Aesir
Classification: Pantheon/Civilization
Cultural Origin Icelandic
Viking worship from 700 to 1100 common era
Center of Cult : throughout areas of the Nordic Influence
particularly in Uppsala in Sweden
Art references: engravings on stone and weapons, other art
objects
Literary Sources : Prose Edda Historica Danica
The Aesir are the Gods of Norse mythology. They represent for
these people the creators of the world as we know it, keep the forces of chaos at
bay and will be consumed in the great reckoning Ragnarok
The 12 Aesir gods are headed by Odin the all father and are
probably derived from the Germanic pantheon established in prehistory.
The Aesir exist in a realm called Asgard which is most
likely the the Asegar Star cluster in the Taurus Star System.
Asgard is a grand empire, the finest in the 9 realms an
important concept in their cosmology.
9 World Cosmology
The Aesir documented 9 distinct realms Niflheim, Muspelheim,
Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and Helheim.
The creation myth of the Aesir states that in the beginning there
was a region of intense cold and one of incredible heat.
Muspell was the first world to exist. It was a place of
light and heat. So hot that only those born to this place could survive its
heat.
Beyond Muspell lay the great and yawing void called
Ginningagap. And beyond that lay Niflheim the land of darkness and cold.
In between the two the perfect conditions existed and from
the steam of the heat and mealting cold formed the frost giant Ymir.
Ymir slept, falling into a sweat. Under his left arm there
grew a man and a woman. And one of his legs begot a son with the other. This
was the beginning of the frost ogres.
Audhumla
Thawing frost then became a cow called Audhumla. Four rivers
of milk ran from her teats, and she fed Ymir. The sacred
cow obviously Hathor,
Buri, Bor, and Bestla
The cow licked salty ice blocks. After one day of licking,
she freed a man's hair from the ice. After two days, his head appeared. On the
third day the whole man was there. His name was Buri, and he was tall, strong,
and handsome.
Buri begot a son named Bor, and Bor married Bestla, the
daughter of a giant.
Odin, Vili, and Vé
Bor and Bestla had three sons: Odin was the first, Vili the
second, and Vé the third.
It is believed that Odin, in association with his brothers,
is the ruler of heaven and earth. He is the greatest and most famous of all men. A triad which we see in many beliefs. I think of Zeus,
Posiedan Hades
The death of Ymir
Odin, Vili, and Vé killed the giant Ymir.
When Ymir fell, there issued from his wounds such a flood of
blood, that all the frost ogres were drowned, except for the giant Bergelmir
who escaped with his wife by climbing onto a lurFrom them spring the families
of frost ogres
Earth, trees, and mountains
The sons of Bor then carried Ymir to the middle of
Ginnungagap and made the world from him. From his blood they made the sea and
the lakes; from his flesh the earth; from his hair the trees; and from his
bones the mountains. They made rocks and pebbles from his teeth and jaws and
those bones that were broken. Tiamat and Marduk
To protect themselves from the hostile giants, the sons of
Bor built for themselves an inland stonghold, using Ymir's eyebrows. This
stonghold they named Midgard.
Ask and Embla
While walking along the sea shore the sons of Bor found two
trees, and from them they created a man and a woman.
Odin gave the man and the woman spirit and life. Vili gave
them understanding and the power of movement. Vé gave them clothing and names.
The man was named Ask and the woman Embla.
The Vanir – The chronicles of the Aesir speak of a great war
against another equal civilization who were the Vanir. The two would reach a
peace after years of conflict. The Vanir are identified as the Pleiades or the
so called blondes of Nordic myth. Their celestial home has been identified as
the Pleiades star system.
The true enemies of the Aesir would be the various giants.
And this represented the concept of order versus chaos as the central them of
the mythology
Thor
The earth was Odin's daughter and his wife as well. By her
he had his first son, Thor. Might and strength were Thor's characteristics. By
these he dominates every living creature.
Thor would be significant as the face of the belief system
and its primary protector hero. His battle against the Midgard serpent in the
highlight of the conflict of order versus chaos.
Ragnarok,
The Aesir prophecy of
the end of creation was the inevitable event that would be known as Ragnarok.
This was the time when the forces of chaos would win the day and all creation
would burn in its fires.
But this is a story of renewal and though the old gods would
die, a Son of Odin Vidar would rise as a new King. A Son of Thor would survive
and become the realms new hero.
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