Ēse and Wæne: the Gods of England.

In English polytheism, the pantheon of gods and goddesses are split into two divine tribes that are called þēoda (sin. þēod) in Old English; each personifying and controlling the various different, but fundamental aspects of the natural world and beyond.

In the Eald Gelēafa, the 'Old Beliefs' of the ancient English, the Ēse (singular: Ōs) are the divine tribe of gods and goddesses who watch and rule over earthly affairs from the heavenly realm of Ēsegēard: these deities are associated with the active elemental forces of nature who do battle with the ēotenas and the þyrsas, the giant spirits of dangerous and merciless natural forces; all in order to bring balance, peace and stability so mortal life can flourish. 

Battle and conflict with the forces of chaos is not the only feature of the ēse, however, for they also work to maintain order in the cosmos in conjunction with the myriad other deities and spirits; including the wihtas - a catch-all term for any supernatural being; the wæne - reproductive earth deities; the ælfas - ethereal spirits of the woodlands, valleys and the air; the dweorgas - spirits of the subterranean realm beneath the earth; and in rare cases even with their traditional enemies, the eotenas: who represent the ancient, mighty and merciless elemental forces of nature. Some eotenas can be benevolent (or at least neutral) towards mortals, such as Sceadu, goddess of hunting, the mountains and snow; Eorthe, goddess and personification of the earth itself; and Wæddi, god of fords and protector of ferrymen.

Surviving into later English names such as Oswald; Osmund; Oslac; Osborne and Osbert, the Old English word Ōs was used by our Anglo-Saxon forefathers as another name for the high god Wōden; such as in the Old English rune poem:

 "Ōs byþ ordfruma ǣlcre sprǣce wīsdōmes wraþu and wītena frōfur and eorla gehwām ēadnys and tō hiht."

Translated into modern English as:

"Ōs (Wōden) is the origin of all language; wisdom's foundation; and wise man's comfort; and to every earl, a blessing and hope."

The realm where the ēse reside is called Ēsegēard (Norse: Asgard) which either appears as a large grove of ancient trees or as a dreamlike garden situated in the heavens: located therein is the majestic hall of Wæhealle; where the spirits of slain heroes go to drink and feast after death. Another important location in Ēsegēard is Folcwang, a bright and shining meadow ruled over by the goddess Frīge which is the abode of the other half of the heroic dead.

The ēse were associated specifically with a form of magic called gealdor which relied on invocation, ceremony and ritual involving the use of runes and chanting certain charms and spells; which was performed to influence the will of those gods, gaining both power and divine favor which would ensure success. The god Wōden is known as the master of gealdor. 

Another unique form of magic which was associated specifically with the wæne and the ælfas, both spirits of the earth, was called sīden: this was used in the same way as gealdor, in the sense that it was looked to by humans for healing and knowledge of future events, but differed in that it relied heavily on precognition; nature magic and shamanic elements instead of the ceremony; incantation and ritual of gealdor. The two concepts of magic regularly overlapped and in a lot of instances became indistinguishable from each other.

Wōden: the chieftain of the ēse, god of the blustering winds and the fury of the storm, who rides upon a ghostly steed and leads the Ēnhere (the heroic dead) and the Wælcyrge (his daughters) across the sky during the Wild Hunt, which was known to the Anglo-Saxons as the Herlaþing. Wōden is the ruler of the dead and the afterlife, and it is he who incites warriors into a frenzy during battle; receiving the Ēnhere in the heavenly hall of Wælhealle after death. He is not only associated with the winds, the dead and warfare, however: for Wōden is known also as the the Wītig Drīhten or 'Wise Chieftain' and is the god of magic (gealdor); wisdom; healing; poetry, and rune-craft. Wōden hung himself as a sacrifice upon the great tree Eormensyll, a large pillar connecting the Heavens and the Earth, in exchange for knowledge of secrets of the futhorc or runic alphabet, and overcame death itself.

The god appears as an ancient and mysterious one-eyed sage in warrior garb; dressed also in antlers and a cloak, and a distinctive hood or brimmed hat, carrying a spear carved with runes. The god is associated with many locations across England such as Wensley (Old English: Wōdnes lēah 'Wōden's clearing') in the Derbyshire Peak District; Wednesbury and Woodnesborough (Old English: Wōdnes burh 'Wōden's fortification') in the West Midlands and Kent respectively; Wednesfield (Old English: 'Wōdnes feld' 'Wōden's field') near Wolverhampton, and Wansdyke (Old English: 'Wōdnes dic' 'Wōden's earthwork' in Somerset. The favor of Wōden, leader of the Herlaþing, was most desired in times of battle and was offered sacrifices in to bring victory and grant strength of body, mind and soul to the warriors. 

The name of Wōden is derived from the Old English term 'wōd', a word of many meanings; the most esoteric of which are "divine rage" or "mantic fury", but more often, wōd simply comes to mean "mind" or "madness". Wōden, though ruler of the rushing winds, the spirits of the dead and the fury of nature, is known by and worshiped under many names and titles such as Drīhten ('Chieftain'), Ōs ('Divine force'), Grim ('Masked'), Herne ('War-leader') and Herla ('Noble'): all of these signify the gods association with tribal kingship, aristocracy and as a leader of battle, because as he was the chieftain of the ēse tribe of deities, Wōden was thus patron god of the old English aristocracy, who themselves often claimed to be directly descended from him; then giving human chieftains (cyningas) divinely ordained authority. He is ultimately the high god, the Eallfæder: the most powerful and mighty deity with power over life and death, and has the most influence over the inhabitants of the seven worlds.

The trees sacred to Wōden include the ash, the oak, the beech and the yew; the latter being earthly incarnation of the cosmic world-tree, the Eormensyll, and the former being a symbol of the realm of the dead, with herbs holy to the god including thyme, chervil and fennel. Wōden is accompanied by two ravens, representing thought and memory, who report every event and occurrence back to him: and also by two wolves or hounds named Gera and Freca, who join him in the Wild Hunt. The falcon and the deer are also sacred to Woden. The Wōden of the English was called Wotan by the Teutons; Wuoton by the Franks; Oden by the Danes; Wodans by the Goths; Godan by the Lombards; Wēda by the Frisians; Audin by the Normans, and Wodan by the Continental Saxons.

Þunor: the god of rain, thunder and lightning who is the grantor of healing and fertility and has the most benevolent disposition towards mankind in comparison to other ēse deities. Thunderstorms were called the Þunnorad, as it was believed that the noise and calamity was caused by Þunor riding his goat-led chariot across the sky in His hunt of monstrous supernatural creatures such the þyrsas (ogres) and hostile ēotenas (elemental giants). The god appears as a red-haired bearded giant who carries a fiery long-handled hammer (in some cases an axe) called the Þunreslecg which is used by the god to destroy evil spirits, and manifests in nature as the lightning strikes during thunderstorms. 

The cult of Þunor was popular in ancient England, but not as much as that of the cult of Woden, chieftain of the ēse; and was primarily worshiped by Anglo-Saxon tribes that were mainly involved in farming, such as the Middle Saxons of Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Surrey; the West Saxons of Wessex; the East Saxons of Essex; and the Jutes of Kent and Hampshire. There is sparse evidence that this deity had many worshipers among the Anglian tribes of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, however. 

The locations where Þunor had a cult center were mostly in the south of England, the most prominent of which were Thursley, Thorley and Thundersley in Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex, respectively, and whose names are all derived from Old English 'Þunres lēah' or 'Þunor's clearing' which suggests that woodland clearings and forest glades were especially sacred to Þunor. Other sites where the god was worshiped include Therfield ('Þunor feld' 'field belonging to Þunor') in Hertfordshire; Thurstable ('Þunres stapol' 'Þunor's tree-post') in Essex; and Taston ('Þunres stan' 'Þunor's stone') in Oxfordshire. The settlement of Thursley in Surrey, where the Middle Saxon tribe of Godhelmingas dedicated a woodland clearing to Þunor, also included a small sacred pool, appropriately called 'Hammer Pond'; and a large outcrop of sandstone called the Cricklestone, which was believed to have been a thunderbolt sent by the god himself. 

The hammer or axe of Þunor was used to in rites for sanctifying areas which were used for religious or ceremonial purposes, such as burial sites, and wards off the influence of evil spirits or witchcraft; the population using it for hallowing marriages, funerals or the naming of newborns. The wife of Þunor is the goddess Sibbe, an ēse who appears as a beautiful maiden with long-golden hair and governs the growth of wheat; the tradition of marriage and protection of the family. The sacred animals of Þunor include the goat and the eagle; his sacred plants include heather and ivy, and his sacred tree is the oak, in which the god himself was believed to manifest in.

