Aegir
Earth Culture of Origin
Norse
Presides Over
God of the sea, seashore, and ocean
Alternate Names
Hler, Gymir
Earth Mythological References
The son of Mistarblindi, Aegir was both worshipped and feared by sailors, for in his personification as god of the sea, he could be benevolent and rageful. It was believed that when angered, Aegir would appear on the surface in the form of storms to wreck ships. Wrecked ships were said to have gone into 'Aegir's wide jaws' and the ships' men and cargos taken by Aegir to his hall at the bottom of the ocean. To appease the god, sacrifices were made (usually prisoners) before setting sail.
Aegir was crowned with seaweed and was surrounded by nixies and mermaids in his hall under the sea by the island of Hlesey (or Hler). His wife is the sea goddess Ran, and together they had nine daughters referred to as the billow maidens, all of whom wore white robes and veils and were said to be the waves of the ocean.
Aegir was known for his hospitality and lavish entertainment of the other gods, brewing ale for them after Thor brought him a big enough kettle. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling themselves. Instead of fire, gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light.
Aegir had two devoted servants: Eldir and Fimafeng. Fimafeng was killed by god Loki (the trickster god) during a banquet the gods held at Aegir's undersea hall.
Stargate References
Aegir was the commander of the Asgard vessel Valhalla. His ship was involved in destroying the mothership of the Replicators while it approached the Asgard's new homeworld Orilla, but there were a few Replicator survivors from the explosion that still posed a problem. With the help of Jack O'Neill, who had taken a second download from an Ancient Repository of Knowledge, Thor adapted his ship, the Daniel Jackson, to emit a wave that disrupted the links the Replicators used to maintain cohesion. Even with this great victory, there were still some Replicators that managed to escape. (8.01 "New Order Part 1", 8.02 "New Order Part 2")
A few years later, the Asgard committed mass suicide when they determined that their thousands of years of cloning had doomed them to a debilitating and deadly disease. They gifted their knowledge and technology to the SGC, declaring them as "The Fifth Race" (the other four were the Ancients, Nox, Furlings, and Asgard). (10.20 "Unending")
Episodes
Related Characters
Related Articles
- Ancients
- Asgard
- Cloning
- Daniel Jackson (Ship)
- Furlings
- Nox
- Orilla
- Replicator Disruptor Technology
- Replicators
- Repository of Knowledge
- Valhalla
Further Reading
- The Gods of Norse Mythology
- Encyclopedia Mythica: Norse Mythology
- Probert Encyclopedia: Norse Mythology
Actor
- Todd Masters, Adam Behr, Geoff Redknap, Paul Hoosen, Jeny Cassady, and Brad Proctor as Asgard Puppeteers
--Mel 17:08, 26 Jan 2005 (PST)