Vanadium is named after Vanadis, the most aristocratic of Norse goddesses, who symbolises beauty and fertility - essential features of vanadium chemistry. It is a ubiquitous trace element, with a surprising range of biological functions. In Bioinorganic Vanadium Chemistry, Dieter Rehder addresses the major aspects of vanadium chemistry related to living organisms and the mutual impact between biological and inorganic vanadium chemistry.