The Alfar

The Alfar

The word alf (álfr, elf) is used for many sorts of wight: not only the Light Alfs, Dark Alfs (mound-elves), and Swart Alfs that Grimm separates out of German folklore and the Norse sources, but also different sorts of land-wights (wood-elves, mountain-elves, field elves, water-elves, and sea-elves). In the Troth, we usually speak of the Light Alfs and Dark Alfs as alfs, the Swart Alfs as dwarves, and the rest of them as land-wights.

The alfs are clearly a holy folk; the alliterative phrase “Ases and alfs” is often used in the Poetic Edda. The question, “What is (the trouble?) among Ases? what is among alfs?” is also asked in Þrymskviða 7, hinting that the happenings of the two are closely bound. The phrase “at ganga álfrek” (Eyrbyggja saga ch. 4), literally “to go drive out the elves”, meant to relieve oneself, which fits in with the general belief, also described in Eyrbyggja saga, that excreting on holy ground defiled it – this, again, hints that the alfs and the god/esses go closely together. This likening also, as Turville-Petre points out, appears in the Anglo-Saxon charm “Against a Sudden Pain” in which the phrases “shot of Ases…shot of alfs…shot of hags” appear together (Myth and Religion, p. 230) – though the context of the charm suggests rather that the Ases had sunk to a level where they could be counted together with witches and lesser spiritual wights than that the alfs were seen as godly beings at the time the charm was composed. Of the Light and Dark Alfs themselves we see nothing in the Eddas; it is only the dwarves who seem to take part in myth.

The word “alf” is likeliest to stem from a root meaning “white”, with the various suggestions of “gleaming” (as in the Anglo-Saxon man’s name Ælfbeorht – “alf-bright” and adjective ælfsciene – “beautiful as an alf”), and “white mist-form” (de Vries, Wörterbuch p. 5). The latter reading may be tied to the mysterious Nibelungen (“mist-folk” – ON Níflungar), who are a supernatural tribe in the first part of Nibelungenlied but whose name is also attached to the Burgundian royal house in the later half of the poem and in the Norse materials, perhaps through the character of Hagen/Högni, whom Þiðreks saga tells us was the son of an alf.

The alfs had a very strong cult in the Viking Age; the Winternights feast was sometimes called álfablót (as well as dísablót and Freysblót). When the skald Sigvatr, a christian converted by Óláfr inn digri, came to a farmhouse in late autumn, he was told that he could not enter because the Alf-Blessing was being celebrated – as a christian, he was presumably unwelcome at the family’s holy feast. We do not know what sort of alfs were being hailed at this blessing, though, as spoken of later, it is likeliest to have been the mound-alfs. Interestingly, although the alfs are usually thought of as being tied to the Wanic cult, Sigvatr tells us that the housewife told him “I am afraid of Óðinn’s wrath” (Austrfararvísur, ca. 1019 C.E.), suggesting that Wodan, also, had a special relationship with them. Since Sigvatr was a first-generation convert, he is not likely to have confused Wodan with another god, or used the name without reason.

In his Edda Snorri tells us that the Light Alfs are bright and shining, very fair to look upon, which fits well with the first reading of the word’s etymology. The Sun is also called “álfröðull” (Glory of the Alfs), which seems to fit largely with the Light Alfs, as neither the Dark Alfs nor dwarves care for her light; according to Alvíssmál, the alfs also name the Sun “Fair Wheel”. These alfs are closely tied to Fro Ing, the lord of Álfheimr; as airy and bright wights, they may help in the bringing of fair weather. Grimm comments that, “Of the dwellings of light elves in heaven the folk-tales have no longer anything to tell” (Teutonic Mythology, II, p. 454). It is also possible that the term “Light Alf” may have been a synonym for “god/ess”, with “alf” being used poetically as a broad term for “spiritual being”. In modern times, the Light Alfs are sometimes seen as messengers for the god/esses, bringing might down from the Ases’ Garth to the Middle Garth.

We know far more about the Dark Alfs, or mound-alfs, than about the other two sorts. It is clear from both Norse sources and Scandinavian folklore that the Dark Alfs are dead folk, especially those ghosts dwelling in the howe. One of the many Norwegian kings named Óláfr, after his burial, was thought to bring fruitfulness and good to his kingdom even from the howe, and therefore was called “Geirstaðaálfr”, the Elf of Geirstaðr. Indeed, the Old Norse word álfkarl (male elf) was taken over in Irish as alcaille, “ghost of the dead” (de Vries, Wörterbuch, p. 6). In Hávamál, when Óðinn is speaking of those who teach runes to the various folks, he says, “Óðinn among the Æsir, but Dáinn for the alfs, Dvalinn for the dwarves…” The name “Dáinn”, also a dwarf-name, simply means “Dead One”.

Since the worship of the mound-dead has been carried out from the Stone Age onward, the cult of the alfs is one of the oldest strands in the weave of the elder Troth. From the oldest times, that worship has been characterized by the offering of food and drink to the howe-dwellers. In Kormáks saga, it is told how a badly wounded man was instructed to put the blood and flesh of a steer on a hill in which the alfs dwelt. Gifts of food and drink put on the howe nearest the house at holy times, especially Yule, were known up through modern times (Feilberg, Jul, II, p. 20); it is quite likely that in older days this was done whenever there was need. In the Bronze Age, many holy stones were marked with small round depressions, now called alf-cups; till modern times, again, offerings were poured or set into these little holes in the rock. Those true folk of today who do not live near Germanic Heathen howes can chip or grind small cup-shaped depressions into whatever rocks are near their homes so as to make offerings of a like sort to the alfs.

