View source for Æsir

{{Short description|Gods in Germanic paganism}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

[[File:Baldr dead by Eckersberg.jpg|thumb|250px|Æsir gathered around the body of [[Baldr]]. Painting by [[Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg]], 1817]]

'''Æsir''' ([[Old Norse]]; singular: {{lang|non|áss}}) or '''ēse''' ([[Old English]]; singular: {{lang|ang|ōs}}) are [[deities|gods]] in [[Germanic paganism]]. In [[Old Nordic religion]] and [[Nordic mythology|mythology]], the precise meaning of the term "{{lang | non | Æsir}}" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods in general or specifically to one of the main families of gods, in contrast to the [[Vanir]], with whom the Æsir [[Æsir–Vanir War|waged war]], ultimately leading to a joining of the families. The term can further be applied to local gods that were believed to live in specific features in the landscape – such as [[fells]]. The Old English medical text [[Wið færstice]] refers to the Ēse, along with [[elves]], as harmful beings that could cause a stabbing pain, although exactly how they were conceived of by the author of the text is unclear.

{{lang|non|Áss}} and its cognate forms feature in many [[Germanic name]]s, such as [[Oswald (given name)|Oswald]] and {{lang|non|Ásmundr}}, and in some place-names in [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]. The Æsir further likely give their name to the [[Ansuz (rune)|A-rune]], attested in the [[Elder Futhark]], [[Anglo-Saxon Futhorc]] and [[Younger Futhark]].

==Terminology==
===Etymology===
[[File:Reykjavik - Thor-Figur 1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|upright=1.3|The [[Eyrarland Statue]], typically interpreted as depicting Thor. Thor's riding across the sky is likely reflected in the modern Swedish word for "thunderstorm" - {{langx|sv|åska}}, deriving from an earlier form meaning "the driving of the áss".]]

The modern English term "Æsir" is derived from the plural Old Norse term {{lang|non|æsir}}, the singular of which is {{lang|non|áss}}.{{sfn|áss}} In [[Old English]], the term used is the cognate {{lang|ang|ōs}} ({{plural form}} {{lang|ang|ēse}}).{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}{{sfn|Hall|2007|p=63}} In continental West Germanic languages, the word is only attested in personal and place names such as Ansila, Ansgeir and Anshram.{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}} The cognate term {{lang|la|Ansis}} was recorded as a Latinised form of an original [[Gothic language|Gothic]] word by [[Jordanes]], in the 6th century CE work [[Getica]], as a name for [[Euhemerism|euhemerised]] semi-divine early [[Goths|Gothic rulers]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}{{sfn|Mierow|1915|p=3}}{{efn|
The reference in Getica is as follows:<br/>
{{langx|la|Tum Gothi haut segnes reperti arma capessunt primoque conflictu mox Romanos devincunt, Fuscoque duce extincto divitias de castris militum spoliant magnaque potiti per loca victoria iam proceres suos, quorum quasi fortuna vincebant, non puros homines, sed semideos id est Ansis vocaverunt.}}{{sfn|Getica (Latin)|at=ch&nbsp;13, 78}}
:
"But the Goths were on the alert. They took up arms and presently over-whelmed the Romans in the first encounter. They slew Fuscus, the commander, and plundered the soldiers’ camp of its treasure. And because of the great victory they had won in this region, they thereafter called their leaders, by whose good fortune they seemed to have conquered, not mere men, but demigods, that is Ansis."{{sfn|Mierow|1915|pp=72-73|loc=ch&nbsp;13, 78}}}} The [[Old High German]] is reconstructed as *''{{lang|goh|ans}}'', plural *''{{lang|goh|ensî}}''.{{sfn|Grimm|p=25}}

The corresponding feminine form in Old Norse is {{lang|non|ásynja}} ({{plural form}}:{{lang|non|ásynjur}}), formed by the addition of the {{lang|non|-ynja}} suffix, denoting a female form.{{sfn|Ás-ynja}} A [[cognate]] word for "female {{lang|non|áss}}" is not attested outside Old Norse, and a corresponding West Germanic word would have been separately derived with the feminine suffixes -''inī'' or -''injō''.{{sfn|Hellquist|1922}}

