Nanna is attested in the Prose Edda, Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry, and even on the Setre Comb, a sixth-century archaeological artifact. She also appears in Gesta Danorum, though in a version heavily shaped by Christian reinterpretation.

Her name means “Daring,” and among modern Norse pagans, she is considered a goddess of joy and devotional love. While little direct lore has survived, Snorri includes her among the important goddesses of the Æsir. She is said to be the daughter of the god Nepr, who may be a son of Óðin. In some traditions, she is the daughter of Máni, the moon god, and the younger sister of Iðunn. Others say she is the sister of Sigyn, Loki’s wife. The lineages may vary, but nearly all sources agree that she is the mother of Forseti, the god of justice.

Nanna is most often remembered for her great love. She is paired with Baldr, and together they are seen as the beloved sweethearts of Ásgarðr. Their home, Breiðablik, is said to be a radiant hall of light and beauty, described in folklore as a celestial court that corresponds to the Milky Way.

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She shares Baldr’s fate through life, death, and eventual return. When Baldr dies, Nanna either dies of grief or throws herself onto his pyre. Both acts are recorded in various sources. The latter reflects a known tradition in the Heathen North, where queens and noble wives sometimes joined their dead husbands in fire. In either version, her death is sanctified by the hand of Thor himself. Together with Baldr and his brother Höðr, she journeys to Helheim, where the three of them dwell in peace until the final unfolding at Ragnarök. When Hermóðr visits Helheim on behalf of the gods, Nanna gives him a gown for Frigg and a ring for Fulla, showing compassion and memory from the land of the dead.

In Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus presents Nanna as a mortal princess, removing her divinity in line with his Christian reinterpretation. In that version, both Balderus (Baldr) and Hotherus (Höðr) vie for her love. Saxo’s Nanna chooses Hotherus, a decision that leads to Balderus’s heartbreak and his eventual unraveling.

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Thoughts on Nanna

Modern Heathens honor Nanna as the embodiment of loyal, enduring love. Where Baldr is often viewed as a divine light or heavenly beauty, Nanna is the warmth that follows that light, even into shadow. She is devotion in its gentlest and strongest form.

If she is indeed the sister of Sigyn, her story creates a sacred mirror. Two wives walking opposite paths. One stands beside a bright and shining god. The other stays with a reviled trickster in chains. Both are loyal. Both love without condition. Together, they show the wide spectrum of devotion in Northern tradition.

Some see in Nanna the spirit of flowers that follow the sun. Her myth speaks of blooming in joy and wilting in sorrow, yet always returning with the turning of time. She shares traits with Caer from Irish myth and Psyche from Greco-Roman lore. These are figures who also traveled the path of death and love.

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Signs and Symbols

She is honored in spring and summer. All flowers are sacred to her, especially sunflowers, who visibly turn their faces toward the light. She shares with Baldr the rune Dæg. Modern symbols include wedding rings, sacred vows, floral offerings, and songs of love and remembrance.

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Associated Names

Nanna Nepsdóttir