Whispers of ancient wisdom echo through the mist-shrouded fjords of Norse mythology, where gods and giants clash in saga tales of valor and tragedy.
Among these powerful deities, Nanna – the often overlooked goddess of joy and peace – embodies a charming contradiction in the warrior-centered pantheon.
Did you know Nanna literally died of a broken heart? When her beloved husband Baldr was slain, her grief was so overwhelming that she perished on the spot during his funeral.
Nanna’s quiet presence offers a compelling counterbalance to the battlefield glory celebrated by Vikings.
As wife to Baldr (god of light and purity) and mother to Forseti (god of justice), her gentle influence ripples through the cosmic order, reminding us that even in a culture that glorified heroic death, the powers of joy, peace, and devoted love held sacred significance.
Nanna in Norse Mythology
Nanna is a goddess in Norse mythology, primarily associated with joy, peace, and happiness. She is the wife of Baldr (son of Odin and Frigg) and daughter of Nepr, though some sources identify her father as Gevar.
Nanna’s most significant appearance in Norse mythology occurs following her husband Baldr’s deaath.
Overcome with grief when Loki’s mistletoe trick killed Baldr, Nanna died of a broken heart during Baldr’s funeral. Her body was placed on the same funeral pyre as her husband’s.
According to the Prose Edda, Nanna later sent gifts from Hel (the underworld) to the other gods, suggesting her continued existence in the afterlife. Though not extensively featured in myths, her devotion to Baldr defines her character.
Nanna and Baldur: A Divine Love Story
Nanna and Baldur embody the purest expression of love in Norse mythology. As the devoted wife of Baldur, god of light and purity, Nanna represents faithfulness and deep emotional connection.
Their relationship stands as the divine ideal of marriage in Norse tradition. When Loki’s trickery killed Baldur, Nanna’s heart shattered from grief, causing her to die and join her beloved in Helheim.
Their love transcended even death, as evidenced when Baldur and Nanna sent gifts back from the underworld. This eternal bond symbolizes the Norse belief in love’s enduring power.
Norse poets and storytellers celebrated this divine couple as the embodiment of loyalty and devotion, creating a timeless example of perfect union between divine beings.
The Tragic Death of Baldur
In Norse mythology, Baldur’s death was prophesied through nightmares that haunted him and his mother, Frigg. After these omens, Frigg took oaths from everything in the world not to harm her beloved son, except for the seemingly harmless mistletoe.
Loki, the cunning trickster, discovered this oversight and crafted a dart from mistletoe.
He then manipulated the blind god Hödr into unwittingly throwing the fatal weapon at Baldur during the gods’ celebratory games, where they had been testing Baldur’s newfound invulnerability.
Nanna, Baldur’s devoted wife, was overcome with unimaginable grief at the sight of her husband’s lifeless body. Her heart could not bear the loss, and she shattered from sorrow, causing her immediate death at his funeral pyre.
Both Baldur and Nanna traveled to Hel’s cold realm together.
Though the gods attempted to negotiate Baldur’s release through the emissary Hermod, their efforts failed when not all beings would weep for Baldur’s return—another of Loki’s deceptions, leaving the divine couple trapped in the underworld until Ragnarök.
Nanna’s Role in the Afterlife
Nanna, Baldur’s devoted wife, demonstrates the ultimate expression of loyalty in Norse mythology through her actions following her husband’s death.
When Loki’s trickery slays Baldur, Nanna’s grief proves so overwhelming that her heart shatters during his funeral, allowing her to join him in Hel’s realm.
In the cold underworld, she continues to serve as Baldur’s faithful companion, maintaining her role as his loving wife even in death.
When Hermod trips to Hel seeking Baldur’s release, he finds Nanna beside her husband, steadfast in her devotion.
She sends gifts back to Asgard—a linen robe for Frigg and a gold ring for Fulla—symbols of her enduring connection to the living while remaining eternally bound to Baldur in the afterlife.
