Iðunn
Iðunn is attested in the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and several archaeological finds, where apples and other symbols of renewal have been uncovered in burial sites.
Her name means “rejuvenating one,” “rejuvenator,” or “ever-young.”
She is the goddess of youth, vitality, and renewal—depicted as a summery maiden adorned with blossoms, bearing fruit, and tending her gardens. She is wife to Bragi, the god of poetry, and sister to Nanna.
Iðunn is most famous for her apples, which grant the gods their strength and immortality.
She carries them in a wooden box made of ash—likely linked to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Without her, the gods begin to age and wither. Her presence is quiet, but her power is unmatched.
She is one of the Ásynjur, the greater goddesses of Ásgarðr.
Though not a warrior or queen, she is no less vital. She holds the divine lifeforce in her hands.
The most well-known tale of Iðunn is her abduction by the jötunn Þjazi.
Loki, as ever, is at the center of the chaos. Tricked by his words, Iðunn steps beyond the gates of Ásgarðr and is taken by the giant to Þrymheimr. With her absence, the gods begin to crumble—grey-haired, weak, desperate.
Forced to make amends, Loki borrows Freyja’s falcon cloak, flies to Þrymheimr, and transforms Iðunn into a nut to carry her home. Þjazi, in eagle form, gives chase—but the gods light a fire at the wall of Ásgarðr. Loki makes it through. The eagle does not.
Þjazi falls. Iðunn returns. The apples are safe once more.
Thoughts on Iðunn
Iðunn is unlike any other goddess in the Northern pantheon.
She is not fierce like Skaði, nor commanding like Frigg.
She is a gentle force. A keeper of life. A light in spring.
She is often underestimated—soft-spoken, even playful. But her hands carry the core of godhood itself.
Some call her the Divine Child—the laughing bloom who holds the fate of Ásgarðr in a basket of apples.
In modern interpretation, Iðunn is compared to Eostre (Ostara), the maiden goddess of renewal; Hebe, cupbearer of Olympus; or even Nimue of Avalon.
Each tend gardens beyond death. Each guard the secret of returning.
Signs and Symbols
Apples (especially golden)
Apple cider, orchards, fruit trees
Spring blossoms, baby animals, baskets
Springs, brooks, streams, and fountains
Spas, pools, saunas
Eggs, seeds, hazelnuts
The season of Spring, and the time of Dawn
Colors: gold, light green, rosy pink
The rune Vend
Associated Names
Idun, Idunn, Ithun, Iduna, Idunna, Edgeona
Possibly: Eostre, Ostara, Eos, Aurora