The cult-objects of Þunor included the tree that was most holy to him, the oak, and certain standing stones which were situated in verdant locations that had good soil quality and were prone to rainstorms. The Danes, a Scandinavian tribe, who raided and later settled across England equated the Þunor of the English with their own thunder-god, Þor. In the language of the Franks, Alemmani and Teutons, he was known as Donar; in Old Saxon was Þunær; in Frisian he was Þuner, and in Gothic as Þunrs.

Tīw: the god of the clear blue sky who was venerated by the English as the provider of divine legislation, law and justice, and as the one who inspires courage in the warriors: granting glory and victory in battle to those who carve his sacred rune in their swords. Tīw is the most ancient of the ēse tribe of divinities, and was once their chieftain, but in later period, his role as Sky-Father became diminished and he became seen as more of a military general and as a war-god; ultimately ceding the mantle of divine supremacy to the wind-god, Wōden. Tīw is also the patron of the Þing or Folkmoot which was an assembly whereby tribesmen would gather to declare laws and settle matters of social importance. Tīw is accompanied by two wælcyrigan called Fimmilena and Friagabis who grant victory to the righteous and punish those who break oaths, or commit acts of treachery. The tree most holy to Tīw is the lime (linden), which is still today associated with justice and benevolence in Germany and has for centuries been used to hold the Þing.

A well known cult center of Tīw in ancient England was the village of Tuesley ('Tīwes lēah' 'Tīw's clearing') in Surrey; where his hearg, a sanctuary in a woodland clearing near a sacred spring, was built for him by the local Middle Saxons. When Christianity arrived to the Middle Saxon tribes of Surrey, the hearg of Tuesley was demolished and a stone church was built in its place. Other locations where the god had a site of worship include Tysoe ('Tīwes hōh' 'Tīw's hill-spur') in Warwickshire and Tysemere in Worcestershire. The sacred tree of Tīw is the hazel, and his wīg or idol is that of a princely warrior with only one hand, in which he carries a long sword. He was well known among all the Germanic peoples under various names such as Zīu to the Franks; Zio to the Alemmani; Cyo to the Swabians; Tīu to the Continental Saxons; Teiws to the Goths; Tīe to the Frisians, and Tyr to the Norse and Danes.

Frīge (also named as Holde and Beorhte): the goddess of the clouds and the atmosphere, and queen-mother of the ēse clan of divine beings. The goddess appears as a noblewoman dressed in fine aristocratic clothing which is adorned with heron feathers, and carries a jeweled distaff that she uses to weave the clouds whilst sitting on her throne in the heavens. She governs such natural and social phenomena as weaving; childbirth; motherhood; the household, and love between mortals: in addition to governing all forms of earthly moisture. Frīge has knowledge of everything from the past, present and future and is one of many goddesses associated with sīden: a fertility-orientated form of magic combining elements of shamanism and trance as well as reliance on precognition and foresight; also used by other supernatural beings such as the wæne and the ælfas.

Frīge is also the guardian of all supernatural and mortal beings, whom she sees as her children, and unlike her husband Wōden, prefers peaceful resolution over violent conflict. Keys are sacred to the goddess, who herself would keep a golden set on her belt to signify her role as divine matron; a practice that was imitated by the Anglo-Saxon women of England, who would often be buried with a set of keys and wear them on their belts to display that they were the head of the household.

A widely venerated deity among the Anglo-Saxons, the goddess had cult centers across pagan England such as Friden (Frīge denu 'Wooded valley belonging to Frīge) in the Derbyshire Dales; Froyle (Frīge lēah 'clearing belonging to Frīge') and Frobury (Frīge burh 'fortification belonging to Frīge'') in Hampshire, where she was venerated by the West Saxons; and Fryup (Frīge hop 'small dale belonging to Frīge') in the Northumbrian lands of North Yorkshire. The sacred trees of the goddess are the elm and the birch, and her symbol is the distaff, which was a magical object also used by the spæwīf and other practitioners of sīden who drew their powers from the goddesses. he animals whom are sacred to Frīge are the heron and the sheep. Her names among the Germanic cousins of the English include the Frigg of the Norse and the Danes; Fricka of the Teutons; Frīja of the Franks and Alemmani; Frēa of the Lombards and Friddjō of the Goths. 

