Æsir

Æ·sir
UK/ˈeɪsɪə/UK/ˈaɪsɪə/UK/ˈiːsə/US/ˈeɪ(ˌ)sɪɹ/

proper noun

The principal group of benevolent deities in the Norse pantheon, representing power and war; opponents of the Vanir.

OriginOld Norse æsir ← Proto-Norse *ᚨᛊᚢᛉ (*asuʀ) ← Proto-Germanic *ansuz →
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Meanings

proper nounÆsir (singular Áss, sometimes Aes)

singular Áss · sometimes Aes · alternative Aesir · alternative aesir · alternative æsir

  1. The principal group of benevolent deities in the Norse pantheon, representing power and war; opponents of the Vanir.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ems-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂émsus
  3. Proto-Germanic*ansuz
  4. Proto-Norse*ᚨᛊᚢᛉ (*asuʀ)
  5. Old Norseæsir
  6. EnglishÆsir

Borrowed from Old Norse æsir (nominative plural of áss), from Proto-Germanic *ansuz (“god”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂émsus, from *h₂ems- (“to engender, beget”); cf. Old English ēse, Sanskrit असुर (ásura). Doublet of Asura and Ahura.

More words from Old Norse, Proto-Germanic, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan asos
  • asosthe principal Norse gods
Chinese Mandarin 阿薩神族 /阿萨神族
  • 阿薩神族 /阿萨神族 (Āsà shénzú)the principal Norse gods
Danish aser
  • aserthe principal Norse gods
Dutch Asen
  • Asenthe principal Norse gods
Estonian aasid
  • aasidthe principal Norse gods
Finnish aasat
  • aasatthe principal Norse gods
French Ase
  • Asethe principal Norse gods
German Asen
  • Asenthe principal Norse gods
Icelandic æsir
  • æsirthe principal Norse gods
Italian Asi
  • Asithe principal Norse gods
Japanese アース神族, アサ神族
  • アース神族 (Āsu shinzoku)the principal Norse gods
  • アサ神族 (Asa shinzoku)the principal Norse gods
Korean 애시르
  • 애시르 (Aesireu)the principal Norse gods
Latin Ansis
  • Ansisthe principal Norse gods
Norwegian Bokmål æsene
  • æsenethe principal Norse gods
Portuguese Aesir, Æsir
  • Aesirthe principal Norse gods
  • Æsirthe principal Norse gods
Russian а́сы
  • а́сы (ásy)the principal Norse gods
Spanish æsir
  • æsirthe principal Norse gods
Swedish asar, åsar
  • asarthe principal Norse gods
  • åsarthe principal Norse gods
Cite this entry
APA

Æsir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%86sir

MLA

“Æsir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%86sir. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Æsir,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%86sir.

Source: Æsir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.