Ull (Uller) The winter god of skiers and of hunting, snowshoes, the bow, and the shield.

Son of the goddess Sif and stepson of Thor, Ull lived in Ydalir.

In Norse poetry, a shield is often referred to as “Ull’s ship.” Scholars believe this reference means that Ull may have skied down hills on his shield much as one might use a modern-day snowboard.

Saxo Grammaticus, the 13th-century Danish historian, refers to Ull as a cunning magician and says that Ull traveled over the sea on a magic bone. Archaeologists have found skates made of bones in ancient Scandinavian sites and suggest that it was to these that Saxo was referring.

Though the Norse authors, including 13th century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, wrote very little about Ull, he appears from other evidence to have been a very important god to the Norse people.