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 Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:53 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:54 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:55 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:56 am
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Gods of the Germanic Folkway
Aegir
(Norse - Ægir)
The giant who embodies the sea. Aegir brews ale for the gods and hosts some of their feasts. His wife is Ran, a less friendly personification of the sea; their daughters are the waves.
Balder
(Old Norse Baldr, old English Bealdor)
Son of Odin and Frigga, he is shown in the Prose Edda as a rather pallid Heathen imitation of Christ, but other sources, notably the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, portray him as a doughty and aggressive warrior. Today we often think of him as the shining young hero who embodies the hope of an age. After his death was foretold, Frigga got everything in the Nine Worlds to swear not to harm him, but neglected the mistletoe, which she thought was too small and weak to harm him. Making a game of his invulnerability, the gods cast weapons at him; meanwhile, Loki made an arrow of mistletoe and put it in the hand of Balder's blind brother Hod (a.k.a. Hoder), aiming it for him.
After Balder's death, Frigga sent a messenger to Hel to ask for him back. Hel answered that if everything would weep for Balder, she would return him. Only one old hag, who some think was Loki and others identify as Hel herself, refused to shed atear; and so Balder stays in Hel's realm yet. After Ragnarok, he and Hod will come back to inherit Odin's seat. Balder is seldom called on, but is remembered as the hidden seed of the new world to come after the final battle.
Bragi
Husband of Idunna, sometimes identified as the best of poets or the god of poetry. Here his function overlaps with Odin's, since Odin is the keeper and giver of the mead of poetry. Bragi is sometimes thought to be an historical poet of the early Viking Age who was taken up among the ranks of the gods. It is also said that Odin carved runes on his tongue and gave him the job of composing songs to honour the gods and the dead hearoes in Valhalla. He is the son of Odin and Gunnlod.
Dellinger
(Delling)
The god of dawn and the third husband of Night. Their son was Dag.
Forseti
(Frisian - Fosite, Foseti)
Patron god of the Frisians and giver of their laws. Silence had to be kept while drinking from the spring on his holy island, which he had brought forth from the rock with his axe, and beasts on the island could not be harmed. In the old Norse sources, he appears as the son of Balder, whose hall Glitnir, "Glistening", is pillared with gold and thatched with silver; he is also a settler of lawsuits and quarrels. As soon as he was known to the other gods of Asgardr he was honoured.
Frey
(Old Norse Freyr or Yngvi-Freyr, Ingunar-Freyr; Anglo-Saxon Ing or Frea; old High German Fro; Modern German (Wagnerian) Froh; Proto-Germanic *Ingwaz, also called Fro Ing (Lord Ing).)
Son of Njord, twin brother of Freya. "Frey" is a title simply meaning "Lord"; his original name was apparently some form of Yngvi/Ing. Together with Thor, Frey was one of the best-loved gods of the Viking Age.
Frey was the main god of kingship among the Swedes, whose royal family, the Ynglings, was descended from him. His holy animal was the boar, which appears several times on richly decorated English helmets from the sixth century through the eighth. In Beowulf; it is said that the boar--image was put on the helm to protect warriors in battle.
Frey was called on for protection in battle, for frith (fruitful peace) at home, and for good weather and gentle rains. He was, and is, often thought of as a giver of riches, whose blessing is called on for fruitfulness and growth in all fields of endeavour. His priests at Uppsala were said to ring bells and clap their hands with effeminate gestures, and it has been suggested that this cryptic reference hints at a tradition involving shamanic cross-dressing.
Frey is the lord of the elves, and is especially connected with the blessings and worship given to the ancestral spirits and possibly land-spirits. His image was often shown with an enlarged phallus; like his twin sister, he is sometimes seen today as a deity of love and pleasure. Frey owns a gold boar called Gullinbursti (Gold--Bristled) on which he can ride over air and water. He once had a horse named Bloody-Hoofed (perhaps having to do with his role as battle-god) and a sword, but these he gave to his manservant Skirnir (the Shining one) for winning the giant - maiden Gerd for him. At Ragnarok, he will fight Surt with a stag's antler.
Like Odin, Frey has some alter egos such as Fridleef.
Heimdall
Watcher at the gates of Asgard, he can hear the grass growing on the ground and the wool on a sheep's back, and needs no sleep. He is the son of nine etin-maids, perhaps the nine waves. His hall is called Himinbjorg (Heaven-Mountain). He owns the Gjallarhorn (the Horn Resounding) which he shall blow at the beginning of Ragnarok to gather the hosts of the gods. Some see this horn as a cowhorn (Turville-Petre suggests, through linguistic association that it is a Rams' horn), others as one of the sousaphone-like lurhorns used in Bronze Age rituals. Under the name of Rig ("King"), he came to Midgard in order to father the three tribes of humans - thralls, freemen, and rulers - and to teach runes and lore to the last. Heimdall is described as very fair, with golden teeth. His horse is called Gulltoppr ("Golden-Mane"). He is a great foe of Loki: according to one tale, when Loki had stolen Freya's necklace, Heimdall changed into a seal and fought with him in that shape, winning it back. Heimdall and Loki will slay each other at Ragnarok. Heimdall is sometimes seen as a rather aloof god and lacking in humour; however, he is a great teacher, and an especially good god to call on for those who work in subjects calling for cool intellect rather than the furious inspiration given by Odin.
Hermod
(Irmin)
The son of Odin and Frigga. He welcomed the heroes to Valhalla. His most spectacular errand was to Hel in an effort to recover the god Baldr.
Hler
According to a version of the creation myth, one of the first gods.
Hod
(Old Norse - Hothr)
Blind brother of Balder, who unknowingly (at Loki's direction) cast the mistletoe to slay him. Slain in turn by Vali. According to the rather different version of the story told by Saxo, Hod was not blind, nor related to Baldr; he was a doughty warrior, who fought with Baldr over the woman Nanna.
Hoenir
Brother of Odin, long-legged and handsome, but slow of speech. Sent to the Vanir as a hostage after the war between Aesir and Vanir. After Ragnarok, he will take the role of priest among the gods. Little more is known of him, although he appears travelling beside Odin and Lodurr (or Loki) in several tales.
Kari
According to some versions of the creation myth the sons of the giant Ymir were Hler (the sea), Kari (the air) and Loki or Lodur (fire). These three gods gave birth tot he giants or monsters Beli, Fenris, Grendel, Gymir, Hel, Mimir, Thiassi and Thrym.
Loki
An Etin brought among the Aesir by Odin, who swore blood-brotherhood with him, Loki wavers between a weal-bringing culture-hero/Trickster and a woe-bringing destroyer. He is responsible for getting the gods most of their good, but only after he has led them to the edge of destruction. He often travels with Thor, sometimes leading him into trouble and sometimes getting him out of it. Loki also brings a surprising amount of humour into the Norse tales (and into the practice of the Northern religion today). The need for this function of his appears explicitly in the tale of how the giantess Skadi was reconciled to accepting weregild from the gods instead of insisting on revenge: one of her conditions is that they must make her laugh, and it is only Loki who can accomplish this.
Loki may have appeared in cultic dramas as a ritual Lord of Misrule: inversion and reversal of all sorts are typical for him. As well as being the father of the Wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent, and, allegedly, Hel, he is also the mother of Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir, and cross-dresses in the typically feminine falcon-hides of Frigga and Freyja when he needs to fly between the worlds.
Bad nineteenth-century etymology associated Loki with Logi (fire) and, helped along by Wagner, the image of Loki as a fire-being seems to be with us to stay. Modern thought also associates Loki especially with computers, for a number of reasons.
After the death of Balder, the gods bound Loki in an underground cave, and Skadi hung a venom dripping snake over his face. The venom is caught in a cup by his Aesir--wife Sigyn; supposedly, when she turns away to empty it, his writhings cause earthquakes. There is much debate among true folk as to whether Loki is really bound, or just how bound he is, however. Not surprisingly, views on Loki range from those who think of him as a merry friend to those who see him almost as a Nordic Satan. Although he plays a key role in many of our holy tales, it is fairly safe to guess that he was not worshipped in quite the same manner that the other gods and goddesses were - but whenever a drink is given to Odin, according to the terms of their oath, Loki also gets one; and though he can cause trouble in our lives, he can also be helpful when called on with due respect.
Kennings and Other Names for Loki:
* Loptr - "Airy"
* Faðir lögseims - "Father of the sea-thread" where the "sea-thread" is the Midgarð Serpent.