Turville-Petre suggests that the álfar may have been manly counterparts to the womanly dísir – the dead men of the clan, as the dísir were the dead women – and this has often been taken up by true folk today, Fro Ing and the alfs being called on together with the Frowe and the idises. Aside from Óláfr, there is no reason to think of the mound-alfs as being necessarily manly: women were buried in howes as often as men, and individual alfs are not seen often enough in Norse sources for us to know whether they are likely to have been of one sex or not. However, it may be that the words, while referring to the same wights, were distinguished by gender in the Viking Age. Certainly álfr is a masculine word and dís is feminine, so, at least regarding their use in the cult of the dead, the two could quite easily have been polarized. Turville-Petre supports this theory by mentioning that, according to Heiðreks saga, “the woman who reddened the altar during the dísablót was called Álfhildr; she was daughter of Álfr, king of Álfheimar” (Myth and Religion, p. 231). Since the source is relatively late, antiquarian consistency might have changed dísablót to álfablót, or Álfhildr’s name to one of the many names with “dís” as an element, but this did not take place, suggesting that a tradition may have been reported accurately.

If such a distinction did indeed exist during Heathen times, it was lost later, and all the mound-folk called alfs; but Scandinavian folk ballads offer tales which suggest that these alf-women still acted as the idises (in their darker shape) could. The Danish “Herr Oluf Han Rider” tells of a man who rides through a grove where elf-folk were dancing on his wedding-eve. One of the women asks him to dance with her, but he refuses. She strikes him over the heart; he rides home to his betrothed, and the two of them are dead by the next morning. In the Icelandic “Ólafur liljurós”, the alf-woman asks the man to dwell in the hill with them; he refuses on the grounds that he is a christian. She then asks him for a kiss, which he gives “half-heartedly” (with half-hugr); she stabs him with her knife, mortally wounding him. As spoken of under “Idises”, such bidding and its consequences are typical: one way or another, the chosen man will join the woman in death.

The mound-folk are especially interested in human babies, whom they will steal if they can, leaving changelings in their place. According to folk belief, they can breed, but this is rare and difficult, and there are several tales of human women called to midwife alf births.

Alfs, like trolls, etins, and god/esses, can mate with humans. This happens often in Scandinavian folklore. From the late heathen/early mediæval period, perhaps the most notable example is Högni (Hagen) of Þiðreks saga. According to the saga, he was “gray as ash, and sallow as bast, and pale as a dead man”, easily mistaken for a troll in a dim light. The belief that Hagen was the son of an alf may have come to Scandinavia through the original German source for both Þiðreks saga and Nibelungenlied (though, as mentioned above, the Níflungar/Burgundian association suggest the possibility of an older connection which, like Siegfried’s spear-death, was lost in the Norse but retained in the German materials); but the description is typically Norse. There are a number of later folk stories of men who are seduced by alf women (and father children on them), and of brides who are stolen by the alfs on their wedding day. There are also stories of men who cast steel over their elvish lovers to bind them to the Middle-Garth so that they can marry them.

Folk who spend time with the alfs often come back mad, or at the very least sorrowful and wandering in their wits. The expression “taken into the mountain” was used whenever someone underwent a sudden psychological change, which was often associated with getting lost in the mountains or woods. The ringing of church bells was thought to force the alfs to let their captives go (Kvideland & Sehmsdorf, Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend, p. 212). Simek tells us that the German “Erlkönig”, on whom Goethe’s ballad (set as a song by Schubert) is based, “originates from an incorrect translation of Herder’s who misunderstood the Danish elverkonge (‘elf-king’) to be Erlenkönig (‘alder-king’), but attributed to it some of the darker attributes of elves (Dictionary, p. 74); that is, trying to lure a child away, and when that fails, taking it by force, leaving a corpse behind.

Alfs are also well-known for “alf-shot” – little invisible arrows which cause effects in humans and cattle ranging from sudden sharp pains, local swellings, and inexplicable wasting sicknesses to bone cancer and even death. Lumbago and arthritis are especially thought of as the result of alf-shot. This belief is common throughout the Northern world, with forms of the word appearing in all Germanic dialects (together with the similar “troll-shot”, “witch-shot”, and “dwarf-shot”); it probably stems from the eldest times. Those who suspect they or their animals may be suffering from alf-shot should work the charm “Wiþ Færstice” (Against a Sudden Pain), the text and translation of which can be found in G. Storms’ Anglo-Saxon Magic.

Alfs dislike it greatly when stables are built or people relieve themselves on their mounds. There are also several stories of mounds with trees growing on them from which it was forbidden to break branches; when this bidding was broken, great ill-luck overcame the one who had done it.

However, the alfs can also get along well with humans. Tales abound of folk who have done favours for them and are well-rewarded for it. If offered a gift by them, especially in payment for services done, it is far safer to take it than to refuse it. Food and drink are quite common (though there is a counter-belief that to eat alfish food within their hall will trap one there forever) . There is also a recurring theme of an alf-gift which seems worthless (dead leaves, wood-shavings, and such) turning into gold – quite the opposite of the Celtic belief in “fairy gold” which looks valuable, but is actually something worthless with a glamour laid on it. The Anglo-Saxon names such as Ælfgifu (Alf-Gift), Ælfred (Alf-Rede – mod. Alfred), and Ælfwin(Alf-Friend – mod. Alvin) also speak of a close and good relationship between alfs and humans in the English tradition.

Alfs can be seen through knot-holes (elf-bore), holes made by an alf-shot in an animal’s hide (Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, II, p. 461), and probably natural holes in stones, which were thought to be especially magical.

Saturday April 9, 2011 – Day of Remembrance for Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson of Norway

Saturday April 9, 2011

Day of Remembrance for Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson of Norway

 As ruler of the western part of the realm (Norway), Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, restored the worship of the Old Gods. In the process, the common folk regained political liberties which were erased under Christian rule. It may be that Hakon’s defense of our ancestral ways helped encourage the survival of our traditions in Iceland, where they eventually became the seeds of modern-day Asatru. On this day, Asatruar reflect an how the actions of the individual can impact world events and Orlog.

