It has been a while since I have featured more from Sceith-A but it is always a pleasure to showcase her stunning artwork. From top to bottom:
Sif “Alone thou wert, if truly thou wouldst, All men so shyly shun; But one do I know, full well, methinks, Who had thee from Hlorrithi’s arms, (Loki the crafty in lies.)”
Wolf’s Father “Stand forth then, Vithar, and let the wolf’s father, Find a seat at our feast; Lest evil should Loki speak aloud, Here within Ægir’s hall.”
Freyja “Be silent, Freyja! for fully I know thee, Sinless thou art not thyself; Of the gods and elves who are gathered here, Each one as thy lover has lain.”
Skadi
Loki “And after that Loki hid himself in Franang’s waterfall in the guise of a salmon, and there the gods took him.”
Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland has been my most highly recommended ‘narrative’ exploration of the tales of Norse Mythology for many years and now it has been updated with some truly beautiful artwork by Jeffery Alan Love.
Yggdrasil, the World Tree By Simon E. Davies of Human Odyssey
In the beginning of the Norse cosmos, there existed an eternal Void, known as Ginnungagap. Out of this nothingness sprang Yggdrasil, a huge Ash tree. Its newly emerging branches held two primordial worlds; Niflheim, a world of ice & frost, and Muspellheim, a realm of molten fire.
When a spring erupted from Nifelheim (known as Hvergelmir), it created a river which crossed the void into Muspellheim. Here, the hot air scorched the freezing river creating a new world, known as Jotunheim, land of the giants.
From this bloodline of primordial beings came Odin, Vili and Ve, who despised the father of giants who ruled his people with malice and brutality. When the chance came, the brothers slew the frost giant, and from his body they created Midgard, a world of mortals. Surrounding this realm they placed a great ocean which nourished the roots of the great tree.
Yggdrasil grew ever higher, forming a new realm called Asgard, which is located on the highest branch of the world tree. This was where Odin, king of the Aesir would take his people to settle a new civilisation. It was said this race of gods brought culture and technology to the world of mortals via a great causeway called Bifrost.
Bifrost was a burning rainbow bridge, connecting Midgard (the world of mortals) with Asgard. This colourful overpass emerged from Himinbjörg, a mountain hall guarded over by the ever-vigilant Heimdall. This watchmen of the gods kept an eye on the mortals below, making sure no giants breached their homeland.
As Yggdrasil continued to grow, a new land emerged on one of its branches called Vanaheim. It was a land full of luscious forests and wild meadows. From this primal wilderness emerged a race of gods known as the Vanir. This tribal people lived near the coast, ruled by Njörðr, a seafaring god who loved wealth and magic, a trait common among his people.
A great tension broke out between the Vanir and the Aesir resulting in a long winded war. It eventually ended in a stalemate, so many of the gods sent their families as hostages to the opposing tribe to help bring them closer together. Njörðr’s son, Freyr, was placed in charge of Alfheim, homeland of the Elves. This class of god-like beings were said to be “more beautiful than the sun.”
These elves were also linked to another realm far below the Earth. Legend says a tribe from Alfheim were exiled from their homeland many eons ago, and eventually sought refuge with the dwarves of the underworld. These subterranean beings had build their homes around the roots of Yggdrasil, carving a network of labyrinths, mines and forges for their empire. They called it Niðavellir, and the elves, who skin eventually became black as night, called it Svartalfar.
All the beings of Yggdrasil, mortals, gods, dwarves and elves would eventually die, and their souls were destined for several realms. If the Aesir died valiantly in battle, they would find rest in Valhalla, for all others, Helheim was their inevitable destination. This dark and gloomy abode resided at the tip of Yggdrasil’s deepest root. This afterlife was ruled over by Loki’s daughter Hel, a strange being who was half black and half flesh-coloured, characterised by a gloomy, downcast appearance.
There are a number of sacred creatures which live within Yggdrasil. this includes the monstrous wyrm Níðhöggr who gnaws at the roots of Nifelheim, weakening the great tree of Yggdrasil. This frost dragon was also known for eating the corpses of the Nifelheim when found guilty of murder, adultery and oath-breaking.