Lodur
(Old Norses - Lothurr)
Possibly another name for the brightest aspects of Loki, though this is not certain. The third god of the Odin--Hoenir-Lodurr trio which shaped humankind.
Moon
(Old Norse Mani -used only as a personal name or poetic term, not usually applied to the simple heavenly body.)
The Moon is always masculine in Germanic language and culture, just as the Sun is always feminine. This is one of the most difficult things in Northern religion for those brought up on the Greco-Roman Diana and Apollo to get used to; but traces of our original way of thinking of these two survive even in English (cf. "the Man in the Moon"). The Moon is the brother of the Sun: he is seen as dressed in a gray sark (long shirt), driving a wagon drawn by a horse called Hrimfaxi (Ice-Mane) and chased by a troll in wolf-shape who will devour him at Ragnarok.
Njord
Father of Frey and Freya, he is not active in the Northern tales. However, he was seen as god of the sea and of ships, and also thought of as a giver of riches and good harvest. He was usually blessed together with his son.
Odin
(Old Norse Othinn; Anglo-Saxon Woden; old High German Wodan; Modern German Wotan; Proto-Germanic *Wothanaz. "The Furious (or Mad) one".)
Originally a god of death, whose range later came to encompass magic (especially runic magic and chanted charms), battle (giving victory by choosing who should die), poetry (closely tied to his magical skills), the fury of the berserk-warrior, and, at least in part, the authority of the ruler descended from the gods (he is the most frequent father of royal lines - induding, according to Anglo-Saxon genealogies, the current royal house of England). In the Prose Edda (written two hundred years after the conversion of Iceland), he is shown as the chief of the gods, but historical accounts of Germanic religion do not necessarily support this; it is likelier that Snorri was modelling the Norse pantheon somewhat on the Classical. As patron of poets, he was one of the gods most often mentioned in holy tales and skaldic poetry; since his name was hailed so often by his word-skilled fosterlings, we know more about him today than about the other deities.
Odin won the runes by hanging on a tree for nine days and nights, wounded with his own spear. He gave up one of his eyes for a drink from the Well of Mimir ("Memory"). He won the mead of poetry by seducing the giant-maid Gunnlod who had been set to keep it, then asking for a drink and draining all three cauldrons. To his chosen ones, he gives victory, inspiration, magic, madness, and death when he sees fit. He is seen as especially a god of wisdom, a patron of poets, thinkers, and singers. Of all the gods, Odin is the one who seems to take the most active part in the affairs of humans, and the one who appears most often in the writings of the Germanic peoples. His German incarnation, Wotan, is the chief figure shaping the action of Wagner's Ring Cycle.
Odin usually appears as a gray-bearded man, tall and thin, with a blue-black cloak and an eyepatch or wide-brimmed hat tilted to hide his missing eye. His weapon is the casting spear Gungnir, with which he dooms his chosen ones to die in battle. He has two wolves, Geri and Freki (both names mean "the Greedy"); two ravens, Huginn ("the Thoughtful" or "the Bold") and Muninn ("the Mindful" or "the Desirous"); and a gray, eight-legged horse called Sleipnir ("Slipper"). He is the husband of Frigga and the father of many gods and human heroes. As the leader of the Wild Hunt, he also brings fruitfulness to the fields.
Odin is assisted by the valkyries ("Choosers of the Slain") who work his will on the battlefield, bringing the bravest warriors to Valhall ("Hall of the Slain"), where they ready their strength against the coming of Ragnarok. It is said that "Odin will help you if he feels like it", and it is true that he is a stern tester of his children, and often seems rather capricious. However, even when he seems cruel, his purpose is always clear: to strengthen the hosts of the gods for the last battle so that life and knowledge can be preserved and the new world born after the old is destroyed. In the late Viking Age poem Eiriksmall, Bragi asks Odin, "Why did you take victory from him (Erik Bloodaxe), if he seemed the bravest to you?" and Odin answers, "Because of that which no one knows (that is, the time of Ragnarok): the Gray Wolf gapes ever at the dwellings of the gods." Odin is a god of foresight, careful weaving of plots, and long-term agendas.
Odin appears in many guises when he travels and is known by other names such as Bolwerk (Bolverkr), Gangrad, Grimnir, Vak, Valtam, Vecha.
The nature of the term "All-Father" is interesting and the following quotes from Simek may be of use in this regards for some:
"(ON, 'All-father'). Name for Odin (Grímnismál 48 ); the name also appears in the form Alfaðir in Helgakviða Hundingsbana 1 38 and in a poem by the skald Arnórr Þórdarson (11th century) ... Names for Odin based on -föðr (Herföðr, Valföðr) are possibly older and more likely to be Heathen than those based on -faðir (Alfaðir, Sigfaðir), as the evidence itself seems to show ... Snorri explains Alföðr in Gylfaginning 13 as follows: '[Odin] could be called Alföðr because he is the father of all the Gods and of all mankind and of everything which was created by him and his power.' This explanation seems to be as much influenced by christianity as the name Alföðr itself, which is possibly a translation of the Medieval Latin name for the christian god omnipater (first documented in the works of Prudentius in the 4th century)."
'Valföðr': "(ON, 'father of the slain'). A name for Odin (Völuspá 1, 27, Grímnismál 48 and in the Þulur), which refers to the concept that those slain in battle are welcomed by Odin in Valhall, as Snorri (Gylfaginning 19) explains: '[Odin] is also called Valföðr, since everyone who falls in battle [falla i val], are his adopted sons; he assigns them places in Valhall and Vingólf and they are then called einherjar.'
Odr
Said to be Freya's husband, but the name is either the same as the root-word on which Odin's name is based, "fury", or that from which Odroerir is derived, "inspiration". It is most oflen thought that Odr is the same god as Odin, perhaps in an earlier form.
Sataere
The Teutonic god of agriculture, possibly a persona of Loki.
Saxnot
A patron god of the Saxons; since he was apparently not known to the Norse, no tales of him have survived. However, we know that when Charlemagne was carrying out his war of cultural destruction against the Heathen Saxons, those forcibly converted were made to swear an oath forsaking Woden (Odin), Thunaer (Thor), and Saxnot. In the slightly variant form Seaxnet, he is also recorded as the father of the East Saxon dynasty in England. The first element of his name is probably related to the word sax (a type of knife).
Summer
One of the early gods. Beloved by all but Winter.
Svasud
A beautiful and gentle god whose son was Summer.
Thor
(Old Norse Thorr; Anglo-Saxon Thunar (from which "Thursday"); old German Thonar; Modern German/Wagnerian Donner; Proto-Germanic *Thunraz.)
"Thunder", son of Odin and Earth. The most beloved god of the Viking Age, perhaps seen as the chief god at that time, and often known now as "god of the common man", Thor is best-known for his ceaseless battle against the giants. He is not a bloody-minded reaver, however, but a warder who protects the folk of Midgard and Asgard against the menacing beings who would destroy the world; unlike Odin, he never involves himself in the battles of men, but the gods often seem to rely wholly on his protection. He is the only god that Loki seems to respect.
Although Thor is sometimes shown as being slow--witted in comparison with Odin or Loki, he is a practical god whose solutions to problems are usually swift, effective, and show the common sense the other two sometimes lack. He is also called the "Deep-Thinker", and in one Eddic poem, outwits the clever dwarf Alviss ("All-Wise") by engaging him in a riddle contest until dawn turns the dwarf to stone.
Thor's weapon is the Hammer Mjollnir, images of which are worn by true folk today as a sign of troth, as was also done towards the end of the Viking Age when Red Thor was called on to battle the White Christ. As well as fighting giants, Thor also uses his Hammer for hallowing both brides and funeral pyres, and several runic inscriptions from late Viking Age Denmark call on him to hallow the runes.
Thor was worshipped most by the free farmers (who were also warriors at need) and by those who "trusted in their own might and main". Today, he is also seen as the warder of his mother Earth against those who would harm her for their own gain. He is able to raise great rages in himself, in which he summons up more strength than any being in the worlds can match.
Thor appears as a big, muscular man with red hair and beard and huge fiery eyes. He drives a wagon which is drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir (Teeth-Barer or Teeth--Gnasher) and Tanngnjostr (Tooth-Gritter). When he travels to Jotunheim, Loki often goes with him; Thor is the only god that Loki really seems to respect. Thor is married to Sif, and had a daughter named Thrud (Strength) by her; he also has a giantess-concubine, who bore him his sons, Modi (Courage) and Magni (Main-strength). It is said that "Thor will help you if your prayer is sincere".
Tyr
(Old Norse & Northern Germanic - Tyr/Ty; Anglo-Saxon - Tiw (from whence "Tuesday") also Tiu, Tio, Tig; Gothic - Tius; Old High German - Ziu; Old Germanic - Tiew; Proto-Germanic - Tiwaz.)
His name simply means "god"; at one time, he may have been the Germanic equivalent of Zeus or Jupiter, the "Sky-Father" of the Indo-Europeans. In old Norse, Tyr appears only in the myth in which he gives up his hand so that the gods can bind the Wolf Fenrir. However, there are hints associating him with the Thing (the judgement -assembly of the Germanic peoples) and suggesting strongly that he may originally have been a god of justice. Tyr's justice, however, is not that of calm Solomonic legislation, but that of the often lively wrangling of the Germanic legal process, which was effectively a battle sublimated into a form where the process of working out the problem could help, rather than harm, the community. Tyr will fight Garm, the hound of Hel, at Ragnarok. No images or descriptions of Tyr have survived, except that we know he is one-handed, and the Prose Edda portrays him as a warrior. It is said that "Tyr will help you if - and only if -your cause is just". A female deity named Cisa or Zisa (Upper German feminine form of the name Tyr) is also recorded near Augsburg, but we know even less of her, though it has been suggested in modern times that she may be paired with Tyr in some way, perhaps as either a twin with similar functions or as an Earth-Mother complementing the Sky-Father.
Ull
(Old Norse Ullr; Anglo-Saxon Wuldor; Primitive Norse Wultur.)
God of the bow and the snowshoe, patron of hunters and single combat, little is known of Ull from the tales of the North. His name means "Glory", and has sometimes been thought to refer to the Northern Lights. His home is called "Yew-Dales", fitting to the bow-god. Since his name often appears twinned with that of Njord or Frey in place-names, it is possible that he may have alternated with one or the other as the Winter half of a Winter King/Summer King pair.
Vali
Fathered by Odin on the maiden Rind to avenge Balder's death. He is not to be confused with the Vali who was the sone of Loki and Sigyn.
Vasud
The father of Vindsval and grandfather of Winter. By all accounts Vasud was a very unfriendly god.
Ve
(Old Norse Ve, modern "Wih".)
"Holiness". Probably an aspect of Odin. The "three brothers" Odin, Vili, and Ve slew the proto-giant Ymir and made the worlds out of his body. The third brother in the Voluspa (Poetic Edda) is given as Loður or Lodur.
Vidar
(Old Norse - Vitharr)
Vidar: Called "the Silent God", Vidar was fathered by Odin on the giantess Grid. At Ragnarok, he will tear Fenrir's jaws apart, avenging Odin and freeing him (or at least some important part of his spirit) from the Wolfs belly. His name may mean "the Wide-Ruling one".
Vili
"Will". Probably an aspect of Odin. See Ve. In second brother in the Voluspa (Poetic Edda) is given as Hoenir.
Winter
The vile enemy of the god Summer; son of Vindsval and grandson of Vasud.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:57 am
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Godesses of the Germanic Folkway
Beyla
Servant of Frey, wife of Byggvir. Her name is thought to be related to a word for "cow", and she the protectress of dairy work; the alternate suggestion is that "Beyla" is related to "bee", so that Beyla and Byggvir might be the givers of mead and ale.
Eir
(Eira, Eyra)
Goddess of healing, patroness of health-care workers, called on against sickness or injury. She is one of the goddesses on the mountain called Lyfia ("to heal through magic"), and gives both physical and psychic means of healing; shamanic healing, especially, falls into her realm. She is identified as one of the attendants of Frigga.
Freya
(Old Norse Freyja; old English Freo; Modern German Frau; Wagnerian Freia; Modern English Frowe.)
Freya is probably the best-known and best-loved of the goddesses today. Her title simply means "Lady"; her original name is not known. Freya is the "wild woman" among the deities of the North: free with her sexual favours (though furious when an attempt is made to marry her off against her will); mistress of Odin and several other gods and men; skilled at the form of ecstatic, consciousness--altering, and sometimes malicious magic called seidhr; and chooser of half the slain on the battlefield (Odin gets the other half).
Freya's chief attribute is the necklace called Brisingamen, which she bought from four dwarves at the price of four nights of her love. This necklace is sometimes seen today as embodying her power over the material world. The necklace has been the emblem of the earth-goddess since the earliest times.
This goddess drives a wagon drawn by two cats, perhaps large forest-cats such as Lynxes, and is seen today as the patron goddesses of cats and those who keep them. As a battle-goddess, she also rides on a boar called Hildisvini (Battle-Swine).
Like Odin, Freya is often a stirrer of strife. As Gullveig ("Gold-Drunkenness"), she came among the Aesir to cause trouble. She was stabbed and burnt three times, but arose from the flame each time; through this torment, she transformed herself into Heith ("the Glorious"), mistress of magic, in a typical shamanic initiation. This also seems to have started the war between the Aesir and the Vanir.
Freya is sometimes seen as a fertility goddess, but there are no sources suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to fields or wombs, and only one rather dubious reference to her as a birthing-goddess. Rather, she is a goddess of riches, whose tears are gold and whose "daughters", in the riddle-poetry of the skalds, are precious objects. However, the giants are always trying to take her away from the gods, and it is clear that this would be a great disaster: she was obviously known to be the embodiment of the holy life-force on some level. Perhaps because of this, Wagner gave her some of Idunna's attributes, making her the keeper of the golden apples without which the folk of Asgard would wither and die.
Frigga
(Old Norse Frigg; Anglo-Saxon Frige; old High German Frija; Wagnerian Fricka.)
Wife of Odin, Frigga is the patron goddess of the home and of the mysteries of the married woman. She is seen as Odin's match (and sometimes his better) in wisdom; she shares his high-seat, from which they look out over the worlds together.
Frigga is especially concerned with keeping social order. She is called on for blessings when women are giving birth and for help in matters of traditional women's crafts (spinning, weaving, cooking, sewing) and the magics worked thereby. Frigga can also be called on by mothers who want to protect their children. In olden days, this was especially the case with sons going out to battle, for whom their mothers would weave or sew special protective items. She is also called Hlin (protectress).
Frigga is the mother of Balder, and is often thought of as still mourning for him. She is a Seeress, who knows all fates, though she seldom speaks of them. Her hall is called Fensalir - "marsh-halls". She has a handmaiden called Fulla and a messenger named Gna.
Despite the likeness of names and the similar relationship to Odin, Frigga should not be confused with Freya, who shares none of her essential traits. Her only departure from strict social behaviour is that during one of Odin's journeys away from Asgard, she is said to have taken his brothers Vili and Ve as husbands; however, this probably shows the queen-goddess as the embodiment of sovereignty. Her name is also not directly related to the English slang-word, though the two derive from the same original root ("love, pleasure").
Also sometimes identified with Bertha, Holda, Nerthus and Wode.
Fjorgyn
(Erda, Jord)
The earth goddess and one of Odin's three wives. She and Odin combined to produce Thor.
Fulla
A goddess who acted as Friggas' attendant and messenger, she is identified as a fertility goddess.
Gefjon
Her name means "giver". With a plough drawn by four sons whom she bore to a giant and changed into oxen for the purpose, she ploughed the island Zealand (the main island of Denmark) away from the Swedish mainland, later mothering the chief dynasty of Danish kings. She is clearly a goddess of fruitfullness in some aspects; however, she is also the protectress of maidens and their modesty, and unmarried women are said to go to her hall after death.
Gullveig
Translation usually provided as (Gold Greedy) and often identified with Freyja due to the magical capabilities of this entity. It is said in Voluspa that thrice she was burned, and yet those three times she came out of the fire alive. Her other name, Heidi, is given as what she is known where-ever it is that she has come from, which is not elaborated upon in Voluspa itself. She is termed a "well seeing Vala", which many use to identify her as a part of the Vanir, albeit a Vala is in fact a seer. She is noted as being ever the joy of evil people, which certainly does not fit in with the nature of Freyja, nor of the Vanir.
Hel
(Also called Hella)
Ruler of the kingdom of death, the Prose Edda describes her as half-black, half-white (she is sometimes seen as half-rotting, half alive) and of grim and unmistakable appearance. Her name may originally derive from the buried slab-rock grave-chambers of the Stone Age. The Hel-word is known to all branches of the Germanic speech, and clearly very old, but there is some question as to whether the goddess was recognised as an independent person before the Viking Age. The Prose Edda, probably suffering from semantic contamination (the use of the English word Hell for the frightful Christian after world), describes her hall as full of horrors, but older sources make it rather pleasant, and indeed a close reflection of the idealised god-house seen in descriptions of Valhall (Hel and Odin have much in common, in fact).
The specialisation of the Germanic afterlife into the glorious Valhall where the chosen battle-dead go and the hideous Hel where everyone else ends up is probably a product of Christian influence on the retelling of Norse god-lore; our earlier sources offer far more options (going to the hall of the deity to whom one is closest, dying into a hill or rock where the other ghosts of one's family dwell, remaining as the guardian of a stead, being reborn in a child who bears one's name and/or lineage), and the name Valhall does not become specialised for Odin's hall until the middle of the tenth century, when it is probably a description rather than a proper name. There is no evidence for the worship of the goddess Hel in elder times, but there are several folk who work with her today.
Hlin
A goddess who attended Frigga. She was the goddess of consolation and very beautiful; she kissed away mourners' tears, relieved grief and heard the prayers of mortals, passing them on to Frigga with recommendations that she answer them.
Holda
A goddess known through German folklore, her name means "the Gracious one". She has much in common with Frigga, being the patroness of spinners and the keeper of social order, especially enforcing taboos about working on holy days. She is also said to be the keeper of the souls of unbaptised (or sometimes simply young) children, and women who want to bear children ask for them at her well. Holda also appears at times as the leader of the Wild Hunt. According to one tale, it was she who taught humans how to plant and process flax. When it snows, Holda is supposed to be shaking out her feather-bed.
Idunna
(Old Norse Ithunn)
The goddess who keeps the apples of youth, by which the gods stay ever-young. Loki arranged for the etin Thjazi to abduct her, but then was forced to get her back, a deed which ended in Thjazi's death. Apples are one of the oldest and holiest symbols of life and rebirth among the Germanic folk, appearing as grave-gifts from the Bronze Age onward.
Lofn
An attendant of Frigga. A beautiful maiden, Lofn had the responsibility for easing the path of true love.
Nanna
Wife of Balder (of Hod in Saxo's version), mother of Forseti. Her name may mean "the daring one". According to the Prose Edda version of the story, she dies of grief and is burned on the pyre with Balder.
Nerthus
The "Mother Earth" worshipped by the North Sea Germans, according to the Roman historian Tacitus (writing in the first century of the Christian era). Her worship included the springtime procession of a wagon in which her image was kept, which ended on a holy island. The name is an earlier form of the old Norse Njordr (Njord), who is, however, clearly masculine. Still, it is said that Njord fathered Frey and Freya on his sister, who is not named; it is possible that the feminine and masculine Nerthus/Njord could have been a similar pair of mixed twins.
Ran
The wife of Aegir and like him associated with the sea. She has a net which she used to drag down drowning people.
Rind
(Rinda)
A goddess mentioned only as the third wife of Oðinn, and who gave birth to his son Vali. She was by all accounts frigid, being the goddess of the frozen soil. There is some confusion between her and the mortal Rind, daughter of King Billing; it is possible that the two were originally the same character.
Saga
Her name is related to the Norse word saga, though not the same. She is mentioned in the poem Grimnismal and, passingly, in the Prose Edda. According to the poem, her hall is called- Sokkvabekk, ("Sunken Benches") and she and Odin drink out of golden cups there - probably, if her name is any clue, retelling old stories while they drink. It is suggested that she may be Frigga, in her capacity as the "silent seeress" who "dips into Urd's Well' for knowledge of the patterns of Wyrd. She, together with Odin, cares for writers. It has also been suggested that she might also be seen as the patron goddess of Iceland - certainly she was the only one to bless that country for many years.
Sif
Wife of Thor, mother of Ull (by an unknown father - although some sources indicate Oðinn), best known for her long golden hair. She appears only in one tale: where Loki cuts her hair off in the night and, to save himself from Thor's wrath, gets the dwarves to forge hair of real gold for her, along with several of the other great treasures of the gods. It has often been suggested that she is a fertility goddess, whose rippling golden hair may be seen in the ripe grain. In the prologue to the Prose Edda, she is also called a Seeress. There are hints that she may be associated with the rowan tree as well.
Sigyn
Loki's godly wife, who bore him two sons, Narfi and Nari. She sits by the bound Loki with a cup, protecting him from the venom dripping onto his face. She is noted for her loyalty to Loki even after his exile from Asgardr..
Sjofn
A goddess of marriage and love.
Skadi
(Old Norse Skathi)
An etin-maid, daughter of the giant Thjazi, who came among the Aesir in full armour to take revenge for her father. As part of her weregild, she demanded a husband; she had wanted Balder, but, being forced to choose among the gods by their feet alone, ended up with Njord. His sea-home was as unpleasant to her as her mountain-home was to him, and so they parted. She later bore a son to Odin: this son fathered the line of the Jarls of Hladhir, who were some of the greatest protectors of Heathenism in Norway during the extremely bloody and brutal process of the conversion of that country. Place-names show that she was especially worshipped in eastern Sweden; in the Eddic poem Lokasenna, she speaks of her shrines and holy fields. Skadi is a goddess of skiing, hunting, revenge, protection of the clan, and those women who follow the path of the "Maiden Warrior".
Snotra
"The wise one", a goddess of wisdom and good behaviour, always ready to let folk know what is fitting at any given time. Often called on by the lady of the house when men are feasting too boisterously. One of Frigga's attendants.
Sunna
(Old Norse Sol)
The Sun. The Sun is always feminine in Germanic languages and culture, just as the Moon is masculine. There is fairly strong evidence showing that the Sun was actually worshipped by the Norse. She is seen as driving a fiery wagon across the sky, which is drawn by either one horse named Skinfaxi ("Shining Mane") or two named Arvaki ("Early Awake") and Alsvidr ("All-Swift"), and chased by a troll in wolf-shape who will devour her at Ragnarok.
Syn
"The denier": a goddess who guards gates and doorways against those who should not enter. She guarded the door to Frigga's palace against unwelcome visitors. Once she had decided to refurse someone entry there was no possibility of changing her mind, and appeals to higher authority were fruitless. She was therefore responsible for all trials and tribunals among mortals.
Urd
(Urdr, Wurd)
One of the Norns
Var
(Vara)
"Beloved" or "goddess of contracts". One of Frigga's women, a goddess of love and marriage, especially of marriage oaths.
Verdandi
One of the Norns
Vjofn
One of Frigga's attendants. Vjofn's responsibilities to the mortal world focused on conciliation: she strove to keep the peace, bring quarreling spouses to concord and bend the hardest of hearts to love.
Vör
One of Frigga's attendants. Her name meant "Faith", and she had full knowledge of the future.
Wyrd
The mother of the Norns according to some source, albeit the name is actually cognate with Urðr, one of the Norns. The confusion probably stems from Urðr being representative of 'that which is'.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:58 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:59 am
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Giants
Angrboda
Loki's giant-wife, mother of the Wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent (Jormungand), and Hel.
Baugi
The brother of Suttung. This giant employed Oðinn as a labourer when teh god was on his way to Suttung's hall intent on stealing the mead of poetry.
Beli
One of the descendants of Kari. The same name was given to the brother of Gerda who lost his life in an attack on Frey.
Bergelmir
(Farbauti)
The only giant who survived the deluge caused by the blood of the slain giant Ymir. Accourding to some sources, Bergelmir was the father of Loki, the mother being Laufeia.
Bestla
The wife of Börr and mother of Odin, Vili and Ve.
Bolthorn
The father of Bestla.
Earth
(Old Norse Jorth)
Identified as a giantess, mother of Thor by Odin, she is often referred to in poetry as "Odin's bride". The traces that have survived of the worship of the personified Earth herself show that she was honoured by the Germanic people, though not active in tales.
Etins
Giants. "Etin-kin" is used as a general term for giants of various sorts and trolls. Usually seen as the foes of the gods, although many of them are quite helpful, and etins and gods often interbreed. In fact, at least two of the goddesses, Skadi and Gerd, are etins; and there are none of the gods who do not have quite a lot of giantish ancestry. Some true folk today see the etin-kin as the largest of the land-wights, who now need to be helped to restore the balance of being rather than battled against; others stick to the traditional view of the giants as, in general, the embodiment of destruction. Old Norse Jotunn (plural jotnar); Anglo-Saxon Eoten.
Fenia
A giantess who, along with Menia, was unlucky enough to be enslaved by Frodi, king of Denmark.
Fenrir
The great Wolf, son of Loki and his giant-wife Angrboda, who will swallow Odin at Ragnarok. The commonly seen form "Fenris" is a grammatical error based on a misunderstood old Norse poetic convention of identifying things by their type and a possessive: "the ash of Yggdrasill", Askr Yggdrasils; "the wolf of Fenrir", Ulfr Fenris.
Geirrod
A would-be vanquisher of Thor. Geirrod captured Loki (who was in the guise of a Falcon) and forced him to promise to deliver Thor to his hall.
Gerda
A frost giantess of spectacular beauty often associated with the Aurora Borealis; she became the wife of Frey.
Gialp
The name of one of the Wave Maidens and also a daughter of Geirrod.
Gilling
A victim of the murderous dwarfs Fiala and Falar. Gilling was drowned, but there are different accounts as to how the pair effected this. One version has it that they came across him sleeping on a riverside and simply rolled him into the water; another says taht they sent him fishing in a leaky vessel; a third says that they took him fishing, capsized the boat in the knowledge that he couldn't swim, and rowed home with a merry song on their lips. Gilling's wife was understandably a bit upset by all this, so the dwarfs dropped a millstone on her head, to fatal effect. Gilling's son was Suttung.
Greip
The name of both a daughter of Geirrod and one of the Wave Maidens.
Grendel
According to some sourcees, a sea giant desceded from Ymir. Grendel is also known by the Old English mythic tale of Beowulf.
Grid
A giantess hwo gave a night's lodging to Thor and Loki as they travelled towards the hall of the giant Geirrod. After Loki had fallen asleep, Grid told a drunken Thor that Geirrod was planning to kill him and that he was foolish to make the journey without his hammer and his girdle of strength. She gave him gloves made of iron, a replacement girdle of strength, and an unbreakable staff. On another occassion she seem to have given her son Vida, a massive shoe made out of either leather or iron.
Mimir
A giant, perhaps the brother of Odin's etin-mother Bestla. Keeper of the Well of Mimir, in which all wisdom lies - the spring where Odin gave up his eye to drink. Mimir was sent to the Vanir as a hostage with Hoenir, but when Hoenir's slowness of speech was discovered, the Vanir became angry. Unwilling to harm Odin's brother, they lopped off Mimir's head instead and sent it back. Odin preserved it with herbs and spells, and gains much wisdom from talking with the head. According to the Eddic poem Sigrdrifumal, Odin learned the runes from Mimir's head.
Muspilli
The meaning of the name is not certain; it may be "destruction of the world through fire". The Muspilli are fire-giants, led by Surt, who will break through to fight against the gods at Ragnarok. The belief in the fiery destruction of the cosmos, and the association of it with the name "Muspilli", is probably very early. Other than this, we know little of them; they hardly appear in the Norse sources.
Surt
(Old Norse Surtr)
"The Black one", chief of the Muspilli, or fire-giants, who will lead the battle against the gods and slay Frey at Ragnarok. His name appears attached to several sources of Icelandic volcanic activities, from the Viking Age to the modern era (the volcanic island flung up off the coast of Iceland in 1963 is called "Surtsey", Surt's Island). The fire that burns the cosmos at Ragnarok is called "Surt's fire".
Thurse
Another term for a giant, especially used for ill--willing giants.
Ymir
The first giant, born from the meeting of primal ice and primal fire (according to the Prose Edda) or from the mists rising from the rivers that flow from Niflheim (according to the Eddic poem Vafthrudnismal). Slain by Odin and his brothers (or aspects) Vili and Ve. They made the sky from his skull, the earth from his body; his blood became the sea and the waters of the earth, his bones the rocks, and his hair trees and bushes.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:01 am
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Other Entities
Askr
"Ash-Tree"; the first human male, made out of an ash-log by Odin, Hoenir, and Lodurr. Husband of Embla, the first human female.
Audhumla
The primal cow, born at the same time as Ymir (see below), whose licking brought the first god, Odin's grandfather Bor, out of the ice of Niflheim.
Austri, Sudri, Vestri, Nordri
The four dwarves who hold up the four corners of the sky (Ymir's skull): East, South, West, and North. Sometimes also thought to be the four who forged Freya's necklace Brisingamen.
Old Norse Austri, Suthri, Vestri, Northri.
Beyla
Servant of Frey, wife of Byggvir. Her name is thought to be related to a word for "cow", and she the protectress of dairy work; the alternate suggestion is that "Beyla" is related to "bee", so that Beyla and Byggvir might be the givers of mead and ale.
Byggvir
"Barley"; servant of Frey, husband of Beyla. Perhaps related to the English "John Barleycorn" of the folk-song.
Disir
Ancestral female spirits who look after their descendants, worshipped especially at the festival of Winternights. The word "dis" can also mean "goddess" or "kinswoman"; for instance, Freya is called "Vanadis" (dis of the Vanir). old Norse disir (singular dis), Anglo-Saxon ides, old High German idis (pl. idisi), Modern English idis (pl. idises). Probably the same as the Romano-Germanic Matronae, or Mothers, who were worshipped along the Rhine in the first part of the Common Era and appear in votive carvings as triads of women with beehive hairdresses and baskets of fruit.
Durin
Second of the Dwarves created by the gods as listed in Voluspa.
Dwarves
(Old Norse Dvergar. Also called Swart Alfs (old Norse Svartalfar), Nibelungen (Wagner).
The great smiths of the Germanic world, the dwarves were formed from the maggots crawling in the body of the proto-giant Ymir. Note that in Voluspa they are said to have been formed from the giants blood and bones. They dwell beneath the earth; they forged, among other things, most of the great treasures of the gods. Many dwarf-names suggest that they were originally thought of as the dead or as demons of death. Though sometimes surly, if approached with fitting respect, they can be friendly to humankind, and several of our heroes (such as Sigurd/Siegfried and, according to Thidreks saga, Wayland) were fostered by dwarves. If offended or forced to work against their will, they take nasty revenge. The names of the dwarves as listed in Voluspa are, Mötsognir, Durin, Nýi, Nidi, Nordri, Sudri, Asutri, Vestri,
Althiöf, Dvalin, Nár, Náin, Niping, Dáin, Bivör, Bavör, Bömbur, Nori, An, Anar, Ai, Miödvitnir, Veig, Gandálf, Vindálf, Thráin, Thekk, Thorin, Thror, Vitr, Litr, Núr, Nýrád,
Regin, Rádsvid. The Voluspa also indicates that a second "band" of Dwarves, following Dvalin came forth out of the foundation stones of the world and they are listed thus: Draupnir, Dólgthrasir, Hár, Haugspori, Hlævang, Glói, Skirvir, Virvir, Skafid, Ai, Alf, Yngvi, Eikinskialdi,
Fjalar, Frosti, Finn, Ginnar, Heri, Höggstari, Hliódolf, and Móin.
Easter
(Anglo-Saxon Eostre; old High German Ostara)
The English name of an continental Germanic Heathen goddess of spring, whose memory proved so enduring in Saxon England that the christian springtime feast was eventually called by her name. The hare may have been her holy beast.
Elves
(They are divided into Light Elves (often seen as wights of sun and air), Dark Elves (the dead in the mound), and Swart Elves (see "dwarves"). Old Norse Alfar (singular alfr); Anglo-Saxon AElf; Modern English Alf.)
Usually called "alfs" in the Troth to avoid confusion with the elves of Shakespeare or Tolkien. The Elves sometimes appear to be the ghosts of dead ancestors still dwelling in mounds or hills; sometimes they are more similar to land-wights (earth spirits). The Elves are worshipped together with the Disir (see above) and often with Frey. Sometimes they are kindly, as names like Alfred (Elf-Counsel) show; when offended, they shoot humans or animals with elf-shot, causing stroke and other forms of sickness.
Embla
First human female. The name is oflen translated "elm", though it could also refer to a sort of vine. See "Askr".
Gersemi
One of Freyja's and Od's two daughters.
Gna
(Liod)
A servant of Frigga who acted as the great goddesses's messenger. Perhaps her most significant mission was to bring the apple of fertility to the mortal Rerir.
Hnoss
One of Freyja's and Od's two daughters.
Kvasir
After the war of the Aesir and Vanir, the two godly tribes sealed peace by spitting into a bowl and creating Kvasir from the mingled spittle. He was said to be the wisest of all creatures. He was slain by two dwarves, who brewed the mead of poetry (Odroerir) from his blood. The name derives from kvase (Norwegian), kvas (Russian), a kind of fermented berry juice traditionally prepared by communal chewing of the berries and spitting into a bowl.
Land-wights
(Old Norse landvaettir)
The beings who dwell in rocks, springs, and so forth. They are shy and easily driven away (especially by noise or strife); when they have fled, the land will not prosper. In Heathen Iceland, it was illegal to come within sight of the shore with a dragon-prow raised, as that frightened them. The land-wights are friendly towards humans who treat them well. Gifts of food and drink were often left by their dwelling places; in America, tobacco is often added, as they have grown used to it from the practices of the Native Americans.
Lif
(Old Norse Lif, Lifthrasir)
"Life", the human woman who survives Ragnarok by hiding beneath the bark of the World-Tree (or one of its shoots) and, with her husband Lifthrasir ("the one striving after life"), reproduces humankind after the last battle.
Lofn
One of Frigga's women, who gets permission for folk to marry when it had been forbidden before. Especially the patroness of those whose love is criticised by outsiders.
Midgard Serpent
Child of Loki and Angrboda, this great Wyrm circles Midgard, lying in the depths of the ocean. Some think that he holds the world together while the age lasts. Thor caught him once while fishing and struck him on the head, but Thor's companion, the giant Hymir, became afraid and cut the line. At Ragnarok, the Midgard Serpent and Thor will slay each other. The Wyrm is also called Jormungandr (the Great Wand or the Great Magic-Beast).
Mötsognir
Greatest of all the Dwarves.
Norns
The three Norns, Urd (Wyrd), Verdandi, and Skuld, are etin-maidens who guard the Well of Urd from which the World-Tree springs. They reach into the Well's waters (the past) and sprinkle the Tree to shape that which shall happen. They are also said to do their shaping by cutting runes and/or by spinning and weaving. They are possibly related to the three Continental Matronae (see "disir"); Snorri, and the Eddic poem Fafnismal, also describe clan--disir as "norns".
Ratatosk
(Old Norse Ratatoskr)
The squirrel that runs up and down the World-Tree, bearing nasty messages between the dragon at its roots and the eagle at its crown.
Skirnir
"The Shining one"; Frey's servant and messenger.
Skuld
One of the Norns
Sleipnir
Odin's gray, eight-legged horse, borne by Loki (in mare-shape) to the giant-stallion Svadilfari.
Thjalfi
Servant of Thor. When Thor stayed overnight at the house of a man (race unclear; sources hint variously at human, giant, or elf) named Egill, there was little to eat, so Thor slew his goats and served them up. He warned the family not to harm any of the bones, but Thjalfi cracked one and sucked the marrow. The next morning, Thor put the hides back over the bones and swung his Hammer over them; the goats jumped up alive and well, but one was lamed. To pay for the harm, Egill gave Thor his son Thjalfi and his daughter Roskva as servants. Thjalfi was best known as a remarkably swift runner. The name (old Norse Thjalfi) has been interpreted as "serving-elf", but also appears as a personal name. His sister's name (Old Norse Roskva) is related to the verb "to grow, to mature", and may hint at an original role as fertility goddess, fitting to both Thor's role as a god of fruitfulness and to the character of his wife Sif.
Thrud
(Old Norse Truthr; English Trude)
"Strength"; Thor's daughter. Perhaps abducted by the giant Hrungnir, whom Thor slew; also desired by the dwarf Alviss, whom Thor outwitted. Her name is sometimes listed among the valkyries; it is a common element in women's names (such as Gertrude - "spear-Thrud" or "spear-strength").
Troll
Originally, perhaps, simply meaning "magic", though it has also been connected with "to roll". Today it is normally used for a being from Icelandic and Norwegian folklore which seems to be a cross between a land-wight, a giant, and the Undead. Trolls of this sort are magical beings which kill (and perhaps eat) travellers in the mountains and are turned to stone by daylight.
Valkyries
"Choosers of the Slain", these maidens were originally seen as frightful battle-spirits accompanying Odin in his work of marking men for death in war. They appear in a more pleasant aspect in Valhall, where they carry out the traditional womanly duty of bearing drink. The idea of the valkyrie as the hero's supernatural lover is probably a product of romanticization by the thirteenth -century scribes who recorded the earlier poems of the heroes Helgi and Wayland (Volundr) and filled in gaps with their own prose; the poems themselves do not recognise these spirit-wives as valkyries. The most famous of the valkyries, known chiefly through Wagner's Ring Cycle, is Brunnhilde, demoted from her position for defending a hero against Odin's will and punished by being forced to fall in love with Siegfried the Dragon-Slayer (Sigurd). Voluspa lists their names as: Skuld, Skögul, Gunn, Hild, Göndul, and Geirskögul.
Vanir
A tribe of deities which we only know about through their relationship with the Aesir. After a war which ended in a truce between equally matched forces, the two tribes were reconciled, and the Vanic Njord and Frey came to live with the Aesir. Since Frey and Njord are often called on for peace and good harvest, the Vanir are often seen as peaceful fertility deities. They are contrasted to the warlike Aesir in this respect, but since Frey is one of the doughtiest warriors and called "leader of the hosts of the gods", and his twin Freya is well known as a patron goddess of warriors and stirrer of strife, this can hardly be the wholeness of their being. The Vanir are especially known for their wisdom and ability to see into the mists of what shall become; the ecstatic divinatory technique called seidhr is originally attributed to them. The rock carvings of the Bronze Age seem to show a great deal of Vanic symbolism, though Aesic images (the god with the spear, the god with the double-headed Hammer or axe) are also often present. In modern speech, Wans or Wanes.
Vor
"The Careful one", one of Frigga's women.
Walpurga
"Wald-burga" (Wood-Protection), a christian saint whose name was given to the holy night May Eve ("Walpurgisnacht"). No Heathen name for this feast survives. However, for the sake of custom in the Teutonic tradition, the Troth has taken to calling the festival "Waluburg's Night", after the second-century Heathen Germanic seeress Waluburg.
Yggdrasill
The World-Tree. The name Yggdrasill means "Ygg's steed"; Ygg is one of Odin's many names. The title probably refers to the nine nights Odin spent hanging from it to win the runes, as a gallows is often called "the steed of the hanged". All the Nine Worlds lie within the span of the World-Tree. It is usually called an ash, but some think that it may be a yew, since it is also said to be evergreen. At its roots gnaw the dragon Niddhogg and many snakes; an eagle nests at its crown with a falcon between his eyes, and the squirrel Ratatosk runs up and down between them. Four stags also gnaw on the World-Tree's bark; but the Norns' sprinkling of the waters from the Well of Wyrd heal it each day.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:02 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:04 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:06 am
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Wyrd/Örlog
Let us commence by looking at the sources we have available to us:
Voluspá (Translations: Auden Taylor)
17.
Unz þrír kvámu
ór því liði
öflgir ok ástkir
æsir at húsi,
fundu á landi
lítt megandi
Ask ok Emblu
örlöglausa.
Then from the host three came,
Great, merciful, from the God's home:
Ash and Elm on earth they found,
Faint, feeble, with no fate assigned them
18.
Önd þau ne áttu,
óð þau ne höfðu,
lá né læti
né litu góða;
önd gaf Óðinn,
óð gaf Honir,
lá gaf Lóðurr
ok litu góða.
Breath they had not, nor blood nor senses,
Nor language possessed, nor life-hue:
Odhinn gave them breath, Haenir senses,
Blood and life hue Lothur gave.
19.
Ask veit ek standa,
heitir Yggdrasill
hár baðmr, ausinn
hvíta auri;
þaðan koma döggvar
þærs í dala falla;
stendr æ yfir gronn
Urðar brunni.
I know an ash tree, named Yggdrasil:
Sparkling showers are shed on its leaves
That drip dew, into the dales below,
By Urð's well it waves evergreen,
Stands over that still pool,
20.
Þaðan koma meyjar
margs vitandi
þrjár, ór þeim sal
er und þolli stendr;
Urð hétu eina,
aðra Verðandi,
skáru á skíði,
Skuld ina þriðju;
þær lög lögðu,
þær líf kuru
alda börnum,
örlög seggja.
Near it a bower whence now there come
The Fate Maidens, first Urð,
Skuld second, scorer of runes,
Then Verðandi, third of the Norns:
The laws that determine the lives of men
They fixed forever and their fate sealed.
Svipdagsmál (Gróagaldr)
4.