Haakon was the son of Sigurd Haakonsson, Jarl of Lade and ruler of Trøndelag and Hålogaland. His mother was Bergljot Toresdatter, daughter of Tore Ragnvaldsson, Earl of Møre. Adam of Bremen wrote that he was “of the stock of Ivar (possibly Ivar the Boneless) and descended from a race of giants”.^[2] In the sagas, Haakon claimed descent from the divine linage of Sæming, son of Odin. The Hakon Jarl Runestones in Sweden may refer to him.

Below from Wikipedia

Battle between Jarl Haakon and brothers of Harald Greyhide
Christian Krogh (1899)

Jarl Haakon commands the clergymen to return ashore
Christian Krogh (1899)

Haakon became earl after his father was killed by King Harald Greyhide’s men in 961. He warred with King Harald for some time, until he was forced to flee to Denmark and Harald Bluetooth. In Denmark he conspired with Harald Bluetooth against Harald Greyhide.

Jarl Haakon arranged the death of Harald Greyhide around 971 with the connivance of Harald Bluetooth, who had invited his foster-son to Denmark to be invested with new Danish fiefs. Civil war broke out between Jarl Haakon and the surviving brothers of Harald Greyhide, but Haakon proved victorious.^[3] After this, Haakon Jarl ruled Norway as a vassal of Harald Bluetooth, but he was in reality an independent ruler. For Harald, he attacked Götaland and killed its ruler Jarl Ottar. When Haakon was in Denmark, Harald Bluetooth forced him to accept baptism and assigned him clergymen to take to Norway to spread Christianity. When a favourable wind came for Haakon to leave, he commanded the clergymen to return ashore.^[4]

Around 973-974, he went to Denmark to help Harald Bluetooth of Denmark in his defense against the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. Otto’s forces successfully opposed an attempt by Harald to throw off the German yoke. After that Haakon paid no taxes to Denmark.

Haakon was a strong believer in the old Norse gods, and when Harald Bluetooth attempted to force Christianity upon him around 975, Haakon broke his allegiance to Denmark. In 977 Vladimir I of Kiev fled to him, collecting as many of the Viking warriors as he could to assist him to recover Novgorod, and on his return the next year marched against Yaropolk I of Kiev. In 986, a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled Jomsvikings was defeated at the Battle of Hjörungavágr.

In 995, a quarrel broke out between Haakon and the Trønders just as Olaf Tryggvason, a descendant of Harald Fairhair arrived. Haakon quickly lost all support, and was killed by his own slave and friend, Tormod Kark, while hiding in the pig sty in the farm Rimul in Melhus. Jarlshola is the location in Melhus thought to have been the hiding place of Haakon Jarl and Tormod Kark on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul. After his death, Haakon Jarl’s two sons Eirik Håkonson and Sveinn Hákonarson, fled for protection to the king of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung.

Source basis for Jarl Haakon are considerable. He was given coverage in several sagas, including by Snorri Sturluson in Heimskringla, Ágrip af Nóregskonungasögum and more. According to Hallfreðar saga the poet Hallfreðr composed a drápa on the earl. Several disjoint stanzas by Hallfreðr in Skáldskaparmál are often thought to belong to this otherwise lost poem. Jarl Haakon’s life also received literary treatment by Danish poet Adam Oehlenschläger.

Sample Profession Rite

RITE OF DEDICATION/PROFESSION

By Steve Wilson

(Written c. Midsummer, 1993)

(Note from Jordsvin: many of us choose a Heathen name when we “sign on the dotted line,” so to speak, with the Aesir and Vanir. It isn’t necessary, but denotes a new beginning.  For that matter, the Profession or Dedication Rite is also optional!  Individuals with names implicitly associated with a hostile, rival faith are particularly likely to take new, specifically Heathen names. Imagine a Heathen named “Christian”! Some folks legally change their names to their Heathen names; others do not.)

Harrow should be set up with recels and burners, vessel of drink, drinking horn, and holy token (hammer, sunwheel, etc.) to be given to newly dedicated Asatruar. Blessing bolli and teinn are also needed.

HALLOWING: Cleanse area with recels, then perform hamarsetnung. Salute each quarter, beginning in North, and set a Hammer-Sign:

“HAMARR, HELGA VE THETTA OK HINDRA ALLA ILLSKA!”

Then stand at harrow, facing North, in Elhaz-Stodhur:

“I HALLOW AND MAKE HOLY THIS HARROW AND STEAD, BANISHING ALL INFLUENCES UNHOLY OR IMPURE. MAY OUR MINDS, IN THIS HOLY PLACE, LIKEWISE BE HALLOWED, AS IS OUR WILL, TO THE JUST SERVICE OF THE GODS. AS THE GOD HEIMDALL GUARDS BIFROST BRIDGE, MAY THIS STEAD BE WARDED AGAINST ALL WIGHTS BANEFUL TO OUR WORK HERE TODAY.”

INVOCATION: Still standing in Elhaz-Stodhur and facing North:

“MIGHTY ONES OF THE NORTHERN LANDS, GODS AND GODDESSES OF OUR ANCESTORS, WE CALL UPON YOU,TO BE WITH US AND TO WITNESS THIS DEDICATION OF (NAME) INTO YOUR TROTH. WE ASK THAT YOU ALL, AESIR AND VANIR ALIKE, FILL THIS HOLY PLACE WITH YOUR PRESENCE AND MIGHT, AND BLESS OUR NEW BROTHER/SISTER WITH YOUR GIFTS. WE STAND BEFORE YOU AS DID OUR FOREFATHERS IN DAYS GONE BY, AND INVITE YOU TO JOIN WITH US AND CELEBRATE THIS HAPPY DAY.”