The [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] form is typically reconstructed as {{lang|gem-x-proto|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ansuz|ansuz]]}}.{{sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=30}}{{sfn|Silva|2006|p=396}} This form of the word is attested in Proto-Germanic during the [[Roman Empire|Roman Imperial Age]] as a component of the name of the goddess {{lang|gem-x-proto|Vih-ansa}} (potentially translating to "Battle-goddess") and probably also in an inscription from around 200 CE on a [[Vimose buckle|buckle from Vimose]] that reads ''a(n)sau wīja'' ("I dedicate this to the Æsir").{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}} The word {{lang|gem-x-proto|*ansuz}} is in turn is typically derived from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ems-|h₂ems-u-]]'', making the terms closely related to {{langx|sa|[[Asura|ásura]]}}, {{langx|ae|ahura}} ("god" or "lord") and {{langx|hit|ḫāši⁠}} ("to give birth" or "to beget").{{sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=30}} An alternative is that the terms for "Æsir" are related to {{lang|gem-x-proto|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ansaz|ans-]]}} ("beam" or "post"), the ancestor of {{langx|non|áss}} ("the main beam of a house").{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}{{sfn|áss}} In this case, the name would likely have originated due to the equation of gods and [[Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe|carved posts]] in [[Germanic paganism|Germanic religion]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}

[[Snorri Sturluson]] and [[Saxo Grammaticus]] proposed that the term "Æsir" instead derives from "{{lang|non|Ásiamenn}} ("Asians"), and the idea that the gods originated in Asia, later migrating into [[Northern Europe]]. This is however not supported by modern scholars and attributed to medieval scholarship on the matter and an attempt to connect the Scandinavian peoples with [[Classical antiquity]] and [[Christianity]] rather than a reflection of actual Germanic mythology.{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}

===Derived terms===
{{lang|non|Áss}} is further found in Old Norse compound nouns such as {{lang|non|[[Asbrú]]}} ("Æsir's bridge"), {{lang|non|[[Ásgarð]]}} ("home" or "enclosure of the Æsir"), {{lang|non|ásmegin}} ("strength of the Æsir") and the [[names for Thor]] {{lang|non|Asa-Þórr}} ("Æsir-Thor") and {{lang|non|Asabragr}} ("Æsir-lord").{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=19}}{{sfn|Lindow|2002}}{{sfn|Motz|1984|pp=190-191}} The only modern word that is derived from terms for {{lang|non|æsir}}, other than [[learned borrowing]]s from medieval languages is {{langx|sv|åska}}, meaning "thunderstorm", which is derived from earlier {{lang|sv|åsekja}} ("the driving of the áss"), which would derive from the reconstructed [[Old East Norse]]:{{lang|non|*ās-ækia}}. This is likely in reference to the belief in thunderstorms originating from Thor's riding across the skies.{{sfn|Motz|1984|pp=190-191}}{{sfn|Hellquist|1922}}

Terms for Æsir form parts of [[Germanic names]] in multiple Germanic languages. Examples of this include {{langx|ang|Ósbeorn}}, {{lang|ang|[[Oslac|Óslác]]}}, {{lang|ang|Ósweald}} ([[Modern English]]: [[Oswald (given name)|Oswald]]) and their corresponding Old Norse equivalents, {{lang|non|Ásbjörn}}, {{lang|non|Áslákr}} and {{lang|non|Ásvaldr}}. Other examples include {{langx|ang|Óswine}} and {{langx|non|Ásmundr}}.{{sfn|Tichy}}{{sfn|Ansuwaldaz}} Some [[Proto-Norse]] personal names feature {{lang|gem|*ansuz}} such as {{lang|gem|Ansugastiz}}, {{lang|gem|Ansugīslaz}} and {{lang|gem|*Ansulaibaz}}.{{sfn|Vikstrand|2009|p=1013}}{{efn|
{{lang|gem|Ansugastiz}} and {{lang|gem|Ansugīslaz}} are found in runic inscriptions, while {{lang|gem|*Ansulaibaz}} is reconstructed from the corresponding Old English name in [[Beowulf]].{{sfn|Vikstrand|2009|p=1013}}
}}

