Editing Æsir (section)

===Relation with jötnar===
It has been proposed that most narratives in [[Old Nordic mythology]] portray existence as broadly divided into "this world", inhabited by the Æsir and men, and "the otherworld" inhabited by beings such as [[jötnar]].{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|loc=Chapter 1|pp=1–10}}{{sfn|Lummer|2021|pp=57–85}} These narratives often centre on the journey of an áss to the otherworld, either to obtain something important from there, or to resolve an issue that has arisen in Ásgarð through social exchange with the otherworld.{{sfn|Nordvig|2013|pp=380-383}} The jötnar also are presented as a constant threat to the Æsir, leading them into confrontation with Thor who stops the jötnar overrunning Ásgarð and [[Miðgarð]].{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|loc=Chapter 8|pp=109–125}}

Despite this general juxtaposition between the Æsir and the jötnar, they were not conceived of as necessarily "biologically" distinct from one another, with many of the Æsir being descended from jötnar such as Odin, Thor, and Loki.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=78,240,316}} Many Æsir also marry and have children with gýgjar (jötunn women) such as Odin, who marries [[Jörð]] and fathers Thor with her, and Freyr who weds [[Gerð]], founding the [[Yngling]] family.{{sfn|Simek|2008|pp=91,107,316-317}} In descriptions of weddings celebrated by the Æsir, the gýgjar spouses appear to be fully integrated into the Æsir.{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|pp=62-64}}{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=105}}

Furthermore, the Æsir are depicted as having strong positive relations with some jötnar such as [[Ægir]], who hosts them for a feast where they all drink together in the poem [[Lokasenna]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=107,192-193}} Other jötnar are seen by the Æsir as sources of knowledge, such as Vafþrúðnir, with whom Odin has a wisdom contest in [[Vafþrúðnismál]], and {{lang|non|Hyndla}} to whom Freyja travels in the poem [[Hyndluljóð]] to find out the lineage of [[Óttar (mythology)|Ottar]].{{sfn|Simek|2008|p=107,169-170,344-345}}