Aesir

Aesir

## Overview

The Aesir pantheon is a warrior collective of daimons, many related, that formed much of the worshiped deities for the Norse religion. Their leader is the elder god Odin.

### History

Originally, the Jotnar were the only divine beings with substantial worship in the lands of Northern Europe. The Jotnar were lesser titans that had settled the lands north of where Ouranos and Gaia held court on Mount Othrys, in what was originally known as Hyberborea. It is believed that the founder of the Jotnar, Ymir, was originally the Titan Polus, the bearer of the Pillar of the North.

Ymir exalted to divinity acouple of champions, among them Bestla and Borr. The two champions fell in love. However, as Ymir forbade his champions from mating with one another for fear of their progeny would overthrow him, Borr and Bestla were forced to wed in secret. Together, they produced three sons: Wōden, Hœnir, and Lóðurr. One day Borr left and didn't return. Bestla became a harder goddess for fear that Ymir had discovered her affair and killed Borr and she raised her sons as soldiers as she planned a revolt against the Jotnar. With Wōden becoming her chief strategist and spymaster, Bestla founded the Aesir, a tribe consisting of various daimons seeking to overthrow of the Jotnar. To help protect her children from the Jotnar, Bestla had her sons craft new identities for themselves. The three sons became known as Odin, Vili and Vé after this.

The family received help from Bestla's brother Mimir and coven of witches. The coven helped conceal them in a pocket dimension, which would prove to be the founding of what became known as Asgard. While the three sons were making alliances among the dwarves, Ymir discovered Bestla's camp and ordered its destruction. Bestla was captured and tortured before she was ultimately killed for her betrayal. With Odin appointed as the new chieftain, war between the Aesir and Jotnar continued for centuries with no side ever truly making progress despite Odin's continued study of esoteric practices and pursuit of any knowledge that could provide a tactical edge.

Finally, salvation for the Aesir did come when another god from the south arrived. An Olympian named Boreas sought to slay Ymir and offered his help in exchange for Ymir's spear. Though Odin did desire that spear for its occult significance, he would ultimately accept Boreas' offer due to the god's charismatic personality and the promise that the Aesir would have free rein of the rest of Ymir's treasures; not to the Olympians's past experience in successfully killing and subjugating Ymir's kind. Following Boreas's lead, Odin, Vili, and Vé infiltrated Ymir's stronghold in the dark of night. They carried out a quick, quiet, and efficient murder of not only Ymir but most of his family and closest allies. With Boreas claiming the spear and leaving, Odin and his brothers took credit for the defeat of Ymir, earning them a ferocious reputation.

With the Aesir as the predominant force in the region, Odin sought to secure his divine power with a marriage to the widowed primodial Jǫrð, but she rejected his proposal when she learned of the ease he had with making unholy deals in exchange for more power. Instead, Odin married Frigg, a beautiful goddess with her own history of dark dealings. Though the two shared a bed and had a certain playful affection for one another, neither of them ever saw their marriage as anything other than a mutual convenience. Both of them kept other lovers, with Odin having an infrequent affair with Jǫrð, and taking Rindr, Gunnlǫð, and Gríðr as his concubines.

In time the Aesir grew so powerful they started to subjugate smaller groups of daimons, which led to a conflict with the Vanir. When the Vanir resisted, not willing to trade one tyrant for another, the Aesir sought to prove their might in brutal fashion. The war was fought for a long time, but it ended when Odin's adopted son Loki and Boreas saved a beautiful goddess Idunn from the hands of Thiazi with the Jotnar's own lieutenant Skadi. The feat earned Boreas a place as the Vanir's leader and a new name Njörðr.

During a double wedding ceremony Aesir poet Bragi married Idunn, and Njörðr married Skadi. The Aesir and Vanir were united together, becoming the Norse pantheon. Though the Vanir technically became members of the Aesir, they did so as equals, with Njörðr still retaining the honored rank as King of the Vanir. Odin and Njörðr made a habit of sharing drinks. One night, a truly drunk Odin let slip his birth name to Boreas; only for the surprised Vanir god to then reveal that he also had a birth name he had nearly forgotten: Borr.

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* Polus was originally assumed to be slain during the Olympians' overthrow of the Titans; however, Boreas was sent to the north to investigate rumors of Polus having fled to the North.

### Notes

* Aesir are a group of gods from the Norse mythology.

## Links and References

* Appearances of the Aesir
* Team Gallery: Aesir
* Membership of the Aesir

1. ↑ Network Files: Frigg
2. ↑ Network Files: Borr
3. ↑ Dinkley Files: Gods of the Norse