Æsir
The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, resulting in a unified pantheon. Unlike the Old English word "god" (and the Old Norse word ""), Æsir was never converted over to Christian use. Etymology. "Æsir" is the plural of "áss", "ǫ́ss" "god". In genitival compounds, it takes the form ', e.g. in ' ("Thor of the Æsir"), besides "" found in is a title of Thor, as is while it is  Odin who is "the" "". There is also Old East Norse dialectal resulting in the modern Swedish word (the form "åsekia" attested as late as the 17th c.). The feminine form is ' (plural '). The word "áss" is attested in modified form in other Germanic languages, such as Old English () (plural '), denoting a deity in Anglo-Saxon paganism, preserved as a prefix ' in personal names (e.g. Osborne, Oswald) and place-names, and as the genitive plural "". In Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Saxon, the word is only attested in personal and place names, e.g. The Old High German is reconstructed  as *', plural *'. Gothic has ' as reported by Jordanes, who wrote in the 6th century CE, presumably a Latinized form of actual plural '), as a name for euhemerized semi-divine early Gothic rulers. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic form is ' (plural '). The ansuz rune, , was named after the Æsir. *"ansuz", itself comes from Proto-Indo-European *"h₂énsus" (gen. "") "life force" (cf. Avestan "aŋhū" "lord; lifetime", "ahura" "godhood", Sanskrit "ásu" "life force", "ásura" "demons" ( *'). It is widely accepted that this word is further related to *'- "to engender" (cf. Hittite "hass-" "to procreate, give birth", Tocharian B "ās-" "to produce"). Norse mythology. The interaction  between the Æsir and the Vanir has provoked a considerable amount of scholarly theory and speculation. 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 are portrayed in myth as contemporaries: The two clans of gods fought battles, concluded treaties, exchanged hostages (Freyr and Freyja are mentioned as hostages), and intermarried. 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 names of the first three Æsir in Norse mythology, Vili, Vé and Odin all refer to spiritual or mental state, "vili" to conscious will or desire, "vé" to the sacred or numinous and "óðr" to the manic or ecstatic. Æsir and Vanir. The second clan of gods mentioned in Norse mythology is the "Vanir": The god Njörðr 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 for [male] gods in general, while "Asynjur" is used for the goddesses in general. For example, in the poem Skírnismál, Freyr was called a "Prince of the Æsir". In the Prose Edda, Njörðr was introduced as "the third among the Æsir", and among the Asynjur, Freya is always listed second only to Frigg. In surviving tales, the origins of many of the Æsir are unexplained. In the ostensibly oldest stories, there are only Búri's three sons : Odin and his brothers Vili and Vé. Odin's sons by giantesses are counted as Æsir. Heimdallr and Ullr's connection with the Æsir is not clearly mentioned. Loki is a jötunn (apparently a cousin and foster-brother of Odin) and Njörðr is a Vanir and his two children are hostages, but they are often ranked among the Æsir. Scholarly theories and interpretations. 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 occurred between clans (or social classes) within Norse society at  the time. According to another theory, the Vanir (and the fertility cults 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 1877 by Wilhelm Mannhardt. On a similar note, Marija Gimbutas argues that the Æsir and the Vanir represent the displacement of an indigenous Indo-European group by a tribe of warlike invaders as part of her Kurgan hypothesis. See her case in "The Living Goddess" for more details. Another historical theory is that the inter-pantheon  interaction may be an apotheosis of the conflict between the Roman Kingdom and the Sabines. Finally, M. Eliade (1958) 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. List of Æsir. The Prose Edda lists both male and female gods of the Æsir, in . The Gylfaginning does not include Odin or Loki in this portion, perhaps considering them outside the ranking. Corresponding to the fourteen Æsir listed  above, section 35 lists fourteen asynjur (goddesses): "Ganglere asked: Which are the goddesses? Har answered:" The A-rune. The "a"-rune, ansuz, , 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 Óðinn, who is identified with Jupiter: 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)" Asleikr. The personal names Old Norse "Ásleikr" (Latinised as "Ansleicus"), Old English "Óslác" (modern ""Hasluck ) and Old High German "Ansleh" may continue the term for a sacrificial performance for the gods in early Germanic paganism (""). Grimm's "Deutsches Wörterbuch" (s.v. "Leich") compares "*laikom" to the meaning of Greek , denoting first the ceremonial procession to the sacrifice, but also ritual dance and hymns pertaining to religious ritual. Paul Herrman (1906) identified as such "*ansulaikom" the victory songs of the Batavi after defeating Quintus Petillius Cerialis in the Revolt of the Batavi in the year 69 CE according to Tacitus' account, and also the "nefarious song" accompanied by "running in a circle" around the head of a  decapitated goat sacrificed to (he presumes) Wodan (Odin), sung by the Lombards at their victory celebration in 579 CE. Personal names. Gothic has Ansila and Ansemund. Theophoric names of the Anglo-Saxons containing the "os" element: These names were notably popular in the dynasty of Bernicia. Still in wide use are the surnames "As" occurs in many Scandinavian given names: Old High German had "Anso", Anselm, Ansgar, Anshilt, Anspald, and Ansnôt, and Lombardic has Answald and Ansprand. "As" also occurs in some English names. In 874, King Asketil was one of four Viking nobles who sacked Repton, the capital of  Mercia, England. As 'ketil' means 'cauldron' (whence the English word 'kettle' is derived), his name means 'God's cauldron'. The English surname Astle is derived from his name; however, it is not related to the name "Astley". Less common alternative spellings of Astle include Ásatrú. Ásatrú, a kind of Heathenry whose name means "faith in 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 Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Most adherents do not emphasize worship of the Æsir in particular and refer  to their practice as "Forn sed / sidr / siður" meaning old customs. The Icelandic "Ásatrúarfélagið" describes "Ásatrú" as "Nordic pantheism" involving "belief in the Icelandic / Nordic folklore" including all the "spirits and entities" besides "gods and other beings" this entails.