OFFERING: Godi fills horn from vessel and holds it high:

“ODIN AND FRIGGA, THOR AND SIF, FREY AND FREYA, AND ALL YOU KIN, WE CALL YOU, AND OFFER YOU SACRIFICE: NOT OF BLOOD, BUT THE FREE GIVING OF OUR HUMAN EFFORTS, OUR STRUGGLES, AND OUR DEVOTION! MAY IT AID US, GODS AND HUMANKIND ALIKE, IN OUR BATTLE AGAINST THOSE WHO WOULD WAR AGAINST ASGARD, OR SEEK TO SET GREY SLAVERY IN MIDGARD. ACCEPT OUR GIFTS, NOT AS FROM SLAVES, FOR WE HAVE NO MASTERS, NOR AS AN AP-PEASEMENT, FOR WE STAND IN GOOD STEAD WITH YOU: BUT AS A SIGN OF OUR KINSHIP AND COMMUNION!”

When godi feels offering has been accepted, he will pour out a small libation on the ground and return horn to harrow.

LOADING: Godi makes handstodhur over horn:

“MIGHTY ONES, YOU HAVE RECEIVED OUR SACRIFICE, SYMBOLIZED BY THE ALE IN THIS HORN. POUR NOW INTO IT YOUR POWER AND BLESSINGS, MAKING IT FOR US A TRUE DRAUGHT OF MIGHT AND MAIN, THAT WE MAY GROW CLOSER TO YOU AND EACH OTHER BY SHARING IT AMONG US.”

When godi feels ale is charged, he will then continue with rite;

DEDICATION: Godi will turn to person being dedicated and say:

“THE KINSHIP OF ASATRU IS A FAMILY OF FREE INDIVIDUALS WHO COME TOGETHER TO HONOR THE GODS AND GODDESSES OF ASGARD. WE RESPECT EACH OTHER, AND STRIVE TO LIVE UP TO THE HIGH IDEALS OF OUR ANCESTORS. THESE IDEALS INCLUDE PERSONAL HONOR, COURAGE, STRENGTH, HONESTY, REALISM, AND A LUSTY JOY IN LIVING. THOUGH WE LOOK TO THE LESSONS OF OUR PAST AND OUR FOREFATHERS FOR OUR FOUNDATIONS, WE ALSO LOOK TO THE FUTURE, AND WORK TO CARRY OUR RELIGION INTO GENERATIONS YET TO COME. DO YOU FREELY, OF YOUR OWN WILL AND DESIRE, WISH TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE KINSHIP OF ASATRU?”

Dedicant will answer.

(Note from Jordsvin: rest of rite contingent on an affirmative response!)

“BY WHAT NAME WILL YOU BE KNOWN TO THE FOLK?”

Dedicant will answer.

“(NAME), I INVITE YOU NOW TO MAKE YOUR OATH TO THE GODS AND GODDESSES OF OUR FOLK.”

Dedicant will then make his/her oath to the Gods. Godi will then pour some ale into bolli. With teinn, he will mark a hammersign over the dedicant’s forehead, lips, heart, left shoulder, and right shoulder, making the large personal Hammer-Sign, speaking the blessing of the appropriate God or Goddess at each station:

“(FOREHEAD) MAY TYR GRANT YOU NOBILITY OF BEARING, AND STEADFASTNESS IN HONOR.

 

 (LIPS) MAY ODIN GRANT YOU QUICKNESS OF MIND AND WISDOM IN SPEECH.

 

 (HEART) MAY THOR GRANT YOU COURAGE OF HEART AND STRENGTH OF BODY.

 

 (LEFT SHOULDER) MAY FREYA GRANT YOU JOY, PLEASURE, AND LUST FOR LIVING.

 

 (RIGHT SHOULDER) MAY FREY GRANT YOU HEALTH, PROSPERITY, AND THE GOOD

 THINGS OF LIFE.”

 

Godi will then take up the holy token and bless it with the ale:

“MAY THE GODS AND GODDESSES OF THE FOLK BLESS THIS (NAME OF TOKEN), FILLING IT WITH THEIR POWER AND THEIR MIGHT. MAY IT PROTECT OUR BROTHER/SISTER FROM HARM, AND SERVE AS A REMINDER TO HIM/HER OF HIS/HER OATHS AND HIS/HER STANDING AS A MEMBER OF THIS KINSHIP.”

Godi will then present holy token to dedicant. If other folk are present at dedication, godi will then present dedicant to them:

“ALL HAIL OUR NEW BROTHER/SISTER, (NAME)!”

Godi will then take up horn and drink, then give horn to dedicant:

“(NAME), I GIVE YOU THE BLESSINGS OF THE AESIR AND VANIR, AND WELCOME YOU INTO THEIR TROTH!”

Dedicant will drink, then pour out small libation to the Gods:

DEDICANT: “HAIL THE AESIR AND VANIR AND THE HOLY TROTH OF ASATRU!”

If other folk are present for this rite dedicant may then pass horn to each of the folk in turn, moving sunwise:

“I GIVE YOU THE BLESSING OF THE AESIR AND VANIR.”

Dedicant will then return horn to harrow, and godi will speak:

“LET US ALL REFLECT NOW ON THE MEANTNG OF OUR FAITH, AND OUR OWN PERSONAL DEDICATION TO THE GODS.”

All should stand in silent reflection for a period of time. When godi feels enough time has passed, he will speak:

“THIS RITE IS DONE. MAY IT STRENGTHEN US TN DEVOTION TO THE GODS OF OUR ANCESTORS, AND RENEW IN OUR HEARTS OUR DETERMINATION TO LIVE AS WORTHY FOLK OF ASATRU. NAY WE GO FORTH FROM HERE WITH ALL THE GREATER RESOLUTION TO LIVE TRUE AND FREE–WITH COURAGE, WITH TRUST IN OUR STRENGTH, AND HONORING THE BONDS OF KINSHIP, UNTIL WE BE GATHERED TO THE GODS.”

CLOSING: Godi will turn to face North, standing in Elhaz-Stodhur:

“MIGHTY GODS AND GODDESSES OF ASATRU, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY! AS YOU WEND TO ASGARD, CARRY WITH YOU THE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS OF WE WHO DWELL IN MIDGARD. PRAISE TO YOU. AND FAREWELL!”

Godi will turn to each quarter, starting in the North:

“HAIL AND FAREWELL!”

Afterwards, folk should welcome in new sibling with food and celebration

Tools of Asatru

Recently I read an article saying that we ( practioners of Asatru) need step in to the 21st century with the way we worship the gods and goddesses.  Saying we are not living in the “viking age” so we need to stop using the drinking horn, Thor’s hammer for blessing, the gandr, the blessing bowl, blot tein (evergreen sprig), and mead.  They said we should use our minds and “quantum physics”.  As well, as new runes.   I object to this idea for various reasons.  

The tools we use and the reasons we use them are given to us by the lore.  That connection to the way are ancestors practiced rekindles a connection to them and provides the gods, alfar/disir, and vaettir a familiar symbolic gesture.  We let them know we are reclaiming the old ways and respect them.

Though some ways of practice have been altered to support the new age we live in( ei. no longer to we sacrifice animal or human instead offering mead/alcohol and valuable items  ) we are trying to recreate what we can from the lore and surviving customs. 

If we lose our connection we lose it all.

The tools that are mainly used in the practice of Asatru vary per individual and group but I will list the common ones here as well as their meaning and use.

Alu = ale (a beverage similar to beer).  Alu is a primitive Old Norse word.  It occurs in magical Runic inscriptions.  It has to do with alcoholic beverages as mythical conveyers of inspiration, poetic and otherwise

Bolli or Hlautbolli = bowl for holding consecrated liquid used in sprinking.  In the lore the blood of the sacrifice would be caught in the Hlautbolli.  It acted as a vessel to carry the energy of the scarifice to the Nine realms or where it was directed.

Drekk(j)a(r)horn = drinking horn.  used to hold liquid for consecrating with a God’s or Goddess’ might and essence during a blot.  Some is poured into the bolli for a libation and for sprinkling.  The rest is drunk by blot participants.  Drinking horns are clean hollow cattle or sheep horns with some sort of lining and stand.

Gandr = (magic or ritual) staff or wand.

Recel (RAY-kell) = incense (Anglo-Saxon).  Derived from a word meaning “to smoke.”  Cognate with Modern English “to reek,” German “rauchen” = “to smoke” and to the Rekja in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland.

Recels-pot = censer or incense-burner.  Used to clear sacred space.  Many times the godi or gydhja stops and censes each person, and that person often “bathes” him/herself in the ritually cleansing smoke.

 Stalli = an (indoor) altar for Heathen worship.

Moot Horn = a cow’s horn made into a blowing horn by carving the pointy end and putting a hole in it.  A Moot is a word for a Heathen Gathering.  So is an Althing (with more legal overtones).  You can make the cow’s other horn into a drekkjarhorn (also in this glossary).

Harrow = an (outdoor) altar for Heathen worship.

Hof = a Heathen temple.

Oath Ring = big arm ring, often silver or partly thereof, to swear religious oaths on.  This is an English word, but an unfamiliar concept so I’m including it here.

Teinn or Hlautteinn = twig or branch used to sprinkle consecrated liquid on altar and blot participants.  Traditionally we put it back under the tree or shrub it came from when we are done, along with a bit of the consecrated liquid as a small gesture to the plant for its sacrifice.  An English cognate is tine, as in the tines of a fork.

Wain = wagon.  (Archaic English)  Used in the lore many Images of the gods and Godesses were carried from place to place in the wagons.

Hamarr, helga ve thetta ok hindra alla illska = Hammer, hallow this sacred space/temple and hinder (the entry of) all evil things.  Old Norse.  If it were Modern Icelandic, the ok = and would be og.  Probably about the only difference.  Icelandic and Old Norse, despite the passage of a millenium, are very close.  Icelanders read 1,000 year old sagas more easily , and more often for that matter, than native English speakers read Shakespeare.  More words to stick in front of helga, and refering to objects used to consecrate Heathen sacred space (NOT quite the same thing as a Wiccan circle-casting): horn = antler (in this context, and also mean horn), sverd = sword, Brisingamen = Freya’s necklace or some facsimile thereof, gandr = wand or staff.

Hammarsettung = German (our Alsherjargodi speaks it) or maybe Norse, Hel I don’t know, for Hammer Hallowing (of a sacred space).  One makes the Hammer-Sign facing North, East, South, West, and then with the fist aimed at sky/ceiling and finally at ground/floor in order to clear sacred space.  The Elhaz Rune is often used in the same way and for the same purpose.

Hammer Hallowing = using the Hammer-Sign to consecrate sacred space for a Heathen ritual.  See Hammer-Sign and Hammarsettung.

Hammer-Sign = religious gesture symbolizing Thor’s Hammer.  Invokes the hallowing and protecting presence of Thor.  To Hammer-Sign yourself: with clenched fist, touch forehead, just below breastbone, just below left breast, then just below right breast.  You have essentially made an upside-down capital T.  You can also make the same gesture in the air over anything you wish to hallow.  Ben Middleton once made it in the air in front of him while calling on Thor to successfully stop a persuing pack of feral dogs!  Don’t go out of your way to test that out yourself; Thor helps those who help themselves!  Seems to have been a pre-Christian sign, although this is open to debate.

Handstodhur = to hold the hands still over something.  Sometimes in the form of the Ing(waz) Rune, sometimes just with one partially over the other, palms down, to project the might and main of the God(s) or Goddess(es) being bloted into the liquid being consecrated

Will write more on this subject at a later date.

Upcoming Day of Remembrance – Ragnar Lodbrok’s Day

March 28 – Ragnar Lodbrok’s Day When we celebrate this famous Viking’s sack of Paris.

Ragnar’s Death Song : “It gladdens me to know that Baldr’s father [Odin] makes ready the benches for a banquet. Soon we shall be drinking ale from the curved horns. The champion who comes into Odin’s dwelling [Valhalla] does not lament his death. I shall not enter his hall with words of fear upon my lips. The Æsir will welcome me. Death comes without lamenting… Eager am I to depart. The Dísir summon me home, those whom Odin sends for me [Valkyries] from the halls of the Lord of Hosts. Gladly shall I drink ale in the high-seat with the Æsir. The days of my life are ended. I laugh as I die.”

Ragnar’s special day marks the supposed anniversary of his capture of Paris in 845 Anno Domini.

While “Captors of Paris” isn’t exactly an exclusive club, Ragnar did it with far better style and with far fewer men.  In fact, he was quite a prolific conqueror, and his stated motivation is beyond reproach: he feared his deeds would be exceeded in glory and fame by his four sons, and so resolved to build up the biggest notoriety cushion possible while he still drew breath.  Isn’t it sad that we’ve really lost the art of being deeply suspicious of, and ruthlessly competing with, our own family members?  No?  Ok.

While we’re on the subject of family and lost arts, these guys were packing some serious heat in the Nifty Epithets Department: Ragnar’s sons were Bjorn Ironside, Ivor the Boneless, Sigurd Snake-Eye, and Halfdan Whiteshirt.  You can’t tell me, guys, that you don’t wish your name was Sigurd “Snake-Eye” Ragnarsson.  Ragnar himself was called Loðbrok, which means “hairy breeches,” and indeed it was these selfsame fuzzy pantaloons that helped the surly Viking in a series of tense encounters with snakes (but sadly failed to save him from the encounter with snakes that ultimately claimed his life).  We’ll get back to Ragnar’s sons and britches later.

Like many of his contemporaries, Ragnar claimed that he was descended from Odin himself.  In pagan culture this sort of thing is standard practice – family and honor are of the utmost importance and it’s good to link those things with the divine.  But it wasn’t just himself and his great-great grandfather Odin that made Ragnar scared of his sons.  His two wives were perennial badasses themselves and carried heroic genes of their own.

The first, Lathgertha, was a Skjaldmær or “shieldmaiden:” one who goes to battle with men and usually possesses extraordinary courage.  (Tolkien modeled Eowyn’s character on the shieldmaiden).  When Lathgertha’s town was captured, she led the local girls away to fight with the invading Ragnar rather than be subjected to rape.  Ragnar was so impressed by her ass-kicking skills that he asked to marry her.  They later divorced – he always resented the fact that she set a bear and a hound on him when he came to court her and only accepted his proposal when he’d killed both.

His second wife, Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, was also named Kraka or “Crow.”  Her dad Sigurd was the slayer of the famous dragon Fafnir.  No big deal.  Aslaug, like Odin, got the daily news from birds and could predict the future.  It was she who made Ragnar his special snake-proof pants and bore him his famous sons.  Ragnar’s only real mistakes were not listening to Aslaug – she told him his fleet was in shoddy shape when he went to fight the Saxons, and he succumbed to snake poison when he lost her specially-made garments.

Ragnar’s exploits are impressive by anyone’s standards.  During some portion of his life (we’re not really sure about many exact dates here), he was king of most of Scandinavia.  Though holding together the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden was no small feat, he is perhaps better known for his invasions of France and England.  Ragnar’s deeds are similar to those described in Led Zeppelin’s iconic 1970 track “Immigrant Song.”

“Immigrant Song” was inspired by Zeppelin’s tour of Iceland that same year, and tells a story loosely based on Erik the Red’s journeys west to discover Iceland, Greenland, and North America.   (Side note: the four counts of static fuzz at the beginning of the studio track are a totally underrated piece of iconic detail in metal lore).

I come from the land of the ice and snow;

with the midnight sun, where the hot-springs blow.

Ragnar and his Viking warriors used their [superweapon] longboats to travel up river estuaries at extremely shallow depth to easily reach targets that were startlingly far inland, such as Paris.

The Hammer of the Gods will drive our ships to new lands,

fighting the horde, singing and crying, “Valhalla I am coming!”

He not only resisted the advent of Christianity to Northern Europe; Ragnar took pleasure in terrorizing Christian settlements and planned his attacks to fall on Christian feastdays to ensure that his victims would be complacent and preoccupied.

On we sweep with threshing oar

our only goal will be the western shore!

Ragnar’s military reputation was in fact so terrifying that when his army sailed down the Seine in 845, the Frankish king Charles the Bald (grandson of some guy named Charlemagne) was forced to pay the Norsemen 7,000 pounds of solid silver (roughly eleventy billion dollars in today’s money) not to destroy Paris completely once he’d captured the city.  It also didn’t stop him from essentially laying waste to West Francia.  The Franks weren’t exactly pushovers – giving huge amounts of loot to foreigners wasn’t their favorite activity.  But Ragnar was simply too fierce.  He had to stay ahead of his kids.

He ran into trouble, though, while yachting off the coast of Northumbria.  He was blown ashore, where some Saxons under Aella captured him and took him hostage.  Another story says he invaded and was defeated by Aella’s troops.  Whatever happened, Aella decided that the best place for Ragnar was a pit of poisonous vipers.  Duly stripped of his special serpent-retardant raiment, he was bitten to death.  His mind, as usual, was on his sons as he died, exclaiming “how the little piglets would squeal if they knew the plight of the old boar!”

Viking art depicting the Blood Eagle 

And squeal they did.  When Halfdan Whiteshirt found out, he was playing Gary Kasparov in chess.  He gripped his rook so tightly that blood squirted out of his fingernails.  Bjorn Ironside gripped his spear so tightly that HE left an impression on IT (not, incidentally, in Soviet Russia).  Sigurd Snake-Eye was trimming his nails, and promptly sliced his finger to the bone.  Ivor the Boneless had a slightly more proactive reaction.  He gathered probably the largest single force of Vikings (sometimes referred to as the Great Heathen Army) and laid waste to York, Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia.  When they captured Aella, they executed him by the spectacular method of the “Blood Eagle” – making incisions in the back outward from the spine, then breaking the ribs so that the victim appears to have wings of blood.  The lungs are then extracted through the existing wounds, which are afterwards salted.  This grisly execution was often used by pagan Vikings as a means of terrorizing well-known Christian victims.

I should mention, as a responsible historian, that most of what we know about Ragnar comes from Viking sagas and skaldic poetry.  These are heroic tales passed down via oral tradition until they were recorded by people like Snorri Sturluson.  Like all legends, much of the record concerning Ragnar is fuzzy and it’s difficult to discern exactly what is true.  But I kept the historiography out of the narrative because it’s much more fun that way.

At any rate, Ragnar Lodbrok’s deeds in France and England had extremely far-reaching consequences.  His work in northwest France was continued by Norsemen, namely Rollo, who eventually were granted fiefs in the area by the Carolingian kings, which is why we now call that region “Normandy” – it’s populated by Norsemen.  Ragnar’s sons were especially successful in Britain, and may have even succeeded in conquering the whole island if not for the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great.  Nevertheless, their base at York persisted for over a century and the whole north of England was theirs by treaty, called at that time the “Danelaw.”  The Nordic imprint on that region remains to this day.

How soft your fields, so green, can whisper tales of gore,

of how we calmed the tides of war.

We are your overlords.

Some Silly Vikings celebrating with silly horned helms

What is Asatru

(Posters note: Just in case people who see these posts and wonder WTH is Asatru.. This  was pulled form Jordvin’s page http://www.home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin/Asatru/Asatru%20Reborn.htm)

“Asatru” (often known as “Heathenism,” “Germanic Paganism,” “Elder Troth,” and other names) means “faith in the Aesir”, which are the Gods of pre-Christian Scandinavia. The other Germanic peoples (Goths, Germans, Dutch, Frisians, Anglo-Saxons, etc.) had essentially the same religion. Similar Deities were once worshipped throughout most of Europe, and as far away as India (the Gods of the Rig Veda). Asatru never really quite died out. Medieval Icelandic books of magical spells (galdrabok) show that some were calling upon the Aesir long after Christianity was forced upon the Germanic peoples. In northern Scandinavia, the Lappish (Saami) people were openly celebrating the worship of Thor, which they had learned from their Heathen Scandinavian neighbors in the pre-Christian period, as late as 1800. The modern revival began in the early 1970’s. Within a few months of each other and quite unaware of each other’s existence, groups were formed in the USA, Iceland and the United Kingdom. Odin, the wanderer, is once again seeking worshippers. Despite claims of racist/racialist Asatru groups, anyone who wishes to join Asatru may do so, irregardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. Today, people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are working happily and productively with the Norse Pantheon.

In addition to Thor, the Thunderer, friend of the common folk, and Odin, Allfather, chief God, poet, and wandering wizard, we worship many other Gods, including Tyr, God of war and justice; Ingvi Frey, God of peace, fertility and nature (the European images of the Green Man may be a memory of Frey and similar Gods); Balder, who although tragically murdered is still very present to his worshippers today; Heimdall, the Watchman of Asgard, etc. Nor do we neglect the Goddesses, who are equal in power and holiness to the Gods: Frigga, wife of Odin, seen under such guises as Allmother (feminine counterpart of Odin), the all-knowing but silent Goddess, and many other aspects; Freya, Goddess of fertility, love, magic and war; Idunna, Goddess of renewal (Eostre/Ostara, an Anglo-Saxon and German Goddess who provided the name for “Easter” may be the same Goddess); Hela, who rules over the place between death and rebirth (most of us Heathens believe in some form of rebirth or reincarnation); Nerthus, the Mother Earth Goddess mentioned in Tacitus’ book Germania (98 C.E.), and many others. This should lay to rest erroneous notions, popularly held in the larger Pagan community, that Asatru is “patriarchal” or a “testosterone rush.” We also revere the spirits of nature (landvaettir) and various guardian spirits, such as the Disir and Alfar (Elves). Our Gods are friendly, practical, dependable and approchable. They basically ask only that we honor them and in doing so live our lives in such a way that it helps uphold cosmic harmony, preserve life in Midgard, the world of which we are apart, and help life and the Universe continue to evolve. Thus, Asatru is in a very real sense a nature or Earth religion. We are friends and co-workers of our Gods, whom we sometimes address as “Elder Kin.” We are not their slaves, nor do we grovel before them.

Our two main rituals are the blot and sumbel. “Blot” means sacrifice. While scholars debate whether or not it is connected with the word “blood”, we use mead (honey-wine), beer or apple juice today. The liquid is consecrated to the God or Goddess being worshipped, and we commune with that Deity by drinking a portion of it. The rest is poured as a libation. The Sumbel is a sort of ritualized toasting. The first of the usual three rounds is to the Gods, starting with Odin, who won the mead of poetry from the Giant Suttung. It is good to pour a few drops to Loki the Trickster, (also Odin’s blood-brother), to ward off nasty surprises! The second round is to ancestors and other honorable dead. The third round is open.

