Asgard - Home of the Aesir ( 2nd Part )

Residents: The Aesir

While not every deity or wight in Asgard is Aesir-blooded, most of them are of the lineage of this famous tribe of Gods. There are many halls in Asgard; most of the main ones are listed in the lay of Grimnismal, but there are many smaller ones satelliting around them. For example, some of Frigga's handmaidens abide with her in Fensalir; others have their own smaller halls a short distance away and merely work at Fensalir.

Unless you have made an appointment - which can consist of making an offering to a deity before you leave and then doing a divination to find out if it was accepted - it is best not to walk up to a hall and attempt to invite yourself in. These halls generally have doorkeepers, although if you are expected you may not see them. They are there to keep people out; please remember that a god's hall is their home, and not a Disney tourist attraction for you to wander through. Be as courteous as you would to any important person whose home you had never visited. Bring a gift, if possible.

When dealing with the denizens of Asgard, it is best to be as upfront as possible. Thoughts, emotions, actions and motivations, especially from a human, had best be in alignment. Deception of any sort will generally go badly for the mortal in question. They will be respectful and hospitable to those human god-servants who journey forth to Asgard on business for their respective Deities, however, hospitality is a virtue highly prized by the Aesir, and this includes the hospitality a guest shows to his or her host. Visitors may in fact be judged by the depth of their hospitality.

It is nearly impossible to bring a gift equal to the wealth and beauty of Asgard. Natives, however, value creativity and have a well defined sense of the aesthetic. Crafts, well made weapons, books (surprisingly) all make very good gifts. While they will appreciate bardic offerings and stories, do not boast of your deeds outside the bounds of truth. They do not take kindly to mortal liars and braggarts.

Places in Asgard

Bifrost

The only way in or out of Asgard from another of the worlds, for mortal spirit-workers anyway, is Bifrost the Rainbow Bridge. (It is also possible to be brought straight into some place in Asgard as soon as you start journeying, but you can bet that if this happens, you have the implicit or explicit permission of one of the regular residents to be there. Nobody gets in or out of this well-guarded province without attention.) Bifrost is not a permanent structure; it is generated by magic from a single point in Asgard, a particular tall white crag that forms part of the walls. When the Aesir have a reason to generate and drop the great rainbow, they do it - for the Dead that are welcomed in, or honored guests of any sort. The rest of the time, that point is marked by Heimdall's hall, Himinbjorg, which will be the first thing passed by any traveler across Bifrost.

Himinbjorg

Heimdall's hall, Himinbjorg, is situated at the top of Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. He is the guardian of Bifrost and lets no one through. Heimdall is Odin's son by one of Aegir and Ran's nine daughters, although he does not get along with his maternal folk and is fanatically loyal to his father. Heimdall is tall and handsome with piercing blue eyes, generally wears shining white armor and carries an impressive sword, and his teeth are entirely covered with gold and flash in the sun. We tend to associate golden teeth with replacements for rot, but Heimdall's are gold largely for ornamentation.

Himinbjorg is painted the blue of the sky, with shining windows and a white roof that looks as if it is made of clouds. The great horn, Gjallarhorn, sits beside the doorstep. It is an enormous horn, taller than a man or even a giant. When blown loudly, its blast can be heard throughout the Nine Worlds. Heimdall will blow a soft blast on it when gods and particularly honored visitors arrive via Bifrost, as a way of announcing their presence. Heimdall's horse Gulltop (Gold-Fringe) grazes behind the hall. For some reason, Heimdall does not like riding much, and only rides Gulltop on ceremonial occasions.

The Jotnar refer to Heimdall as "Sharp-Eye" (and by a few other choice names) and it is true that he has exceptionally keen senses of sight and hearing, which is why he is chosen to be the divine gate-guard. He has sacrificed an ear to Mimir's Well in exchange for exceptionally heightened senses, just as Odin sacrificed an eye for wisdom. When Heimdall was born, Odin sent him in the form of a mortal child in a boat to Midgard, where he washed up on the coast of Aurvanga-land. He was raised as a mortal, although with godlike gifts that he used to make himself a king when he came to adulthood, and sired many children. Just before death, he had his dying body placed into a boat and sent out across the waters to Vanaheim, where Odin rescued him, cleansed him of mortal flesh and made him into a young god once more. It is unclear as to whether the whole episode was arranged by Odin to get more of his own blood into the humans of Midgard or to give his new son some sympathy for Midgard's people.

Either way, it worked. Heimdall is especially fond of the mortal folk of Midgard, and is very protective of them. He will extend that fondness to a certain extent to mortals of our own world, if they seem similar to those of Midgard. He dislikes the Jotnar even more than Thor, and that includes humans with Jotnar bloodlines.

If you try to get to Asgard via the Rainbow Bridge, it is Heimdall who will decide whether or not you can pass. He doesn't let just anyone in; generally you have to have an appointment with a certain deity, or you have to have already visited Asgard in some other way (and not caused any trouble), or you had better convince him that you are a sincere worshipper of the Aesir and want nothing more than to bask in their presence. Whatever you do, don't offer him money or any gift as a means to entry, and that includes gifting him after he lets you in. He will see it as a bribe, and become very angry, and it is likely that you will be bounced out right quickly.