Aegir: Sea Lord, Norse Mead-Brewer, and King of Party

Aegir was among the most incredibly powerful figure in Norse mythology. He was the Lord of the Sea who ruled the high waves. Deep under the ocean stood the golden hall of Aegir when he often held luxurious parties with the mead he brewed himself. No one in Norse mythology possessed better mead-brewing skill than Aegir. 

WHO WAS ACTUALLY AEGIR?

Aegir was not a god actually. He was the giant who could live harmoniously with the gods. Like Loki, Aegir got along well with the Aesir gods and much better than Loki did. 

The Vikings held Aegir the giant in high esteem because he was the Lord of the Ocean 

Some sources claim that Aegir was actually the brother of Loki. However, this remains a mystery which might receive no answer. 

The lord of the sea in Norse mythology

Aegir was the husband of Ran who was from the Jotun (giant) tribe. Ran was the sea giant who sought the men drowning on the sea. Unlike her friendly husband, Ran was somewhat cruel. The couple had nine daughters who embodied the waves of the ocean. 

Odin once fell in love with nine daughters of Aegir and Ran. He married them immediately when he saw them for the first time. Then they produced god Heimdall who later became the guardsman of Asgard.

That is to say, Aegir was the father-in-law of Odin the Allfather and the grandfather of God Heimdall. 

The best Norse mead-brewer

In Norse mythology, Aegir the giant was famous for his mead brewing skills. He could produce the mead of best quality. Odin the Allfather once said that the mead made by his father-in-law was the best he had ever tried. 

This Lord of the Sea brewed his mead with Nine Daughters. They produced the liquid in the biggest cauldron. 

Aegir and his Nine Daughters brewed the mead in the enormous cauldron

The huge cauldron coming to the hand of Aegir was a long story. Once the gods were in the feast, they realized that the banquet served no mead. Aegir explained that he had no cauldron huge enough to brew the mead. Then Thor set out to the land of Jotunheim to acquire the cauldron for the Lord of the Sea. On his travel, he encountered his sworn enemy who was Jormungand. The final result was that no fatality was recorded and Thor won the cauldron. From that moment on, Aegir had the most fitting cauldron for any occasion. 

The king of the party

Besides being the best mead-brewer in Nine Worlds, Aegir was so friendly that he showed his hospitality by inviting many figures to his hall. 

Most of the time, he held the most luxurious feasts in the hall. Everyone in the Nine Worlds loved mead. And Aegir always served the best mead in his party, everyone loved his party. 

EMBODIMENT OF THE OCEAN AND VIKING VIEWPOINT ON THE SEA

Saying that Aegir was among the most powerful figures in Norse mythology was not undeserved. 

One of the reasons why the Vikings worshipped Thor and Odin was because they were the warriors. This meant they wished for the strength of Thor and the wisdom of Odin in the battle. And what made the Vikings famous was their triumph over the ocean. So having the bravery, strength, and wisdom was not enough. They needed the support from the Lord of the Sea who was not always friendly with the seafarers. 

Sometimes, these seafarers sacrificed part of their victims or slaves to the ocean for Aegir the giant of the sea

At the party, he might be a kind and nice man to the gods. But he could also be cruel as the Lord of the Sea. The Vikings who made their name known with the ships held Aegir in a very high esteem. Some accounts described that the Vikings sacrificed some of their victims to Aegir when voyaging. And another reason for their respect was because Aegir was the best mead producer and the Vikings loved mead. 

On the other hand, Aegir was the embodiment of the calm sea while his wife was representative of the dangers in the deep ocean.