#daily havamal | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hundtoth · 3 years

Photo

while this should not have to be said aloud - heathenry is not a racist faith! unfortunately, such a statement is necessary to voice... unless you’re a chauvinistic and/or a xenophobic heathen, that’s what this post pertains to: sure, it’s not untold that in the modern world heathenry has been pockmarked by the allotment of symbols seized by hate groups alongside the adulteration of our religious ‘brethren’, with hateful individuals that warp our teachings to portray their hateful demands. our much beloved germanic neopaganism has become a justification for racist behaviour, from the propaganda of the nazi party which applied many of our symbols (such as the fylfot), to the germanic people pointing with pride as the pinnacle of the aryan race. a big problem that faces the heathen practice, while it is innocuous at heart, are the attempts to bear on labels to various heathen sub-groups as ‘racist’ and ‘not racist’. it has become favoured by heathens to cleave up heathenry into splinter groups; universalism, tribalism, and folkism (as the dominant ones), which are often viewed as ‘not racist’, ‘racist?’ and ‘racist!’ respectively. let me be the one to unburden that and say that these terms are not key definitions to those three groups, and that this is the root of the problem. the issue is that these terms are neither here nor there and cannot be applied in whole to the groups that they are supposed to attain to. this is because there exists no foundation within the religion for racist beliefs, which means that those who venture into the ancient praxis could fall under the folkish bracket and may not be and are often not racist. albeit, it’s commonplace for people to label themselves such things to be closer to those who share their views on racism, but that causes some to abandon a title tailored to their practice in favor of one that doesn’t, simply to avoid the bleak implications of said title. in my mind, i believe that we should not be giving monikers to those within the faith with racist tendencies as they simply are not deserving of them. they do not deserve to ornament themselves with the title of a specific group as this just causes a continuation upon the idea that their beliefs around that area of the faith are valid, altering its meaning entirely. to clarify the true to life meanings behind these groups, as they are applied to the preferences of method of practice by each heathen, we have;

universalism - a belief that anyone, irregardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, may practice under the heathen umbrella. the universalism belief structure has been criticized often for failing to motivate its followers to the same depth as others, and allowing the prevalence of contrary philosophies to those present within heathenry. universalists reproduce declaration 127, also known as havamal-stanza 127, which can be cherished by anyone for its simple utterance of: recognize evil, speak out against it, and give no truces to your enemies. however, declaration 127 is denounced commonly due to its poor efforts (similar to the criticism of social media campaigns for ‘likes’ with no physical backing) and it’s false sense of security within heathenry.

tribalism - considered to be ‘in the middle’ by many heathens. tribalists try to vindicate the old and new methods through moderate reconstructionalism, and have a tendency to conceptualise ethnic heritage without maintaining boundaries within practice. the purest way to describe a tribalist is a practicing heathen that integrates the ‘old ways’ into their lifestyle, and they often assert that one must earn the title of heathen - that it doesn’t matter who you are, you must put in the effort and study, which may span years.

folkism - folkist beliefs carry the most stigma, in which racist beliefs are widespread, claiming that germanic paganism is an ethnic right. while this is not always the case, it gives the impression that germanic paganism is only open to those with a connection to the germanic peoples, in a ‘heretic’ kind of way. within folkism, there exists a cross-section as to how this should be enforced, though it is unclouded that it has become a seedbed for racism within the overarching faith that is often under-fire for being contradictory to itself with no substantive evidence that the nordic peoples were racist.

what these terms have set out to do is prognosticate the beliefs of heathens away from how they comfortably choose to practice their faith. the three groups aforementioned fell into those titles not solely due to racism but to essentially describe a heathens practice through daily life. these terms inflict uncertainty to several thought processes within heathenry where race is not a factor, thus cold-shouldering heathens who heed to such traditions when they are presumed to be mirroring the racist views held by their counterparts under the tribalist or folkish stamps which have precured their titles because of racist prospects, not because of how they adopt practice, which is the true basis of these terms. in retrospect, trying to rank the groups within heathenry with the aim of plucking out a method of practice under ‘racism’ only adds more conflict to our community as a whole. i suggest that, especially to new heathens, you should explore these groups further to better your understanding of the people that you may be dealing with and what their ideas are but, be mindful of the fact that you are not required to declare yourself as anything, as these terms tend to only exist as a guide into finding like-minded people. additionally, it would be baseless to create suppositions about anyone within heathenry for the titles that they have chosen to align under as each group is diverse, not only in its members but in its beliefs. another important concept to mention when discussing racism in heathenry are the origins of germanic paganism. germanic ancestors adored the idea of ancestry through honour and worship, and as they would of been white, such ancestors must of been white, too. this would give the impression that when one turns their hand to ancestral veneration within heathenry, while not being white, by very definition they would be inclined to practice their own ancestral faith, which would not be heathenry - because they are not white. to connect to one’s ancestors, many heathens find it essential to practice their ancestral ways through faith and culture, but when someone has no nordic ancestry, heathens may imply that other heathens should be following their own ancestry instead, which is quite paradoxical and backs many people into a corner. an argument often occurs within heathenry regarding spirituality and how it is ‘passed through the ages’, validated by claims that we assume elements of our fate and soul from our lineage and how our ancestors could be reincarnated as a factor of that. as such, it is only those with nordic ancestry who may hear the call of the old gods. they attempt to rationalize this by claiming that white people cannot feel the call of other ancestral ways and other religions, and thus is all fair and equal. however, when we are called back to the ‘old ways’, the old ways are our own individual pasts, as something ingrained into our spiritual histories. for those who are non-whites, this path would not be heathenry, at least according to those who convey this claim. withal, symbols, in my own opinion, have greater intrigue for racists undertaking heathenry above all, with many already falling victim to the racist facets of such symbols whilst being used erroneously by hate groups for many years. additionally, new symbols are often purloined and misappropriated, rather than observed as segments of a faithful movement, instead they are seen as the ideograms of ancient whites; mjolnir, runic othala, valknut and ravens, amongst many more. as mentioned in an earlier paragraph, many symbols now associated with the nazi regime (the SS and swastika) are, or were, once deep-heathen symbolism. ofcourse, the swastika is immediate throughout history but if we were to be straight-thinking, we can surmise that the nazis used it for its association to heathenry, not its association to buddhism, etc. even if these people understood the symbols that they clutched on to and their authentic meanings in a religious sense, they are still related to the previously mentioned concepts within the origins that they have already manipulated to suit themselves, for example, the othala rune, which at a very basic level relates to heritage and ancestry. with a racists obsession with white ancestry, its very easy to see why an ancestral symbol from a white culture would be appealing. within this post, i have tried to emphasise that there is no basis for racism within heathenry if one was to, with all intents and purposes, understand heathen-history and its logic. here are a select few reasons as to why i personally think that any racist who applies heathenry to validate their intolerant opinions are both wrong and uneducated:

assuming that one’s spiritual inclination was genetic, which a vast majority of pagans today discredit, it simply wouldn’t matter. conducting a shallow study on genetics would reveal that it would be almost impossible in the ever-present to have a direct gene from any ancestor who would have been pagan in the viking era. some of the most controversially racist heathens today haven’t had a directly european ancestor in the last 200 years, oops! to paraphrase wayland skallagrimsson, there have been roughly 50 generations between the end of ancient heathenry and today, which means that for most people, contributions to DNA from any heathen ancestor amount to ‘less than 1 ten-trillionth of one percent’. contributions from christian ancestors would be 25-50% of one's genes. let us entertain the concept that one had inherited the genes of their heathen ancestors, scientists largely agree that thoughts and beliefs are culturally influenced anyway. while it is understood that mental illnesses can be inherited, they hold basis not in memory but in brain development, hormonal signals and genetically encoded processes within the body. perhaps it is true, after all, there is the disorder of victim mentality where one believes themselves to be under constant attack, so perhaps racists are just merely ill? poor souls.

