Is Snotra really a goddess or did Snorri invent her?
In his Dictionary of Northern Mythology Rudolf Simek writes: “Snotra is probably an invention of Snorri’s whom he derived from snotr ‘clever’ and placed next to the other insignificant goddesses.” Presumably, Simek bases his assessment on the fact that there is no direct reference to Snotra outside of Snorri’s Edda. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Snotra may have been a local goddess little known outside a particular area. Snorri may have had access to an oral tradition about Snotra that is now lost. Any new evidence relevant to this question will have to come from Snotra herself. • Vár Are Vár and Vör distinct goddesses or different names for the same goddess? My current understanding is that the characteristics Snorri attributes to Vör are actually further attributes of Vár. It seems I have some scholarly support for my experientially-based belief that Vör is not a separate goddess. Simek’s Dictionary of Northern Mythology states that: “Vör occurs only twice
