Study › Runes & Norse › Aegir the Brewer and Ran of the Net
Aegir is the sea giant of Norse mythology, a great brewer who hosts the gods' feasts in his hall under the waves. His wife Ran catches the drowned in her net. Their nine daughters are the waves.
Who are Aegir and Ran?
Aegir is the giant of the sea, and Ran is his wife. Aegir is a friendly figure among the gods: a great brewer whose hall beneath the waves hosts their feasts, lit not by fire but by gleaming gold. It is at Aegir's feast that the gods quarrel with Loki in Lokasenna, and it is for his brewing that Thor fetches the giant cauldron of Hymir.
They are called the Brewer and the Net for what they do. Aegir brews ale for the gods and hosts their feasts in his hall under the sea. Ran has a net, and with it she catches those who drown.
Ran and the drowned
Ran is the darker side of the sea. She owns a net in which she catches those who drown, and the dead of the sea are said to go to her hall. One saga tells of sailors carrying a little gold when the sea grew dangerous, so as not to come to her hall empty-handed.
The nine waves
Their nine daughters are the waves themselves, and their names describe the sea: among them Himinglæva, 'Heaven-Clear', Dröfn, 'Foaming', Kolga, 'Cold', and Bylgja, the Billow.
The gods quarrel with Loki at his feast in Lokasenna.
Questions
Is Aegir a god?
He is a giant, but a friendly one, counted among the gods' company.
What does Ran do?
She catches those who drown in her net and takes them to her hall.