Atop the highest branches of the world tree is perched a great eagle and his hawk companion Vedrfolnir, who sits between his eyes. The two stare deep into the Norse cosmos, perhaps representing insight and awareness.
Ratatosk is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree to carry messages between the unnamed eagle and Níðhöggr the wyrm. This mischievous critter is said to stir trouble between the all knowing eagle and the world hungry dragon.
Among the branches of the Great Ash tree live four stags known as Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. These ravenous beasts eat the branches of the World Tree, perhaps representing the four seasons. When they eat too much, winter ensues, when they are full, the leaves grow thick and lush in the midst of summer.
Perhaps the most important guardians of Yggdrasil are the three Norns (witches) who lives at the well Urd (below Midgard). Their names are Urd “past”, Verdani “present” and Skuld “future”. These three hags are the goddesses of fate, who spend most their time spinning the threads of life, deciding the fate of every human, animal and god. Every day the Norns will also carry water from Urd’s well, and pour it over Yggdrasil. The water from the well is of vital importance to keep the tree green and healthy.
It is the Norns who foretold Ragnarok, the twilight of the Gods and the fall of Yggdrasil. It is said that Ragnarok will begin when the wolf, Fenrir, son of Loki, breaks free of his imprisonment. This will lead to a chain reaction of events including the Midgard snake Jormungandr rising from the sea and a wolf (known as Skoll) devouring the sun, and his brother Hati, eating the moon, plunging the earth into darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky.
Everything will come to a head in a huge battle that draws in all the races of the nine worlds. It will conclude with Surter, king of the fire giants, setting fire to the great Yggdrasil. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish, culminating with the earth sinking deep into the abyss of the sea.
Johan Egerkrans (the Swedish artist who created Nordiska Väsen) has recently released his newest book entitled Nordiska Gudar (meaning “Norse Gods”) and it is exceptional! Please enjoy some of the artwork from within.
“Völuspá”, recorded live at Castlefest Winter Edition during Einar’s solo concert. Music: Einar Selvik | Wardruna Instrument: 13th century, Kravik Lyre
“Hræsvelgr he is called, who at the end of heaven sits, a Jötun in an eagle´s plumage: from his wings comes, it is said, the wind, that over all men passes.”
Kulturhistorisk museum in Oslo hosted an exhibit named “Fabulous Animals”, exploring the connection between humans and animals in the period from the Iron Age to the Viking Age, through archaeological finds.
I hope you will enjoy some photographs of some of the exhibits.
“Heathenism is, that men worship idols; that is, that they worship heathen gods, and the sun or the moon, fire or rivers, water-wells or stones, or forest trees of any kind; or love witchcraft, or promote ‘morth’-work in any wise; or by ‘blot,’ or by ‘fyrht;’ or perform any thing pertaining to such illusions.”
This excerpt from The Law Codes Of King Cnut, written by Archbishop Wulfstan (on behalf of King Cnut) in approximately 1020, serves as a fantastic outline for exactly what constituted “heathen” practices, from the time at which they were trying to ban such practices.
A red bearded warrior, hunting trolls with his axe on his travels does not require us to make a huge leap of imagination in order to note similarities with the norse god Thor. However, there is far more to the comparison that St. Olav may have been used to reimagine pre-Christian beliefs surrounding Thor if we look a little deeper…
Following Christianisation in Northern Europe, many Scandinavians kept their heathen beliefs alive through syncretism with Christianity. A strong case can be made for this practice being evident with the Catholic saint and former king of Norway, Olav Haraldsson, celebrated each year on 29th July.
In Scandinavia, from long ago through until more recent times, St. Olav’s day was the day when the people would pray for thunder (named directly from Thor) and (as they referred to it) “the rain of the Æser” to prepare the crop for harvest, which they so eagerly awaited to come to fruition at this time of year.
