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Oegir

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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(from Oya, "to shudder" at, to dread) or Hler (i.e. the stutterer) is the name in Northern mythology of the god of the sea or ocean. Oegir rules over the stormy, raging sea, far from land, where fishing and navigation cannot well be carried on; he is a giant, and in intercourse with the gods, whom he visits, and they in turn visit him. It was once when the gods visited him that his brewing-kettle was found two small, so that Thor had to go to the giant Hvmer, who had a kettle a mile deep. In Oegir's hair the bright gold was used instead of fire, and the ale passed round spontaneously. Some of the old Norse heroes are represented as possessing a terrifying helmet. Odin's helmet is the beaming sky; and as the dwarfs cover themselves with a helmet of fog, so Oegir wears on his brow a helmet made of dense darkness, and heaven reaching, terrifying breakers. The name of his wife, Ran (to plunder, to rob), denotes the sea, as craving its sacrifice of human life and of treasures. She has a net with which she catches those who venture out upon the sea; with her hand she is able to hold the ship fast. The ancient Norsemen believed that they who perished at sea were seized by Rau. Loke once borrowed Rau's net with which to catch the dwarf Anldvare, who in the guise of a fish dwelt in a waterfall. Oegir and Ran have nine daughters, the waves of the ocean, and their nanies represent the waves in their various magnitudes and appearances. They have pale locks and white veils, and are always angry when the wind blows. Oegir and his family were regarded as mighty beings, whose friendship was sought by the gods themselves. See Thorpe, Northern Mythol. 1:6769; Keyser, Religion of the Northmen; Anderson, Norse Mythology (Chicago, 1875), p. 343-48. ‘