ORIGIN: Icelandic and Germanic
TYPE: May have originated as an early northern German sky god, but also connected with fertility and the sea.
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Prehistoric times until Christianization circa 1100 CE
SYNONYMS: Ullr
CENTER(S) OF CULT: None known, but several place names in Norway and Sweden allude.
ART REFERENCES: Possibly the subject of anonymous carvings
LITERARY SOURCES: Icelandic codices; Prose Edda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); votive inscriptions; place names.
INFORMATION: A sky god of Asgard, but with some links to the Vanir gods. The son of Sif and stepson of Thor, he is responsible for justice, and oaths were once sworn over hte "ring of Ull". He may also have a role in the fertility of crops. Skadic verse mentions the "ship of Ull," presumed to be a reference to the use of Ull's shield as a boat. A scabbard excavated in Denmark in the third century CE bears a runic description "servant of Ull." According to Snorri he wears a bow and snow shoes. Saxo describes him crossing the sea on a magic bone—a ski? He may have a sister, Ullin.