InNorse mythology,Ægir (anglicised asAegir,Old Norse for 'sea'),Hlér (Old Norse for 'sea'), orGymir (Old Norse less clearly for 'sea' or 'engulfer'), is ajötunn andpersonification of the sea. In the Old Norse record, Ægir hosts the gods in his halls and is associated with brewing ale. Ægir is attested as married to a goddess,Rán, who also personifies the sea, and together the two producednine daughters who personify thewaves, and Ægir's son isSnær, personified snow. Ægir may also be the father of the beautiful jötunnGerðr, wife of the godFreyr, or these may be two separate figures who share the same name (see below andGymir).
One of Ægir's names,Hlér, is the namesake of the islandLæsø (Old NorseHlésey 'Hlér's island') and perhaps alsoLejre inDenmark. Scholars have long analyzed Ægir's role in the Old Norse corpus, and the concept of the figure has had some influence in modern popular culture.
TheOld Norse nameÆgir ('sea') may stem from aProto-Germanic form*āgwi-jaz ('that of the river/water'),[1] itself aderivative of the stem*ahwō- ('river'; cf.Gothicaƕa 'body of water, river',Old Englishēa 'stream',Old High Germanaha 'river').[2]Richard Cleasby andGuðbrandur Vigfússon saw his name as deriving from an ancientIndo-European root.[3] Linguist Guus Kroonen argues that theGermanic stem*ahwō- is probably ofProto-Indo-European (PIE) origin, as it may becognate withLatinaqua (via a common form*h₂ekʷ-eh₂-), and ultimately descend from the PIE root*h₂ep- ('water'; cf.Sanskritáp- 'water',Tocharianāp- 'water, river').[2] LinguistMichiel de Vaan notes that the connection between Proto-Germanic *ahwō- and Old NorseÆgir remains uncertain, and that *ahwō- andaqua, if cognates, may also be loanwords from a non-Indo-European language.[4]
The nameÆgir is identical to a noun for 'sea' inskaldic poetry, itself a base word in manykennings. For instance, a ship is described as "Ægir's horse" and the waves as the "daughters of Ægir".[5]
Poetickennings in bothHversu Noregr byggðist (How Norway Was Settled) andSkáldskaparmál (The Language of Poetry) treat Ægir and the sea-jötunn Hlér, who lives on the Hlésey ('Hlér island', modernLæsø), as the same figure.[6][7][8]
The meaning of theOld Norse nameGymir is unclear.[9][10] Proposed translations include 'the earthly' (from Old Norsegumi), 'the wintry one' (fromgemla), or 'the protector', the 'engulfer' (fromgeyma).[9][10][11] (For more on this topic, see discussion below)
Ægir is attested in a variety of Old Norse sources.
Ægir and Rán receive mention in the poemSonatorrek attributed to 10th century IcelandicskaldEgill Skallagrímsson. In the poem, Egill laments the death of his son Böðvar, who drowned at sea during a storm. In one difficult stanza, the skald expresses the pain of losing his son by invoking the image of slaying the personified sea, personified as Ægir (Old Norseǫlsmið[r] 'ale-smith') and Rán (Ægis man 'Ægir's wife'):
|
|
The skald later references Ægir by way of the kenning 'Hlér's fire' (Hlés viti), meaninggold.[14]
In thePoetic Edda, Ægir receives mention in the eddic poemsGrímnismál,Hymiskviða,Lokasenna, and in the prose section ofHelgakviða Hundingsbana I.[15] InGrímnismál, the disguised god Odin references Ægir's status as a renowned host among the gods:
InHymiskviða, Ægir plays a major role. In the poem, the gods have become thirsty after a successful hunt, and are keen to celebrate with drink. They "shook the twigs and looked at theaugury" and "found that at Ægir's was an ample choice of cauldrons". Odin goes to Ægir, who he finds sitting in good cheer, and tells him he shall "often prepare a feast for the Æsir". Referring to Ægir as a jötunn, the poem describes how, now annoyed, Ægir hatches a plan: He asks Thor to fetch a particular cauldron, and that with it he could brew ale for them all. The gods are unable to find a cauldron of a size big enough to meet Ægir's request until the godTýr recommends one he knows of far away, setting the stage for the events of the rest of the poem.[17]
