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The Aesir numbered the
gods and
goddesses led by
Odin, the father of the Gods. The tribe of patrons
and matrons lives in
Asgard, a mighty stronghold where the
souls of the
bravest and strongest killed in battle were taken
after death by the
Valkyries.
The
Vanir were the
older of the two branches of Gods who
lived in
Vanaheim and symbolized fertility and
rebirth.
After
the
Aesir-Vanir unification, the
Aesir turned their
attention to the battle with the
Frost Giants. Many Aesir
and Vanir fell on the day of
Ragnarök, when
Loki and his children united with the giants to
attack Asgard. After Ragnarök the
world was reborn anew.
Source: Mythology of the Norse Gods (Arthur
Cotterell)
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