there exists no single indication within the eddas and sagas of racial exclusion. our ancient germanic ancestors were well travelled and would have had a large sense of worldliness, caring little about those of other ethnicity, otherwise we would have a myth expanding upon that. in point of fact, odin seeks knowledge from the jötuns who, from a mythological standpoint, represent the ‘outsiders’. despite being the adversaries to the gods on almost all occasions, they often married into the aesir and were included amongst the figureheads (see loki and skadi), and had children together that were pivtotal to the tale of the world, such as magni and modi, children to thor and the jötun named jarnsaxa, whom of which are not only divine, but so pure that they take up the role of thor, and his hammer, after ragnarok to be the defenders of all. the mixing of the ‘outsiders’ to the central gods conveys a pespective from the ancients that position of birth has no bearing on one’s own ability to be pure and welcome.

similarly, there exists no historical evidence to say that ancient germanics were inherently racist. ibn fadhlan, an arabian traveller with produced written works on the germanic people of his age, was entitled to observe and learn of the ‘northern way’, involving himself in rites, alongside slaves who were integrated into the culture and religion historically - which is how we now have accounts of such things. not only do we have have the assimilation of others into the norse culture, we also have norsemen’s graves decorated with arabic emblems, proposing that they themselves diverged from their own ‘righteous path’, to be open and embracing of other cultures and faiths. in fact, germanics have been depicted on many occasions to have participated in the religious celebrations of the cultures to which they travelled, most notably the baptism of king radbod, in honor of a christian friend. additonally, archaeologists have deliberated in many different practices that the norse learnt skills and adopted traits from other cultures, such as the filling of teeth, prior to the occurrence of those practices in nordic culture, telling us that they took back cultural idiosyncrasies of other cultures to their own homelands - our faith would not have kept body and soul together without the aid of many ancient scholars belonging to other creeds and races, and it is a disgrace to disregard them today.

my final disproof is purely opinionated, which is that racism as a whole goes against the very tenants of heathenry. to strive to bar another person from coming into your ‘territory’ shows an acknowledgement of threat from that person. a threat, of course, can only be a threat if you acknowledge that they could overtake you, should you be weak. so, in being racist and fearing the prevalence of other races, racist whites are putting themselves into a position of weakness and equality with those other races. after all, if they weren’t equal certainly it wouldn’t take any effort at all on the part of the white peoples to be dominant, right? no! racism is cowardly and shows an easily wounded ego on the part of the racist; some of the greatest insults in the old norse language are to be weak and cowardly, and thus it is impossible for any racist to truly uphold the values of heathenry.

#heathen #heathenry #heathens against hate #pagan #paganism #neopaganism #norse #norse mythology #norse paganism #asatru #aesir #vanir #vanic #religion #history #worship #vikings

60 notes · View notes

thehugwizard · 4 years

Note

Hi! Could.you answer question 26, 27 and 150?

By the way your blog is so nice! :)

26. I do my daily stretches and basic kung fu work

27. Im perfectly content with my skin tone

150. "The text of havamal" from the prosse eda

10 notes · View notes

adalheidismimisbrunnr · 4 years

Text

The Nine Noble Virtues

In many branches of Norse Paganism, including but not limited to Asatru, adherents follow a set of guidelines known as the Nine Noble Virtues. This set of moral and ethical standards is drawn from several sources, both historic and literary. Sources include the Havamal, the Poetic and Prose Eddas, and many of the Icelandic sagas. Although various branches of Asatruar interpret these nine virtues in slightly different ways, there seems to be some universality as to what the virtues are and what they stand for.

The Nine Noble Virtues of Norse Paganism include moral and ethical standards drawn from several historic and literary sources. These suggestions for honorable behavior include physical and moral courage, honor and fidelity, and the tradition of hospitality. Various branches of Asatruar interpret these nine virtues in slightly different ways.

Courage

Courage: both physical and moral courage. Courage isn’t necessarily about running into a fight with your guns blazing. For many people, it’s more about standing up for what you believe in and what you know to be right and just, even if it’s not the popular opinion. Many Heathens agree that it takes a lot of courage to live by the Nine Noble Virtues, particularly if you live in an area that’s spiritually conservative and is generally ruled by Ten of the Other Guy’s Rules. Living your beliefs in the face of opposition requires as much courage as going into battle.

Truth

There are different types of truth — spiritual truth and actual truth. The Havamal says:

Swear no oath

But what you mean to abide by:

A halter awaits the word breaker,

Villainous is the wolf-of-vows.

The concept of Truth is a powerful one and stands as a reminder that we must speak of what we know as Truth, rather than what we think others wish to hear.

Honor

Honor: one's reputation and moral compass. Honor plays a significant role in the daily life of many Heathens. This virtue reminds us that our deeds, words, and reputation will outlive our bodies, and that the person we are in life will be remembered for a long time. The epic poem Beowulf cautions, for a noble man death is better than a shameful life.

Fidelity

Fidelity is complex, and involves remaining true to the Gods, kinsmen, a spouse, and community. Much like honor, fidelity is something to be remembered. In many early heathen cultures, an oath was a sacred contract — someone who broke a vow, whether it was to a wife, a friend, or a business partner, was considered a shameful and dishonorable person indeed. The Nine Noble Virtues all tie in together — if you fail to adhere to one, you may have trouble following the others. The concept of fidelity is one of loyalty. If you let down a friend or member of your Kindred or the Gods, then you’re turning your back on your entire community and all that they stand for.

Discipline

Discipline includes using one's personal will to uphold honor and other virtues. It’s not easy to be an ethical and just person in today’s society — it often takes some degree of work, and a lot of mental discipline. Will comes into play with that. Upholding the virtues is a choice, and it’s a much simpler path to follow to just ignore them and do what society expects or what’s easy. Discipline is the ability to show your courage, your loyalty, your sense of self-reliance, in the face of personal challenges.

Hospitality

Hospitality is more than just opening your door to a guest. It's about treating others with respect and being part of the community. For our ancestors, hospitality wasn’t a question of simply being nice, it was often a matter of survival. A traveler might find himself wandering for days or more without seeing another living soul. Arriving in a new village meant not just food and shelter, but also companionship and safety. Traditionally, once a guest had eaten at your table, it meant they were also granted your protection while under your roof. The Havamal says:

Fire is needed by the newcomer

Whose knees are frozen numb;

Meat and clean linen a man needs

Who has fared across the fells,

Water, too, that he may wash before eating,

Hand cloth’s and a hearty welcome,

Courteous words, then courteous silence

That he may tell his tale.