Sunne and Mōna are the deities of the two celestial bodies that hold the most influence over life on earth; the goddess of the Sun and the god of Moon respectively. Sunne appears as a radiant woman with flowing golden hair riding a glowing chariot made of solid gold; while her brother, Mōna, takes the form of a man surrounded by a glowing white light who rides a silver chariot. Their influence over mankind in Middangeard was vast, with the power of Sunne being invoked by Saxon farmers to encourage the growth of plant crops and bring the dispersal of warm rain; whilst Mōna has power over time and the tides.The rays of the sun-goddess also possess healing properties, whilst the moonbeams of Mōna convey powers of precognition and vision, and attract supernatural beings such as the Ieldran (ancestral spirits) and the Ælfas (nature-spirits).

Hrēðe: the fierce goddess of victory and battle who belongs to the ēse tribe of divine beings, who appears as a glorious young woman dressed in full battle armor and armed with a great sword. The goddess brings devastation and bloodshed to enemies and sacrifices to her before a battle are offered for her intercession. Hrēðe, despite having a bloodthirsty and ruthless nature, is also the herald of the springtime who oversees the growth of plants and fertility of the earth; with sacrifices and feasts being held in her honor during her sacred month of March, which was called Hrēðemonaþ by the Anglo-Saxons.

Hlēowe: the goddess of safety who protects mankind from dangerous situations and belongs to the ēse family of deities. She takes the form of a young woman with wings and is the handmaiden of Frīge, goddess of the clouds.

Nīht: the goddess of night, mother of the earth-goddess Eorðe. Nīht is one of the most ancient and primordial of the gods, and appears as a hooded woman in black robes riding a black horse whilst spreading darkness over the land. The goddess, although having a grim and shadowy countenance, is benevolent and is responsible for dreams and the rest that comes with sleep. 

Seaxnēat: the god of warfare and weaponry, he is the guardian and divine ancestor of the East Saxon tribal confederacy who settled in Essex in the south-east of England. He was called upon to before battle, as Seaxnēat was a deity who was especially trusted to grant victory, his symbol being the seax; a distinctive long knife which was worn by every pagan Saxon and distinguished them from the other Germanic tribes who settled in England, such as the Anglians, Jutes, Danes and Frisians. The Saxons living on the continent called Him Saxnōt and when Christianity arrived, Seaxnēat was later described to be a malevolent demon along with the other heathen deities in order to frighten the population and turn them away from the Eald Gelēafa.

Ēostre: the goddess of the dawn, who is the herald of the warm light of the sun-goddess, Sunne, and belongs to the ēse tribe of sky-deities. She bestows morning dew and causes flowers to blossom, and is the ruler of springtime: her sacred month of April was called Ēosturmōnaþ in the Old English language and was a time when great feasts were held by Anglian and Saxon tribes living in both England and the continent, as thanksgiving ceremonies to the goddess for her blessing of growth and fertility for the year. The sacred animal of Ēostre is the hare and her symbol is the egg, and she was also known to the Saxons living in Germany as Ostara.

Hengist ('Stallion') and Horsa ('Horse'): the twin horse gods who are the divine ancestors of the English but are mentioned in later Christian accounts as Jutish chieftains who were given the Isle of Thanet in Kent by Vortigern, King of the Britons; whom they were said to have later betrayed, thus beginning the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. They are, originally, totemic divinities of the English who were symbols of swiftness, strength and fine horsemanship: traits valued by the eorlas, the warriors and defenders of the tribe. 

Baldæg or Bealdor: the god of light, joy, virtue and peace who is from the ēse tribe of divine beings - a group of deities who are associated with the functions of the Sky and the natural phenomena surrounding it - with Baldæg manifesting his power in the brightness of daytime, and the beauty of summer. One of the main social functions of this ōs is the concept of benevolent lordship (noblesse oblige) and the the moral conduct of the nobility, in addition to hold those who break oaths  to account. The sacred herb of Baldæg is scentless mayweed which is called Baldr's brow by the Scandinavians. Despite the cult of Baldæg having a minority status among the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes increased the popularity of his worship across the areas of England where they settled, and named various settlements after him such Balderton in Nottinghamshire, Balderstone in Lancashire and Baldersby in North Yorkshire.

Sibbe: the goddess of the fields and meadows who is one of the most beautiful of the ēse divinities; appearing as a glowing woman with long golden hair which is adorned with flowers, and wearing shining gold jewelry. This goddess governs the growth and yield of wheat crops, in addition to presiding over such social phenomena as marriage, family and human relationships. Sibbe is the wife of the thunder-god Þunor, and both deities were venerated by the English as grantors of plenty and as a divine couple who encouraged the growth of vegetation. The sacred tree of the goddess is the rowan.

