Category:Aesir



AESIR "Tall and fair and blue eyed. Their god is Ymir, the frost giant, and each tribe has its own King. They are wayward and fierce. They fight all day and drink ale and roar their wild songs all night."-The Phoenix on the Sword After the Cataclysm destroyed the civilizations of the world, humanity again began its fight for dominance. A primitive people, only slightly more evolved than the Neanderthal, travelled north and fought the snow-apes. They drove these monsters north of the arctic circle to perish and occupied the cold northern lands as conquerors. Over the next several thousand years these snow-apes managed to evolve into gigantic blonde arctic savages and pushed back south. A thousand years later, they finally pushed the Hyborians south and established Nordheim. These barbarians split into two major groups based primarily on hair-color. Those with red hair went west of the Blue Mountains and those with yellow hair went to the east of that range. The yellow haired Aesir settled in the inland portion of Nordheim and called it Asgard. They are not Hyborian and their bloodlines remain pure.

Asgard is the eastern part of Nordheim. The Aesir are a numerous people but Asgard is not a unified kingdom serving one supreme king. Essentially the Aesir are a village based people who are bound only by a common way of life.

The Aesir are fierce warriors, proud and honorable. With white hot enthusiasm they pursue life, facing death fearlessly with a song on their lips. They are giant men who value honor, loyalty and reputation above all things, for their land is harsh. Even the women are strong, running households while the men war with each other across the icy plains and mountains.

Description
The blond-haired, blue-eyed Aesir are a virile and rough hewn race of hunters and axe-wielding warriors who fight by day and carouse by night. Unlike the Vanir they are in general welcoming to peaceful strangers, though they constantly raid foreign lands and can be vicious when abroad on one of their forays.

Ferocity and courage are not the only measure of manhood among the Aesir. Self-esteem is also valued and to some degree self-esteem revolves around appearance. Using combs made from antlers, they groom themselves daily, braiding their hair, moustaches and beards. Many carry small tools to clean their fingernails and ears. Bathing and using saunas at least once a week is considered the norm.

Clothing
Aesir men wear trousers, tunics, coats and cloaks, usually made from hide, leather, worsted wool or linen. Most wool is dyed red, blue, brown or yellow, although some is not dyed at all if its natural color is pleasing.

Behavior and Notable Oddities
The Aesir feast in a loud, boisterous fashion and often engage in ‘friendly’ brawls when drunk.

In addition to grooming, self-esteem includes a measure of status. Status among the Nordheimer is achieved through combat prowess or wealth. The display of wealth gives status. Their clothes and armor have coins sewn onto them. Coins are also hung on chains and worn as jewelry, displayed with arrogant pride. Jewelry is equally prized by men as by the women. Precious metals are often melted down and recast as wearable items, such as bracelets or armlets.

Their favored weapons are the broadsword and the axe. Hunting and war spears are also commonly seen. However they frown upon the use of bows, which they perceive a dishonorable weapon used by cowards.

The Aesir are the blood enemies of the Vanir, the red-haired barbarians of Vanaheim. Eons of feuding ensure that there will never be an easy peace between these two peoples.

The Aesir fear the Hyperboreans, knowing what dark arts they practice in the land, and that of those who venture there, few return.

The Aesir also have an animosity for Cimmerians, believing their presence in Asgard is for spying purposes or declaring war.

Aesir rarely burn a village they plunder, preferring to leave their targets fairly intact to allow the survivors to rebuild and provide another lucrative target in the future.

Religion

 * Ymir
 * Afterlife
 * Seid (Shamanism)

The Nordheimer worship Ymir, the Frost Giant King. Dread Ymir rules icy Valhalla, a realm of long halls, snowy glaciers and eternal drinking, wenching and fighting. The dead dwell there. Ymir represents the Earth to the Nordheimer and both the Vanir and the Aesir spring from Ymir. Battle for the Nordheimer is not only the basis of their economy and social life, it is also the basis of their religious life, for Ymir is worshipped by doing battle all day, then eating, drinking and singing all night. Indeed, even those activities have religious merit, for ale is the drink of bold Ymir and, as such, is sacred and consumed in large quantities. It is said among the Nordheimer that it is possible to come into direct contact with Ymir by drinking yourself unconscious. Thus, inebriation is a religious obligation as well as a social activity.

It is likely that there are regional gods in Nordheim as well, considering the Nordheimer and their life-style. They have no unified government to enforce anything. If there are such local gods among the Nordheimer, the Conan saga does not mention them. Any local gods are subordinate to Ymir, in any case.

Afterlife - The Nordheimer s believe in an afterlife and the afterlife often mirrors how one lives life and meets one’s doom. For the common folk, the afterlife is dull and dreary, a life spent gathering and serving the warriors. For valiant warriors, however, the afterlife is filled with fighting and feasting in the snowy plains and halls of Valhalla.

Personal Religion - Nordheimers have no time or interest in priests to interpret Ymir for them. Each man is his own intermediary to Ymir. Religion is viewed as a personal matter.

Places of Worship - The Nordheimer keep no temples to Ymir but they acknowledge many sacred outdoor sites, such as mountains, islands, fields, rocks and groves.

Sacrifices - Three times per year the Nordheimer hold ceremonies to placate Ymir, asking for victory in war and raiding, making sacrifices of animals and humans, feasting on steaming food hot from the fires, drinking ale in fantastic quantities and singing lustful songs celebrating their wars and heroes.