==Old Norse sources==
===Meaning of the term "Æsir"===
====Distinctions between "áss", "goð" and "vanr"====
{{see also|Vanir#Rudolf Simek's "Vanir Obituary"}}
[[Image:Æsir-Vanir war by Frølich.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Óðinn throws his spear in the Æsir-Vanir war, illustration by [[Lorenz Frølich]] (1895)]]
It has been proposed that in Old Norse poetry, the term "{{lang|non|áss}}" was typically chosen over "{{lang|non|goð}}" for metrical reasons, fitting better with the required alliteration or rhyme, rather than so as to create a semantic distinction between the two terms.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=150-151}} Following from this, it has been argued that the term "{{lang|non|æsir}}" acts as a synonym to "{{lang|non|goð}}" 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 {{lang|non|ása [[heiti]]}} ("Poetic equivalents for áss") and [[Freyja]] in that for the {{lang|non|ásunjur}}.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=150-151}}

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.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=352-353}} 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.{{sfn|Simek|2008}}

====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.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=143}}

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|Wilhelm Mannhardt's]] ''Antike Vald-und Feldkulten''.{{sfn|Dumézil|1973|p=xxxiii}}

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]].{{sfn|Gimbutas|Dexter|2001}} Another historical theory is that the inter-pantheon interaction may be an [[apotheosis]]ation of the conflict between the [[Roman Kingdom]] and the [[Sabines]].{{sfn|Turville-Petre|1975|p=161}} 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.{{sfn|Dumézil|1973|pp=3-4,18}}{{sfn|Turville-Petre|1975|pp=159-162}}

Finally, the noted comparative religion scholar [[Mircea Eliade]] speculated that this conflict is actually a later version of an [[Proto-Indo-European religion|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.{{sfn|Eliade|1996|loc=Section II (30)}}{{sfn|Turville-Petre|1975|p=162}}{{efn| "In one civilization, and at one time, the specialized gods of fertility might predominate, and in another the warrior or the god-king. The highest god owes his position to those who worship him, and if they are farmers, he will be a god of fertility, or one of the Vanir".{{sfn|Turville-Petre|1975|p=162}}
}}

====Specific beings referred to as Æsir====
{{See also|List of Germanic deities}}
[[File:Snæfellsjökull in the Morning (7622876302).jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Snæfellsjökull|Snæfell]] in Iceland, where according to [[Barðar saga]], Barðr Snæfellsáss became an áss who was worshipped in the region and protected those who lived there.{{sfn|Jakobsson|1998|p=63}}]]
[[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.{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}} Gylfaginning lists the male Æsir as Odin,{{efn|Odin is referred to in the þulur as [[List of names of Odin|Yggr]].{{sfn|Nafnaþulur}}}} Thor, Njörðr,{{efn|In Gylfaginning, Njörðr is listed as the third áss yet is also noted to be "not of the race of the Æsir" ({{langx|non|Eigi er Njörðr ása ættar}}.{{sfn|Gylfaginning 21-30}}}} Freyr,{{efn|Freyr is referred to in the þulur as [[List of names of Freyr|Yngvi-Freyr]].{{sfn|Nafnaþulur}}}} [[Týr]], [[Heimdallr]], [[Bragi]], [[Víðarr]], [[Váli]], [[Ullr]], [[Forseti]] and Loki and the ásynjur as [[Frigg]], [[Sága]], [[Eir]], [[Gefjon]], [[Fulla]], [[Freyja]], [[Sjöfn]], [[Lofn]], [[Vár]], [[Vör]], [[Syn (goddess)|Syn]], [[Hlín]], [[Snotra]], [[Gná]], [[Sól (sun)|Sól]], [[Hjúki and Bil|Bil]]{{sfn|Gylfaginning 11-20}}{{sfn|Gylfaginning 21-30}}{{sfn|Gylfaginning 31-40}} The [[þulur]] add to this the ásynjur [[Skaði]], [[Sigyn]], [[Hnoss]], [[Gerðr]], [[Jörð]], [[Iðunn]], [[Ilmr]], [[Njörun]], [[Nanna (Norse deity)|Nanna]], [[Rindr]], [[Þrúðr]], [[Rán]].{{sfn|Nafnaþulur}} 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.{{sfn|Gunnell|2015|pp=55-56,60-61}}

