Extended Northmen Pantheon

by Kit Navarro

The Immortals of the Northmen are known for their common interest in the realms of Ostland, Vestland and Soderfjord. Among them, Odin, Hel, Thor, Frey and Freyja, Loki, and lastly Forsetta are the seven most worshipped patrons of the Northmen. But in recent years, other Immortals have played more active roles in the roles of mortal men and their cults are rising into prominence in the Northern Reaches.

Njord, Patron of the Sea. (Protius) All seafaring cultures worship the Old Man of the Sea in one form or another, and the Northmen are no exception. This ancient yet temperamental Immortal rules over the seas and oceans, sometimes placid and generous of its bounties, often times tempestuous and dangerous. He is also the bringer of storms, and Northmen sailors offer to him to placate his wrath.

The Norns are three eldritch and fearful Immortal crones that mysteriously appear to a mortal at the time of birth and death, though Northmen myths tell of heroes and even Immortals, who seek out the Norns in the remotest mountain crags for their wisdom, their power, and their prophecies. By tradition, the Norns are known as Skuld (Khoronus), Keeper of the Unchanging History, Patroness of the Past; Urd (Ordana), Mistress of the Manifold Paths, Patroness of the Present; and Verthandi, She Who Sees the Unforeseeable, Patroness of the Future. Modern legends say that in a dark cave atop a high and rocky peak in Norwold sit the Norns (or at least their mortal avatars), where the locals known them as the Crones of Crystykk.

Odur Sun-Lord. (Ixion) Though far less exalted than Odin All-Father, the Patron of the Sun has a following in the Northern Reaches, as he does elsewhere throughout Mystara. The Sun-Lord brings warmth, light, and life to the otherwise dark and bleak existence of the Northmen, and the passage of his sun-chariot across the skies mark the time for planting, growth, and harvest.

Frigga (Valerias) may actually have been an earlier more primitive Immortal of fertility and nature of the ancient Neathar, whose worship was later subsumed by the more civilised cult of Freyja. But in recent years, Frigga has regained her popularity, in no small part due to the identification with the highly popular Thyatian Immortal Valerias. Nowadays, she is also worshipped as the Patroness of Romance, Marriage, and Womanhood, particularly by women who do not fight with the sword-but use other means to express their passions and fury. Some cultists of Frigga have scandalously suggested that she is the mate of Odin, a grave heresy in the nation of Ostland where the worship of Frigga has been outlawed!

Asgrod, Patron of Travellers and Merchants. (Asterius) Only one myth ever mentions the nimble Immortal Asgrod, who served as a messenger of Odin from Asgard. So quick in wit and feet was Asgrod that he could journey to the darkest depths of Hel unscathed. He was never truly worshipped, until recent cults imported by traders from Thyatis, Minrothad, and even far-off Darokin. Asgrod ensures safe, swift travel, and fair trades, but unlike his foreign counterpart, he wards against theft and trickery-misdeeds inspired by Loki!

Baldur, Patron of Rebirth and Renewal. (Razud) Baldur is portrayed as an eternally young, handsome man with bright green eyes, and he rewards those who are self-sufficient, self-reliant, and enduring through hardships. His worship began in the Alphatian colonists of Norwold, but was eventually introduced to the Northern Realms. His curious myth revolves around his Immortal death, which will herald the end of the world or Ragnarok. But disaster is averted as Baldur always returns, reborn and renewed! Many Northmen elders discount this myth as mere allegory: the eternal cycles of nature, the resilience of life, such as evergreen through the harsh winters (Baldur's holy symbol is the mistletoe.), while the more politically-minded interpret Ragnarok as the invasion of the Alphatians. But the godi of Baldur have demonstrated their Patron's will with miraculous powers of restoration, renewal, and even resurrection-a feat which has elicited mixed and powerful reactions. (Northmen consider returning from the dead as cowardly and even morally wrong, preferring to die courageously and enter Valhalla. Raising the dead and reincarnation are also the domains of the sinister Immortal Hel.)

Tyras, the Immortal Bard. (Tiresias) Compared to most of the grim and gloomy Immortals of the Northern Reaches, Tyras is relatively cheerful and carefree. His role is to bring song, poetry, music, and dance to the world, but he also composes epics tales of legendary deeds-or grand eulogies for heroes in Valhalla. On occasion, Tyras is known to let slip divine secrets or knowledge of the future.

Vuller (Zirchev) is the patron of hunters and archers, and also protector of wild beasts and game. He was never recognised as a full Immortal (He was merely known as the huntsman of Frey), until the influence of the Alphatians and other worshippers of Zirchev from Norwold and Thyatis. Sentient forest creatures, as well as werewolves, werebears, wereboars, and other lycanthropes, also pray to Vuller to protect them from human incursions.

Northmen Name	Common Name	Alignment	Area of Concern
Odin	Odin	LN	Sky, Wise Rule
Thor	Thor	N	Honourable Warriors, Thunder
Frey	Frey	LG	Intelligent Warfare, Heroes
Freyja	Freyja	LG	Women Warriors
Hel	Hel	NE	Death, Reincarnation, Entropy
Loki	Loki	CE	Mischief, Betrayal, Trickery
Forsetta	Forsetta	LG	Law, Justice, Rulership
Njord	Protius	N	Seas and Seafaring, Storms
Skuld	Khoronus	N	Time, the Past, Fate
Urd	Ordana	CN	Time, the Present, Destiny
Verthandi	Verthandi	LN	Time, the Future, Prophecy
Odur	Ixion	LG	Sun, Harvest
Frigga	Valerias	CN	Fertility, Marriage, Women
Asgrod	Asterius	CN	Travel, Trade
Baldur	Razud	NG	Youth, Renewal, Rebirth
Tyras	Tiresias	N	Poetry, Songs, Bards
Vuller	Zirchev	NG	Hunting, Archery, Beasts

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Notes:

1. The first seven Immortals are canon, thus not discussed further. (Forsetta is mentioned in Wrath of the Immortals with a reference to X3 Curse of Xanathon. The other Immortals were inspired by Deities & Demigods, both the 1st edition and the 3rd edition.
2. The Norns: Verthandi has always been a mysterious Immortal from the Sphere of Time, and his name clearly comes from one of the Norns of the Norse Pantheon. By adding two more Hierarchs of Time (and a little Immortal sex change à la Nyx), we have the Mystaran Norns! In CM1 Test of the Warlords features a very similar trio of mysterious and powerful hags, the Crones of Crystykk, who can easily be identified with the Norns of the Northmen.
3. Odur/Ixion: Ixion's worship is universal throughout Mystara, and the Sun-Prince figures in cultures even when he is not the chief patron (i.e. as Horon in Nithia, Solarios in Thyatis).
4. Frigga/Valerias: As with Ixion, Valerias must have her finger in every pie, especially with her recent rise in popularity in Thyatis and Glantri. The problem is which Norse goddess could be identified with? The wonderful thing about Valerias is that her portfolio (compared to the original entry in Dawn of the Emperors) has expanded from a patroness of love and war (like the Babylonian Ishtar or Sumerian Inanna) to a patroness of fertility and womanhood. Chaotic and ambitious, Valerias could easily take on the role as Odin's peer and equal (especially with that little Freyja in the way)!
5. The Asgardian messenger god is named Hermod, which sounds like the Greek. Asgrod is patterned after the Thyatian Asterius.
6. Baldur/Razud: Baldur is one of my favourite mythological deities, and I just had to find some Immortal to take on Baldur's role. Some have pointed out that resurrection is not favourably viewed by the Northmen, and I have adjusted Baldur's description based on these comments.
7. Tyras/Tiresias: His bardic portfolio fits with the Asgardian/Northmen pantheon, and his name is derived from the Norse god Tyr.
8. Vuller/Zirchev: The name is derived from the Asgardian god Uller, with some spelling change.