St. Olav, like Thor, could control trolls and giants, according to legend. When he travelled around Norway on his Christening mission, the trolls often tried to block the way for him. He then used his power to turn them to stone, as if he was the sun, using a cross instead of Thor’s hammer, mjølner
One story, from the area of Ringerike, tells us that when St. Olav tried to pass a place called Krokkleiva, an angry giantess jumped out of the mountainside and said: “Saint Olaf with the red beard, you are riding too close to my cellar wall!” But St. Olaf replied: “Stand you there in wood and stone until I return!” Whereupon the giantess was turned into stone. Similar stories are told about various landscape features throughout Norway. People also saw other traces of St. Olaf in the landscape, such as footprints of his horse. A stone in Setesdal is said to be his chair, two rocks near Stiklestad are his bowl and cup, etc…
Another famous landmark is The Well Of St. Olav at Karmøy: “The legend claims that King Olaf was followed by enemies through the strait Karmsund. He sailed his ship to the western side of the island. From here the King and his men started to drag the ship over land from Torvastad to Vikingstad.The hard work made them thirsty and the King stabbed his clenched fist in the rock. Immediately it came roaring up clear water so everyone could drink.” Most interesting about St. Olav’s Well is that it is located in Torvastad and just a few hundred meters to the west we find Hovland. As the name suggests, it was likely to have been a pagan hov (temple). We know that water played a major role in Norse mythology, and perhaps the water in St. Olav’s well also had a sacred function in Pre-Christian times.
In Viking times, before the conversion to Christianity (and after it, too), people in Norway believed in different supernatural beings living in the landscape. Landscape features could also be made by them, such as mountains being petrified trolls, or a ravine being the axe blow of a giant. With these stories about St. Olav, this way of thinking and explaining the landscape takes on a Christian mask, yet it is still fundamentally a continuation of traditional beliefs.
The longest day, the shortest night, Natt is in absence, The shortest darkness, the longest light, Dag rules this sky, Sol enlightens a world more bright, Just as the embers of the midsommar fire, Until the sun rises, they must stay alight, Make haste, the days move quickly now, Jord grows stronger now, And Balder’s brightness shining through, As Hod stirs from his deepest sleep, Anticipating the falling leaves, For one more year, give thanks, Sol ascends tonight.
A Scandinavian/Nordic folk belief pre-dating the Viking Age, a tordenstein (in Norwegian), known as a ‘thunderstone’ in English and ‘dynestein’ in Old Norse, refer to recovered Stone Age flint axes/tools (usually dug up from the earth after many years beneath the surface) used as talismans, protective amulets and sacred objects in heathenry. Believed to have been hurled to earth by Thor, within lightning bolts during thunderstorms, as weapons to destroy trolls, alver (elves) and other malevolent vetter (mystical or spirit creatures), to protect the world from chaotic forces. This ancient tradition is one of the longest continuously running and most widely spread customs in human history, practiced for many thousands of years across many cultures, in various different ways.
When thunderstones were first excavated from Viking Age graves, they were initially dismissed as accidental additions because they were dated as much as 5000 years before the burial. As more evidence emerged and more examples were excavated (including one in an untouched, sealed stone coffin), it was soon understood that these thunderstones held significant importance. Some unearthed examples were even carried to Iceland all the way from Norway by treacherous sea voyage! It is believed that they protected houses and people, along with protecting the hamingja (”luck”).
To the Vikings, there were three essential properties for a thunderstone, according to Olle Hemdorff, an archeologist from the University Of Stavanger, Norway and expert on the topic:
“The form had to be similar to an ax or a hammer—that is, a ground stone or flint. The stone had to have ‘flaming’ properties, which flint and quartz have. And all the stones were damaged with the edge chipped off—'proof’ that they fell from the sky.”
In Scandinavian folklore, thunderstones are seen as potent magical artefacts and anyone lucky enough to dig one up possesses a very powerful charm. Often worshipped as famial or ancestral deities/powers, they are said to protect against spells and witchcraft, if kept on the person. Similarly, if placed within the wall of a home, they will bring good luck, prevent lightning from striking and protect against bad magic. When used within a sacrificial blot ceremony, the thunderstone would be venerated with an offering of beer, poured over the stone, or anointed with butter.
Photographs:
My own tordenstein.
Lightning shower (CNN, 2014).
