In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja.

Along with her brother Freyr ( Old Norse the " Lord "), her father Njörðr, and her mother ( Njörðr's sister, unnamed in sources ), she is a member of the Vanir.

Njörðr interjects — he says that a woman having a lover other than her husband is harmless, and he points out that Loki has borne children, and calls Loki a pervert.

Examples of goddesses attested in Norse mythology include Frigg ( wife of Odin, and the Anglo-Saxon version of whom is namesake of the modern English weekday Friday ), Skaði ( one time wife of Njörðr ), Njerda ( Scandinavian name of Nerthus ), that also was married to Njörðr during Bronze Age, Freyja ( wife of Óðr ), Sif ( wife of Thor ), Gerðr ( wife of Freyr ), and personifications such as Jörð ( earth ), Sól ( the sun ), and Nótt ( night ).

Kennings of the type AB, where B routinely has the characteristic A and thus this AB is tautological, tends to mean " like B in that it has the characteristic A ", e. g. " shield-Njörðr ", tautological because the god Njörðr by nature has his own shield, means " like Njörðr in that he has a shield ", i. e. " warrior ".

Njörðr ( Freyja and Freyr's father ) says that it is harmless for a woman to have a lover or " someone else " beside her husband, and that what is surprising is a " pervert god coming here who has borne children.

Njörðr responds that this was his reward when he was sent as a hostage to the Æsir, and that he fathered his son ( Freyr ), whom no one hates, and is considered a prince of the Æsir.

In Norse mythology, Njörðr is a god among the Vanir.

Njörðr is father of the deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed Van sister, was in an ill-fated marriage with the goddess Skaði, lives in Nóatún and is associated with sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility.

Njörðr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, in euhemerized form as a beloved mythological early king of Sweden in Heimskringla, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, as one of three gods invoked in the 14th century Hauksbók ring oath, and in numerous Scandinavian place names.

Veneration of Njörðr survived into 18th or 19th century Norwegian folk practice, where the god is recorded as Njor and thanked for a bountiful catch of fish.

Njörðr is sometimes modernly anglicized as Njord, Njoerd, or Njorth.

It has been suggested that the change of sex from the female Nerthus to the male Njörðr is due to the fact that feminine nouns with u-stems disappeared early in Germanic language while the masculine nouns with u-stems prevailed.

Additionally, in Old Icelandic translations of Classical mythology the Roman god Saturn's name is glossed as " Njörðr.

Njörðr is attested in the following works:

Njörðr is described as a future survivor of Ragnarök in stanza 39 of the poem Vafþrúðnismál.

In stanza 16 of the poem Grímnismál, Njörðr is described as having a hall in Nóatún made for himself.

The stanza describes Njörðr as a " prince of men ," that he is " lacking in malice ," and that he " rules over the " high-timbered temple.

" In stanza 43, the creation of the god Freyr's ship Skíðblaðnir is recounted, and Freyr is cited as the son of Njörðr.

In the Prose Edda, Njörðr is introduced in chapter 23 of the book Gylfaginning.

In chapter 4 of Ynglinga saga, Njörðr is introduced in connection with the Æsir-Vanir War.

Freyja is introduced as a daughter of Njörðr, and as the priestess at the sacrifices.

Njörðr is mentioned in the Prose Edda books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.

Additionally, Njörðr is used in kennings for " warrior " or " warriors " various times in Skáldskaparmál.

Some of these similarities include that, in parallel to Skaði and Njörðr in Skáldskaparmál, Hadingus is chosen by his wife Regnhild after selecting him from other men at a banquet by his lower legs, and, in parallel to Skaði and Njörðr in Gylfaginning, Hadingus complains in verse of his displeasure at his life away from the sea and how he is disturbed by the howls of wolves, while his wife Regnhild complains of life at the shore and states her annoyance at the screeching sea birds.

In chapter 6, a list of kennings is provided for Njörðr: " God of chariots ," " Descendant of Vanir ," " a Van ," father of Freyr and Freyja, and " the giving god.

In chapter 75, Njörðr is included in a list of the Æsir.

Loki tells Njörðr to be silent, recalling Njörðr's status as once having been a hostage from the Vanir to the Æsir during the Æsir-Vanir War, that the " daughters of Hymir " once used Njörðr " as a pisspot ," urinating in his mouth ( an otherwise unattested comment ).

While Odin states that Vafþrúðnir knows all the fates of the gods, Odin asks Vafþrúðnir " from where Njörðr came to the sons of the Æsir ," that Njörðr rules over quite a lot of temples and hörgrs ( a type of Germanic altar ), and further adds that Njörðr was not raised among the Æsir.

Njörðr originates from Vanaheimr and is devoid of Æsir stock, and he is described as having been traded with Hœnir in hostage exchange with between the Æsir and Vanir.

For their part, the Vanir send to the Æsir their most " outstanding men "; Njörðr, described as wealthy, and Freyr, described as his son, in exchange for the Æsir's Hœnir.

Further into chapter 4, Odin appoints Njörðr and Freyr as priests of sacrificial offerings, and they became gods among the Æsir.

In the saga, Njörðr is described as having once wed his unnamed sister while he was still among the Vanir, and the couple produced their children Freyr and Freyja from this union, though this custom was forbidden among the Æsir.

Gagnráðr asks Vafþrúðnir where the Van god Njörðr came from, for though he rules over many hofs and hörgrs, Njörðr was not raised among the Æsir.

Vafþrúðnir responds that Njörðr was created in Vanaheimr (" home of the Vanir ") by " wise powers " and details that during the Æsir – Vanir War, Njörðr was exchanged as a hostage.

High says that during the Æsir – Vanir War, the Vanir sent Njörðr as a hostage to the Æsir, and the Æsir sent to the Vanir the god Hœnir.

The sending of Njörðr as a hostage resulted in a peace agreement between the Æsir and the Vanir.

In chapter 33, Njörðr is cited among the gods attending a banquet held by Ægir.

In the prose introduction to the poem Lokasenna, Skaði is referred to as the wife of Njörðr and is cited as one of the goddesses attending Ægir's feast.

Njörðr's rule is marked with peace and many great crops, so much so that the Swedes believed that Njörðr held power over the crops and over the prosperity of mankind.

The name Nerthus is generally held to be a Latinized form of Proto-Germanic * Nerthuz, which is the Proto-Germanic precursor to the Old Norse deity name Njörðr, who is a male deity in works recorded in the 13th century.