Merry Meet All

I'm a solataire was eclectic,,,,for many moons,,lol.. i'm 44
I believe my path is of the Germanic Norse Tradition,,,this is where my calling has lead me.....
I am german-irish,, and after many years of being eclectic, My God and Goddess have lead me to this path.....
i'm a baby, in this path and am so ready to make it mine, and learn all that i can,,,,,,so any advice,,webpages,,books,,,ect would be much appreciated....

here is my first essay,,persa,,, on my path,,,
My God Baldr and Goddess Nanna,,,Bless all with warmth, love and light
SilverPhoenixWillow


Merry Meet all....i have been a solataire my whole life,,,,,my mother and auntie was into the craft, when i was younger,,,but the just decided one day to quit,,,,,and become Christains,,,,
I just recently really started to find how i was and what path is mine,,,
I have found that i'm going back to my Geramic Heritage,,,so here i am

I have found My God and Goddess,,,,Baldr and Nanna...
and just thought i would share my thoughts, and my findings on my path...i am a Healer, and i never really related to the Wiccan Rede,,,ect,,,
i am a newborn into this Norse path,, so all info and guidance would be most welcome,,,I'm 44 and have been pagan,,,,for many many moons,
i'm very excited to be here, and so ready to follow my new path,,,,

love-light-laughter to all
SilverPhoenixWillow


Asatru,,,,,,Norse Heathenry,,,,,norse witch




"Asatru", an old Norse Germanic belief which dates back to pre Christian era.....Asatru is an Icelandic word which is a translation of the Dane word "Asetro.". . It means "belief in the Asir," the Gods. . Asatru is a combination of "Asa" which is the case of the word Aesir (A`esir) and " Tru" which means belief or religion. . My Asatru path is one of Forn Siðr pronounced "Forn S`are", which means the ancient way or tradition which is considered Norse Heathenism and is a form of paganism.
A lot of the Asatru religion's origin is lost in antiquity along with written script during the Christian witch hysteria of Northern Europe that started around 1000 CE and continued around the world untill the 1800's. ... During this period almost all history was destroyed. ..In the early part of the 20th Century, the socialist party in under Adolf Hitler tired to pervert Asatru by grafting parts of the religion onto Nazi racist belief. This soon died by the end of World War II, which caused more lost of Norse history.

belief of the "Nine Nobel Virtues" have been passed down from member to member, family to family, unchanged through out time. begining with "Courage" to reject any form of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation.

The Nine Nobel Virtues
1)Courage~ To stand firm, face in to the winds of diversity.
2)Truth~ Honesty & sincerity.
3)Honor~ Giving high respect to others, as you want them to do to you . To do that of which is morally right.
4)Troth/Fidelity~ Continuing faithfulness, & loyality. To family,an the Gods
5)Discipline~ To practice, teach and passing down the knowledge of the Ancient way. To self rule.
6)Hospitality~ Be generous, offer a open heart and hand of help to others.
7)Industriousness~ Be diligent & hard-working in all you do.
Self-Reliance~ Reliance on your own powers & resources, rather than those of others.
9)Perseverance~ To continue to survive, in spite of difficulty & diversity..



Norse Heathen Holidays

AEsir............main Holy days



Spring Equinox....typically March 21...dedicated to Ostara,,,its also known as...Alban Eilir,Eosstar,Eostre,Festival of Trees,Lady day,NawRuz,NoRuz,Ostara,Ostra, Rites of Spring,And the Vernal Equinox..


Summer Solstice....Typpically around June 21, celebration of mid summer, longest day of daylight,,it is also known as , Alban Heflin,Alben Heruin,All-couples Day,Feast of Epona, Feast of St, John, the Baptist,Feill-Sheathain,Gathering Day,Johannistag, Litha,Midsummer,Sonnwend,Thing-Tide,Vestalia...

Yule,,,winter solstice,,,,,,typppically December 21 the mother night of the year
it last for 12 days.. this is the most important day of the year,,,,,



The Charming of the Plow,,Feburary 1,,weekend a celebration of Freya and the Disir,,Blessing for growing season



Merry Mooon,,May 1st weekend,, celebration of spring dedicated to Njord and Nerthus

Harvest or Freyfaxi August 1ST WEEKEND,,,the first harvest and celbration of Frey and his father Njord

Fogmmon,,,November 1ST weekend,,a celebration of war-dead,,and Ragnarok Dedicated to Odin and Freya

Asatruars in North America, observe Einherjar, held annually November 11,, This coincides with Veterans Day..It Honors thoses who have been killed in battle and have joined Odon's warriors in Valhalla


The Sumbel,,,,,,,this is a ritual drinking celebration in which a horn filled with a drink is passed around the group..Each person delivers a greeting, a toast to the Gods, ancient heros, or ones ancestors, or a story song or poem,,,, He or she drinks from the horn,, This can take place at any of the above mentioned holidays



The Blot
The Blot is the most common ritual within Asatru. In its simplest form a blot is making a sacrifice to the Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting on an animal consecrated to the Gods and then slaughtered. (The word blot itself is related to the Norse words for "blood" and "sacrifice.") As we are no longer farmers and our needs are simpler today, the most common blot is an offering of mead or other alchoholic beverage to the deities.
Basic Outline of the Blot Ritual



I. Sanctify space with the Hammer rite
II. Invocation of the Deity
III. Secondary Activities supporting the blot, meditation etc.
IV. Load mead by offering it to the God
V. Pass mead for blessing or sprinkle on folk
VI. Other activities, prayers, etc
VII. Thank the deity
VIII. Pour the libation to the Earth

Asatruars after Death

There are many philosophy's on life after death.. Ever since the begining of time man has looked for anwser to our own mortality... The belief in the "Forn Siðr" the old ways. . . After our death, those who die in battle, or as a Hero because of selfless acts, or defending family and states honnor. Shall be taken to Valhalla by" Freyja" and the Valkyries....There they will eat with the Gods, Särimner a pig that is daily slaughtered and drink Mead specially made by the virgins of Valhalla. These heroes are prepared in Valhalla for the oncoming battle of Ragnarok. meaning the end of the cosmos.... Some of but not all Asatruars believe those who have lived a very deceitful and treacherous life go to Niflheim in Helheim ("house of Hell").. This is a place of torment, and dispear. All the remaining kindered, go to Gladsheim, a place of calmness and peace. Called the hall of the gods which lies in Asgard. There we wait for our rebirth. . After our death, we are reborn or reincarnated. . Depending on the kind of life you lead will determined how you shall be reborn... If you were a rich, but selfish person you maybe reborn to a life of povity and hard labor, or if you were very poor in life, but you were very giving and kind.. . you maybe rewarded in a new life of wealth or power.
Once we have learn all the lessons that we were set by the Deities, Then time has come to join the collective of spirits, or the light of all enities

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May Your road always lead you to your destination.

Oh Wow! I have been reading about Paganism, especially Wicca, for the last four years. I'm just starting to practice now. Yes, I'm doing the Wicca Revealed course.

I'm very interested in the Northern Path/Heathenry. I live in a country town in Australia and there is no one and no groups nearby, other than a coven or two. Heathenry doesn't seem to be all that popular down here, not like Wicca or Druidry.

I guess I'm sticking my hand up and saying "I want to learn about this path". I have enjoyed all I have read in this thread so far. SilverPhoenixWillow, I enjoyed your post so much that I've printed it out. I need to work out those dates so they work "down under".

Can anyone recommend a good book for starters? Something that explains things in simple terms and doesn't assume prior knowledge? Thanks so much.

Love and light
Pixiejo

I came across this thread earlier tonight... I hope it's ok to get it up and running again.

For some reason I'm not yet aware of, I'm recently finding myself getting more and more called towards the Northern Tradition and would really appreciate some guidance. I know some bits of the sagas, but I'm just dipping my toes in the shallow end at the moment... The work ahead is looking emense.

Having looked through the posts, I'm ordering the Poetic Edda for a starter... And already have a book about runes. Although some of the links on here won't work, or they may not work for an iPad. The posts have been really helpful.

What I have found, is that I'm not used to the pronunciations and wouldn't even dream of approaching any of the gods until I can speak their names correctly. Is there a link or vid that would help me in actually hearing the language and the
names/titles etc?

Any help and guidance in what to work on first would be really appreciated.
Joanne

Check YouTube. A few videos have helped me with pronouncing crystasl and the Sabbats.

Thanks, Blithe. I've been trying.

I think I'm having problems with my iPad tonight.... The vids don't seem to be working and coming to a stop. So, I'm going to wait and get the dinosaur puter up and running tomorrow, and also get some stuff printed off.

I dont think the gods care too much about pronunciation...think about it: language is ever evolving. What pronunciation are you looking for? Northern Germany 3rd century CE? Swedish 8th century CE? There is no one right or wrong, the intent counts

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timendi causa est nescire

Aah! Good point.

But I'll still feel more equiped to proceed if i check out some vids for general pronunciation. I definitely have a few words I'm not sure of. I see it on paper and know what it is, but saying it out loud... Well... It might give the gods a good laugh if nothing else.

The Norse gods like to laugh

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timendi causa est nescire

Rae'ya, Thank you so much for your in-depth reply, and sorry I didn't answer your post sooner.

I just got back from holiday about an hour ago, and will take more care with my reply after a good nights sleep. Whilst away, I did get gifted the "Poetic Edda, Translated by Carolyne Larrington.... Oxford worlds classic" and Asatru For Beginners by Erin Lale.

Chat soon, and thank you.
Joanne

Hello Again,
I'll have to admit it, this new path I'm now on is going to take a lot of work and plenty of research, but I do think I've got to grips with a little of the pronunciation, and will post others that I find difficult as I come across them.

What I can't understand at the moment, is why this change of direction all of a sudden... or at least over the last months? My son already loves the images from his Norse ancestry, and even took Viking amulets with him when he was in Afghanistan, but I thought that I was already settled on another path... far different to the Norse one. This may be the reason for the difficulty, I've never learned anything about our Norse traditions besides the small amount of Viking stuff in school.

Now, a Norse Goddess named Frigga keeps making herself known... in startling clarity and was even showing me how she liked to dance in a huge hall filled with other revelers earlier this evening during a meditation! (not quite like this)

Because i don't want to go running in circles and learning bits from hither, tither and yon, i hope you don't mind my asking, what would the best place be for me to start? Gods, Runes, Sagas....?

Also, as I usually meditate through my rituals, I would really like to make this Midsummer a turning point, or dedication to this new beginning. I'll be at work from 6.30am, so, besides watching the sun come up when i get out of bed, any ideas that are simple to carry out during the day or at mid-day would be lovely and very much appreciated.

Thank you and chat again soon
Joanne

I wish I had seen these web sites before I visited the Orkneys in 2007. It was really a magical visit. My husband and I spent the summer solstice in the Ring of Brodgar. Definately a place of power.

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Love and laughter,
Ouroboros

Rae'ya, thank you so much for the Troth by Gundersson recommendation... It arrived yesterday and from what I've read so far, is very well done.



I've also been perusing through the Icelandic language vids on YouTube (I hope this is a good idea) and trying to get to grips with some more pronunciations.

One I am getting confused by is the names, Freyr and Freyja. Are they pronounced the same or similar?

Thank you again
Joanne

Hi Joanne,

Sorry it's taken me a while but I have no internet at home so my Magicka access is pretty patchy lol. I'll see if I can answer your questions...

I've not reat the Erin Lale book so I can't tell you what it's like, but I can say that I've heard the Larrington translation of the Poetic Edda is easy to read but not the most accurate - it seems to be the preferred translation for a lot of people. A lot of serious Northern Practitioners or Asatruar recommend having two translations - one like Larrington's which is easy to read, and one that is more literal like the Bellows one.

Icelandic language vids are probably a good idea... I've never watched any myself but modern Icelandic is supposed to be fairly similar to Old Norse. Not exactly the same, but a lot more similar than say German or English!



Frigg (Freeg where the 'i' sound is medium length kind of like in 'freedom' said quickly, definitely not hard and sharp as in 'spit') is Odhinn's wife and the queen of Asgardhr. She is the head of the household and is typically a goddess of the house (not so much the hearth in the same way that Holda is, but of the house and homestead). She is a manager, an organiser and co-ordinator in the sense that She keeps Her and Her husbands Halls going as they should and looks after all the day to day business of a busy home. She is very much a Queen in this sense also - She is wise and knowledgable and diplomatic. She's also a weaver and spinner - of flax mostly, as that it what grows in Asgardhr. She is also a seeress in her own right, but carefully guards this talent and is not typically a teacher or patroness of seers. Some say She is privy to information directly from the Nornir which is not shared by others, but I'm not so sure about that. If She is privy to it then she certainly doesn't share it. But at the same time, I don't understand why She would have worked so hard to keep Baldr from His fate if She worked closely with the Nornir as She should have known Her efforts would not only be in vain, but were disrespectful and presumptuous. She also has a number of handmaidens that help her with running the Halls, who all have specific duties and areas of influence and can be considered goddesses in their own right.



First figure out if you want to live the whole Norse/Northern Tradition lifestyle or whether you just want to work with the deities witin your own lifestyle context. The Asatru and Heathen organisations are reconstructionist, and will tell you that you have to live the lifestyle in order to work with the deities... this isn't true. It's a bit controversial of me to say that, but that's just the way it is. The Norse deities are incredibly adaptable. They do, however, demand a certain attitude in order to take you seriously. You don't have to live the lifestyle the reconstructionists say that you do, but you do have to have the right attitude and be honorable. Most Asatru books will have a list of the standard 'virtues' or 'traits'... take note of these and make sure you hold them close, because the Norse deities don't suffer fools, boasters, hypocrites, liers, sycophants or whiners. They generally respect honor, courage, hospitality, backbone, humility and generosity. You have to be able to stand on your own two feet but be able to recognise your limits and know when to ask for help. You have to be able to put in the hard work and commitment when you do ask for help, and not expect everyone else to do it for you. It's all about attitude and personal qualities rather then lifestyle and ritual with Them. Having said that, if you are doing ritual, blot (in short - sacrifice or offereings) or sumbl (in short - a specific drinking rite or celebration in honor of someone or everyone) then you have to take it seriously or you'll be frowned upon.

