Meaning of the term "Æsir" Distinctions between "áss", "goð" and "vanr" (1895) It has been proposed that in Old Norse poetry, the term "" was typically chosen over "" for metrical reasons, fitting better with the required alliteration or rhyme, rather than so as to create a semantic distinction between the two terms. Following from this, it has been argued that the term "" acts as a synonym to "" and is inclusive of
Njörðr and his descendants, typically referred to as the
Vanir. Examples of this are seen in the
þulur, where Njöðr and
Freyr are listed in the ("Poetic equivalents for áss") and
Freyja in that for the . The main tales that present the Æsir and Vanir as distinct family groups are those concerning the
Æsir-Vanir war, which are contained within
Völuspá,
Ynglinga saga and
Skáldskaparmál. This conflict between the gods occurred long in the past and in Ynglinga saga ends with the exchange of
Hœnir and
Mímir as hostages from the Æsir with
Njörðr,
Freyr and
Kvasir from the Vanir. Skáldskaparmal alternatively says that at the end of the war, the two groups mixed their spit in a vat and created Kvasir from it. The inclusion of gods typically referred to as Vanir as Æsir is that the Vanir may have been seen as fully integrated into the Æsir after the resolution of this war between the two groups.
Proposed origins of a distinction with Vanir Despite the inclusion of at least some of the Vanir within the Æsir, some scholars have argued that some differences between the two groups remain, such as the Vanir appearing to have mainly been connected with cultivation and fertility and the Æsir with power and war. Conversely, it has been argued that this division of domains is not reflected in the sources, with the Vanir being instead more associated with kingship and the Æsir with creation. One idea is that the Vanir (and the fertility cult associated with them) may be more archaic than that of the more warlike Æsir, such that the mythical war may mirror a half-remembered religious conflict. This argument was first suggested in
Wilhelm Mannhardt's Antike Vald-und Feldkulten. On a similar note,
Marija Gimbutas argues that the Æsir and the Vanir represent the displacement of an indigenous group by a tribe of warlike Indo-European invaders as part of her
Kurgan hypothesis. Another historical theory is that the inter-pantheon interaction may be an
apotheosisation of the conflict between the
Roman Kingdom and the
Sabines. Given the difference between their roles and emphases, some scholars have speculated that the interactions between the Æsir and the Vanir reflect the types of interaction that were occurring between social classes (or clans) within Norse society at the time. Finally, the noted comparative religion scholar
Mircea Eliade speculated that this conflict is actually a later version of an
Indo-European myth concerning the conflict between and eventual integration of a pantheon of sky/warrior/ruler gods and a pantheon of earth/economics/fertility gods, with no strict historical antecedents.
Specific beings referred to as Æsir in Iceland, where according to
Barðar saga, Barðr Snæfellsáss became an áss who was worshipped in the region and protected those who lived there.
Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda contains two lists of Æsir, one in
Gylfaginning and one in the
þulur. Though these sources largely agree, they are not identical. Gylfaginning lists the male Æsir as Odin, Thor, Njörðr, Freyr,
Týr,
Heimdallr,
Bragi,
Víðarr,
Váli,
Ullr,
Forseti and Loki and the ásynjur as
Frigg,
Sága,
Eir,
Gefjon,
Fulla,
Freyja,
Sjöfn,
Lofn,
Vár,
Vör,
Syn,
Hlín,
Snotra,
Gná,
Sól,
Bil The
þulur add to this the ásynjur
Skaði,
Sigyn,
Hnoss,
Gerðr,
Jörð,
Iðunn,
Ilmr,
Njörun,
Nanna,
Rindr,
Þrúðr,
Rán. Some scholars have noted, however, that the Prose Edda does not reflect a worldview held by all heathen Nordic, or more widely Germanic, people throughout time and space. Terry Gunnell further challenges the idea that all North-Germanic people conceived of the gods as Snorri portrays them – living as a pantheon of Æsir and Vanir in
Ásgarð together and all being ruled by Óðinn who is the ancestor of many of them. He proposes that this view of Óðinn as the leader of a distinct family of gods, the Æsir, would likely not have been held by the majority of heathens, instead resulting from the material that Snorri presents coming from the elite warrior class, with whom Óðinn was closely associated. Beyond this, a runic inscription on the 9th century CE Engstad whalebone pin has been interpreted as referencing an ("yard-áss" or "áss of the settled space"). In this context, it has been proposed that the term would refer to a local god or being of that specific farmstead rather than of the whole world more generally. Similarly, the Old Norse term ("land-áss") is used in a poem attributed to
Egill Skallagrímsson to refer to one of a list of gods which he wishes to turn against
King Eiríkr. This god is often interpreted as being
Thor, though it is also possible that it refers to a local land spirit, possibly the ("land-elf") referred to in the next stanza of the poem. Æsir closely associated with specific
fells or hills are also found in the Old Norse record such as ("the áss of Svínfell"), referred in an insult in
Njáls saga, and
Barðr Snæfellsáss ("áss of Snæfell"), a man who got his name, according to his eponymous saga, because he of the worship he received by those living around
Snæfell and the help he in turn gave them when they were in need. In the context of ritual speech, an unnamed áss is the ("almighty áss") mentioned along with Frey and Njörð in a formula said by individuals swearing an
oath on a ring. This has been variously identified by scholars as Thor, Ullr and Odin, although the possibility remains that it is a result of Christian work that was written as a foreshadowing of the establishment of Christianity, as an example of the "noble pagan" motif. The term is further used in translations of works into Old Norse such as in
Díalógar Gregors páfa, in which the phrase ("áss of the sun") is used to refer to
Apollo, in the phrase ("god of the sea") and in ("god of dreams").
Morkinskinna further describes copper images of æsir,
Völsungs and
Gjúkings at the
hippodrome in
Constantinople. This has been interpreted as translating Greek gods and heroes into a Germanic context, however, other proposals include that this should be seen as stemming from a euhemeristic angle, with the Æsir being descended from Trojans, as they are depicted by Snorri in the Prose Edda and Ynglinga Saga.
Relation with jötnar It has been proposed that most narratives in
Old Nordic mythology portray existence as broadly divided into "this world", inhabited by the Æsir and men, and "the otherworld" inhabited by beings such as
jötnar. These narratives often centre on the journey of an áss to the otherworld, either to obtain something important from there, or to resolve an issue that has arisen in Ásgarð through social exchange with the otherworld. The jötnar also are presented as a constant threat to the Æsir, leading them into confrontation with Thor who stops the jötnar overrunning Ásgarð and
Miðgarð. Despite this general juxtaposition between the Æsir and the jötnar, they were not conceived of as necessarily "biologically" distinct from one another, with many of the Æsir being descended from jötnar such as Odin, Thor, and Loki. Many Æsir also marry and have children with gýgjar (jötunn women) such as Odin, who marries
Jörð and fathers Thor with her, and Freyr who weds
Gerð, founding the
Yngling family. In descriptions of weddings celebrated by the Æsir, the gýgjar spouses appear to be fully integrated into the Æsir. Furthermore, the Æsir are depicted as having strong positive relations with some jötnar such as
Ægir, who hosts them for a feast where they all drink together in the poem
Lokasenna. Other jötnar are seen by the Æsir as sources of knowledge, such as Vafþrúðnir, with whom Odin has a wisdom contest in
Vafþrúðnismál, and to whom Freyja travels in the poem
Hyndluljóð to find out the lineage of
Ottar. ==Old English sources==