Eir

Eir is attested in the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, and is mentioned among the Ásynjur, the goddesses of the Norse pantheon. Her name means “mercy,” “help,” or “grace,” and she is consistently associated with healing, protection, and the preservation of life. In Fjölsvinnsmál, she is listed as one of the handmaidens of Menglöð, a mysterious goddess or possibly a title for Freyja, who sits on the healing mountain Lyfjaberg—“Hill of Healing.”

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Eir is often considered one of the foremost healing goddesses of the Norse tradition. While she appears only briefly in the texts, her presence is powerful and distinct. She is called upon in charms and protective prayers, and her name is invoked in later folk magic traditions for midwives, herbwives, and wise women.

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There is some scholarly debate as to whether Eir is a goddess or a valkyrie. In Skáldskaparmál, Snorri refers to her among the Ásynjur, yet her name also appears in lists of valkyrjur—those who choose the slain. This has led to theories that Eir may occupy both roles, or that her healing was not merely physical, but connected to fate, death, and protection from untimely endings.

Though little is said about her deeds, what we do have speaks volumes. She is the quiet hand that mends, the watchful presence that intervenes, and the archetype of sacred care. Her name lives on in charms, folk medicine, and the whispered prayers of women tending their own.

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Thoughts on Eir

Eir represents a different kind of strength in the Norse cosmology. She is not a warrior like Freyja, nor a sovereign like Frigg. She is not loud, or cunning, or wrathful. She is presence itself—the knowing glance, the steady hand, the breath returned when all seemed lost.

In a culture where healing often fell to women, and where life and death walked side by side, Eir would have been deeply revered. She is the one who knew the plants, who bound wounds, who stood between mother and death during childbirth, and who guided the final breath when healing was no longer possible.

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For many modern practitioners, Eir represents not only physical healing but emotional and spiritual restoration. She is the goddess of recovery, of sacred stillness, and of mercy in a world that was often anything but merciful.

To call upon Eir is to ask not just for healing—but for wisdom, patience, and the strength to endure. Her presence is gentle but firm. She is often invoked in rites of care, energy work, and ritual tending. She does not arrive with thunder. She arrives with knowing.

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Signs and Symbols

Healing herbs (especially yarrow, mugwort, and thyme). Bandages, salves, and poultices. The color pale green or silver. Springs and healing wells. The rune Eiwaz. Mountain tops. Clean linen. Still hands. Breath. Calm presence. The border between life and death.

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Associated Names
Eir. Possibly connected to Menglöð’s maidens. Sometimes listed among the valkyrjur.