When judging a mythology there are several ranks and criteria by which the heroes and gods mentioned may be judged. For instance if a god shows up in a number of myths, such as how Loki seems to be in almost every heathen myth. Sometimes gods aren’t mentioned often, like Vidar the god of silence who is only mentioned in the myth about the death of Baldur and the tale of Ragnarok (the Norse version of Armageddon). Uller, the Norse god of winter can be judged by both of these factors if you read through the Viking sagas thoroughly enough.
Uller is mentioned as the son of the goddess Sif and the stepson of the thunder god Thor. This made him the step brother of the gods Modi and Magni, and put Uller in very powerful and prestigious company among this pagan pantheon. Uller is also considered to be a god of winter according to the stories of the skalds, and that is no mean force to be reckoned with since 9 months of the year are typically considered to be winter in the great North. A master marksman, duelist, god of battle and the inventor of such sports as skiing and skating, Uller was a craftsman and an image of how someone with skill and desire might overcome and conquer the Winter that was such a constant threat.
On the other side of things, Uller is also featured often in prominent myths. For instance, one myth says that the All Father Odin would leave and wander the mortal realm during the Winter. Not uncommon among the Norse gods, since even the ever-vigilant guardian god Heimdall would leave his post disguised as a mortal named Rig from time to time. When Odin was gone though it was said that Uller took his place in Valhalla; Odin’s home, the home of the Einherjar and a feasting place attended by the valkyries. In some myths Uller even took Odin’s wife Frigga as his own. Uller, though powerful, was also hard and unforgiving. He gave no gifts and was darker and more brooding than Odin was. So when spring and summer came it was said that Odin returned and that Uller would flee to the high peaks, where snow and cold seemed to reign all the year round.
Of course this isn’t the only myth where Uller is featured. In another of the Asatru tales the frost giantess Skadi came to Asgard girded for battle and in the grip of fury of the death of her father, killed by Thor with the great Norse treasure the war hammer Mjollnir. To placate her the gods told Skadi that she could have any god she wished as her husband, though she could only see their feet. She chose the cleanest feet, believing them to be Baldur’s, but they belonged to Njord. Njord was a Vanir, the father of the god Frey and his sister the goddess Freya, and as the god of the sea his feet were washed clean each day by the tide. The end of the myth states that the marriage didn’t last since neither could tolerate each other’s homeland, and Skadi eventually married Uller who was at one with the cold, and possibly the son of a frost giant himself.
Putting all of the clues and inferences together, we get quite a picture of a god that weaves his way through Norse myth. Uller is a master of archery and battle, and he shares aspects of dueling and honor with the one handed god Tyr. Uller was strong enough to rule in Odin’s stead, though it was his barren heart and cold demanor more than weakness that would drive him forth each year. Mentioned in the background of many myths, because he warranted mention as Winter was a constant force in the North lands, Uller is seen as a god that is always there and who you can depend on to return. And even when the gods face the giants, Loki and his children the goddess Hel, the Fenris Wolf and the Midgard Serpent Jormundgand Uller remains, just as Winter will always be a part of the cycle of the seasons and of the gods.
“Chapter IX; Uller,” by Anonymous at Vaidilute
“Runes Asatru Uller Blot,” by Ragnar at Runes for Health Wealth Love Now
“Ull,” by Anonymous at God Checker
