Nanna is a goddess in Norse mythology, best known as the wife of Baldr, the god whose death brings grief to the gods. In the surviving accounts, she dies from sorrow after Baldr is killed and is burned with him on his funeral ship, though the sources differ in how they tell the surrounding events.
Nanna’s place in Norse mythology
Nanna is a relatively briefly described figure compared with major Norse gods such as Odin, Thor, or Freyja. Her importance comes chiefly from her connection to Baldr and from the role she plays in the story of his death and funeral. The principal medieval accounts are the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, and the poem Baldrs draumar in the Poetic Edda. They preserve related but not identical accounts of Baldr’s fate.
Nanna should not be confused with Nanna, a Mesopotamian name for the moon god, or with other mythological figures who happen to share the name. In the Norse material, she is identified through her marriage to Baldr and her place in his funeral story.
Family and marriage to Baldr
In Snorri’s Prose Edda, Nanna is Baldr’s wife and the mother of their son, Forseti. Forseti is associated with justice and the settling of disputes; Snorri describes his hall, Glitnir, as a place where he gives judgments. This family connection is one of the clearest pieces of information about Nanna.
The sources do not give a detailed account of how Nanna and Baldr met or married, nor do they develop her character through a long sequence of independent adventures. It is therefore more accurate to describe her as a significant figure within Baldr’s story than to assign her a broad portfolio of powers or duties unsupported by the texts.
Baldr’s death and Nanna’s grief
In Snorri’s account, the gods arrange for Baldr’s body to be placed on his ship, Hringhorni, for a funeral. Nanna is overcome by grief and dies. Her body is then placed on the funeral pyre with Baldr’s, and the ship is set alight. The scene makes her death part of the funeral itself: she does not survive Baldr in Snorri’s telling.
Baldr’s death begins with a plot involving his mother, Frigg, who seeks promises from things in the world not to harm him. The mistletoe is overlooked. Loki learns this and guides the blind god Höðr in throwing a mistletoe dart or weapon at Baldr, killing him. The gods mourn, and an attempt is made to secure Baldr’s return from Hel. Nanna’s loss is one element in the wider tragedy, not the cause of Baldr’s death.
What the sources say—and what they leave unclear
The medieval sources are not modern biographies, and their details should not be combined as if every text told one continuous, fully consistent story. Snorri’s Prose Edda gives the fullest account of Nanna’s marriage, son, death, and funeral. The surviving Poetic Edda poems do not provide an equally complete narrative of her life.
In Baldrs draumar, Odin travels to the realm of the dead and questions a seer about Baldr’s fate. The poem focuses on the prophecy and the circumstances around Baldr, rather than narrating Nanna’s funeral in the detail found in Snorri. This difference is a useful reminder: a name’s presence in Norse mythology does not mean that every source preserves the same amount of information about its bearer.
Snorri also says that, after Baldr returns following Ragnarök, Nanna is reunited with him in the realm of the gods. This is part of his account of the renewed world after the destruction. It sits alongside the earlier report of her death and should be read as a detail of that mythic future, not as evidence that she avoided dying at the funeral.
Nanna’s funeral and the ship Hringhorni
Hringhorni is described by Snorri as the largest of ships. The gods cannot launch it themselves, so they summon the giantess Hyrrokkin, who moves it into the water. The funeral gathering includes the gods and other beings, and the pyre is placed on the ship. Nanna’s body is carried aboard and laid beside Baldr.
The funeral scene is often remembered for its scale, but its details also clarify Nanna’s role. She is not merely mentioned as Baldr’s wife in a family list: her death makes the funeral a joint burial. Snorri’s account places her grief, death, and burial within the same sequence, while offering little direct speech or description of her thoughts beyond the fact that she dies from sorrow.
Common questions and misconceptions
Nanna’s story can be confused with other myths because the surviving Norse material is brief and because the name appears in more than one ancient tradition. A few distinctions help keep the accounts clear:
- Nanna does not kill Baldr. In Snorri’s account, Loki engineers Baldr’s death by using Höðr.
- She is not Baldr’s mother. Frigg is Baldr’s mother; Nanna is his wife.
- Her best-attested child is Forseti. This relationship is given in the Prose Edda.
- Her story is not equally detailed in every source. Snorri supplies the fullest narrative of her funeral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nanna in Norse mythology?
Nanna is the wife of Baldr and, in Snorri’s Prose Edda, the mother of Forseti. She is chiefly known for dying from grief after Baldr’s death and being buried with him.
How does Nanna die?
In the Prose Edda, Nanna dies from sorrow when Baldr is killed. Her body is placed beside his on his funeral ship, Hringhorni.
Who are Nanna’s parents?
The main surviving account that describes her family does not identify her parents. Claims naming particular parents should not be treated as established by Snorri’s account.
Did Nanna and Baldr have a child?
Yes. Snorri identifies Forseti as the son of Baldr and Nanna. The surviving sources do not provide a long account of their family life.
Does Nanna return after Ragnarök?
Snorri says that Nanna is reunited with Baldr after the world is renewed. This is a post-Ragnarök detail in the Prose Edda, following the account of her death at Baldr’s funeral.
Related
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- Dying and Rising Gods: Mythological Death & Rebirth
- Roman Gods of Forests: The Full List
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