Völva - The Nordheimer do have shamans and oracles but they have more political and medical functions than religious ones. Male shamans are called Godi. Female shamans are called völva and practices seid, the Nordheimer version of Shamanism.

Seid - is considered unmanly in Nordheimer tradition, so almost all völvas are female. A few men, however, especially after a near-death experience, do take up the path. Seid is considered unmanly because it is a manipulative practice, which runs counter to the Nordheimer code of forthright behavior for men. Old women völvas are seen as representatives of the spirits of death. The primary forms of magic practiced by völvas are Divination, Hypnotism, Nature Magic and Curses. Really old and powerful völvas practice necromancy.

Government
The Nordheimer villages are ruled by kings, who can be any warrior able to maintain a following, as chosen during the Thing, which is the democratic body that deals with legislative or social issues. Any Nordheimer free man is a member of the Thing and can have his say and cast his vote. The Vanir see the Thing as a social setting for war, the arena in which most social combats are fought.

The Vanir have many kings, for each village is like a kingdom unto itself. A king, to the Nordheimer, is any local warrior who can maintain a following, using both income and honor to hold on to that following. The king always leads his warriors into battle, which means that most kings die young but with barbaric honor and pride.

The chieftain has the social responsibility of enforcing the laws of Nordheimer society. A chieftain is expected to be generous in all things and to protect the honor of the clan against outsiders. The chieftain must be a good leader, a powerful warrior, an excellent speaker and an inspiration to his men. He is required to attend every Thing lest he lose his position. The Hirðmaðr are those who have sworn Allegiance to the king or chieftain and fight by his side. The Jarls are the upper class, the wealthiest of Nordheimer. Below them are the commoners: landowners and land-workers. Beneath them are the slaves (thralls).

Economy and Common Professions
War is an essential component in the lives of the Nordheimers. War is not only their social and religious setting, war is also the basis of their economy. Annual raids is the cornerstone in their economy where they acquire precious metals, usually silver, used for trade. They pay for goods with coin or an appropriate weight in silver cut off from their jewelry. The Aesir rarely carry purses or sacks of coin because of the noise. It is easier and quieter to recast coins as a bracelet and then just slice off pieces as needed. The Aesir also engage in barter for trade goods. Of course, their preferred manner of acquiring necessities is to raid a rival for them.

The frigid northlands are not suited for agriculture and the Nordheimer do not practice anything beyond bare subsistence farming. The Aesir do not herd great herds of animals either. They hunt for their livelihood as befits a warrior race. Their wasteland realm is not as barren of life as one might suppose at first glance. The frozen mountains and icy plains support bear, mammoths, moose, reindeer and similar beasts of the wild. Wild fruits and berries supplement the Aesir diet. Dependent upon wildlife, Aesir villages, built using whatever materials are close at hand or can be readily raided, are usually erected near known animal trails and water.

Common Professions:
 * Hunter
 * Warrior

Sex Roles and Marriage
Though the Nordheimer women do not usually fight alongside the men in war, they are charged with the responsibility of managing and defending their longhouses while the warriors are away. Many a female Nordheimer has won renown by beating off a horde of raiders with a broadsword or battle-axe to protect her home and children.

Nordheimer women enjoy an unusual degree of freedom compared to the Hyborian kingdoms in the south. They can own property, request a divorce and reclaim their dowries if their marriage ends. Though the men are the ruler of the house, the woman plays an active role in managing her husband, as well as the household. Nordheimer women have full authority in the domestic sphere, especially when their husbands are absent. If the man of the household dies, his wife will adopt his role on a permanent basis, singlehandedly running the family farm or trading business.

Families negotiate to arrange marriages, but the woman usually have a say in the arrangement. If a woman wants a divorce, she has to call witnesses to her home and marriage bed, and declare in front of them that she has divorced her husband.

Slavery
Thralls are not protected by the law but are treated as property. Killing a slave is not murder, so the killer need only replace the slave if it was owned by someone else. Children born of slaves are the property of their mothers’ owners. Slaves work hard and the only thing they are allowed to own are knives. Slaves are captured during raids into Pictland, Asgard, Nordheim, Cimmeria, the Border Kingdom and Hyperborea. Other Nordheimer might become slaves if they find themselves unable to pay the mulct (fine) imposed by the Thing or unable to provide for themselves and/or their families.

Influences
Architectural influences: Vendel period and Viking Age.

The Aesir and Vanir do not build cities. The Nordheimer villages are ruled by kings in an uncounted number of villages and towns. A tribe or clan usually owns around 18 farms, however the frigid northlands are not suited for agriculture and the Nordheimer do not practice anything beyond bare subsistence farming. The Aesir do not herd great herds of animals either. Dependent upon wildlife, Aesir villages, built using whatever materials are close at hand or can be readily raided, are usually erected near known animal trails and water. In the center of these villages stand the largest and longest of the many buildings. This great hall is the home of the local king.

''Tip: Use T2 wooden building style as much as possible. Do not build large medieval-style castles and cities, very high towers, massive stone structures with multiple stories. Start with a longhouse, then, if a Nordheimer clan is established, expand to a settlement of several longhouses and huts. Ideally, there should be no walls, but considering the PVP and Purge threats, settlement can be surrounded by walls and palisades with guard towers of average height.''

More Information
RPGS:
 * Return to the Road of Kings (Nordheim - Asgard and Vanaheim, p 156-159)
 * Faith and Fervor (Nordheimer Religion, p 61-62)