The Sagas and Lore is always a good place to start, but honestly, take it all with a grain of salt. I'm not an Asatruar or a Heathen, so I don't take the Lore as the be all and end all. The Poetic Edda is an important source of information, but I don't put much stock in the Prose Edda. The Poetic Edda is a collection of poems and stories from different manuscripts and different sources. The Prose Edda is one man's interpretation of the stories (Snorri Sturlunson), one man who happened to be a Christian monk who wrote the Prose Edda as a handbook for Christian priests to learn so that they could convert the people of Iceland using their own myths. Read it, but keep that in the back of your mind. There are whole sections of it that are blatantly Christianised and monotheism-ised, and Sturlunson even goes so far as to claim that the gods were actually kings who took on the identities of myths to make themselves seem more powerful.

I would say start with a bit of history and Lore, but don't bog yourself down in it. Read the stories that are written in Asatru books and introductory books to get a feel for it before you move into the hardcore stuff. It can be a bit off-putting to go reading through the Lore and Sagas staright up because some translations are a bit wordy and hard to read. So read about the gods and creatures and worlds and then delve into the direct sources when you feel comfortable with them to flesh it all out.

Branch out into runes and galdr and seidhr when you feel ready for it. You don't HAVE to do or use these things, but they're rewarding. If you have the Gundarsson Our Troth books then you've got a pretty good source to get started - just keep in mind that they are the textbooks for one particular organisation, so they are very specific to that particular Troth. Other groups do things differently and have slightly different beliefs. As with any book or author, don't take everything they write as The Law. lol.



I'm afraid I wont be much help here as I must admit that I don't celebrate the Wheel of the Year in any formal sort of way. As far as a dedication goes... Skuld never put much stock in a formal dedication rite because She knows that it's not really worth much coming from me... I have to prove myself in other ways on a more regular basis. I'm not sure what Frigg would like... She's a very different deity to Skuld, and I've never worked with Her myself. Perhaps you could ask Frigg Herself? Or one of Her Handmaidens? As an Asynja (goddess of the Aesir) then She would probably respond well to anything that the Asatruar normally do, so perhaps have a look in the book that you have and see what they suggest? The Norse deities in general enjoy feasting and drinking and sumbl (which is where you do rounds of toasting and boasting about the greatness of the gods, the ancestors, your companions and yourself, not necessarily in that order lol). I'm not sure that Frigg would be as enamoured of a drunken celebration as say, Thor or Odhinn, but She would probably appreciate a feast in her honor. Especially if you run it as the hostess where you have to prove your worth as a hostess and queen of your own home sort of thing. Just a thought. lol



Freyr and Freyja are similar... Freyr is basically 'fray' - the r on the end is pretty much silent. It denotes a weird sort of quality to the vowel sound rather than a syllable and is really hard to explain, but it's not 'fray-er' as some people try to pronounce it.

Freyja is 'fray-yaa'. Double consonants are always pronounced separately, so rather than 'fray-a', it's 'fray-yaa' if that makes sense. Don't run the y and the j together.

J is never pronounced as 'j' like it is in English - it's pronounced like a 'yuh' sound. It's the same at the start of the word, so the rune name Jera is kind of like 'yeah-ra'.

Anyway... I think that's enough from me for the moment!

I'd like to add to this statement.

There are recon groups within Heathenry and Asatru, but Asatru itself is a modern religion (formed around the same time as Wicca, but separately) and Heathenry has a range of people. The stuff you'll find by Thorsson, Paxson or Krasskova, for example, are contemporary, not recon. They came up with their material on their own, using a variety of influences that INCLUDES the heathen cultures, but also include ideas from Wicca and New Age practices. Sometimes quite heavily, leaving the heathen aspect to be superficial.

The point by recons is that, in order to call yourself a RECON, you will have to have the worldview of the people you're reconstructing AND adhere to the culture pretty heavily when engaging in ritual and with the gods. Now there are heathens that are not recons (like myself) for various reasons, but they still can have the old worldview, which makes them a heathen (I'm generalizing here). Examples would be like those in the Troth. Their understanding of the world comes from per-Christian cultures, but the rituals may be new forms, and they may incorporate contemporary practices, like rune divination, into their tradition.

There's nothing inherently good or bad about any of the variations of "heathen", but there is greater pressure in heathenry to be clear about what exactly you're doing. As long as you accurately define yourself and don't apply your own assumptions onto them, you'll be fine in most circles. I think it's a backlash from the outsider assumption that all Pagans/Non-Judeo-Christians are either Wiccan or New Age.

It depends on where you're at too. Heathenry in America is different from Europe, which is different from Australia, which is different from South Africa, and so on and so forth. You end up with a ton of different opinions that way.

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Along The River: My paganism blog