Æsir
/ˈeɪsɪr/noun
In Norse mythology, the principal group of gods, especially including Odin and Thor.
Did you know?Æsir is the plural of Old Norse áss, a word tied to the same Indo-European root as Latin Jupiter’s divine family and even Sanskrit asura, showing how ancient cultures encoded sacred power into language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ens-
“To breathe, be alive, or be a divine being”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ansuz
“A god or divine being”
Old Norse
ON
áss / æsir
“A god; the gods”
Middle English
English
Asen / Æsir
“The Norse gods, known from saga and myth”
Modern English
English
Æsir
“The principal gods of Norse mythology”