Industriousness

The concept of industriousness reminds us to hard work as a means to achieve a goal. Work hard at everything you do — you owe it to yourself, to your family, to your community and to your gods. I figure my ancestors never sat around being lazy - working hard was inherent to their survival. You didn’t work, you didn’t eat. Your family might starve if you were busy loafing instead of doing something. I try to make sure that I keep my mind and body working at all times - that doesn’t mean I don’t have down time; it simply means that I am at my best when I feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance is the virtue taking care of oneself, while still maintaining relationships with Deity. It’s important to honor the gods, but also to take care of the body and mind. To do this, many Asatru find a balance between doing for others and doing for the self. To thrive as part of a community, we must also be able to thrive as individuals.

Perseverance

Perseverance reminds us to continue pushing onward, despite potential obstacles. To persevere is to not only rise up in the face of defeat, but to learn and grow from our mistakes and poor choices. Anyone can be mediocre. Anyone can be average. Anyone can do just enough to get by. But if we want to excel, and live up to our fullest potential, then we must persevere. We must push on even when things are hard and frustrating, or even if it seems like things are completely impossible. If we don’t persevere, then we have nothing to strive for.

#nordicspirituality

1 note · View note

eyeofmud · 5 years

Text

commission for @ratsblanc thank you so much for commissioning me

genre: fantasy worldbuilding rating: gen

commission info

Codex no. 1 - On the Records of the Havamal, found within a journal protected from the elements inside a dead historian’s pack. Most of the pages are illegible with age though a portion is readable.

From birth children are taught of, and from, the Havamal. All we know of history is kept within the sacred pages of the original tome and copies are spread as far as the light of Ljos. The world is kept in check with it’s guiding and the history it contains of the Kynda Epoch is all that remains of the time. It holds all we have kept record of since the Cataclysm, ensuring we do not lose sight of what we’re up against.

It is well known and established by fellow historians the Havamal was first written by the holy Sybil’s family. Large and worn with centuries of use the original Havamal’s location is unknown to any save those who watch over it and little is known about it. Only the copies which are spread are available to study and read, though there are rumors these copies do not contain the full extent of the Havamal.

Such rumors are quickly silenced.

Currently, I am in route to meet with a noted records keeper for in my own copy I have gathered questions the answers to which confound me. The Havamal is a complex and old history, such things always have histories of their own. I have only speculations but I need to speak with my friend in order to quell the doubts I have.

What my research is leading me towards is unlike anything I have found on other accounts of the Havamal. Specifically regarding Yggdrasil itself. I cannot fathom why a city so holy none can travel there would ever strike fear into the heart of someone and yet I have gathered evidence of such. The Havamal is all we have and I must believe it’s words are true.

Doing otherwise is folly of the highest order. Blasphemy even. The Sybil bloodline and the history of the Havamal must be protected, yes? Even from a young age I knew the Havamal’s words to be everything, a truth to be upheld.

There are several illegible lines before the rest of the page seems to have been torn out.

Codex no. 2 - Fishermen’s Tales, a letter partially folded and tucked to prevent others from reading. One side is the original letter and the other is a response, assumed from the recipient.

Atestia, dear, you would not believe the nonsense Epo tried to spout yesterday. He started small, the usual you know? A fish longer than his arm, seeing a Viti outside his house at night, all the things old men brag about when they cannot do more than drink and tell tales.

Well, last night, when his nose was shining and his eyes were bloodshot Epo started going off about how his wife used to swear Yggdrasil was never a lighthouse at all! He wouldn’t say what she thought it was, and it’s been many winters since any of us could have asked her ourselves, but the old goat would not take no for an answer.

But he’s been going slowly mad for years now. Honestly, what else could it have been? Everyone knows it was a lighthouse, the Lodestar of the Lost, and for good reason too. It’s built far taller than anything else around here to shed light on those horribly rough waters to bring our sailors home. And, of course, bring their souls home should the rest of them be lost to the sea.

I’ve always thought it sinister looking, what with it looking like a boney finger sticking up out of the ground, but it’s served its purpose hasn’t it? Don’t let anyone hear I’ve been speaking ill of Yggdrasil now.

The letter continues on, detailing small daily life scenes. Flipping the letter over gives the response, again assumed from Atestia.

Cassa you, of all people, should know better than to let the ravings of an old man with too much time on his hands to go to your head. Put aside such thoughts, they are unbecoming of a faithful woman. Believe what you know to be true, Yggdrasil is a holy place and Ljos protects us all by Sybil’s sacrifice. What was once a lighthouse is now a beacon for the world.

Atestia’s reply, too, derails into a discussion of her personal life. No further mentions of Yggdrasil, the Lodestar, or fisherman's tales are described.

Codex no. 3 - History of the Lodestar of the Lost, a weathered book detailing parts of history of the coast by the Wrought Sea. One chapter is dedicated entirely to the lighthouse which would become Yggdrasil.

There is no sea as dangerous, fraught with storms and creatures and unholy abominations, as the Wrought Sea. Bordering Voluspa to the north and west the sea claims nearly every sailor foolish enough to brave her waters. Or she did until the Lodestar of the Lost was built to guide them home.

A tremendous undertaking a lighthouse both thin and tall was built to rival the sky and sea. Dark stone rose until the top was nearly lost but the light could shine further than the eye could see with the height of it. Rigid and straight the Lodestar became a beacon to the sailors sailing the rough and untamable waters of the Wrought Sea, but to those living under its shadow the Lodestar’s unnatural height and eerie aura spread rumors and unease through villages and cities alike.

For two hundred years the Lodestar was kept and maintained by a single family. The Varangers. Most know the family as the bloodline of the Sybil, a most holy and blessed lineage. In the chaos following the Brjota war records and knowledge of what occurred around the Lodestar was lost though the repercussions of it are well known. The Lodestar became Yggdrasil and the lighthouse turned from simply guiding sailors home into the only light left in Voluspa.

Never formally renamed the Lodestar, over time, became known only as Yggdrasil. Ljos shines from the towering heights of Yggdrasil and even children know the most sacred duty of the Sybil to keep the light pushing back the corruption of the Fey from overrunning us all.

Now, the Wrought Sea and the Lodestar have a long and tangled history. What remains from accounts of sailors at sea from before the Brjota war detail the mixed emotions surrounding the lighthouse and there are just as many frightened records as there are joyous. The remaining part of this chapter digs into the heart of the fragmented accounts to try a piece together a history of the Wrought Sea’s coast nearly a thousand years old.

#fantasy #writing #worldbuilding #codex #my writing #apostate commissions

2 notes · View notes

honestsycrets · 6 years

Text

Eddic [Mythology of All Races Vol. 2] Chp IV: Odin

A few personal notes for me to keep in mind. This is all from the book, Eddic: Mythology of All Races by Matthew MacCollogh. Nothing is outside of this. Furthermore I’m sure there is content in here that can be debated.

Other names:

Wodan wōd: mad

OHG woutan

OS wodan

AS Woden

ON O penn ON: poetic frenzy

Furious Host (?)

