Overview

Annar (Old Norse Annarr, literally "second" or "another") is a little-attested figure in Norse mythology. He is described in medieval sources as the second husband of the personification of night, Nótt, and as the father of the goddess Jörð (Earth). Through Jörð’s son Thor, Annar is therefore a grandfather of the prominent god Thor.

Attestations and name

The main surviving reference to Annar appears in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda (Gylfaginning), which summarizes genealogies and mythic relationships. In that account Nótt marries three times: first to Naglfari (with whom she has a child), then to Annar (father of Jörð), and finally to Dellingr (father of Dagr, Day). Outside of this context Annar is scarcely mentioned in the extant Old Norse corpus.

Meaning and interpretation

The name Annar functions like a common Old Norse adjective meaning "second" or "another," and scholars treat it as either a proper name or a descriptive epithet. Because the figure is otherwise obscure, some commentators suggest the name may reflect a narrative role (the second husband) rather than indicating a widely worshipped deity. The brevity of the record leaves room for cautious interpretation.

Significance and comparisons

Although Annar himself plays no major part in surviving myths, his placement in the genealogies matters: as father of Jörð he is part of the ancestry of Thor and thus linked to the terrestrial and cosmic order represented in Norse myth. The pattern of personified Night taking successive spouses and producing elemental offspring parallels other Indo-European motifs where abstract forces beget personified natural elements.

Key points

  • Attested chiefly in Snorri’s Prose Edda (Gylfaginning).
  • Name means "second/another" in Old Norse and may be descriptive.
  • Father of Jörð (Earth) and thus grandfather of Thor.
  • Little evidence for independent cult or detailed myths about Annar.

Further reading and editions of the sources can clarify how later compilers assembled these genealogies and how modern scholars evaluate the few references to Annar in surviving medieval materials. For general context on the wider family relations and cosmology see standard introductions to Norse mythology and the Prose Edda.