#allspeak

Skin/hair/eye colors: Æsir have the same range of pigmentation, hair type, and eye shapes as humans.

Physical advantages: Æsir are stronger, faster, more durable, and more resistant to temperature than humans.

Physical disadvantages: Due to their denser muscle and bone structure, Æsir are much less flexible than humans. They also struggle with swimming for the same reasons.

Mental health: Most Æsir struggle with numerous mental health issues. It is believed, however, that these are caused by severe trauma and are generally not naturally occurring.

Dietary needs: Æsir require 2-3 times the amount of caloric intake compared to the average human. Æsir are much denser and require more protein and fat than the average human, but require less fiber and sugar as well.

Dietary restrictions: Æsir, oddly enough, are absolutely incapable of digesting corn. Rice, pineapple, most chili peppers, and mistletoe are very common allergens.

Medical capabilities: Æsir are very medically advanced. They understand how and why their bodies work and how to fix almost anything that goes wrong. They also have a deep understanding of genetics. They know which genes cause which traits.

Method of procreation: The Æsir method of procreation is identical to the human method.

Average lifecycle: Æsir women are pregnant for 14 months. The babies are much like human babies; they cannot walk, speak, and are not truly aware of themselves or their surroundings. Æsir children age at appropriately the same rate as human children, but much more slowly. They become adults at the age of 50. After they become adults, they age even more slowly, living an average of 5,000 years. The oldest recorded Æsir lived to be 5,893 years old.

Cultural values: Family, honor, and bravery are all very important to the Æsir.

Cultural norms (food): Æsir usually eat with their hands or a spoon. It is culturally acceptable to be very messy while eating, and after the meal, it is good manners to lick your fingers.

Cultural norms (gender): In the past, the Æsir have had very strict gender roles and expectations. The men were warriors, politicians, lawmakers, and physical laborers. The women were teachers, healers, magic users, and homemakers. The only profession NOT dictated by sex were the arts. In the last hundred years, the Æsir have lost a vast majority of their men. Male Æsir only make up 15% of New Asgard's population and, as such, traditional gender roles are no longer possible to maintain.

Cultural norms (clothing): Æsir men dress very modestly. Clothes extend from the throat to the wrists and ankles, and shoes are always worn in public. Men who wear short sleeves, shorts, low-cut shirts, or sandals are seen as promiscuous. Æsir women are not required to be so modest. Respectable women can expose their arms, neck, and legs up to their knees.

Marriage traditions: Æsir couples begin a relationship by courting. They will court for usually at least a decade, but a century long courtship is not unheard of. Once the couple is ready to be married, the man will propose by giving the woman a gift of his trade and asking her hand in marriage. If both people in the relationship are of the same sex, one will generally take the masculine role, and the other, the feminine role. Wedding are a huge deal in Æsir cultures. The couple will invite all of their family and friends and often even strangers. The ceremony is usually held outside. The couple will take each other's hands and swear an oath to be true and to protect each other. After the ceremony, there is a feast and a lot of dancing.

Relationships within species: Æsir, like humans, are very social and require a certain level of companionship. Relationships (both platonic and romantic) take much longer to develop, however, as they can last for thousands of years.

Relationships outside of species: Æsir don't often form relationships (platonic or romantic) outside of their own species due to the difference in lifespan. When they do form such relationships, they other person is usually kept at arms length.

Languages: The Asgardian language is very similar to Icelandic and it is believed that Icelandic evolved from this language.

Allspeak: Æsir have developed a magical linguistic technique they call "Allspeak". Allspeak allows the Æsir to understand and be understood in any language. It does not, however, translate written language.

Alphabet: The Æsir use Nordic runes instead of the Latin or Cyrillic alphabets of their neighbors.

The arts:  Æsir are very fond of all types of art. Their favorites tend to be painting/murals, sculpting, music, and theater. Paintings and murals are a common medium for recording history. There is currently a team of New Asgardians (led by Jorrun Ormdottir) attempting to paint as much of Asgard’s history as possible. Sculpture is used by the Æsir to commemorate their dead.  Æsir are very fond of choral music but, since their arrival on earth, have been branching out into other genres of music. Theater is a more recent addition to  Æsir culture, introduced in 2014 by Loki Odinson who was posing as King Odin Borson at the time.

Music: Æsir are renowned for their choral music but have been experimenting with other styles of music, including everything from metal to folk to rap to country. Skautbláar Geitur is the band at the forefront of this movement, taking human folk music and rerecording it in Asgardian style and vice versa.

Fashion: Æsir have a huge variety of fashion and are currently in a transitional period. New Asgardians do mostly physical outdoor work and, as such, their clothes must be very practical. Traditionally, however, style and elegance were higher priorities than practicality and function. A trend of blended fashion is becoming more and more popular.

(Examples of traditional Æsir fashion from Google and pintrest)

(Examples of practical work clothes in New Asgard from pintrest)

(Examples of blended fashion from pintrest)

Æsir have always taken great pride in their hair. They take almost excessively good care of it and put it up into braided hairstyles.

The sciences: Asgard was an extremely scientifically advanced civilization with a deep understanding of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology. The destruction of Asgard has set the Æsir back by centuries, maybe even millenia, but they are continuing the attempt to record everything they know.

Education: The Æsir do not have any means of formal education currently due to recent upheaval. Æsir parents are responsible for educating their children until New Asgard can set up a school.

Religion: Most Æsir do not practice organized religion, but are still a very spiritual people.

Afterlife: Æsir believe in Hel and Valhalla. If one dies in battle or in childbirth, they are accepted into Valhalla, an afterlife full of feasting, drinking, dancing, and storytelling. If an Æsir dies in any other way, they go to Helheim, which is ruled by Hel. She will judge the actions of their life and determine whether or not they deserve eternal punishment. If they do not, they are free to roam. If an Æsir has committed an especially heinous crime (murder, spousal or child abuse, adultery) they are punished according to their crime.

Funeral rites: When Æsir die, they are put into a boat wearing their favorite clothes and surrounded by some of the objects they loved in life. The deceased is also given a weapon of some kind. The boat is then set adrift in the nearest ocean and a relative (usually a descendant) will shoot a flaming arrow at the boat to set it on fire. It is believed that the fire will set the Æsir's soul free and allow them to travel to the afterlife.

Architecture: Æsir traditionally favor very tall architecture with lots of gradual curves.

Currently, however, they tend towards more simple and rural architecture out of necessity. It is believed that they will gradually return to their original style eventually.

There is one lovely example of blended architecture that the Æsir built as the center of their government.

Government style: The Æsir currently have a constitutional monarchy headed by a king (not necessarily a male) with a council to represent the citizens.

Livestock: Æsir keep goats, sheep, and reindeer.

Transportation: Æsir usually travel by foot or wagon. Wagons are usually pulled by goats.

Exports: New Asgard’s main exports are fish, reindeer meat, mutton, and woolen textiles.

Warrior tradition: The Æsir have a long standing military tradition. In Asgard Proper, boys were expected to serve in the military for at least a short period of time. As most of the Æsir warriors were killed, they are attempting to keep their warrior tradition alive by teaching their children how to fight. New Asgard has a division of their military that is made up solely of minors. They may volunteer at the age of 22 and will train under Lady Sif Einardòttir. These young warriors mostly perform peacekeeping duties and border patrols.

Magic/seidr: Some Asgardians are capable of magic. Not much is known about this art, but it seems that skill is determined by a combination of preexisting talent and practice. Seidr allows the user to manipulate their surroundings to a degree. Seidrusers can create illusions, summon objects from "pocket dimensions", and even heal minor injuries.