Löng er för,
langir 'ru farvegar,
langir 'ru manna munir;
ef þat verðr,
at þú þinn vilja bíðr,
ok skeikar þá skuld at sköpum.
Hollander Translation
Long is the way and wearisome,
but longer man's love doth last;
if thou winn'st what thou wishest 'tis well for thee,
but the Norns work natheless.
Eysteinn Translation
Long is the journey,
long are the roads,
long last the yearnings of men,
if it comes to pass
that your wish be granted,
then Skuld's decree is at fault.
Svipdagsmál (Fjölsvinnsmál)
47.
Urðar orði
kveður engi maður,
þótt það sé við löst lagið.
Hollander Translation
'gainst Urth's decree 'tis idel to strive,
though loath be thy lot.
Eysteinn Translation
No one can oppose
Urð's decree,
even though it incurs blame.
According to Cleasby Vigfusson, orði is to speak. In other words, one cannot go against what Urðr has spoken.
Let us start then, in our analysis, at the beginning. Voluspa. We have the name of the Norn, Urð, but most importantly we have the word Örlög used twice. Now, this has been simply translated as 'fate' in the past, but it is the opinion of many that this is a modernised and post-conversion convention and simplification. Rasmusson gives in his 1901 translation the following footnote:
"The old Norse word is Örlög, which is plural, (from ör = Ger. ur, and lög, laws,) and means the primal law, fate, weird, doom; the Greek ?????. The idea of predestination was a salient feature in the Odinic religion. The word örlog, O.H.G. urlac, M.H.G. urlone, Dutch orlog, had special reference to a man's fate in war. Hence Orlogschiffe in German means a naval fleet. The Danish orlog means warfare at sea."
Now, our first thing we must address is the concept from the terminology of ur, and law. The term for law, also means layer. In other words, we are also dealing with the primal layers, or the layers that have been laid down. The metaphor of the process of Yggdrassil, where-in the dewy adolescence of action, condenses, and settles into the well of Urðr. The natural process of respiration of a tree is the uptake of fluid from the roots, which is then released as water vapour through the leaves. Astonishing that without any scientific knowledge, our ancestors knew such a thing... or perhaps not so astonishing when one considers that they would have been far more in tune with the natural environs than many moderns.
So, we have the well of Urðr (Wyrd). Why not the well of Verðandi, or Skuld? Well, a well is a vessel, a container. If we consider the nature of Verðandi, there is nothing to be held, as Verðandi is a process of flow, being 'that which is becoming', and best likened to the flow of water up the trunk of the tree. There is no time for a well here, to contain anything, for the pattern of flow is ever-changing. So then, why not a well of Skuld. None whom desire the whole issue to be reduced to 'fate' seem to be willing to realise what Skuld actually means. It means a debt, or what is due. Cleasby Vigfusson further provides that in the oldest law, Skuld means a kind of serfdom or bondage in payment of a debt. Clearly, a debt is something that can be resolved, paid off if you will. Hence a well of Skuld is a bit of a stretch.
So, what is being fixed at the time of birth? If it is the Örlög, then that is the primal layers of life. So, at the time of birth, you are being fixed in space-time, that which has gone before is defined at the point you are born. Your genetics produce a predisposition to certain diseases, and provide certain immunities, as well as giving physical features, and even an inherent persona level which exists before attachment of the Kinfylgia.
If we add to this the information we have within Svipdagsmál, we gain further insight. The section in Gróagaldr which is mostly translated as fate, is in fact Skuld, that which is due/owed. My own interpretation is rather different to that of 'fate'. I consider that this particular verse actually means that if one has prepared correctly, then what is due to you at the end of the quest SHOULD take place (barring any unforseen circumstances or other outside influences which have been prepared for not).
The verse in Fjölsvinnsmál to me means that the conditions of ones birth are fixed, immutable, no matter how much one would like to whine about it. It is there, and will always be the same.
All of this shows us a process. At the beginning of ones life, ones örlög is set. That is, the time, location, parentage, etc are all fixed at that point in time. From that point onwards, we deal with Verðandi and Skuld. In other words, our actions (and inactions) are continually generating the waters of the well of Urdr (Wyrd). The actions and inactions of all individuals and even natural forces, personified in the Jotunar and landvaettir, builds Wyrd. Positive actions build Wyrd, negative actions drain it. Hence it is tied intimately with the concept of Hamingja, or 'luck'.
To say that we have ultimate free will is a furphy, but then so too is the concept of pre-destined fate. We have what should take place based on the moment of our birth, and the actions that have taken place within our own lives, as well as the actions of others, and the environs within which we live.
Another interesting passage is found in Fáfnismál (found in the Codex Regius - It is important to note that this is probably a copied manuscript which was done around the 13 Century and so may not be as reliable a source as earlier works to guage the concepts of our ancestors in regards 'fate'):
11.
Norna dóm
þú munt fyr nesjum hafa
ok örlög ósvinns apa,
í vatni þú druknar
ef í vindi ror,
alt er feigs forað.
The fate of the Norns
before the headland
Thou findest, and doom of a fool;
In the water shalt drown
if thou row 'gainst the wind,
All danger is near to death.
12.
Segðu mér Fáfnir
alls þik fróðan kveða
ok vel margt vita:
hverjar ro þær nornir,
er nauðgönglar ro
ok kjósa moðr frá mögum.
Tell me then, Fafnir,
for wise art famed,
And much thou knowest now:
Who are the Norns
who are helpful in need,
And the babe from the mother bring?
13.
Sundrbornar mjök
segi ek nornir vera,
eigu-t þær ætt saman,
sumar ro áskunngar,
sumar alfkunngar,
sumar dotr Dvalins.
Of many births
the Norns must be,
Nor one in race they were
Some to gods, others
to elves are kin,
And Dvalin's daughters some.
(Bellows Translation)
Passage 11 here provides us with a translation of dómr as fate (interesting that each mention of a name of one of the Norns is translated as fate as well - are we detecting a pattern of simplification here...), when in fact, if one consults Cleasby Vigfusson, we find out that dómr is in fact a court of judgement. I hence translate this first part of the passage as 'the Judgement of the Norns'. The next line I translate directly as 'you must first a ness have'. I find this problematic, although not undecipherable, albeit, not having access to images of the original manuscript, I cannot tell if the word is in fact, nesnám, which is translated as to legally take possession of land, although this fails to tie in as well with the later references to water and rowing. The next line I consider to be 'also örlög (in the sense of my writings above) of a Baboon/big fool'. So, lets look at this, we get a sense of if one goes against the judgement of the Norns, one is a fool, whom is rowing against the wind, and it will be the death of you. So, what is the analysis of the metaphor. Well, referencing the previous work insofar as defining the role of the Norns, we can work at it at three levels. The first is to try and work against Urðr, that which has been laid down at the time of birth, and continues to be laid down by our actions and the actions of others, including the natural cyclical processes of the natural world. The second is to try and work against Verðandi, to actively halt the continual process of decision making and manifestation which flows, regardless of action or inaction. Such a thing is, in effect, an attempt to halt time and bring about stasis. Lastly, an attempt to work against Skuld, that which is owed, or should be, is an attempt to change the outcome regardless of the pattern created via Urðr and Verðandi.
Passage 12 shows the Norns in a positive light, being assistants at the time of birth, clearly wishing to continue the development of the pattern of Wyrd via the natural process of birth. The question is of course, whom are these Norns, which pre-supposes that they are not THE Norns, but instead other Norns, whose practice is similar in character to THE Norns.
Passage 13 provides us with the answer that the Norns in this case must be of many different types, for they are responsible for the birth of all creatures, including gods, elves, and dwarves at the least, and presumably also to humans. This is on one level a statement that the process of Wyrd effects all beings, regardless of which race or of which level of power they are. On another level, it also indicates that there are female entities whom affect this process in all races, and we can, if we read extensively, derive the probability that they are Valkyries and Disir.