Beyond this, a runic inscription on the 9th century CE Engstad whalebone pin has been interpreted as referencing an {{langx|non|garðáss}} ("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.{{efn|The normalised spelling is {{langx|non|garðáss}}, being derived from the inscription which reads '''karþạs''' with ''k'' and ''a'' as a [[bind rune]]. The bind rune could theoretically be read in the other order as ''ak'', making the inscription '''akrþạs'''.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=148}}{{sfn|McKinnell|Simek|Düwel|2004|p=116}}}}{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=148}} Similarly, the Old Norse term {{lang|non|landáss}} ("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 [[Erik Bloodaxe|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 {{lang|non|landálfr}} ("land-elf") referred to in the next stanza of the poem.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=150}} Æsir closely associated with specific [[fells]] or hills are also found in the Old Norse record such as {{lang|non|Svínfellsáss}} ("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 [[Snæfellsjökull|Snæfell]] and the help he in turn gave them when they were in need.{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=163}}{{sfn|Vigfússon|1860|at=ch.&nbsp;6}}{{efn|
''"kallaðr Bárðr Snjófelsáss, þvíat þeir trúðu á hann náliga þar um nesit, ok höfðu hann fyrir heitguð sinn, varð hann ok mörgum en mesta bjargvættr"''.{{sfn|Vigfússon|1860|at=ch.&nbsp;6}}
::
was called Bard Snowfelsás, because they believed in him near about the headland, and had him through his namesake, and he became many but the greatest saviour.<ref name=bing_translator>{{cite web |title=Microsoft Translator |department=[[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] to [[English language|English]] |via=bing.com/translator |publisher=[[Microsoft Corporation]] |url=https://www.bing.com/translator/ |access-date=9 April 2025 }}</ref>
}}

In the context of ritual speech, an unnamed áss is the {{lang|non|[[almáttki áss]]}} ("almighty áss") mentioned along with Frey and Njörð in a formula said by individuals swearing an [[Rings in early Germanic cultures#Oaths|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.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=9-10}}{{sfn|Lindow|2002}}

The term {{lang|non|áss}} is further used in translations of works into Old Norse such as in [[Díalógar Gregors páfa]], in which the phrase {{lang|non|sólar áss}} ("áss of the sun") is used to refer to [[Apollo]], in the phrase {{lang|non|sævar goð}} ("god of the sea") and in {{lang|non|drauma goð}} ("god of dreams").{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=160}} [[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.{{sfn|Frog|2021|pp=155-156,164}}

===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]].{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|loc=Chapter 1|pp=1–10}}{{sfn|Lummer|2021|pp=57–85}} 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.{{sfn|Nordvig|2013|pp=380-383}} 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]].{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|loc=Chapter 8|pp=109–125}}

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.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=78,240,316}} 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.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=91,107,316-317}} In descriptions of weddings celebrated by the Æsir, the gýgjar spouses appear to be fully integrated into the Æsir.{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|pp=62-64}}{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=105}}

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]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=107,192-193}} Other jötnar are seen by the Æsir as sources of knowledge, such as Vafþrúðnir, with whom Odin has a wisdom contest in [[Vafþrúðnismál]], and {{lang|non|Hyndla}} to whom Freyja travels in the poem [[Hyndluljóð]] to find out the lineage of [[Óttar (mythology)|Ottar]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=107,169-170,344-345}}

==Old English sources==
[[File:BL Harleian 585 f 175v With Faerstice (cropped).png|thumb|200px|The word "ēsa", as written on the bottom line of a page recording [[Wið færstice]] from the [[Lācnunga]], [[Harleian collection]], [[British Library]]]]

===Wið færstice===
The [[Wið færstice]] text from the late 10th or early 11th century [[Lācnunga]] is an Old English remedy against harm caused by several beings including ēse and [[ælfe]] (often translated as "elves").{{sfn|Hall|2007|pp=1–5}}