Artistic recreation of Viking Age woman with tordenstein in excavated in Kongshaugen, Norway.
Photograph of the Stone Age greenstone axehead and grave goods found buried with the Viking Age woman (as above)
It is customary that every year at sundown on 14th October, heathens will celebrate vinternettene (winternights), also known as høstblot (autumn blot), vinterdag (winter day) or vinternatt (winter night).
14th October was the day that Scandinavians would turn over their primstav to mark the beginning of the winter half of the year and welcome the cold weather returning, a tradition that pre-dates Christianity in Scandinavia. Marked with the symbol of a mitten (as it was customary to knit new mittens for the coming cold weather), it is also said that the weather on vinternettene will be a signal of the weather for the coming winter.
The sacrificial blot accompanying this was usually dedicated to Frøy (Freyr), alver (elves) and the diser (disir). Asking that Frøy will return swiftly to sow the seeds of rebirth and that we make it safely through the coming cold and snow.
“þeir er hǫrg ok hof hátimbroðo” “Shrines and temples they timbered high” - Völuspá
A horg (Old Norse “hǫrgr”) is a sacrificial site or a form of altar in pre-Christian times in the Nordic countries and which roughly refers to a "stone pile".
In the poem Hyndluljóð, the goddess Frøya (Freyja) speaks favorably of Ottar (Óttar) for having worshiped her so faithfully by using a horg. Frøya details that the horg is constructed of a heap of stones and that Ottar often reddened these stones with sacrificial blood in dedication to her. Snorre Sturlason states that the horg is used in the veneration of the Åsynjene (female gods).
In the poem Vafþrúðnismál, it is also stated that many a horg and hov were dedicated to Njord (Njörðr).
A horg is considered different to a hov (from the Old Norse hof), commonly called a “temple”. A rough simplification is that horg were for outdoor rituals and hov for indoors worship.
Many modern day heathens within Scandinavia continue to use a stone set as a focal point for rituals conducted outdoors to this day.
The shortest day, the longest night, Sol is in absence, The longest moon, the shortest light, Måne rules this sky, Darkness envelops a world less bright, Just as the embers of the midwinter fire, Until the sun rises, they must stay alight, The knowledge that days grow longer now, Hope grows stronger now, And warmth supports survival, As Frøy returns on his golden steed, To sow the seed of life, For one more year, give thanks, Sol is reborn.
Loki Fest brings pranks jokes, and more! Forn Sidr of America would like to wish everyone a fun (and safe!) Loki Fest! To read more about this holiday and how to celebrate check out our blog post!
We wanna hear from you!
Tell us how you celebrate the topsy turvy energy of our most complex and beloved trickster we’ll share it!
higurethestillwind requested further detail on branches of Heathenry. (Thanks to my good friends in the Heathen Scholars group for their assistance - particularly hedendom, @myriadhallauglokadis, den-frusna-eken, @thorraborinn, and Ryan Smith.
Keep in mind that these definitions are kind of fuzzy, so they are not going to get 100% agreement from the respective branches.
What falls under Asatru depends on what area you are in and who you are talking to. Many people use it as the default term for all of Norse-Germanic paganism, or do not know that there are terms for other branches. In some places, it represents generic Heathenry, while in other places it’s regarded as being a bit more new-age and occult-flavored than generic Heathenry (with some Asatru authors pulling ideas from Neo-Wicca and Ceremonial Magic while dressing them up as authentic Old Norse concepts). Additionally, Asatru tends to focus predominantly or exclusively on Icelandic source material. Many times the Aesir are given prime importance, and other Deities are given notice specifically because they joined the Aesir. There is a tendency I’ve noticed more towards a “warrior mindset” and a focus more on Gods and the community (and group politics) than there is on nature, the earth, local landvaettir and other vaettir, etc. (In the USA, at least. Asatru in Iceland itself seems to be very nature-focused.)
