Ran- Norse GodDeity"Goddess of the Sea"
Also known as: Rán
Description
Sea goddess who captures drowned sailors in her net and brings them to her underwater hall to feast. Vikings would carry gold when sailing to ensure a welcome in her realm should they drown.
Mythology & Lore
The Net
Rán's name means "robbery," and her weapon is a net. She captures drowning sailors and pulls them to her hall beneath the waves. In Skáldskaparmál, Snorri records that she has a net in which she catches all who go to sea. When a wave threatened to capsize a ship in the Helgakviða, a warrior said Rán was reaching for them. The wave itself was her hand.
Her hall is lit by gold and furnished for feasting. The drowned do not suffer there. They sit at her table alongside her husband Ægir, who brews ale for the gods, and their nine daughters, who are the waves themselves.
Gold for the Sea
Norse sources record that sailors should carry gold when they travel by sea. If they drown, the gold secures them a welcome in Rán's hall. The practice appears real enough: Egill Skallagrímsson, mourning his drowned son in Sonatorrek, raged against Rán and Ægir for taking the boy. Every treasure lost to shipwreck became part of her hoard. Every sailor who carried a gold ring to sea carried it for her.
Relationships
- Associated with