{{Verse translation|
{{lang|ang|gif hit wǣre ēsa gescot oððe hit wǣre ylfa gescot
oððe hit wǣre hægtessan gescot nū ic wille ðīn helpan
þis ðē tō bōte ēsa gescotes ðis ðē tō bōte ylfa gescotes
ðis ðē tō bōte hægtessan gescotes ic ðīn wille helpan
flēo [?MS fled] þǣr on fyrgenhǣfde
hāl westū helpe ðīn drihten
nim þonne þæt seax ādō on wǣtan·}}
|
If it was the {{lang|ang|gescot}} of {{lang|ang|ēse}} or it was the {{lang|ang|gescot}} of {{lang|ang|ælfe}} 
or it was the {{lang|ang|gescot}} of {{lang|ang|hægtessan}}, now I want to (?will) help you. 
This for you as a remedy for the {{lang|ang|gescot of ēse}}; this for you
as a remedy for the {{lang|ang|gescot}} of {{lang|ang|ælfe}}, 
this for you as a remedy for the {{lang|ang|gescot}} of {{lang|ang|hægtessan}}; I will help you. 
Fly around there on the mountain top. Be healthy, may the Lord help you.
Then take the knife; put it in (the) liquid.|attr1=[[Old English]] text{{sfn|Hall|2007|pp=2–3}}|attr2=[[Alaric Hall|Hall]] Translation{{sfn|Hall|2007|pp=2–3}}}}

The collocation of ēse and elves Wið færstice is paralleled in Old Norse writings as the alliterative phrase "æsir and álfar".{{sfn|Hall|2007|p=35}}{{efn|
Examples of this formula include {{lang|non|Mart var þar ása oc álfa}} ("Many of the æsir and álfar were there") from the prose prologue to [[Lokasenna]] and {{lang|non|ása oc álfa, er hér inno ero}} "of the æsir and álfar who are here within") from the body of the poem.{{sfn|Hall|2007|p=35}}
}}
It is not clear whether this formula dates back to the ancestral community speaking the ancestor of Old Norse and Old English and thus had always existed in both languages, or was the result of a later loaning due to the close cultural contact.{{sfn|Hall|2007|p=108}}

It has been proposed that just like in early Old Norse-speaking communities, those speaking Old English early on would also have placed ēse and ælfe in contrast with monstrous beings such as [[eotenas]] and [[wyrmas]], although it is unclear exactly how the beings were conceived of in English-speaking communities by the time that Wið færstice was written.{{sfn|Hall|2007|pp=35-67}}

==The A-rune (ᚫ, ᚩ or ᚬ)==
{{Main|Ansuz (rune)}}
The [[Proto-Germanic]] name of the A [[rune]], written in [[Elder Futhark]] as {{Runic|ᚫ}} and [[Anglo-Saxon Futhorc]] as {{Runic|ᚩ}}, is typically reconstructed as {{langx|gem-x-proto|*ansuz}}, an áss (or heathen god).{{sfn|Silva|2006|pp=396-397}}  This identification is principally based on the [[Icelandic rune poem]] which reads as records the name of the [[Younger Futhark]] form of the rune, {{Runic|ᚬ}}, as {{lang|non|Ós}}, referring to [[Odin]]:

{| width="100%"
! width="50%" | Standardised [[Old Norse]] text{{sfn|Dickins, 1915}}{{efn|
The rune poem is preserved in two manuscripts from the [[Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection]], {{nobr|AM 687d 4to}} and {{nobr|AM 461 12mo.}} The column titled ''standardised Old Norse'' is based on those two attestations.{{sfn|Silva|2006|p=397}}
}}
! width="50%" | [[Modern English]] translation{{sfn|Silva|2006|p=397}}
|-
|
:{{lang|non|{{Runic|ᚬ}} Óss er algingautr ok ásgarðs jöfurr, ok valhallar vísi.}}
|
:Heathen god/Óðinn is ancient Gautur and Ásgarðr’s prince and Valhall’s ruler.
|
|}

Some scholars have translated the name of the rune in the [[Old English rune poem]] as {{lang|ang|ōs}} ("god"), with the word commonly accepted as being a cognate of {{lang|non|áss}}, however others interpret it as meaning "mouth" that would have come to Old English from Proto-Germanic or result from influence from either {{langx|non|óss}} ("river mouth") or {{langx|la|os}} ("mouth").{{sfn|Silva|2006|pp=399-400}}{{sfn|Frog|2021|p=147}} The Old Swedish and Old Norwegian rune poems both refer to the name as meaning "river mouth" rather than "god".{{sfn|Silva|2006|pp=396-398}}