Other Norse Names:

Vafud

Vegtam (Wanderer)

Gangler (Traveler)

Ómi (Noist one)

Vidforull (Fartraveler).

Viator Indefessus (Unwearied traveler) by Saxo.

Heimskringla (The far have travelled) by Snorri.

Galga Valdyr (Lord of the Gallows)

Hanga-tyr (God of the hanged).

Hnikar (Thruster).

Karl af berge (The man of the mountain).

Rostarus.

Drauga Drottim (Lord of Ghosts).

Valgautr (God of the Slain).

Val-Fadir because ‘all that fall in battle are sons of his adoption. Oski Synir (Snorri)

Valkjosandi (Chooser of the Slain) in (Kormaks-saga).

Hropt.

Fjolnir (The many shaped).

Bolverk.

Sigfadir (Father of Victory)

Sigtyr (God of Victory).

Hertyr (God of hosts).

Heryan (Leader of hosts).

Herfadir (Father of hosts).

Valfadir (Father of the slain).

Hnikarr (Spear-lord).

Biflindi (Spear Brandisher).

Gautatyr (God of the Gauts).

Saxagod (God of the Saxons).

Aldafadie (father of men).

Grimnir (the hooded one).

Hrafna-god (Raven god).

All Father and patron of aristocracy, warriors and skalds.

Hyndlujod, Freyja says he gives hold, Hermod helm and coat of mail, to Sigmund a sword, and triumph to some.

Oaths were sworn by Sigtyr’s Mountain, his city was Sigtun.

Odin drinks wine.

The first drink is to Odin ‘for victory and power.’

The other gods are Odin’s people as he rules all things.

Grants men their wishes.

War god

Weapons and armour to heroes.

Dog was given his spear.

Heroes valour, triumph and treasure.Women and giantesses made victims by his runes.

Caused the first war between the Aesir and Vanir.

‘He hurled his spear on the host, and war then came first into the world.’ (Voluspa).

Also pisses off princes, kings and causes strife.

Provoked battle of Harald and Ring.

Pisses off easily when victory is given to the wrong places such as Brynhild and Agnar (Svefnthorn).

Joins in battle and has favourites, so people favour him.

Great warrior.

Weapons reference Odin and his Valkyries.

More prominent than Thor.

Likewise his spear is of better 'culture’ than Thor’s hammer.

Ravens haunting the battlefield equate to him.

Spear Gungnir made by dwarfs and given to him by Loki.

All other weapons were useless against it.

God of poetry, master of magic, knowledge.

Odin gives poets their words by taking poetic mead from the giants.

Gave Starkad the art of poetry and composition of spell.

Appears in dreams before great battles to give some victory and invite others to him. (Snorri)

Spoke magic and charms to the Volva but did not know Balder’s fate-- had to seek knowledge from her.

Struck Rinda with a bark of runes and drew her into a frenzy.

Loki accuses him of dressing as a witch and working charms in Samsey.

Obtained a magic wand gambantein and learned a language from the dead in Hlebard in Harbardsljod.

Cures a lame horse with charm or rune.

Knows magic songs bringing sickness, sorrow, stop arrows, produce fetters and blunt weapons, neutralizer dangerous roots where runes are written and reflect the danger, remove hatred, calm wind, aid friends in a fight, make the hanged speak, quench fire, give knowledge of the gods and elves and win love.

Takes form of a ferryman, a servant or peasant, snake, eagle.

Woke the dead and sat under hanged men for knowledge. (Ynglinga-saga)

Could control fire, sea and wind by his words.

Knew of buried treasure, runes to open earth, mountains, rocks and mounds. Could also bind these.

May understand the language of birds.

Runes

May have created runes in Havamal.

Coloured them perhaps with blood.

Could have obtained the wounds by hanging on Yggdrasil and wounding himself by his spear as an offering to himself. The runes may have fallen down from the tree.

Consults Mimir.

Made runes of draught from head of Heithdraupnir and horn of Hoddrofnir.

Mimir may be a waterspirit with his well beneath a root of Yggdrasil.

Wisdom and understanding are stored under Yggrasil

Loss of his eye! Mimir withheld a drink from the well until he was given.

Odin’s eye is hidden in the well where Mimir drinks of the pledge each day.

Could perhaps be Odin’s uncle, son of Bolthorn who is the father of Bestla who is Odin’s mother.

More Wisdom

Drinks daily from the cool waves of Sokkvabekk with gold cups with the Goddess Saga (Frigg?)

Saga is a female water elf.

Love affair (?).

Sought to match his knowledge with the giant Vafthrudnir. Proved himself wiser.

“What did Odin speak into Balder’s ear before he was burned on the pyre?” A riddle used with both th giant and King Heidrik during Yule.

Initially a spirit of god of wind or dead as the past wandered in the wind. Brings wind with his wagon.

Gives fair winds to sailors as said by Freyja in Hyndluljod.

The storm stills when Odin boards Sigurd’s ship.

May have first been worshipped in Gotland.

Is a traveler.

Rides a white or black horse with a wide brimmed hat, staff and hounds.

Snorri: rides with helmet, birnie and speak Gungnir at Ragnarok.

Also known to ride Sleipnir. The eight legged grey mare of Loki’s lineage with Svadilfari.

Rides her to Urd’s well daily.

To consult Volva in Niflhel about Balder’s dreams.

To offer random for Hel after his death.

Names stemming from appearance:

Sidhottr (with broad hat).

Harbard (grey beard).

Skidskegg (long beard).

Misc about appearance

A man of amazing height (Saxo).

Draupnir, the ring made by Sindri the dwarf was given to Odin by his brother.

Burned with Balder’s pyre and Balder sent it back to him from Hel.

Animals of Odin.

Munnin (Memory) and Huginn (Thought) are sent at day break around the world and return at evening to bring news to him.

Whisper what they have heard.

All Ravens are birds of Odin.

Wolves are also his: Geri ‘The Ravener’ and Freki ‘The Glutton’

Shares food and wind with him.

Sleipnir is taken to Hel, Jotunheim, etc.

Challenged Hrungnir that his was better than Gullfaxi.

Hrungnir chased him into Asgard where Thor dealt with him.

Yggdrasil

‘Ygg’s Horse’ Ygg being “The terrible”.

Askr Yggdrasils (the ash of Yggdrasil or of Odin’s steed).

Odin hung for nine nights in Havamal.

Stabbed himself with his own spear as well.

King Vikar needed to sacrifice himself so that his fleet might pass through great storms.

Starkad (Odin’s foster son) created a death akin to Odins for Vikar.

Harbard

Appears as a ferryman of the dead.

Valhalla

“Souls of those slain by violence go in the Furious Host, and souls of heroes go to Odin in Valhall.” (MacCulloch, 44).

Chosen warriors are einherjar.

Mightiest of warriors are taken to Valhalla as he wants them by their side when Fenrir comes to the seat of the god.

Valhalla lies in Gladsheim, the world of joy.

Valhall is the ‘Hall of the Slain’.

Vingolf is the ‘friendly floor.’

Valkyries

‘Chooser of the Slain,’

However shares the slain with Freyja.

Determine a man’s feyness and awarded victory and took the slain.

Wish-Maidens becausee they carried out Odin’s will.

Corselets sprinkled with blood and sparks fly from their spears.

Sacrifice

Prisoners sacrificed more common in Denmark and Sweden. ‘Odin has you all!’

In response Odin gives some gifts at times.

Descent

The cow Audhumla gave birth to Buri.

His son was Borr who married Bestla.

Bestla was daughter of Bolthorn.

Bestla and Borr had Odin, Vili and Ve.

Children and Love

Frigg.

Wife of Odin, although she was at one point shared with Vili and Ve when they believed Odin would not return.

Frigg offending Odin may have been why he left.

Or perhaps thrown out into exile after the incident with Rinda.

Took her back as his wife when he came back.

Son was Balder

Jord

Son was Thor.

Rinda.

After Balder died, Odin desired revenge. So he spoke to prophets on this and one of these told him a son must be born to him by Rinda. As a soldier, he gained her father’s favour but not Rinda. As a smith he made Rinda made many things but she still refused him. Eventually, he used the bark of runes and claimed to cure her as a maiden skilled in Leecraft.

Has Vali by her (Bous in Eddas).

Seven sisters in Harbardsljod. Allures witches from their husbands.

Linen-White Maid.

Grid

Has Vidarr by her.

Billings Daughter

“Dear to him as life.”

Tried to visit her at night on her request only to find a band of warriors at her home.

Visited her in the morning and found a dog tied to her bed.

“Many maids are fickle.”

Gunnlod, daughter of the giant Suttung.

Penetrated rock with the snout of Rati.

Mead given to him by Gunnlod and he won her over.

‘fettered with the feathers of the bird of forgetfulness (heron) in Gunnlod’s abode, very drunk in the house of wise Suttung.’

Gains knowledge from the mead.

As Bolverk, he slept with her for three nights and received three draughts of mead. He gave the first to Odrorir, second to Bodn and third Son to gain all the mead.

Then turned into an eagle and flew away beck to Asgard.

Gave the mead to the Aesir, who have the ability of composition. Poetic Mead.

Other Children

Heimdall

Bragi

Hod

Skjold

Kings and chiefs (Skjoldings from his son Skjold)

Losses

After killing Otter he had to pay wergild when overcome by Hreidmar.

“In Lokasenna, Odin shows himself frightened for Loki, and it is Thor, not Odin, who silences him.” (MacCullogh, 49)

Source Credit

MacCulloch, John Arnott. The Mythology of All Races: Eddic. Vol. 2, Cooper Square Publ., 1964.

#sy talks #sy's reference #personal notes #notes on odin

16 notes · View notes

lost-pagan-wanderer · 2 years

Text

I grew up in household that was 'Christianity is the only right answer' and I tried to be a good Christian and when I couldn't live up to what was expected of me by religion and family it instilled self-hatred and the idea that I was fundamentally bad. I never asked the Christian God for anything for my self, I only ever asked that he help someone that needed it, and it seemed like he would do the exact opposite.

I went years without a religion, after feeling like the Chrisitan God simply didn't like me I didn't know if I had a religion that would accept me. In moments of deep depression I would ask philosophical questions to whatever diety might respond and I got a few answers from what I would learn was from various Norse gods. The fact that they didn't have to interact with me, but chose to made me feel like my life could be more than the shitty waste of resources it was.

I've tried to learn about the gods, their legends, how they were worshipped, and do that. I couldn't though, because I don't have the skill, the money, nor the energy to dedicate to a religion like that and juggle other parts of life. I fell out of the religion because of my inability to worship them the way they had been in the past and that I don't have access to guidance from other Norse followers nearby.

I got back into it and tried to focus on learning, and started to learn that if I was aware I could find clues to things in runes that could be in the environment (clouds, dry spots in wet concrete, etc.) I wasn't doing blots or worshiping them in the common ways but I tried to do small things like writing the Havamal by hand. Life got in the way again and I stopped everything much like nature in winter, but it lasted a few years.

Now, here I am again, after witnessing a force of nature destroy half my town and take my dad and a long time family friend. In the face of this threat I pleaded to Thor to forgive my neglect and to protect us and our street was untouched once it was done and gone. I'm back to try and find how to balance religion and life, my way of worshiping the gods, and to try to go back to seeing runes around me.

I'm not able to do blots but I do try to make offerings, I have trouble keeping up with dates so I just do it whenever I can, some days it's a struggle to go about my daily life so I try to dedicate those days to them. It seems like my periods of absence don't offend them and even small and informal my offerings seem to please them.

#my journey #norse paganism #norse heathen #norse religion #norse mythology #norse gods #ægir #ran #thor #mimir #religion

1 note · View note

harperea-blog · 6 years

Text

Norse Paganism Survey!

Hello! My name is Alex, and I’m working on a research paper about Norse Mythology and modern paganism. Below is a series of questions. If you’re willing to fill them out and email me your response ([email protected]), I’d really appreciate it!

By answering the questions in this interview, you consent to have the responses published. Your name and data for identification will be withheld for privacy, though public information may be given (such as any views you post publicly on social media). Any situation that calls for a breach in this policy will be on an individual basis of informed consent.

(Note - in this survey, the term “Viking” is used colloquially to refer to the Norse people from roughly 800-1300 AD.)

Basic Information

1. What is your gender, age, ethnicity, and place of origin? (Please also include your pronouns.)

2. How would you name or describe your faith?

3. How long have you been [above faith]?

4. How would you name or describe your political views?

Symbols and Runes

1. What runes are used most often in your personal practice? Symbols? How are they used? What is their meaning or significance to you?

2. What runes or symbols have you seen used in the practices of people with whom you are affiliated? In what context and usage?

3. Do you have any adornments, such as tattoos or jewelry, that display symbols of some type? What is their significance?

4. To you, what does the Othala rune signify?

5. To you, what does the Ansuz rune signify?

6. To you, what does the Algiz rune signify?

7. To you, what does the Hammer of Thor (Mjolnir) signify?

8. To you, what does the Aegishjalmur signify?

9. To you, what does the Vegvisir signify?

10. To you, what does the Valknut (Odin’s Knot) signify?

11. To you, what does the Sunwheel signify?

12. To you, what does the Tiwaz rune signify?

13. How do you feel when you see someone using these above symbols in a way that is not in alignment with your own practice?

14. Do you ever avoid using these symbols, even if the context is in keeping with their meaning? If so, why?

Gods

1. How would you describe Thor’s role in the mythology? In modern practice? His physical appearance?

2. How would you describe Odin’s role in the mythology? In modern practice? His physical appearance?

3. How would you describe Tyr’s role in the mythology? In modern practice? His physical appearance?

4. How would you describe Loki’s role in the mythology? In modern practice? His physical appearance?

Culture

1. How do you feel about modern interpretations of the Norse people/Vikings (Vikings, Thor, cartoons and comics)?

2. How would you describe Norse/Viking settlements and daily life? What were the typical roles assigned to the sexes? Are these roles applicable to modern life? Why or why not?

3. Are you familiar with the Havamal? If so, do you follow it? Why or why not?

4. What would you say is the importance of ethnicity in the modern practice of Norse Paganism?

5. Do you believe that the practice of Norse Paganism should be restricted in any way? Why or why not? If so, who should practice it?

