Aesir

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The Aesir (Old Norse �sir, singular �ss, feminine �synja, feminine plural �synjur) are the principal pantheon of gods in Norse mythology. They include many of the major figures, such as Odin, Frigg, Thor, Balder and Tyr. A second clan of gods, the Vanir, is also mentioned in the Norse mythos: the god Njord and his children, Freyr and Freya, are the most prominent Vanir gods who join the Aesir as hostages after a war between Aesir and Vanir. The Vanir were mainly connected with fertility, the Aesir with power and wars.

�sa is also a collective name given to an Aesir of the Norse pantheon. The term �sa tends to have a more religious connotation than Aesir, indicative of worship: it is the root of the name �satr� used of a contemporary re-implementation of pre-Christian Norse beliefs. (In comparison, the Vanir are each called Vana and their faith, would be called Vanatr�.) The form often appears as a prefix to indicate membership in the Aesir, for example, �sa-Thor or �sa-Loki.

These words appear to dervied 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 �ss is os 'god, deity' (as in the still-current surname Osgood). The word �ss also means "beam" or "post" in Old Norse. There is however no clear etymologi. During the 17th c. it was (by e.g. Johannes Schefferus) used as a shortening for Asian Emperiors (Gods), that's it, gods that have their roots from Asia. Neighbourhood mythologies close to Norse are usually intellectual and spiritual cultures (shamanism), and is by some held that Norse was too. Whetever Buddhism has influcence those cultures or vice versa, have been considered by some researches (see also Zoroaster.)

The interaction between the Aesir 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 Aesir and Vanir were portrayed as contemporary. The two clans of gods fought battles, concluded treaties, and exchanged hostages (Frey and Freya are mentioned as such hostages). It is tempting to speculate that the interactions described as occurring between Aesir 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 Aesir of later origin, so the mythical war may perhaps mirror a religious conflict. The chronology of the cults would in that case not be pictured in the myths. On the other hand, only Odin and Thor were important in both myth and cult; an �ss like Ull 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 Aesir stayed forever young by eating the golden apples of Idun. Well, not quite forever—unlike the gods of some other religions, the Aesir and Vanir are not immortal; they will die at Ragnarok, with some very few exceptions.