Æsir
In Old Norse, the Æsir (singular Ás, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ós, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of 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 and the Æsir were connected with power and war.
In the Eddas, however, the word Æsir is used to call gods in general, while Asynjur is used to call the goddesses in general. For example, in the poem Skírnismál, Freyr was called "Prince of the Æsir". In the Prose Edda, Njord was introduced as "the third among the Æsir", and among the Asynjur, Freyja is always listed second only to Frigg.
In surviving tales, origin of many of the Æsir are doubtful and unexplained. Originally, there are just three: Odin and his brothers Ve, and Vili. Odin's sons with giantesses are naturally counted as Æsir. Heimdall and Ullr's connection with the Æsir is not clearly mentioned. Loki is a giant with no evidences of being worshipped, and Njord is a Vanir hostage, but they are often ranked among the Æsir. The Æsir goddesses like Frigg, Gefjon, Sif, Idun, Nanna do not have any background, and some of them do not even have a function. They are maybe just giantesses like Skadi and Gerd and ranked among the Æsir clan simply because they either married the Æsir or served them.
For more information about the worship of the Æsir see the article on Norse paganism.
Etymology
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It has been suggested that Aesir-Asura correspondence be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
The word áss, Proto-Germanic *ansuz 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, or the first names Oswin, Osbert, Oswald, Osborn, Osmund, and Oscar (Anglo-Saxon form of Ásgeir). As occurs in many Scandinavian names: Asbjørn, Asgeir (Asger, Asker), Asmund, Astrid, Åse etc.
Ása is the genitive form of Áss. The, form appears as a prefix to indicate membership in the Æsir in "Ása-Þórr".
Norse mythology
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).
An áss like Ullr is almost unknown in the myths, but his name is seen in a lot of geographical names, especially in Sweden, and may also appear on the 3rd century Thorsberg chape, suggesting that his cult was widespread in prehistoric times.
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 Ragnarök.
The a-rune
The a-rune 
, Younger Futhark ᚬ was probably named after the Æsir. The name in this sense
survives only in the Icelandic rune poem as Óss, referring to
Odin in particular, identified with Jupiter.
[citations needed]
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
All names in Old Norse form. Anglicized form in Parentheses.
- Baldr — (Balder) god of radiance and rebirth
- Bragi — (Brage) the bard (skald)
- Forseti — god of justice
- Freyja (a Vanir hostage) — (Freya) goddess of fertility, love, beauty, magic, and death
- Freyr (a Vanir hostage) — (Frey) god of fertility and prosperity
- Frigg — chief goddess
- Heimdallr — (Heimdall) the watchman and guardian
- Höðr — blind god of darkness
- Hœnir — the indecisive god
- Iðunn —(Idun) goddess of youth
- Loki (a jotun) — the trickster, foster-brother of Odin
- Meili — the mile-stepper
- Nanna — wife of Baldr
- Njörðr (a Vanir hostage) — (Njord) god of seamanship and sailing
- Skaði (a giantess) - second wife of Njord, goddess of snow and winter
- Óðinn — (Odin) chief god, of wisdom and war
- Sif — golden-haired wife of Thor
- Þórr — (Thor) god of thunder and battle
- Týr — (Tyr) one-handed, self sacrificing god of law and justice.
- Ullr — god of hunting, a tracker and archer
- Váli — the avenger
- Vé — brother of Odin, who gave men speech
- Viðarr — (Vidar) god of silence, stealth, and revenge
- Vili — brother of Odin, who gave men feeling and thought
Invasionist hypothesis
As the Edda portrays the conflict between Æsir and Vanir as resulting in the creation of the Germanic pantheon or people, some ethnologists and religious scholars such as Marija Gimbutas or Mircea Eliade have likened it to the Roman myth of The Rape of the Sabine Women and have speculated that the Æsir-Vanir conflict is in fact a mythologized portrayal of the Indo-Europeanization of ancient Europe with the Æsir taking the part of the conquering Indo-Europeans as according to the ethnological Kurgan hypothesis.[citations needed] According to this theory also backed up by linguistics on Indo-Germanic and Germanic languages as well as pertaining religious vocabulary relating to the Æsir as opposed to the Vanir, the Æsir were the Indo-European invaders that introduced Indo-Germanic languages to Europe, of which one cultural and linguistic branch later evolved into the Germanic languages and culture. See Indo-European religion for more aspects of the Æsir's relationship to this group.
Revivals
Ásatrú, meaning faithful to the Æsir, is a new religious movement of polytheistic reconstructionism based on Norse paganism. As of 2007, Ásatrú is a religion officially recognized by the governments of Iceland, Norway, Denmark[1] , and Sweden.
See also
| Norse mythology | ||
|---|---|---|
| List of
Norse gods • Æsir • Vanir • Giants • Elves • Dwarves • |
 |
|
| Sources | Poetic Edda • Prose Edda • The Sagas • Volsung Cycle • Tyrfing Cycle • Rune stones • Old Norse language • Orthography • Later influence | |
| Society | Viking Age • Skald • Kenning • Blót • Seid • Numbers | |
| People, places and things | ||
External links
- Viktor Rydberg's "Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland" e-book
- W. Wagner's "Asgard and the Home of the Gods" e-book
- "Myths of Northern Lands" e-book by H. A. Guerber
- Peter Andreas Munch's "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes" e-book
- Bartleby: American Heritage Dictionary: Indo-European roots: ansube-x-old:Асы
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