The Aesir

The Aesir were one of the two tribes of Norse gods, natives of Asgard known for their war-like nature and their association with knowledge. Descended from the slain primordial Ymir and ruled by their king Odin, they claimed dominion over all of creation, and their cruelty toward the Jotnar set in motion the events that would bring Kratos and Atreus against them.

Origins from Ymir#

The tribe of the Aesir were descendants of the primordial Jotunn Ymir, the first sentient being of the World Tree. First among them was Buri, who was followed by his son Borr and then by his grandsons Odin, Vili, and Ve. It was not long after their creation that the Aesir came to believe themselves so superior that they should hold dominion over all of creation. Their king Odin raised arms alongside his brothers against their own progenitor and slew Ymir, leaving the realms at the mercy of Asgard.

War upon the Jotnar#

Because of Odin's ancient deed, the Jotnar of Jotunheim and the Aesir always held bitter resentment toward one another, with the Raven God forever seeking ways to wipe the Giants out entirely. Envious and paranoid of their innate gift of foresight, and disturbed by their strange connection to his own death, Odin at last resolved to commit genocide against the Jotnar using his extended Aesir tribe. After a failed attempt at peace arranged by the diplomatic god Tyr, whom Odin used unwittingly to steal secrets from Jotunheim, the Allfather turned the strength of Thor to the slaughter of Giants across Midgard, and the shrines of the Jotnar showed that Thor was not the only god to take part in the brutality. At some point after the Aesir were expelled from Jotunheim, Tyr was imprisoned by Odin.

War with the Vanir#

Besides the Giants, the Aesir held simmering tensions with their rival tribe, the Vanir. When the Aesir attempted to murder one of the Vanir leaders, Freyr, after that tribe's own attempts at diplomacy, open war finally broke out between the two factions of gods. Though the Aesir won easily in contests of raw power, the Vanir proved their equal and dealt them devastating harm, and the battles raged on for centuries. At last both sides, having no choice but to compromise, agreed to end the senseless conflict. Mimir served as ambassador between the tribes and proposed that Odin marry one of the Vanir leaders, Freya, which finally brought peace. But Odin's increasing paranoia drove Freya away, and the Allfather cursed her and blocked all travel to Vanaheim, Asgard, and Svartalfheim.

Strength and scorn for magic#

The Aesir were a powerful tribe who valued strength above all else, remaining unchallenged until they met their match in the Vanir, and it was implied that the Jotnar too could rival them in power and combat. Yet for all their might, Mimir judged them lacking in strategy, coordination, and planning, which was why he had served as Odin's adviser. Most of the Aesir looked down on the practice of magic, considering it beneath them and relying solely on brute force and skill in combat, even mocking the Allfather for learning the mystic arts himself. Some among them could wield elemental power all the same. Baldur imbued his attacks with light and later with ice and fire, Thor and his children commanded lightning, and Odin could call upon fire, ice, and earth. Above all the Aesir feared and despised whatever they could not predict or control, a dread that lay behind both their scorn for magic and Odin's restless hunting after prophecy.

Members and downfall#

The Aesir counted among their number the royal line of Buri, Borr, Bestla, and their descendants, including Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve, his sons Thor, Heimdall, and Baldur, and later generations such as Magni, Modi, and Thrud. Others stood apart from the tribe's cruelty, among them Mimir, the imprisoned Tyr, and Bragi. In more recent times, several of the Aesir came into contact with what they took to be a surviving Jotunn guardian and his son in Midgard. In the destruction of Asgard during Ragnarok, the Aesir at last met their long-due comeuppance, a downfall that freed the Nine Realms from their control and avenged the Giants for all they had suffered.