Hnoss is the Aesir goddess of beauty and desire. She is associated with love and lust as well as temptation. She and Gersemi are the twin daughters of Odr and Freyja. Her name means jewel or precious gem as well as treasure in Old Norse. In fact, she is so beautiful that every pretty thing in the world is named after her as hnossir (treasures).
Short Facts
Tribe: Aesir
Goddess of: beauty, desire, love, lust, sisterhood, temptation and treasure
Daughter of: Odr and Freyja
Sister of: Gersemi
Other names: Hnossa (as a little girl)
Hnoss Origins and Background
From several sources, two things are clear, Hnoss is the daughter of Freyja and Odr, and she has a sister named Gersimi. Other than that though, we don’t know much. She is said to be very beautiful, and her name literally means treasure, so those aspects are believed to represent her.
There are no direct statements made about her being either an Aesir or Vanir goddess. However, even though her mother Freyja is always identified as a Vanir, I do believe that her daughters would be seen as Aesir goddesses. Her husband Odr is most likely Aesir, simply because he is never said to belong to the Vanir, and he is sometimes identified with the god Odin.
Since being part of a tribe of gods, seemingly was enought to make you one of them, it is fais to assume that both Hnoss and Gersimi were Aesir goddesses.
Hnoss responsibilities
Beauty, desire, ecstasy, friendship, gleaming gems and jewels, love, lust, sisterhood, temptation and last but not least, treasure
Mentions of Hnoss In the old texts
Hnoss is definitely not very prominent in any of the old sources, and doesn’t play an active role in any story known today. However, she is mentioned more often than her sister Gersimi.
In Gylfaginning, Hnoss is mentioned as the daughter of Odr and Freyja. She is so beautiful that her name is a synonym for anything that is pretty and precious; hnossir means treasures.
In Skaldskaparmal she is mentioned twice, both times as Freyja’s daughter.
In the Ynglinga saga, Hnoss and Gersemi are also mentioned as daughters of Freyja.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are Hnoss and Gersemi the same?
A. Hnoss is mentioned a little more than her twin sister Gersemi in the old texts. This has led many scholars to doubt Gersemi’s existence as a single deity. They claim the two sisters might in fact be the same, one goddess of desire and lust. However, the information provided is insufficient, so no one can be sure. Tradition however speaks of Freyja having two daughters; twins and remarkably beautiful goddesses.