According to the prose introduction toLokasenna, "Ægir, who is also called Gymir", was hosting a feast "with the great cauldron which has just been told about", which many of the gods and elves attended. The prose introduction describes the feast as featuring gold that shimmers like fire light and ale that serves itself, and that "it was a great place of peace". In attendance also were Ægir's servers,Fimafeng andEldir. The gods praise the excellence of their service and, hearing this, Loki murders Fimafeng, enraging the gods, who chase him out to the woods before returning to drink.[18]
In the poem that follows the prose introduction (and in accompanying prose), Loki returns to the hall and greets Eldir: He says that before Eldir steps forward, he should first tell him what the gods are discussing in the hall. Eldir says that they're discussing weaponry and war, and having nothing good to say about Loki. Loki says that he will enter Ægir's halls and have a look at the feast, and with him bring quarrel and strife. Eldir notifies Loki that if he enters and causes trouble, he can expect them to return it to him. Loki enters the hall and the gods see him and become silent.[19]
InHelgakviða Hundingsbana I, a great wave is referred to as "Ægir's terrible daughter".[20]
Ægir receives numerous mentions in theProse Edda bookSkáldskaparmál, where he sits at a banquet and asks the skaldic godBragi many questions, and Bragi responds with narratives about the gods. The section begins as follows:
|
There was a figure called Ægir or Hlér; he lived on an island, which is now called Hléysey. He was very crafty in magic. He set off to visit Ásgard, and when the Æsir realized he was coming, he was given a splen did welcome, although many things were not as they seemed;[22] |
Beyond this section ofSkáldskaparmál, Ægir receives several other mentions inkennings. Section 25 provides examples for 'sea', including 'visitor of the gods', 'husband of Rán', 'father of Ægir's daughters', 'land of Rán and Ægir's daughters'. Kennings cited toskalds in this section include 'the storm-happy daughters of Ægir' meaning 'waves' (Svein) and a kenning in a fragment of a work by the 11th century Icelandic skaldHofgarða-Refr Gestsson, where Rán is referred to as 'Gymir's ...völva':
StandardizedOld Norse
- Ok sem kvað Refr:
- Fœrir bjǫrn, þar er bára
- brestr, undinna festa
- opt í Ægis kjǫpta
- *ursǫl Gymis vǫlva.[24]
Anthony Faulkes translation
- And as Ref said:
- Gymir's spray-cold spæ-wife often brings the twisted-rope-bear [ship] into Ægir's jaws [under the waves] where the wave breaks.[25]
The section's author comments that the stanza "[implies] that they are all the same, Ægir and Hler and Gymir.[26]
Chapter 33b ofSkáldskaparmál discusses why skalds may refer to gold as "Ægir's fire". The section traces the kenning to a narrative surrounding Ægir, in which the jötunn employs "glowing gold" in the center of his hall to light it "like fire" (which the narrator compares to flaming swords inValhalla). The section explains that "Ran is the name of Ægir's wife, and the names of their nine daughters are as was written above ... Then the Æsir discovered that Ran had a net in which she caught everyone that went to sea ... so this is the story of the origin of gold being called fire or light or brightness of Ægir, Ran or Ægir's daughters, and from such kennings the practice has now developed of calling gold fire of the sea and of all terms for it, since Ægir and Ran's names are also terms for the sea, and hence gold is now called fire of lakes or rivers and of all river-names."[27]
In chapter 61 provides yet more kennings. Among them the author notes that "Ran, who, it is said, was Ægir's wife" and that "the daughters of Ægir and Ran are nine".[28] In chapter 75, Ægir occurs in a list of jötnar.[29]
In what appears to be a Norwegian genealogical tradition, Ægir is portrayed as one of the three elements among the sea, the fire and the wind. The beginning of theOrkneyinga saga ('Saga of the Orkney Islanders') andHversu Noregr byggdisk ('How Norway Was Settled') tell that the jötunn kingFornjót had three sons: Hlér ('sea'), whom he called Ægir, a second named Logi ('fire'), and a third called Kári ('wind').[23]
