Nepr

Nanna’s father and Forseti’s maternal grandfather

Nepr is a sparsely documented figure whose importance comes from his place in the genealogy. In Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning, he is identified as the father of Nanna, Baldr’s wife and the mother of Forseti.

Beyond this family relationship, the surviving sources provide very little information about Nepr. No mythic cycle centred on him is known, and his actions, powers, dwelling and fate remain unknown.

Nanna’s father

Snorri identifies Nanna as Nepr’s daughter. Nanna becomes the wife of Baldr, son of Odin and Frigg, and their union produces Forseti.

The basic genealogy is: Nepr → Nanna + Baldr → Forseti.

This makes Nepr Baldr’s father-in-law and Forseti’s maternal grandfather. The genealogy is practically all the secure information the narrative sources provide about him.

Nanna and Forseti

Nanna accompanies Baldr through the cycle of stories surrounding his death. When Baldr is killed by the mistletoe thrown by Höðr under Loki’s manipulation, the Æsir prepare his funeral aboard the ship Hringhorni.

According to Snorri, Nanna dies of grief during the funeral preparations, and her body is placed beside Baldr on the pyre. Nepr has no documented part in this episode.

Nanna and Baldr are the parents of Forseti, a god associated with settling disputes and with the hall Glitnir. Through this line of descent, Nepr is connected to several generations of the divine family.

Was Nepr a god?

Nepr’s exact nature is uncertain. His relationship to Nanna and his connection with Baldr place him within the genealogical world of the gods, but the surviving sources do not allow us to classify him with confidence as an Æsir, Vanir, jötunn or human.

His genealogy is better documented than his mythological nature.

Nepr and Nefr

The name Nepr presents textual and linguistic difficulties. Related forms such as Nepr and Nefr appear in different editions, manuscripts and scholarly discussions.

The secure identification in this genealogy is Nepr as Nanna’s father. A similarity of names is not enough to identify every bearer of a similar name automatically as the same figure.

A genealogical figure

Nepr belongs to a group of characters known almost exclusively through their relationships to better-documented figures. The sources preserved his name because it was needed to establish Nanna’s ancestry.

No account survives of his birth, marriage, deeds or death. The name of Nanna’s mother is also unknown.

Nepr’s fate

His fate is unknown. There are no accounts of his death or reliable references to his presence during Ragnarök. We also do not know whether he had a dwelling of his own, characteristic objects, associated animals or specific religious functions.

Nepr remains Nanna’s father and Forseti’s maternal ancestor: a small but clear part of Baldr’s genealogy.

Attributes

Nature: mythological figure of uncertain classification.

Daughter: Nanna.

Son-in-law: Baldr.

Grandson: Forseti.

Partner: unknown.

Documented mythological function: primarily genealogical.

Relationship to the Æsir: incorporated into their genealogy through Nanna, Baldr and Forseti.

Precise classification: uncertain.

Name variants: Nepr; Nefr appears in textual variants and discussions.

Powers: unknown.

Weapons: unknown.

Dwelling: unknown.

Cult: no firm evidence survives.

Fate: unknown.

Role in Ragnarök: unknown.

Main source: Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda.