"From this survey we may conclude that academic consensus is that Njǫrun is potentially related to Njǫrðr and so too to the Proto-Germanic forebear of the name, *Nerþuz"[3]
"Most scholars accept that the name Njǫrðr, the wealthy hostage sent to the Æsir and the father of Freyr and Freyja, is identical to that of a goddess Nerthus "or Mother Earth" described by Tacitus[1]Lindow (2020c), p. 33; "... since Jacob Grimm, the form Nerthum has been preferred due to its relation to the Old Norse name Njǫrðr" Janson (2018), pp. 10–11; "Nerthus has long been seen as the etymon of Njǫrðr." North (1997), p. 20; "Since the name Nerthus corresponds phonetically to that of Njǫrðr scholars have accepted her as his female counterpart." Motz (1992), p. 3; "Nerthus cannot be other than Njörd ..." Turville-Petre (1964), p. 172; "strange has been the history of this goddess Nerthus in modern times. Sixteenth century scholars found irresistible the temptation to emend the name of 'Mother Earth' into Herthum, which nineteenth century scholars further improved into Hertham, Ertham. For many years this false goddess drove out the rightful deity from the fortieth chapter of the Germania[1]" Chambers (2001), p. 70 (orig 1917). Lindow, John (2020c). Old Norse Mythology. Oxford University Press. Janson, Henrik (2018). "Pictured by the other: Classical and early Medieval perspectives on religions in the north". In McKinnell, John; Lindow, John; Ross, Margaret Clunies (eds.). The Pre-Christian Religions of the North. Brepols. pp. 7–40. North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN9780521551830. Motz, L. (1992). "The Goddess Nerthus: A new approach". Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik. 36: 1–19. doi:10.1163/18756719-03601002. Turville-Petre, Gabriel (1964). Myth and Religion of the North: The religion of ancient Scandinavia. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Chambers, R.W. (2001) [1912]. Widsith: A study in Old English heroic legend. Cambridge University Press. ISBN9781108015271.
As summarized by M.J. Towsell, "The modern textual history of the Germania begins ... with the fifteenth-century humanist manuscript known as the Codex Aesinas, which appears to be the source of all the other Germania manuscripts (and very many copies were made in the Renaissance, all of which appear to be direct or indirect copies of this single manuscript)." Toswell (2010), p. 30. Regarding Nerthus and the Codex Aesinas, see discussion in Lindow (2020b), p. 1331. Toswell, M.J. (2010). "Quid Tacitus ... ? The Germania and the study of Anglo-Saxon England". Florilegium. 27: 27–62. doi:10.3138/flor.27.003. Lindow, John (2020b). "Njǫrðr". In Schjødt, Jens Peter; Lindow, John; A., Anders (eds.). The Pre-Christian Religions of the North. History and structures. Vol. III: Social, geographical, and historic contexts, and communication between worlds. Brepols. pp. 1331–1344.
Motz, however, states that she does not propose the reading Hertha: "I do not wish to advocate the name Hertha for the goddess; I merely wish to state that the phonetic coincidence of the variant with the name of an Eddic god does not suffice to support an identify of the two numina." Motz (1992), pp. 3–4 Motz, L. (1992). "The Goddess Nerthus: A new approach". Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik. 36: 1–19. doi:10.1163/18756719-03601002.
Lindow (2020a), p. 108 says: "Rudolf Simek takes seriously the suggestion of Motz (1992) that other name forms in the humanist editions of Germania are as valid as Nerthus and that the deity in ch. 40 has nothing to do with Njǫrðr but rather should be associated with Frau Percht or Frau Holle in recent folklore Simek (2003), pp. 56–57 harvp error: no target: CITEREFSimek2003 (help). But as Simek admits, Nerthus has manuscript witness. Furthermore, Motz's argument for conceptual similarities seems forced." Lindow (2020b), p. 1331. Lindow, John (2020a). "Written Sources". In Schjødt, Jens Peter; Lindow, John; A., Anders (eds.). The Pre-Christian Religions of the North. History and structures. Vol. I: Basic premises and consideration of sources. Brepols. pp. 63–101. Motz, L. (1992). "The Goddess Nerthus: A new approach". Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik. 36: 1–19. doi:10.1163/18756719-03601002. Lindow, John (2020b). "Njǫrðr". In Schjødt, Jens Peter; Lindow, John; A., Anders (eds.). The Pre-Christian Religions of the North. History and structures. Vol. III: Social, geographical, and historic contexts, and communication between worlds. Brepols. pp. 1331–1344.
Sturtevant (1952), p. 167; de Vries (1977), pp. 410–411; Finnur & Jónsson (1931), p. 429 harvp error: no target: CITEREFFinnurJónsson1931 (help) Sturtevant, Albert Morey (November 1952). "Regarding the Old Norse name Gefjon". Scandinavian Studies. 24 (4). ISSN0036-5637. de Vries, Jan (1977). Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch [Old Norse Etymological Dictionary] (in German). Brill.