Carolyne Larrington says that Ægir's role inHymiskviða "may reflect Scandinavian royal practices in which the king enforces his authority on his subordinates by visiting their homes and demanding to be feasted".[30] According toAndy Orchard, Ægir's role inSkáldskaparmál, where he attends a banquet rather than hosting it, could be a deliberate inversion of the traditional motif of Ægir as host.[22]
The nameGymir may indicate that Ægir was understood as the father of the beautiful jötunnGerðr; they may also have been two different figures sharing the same name (seeGymir, father of Gerðr). Both the prose introduction toLokasenna andSkáldskaparmál state that Ægir is also known asGymir, the father of the jötunnGerðr.[31]Rudolf Simek argues that, if understood to be two different entities, this may stem from an erroneous interpretation of kennings in which different jötunn-names are used interchangeably.[32]
As highlighted above inSkáldskaparmál, the name of the islandLæsø inDenmark references Hlér (Old NorseHléysey 'Hlér's Island'). Simek speculates that Hlér may therefore have been seen as something of an ancestor of the island.[7]
Some medieval Danish chronicles mention Hler and connect him with a figure namedSnær (Old Norse 'snow'). In the Latin-languageChronicon Lethrense ("Chronicle ofLejre"; the nameLejre may, likeLæsø, derive from Hler[7]) and Old DanishGesta Danorum på danskæ, a giant named Lae (or Lee) who lived on the island of Leshø had a shepherd named Snyo (or Snio, from Old NorseSnær 'Snow'). When Raka, thedog king of the Danes had died, Lae sent Snyo to win the kingship of Denmark from KingAthisl of Sweden, which he did. King Snyo was cruel to his subjects, and only a man named Røth (or Roth) would stand up to him. Snyo sent Røth to Lae's island to ask Lae how King Snyo would die, but expecting that Røth would die in the attempt. Lae refused to answer Røth's request until Røth had said three truthful things. Røth said that he had never seen thicker walls on a house than on Lae's, that he had never seen a man with so many heads as Lae, and that if he got away from there, he would never long to be back. Lae therefore released Røth and prophesied that Snyo would die from being bitten to death by lice. In theChronicon Lethrense, Røth only announces this in Snyo's court before lice erupt from Snyo's nostrils and ears to eat him to death; in theGesta Danorum på danskæ, Lae gives Røth a pair of gloves for Snyo, who is eaten to death by lice when he pulls them on.
Scholars have often discussed Ægir's role as host to the gods and his description as a jötunn. Anthony Faulkes observes that Ægir is "often described by modern writers as god of the sea" yet that he is nowhere described as a god in theProse Edda and appears in a list of jötnar inSkáldskaparmál.[33] According to John Lindow, since his wife Rán is listed among the Ásynjur (goddesses) in the same part of theProse Edda, and since he had a close and friendly relationship with theÆsir (gods), Ægir's description as a jötunn appears questionable.[5] Andy Orchard argues on the contrary that Ægir's inclusion among the Æsir is probably a late development since his daughters are described as jötnar and some sources mention him as the descendant of the jötunnFornjót.[34] According toRudolf Simek, while attested as a jötunn, Ægir "has characteristics" of a sea god.[35]
The mineralaegirine, first described from samples inKongsberg, Norway, in 1821, was named after Ægir.[36]
Ægir has been the subject of a variety of art pieces. These include Swedish artistNils Blommér's paintingNäcken och Ägirs döttrar (1850); Swedish sculptor'sJohan Peter Molin's (d. 1874) fountain reliefÆgir; and German illustratorEmil Doepler'sÆgir (1901).[37]
He is also the namesake of a Norwegiancorvette produced in 1967 (Ægir), a coastal defense ship in theImperial German Navy,[37] as well asmany other ships.
Anexoplanet,Epsilon Eridani b, discovered in 2000, was formally named Ægir.[38]
Ægir is also referenced in modern popular culture. SuperheroShoto Todoroki, in the Japanese anime and manga seriesBoku no Hero Academia, has a move called the "Great Glacial Aegir".[citation needed]
Planet name: AEgir | Original designation: Epsilon Eridani b
