Æsir–Vanir War

In Norse mythology, the Æsir–Vanir War[a] was a conflict between two groups of deities that ultimately resulted in the unification of the Æsir and the Vanir into a single pantheon.

In two stanzas of Völuspá, the war is recounted by a völva (who refers to herself here in the third person) while the god Óðinn questions her.

Heiðr performed seiðr where she could, did so in a trance, and was always the favorite of wicked women:[3] In two later stanzas, the völva tells Óðinn that all the powers went to the judgment seats and discussed whether the Æsir should pay a fine or if all of the gods should instead have equal tribute, then the völva provides the last of her account of the events surrounding the war.

"[6] Ursula Dronke points to extensive wordplay on all the meanings of the gildi and the adjective gildr to signal the core issue of whether the Æsir will surrender their monopoly on human tribute and join with the "all-too-popular" Vanir; as their only alternative, they attack again.

Bragi says that it originated in the Æsir–Vanir War, when during the peace conference the Æsir and the Vanir formed a truce by all spitting into a vat.

Óðinn took the head of Mímir, embalmed it with herbs so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets.

[9] Óðinn then appointed Njörðr and Freyr to be priests of sacrificial customs and they became Diar ("Gods") of the people of Asgard.

[5] Lindow states that even if the two are not identical, the various accounts of the war seem to share the idea of a disruptive entry of persons into a people.