Wyrde: the goddess of fate, thought of by the Old English as more as an abstract and inevitable power that was more feared than worshiped; appearing as an ancient crone that weaves the threads of destiny. She was said to be relentless and the cause of misery for much of mankind, though having moments of mercy. The sacred tree of Wyrde is the birch; her sacred animal is the bear, and her sacred bird is the swan. 

The other major tribe of gods and goddesses are the Wæne (singular: Wæn), who are distinct from the sky-dwelling ēse in that they are gods who chiefly associated with fertility and the earth; governing reproductive and regenerative natural forces such as the quality of soil, the rain and the growth of vegetation, including the health of the harvest. As the wæne are the deities of the earth, they are thus associated with its gifts, such as the riches of the soil and the prosperity derived from it. They govern the fertility of humans, animals and plants and bestow all earthly pleasures such as friendship, love and peace. 

The ēse: the gods of the heavens, and the wæne: the gods of the earth, once fought each other in a fierce battle shortly after the creation of the cosmos, but have since resolved their conflict and focused their attention on taming or defeating the chaotic and destructive forces of nature such as the þyrsas, and sometimes the ēotenas. Below, however, I will also include deities of the ēotenas tribe who are not hostile to the gods or mankind; although still gods of natural phenomena, they are unrelated to the wæne.

The wæne also have authority over the ælfas, who dwell chiefly in the dreamlike other-world of Ælfham, which is ruled over by the wæne god Ing-Frēa and the goddess Frōwe. The latter of those wæne divinities is especially associated with the form of prophetic and shamanic magic called sīden which was discussed earlier but will be constantly mentioned throughout, as the ælfas are also sources of sīden, and are able to confer it upon certain fortunate mortals. These gods originate from and primarily dwell in a realm called Wænham, a lush and verdant otherworldly plane which is covered in eternal forests and rivers, and can be accessed through caves in forests, vast reed marshes and burial mounds in sacred groves.

Ingui-Frēa (or Ing, Ingwe): the god of fertility, summer, hunting and the ancestors who rules over the verdant realm of Ælfham as the lord of the ælfas; spirits who dwell in and animate the valleys, hills and woodlands. Ingui is associated also with nobility and continuation of lineages and thus with divine kingship, frequently thought of as a protector of the chieftains clan. He also bestows all pleasure and peace upon both mankind and supernatural beings, in addition to providing rain and fertile soil. Ingui was a deity held in high regard by the Anglians of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria who used His sacred animal, the wild boar, as a symbol of strength and perseverance in battle. His consort is Frōwe, who is also called Goldwæg and is the goddess of magic (sīden). 

Neorþe: the goddess of rivers, lakes and wetland who is the mother of Frōwe and Ingui-Frēa and the rest of the wæne family of gods. Neorþe, out of all the wæne and ēse in particular is known to intervene on behalf on mankind and was worshiped by the ancestors of the English as the one who bestows all the bounty of nature. The cult of Neorþe has ancient origins and was most popular among the Anglian and Jutish tribes who still remained on the continent by whom she was worshiped and sacrificed to in sacred groves and where her wīg (sacred wood carving or stone idol) was drawn on a chariot in a joyous procession led by female cows, her sacred animals. 

The festivities held in honor of the goddess included feasting and sometimes even ritual sacrifice, all of which was performed to bring frith (peace, stability and security) to her worshipers. Her consort is the god Neorþ who bestows the bounties and riches of the sea, though his cult was only relevant to coastal communities. The tree most sacred to Neorþe is the willow, and her sacred animals are the swan and the heifer. 

Helið: the wæne goddess of springs, wells and fountains who grants good health and provides healing to the sick, in addition to bringing wholeness and stability. The goddess appears only to have been worshiped by the West Saxons who settled in Dorset, with her wīg being famous for having been destroyed by the Christian Saint Augustine. 

Neorþ: the god of seafarers and ocean bounty who is the chieftain of the wæne tribe of deities, husband of the goddess Neorþe and father of Ing-Frēa and Frōwe. Despite him being chieftain of the wæne, he was worshiped only by those who dwelt on the coast and his cult elsewhere was seen as of less importance than that of his wife, Neorþe, who held dominion over all freshwater and water found inland.