Vanatru is the branch of Heathenry that focuses more (though not necessarily exclusively) on the Gods who are members of the Vanir. Who is considered “part of the Vanir” gets debated quite a lot. Freyr, Freyja, and Njorðr are all considered Vanir without argument, and the list grows from there depending on who you are talking to. There’s a bit more of a focus on nature, the earth, seasons, and there can be more of a focus on fertility. Vanatru seems to pull heavily from Swedish sources (where Freyr was the “top god”) and some Anglo-Saxon sources, particularly regarding the alfar (who, given that they are ruled by and closely tied to Freyr, are featured heavily in Vanatru). For some people, Vanatru will look like “Vanir-flavored Asatru”, while for other people it might look like Northern Tradition Paganism or be closer to general Neo-Paganism. (If I was going to practice Vanatru, mine would basically be Swedish-focused Forn Sed/folketro.)
Continental Germanic (can include Gothic, Alemanni, Saxons, Cherusci, Cimbri, Heruli, Ingvaeones, Irminones, Istvaeones, and others. Information about many tribes is so sparse that more often you see a lot of combining what is known about different tribes into a sort of Pan-Tribal-Everything-That-Existed-In-The-Bounds-Of-Modern-Germany, or concentration on one of the more famous tribes that have more surviving information about them. Note that some tribes are both Continental and Germanic, but are broken out into separate groups further on in this list.) You’ll end up having to learn German for this, as much of the good information on the Germanic tribes is not available in English. Resource post here.
Frisian - aka Dutch Heathenry. This focuses on Frisian Deities, folklore and folk tradition, with a particular focus on the Netherlands. Wodan and the Wild Hunt, the veneration of oak trees for Donar. There is some overlap/importation of Deities from Celtic tribes to the south. These twolinks are to Wikipedia but give you a quick feel for some of this. I also have a list of reading resources here. You’ll have to learn Dutch for this, because most of the information is not available in English.
Frankish - French Heathenry, focusing on the Franks obviously, and the Merovingian kings. Again, there are some similarities with the related Germanic tribes, but given where France is, there was cultural exchange with local Celtic peoples (particular the Gauls). The upper classes converted to Christianity fairly early on, while old beliefs and practices persisted in the lower classes for quite some time and ended up having to have laws put in place to try to suppress them and expedite conversion. Resources post is here. You’ll have to learn French for this. Also be prepared to be digging around in a lot of Christian-oriented texts, ecclesiastical histories, etc, to find snippets about older folk beliefs and practices.
General Heathenry - doesn’t fit into any particular branch. May research many different areas but not concentrate exclusively on one particular region.
Anglo-Saxon (Fyrnsidu and Theodish) - obviously, concentrates on Anglo-Saxon practices and beliefs. Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is quite distinct, culturally, due to the history of the area and the cultural exchange. Several variants of this branch exist, including Fyrnsidu (which seems to be the AS version of Forn Sed, concentrating on folklore and folk traditions) and Theodism, which is very very different. Differences in Theodism are a highly hierarchical structure including thralldom (which may have labor duties and not simply signify “learner/seeker/probationary member”), rigid adherence to thew (local customs) to dictate ethics and proper practice and ritual observance, sacral kingship, and a focus on community (you cannot be solitary). Theodism, in my experience, has a very hierarchical and legalistic, rigid feel to it in comparison with… pretty much every other branch of Heathenry, as it tries to reconstruct pre-Christian social order as well as religion. I believe it was founded by Garman Lord as a reaction to traditional Gardnerian Wicca. Honestly, I would contact hangedwoman for better information about Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, as someone who practices ASH will be better informed than someone who does not. This post has a resource list for Anglo-Saxon Heathenry.
Folketro/Forn Sed - many variants throughout Scandinavia, each according to their geographical region (and the name changes slightly accordingly). This is more focused on folk belief and practices in the respective country. There is more inclusion of later folklore and traditions, less inclusion of New Age beliefs and practices, and less of a focus on the Iron Age (or pre-Iron Age). You are also more likely to find people practicing folk magic than ceremonial magic that’s been dressed up in Norse clothing and terminology - so, more traditional trolldom, klogefolk techniques and so on. Here too, you’re going to have to pick which country you want to focus on and start learning the language because otherwise most of the materials will be inaccessible to you. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all have official groups (some of which you cannot join unless you live in that country - Norway’s is that way due to the legal system in Norway regarding religious groups). I am uncertain whether there are formal groups in the Faroes and Orkneys. There may be a more traditional group in Iceland but Iceland is mostly dominated by the Asatruarfelagid.