==Modern worship==
Ásatrú, meaning "faith in the Æsir", is a [[new religious movement]] also known as [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]] that aims to [[Polytheistic reconstructionism|reconstruct]] and practise a modern form of [[Germanic paganism]]. As of 2007, Ásatrú is a religion officially recognized by the governments of Denmark,{{sfn|Kirkeministeriet}} Iceland,{{sfn|syslumenn}} Norway,{{sfn|Asprem|2008|p=49}} and Sweden.{{sfn|sydsvenskan}} In the [[United Kingdom]], the organisation [[Asatru UK]] is registered as a [[community interest company]] for religious activities.{{sfn|AUK - CIC}}

Most adherents do not emphasise worship of the Æsir in particular and may also refer to their practice as "forn sed / sidr / siður" meaning old customs. The Icelandic ''[[Ásatrúarfélagið]]'' describes ''Ásatrú'' as "Nordic [[pantheism]]" involving "belief in the [[Scandinavian folklore|Icelandic/Nordic folklore]]" including all the "spirits and entities" besides "gods and other beings" this entails.{{efn|
'''''Ásatrú''' eða heiðinn siður byggir á umburðarlyndi, heiðarleika, drengskap og virðingu fyrir náttúrunni og öllu lífi.''
:
'''Ásatrú''' is a pagan tradition based on tolerance, honesty, magnanimity and respect for nature and all life.<ref name=bing_translator/>
}}

==Place-names==
Place-names containing the word {{lang|non|áss}} or cognate terms have been proposed for the following:

Sweden:
* Aspberg{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}
* Åslunda{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}

Norway
* [[Ásaráll]]{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=3}}

No such locations have yet been found in England that are widely accepted by scholars.{{sfn|Hall|2006|p=61-63}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
{{div col begin|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Proto-Germanic paganism]]
* [[Family trees of the Norse gods]]
* [[Horses of the Æsir]]
* [[Tuatha Dé Danann]]
* [[Twelve Olympians]]
* [[Anunnaki]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==Bibliography==
===Primary===
* {{cite book |last1=Vigfússon |first1=Guðbrandur |title=Bárðarsaga Snæfellsáss, Viglundarsaga |date=1860 |publisher=Berlingske bogtrykkeri ved N. H. Stenderup |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xN0GAAAAYAAJ&q=en+mesta+bjargvaettr&pg=PA38 |language=is}}
* {{cite book |last1=McKinnell |first1=John |last2=Simek|first2=Rudolf |last3=Düwel |first3=Klaus |title=Runes, magic and religion: a sourcebook |date=2004 |publisher=Fassbaender|chapter-url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/1053/1/1053.pdf?DDD11+DDC65+dac0hsg |chapter=Gods and Mythological Beings in the Younger Futhark}}
* {{cite book |title=The Gothic history of Jordanes in English version; |date=1915 |publisher=Princeton, Univ. Press |last= Mierow|first=Charles Christopher|url=https://archive.org/details/gothichistoryofj00jorduoft/page/72/mode/2up?q=anses}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Getica (Latin)}}|title=Iordanis de Origine Actibusque Getarum, chapter 13 |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/iordanes1.html#XIII |language = latin|website=www.thelatinlibrary.com |access-date=2 August 2023}}
* {{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Dickins, 1915}}|title=Rune poems |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rune_poems#The_Icelandic_Rune_Poem|translator-last = Dickins|translator-first = Bruce|date=1915}}