Fun Fact: In Norse myth, after her death, Nanna sends a linen robe to Frigg and a golden ring to Fulla from the underworld—making her one of the few gods shown actively gifting from Hel, a rare gesture of connection between realms.
Literary and Historical Mentions of Nanna
In Norse mythology, Nanna appears primarily as Baldr’s devoted wife in the Prose Edda, where Snorri Sturluson portrays her dying of grief after her husband’s death.
Her presence in the Poetic Edda is notably limited, appearing only briefly in “Baldrs draumar” (Baldr’s Dreams).
Some scholars connect her to the Sumerian goddess Inanna or the Germanic moon deity Nerthus, suggesting possible lunar associations.
Her name may derive from Old Norse roots meaning “mother” or “bold one,” hinting at deeper significance beyond her role as Baldr’s consort. Modern interpretations vary between viewing her as a passive grief-figure or recognizing her as an independent deity with her cult in pre-Christian Scandinavia.
The academic debate continues about whether she was originally a more prominent goddess whose importance diminished in later recorded myths.
Alternative Narratives
In Norse mythology, the tale of Nanna traditionally portrays her as a goddess married to Baldr. However, Saxo Grammaticus’s 12th-century “Gesta Danorum” presents a dramatically different version where Nanna is depicted as a mortal woman.
In this euhemerized account, Nanna becomes the center of a love triangle between Baldr (deified as a demigod) and Høther (the humanized version of Höðr). Unlike the divine narrative where she is Baldr’s devoted wife, Saxo’s Nanna actively chooses Høther over Baldr.
This alternative narrative changes the cosmic tragedy of Norse myth into a more human drama of rivalry and romance.
Saxo’s version strips away the divine elements, recasting gods as exceptional humans in a deliberate attempt to create a more historical account of Denmark’s past.
Nanna: Symbolism and Attributes
In Norse mythology, Nanna is deeply connected with grief and consolation and embodies the essence of enduring love beyond death.
Modern interpretations have expanded her symbolism to encompass joy, devotion, peace, and loyalty – qualities that resonate with contemporary seekers of Norse wisdom.
As a goddess of romantic tenderness, she represents love’s persistent power that transcends even the boundaries between life and death.
Later scholarly traditions associated her with lunar symbolism, primarily because of her husband Balder’s connection with solar imagery in 19th-century interpretations.
Her steadfast devotion to Balder, even following him into death’s realm, illustrates the profound Norse understanding of love’s and eternal nature.
Nanna in Popular Culture
Nanna, the Norse goddess of joy and peace, wife to the god Baldr, continues to influence modern media and spiritual practices despite her relatively minor role in surviving myths.
Her devotion to Baldr—following him even into death—has inspired characters in video games like God of War Ragnarök and novels such as Neil Gaiman’s “Norse Mythology,” where her unwavering loyalty serves as a powerful narrative element.
In modern paganism, Nanna represents fidelity and emotional healing, with practitioners honoring her during summer celebrations and relationship rituals.
Though less prominent than figures like Thor or Odin in mainstream portrayals, her essence as a symbol of faithfulness and emotional strength resonates in contemporary storytelling, particularly in works exploring themes of love, sacrifice, and devotion.
Fun Fact: Despite her limited mentions in ancient texts, some modern Norse-inspired baby name lists include “Nanna” as a symbol of pure love and emotional strength—reviving her legacy in unexpected ways.
Final Words
Nanna’s story, though overshadowed by more prominent figures in Norse mythology, reveals the powerful themes of devotion and sacrifice.
Her decision to join Baldr in death demonstrates the deep emotional bonds that transcended even mortality in Norse belief systems. While rarely the central figure in myths, Nanna’s presence reminds us that Norse legends valued not only warrior prowess but also loyalty and love.
Her enduring legacy lives on in how she represents the quieter virtues celebrated in Norse culture, offering a counterbalance to tales of battle and conquest.
In Nanna’s silent sacrifice, we discover the most powerful magic in Norse mythology was never found in Thor’s hammer or Odin’s wisdom, but in the undying flame of a heart that refused to beat without its other half.
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