TYPE: Fertility goddess associated with peace.
ORIGIN: Danish [Sjaeland, Denmark]
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Circa 100 CE, though probably much earlier, until 400 CE or later (difficult to determine).
CENTER(S) OF WORSHIP: a sacred grove "in an island of the ocean" identified only by the writer Tacitus.
LITERARY SOURCES: Germania 40 (Tacitus)
INFORMATION: Some authors argue that Nerthus is a female counterpart, possibly the sister, of the Viking god Njord. Tacitus alludes to her as Terra Mater amd describes how her cult statue was carried around in a covered sacred wagon drawn by oxen (see also Freyr). The vehicle was taboo to all but the priest of the goddess and, after each tour, was returned to the grove where it was washed and stored. All ministering attendants were immediately slaughtered. A pair of elaborate ceremonial wagons, dated to about 200 CE, were excavated from a peat bog at Dejbjerg (Denmark) and are thought to be of a type that carried such a deity.