Njord, Who Stills the Stormy Seas

Gagnrad
38. Tell me tenthly,
since thou all the origin
of the gods knowest, Vafthrudnir!
whence Niörd came
among the Æsir´s sons?
O’er fanes and offer-steads
he rules by hundreds,yet was not among the Æsir born.

Vafthrudnir
39. In Vanaheim
wise powers him created,and to the gods a hostage gave.
At the world’s dissolution
he will return
to the wise Vanir.
VafÞrúðnismál (Poetic Edda)


XXIII. "The third among the Æsir is he that is called Njördr: he dwells in heaven, in the abode called Nóatún. He rules the course of the wind, and stills sea and fire; on him shall men call for voyages and for hunting. He is so prosperous and abounding in wealth, that he may give them great plenty of lands or of gear; and him shall men invoke for such things. Njördr is not of the race of the Æsir: he was reared in the land of the Vanir, but the Vanir delivered him as hostage to the gods, and took for hostage in exchange him that men call Hœnir; he became an atonement between the gods and the Vanir.
Gylfaginning (Prose Edda)


Odin placed Njord and Frey as priests of the sacrifices, and they became Diar of the Asaland people. Njord's daughter Freya was priestess of the sacrifices, and first taught the Asaland people the magic art, as it was in use and fashion among the Vanaland people. While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations.
Ynglinga Saga


We know that Njord was powerful among the Vanir, enough that He was given to the Aesir as Their hostage in the truce following the Aesir-Vanir war.  I believe that Odin, being as thirsty for knowledge as He is, knew He could learn things from the Vanir, and as there is never any mention of Njord breaking out of Asgard we can assume that 1. He would not want to break the hold-oath, 2. He must have gotten along well enough with the Aesir.  Njord is mentioned as a "priest of the sacrifice" along with His son, and I believe that the offerings we make to the Gods are part of an exchange -- we gift Them, and They gift us.  Njord and Frey having inborn Vanir generosity would be the best ones to process the exchange of energy between Gods and man.

It is noted that Njord had taken His sister to wife (who is most likely Nerthus), as was Vanir custom, and when moving to Asgard this was not acceptable by their standards, and would be why He was given to Skadhi later on.  It is also noted that Njord is the father of Frey and Freyja, and not much detail is given into that relationship (if anything, the Edda is wanting for detail in any kind of relationships between the Gods).  We can assume He was a good father to Them, since They came out all right.

There is a common gnosis among mystics in the Northern Tradition that Njord is the foster-father of Sigyn.  We have nothing in the Lore to prove or disprove this, but enough people have seen this, that I don't think we could all be deluded.  It is through fostering Sigyn, that I see Njord's fatherly aspects most.  I know He must have been very loving and patient with Frey and Freyja, teaching Them leadership skills as well as how to lead with a proper attitude.  Njord almost always comes off as being very mellow, laid-back, gentle, and warm.  I have only ever seen Him angry once, and that was a vision regarding the story behind the truce between the Aesir and Vanir.  I often see Njord walking along the beach, barefoot, watching the ebb and flow of the tides and smiling slightly, knowingly, seeing the patterns of the tides and wave formations as Wyrd, and enjoying the beauty of the sea.  I have seen Njord walking along the beach with Sigyn, pointing out different varieties of seabirds to Her, collecting shells, driftwood, sea glass and smooth rocks.  Teaching Her to sing to the sea, and the cycles of precipitation that renew the sea and the water supply of the Worlds.  That tears are a reminder that we are all alive, and a part of this cycle.

Njord has been something of a father figure to me.  He would technically be considered my father-in-law through Frey, and He is definitely more of a father than my sperm donor ever was.  I am the child of an alcoholic man, and many of my present issues can be directly traced back to growing up in an alcoholic household and not having a "real" father.  I was very angry at men for a long time, and the men of the Vanir have helped me to get beyond that -- a man can be strong without abusing that strength, a man can be gentle without being weak.  Njord's way of fathering is to teach, and often teach through hands-on experiences, even play.  Njord's own fathering towards me has been to teach me to find the calm center within myself -- to use Angrboda's anger as a tool and then go back to that calm center, the place where the tides may ebb and flow, but never cease, and the water renews itself through evaporation and transpiration, precipitation, and runoff.  I find taking long showers to be very relaxing when stressed out, and being at the beach and in direct contact with the sea recharges my batteries like nothing else.  To flow with the water, to pour and drop down, billow into wave and roll out, is the nature of my calm center.  To be liquid, to flow, and to know that I am part of the greater cycle of nature, and the Universe itself, and all things will work out in their time.

Njord is huggable, He is often smiling, with a twinkle in His blue eyes that hints of occasional mischief.  He loves the Worlds because they are beautiful in their own way, if only because all life is dependent on water and He likes nothing better than water.  He is much less intense than Odin, and much less into the idea of power and status.  He's not too proud to sit down and build a sandcastle (or a sand turtle), or splash around with you in the sea.  He loves laughter, and you can sense the vitality and life within His being without it becoming overwhelming or oppressive.  His contentment and sense of rightness about things is infectious, and it's very hard for me to stay upset or grumpy for very long around Njord.

Njord's fathering of me has helped me heal, and though I am not complete in my healing -- it's rather like peeling layers of an onion, from all the damage sustained -- I know that all things will work out in their time, and the journey is just as important as the destination.  To sail on a ship from one land to another and be impatient with when you arrive is to not observe the waves, to not observe the patterns of the sea, the way the sky and sun reflects, particularly at sunrise and sunset, or the twinkling stars and bright moon at night.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.

Please visit my online shrine to Njord, He'd appreciate it!