===Secondary===
{{refbegin|25em|small=yes}}
* {{cite journal |last=Asprem |first=Egil |date=3 October 2008 |title=Heathens up North:Politics, Polemics and Contemporary Norse Paganism in Norway |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/POM/article/view/2883 |journal=Pomegranate |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=49 |doi=10.1558/pome.v10i1.41 |issn=1743-1735|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite book |last=Dumézil |first=Georges |title=Gods of the ancient northmen |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DZIeNMgZhRwC/mode/2up |date=1973 |publisher=Univ. of California Pr |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=0520020448}}
* {{cite book |last1=Eliade |first1=Mircea |title=Patterns in comparative religion |date=1996 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln |isbn=9780803267336}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Frog |title=The Æsir: An Obituary|url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/333433/Frog_2021_AEsir_Obituary.pdf |journal=Essays in Honour of Rudolf Simek |date=2021 }}
* {{cite book | last1=Gimbutas | first1=M. | last2=Dexter | first2=M.R. | title=The Living Goddesses | publisher=University of California Press | year=2001 | isbn=978-0-520-22915-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DfI39EDbMcC | access-date=30 March 2023 | pages=}}{{page needed|date=October 2023}}
* {{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Grimm}}|last1=Grimm |first1=Jacob |last2=Stallybrass |first2=James Steven |title=Teutonic mythology |publisher=London: G. Bell and sons |url=https://archive.org/details/teutonicmytholog01grim|date=1882–1888}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Gunnell |first1=Terry |title=Pantheon? What Pantheon? Concepts of a Family of Gods in Pre-Christian Scandinavian Religions |journal=Scripta Islandica: Isländska sällskapets årsbok |date=2015 |volume=66 |pages=55–76 |url=http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A883369&dswid=5691 |publisher=Isländska sällskapet}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=A. |title=Are there any Elves in Anglo-Saxon place-names? |journal=Nomina: Journal of the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland |date=2006 |volume=29 |pages=61–80 |url=https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/3146/ |language=en |issn=0141-6340}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hall |first1=Alaric |title=Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: matters of belief, health, gender and identity |date=2007 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK |isbn=978-1843835097 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/elves-in-anglosaxon-england/EB41426EF8DEA4089CA792867E16F2FB |access-date=11 June 2022}}
* {{cite book |last=Hellquist |first=Elof |title=Svensk etymologisk ordbok |url=https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell |trans-title=Swedish etymological dictionary |year=1922 |publisher=Gleerup |location=Lund |language=sv |page=[https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell/page/1202/mode/2up 1202]}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Jakobsson |first1=Ármann |title="History of the Trolls? Bárðar saga as an historical narrative," Saga-Book 25 (1998), 53–71. |journal=Saga-Book of the Viking Society |date=1998 |url=https://www.academia.edu/1259111 |access-date=1 October 2023}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kroonen |first1=Guus |title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic |date=2013 |url=https://archive.org/details/etymological-dictionary-of-proto-germanic/page/30/mode/2up?view=theater}}
* {{Cite book|last= Lindow|first=John|title=Norse mythology: a guide to the Gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2002|isbn= 9786610532490 |location=Oxford|oclc=1136323846}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Lummer |first1=Felix |title=Solitary Colossi and Not-So-Small Men |journal=Arv – Nordic Yearbook of Folklore |date=2021 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=57–85 |url=https://kgaa.bokorder.se/en-US/article/4499/arv-nordic-yearbook-of-folklore-vol-77-20 |access-date=6 May 2022}}
* {{cite book |last1=McKinnell |first1=John |title=Meeting the other in Norse myth and legend |date=2005 |publisher=D.S. Brewer |location=Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK |isbn=1843840421}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Motz |first1=Lotte |title=Trolls and Æsir; lexical evidence concerning north-germanic faith |journal=Indogermanische Forschungen |date=1984 |volume=89 |pages=179–195 |doi=10.1515/9783110243314.179 |s2cid=201714920 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110243314.179/html |access-date=12 September 2023|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Nordvig |first1=Mathias |author1-link=Mathias Nordvig |title=A Method for Analyzing World-Models in Scandinavian Mythology |journal=Aarhus University |series=Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae. Series Humaniora |date=2013 |pages=377–398 |isbn=978-951-41-1085-6 |url=https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/mathias-nordvig(d8ff747f-d809-48b3-afe5-345252806723)/publications/a-method-for-analyzing-worldmodels-in-scandinavian-mythology(f1ed09ae-a792-4e8c-9c0d-45543f3dc3d7).html}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Silva |first1=Inmaculada Senra |title=A note on the meaning of os in the Old English Rune Poem |journal=Epos: Revista de filología |date=1 January 2006 |issue=22|pages=393 |doi=10.5944/epos.22.2006.10523 |url=https://revistas.uned.es/index.php/EPOS/article/view/10523/10061 |issn=2255-3495|doi-access=free }}