If we look at the greatest 'fate' ever in the Germanic Folkway, the Ragnarök, we discover if we look at the translation (Cleasby Vigfusson), that we are actually dealing, once again, with the idea of sentence and judgement, also a reason, or in other words, a ground for something (e.g. grounds for dismissal -etc.). So again, it's a sense of the process which is embodied by the Norns, that process which, if matters move as they are spoken of, then the outcome will be as should be. If however, matters fail to follow the pattern proscribed, then things should be different. The key wording here is should.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:08 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:10 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:11 am
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:12 am
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Poetry & Lyrics
Poem on the birth of Anna Gertrude Hewitt
(© 07 January 2002 - Dirk Schmitt)
In darkened stead
No sound is made
All wait in time
For bairn to come
Pains first pangs
Announce the coming
Time it is
For kinfolk to gather
Time passes still
Cries become
More insistant
The bairn moves
Mother and child
Bound in lifes dance
Pain gives life
Life gives pain
In last cry
Is life brought forth
Kinfolk joy
Bairn whole and hale
And is heralded
New life in Vinland
Tru folk heil
Mother and bairn
Tru folk heil
Father and bairn
Tru folk heil
Kin and bairn
Blood and Ashes
(© 11 November 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
Blood is as water;
It flows
Ashes are as the wind;
Fly away
Say words of troth;
Of blood
That calls to blood;
In Time
Say words as hollow;
Of Ashes
Those call to none;
Taste bitter
In Frith greet blood;
Tru Friend
But ware false friend;
May be
With Might greet Ashes;
Send away
But welcome Tru folk;
Return home
Call noble Tru virtue;
Nine Words
As there are Nine Worlds;
Live these
The Creeping One
(© Some time in 1990 - Dirk Schmitt)
Can you not see what it does to you?
Are you so blind?
Creeping into your soul soon it will control your mind.
Everyone around you is a commodity to be used.
No more is friendship for its’ own sake.
Leaping at shadows in the darkness.
Cringing in the corners of your own mind.
Chorus
Everything you once held dear – Gone!
Everyone who you needed near – Gone!
It calls to you now, again and again.
So now it’s your only friend.
Bring misery to others in its name,
More and more you need its flame.
Calling to you every day.
Now you know you’ll never get away.
C
No choice anymore.
No-one can help.
Willpower gone.
So here is your end.
Slave to the Tyrant.
Believing its lies.
Till in the end.
You Die.
C
The Dark Call
(© Some time in 1993 - Dirk Schmitt)
In your foolishness did you call them,
Those that live inside of you,
Never will you be free of them,
Gone is the freedom you once knew.
They use your desires against you,
Make you their thrall,
The life you live is only part your own.
Chorus
Power you sought
Foolish One
In their web you were caught
Now it is done
Never free again
Though you may seek the light,
You’ll never be free of the dark.
For once they have hold,
It is hard to remove the spark.
Consider yourself a pawn forever,
Struggling to change your destiny.
You will never again be free.
Chorus
Even in death there can be no peace,
For they will send you to their master.
And you shall join them,
Making fools live burn faster.
Consider now the choices you make,
For you may have made a grave mistake,
The question is do you know,
If it’s your life you’ve sold?
Chorus
Make your choice.
Never fear the truth.
Let me hear your voice.
Do you need more proof?
Consider it NOW!
Chorus
The Darkness Within
(© 7th August 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
So pious priest; God you serve
But other you serve in darkest night
With little boys you have the nerve
Destroy their innocence in your delight
I am here; you fool
The part of you that remains so true
Mind mired in darkened pool
Never acknowledge that I am you
Darkness within
So bride of Christ; God you serve
But other you serve in darkest night
With little girls you have the nerve
Destroy their innocence in your delight
Pain you cause because you cannot face
We are the same you and I
You cannot bear to look upon my face
For I am you and you are I
Darkness within
So Greyman gods and goddesses you serve
No others you serve in darkest night
Within yourself you have the nerve
To acknowledge me and treat me aright
No pain is granted because of you
Never blame the one that never sees the sun
The darkest part of you
You acknowledge that we are one
Darkness within
No power I have over you
Greet me there, acceptance found
No fear for you
Darkness and Light abound
Balance of ancient pathways
Honour the Dark one; Honour the Light
In balance is found tru ways
So that none need fear the night
I am the Darkness within…
The Grey Man
(© - 10th August 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
Care to colour me black
Fool, I don’t conform to your limited sight
Would I stab you in the back?
Never! Even though in darkness you delight
Care to colour me white
Fool, I am not so easy to define
Would I save you from the blight?
Never! Even though you see me as divine
I am grey
Always in between light and shadow
I do what I must
To allow all to see another tomorrow
Cry deeply to me in your darkest hour
Will I answer you?
Or let the wolves you devour?
I will do, as I must for that is what I do.
In your battles you call to me
Victory’s sweet flavour you desire
But when all is done to be
You may end up face down in the mire
I am grey
Always in between light and shadow
I do what I must
To allow all to see another tomorrow
But fear not those who call to me
For the grey man hears you all
And either I let you in another life be
Or call you to my side in my hall
The only thing I ask in return
Is that you remember the troth
And live your life and learn
Of ways of honour and truth
I am grey
Always in between light and shadow
I do what I must
To allow all to see another tomorrow
In the end I have done, as I must
Returning gift for gift
To those who have given me trust
Hail to those who have travelled the rift
Honour
(© 22 August 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
A world where honour is a joke
That is what I see about me
No longer does it mean what it once did
Thus we say an end to be
Stand tall upon ancient pathways
Remember the ways of honour
Know in yourself that worth is measured otherwise
Than the methods used this hour
Never give up your inner self
That part of you that is tru
Give honour where it is deserved
And hold thyself above in league with the few
Foolish children of the modern age
Squabble carelessly for their scraps
Whisper darkly in hideous company
Setting their snares and traps
Do not hold truck with their ways
Ere you end up as one of them
Idylls you maintain with no thought of gain
Hold it as they would a precious gem
So come those who hold tru
We shall wend our way forth
Journeying forever more through life
Forever holding to our troth
In Calm of Night
(© 6 May 2002 - Dirk Schmitt)
In calm of night
Warm wends one home
Fire light and friends
This night I’ve seen
Troth to Gods
And Goddesses hold
Tall tales of deeds
By the fireside
Sumble held
Solemn oaths worded
Odin watches
As web of wyrd woven
Good food and hale
Grand folk cook well
Mouth waters from smells
From the kitchen come
Memories flood mind
Cheer my heavy heart
Would I could stay ever
Amongst folk as these
Return I must
To the ways of others
But home I know
Where to find it
Ode to Freyja
(© 6 August 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
For years I stand unknowing
Knowledge of what lays beyond
Time comes forth
Granting me glimpses
Of lives once lived
Sitting in rooms
Listening to words
Reading their troth
Coming to know
The ways of God
But these ways are not mine
Never have they been
In time I know
Learning ever that
No Kristjan I be
Once more into the void
No presence I sense
Living in limbo
Till the call
Brings me back again
Your sweet voice
The shine of your spear
The purr of your cats
The flight of the Swallow
Your presence I feel
I call to you
Lady of the North
In my darkest time
You embrace me
With your warmth
Infused with the knowledge
Of who I once was
Returned to the folk
Of kinfolk ever tru
Freyja goddess mine
Trust the Trusting
(© Some time in 1991 - Dirk Schmitt)
Trust the Trusting
Frailty in heart, trusting mind
When the lies come you are truly blind.
Why should it hurt so
When it’s been done all before
Chorus
Living is pain,
Moments of joy
Come and go like the tide
Joy can be so easily ended, when we see through the lie
Trust in yourself, but beware your own mind.
Do not lie to yourself, else you will have joined their kind.
Remember to treat yourself with honour and truth,
For then no-one can truly destroy you.
C
If all you see is lie and deceit,
Ask yourself if it’s help you entreat.
Never rely on another’s word.
For who truly knows if it’s the truth you’ve heard.
C
Be careful who you trust,
Ensure their honour,
Understand just what it is you seek.
Do not linger on those who are liars,
For they shall only destroy your beliefs.
Truth - Justice - Honour
(© Some time in 1991 - Dirk Schmitt)
Truth? Where is it?
If you find it bring it to me.
For all that I see is Truth dying,
As lies, they overtake all!
Chorus
Truth is gone, lies rule all.
Honour is gone, it heralds our fall.
Justice is gone, law is just no more.
Few are those who still believe.
Honour? Where is it?
An age old code which can guide our lives.
Honour is lost in the modern time.
And Honour is dying.
C
Justice? Where is it?
It lives no longer.
Law holds no justice as fools try to drag it down.
Power corrupts law as justice dies.
C
We seek Truth,
We seek Honour,
We seek Justice,
We are the few,
We shall survive,
And with us Truth, Honour and Justice shall abide.
Wedding Bede
(© 06 October 2001 - Dirk Schmitt)
Troth
Oath
Harken the words
Harken the deeds
Binding of lives
Life shared
Kin brought together
Family to family
In honour this day
Rings exchange
In fidelity this day
Weapons exchange
Bring love to bear
And last ever more
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