Norwegian textual critics of the Norse Eddas and Sagas, in light of archeology and similar beliefs among the neighboring Sami, tend to disregard the assumption by German folklorists that indigenous Scandinavians regarded the Aesir as ‘gods’. The indigenous Scandinavians were animists, especially in remote regions.
Regarding Idunn who grows the ‘golden apples’, I meant she is of the Dvergar. But when writing it, I had in mind a scholarly speculation relating her to the Jotnar. What is clear is she isnt of the Aesir. The Hrafnagaldr Odins, a late text, describes her as of ‘Alfar kind’ and the ‘youngest of the elder children of Ivaldi’. The simplest interpretation is, her mother is of the Alfar and her father Ivaldi is of the Dvergar, and Idunn herself is a mix of Alfar and Dvergar. But some scholars interpret this more complexly, identifying the father Ivaldi as one of the Jotnar from an earlier text. The point is, the Aesir are mortals who depend on the magic of Non-Aesir to prolong their youthfulness.
Regarding magic, according to the Eddas and Sagas, magic is an ability that humans have, sometimes identified as ‘minds’ (irregular plural), in the sense of the forces of the mind. A specific kind of magic, Seidr, is explained as ‘playing with minds’, falsifying emotions and sensations. Later Scandinavian folklore continues this animistic worldview, albeit with Celtic influences.