Wednesbury Shire

Éagor does not appear in any of the continental sources or the Anglo-Saxon ones.  However, the cognate of his Norse name Ægir did in the form of Éagor "flood, high tide." Apollonaris Sidonius also commented that when the Saxons would sail they would sacrifice one of every ten  prisoners by drowning or hanging him the night before.  Ermoldus Nigelus writing about 826 CE said the Danes, the Saxons neighbors on the continent worshipped Neptune. While Neptune may have been Njordhr, it is likely that such sacrifices were to Éagor or Ran as both were the closest thing the ancient Germanics seem to have had in the way of sea Gods. Snorri identifies him with Hlér "the shelterer" and Gymir "Concealer."  Gymir was also the name of Gearde (Gerd)'s father, but it is not known if they are one and the same. The Vikings refered to the River Eider as "Ægir's Door." The name Eider its self meant "sea monster" in Old English. Éagor is not listed amongst the Ése (Æsir) or Wen (Vanir), however they do frequent his hall, and as such he played a major role in the Norse myths.

In the Eddas, Éagor is portrayed as brewer of the Gods. The hall in the symbel portrayed in the Lokasenna Éagor's. The drown were seen as going to his hall, and those that had gold for Ran were treated kindly. Egil after one of his sons drowned, said in his poem Sonatorrek, "Could I have avenged my cause with the sword, the Ale brewer would be no more."  Generally though it is Ran and not her husband that is accredited with the taking of life. Her name means "robber," and she was said to have a great net which with to drag down men. This is  not much unlike the nixies of Germany folklore.  Many areas believed that if the river nixies were not given a life a year, they would take one of their own. Apollonaris Sidonius siad in his commentary on the Saxons that they loved storms at sea so they could take foes by surprise. This was their reason for giving one man in ten chosen by lot to the sea, to keep them safe in the storms. Éagor and Ran were said to have nine daughters named in Norse as Himminglæva, Dufa, Blóðhadda, Hefring, Unn, Hrónn, Bylgja, Bara, and Kolga.

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