Are the Aesir related to the Vanir? Also, is Loki a demigod of a Frost Giant?

fuckyeahnorsemythology:

fuckyeahnorsemythology:

Hi there @kdmullerspy

Thanks for the question! The Aesir and Vanir have different origins, but intermarriage between the two groups is exceptionally common. Most of the Aesir have at least one parent who is Vanir or Jotunn (giant). (Some scholars don’t differentiate between Vanir and Jotunn at all, actually.) One of the classic ways of interpreting their relationship is as two different tribes who have an ongoing relationship through marriage, hostage exchange and other forms of artificial kinship. This model is a little old, though, and more recently scholars have been exploring other ways of understanding this relationship.
Another common way to understand their relationship is that the Aesir are the gods who rule over human constructs and society, where as the Vanir and Jotnar rule over nature. There are multiple models to choose from, but ultimately it’s important to know that if we’re counting by blood and family lines, the distinctions between Aesir, Vanir and Jotunn are all pretty muddy.

In regard to your second question, demigod isn’t really a concept that applies in Norse mythology. The concept itself has Greek roots (I think, don’t quote me on that) and it’s just not a useful way of understanding the gods and spirits in the Nordic pantheon. Loki is Jotunn, which is commonly translated as “giant” with distinctions between “rock,” “fire,” and “ice/frost” giants in various translations. In spite of being translated as “giant” there isn’t really any consistent reason to do this. Jotnar are often sorcerers and shapeshifters who can change their size to whatever they like. Some are large, but most of the ones who appear in the two Eddas are not any different from the other gods in terms of size. However, as I noted above, most gods have at least one parent who is Jotunn or sometimes Vanir, and there’s not a clear divide between the gods and the other supernatural beings like the jotnar.

I hope this helps!

– Editor.

Reblog, since this was posted pretty late last night.