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Æsir
plural of As or Asa, the celestial gods of Scandinavia, who
lived in Asgard (god's ward), situate on the heavenly hills between
earth and the rainbow. The chief was Odin. We are told that there were
twelve, but it would be hard to determine who the twelve are, for, like
Arthur's knights, the number seems variable. The following may be
mentioned:—
Odin;
Thor (his eldest son, the god of thunder);
Tyr (another son, the god of wisdom);
Baldur (another son, the Scandinavian Apollo);
Bragi (the god of eloquence);
Vidar (god of silence);
Hödur the blind (Baldur's twin brother);
Hermod (Odin's son and messenger);
Hoenir (divine intelligence);
Odur (husband of Freyja, the Scandinavian Venus);
Loki (the god of mischief, though not an asa, lived in Asgard);
Vali (Odin's youngest son);
another of Odin's
sons was Kvasir the keen-sighted. Then there were the Vanir, or gods
of air, ocean, and water; the gods of fire; the gods of the Lower
World; and the Mysterious Three, who sat on three thrones above the
rainbow. Their names were Har (the perfect), the Like-perfect, and the
Third person.
Wives of the Æsir:
Odin's wife was Frigga; Thor's wife was Sif (beauty); Baldur's wife
was Nanna (daring); Bragi's wife was Iduna; Odur's wife was Freyja (the
Scandinavian Venus); Loki's wife was Siguna.
The Æsir built Asgard themselves, but each god had his own private
mansion. That of Odin was Gladsheim; but his wife Frigga had also her
private abode, named Fensalir; the mansion of Thor was Bilskirnir; that
of Baldur was Broadblink; that of Odur's wife was Folkbang; of Vidar
was Landvidi (wide land); the private abode of the goddesses generally
was Vingolf.
The refectory or banquet hall of the Æsir was called Valhalla.
Niörd, the water-god, was not one of the Æsir, but chief of the
Vanir; his son was Frey; his daughter, Freyja (the Scandinavian Venus);
his wife was Skadi; and his home, Noatun.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Aesir from Infoplease:
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