(Derived from an a.r.a. article)I've always been drawn more to Njord than Aegir, for no reason I could explain other than he seems to fit my experience of the sea.
The information concerning Aegir is slim, again demonstrating the inadequacy of the Eddas, which refer to him in the role of ale-brewer and banqueter but provide little else. To flesh it out a bit, Davidson expands on links to the Celtic traditions. Most interesting is Guerber's suggestion that Aegir is unique, not of the Aesir, the Vanir, the giants, or any of the classes of beings, and that within his realm he is omnipotent, not a trait of any of the gods. Given the role of the sea, its dominance of Midgard, its place as the probable source of life, its resistance to man's domination and habitation, its place as one of the last frontiers and some of which no one has ever seen, I find that interesting. Toward Aegir and Ran many of the ancient views look with fear and foreboding (having sailed the North Sea, it is easy enough to understand), a sharp contrast to the tales of beer-bashes. The concept of the net they employ- the god who uses the tool we employ to harvest fish to instead harvest us- is in line wih that sense. I am also taken by the fact that sailors carried bribes for them in the event of drowning, which also indicates an indifference to the works and honor that comprised their lives. It's as if to say- Tell us nothing of your deeds, instead give us something material. Odin entertains the heroic. The Valkyries watch with interest the affairs of mortal men. Aegir's guests must pay the bill for entering his realm and falling into his net.
This sailor calls instead on Njord, father of Freyr and Freyja.
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