6. Are you a part of any organizations related to your faith? If so, which ones? (If you’re not comfortable naming the group, please provide a brief description instead.)

Thank you!

#norse #heathen #norse pagan #heathenry #paganism

54 notes · View notes

fuckhellimgoingtovallhalla · 6 years

Photo

#norse mythology #norse #norse paganism #norse gods #words of odin #wisdom of odin #daily havamal #havamal #paganism #pagan

12 notes · View notes

vestun-blog · 6 years

Text

Daily Hávamál - Stanza 018

Gestaþáttr - 018 He who has seen and suffered much, And knows the ways of the world, Who has travelled, can tell what spirit Governs the men he meets.

Sá einn veit er víða ratar ok hefr fjölð of farit, hverju geði stýrir gumna hverr, sá er vitandi er vits.

Vestun:

With learned travel comes wit and wisdom, with that comes the ability to read the intentions of others. Sometimes these translations are pretty straight forward.

Recently I decided to give myself a daily challenge; I’m going to do a Daily Havamal and attempt to comment on each stanza to some degree. The English translations come courtesy of the W. H. Auden & P. B. Taylor translation published in 1969 and believed to be in Public Domain. I will follow the English translation up with the original Old Norse excerpts. The Old Norse excerpts will be sourced from Voluspa.org. Please remember, asatru/heathenry is a reconstructionist faith. Each and everyone of us may have differing opinions on the interpretations of our research and others. I’m down to debate but you’ll find no quarter for bigotry.

#pagan #paganism #heathen #heathenry #asatru #asatrú #asatruar #hávamál #havamal #daily havamal #daily havamal challenge #vestun

1 note · View note

huginnsheathenhof · 7 years

Photo

Sign up for our mailing list and you can get a stanza of the Hávamál with translations and explanations of the text sent to your inbox each morning. Start your day with a bit of the wisdom of Óðinn! You can sign up HERE: (http://www.heathenhof.com/daily-havamal/)

#huginns heathen hof #huginn's heathen hof #havamal #daily havamal #havamal stansa

5 notes · View notes

calloftheancestors · 6 years

Link

(Lengthy but well worth the read. I agree wholeheartedly with the Heathen Ranter on this one. If you haven’t even bothered to read the Asatru Edda and just make assumptions according to someone else’s opinion, you are missing out on the opportunity to expand your mind. Heathenism is an ever evolving spiritual tradition. It is ironic that many voice dismay at this edition of the Edda, yet have no problem taking Heathenism and mixing its traditions and rituals with other pagan traditions (Wicca comes to mind). It smacks of hypocrisy. It takes a level of sophistication and spiritual maturity to open one’s mind to exploring all ways of thinking, especially those that have something of value to offer. Frankly, if you have not read the Asatru Edda, what say you? Sidenote: Please read entire post, before making informed responses. I am new to the Tumblr Heathen community, but not to Heathenism. I am in no way part of the Norroena Society. The Asatru Edda just happened to be on my long list of must reads. I am dismayed by the frivolous dismissal of such a work of scholarship. Unfortunately the only ones actually in serious discourse and dialog on the subject of Heathenism around here are the Neo-Nazis:( But there sure are nice pictures repeating themselves over and over again on my dash. Perhaps I am expecting too much.)

Review : The Asatru Edda Norroena Society,

The Asatru Edda : Sacred Lore of the North

, iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2009.

“This is a work of tremendous care, and labour of love. Its meticulous compilation of source-texts into a coherent epic form has been accomplished, for the most part, with grace and with dignity. There is a rhythm and a pulse to the work that slows down the mind and lends a meditative quality to the verses and rich language quoted and flowed in to the well-laid pathways and grooves. These pathways are evidently the result of many great summonings of rede.

There are positively beautiful moments, and interpretations. Take the stunning yet instantly evident interpretation that the Llosalfar are in fact that tribe of elves in Dagr's line who prepare and accompany the daily pageant of Sol across the skies. "At each horizon of Jormungrund there are horse-doors, which the Ljosalfar ride through on their journey to and from the sky. Near the eastern horse-door lies Dellingr's hall, in Alfheimr, where he gives aid to Natt and her kinsmen. Near the western horse-door is Billingr's domain, who does the same. Dellingr is the jarl of the Ljosalfar and lord of the dawn. Billingr rules over twilight." (p. 18) This explains Snorri's positioning of the Ljosalfar in the various heavens as Sol parades across the skies.

There are little gems like these sprinkled throughout the book, making it a treasure trove. It's important to emphasize that these interpretations are not the result of random "Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis", as it is sometimes called in the heathen community, in which individuals, often without much grounding in the lore at all, and without making the effort to piece together what remains in fragmentary form, simply pull out of their hat the first thing that sounds good to them, and assert it as some kind of truth. The UPGs, as they are often abbreviated, ought not only be called "unsubstantiated", but more importantly, undigested. Intuition was very important to our ancestors, and developing personal feelings and theories about the lore was certainly seen as valuable. When the gap between one's personal feelings, and the larger community was bridged, however, one was expected to present fully digested information that related to the experiences of others in a way that enhanced them.

Here we may receive edification at the toolshed of some Havamalverses. Havamal 26 : Ósnotr maðr þykkisk allt vita, ef hann á sér í vá veru; hittki hann veit, hvat hann skal við kveða, ef hans freista firar, "The unsophisticated man thinks he knows everything, if he stays to himself in a corner [or, in his cabin ; vá can mean both] ; he knows not that which he shall answer, if he is tested by the folk." Freista, "tested", here means "examined", "scrutinized", and even (although not a technical legal term) "cross-examined". It means being subjected to critical thinking from multiple points of view. Anyone can think themselves smart when they stay at home. But do their thoughts stand up to scrutiny when they are in the company of the sophisticated?Havamal 30 : margr þá fróðr þykkisk, ef hann freginn er-at, "many seem wise, if they are not asked questions." It's the answering of questions over time that deepens our insights. Havamal 5 : at augabragði verðr sá er ekki kann ok með snotrum sitr, "he who has nothing to teach becomes a twinkle of the eyes when he sits amongst the sophisticated." Ekki kann may also be translated as "knows nothing", or "does not search or explore". The latter suggests that a person has taken the time to search something out and really investigate it. That, after all, is the basis for teaching something. Someone who has nothing substantial to offer, or whose speech remains puerile, undeveloped, undigested, and unsophisticated, is going to be taken as insignificant, because truly what they have to offer is simply a flash in the dark or a twinkle of the eyes. It has developed no depth, no root, and thus is taken as the passing fancy of a child, rather than something which ought to be taken seriously. The Norroena Society, under the tutelage of Mark Puryear, has something substantial and sophisticated to teach, and it is the result of careful investigations.

What differentiates lore from unsubstantiated, undigested personal gnosis, as these Havamal strophes illustrate, is gnoses that have passed from hand to hand over time, and become refined. They are like gems that have become polished in the tumblers of time. Lore is the result of the folk. It may be brought together by those with special skill and poetic talent, but it is not "made up" by untested, unreflective flashes of momentary insight. Many times the brilliance of a moment becomes a flash in the pan. What perseveres?

