Note 605 — Chapter XVIII · RELIGION IN THE HEROIC AGE.

There is an unfortunate ambiguity about the history of the word Áss. In Old Norse it is applied both to Thor and Othin, as well as other gods, while Aesir (pl.) denotes the gods collectively and Ásgarðr their home (quite distinct from Valhalla). In Gothic however the same word (pl. ansis) seems to have meant a dead hero (cf. p. 172, note). If this was its original meaning—a view somewhat favoured by Skr. asu, Av. anhu, 'spirit,'—we must conclude that the terms Ásgarðr and Aesir (also Áss, as applied to Thor) have undergone a complete change of meaning in Old Norse. Such a change could be explained satisfactorily by the (poetic) inclusion of θεοὶ οὐράνιοι and θεοὶ νέρτεροι in one pantheon; but in that case the doctrine of Valhalla, or something very much like it, must be of great antiquity. This explanation is perhaps favoured by the popular use of Aasgaardsreia for the Wild Hunt in Norway.