Bēole: the wæne goddess of bees and honey who presides over the functions of germination and pollination. Bēole represents agriculture together with her husband, Bēowa. 

Bēowa: the god of barley, agriculture and the harvest; he is also named in later English folklore as John Barleycorn. Bēowa is a member of the wæne tribe of earth-deities and is a servant of the powerful god Ing-Frēa: grantor of fertility and ruler of Ælfham, the realm of the nature spirits (ælfas). Bēowa presides over all grain and the products made from it including drinks such as beer and liquor, for the deity himself had the task of making the ale for the inhabitants of the spirit-worlds of Ēsagēard, Wænaham and Ælfham. Straw dolls called 'corn dollies' have been used over Europe since pre-Christian times to represent the spirit of the grain, and were also used in England to represent John Barleycorn as an echo of the earlier pagan god Bēowa.

Frōwe (also called Goldwæg): the goddess of prophecy, magic, reproduction and regeneration. She is primarily associated with sīden; a form of magic that originates from the earth-deities, and is further associated with the ælfas and by the spæwife (Norse: volva) whom she empowers. Frōwe appears in the form of a maiden priestess wearing robes and the magical golden necklace Brosingamene, and fiercely guards the sacred mead of the Wæne; a drink which grants the power of sīden to those who imbibe it. Sīden involves use of ecstatic trance; the power of precognition; herbal magic; rune-craft, and shamanic magic. 

In human affairs, She also governs over matters of love and lust and is additionally associated with success in marriage and battle, as Frōwe also receives the spirits of dead warriors into Her heavenly realm like the Wōden. The sacred trees of the goddess are the elder and the hawthorn, and her sacred animal is the cat. The equivalents of this goddess in the pantheons of the other Germanic tribes include Freyja of the Norse; Freya of the Danes; Frūa of the continental Saxons; Frouwa of the Franks, and Fraujō of the Goths. 

Eorðe (also called Folde and Erce): the primordial goddess of the Earth and the most ancient, mighty and wise of the ēotenas; the mother of all living things who was invoked by the English in charms which were performed in order to improve soil quality and bring the abundance of crops. The Earth-Mother, or Eorðan Moðor, was also once wife of the wind-god Wōden; and bore him a son, the thunder-god Þunor. The goddess appears as a giant, aristocratic woman wearing a magnificent jeweled robe with a lower torso composed of vegetation, and carries a basket of fruit and vegetable produce. 

Eorðe is the ruler of the realm of Middangeard, and holds vast influence over the lives of both mortals and supernatural beings who dwell with her, able to create and destroy at will. She also protects the spirits of deceased ancestors who are buried in the barrows and mounds, and is associated with passage to the afterlife. The earth-goddess was well attested to across Germanic Europe, with examples being the Old Saxon Ertha; the Teutonic Erda; the Norse Jorð, and the Gothic Airþa.

Ēgor (also called Gārsecg): a mighty ēoten who is the originator of all water, the one who rules the ocean depths and controls the waves; he is one of the few of the ēotenas who are on good terms and with the ēse and wæne. Ēgor differs to the wæn deity Neorþ in that he is the deification of the vast ocean itself, and much like the ocean, is not necessarily always beneficent towards humans. His children are the nicoras, spirits who dwell in all forms of water and as such take on a wide variation of forms.

Wēland: the wæne god of crafting and patron of smiths who creates magical armor and weapons for the gods, heroes and other supernatural beings; and is the son of the ēoten Wæddi. He is also a ruler of the dweorgas, elemental wīhtas related to ælfas and rule over the subterranean realm, including the bounty of metal and precious objects that are found therein. Many sites across England are associated with Wēland such as Wayland's Smithy, a burial mound in Berkshire; Wayland Wood in Norfolk; and a cult location at Halton in Lancashire. He is named by the Teutons as Wiolant and by the Norse as Volundr.

Wæddi: the god of fords and a giant of the ēotenas; a race of ancient and powerful supernatural beings who represent the unpredictable and often merciless forces of nature. Wæddi is, however, one of the few who are benevolent towards mortals and gods; associated especially with the wæne family of earth-deities and is also the father of Wēland, patron deity of smiths and a chieftain of the ælfas and dweorgas. Wæddi was venerated chiefly by the Anglian tribes who settled in Yorkshire as a sea-giant who was the protector of ferrymen: his name also featuring in many Yorkshire toponyms such as Wadsley and Wadsworth in the West Riding, and Wade's Causeway in the North Riding.