Hoenir was an Aesir god said to have brought sense to mankind. Though alive during the events of Twilight of the Gods, he had no lines due to living in a vegetative state. Despite being locked in internal madness, he was a major driving force for the events of "The Scapegoat God."
Biography[]
Freya and Hoenir are traded.
Odin started a war with the Vanir over their Seidr magic, which Odin wanted for himself. It would have allowed him to gaze into the future and witness his fate, which was an obsession of his. Hoenir's wisdom led the Aesir to victory, and to end the bloodshed, Odin offered a spit-sworn truce to the Vanir. He would take their queen, Freya, as his wife and give them his strategist, Hoenir, in exchange. As Odin handed over Hoenir, he split his skull, sending him to the Vanir half-dead.
Hoenir's madness.
In his damaged state, Hoenir lived on, lost in his own madness. He was overtaken by Wyrding magic so thick it fell like snow in his head. The Vanir built a shrine for him in Vanaheim and when they wanted to send someone to suffering, they would cast them into Hoenir's head where they would be trapped with their greatest regrets due to the Wyrding. Leif and Loki were sent inside, each nearly losing himself before being pulled out by the other, but unable to break free, even together. Sigrid went looking for Leif, beheading Hoenir to free him.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
God physiology: An Aesir god, Hoenir was naturally powerful relative to humans. He was unable to die via nonviolent means such as age or sickness and lived on long after being struck by Odin, splitting his head.
Wyrding magic: Hoenir had such powerful Wyrding magic that it fell like snow in his head. The Vanir used him to trap their foes, who would get caught up in Hoenir's Wyrding and be forced to relive their greatest regrets.
Norse origins[]
Hoenir is based on the Æsir god Hœnir of Norse mythology, who, with Odin, was one of the three gods to create the first humans. The third member of this group, Lóðurr, was less attested and never became as well known as the others. While Odin created the form of the first humans, Hœnir was the one to give them reason and Lóðurr gave them motion. Depending on the source, it was instead Odin's brothers, Vili and Vé, who helped Odin create humans, and it may be the case that Vili and Hœnir were one and the same.
Hœnir was traded to the Vanir, possibly alongside Mímir, to uphold the peace between the Æsir and Vanir. More commonly, Mímir was a figure of knowledge who was beheaded during the war, but Odin kept his head, which continued to provide him with counsel. Hoenir's head trauma at the end of the war and subsequent beheading by Sigrid may be a reference to Mímir, who does not appear as a standalone character in Twilight of the Gods. Hœnir was not traded for Freya like in Twilight, but for her father Njörðr and brother Freyr. After the trade, the Vanir made Hœnir their chief rather than using him as an enshrined prison.
References[]
- ↑ Peter Aperlo (writer) & Tim Divar, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 5, "The Scapegoat God."