Æsir
The Æsir (pron. ['aiser] in Icelandic, singular Áss, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur) are the principal pantheon of gods in Norse mythology. They include many of the major figures, such as Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. A second clan of gods, the Vanir, is also mentioned in the Norse mythos: the god Njord and his children, Freyr and Freyja, are the most prominent Vanir gods who join the Æsir as hostages after a war between Æsir and Vanir. The Vanir appear to have mainly been connected with cultivation and fertility, the Æsir with power and war.
The word áss is believed to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *ansu- 'breath, god' related to Sanskrit asura and Avestan ahura with the same meaning; though in Sanskrit asura came to mean 'demon'. The cognate Old English form to áss is os 'god, deity' (as in the still-current surname Osgood). The word áss also means "beam" or "post" in Old Norse, but there has been no demonstration of etymological connection between the two words. Inspired by Snorri Sturluson's Euhemeristic connection between the Æsir and Asia, Schefferus, a proto-ethnologist of the 17th century, held that Æsir referred to 'Asian emperors', that is, a pseudo-feudalic (shamanistic hereditary) leadership, emanating out from the Eurasian steppes into Europe in ancient time. No other scholar in the intervening centuries has found any evidence to back this contention.
The interaction between the Æsir and the Vanir is an interesting aspect of Norse mythology. While other cultures have had "elder" and "younger" families of gods, as with the Titans versus the Olympians of ancient Greece, the Æsir and Vanir were portrayed as contemporary. The two clans of gods fought battles, concluded treaties, and exchanged hostages (Freyr and Freyja are mentioned as such hostages). It is tempting to speculate that the interactions described as occurring between Æsir and Vanir reflect the types of interaction common to various Norse clans at the time. According to another theory, the cult of the Vanir (who are mainly connected with fertility and relatively peaceful) may be of an older date, and that of the more warlike Æsir of later origin, so the mythical war may perhaps mirror a religious conflict. On the other hand this may be a parallel to the historicized conflict between the Romans and the Sabines. The noted comparative religion scholar Mircea Eliade speculated that both conflicts are actually different versions of an older Indo-European myth of conflict and integration between deities of sky and rulership vs. deities of earth and fertility, with no strict historical antecedents.
The chronology of the cults would in that case not be pictured in the myths. However, only Odin and Thor were important in both myth and cult; an áss like Ullr is almost unknown in the myths, but his name is seen in a lot of geographical names, especially in Sweden, so his cult was probably quite wide-spread.
The Æsir stayed forever young by eating the apples of Iðunn, although they could be slain, as it was predicted that nearly all will die at Ragnarok.
Ása is the genitive form of Áss. It is the root of the name Ásatrú (meaning "belief in Æsir"), used of a contemporary re-implementation of pre-Christian Norse beliefs. The form appears as a prefix to indicate membership in the Æsir in "Ása-Þórr".
The áss rune
The áss-rune was probably named after the Æsir. The name survives only in the Icelandic rune poem as Óss, however, referring to Odin, identified with Jupiter:
- Óss er algingautr
- ok ásgarðs jöfurr,
- ok valhallar vísi.
- Jupiter oddviti.
- Óss is aged Gautr
- and prince of Ásgardr
- and lord of Vallhalla.
The name of a in the Gothic alphabet is ahsa. The common Germanic name of the rune may thus have either been ansuz "God, one of the Æsir", or ahsam "ear (of corn)".
List of Æsir and Vanir
- Baldr — god of innocence and beauty
- Bragi — the bard (skald)
- Forseti — god of justice
- Freyja (a Vanir hostage) — goddess of love and sex
- Freyr (a Vanir hostage) — god of fertility and love
- Frigg — chief goddess
- Heimdallr — the watchman and guardian
- Höðr — blind god of darkness and winter
- Hœnir — the indecisive god
- Iðunn — goddess of youth, fertility and death
- Loki — the trickster
- Nanna — wife of Baldr
- Njörðr (a Vanir hostage) — god of seamanship and sailing
- Odin (also called Wotan) — chief god, of wisdom and war
- Sif — golden-haired wife of Thor
- Thor (also called Donar) — god of thunder and battle
- Týr — one-handed god of battles and bravery.
- Ullr — the hunter, tracker and archer
- Váli — the avenger
- Vé — brother of Odin, who gave men speech
- Viðarr — god of silence, stealth, and revenge
- Vili — brother of Odin, who gave men feeling and thought
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