Asgardian Pantheon

The Asgardian pantheon is a tight pantheon of gods residing chiefly in the divine realm of Asgard on the first layer of the Heroic Domains of Ysgard in The Outer Planes. They are sometimes called the Aesir.

Organization

Technically, the gods of Asgard are the Aesir, and the gods of the neighboring realm of Vanaheim on the same layer are the Vanir. However, there was a good deal of marriages and mixing of blood between the two groups of powers, and so many scholars consider both to be the collective whole of the Asgardian pantheon. The Aesir are properly the family of Odin, while the Vanir are better considered "cousins". The two separate families have a history of feuds. The two groups maintain a treaty that stipulates that Frey and his sister Freya, of the Vanir, must spend part of each year living in Asgard among the aesir. To many mortals, the Asgardian pantheon seem like a rowdy group of deities, relative to other pantheons, but they have a strong leader in Odin All-Father. This does not by any means imply that all members of this pantheon follow Odin's orders, but they all share a unifying goal of maintaining their powerful realms in Ysgard. Despite their chaotic mindsets, they are organized enough to hold the largest divine realm in Ysgard and are the most powerful group of the whole plane.

Members

The following are the currently known living members of the Asgardian Pantheon: Freya

Freya is a Vanir member of the Asgardian Pantheon and an ajami deity, worshiped by the efreet of the City of Brass of the Elemental Plane of Fire.

Heimdall

Heimdall is the Asgardian deity of guardianship, loyalty, and light.

Kord

Kord is the god of Athletics, Sports, Brawling, Strength, and Courage.

Loki

Loki is the deity of mischief and strife within the Asgardian Pantheon.

Odin

Odin All-Father is the leader of the Asgardian pantheon, the most powerful of their number, and the supposed father of Tyr, god of justice of the Astoran pantheon.

Tyr

Tyr, known as Anachtyr in Calimshan, is a greater god of the Asgardian Pantheon, but is also worshipped as the god of law and justice in the Astoran pantheon and leads the coalition of deities known as the Triad.

Uller

Uller is a deity in the Asgardian Pantheon, where he is the god of hunting and archery. He is the son of Sif and Thor, and husband of the giantess Skadi. He is best known for his skill at archery and skiing. He is considered by some to be one of the Vanir, although his parents are Aesir, perhaps because he built his hall on the plains of Vanaheim in what is now Asgard.

Former Members

The following gods were once considered part of the Asgardian pantheon, but have since either left or been slain. Baldur: god of beauty and daughter of Odin and Frigga, Baldur was slain by the detonation of The God Bomb during the Godswar.. Braggi: god of poetry and music, Braggi did not travel into realmspace with the rest of the Asgardian pantheon. Frigga: wife to Odin and mother of several Asgardian gods, she was slain by the God Bomb. Hel: goddess of death, disease, and the underworld. Hel did not travel into realmspace with the rest of the Asgardian pantheon. Thor: god of thunder and lightning, and son of Odin and Frigga, Thor died to The God Bomb during the Godswar.

History

The Asgardian Pantheon is not native to this realmspace, migrating from am unknown universe during the Godswar. After their arrival, they found a home within the Heroic Domains of Ysgard, crafting their realm and establishing themselves within The Outer Planes. Along with the other interloper pantheons that arrived at this time, they were slow to garner acceptance amongst the native gods, but eventually settled into a status-quo and cemented their alliances and enemies amonst their new brethren. Though heavily invested in the affairs of their followers, the Asgardian Pantheon does little to attempt to spread their faith beyond the descendants of the former natives of their home realm, though whether it is out of lack of interest or lack of desire to further incense the native pantheons is unknown.

Myths and Legends

In addition to Asgard and Vanaheim, the Asgardian powers also control much of the realms of Alfheim and Jotunheim. They also control and defend a unique means of planar travel known as the Bifrost, or the Rainbow Bridge, which can connect to any location on the Material Plane. The Bifrost is their own creation and is strongly protected. The Asgardian powers are served by a host of Valkyries and Einherji. Legends claim that the World Ash, Yggdrasil, is the true source of the power of the Asgardian gods and goddesses, and it is prophesied that Nidhogg would eventually gnaw through the tree's roots, leading to the fall of the pantheon. Many of the pantheon's members enjoy exploring the Material Plane in disguise as mortals. Most of the members of the pantheon share an outlook that holds that bravery is proven by the endurance of pain, and, as a result of this, in the realms of Asgard and Vanaheim, many aesir and vanir do not permit healing spells to function (The Asgardian powers, in general, pay more attention to magic performed on their plane than other deities do).