Possiblities

[Woden Kyn]

Please don't banter or worse yet tyrannize me for simply bringing up some amusing possibilities because they do not fit your belief structure, but myths and legends have a basis in fact, and I am suggesting possibility for further study.

In May of 2010 the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany released their findings from their sequence of Neanderthal genes. They announced that 1% to 4% of all non-African people's genes are identical to the Neanderthal genetic sequencing. They also announced the potential for interbreeding between the two prior to Cro Magnons migrating to Europe.

(Using the common Norse Names) Buri begot Bor, and Bor married a Jotun Bestla. Therefore since Buri is considered not Jotun, Bor and Bestla's children would be biracial. Therefore Odin, Vile and Vi are half Jotun, half Aesir. Or half Jotun half man which makes an Aesir depending on the story.

A Jotun is mainly translated into English as "Giant", "Eater", or "Consumer" and it is important to note that by studying the tendon connections marks left on the Neanderthal bones scientist have concluded that Neanderthals, although not much taller than Cro Magnon were much heavier built and that their bodies required four to five times the nutrition of their Cro Magnon counterparts.

With this information, could it be possible that the Jotun description could potentially be a Neanderthal and that the family tree of the Aesir shows a knowledge of interbreeding between the two races? (If interbreeding did occur, we can not call Neanderthals a different species for the definition of species encompasses the ability to reproduce).

Well, due to the time, I must end with this one question, but I will be back with more possibilities later.

Woden Kyn

[Woden Kyn]

So next I'd like to add to Snorri's case that the Aesir had a connection with Asia. Obviously neither he nor I am suggesting they come from the far east but Asia minor instead. Although I am not sure if he pin pointed a place of origin (for I have not read Snorri's work) but there was a place in Iraq which had great importance in time of antiquity called Assur or sometimes Ashur which has an uncanny sound resemblance to Aesir.

Assur was the capital city from which the Assyrian Empire was named and according to archaeologists was probably settled around 2500 B.C. Like the Hellenistic Greek city states that were named after their Gods, Assur was named after the Assyrian God Assur to which their religion is thought to stretch back in to prehistory.

Although there does not appear to be any connection other than the similar sound of Aesir and Assur, it is hard to disregard that two completely different cultures with different languages from different language families used a word to describe themselves that sounds so close.

Woden Kyn

[Bathilde]

I would need to see more evidence to link the neanderthal interbreeding with homo sapiens and the stories of the north before concluding anything. Anything is possible, but I do not find it likely.

[Bathilde]

Although there does not appear to be any connection other than the similar sound of Aesir and Assur, it is hard to disregard that two completely different cultures with different languages from different language families used a word to describe themselves that sounds so close

Similar sounding words usually mean nothing.