Puryear's structure is based upon a careful and lengthy study of Viktor Rydberg, one of Sweden's most talented poets, and a gifted folk-scholar who devoted over ten years of in-depth study scrutinizing every surviving remnant of lore. Beginning with no preconceived notions, over time, Rydberg began to sort certain patterns that began to emerge in his studies. He noticed a rough story arc in the Poetic Edda that was greatly enhanced when it was filled in with a careful study of the mythological elements to be found in Saxo's Gesta Danorum. It is commonly, and quite erroneously assumed that Rydberg simply equated separate divine persona according to his personal whimsy. On the contrary, his analysis was quite akin to the practice of modern scholars who study types in folk stories, and gather together variations. Rydberg's in-depth studies brought together variants of the same story that commented upon each other in mutual ways, and when enough elements converged to constitute structural and functional identity, then, and only then, did he recognize the different names in the variants as polynyms for the same figure. Polynymity is a recognized feature of mythic traditions that stem in part from poets' love of devising new praise-titles for their beloved deities and heroes, and in part from name-divergence in communities as they differentiate geographically over time.

Like an immense jigsaw puzzle, Rydberg began collecting together the pieces and variants that obviously fit together, until he had discerned a basic structure that tied the various story-arcs together. Because of the fragmentary nature of some of the sources, and the corruption inherent in some of the texts due to distortion under Christian recording, there were gaps in the assembled jigsaw puzzle. But even with gaps, so long as they are not too large, one may get the entire picture of a jigsaw puzzle, and sometimes, it is even easy to fill in the blanks based on inference, and connecting the dots from known Point A to known Point C. Rydberg was always very deliberate in annotating his inferences and speculations regarding hypothetical Points B, and differentiated them from that which had solid grounding in the sources.

In the process, Rydberg came to some conclusions that startled him, yet which became confirmed again and again upon further investigation. Some of these conclusions have continued to startle or baffle modern heathens who haven't taken the time to really investigate Rydberg. Rydberg took over ten years to do his investigations, and they do represent really solid research based on meticulous examination and synthesis of the original sources in the lore, but I'd estimate that in order to fully examine and confirm their validity, an open-minded but reasonably skeptical mind would have to take several years to closely study his investigations and confirm his sources, which is precisely what Carla O'Harris and myself have been doing, along with the folk-scholar and translator William Reaves, for many years now. I can report that although Rydberg is not correct 100% of the time (who is?), his hit-rate definitely ranks in the 90th percentile, which is pretty damn impressive.

Puryear has taken the time to both understand this epic structure Rydberg uncovered, and to meditate upon it, and then he has allowed the ancestral voices themselves to tell the saga, through often seamless compilation and dexterous, light-handed editing of the ancient sources, to create a whole that is impressive, and functions as a veritable tome. My only suggestion in this regard is that it ought be available in a regular sized format --- Bible-sized would be excellent, actually --- and in hardcover, leather-bound, rather than its paperback 8 by 11 format, because a work of this sort truly merits a form that is as lasting as its content. Even if that substantially increased the cost of the book, given its value, it would still be worth the extra cost.

Some minor critiques : Puryear occasionally flows in elements from the Oera Linda Book, a book he feels contains some genuine elements of lore amongst its obvious corruptions and modernisms. I am not so convinced. Oera Linda seems far more convincingly a nationalist forgery of the 19th century than it does any genuine compilation of lore, and the consensus of scholars agree on that. (Such consensus, in and of itself, says little, because knowledge is hardly a democracy, but it matches my intuition when I read this book.) It is not impossible that in this work of fiction, seemingly composed by one man, there might have been integrated some folk-elements, but that is far from conclusive. Nevertheless, whether fiction or no, there are some beautiful passages that Puryear quotes to benefit, and certainly no harm, as for the most part they in no way impede, and occasionally enhance, the more well-founded surrouding structure. Indeed some have a charm of their own. My only complaint here is their flimsy (in my honest opinion) grounding in anything approaching genuine lore. But Puryear is quite conscientious about footnoting precisely which elements come from Oera Linda (as indeed he sources all of the material), thus allowing the reader to decide which elements of charm and meditation to take as authentic. They do not make up a substantial part of the book, which sticks to the more commonly acknowledged sources of genuine lore.

Nevertheless, this is not contradictory to Puryear's stated aim. I quote from the enjoyable, rede-filled introduction : "The purpose of such a massive undertaking, which is the culmination of over ten years of work, and thirty years of combined research between several scholars, is not to develop a strict authority on what Asatru lore should and should not be. Although it was put together to be a sacred text, rather than just another "mythology" book, the sanctity of the work is in re-establishing holy storytelling traditions in the form of the Teutonic epic. Like a great puzzle, the fragments of lore have been pieced together, cleansed of Christian elements, and presented as a source for Asatruar to enjoy as part of our legacy. Before the age of Bibles and Korans, tales of the worlds' religions were shared over hearths or near children's beds. The lore was not a concrete rule of divine law that had to be maintained, word for word, at all costs. Rather, it was a vibrant, fluid development that constantly changed and evolved, while keeping in life with what had come before. Although the stories themselves are sacred, what's more important are the lessons one walks away with, the true inspirations of the Gods and Goddesses. The inspiration is the holy experience in reading or hearing the lore, and remains so to this day." (p. xiv)

Indeed, so long as the skeletal structure and sinews which are founded in studious linkage and investigation of the original sources are adhered to, there is no reason why minor flourishes cannot be taken from artful, modern sources that stay true to the internal spirit of the lore. Puryear here selects from Oera Linda ; there are passages from Tolkien, for example, especially in The Silmarillion, that are so true to the Northern spirit, and so stunningly beautiful and lyrical, that they might well be flowed in to passages where they fit. As Puryear points out, the lore did not have "to be maintained, word for word, at all costs". Whatever the retelling, what matters is the way it keeps the integrity of the tradition alive through the generations. And it is certain that once a substantial segment of heathenry has assimilated the structural integrity of this work, lore will be regenerated from the heart and the living, poetic imagination (odr) into a new renaissance of lore that will be as old and as new as that which springs from the Well of Wyrd itself.

