Jord – pronounced as “Yord” – is an obscure and rarely mentioned goddess in Norse mythology. She doesn’t play an active role save for being mentioned as the mother of Thor, and the daughter of Nott, also known as “Night” and “Anarr”.
She is also talked about as being the personification of the earth, and the partner of Odin. Some tales talk of Jord being a giant killer goddess and the one responsible for rain leading to crop fertility.
Her name is often used in skaldic poetry and kennings to mean land or earth. Read on to learn more about this goddess.
Table of Contents
Charms
Jord is attested to in poetic Edda and Prose Edda as well as in the archaeological record as one that would be invoked in various spells and charms, like the common Saxon charm, Aecerbot.
Just like Mani, Jord is often showed in magic spells and is also believed to have played a great role in daily religious observances of our forebearers.
One particular cultic practice connected with Jord involved pouring honey and milk into farmland soil asking for her blessing.
Different Tales
Jord is known by a number of names, for instance, she was Frigga’s parent by the name, Fjorgyn. Together with another god, but the masculine version. Jord is the eldest of both the Aesir and Vanir god tribes.
Also, Jord is sometimes called Jotunn, one of the elder giants race. She is considered among the Asyjnur, the major Asgard goddess and is considered a benevolent deity that is worshipped in the modern pagan practices of the North.
The most significant Jotnar trait is that they are hostile and don’t care about humankind. The Jotnar who are among the Asgard gods are those that watch over us and take care of us.
Mother
Jord is believed to be the mother of the thunder god, Thor, and another god named Meili by Odin. That’s why she is sometimes called “Odin’s bride” in skaldic poetry and also one of Odin’s concubines. It is said this position was a great honor.
Description
Jord is described in the lore as wearing a girdle, turf, gullies, ditches, escarpments and other earth work ledges. Jord’s name is related to physical terrain and mountains of the earth.
It is believed that you live in her dwelling – she is everywhere, all round. She is the opposite of Abrahamic divine notions that see the divine as outside the world. Jord is the divine and the world herself.
Other Thoughts
Modern Heathens consider Jord to be the same goddess called “Nerthus”. They believe Jord is an earth-mother name connected with the southerly Heathen lands which are today’s Austria and Germany.
Also, modern Heathens think it’s likely that Nerthus is a separate goddess, the feminine version of Njord. Other goddesses with similar associations include Freya, Gerd, and Gefjon.
Symbols and Signs
Jord was associated with a number of symbols. They include the Earth, mountains, hills, and unspoiled wilderness. She was also linked to bees, healing herbs, and grandmothers. She is usually portrayed with natural feminine features.
Conclusion
Jord is a goddess in Norse mythology, and she is the personification of earth. She is said to be Odin’s partner or concubine, and she is the mother of Thor, the thunder god.
Her name is usually used in Kennings and skaldic poetry as a poetic term for earth or land. She is associated with a number of symbols like mountains, hills, the earth, bees, healing herbs, etc.