While devoid of rigid, legalistic rules, ours is by no means an amoral faith. We start out with basic principles, such as the Nine Noble Virtues (a modern innovation but a good summation of our ethics): courage, truth, honor, loyalty, hospitality, industriousness, perserverance, self-discipline, and self-reliance. The 6-fold Goals; right, wisdom, might, harvest, frith (roughly = fruitful peace but not in a pacifistic sense), and love, while less well-known than the Nine Noble Virtues, are also used as guidelines by many of us. From these, individuals can decide the appropriate course of action for a given situation and honor themselves, their families, their communities, and their Gods (and Goddesses) by striving to do what is right. Common sense and practicality are very important to us. The Gods organized the Universe from chaotic material (represented by the body of the dead Giant Ymir), which was what was available. A remaining bit of chaos allows for a random factor, which helps the Universe and all in it to keep evolving. An important function of Humanity is to care for the Earth and to help the process of evolution to continue by growing and evolving ourselves. Not even the Gods themselves are all-powerful or all-knowing, so perfection is neither required nor expected. On the contrary, imperfection is inherent in all things.

The Elder and Younger Eddas (also called the Poetic and Prose Edda) are texts we hold in high esteem for the information on our religion that they contain, although most of us do not interpret our myths literally. While the Elder Edda is a compilation of anonymous mythological poems compiled from various medieval Icelandic manuscripts, the Younger Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 250 years after the official Christianization of Iceland in 1000 C.E.

Magical work is a part of the spiritual life of many practitioners of Asatru. Magic involves working with natural but unseen forces, including those embodied in the Runes, the indigenous alphabet of the Germanic Peoples, as well as galder (spellcraft) and seidhr (shamanic-type workings). Magic can help forsee the probable direction of future events, obtain healing, and help us in all that we do, but it does not substitute for “mundane” efforts. Ours is a practical, active religion!

How was your Osatra??

Today the first two members (Russell and myself) of the recreated Kaerhrafnr kindred celebrated Ostara.  Though we were not as prepared as we wanted the rite went with ease.  I will add here briefly what Ostara ( or also known as Eostre to my Anglo Saxon kin) is.

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Ostara is celebrated on the spring equinox around March 21. This feast marks the beginning of the summer half of the year. It is named after the goddess Ostara (Anglo-Saxon Eostre), who was such an integral part of heathen Germanic culture that the Christians stole and absorbed it as their own spring feast which was adapted for the Paschal holiday, and was converted to the Christian Easter. Her name is related to the Germanic words for “east” and “glory”; she was the embodiment of the springtime and the renewal of life.

At the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. In the northern hemisphere, before Ostara, the sun rises and sets more and more to the south, and afterwards, it rises and sets more and more to the north.

spring equinox is the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. The holiday is a celebration the rejuvenation of the Earth, fertility and growth; traditional decorations include budding boughs, flowers, decorated eggs and the Rabbit motif.
Heathen folk customs associated especially with Ostara’s feast include the painting and hunting of Easter eggs, which, according to German tradition, were brought or laid by the ‘Easter Hare’ (the earliest form of the slightly diminished American ‘Easter Bunny’). The Hare was the holy beast of Ostara, slain and eaten only at her blessing. In Germany, bakeries sell hare-shaped cakes at this time of year. Fires were also kindled on the hilltops at dawn, especially in Germany. Another common folk-custom which still survives in rural areas is the performance of plays at which Summer battles with Winter and drives him out, or at which an effigy embodying Winter is beaten, burned, or drowned.
Today, Ostara is seen as the feast to awakening the Earth, the gods and goddesses, and the human soul. Life becomes brighter and more joyful after the Ostara feast has been rightly held.

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After this rite (blot) was finished we thanked the goddess for joining us and asked that when she returned to Asgard she tell the Kin and gods are desires and needs.  As we set off from the site a falcon flew over us to the east making its call.. We both felt her blessings were upon us. ( some in Asatru attribute the goddess to Freyja or Idunna.. with what happened my opinion leans towards Freyja)

Kaerhrafnr Kindred’s beliefs

• We believe in the Gods of the North. The Aesir and Vanir are real and true deities with individual minds, wants, desires, and existence who care for mankind, for their “folk” (i.e. those who worship them), and for the world in general.

• We believe in the Eddas and myths as inspired religious literature. While we acknowledge that they are not necessarily literal accounts of physical events, they are nonetheless true in a religious sense and deserve our attention and respect.

• We believe in right and wrong and seek always to stand with the Aesir and Vanir against those who would do evil. We believe in Troth and loyalty: to the Gods, to each other as kinsmen, and to the ancient traditions of our folk.

• We believe that Asatru is a tribalist faith (the Folk of Asgard), but that the Gods call those who they will to join our Folk, and we will not gainsay Their choice on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or sexual preference.

• We believe in the evolution of our religion, but ever in memory that the ancient traditions of the Asatru should be followed and learned from, and never discarded without long thought and deep prayer.

• We believe in living an honorable and virtuous life in the ways of the Gods. We accept as our guide the nine virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, Perseverance. • We believe in striving ever for excellence in all aspects of our lives.

• We believe in the rights of humankind to speak, act, and worship as they will. We believe that the oppression of the human spirit is the greatest crime and that the Gods seek us as companions and followers, but never as slaves or servants.

• We believe that each man or woman can seek their own troth with the Gods. While we recognize Gothar as teachers and persons of close relationship with the Gods, no person’s relationship with the Gods is dependent on another human’s intervention or help.

• We believe in making decisions by fair and democratic means and reject autocracy and dictatorship religiously, socially, politically, and personally.

• We believe in the rights of others, not of the Asafolk, to worship their Gods as they see fit and we leave others to their own faith.

• We believe in the future of Asatru as a legitimate religion and pledge ourselves to work towards its acceptance as one of the mainline faiths of our nation and world. To these beliefs and to the Gods in the Nine Worlds we pledge ourselves, body and soul.