Another minor critique is his inclusion, although to his credit, he brackets it off as a separate appendix, of a text called here The Hugrunar, but originally entitled The Meditative Paradigms of Seidr, a bizarre, modern prose-poem written in chunky and clunky pseudo-archaic, hardly grammatical speech. I will not say that there are not some interesting insights in the piece, although the strange grammar often makes me feel that I am following the insights of Yoda. What makes it particularly odd is its fusion (one might say "con-fusion") of separate genres and diction into one piece, at times having the voice of some cryptic, Havamal-mimicking speech, while at other times, taking on a fairly self-conscious (and to my ears, even awkward-sounding) modern voice of meditation. I am not entirely familiar with the provenance of this piece, but there are some stains in here that definitely enshrine racist thought, in ways that are both disturbing and eccentric. To wit : "Once we were all of flax and heather ; that was in grandmother's days. Then came from the east in father's time, making the half-dark. Now dark with flax and either with half-dark till neither wood duck nor goose remain." First of all, what the hell does that mean? Secondly, this contrast of hues opposed between the native and the foreign most certainly smacks of racism, and if there were any doubts, a few more quotes ought to dispel them : "Dark was the storm in the east. Dark were the riders ... Where now they trade and farm, are heads like hares, short, swart like elves -- beware. Look only to the light of us, the fair browed, whose brows do not meet ... Though some be comely too, the dark with dark belong as geese by feathers nest else all is confused." Right. Certainly one may always find mead amidst dregs and drivel, as Odin had to go down into the mountain amongst the monsters to retrieve, and Puryear does admit that "The origins of this writing as an authentic, ancient tradition are questionable at best", but if it is going to be "offered" as "a brilliant modern addition" to the lore, perhaps its most obnoxious elements might be bracketed or edited, because while remaining embarassing, if they weren't so laughable they would be downright shameful. My advice would be to eliminate this from the next edition of the book and make it available in its own book, perhaps as a critical edition with commentary, and leave it out of what remains genuine lore, even as an appendix. Such a worthy tome is undeserving of such unnecessary stains, and after the corruptions of lore bred by nationalist romanticism, especially in its more virulent racialist strains, it behooves every heathen to be on extra guard against any smuggling of a racism that never belonged to our ancestors into the lore. On this point, of respect and curiosity for the traditions of others, Puryear is quite clear and illuminating. From his introduction : "Our people were great explorers and adventurers who tread upon almost every land on earth. Their admiration and desire to learn of other cultures was a staple of their way of life, exemplified by certain rites of passage where youths would set off to see the world. Long before such tolerance and acceptance of others became a trend of modern society, Northern sailors traveled from one end of the globe to the other, without leaving any trace of imposition or disrespect towards those they encountered. Archaeological evidence shows them to have been peaceful traders among the nations they fared, though their fierce defense of their homelands was legendary." (p. xiii) Given that, let's keep a worthy, well-made tome of lore in keeping with that spirit, and not allow in modern prejudices that are quite unworthy of our Gods.

One of the beauties of the book is the way Puryear flows in elements from other Indo-European traditions, such as Avesta and Rig-Veda, when their forms are cognate and amplify our tradition in ways that do not amount to invention, but reinforcement and supplementation. This is selectively and sparsely done, only when necessary, but adds to the gravitas of the work, and is an important stimulus to that great project of reaching out to our Iranian and Hindic brothers-and-sisters-in-faith, with whom we share a common mother heritage. Puryear also tastefully sprinkles in insights from marchen and popular traditions where relevant, and not in a haphazard or structural way, but as icing on an already scrumptuously-baked cake.

Asatru Edda includes fifty pages of annotation, for those who wish to check the sources, and a very nicely-put together glossary of over seventy pages that illuminates the meaning of various Icelandic names, a necessity in getting at the meaning of various passages in the lore. This alone is a noteworthy addition to modern heathenry.

"...[T]he idea is to take the reader on a journey into the hearts of our forefathers to find greater wisdom and understanding in the lore and poetry they passed down to their descendants. We study diligently the heritage of our past and take what we will from it, learning the inspirations of the divine." (p. xv) Asatru Edda has succeeded, in my opinion, in these goals, and will become a tool of meditation, picked up again and again for further study and insight, by every heathen who takes the time to make it his or her own.”

#Heathenism #asatru #asatrur #norse lore #norse mythology #the asatru community #the asatru edda #find out for yourself #make your own judgments according to experience

2 notes · View notes

books-secretgetaway · 5 years

Text

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember Book Review

Star Rating

A retelling of The Little Mermaid with Norse mythology woven into the story.

Ersel is an outcast among her fellow merpeople, preferring to explore the shipwrecks around the ice shelf for treasures, something she once did with her close friend, Havamal. A viking ship crashes into their icy home and every passenger on board drowns, or so they think. Ersel stumbles on the only survivor, a girl taken from her home by brutal men for the magical tattoo on her arms which always leads the way to one’s desire. Desperate to escape before she’s forced to mate and spend the rest of her days as a mother, Ersel seeks help from the trickster god, Loki. But when the deal goes wrong, Ersel loses more than she bargained for. Only by outsmarting the god himself can she reverse her fortune.

This is, overall, a good retelling of The Little Mermaid. Ember focuses more on the world of Ersel, really delving into how much of an outcast she is within their society. Not only does she find joy in exploring and finding human treasures, she’s also apprehensive about the coming mating ceremony. In this world, once a mermaid is found to be fertile, she spends her days caring for her eggs. In the bitter cold of their home, this means that a mermaid spends every moment warming the egg until it hatches to ensure the survival of the child. This is a life that women have historically had to face and I enjoyed how Ember portrayed it in Ersel’s life. However, the story does dwell on this theme a bit too much, getting a bit preachy as it harps on it. Perhaps if it hadn’t been stated so on the nose, it wouldn’t have felt as over-exaggerated.

Once we move beyond that, the story does get better. Ersel falls in love with the human girl, Ragna, and I love that she doesn’t have to question her sexuality, she’s just who she is. When Havamal catches her, it’s the fact that Ragna’s human that sets him off (as well as the fact that he loves Ersel). There is a hint of Ersel being bisexual, as she’s attracted to Havamal, but again, it’s not dwelt on. Tt just is. This allows other themes and plot-lines to be explored without weighing down the story. The fact that Ersel is struggling with belonging simply because she doesn’t want that particular life is enough driving force for the character. Had Ember also made the exploration of sexuality another plot element, the story would’ve been too busy.

In the first half of the book, Ersel is passive, not taking any action to change her own life. This leads her to Loki and subsequently to her being banished. In the second half, she’s active and takes matters into her own hands. This character development drives the second part of the story, giving it the strong protagonist it deserves. Because of this, the first half of the book is slow and not as interesting, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad choice. I personally really enjoyed the shift in character and think that Ember did a great job in portraying it.

The writing sometimes drags down the story, but as a whole, it’s an enjoyable read. It’s a rather short book (214 pages in paperback) but the story could’ve greatly benefited from more expansion. I loved the set up of the world and how daily life was lived, how food was stored and distributed, and how the Norse gods had a role for the merpeople. Unfortunately, a large part of this society is glossed over and not really given the attention it deserved. The tyrannical rule of King Calder added high stakes to the story but I wish we saw more of the before and after of his reign. To sum up, the biggest letdown of this book is the surface-level exploration of the issues it discusses. It suffers from not enough, rather than too much. The Little Mermaid is iconic for its depiction of the unrequited love. As it’s been retold over and over again, it’s really up to the author to make their reinterpretation stand out. The addition of the Norse Gods brings a new element to the classic story but it takes more of these ‘cosmetics’. The most distinguishing element of Ember’s retelling is the world and the inclusion of the Norse Gods. I believe that, had she built on these ideas a little more, this story would’ve been all the more powerful.

Ember has a ‘sequel’ of sorts. Titled The Navigator’s Touch, it depicts Ragna’s side of the story. The small glimpses we got of her in the story left me wanting to know more about her life and what’s she’s faced.

#the seafarer's kiss #julia ember #book review #little mermaid retelling

0 notes