* {{cite book |last1=Simek |first1=Rudolf | author-link = Rudolf Simek | translator1-last = Hall | translator-first = Angela |title=A Dictionary of Northern Mythology |date=2008 |publisher=BOYE6 |isbn=9780859915137}}
* {{cite book |last1=Turville-Petre |first1=Edward Oswald Gabriel |title=Myth and religion of the north: the religion of ancient Scandinavia |date=1975 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn |isbn=0837174201 |edition=Repr}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Vikstrand |first1=Per |title=Pre-Christian Sacral Personal Names in Scandinavia during the Proto-Scandinavian Period |journal=Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences| publisher = York University |date=2009 |url=https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/4045/icos23_1012.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1}}
* {{cite web |last1=Tichy |first1=Ondrej |title=ós |url=https://bosworthtoller.com/25014 |website=Bosworth-Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online |access-date=18 September 2023 |language=en}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|áss}}|title=Old Icelandic Dictionary - Áss |url=https://old-icelandic.vercel.app/word/ass |website=Old Icelandic Dictionary |access-date=18 September 2023 |language=en}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Ás-ynja}}|title=Old Norse Dictionary - Ás-ynja |url=https://cleasby-vigfusson-dictionary.vercel.app/word/as-ynja |website=Cleasby & Vigfusson - Old Norse Dictionary |access-date=18 September 2023 |language=en}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Gylfaginning 11-20}}|title=Gylfaginning 11-20 |url=http://www.voluspa.org/gylfaginning11-20.htm |website=www.voluspa.org |access-date=24 September 2023}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Gylfaginning 21-30}}|title=Gylfaginning 21-30 |url=http://www.voluspa.org/gylfaginning21-30.htm |website=www.voluspa.org |access-date=24 September 2023}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Gylfaginning 31-40}}|title=Gylfaginning 31-40 |url=http://www.voluspa.org/gylfaginning31-40.htm |website=www.voluspa.org |access-date=24 September 2023}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Nafnaþulur}}|title=Nafnaþulur |url=http://www.voluspa.org/nafnathulur21-40.htm |website=www.voluspa.org |access-date=24 September 2023}}
* {{Cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Kirkeministeriet}}|url=http://www.km.dk/trossamfundliste.html |title=Kirkeministeriet |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209004727/http://www.km.dk/trossamfundliste.html |archive-date=9 February 2007 |access-date=9 February 2007 |quote=Forn Sidr – Asa– og Vanetrosamfundet i Danmark |language=da}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|syslumenn}}|url=https://www.syslumenn.is/thjonusta/utgefin-leyfi/listi-yfir-skrad-trufelog-og-lifsskodunarfelog/ |title=Listi yfir skráð trúfélög og lífsskoðunarfélög |publisher=[[Sýslumenn]] |access-date=10 January 2021 |language=is |quote=Ásatrúarfélagið |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165222/https://www.syslumenn.is/thjonusta/utgefin-leyfi/listi-yfir-skrad-trufelog-og-lifsskodunarfelog/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|sydsvenskan}}|title=Freja, Oden och Tor får officiell status |url=http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/article218126/Freja-Oden-och-Tor-far-officiell-status.html |website=sydsvenskan|date=11 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811045734/http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/article218126/Freja-Oden-och-Tor-far-officiell-status.html |archive-date=11 August 2011 |language =sv}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|AUK - CIC}}|title=ASATRU UK CIC overview - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14288207 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |access-date=10 August 2022 |language=en}}
* {{cite web |title=Asatru.is |url=http://asatru.is |website=asatru.is |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205064006/http://asatru.is |archive-date=5 December 2006 |language=is|ref=none}}
* {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Ansuwaldaz}}|title=Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/Ansuwaldaz |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/Ansuwaldaz |website=Wiktionary, the free dictionary |access-date=8 October 2023 |language=en |date=13 July 2022}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|ásynja}}
{{wiktionary|áss}}
{{wiktionary|os#Old English}}

{{Norse mythology}}
{{Anglo-Saxon paganism}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aesir}}
[[Category:Æsir| ]]
[[Category:Deities| ]]
[[Category:Germanic paganism]]