Urglaawe - Pennsylvania Dutch Heathenry. There is a concentration of the goddess Holle. Honestly, I would rather you read their introduction to their tradition rather than trying to summarize them, since I have very limited knowledge of this branch. Resources on this post. You will need to build contacts with the existing Urglaawe group in Pennsylvania, and likely will also have to learn Deitch. A lot of this tradition is still oral.
Alps - I don’t have much information about this branch. The only group I’ve seen that is accessible online is Firner Situ. Alps Heathenry is more of a blend considering that the area was a blend of Germanic, Celtic, and Roman peoples. There was a lot of cultural diffusion. This was possibly the entry point area for Germanic peoples on the continent using Hercule’s Club amulets to represent Donar, the use of bracteates, the presentation of and worship of the Matrones, and other things that suggest Roman influence or cultural exchange.
Visigothic - like it suggests, a concentration on the Visigoths. This is a branch that is particularly popular in Latin America. I unfortunately don’t have ready-made resources for this, as I haven’t ever interacted with the Visigothic branch before. I have been told Valmir Vala and Esteban Sevilla from Kindred Irminsul in Costa Rica are both good people to contact for more information. You’ll need to know Spanish for this branch.
Rokkatru (sometimes) - there are actually a couple of variations of this, all going under the same name. Abby Helasdottir’s original version of Rokkatru is really not very Heathen at all. Some people use the term Rokkatru when they fit more into Northern Tradition Paganism (see below). Others are, more or less, for all intents and purposes the same as Asatru or General Heathenry, except with a focus on Deities that have been termed “Rokkr” and the Jotnar. This seems to be much more of a thing in the USA and UK, as Scandinavian Heathens don’t have such a taboo on dealing with Jotnar.
Not Heathen:
Northern Tradition Paganism - founded by Raven Kaldera, this tradition explicitly and repetitively states that it is not Heathen. There’s a lot more utilization of UPG (unverified personal gnosis. If you are familiar with fandom, the idea of headcanon will be very useful to understand this term) and acceptance/proliferation of ideas if a group of people finds that enough people agree on a UPG concept (so, enough people have the same headcanons that it becomes accepted as sort-of-canon by the group). This is much more like Norse General Neo-Paganism. There is not as much concern over history. Innovations and borrowing from other places are readily accepted, and sometimes there are cultural appropriation problems.
Norse Wicca - just like it sounds. (Sometimes it is Seax Wicca.) This is a branch of Wicca (or sometimes of Neo-Wicca) that tends to have Freyr as the Lord and Freyja as the Lady.
Waincraft, which split from Vanatru, it’s more pan-European than strictly staying within Norse/Germanic boundaries. (thanks to answersfromvanaheim for pointing out that I missed this one)
Thursatru - this is a very, very tiny sect. This is a sort of Neo-Gnostic Left Hand Path 2 Spooky 4 U branch that seems to dislike and rail against every other branch of Heathenry. They don’t like the Aesir or the Vanir. They think Rokkatruar are fluffy and wrong. There’s less of an idea that “many jotnar have been painted as enemies but are not actually that bad or evil” and more of a “yeaaaaah, chaotic darkness, no rules, humanity is worthless and the human body is a prison, become your own God, bring on the Ragnarok, I worship spooky evil and isn’t that awesome and edgy?” They have their own Facebook page. Gullveigarbok by Vexior seems to be the main text outlining their ideas. Rokkatruar seem to get mistaken for Thursatru (which is also occasionally called Jotnatru.)
A note about Lokeans: Lokeans are not a separate sect, per se. There’s a weird idea floating around that Lokeans are all monotheistic or henotheistic and only and exclusively worship Loki. A Lokean can belong to any Heathen branch, or even a non-Heathen faith, as the only thing the term signifies is that Loki is included in that person’s praxis and doxa. (Their personal practice and beliefs.) It is not a separate religion.
