Jord is not actually an official goddess of the Norse pantheon so much as a personification of the Earth itself, specifically the life force of the planet. She is known by many other guises outside of the Norse religion, and has interacted with, and generally had a major impact upon, all pantheons of deities connected to this planet. For example, in Greek mythology, she was known as Gaea, the progenitor of the Titans, predecessors of the Greek deities in ruling the otherdimensional realm of Olympus; and in contemporary philosophical/metaphorical imagery outside of any actual religion she is known by names such as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. She personifies the Earth Mother archetype, who, along with the Sky Father archetype, represents a manifestation of the great Creator force of the universe that is responsible for the creation of all forms of life on Earth. This is represented in science as the skies of the primordial Earth striking the surface of the planet's nascent oceans (the equivalent of the womb) with powerful flashes of lightening (the equivalent of semen), thus triggering chemical processes in the water that eventually led to the emergence of organic cells (the equivalent of ova) that gradually evolved into complex living organisms of extraordinary diversity (i.e., the equivalent of birth). And in time, on other planes of existence tangentially connected to the Earth, the various tribes of powerful beings we now know as the deities emerged, sharing a psycho-symbiotic relationship of a still not completely understood nature with the human species. Some of these powerful races of otherdimensional beings are reputed to have one time dominated the Earth plane itself, including, according to legend, the Elder Gods and the djinn, but this has never been fully substantiated.
Jord's Nordic name means "Earth," much as her name in Roman mythology, Terra, became identified as the 'true' name of this planet, with the ground referred to as terra firma. Her impact on the Norse pantheon, specifically with the Aesir tribe of Asgard, is of major significance. Just as the spirit force of the Earth Mother can manifest in the form of both humans and standard deities, she took the form of a female deity of the Jotun, or giant, race and interacted with Odin, the king of the Aesir, and later the entire Asgardian pantheon when the Vanir tribe merged with them to form a single tribe of deities. Odin deliberately sought to mate with Jord so as to produce an offspring who would have a much closer connection to the Earth than any of the other Norse deities, thus able to serve as the protector of the mortal race residing there in material manifestation, and combining the "seed" of Asgard with the "ova" of Earth, thus creating a deity of truly incredible power. Their offspring was none other than Thor, the mighty god of thunder and likely the most revered of all the Norse deities throughout history.
Jord is also said in some sources to have begot another child with Odin, the god Meili. However, little is known about this deity and what impact he had upon the Norse pantheon, but if he was truly sired by the Earth Mother and the All-Father of Asgard, he would most likely have very unique properties. It has been conjectured by the famous 19th century Swedish writer Viktor Rydberg that Meili may be an alternate name for Balder, the highly revered god of light, and if it was truly Jord rather than Frigga, the queen of the Asgardian deities and wife of Odin, who begot Balder than much of that deity's special attributes would make complete sense. However, no substantiation for this exists in the surviving myths.
Jord can be called upon directly via her various names by magickal practitioners who follow any pantheon of polytheistic deities, as well as those outside of the Pagan faiths altogether, since her scope in the collective consciousness of all humanity is extremely far-reaching. The concept of the Earth Mother was identified by Jung as a very resonant archetype in the collective subconscious, and Jord is but one of these myriad cultural personifications or manifestations. She can be called upon for a number of great feats pertaining to the powers of the Earth, from simple spiritual nurturing, to fertility rites, to manipulating the weather, to healing the sick or wounded. Her power, influence, and station in the cosmic scheme of things can be said to extend beyond that of any single deity in any given pantheon, and as such she deserves the highest degree of respect from all who follow a spiritual path, and she was more than deserving of a page on this shrine.
