#firne sitte

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

Even that I know, that Thor has "fiercy red hair" and here it's more gentle/ginger - I really love this painting! This is so beautiful!

Quelle: Wolfanita

[alpine-sitte]

Introduction / Pinned Post

This is my personal blog about my relationship with and research into a certain subset of paganism, known as Alpine Paganism or Alpines Brauchtum. It's a side-blog and I follow/like/reply from my main, @stahl-tier.

I will do my best to source anything dealing with research, but there will also be personal thoughts and experiences that I talk about which don’t necessarily reflect historical facts, and conversation with the community.

The main goals of this blog are:

discovering and celebrating the divine in the mundane of our daily modern lives

forming and participating in a community as a part of living paganism

preserving and collecting knowledge about pre-christian traditions and culture in the alpine region of Europe

identifying and stripping away the falsificating influence of Christian colonisation and Christian assimilation on oral and written records

uncovering and highlighting harmful influences and additions from fascists and their ideology

For a quick overview about me and my beliefs, please take a look at my FAQ & Contact page.

More in-depth information about my views are written up in the Declarations page.

The Resources page is currently empty, but I will try to make it into a hub of links to content either on my own blog or on external pages as time goes by.

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

I think, that is a really good explanation. I totally get the "they are the same" because I often feel this. But it's more, because they both represent such elementar female aspects. Freya is young; she is vibrant, full of live and lust. She knows, who she is and what she wants and want everyone to dance in the sunshine she could see. Frigg is more mature. More mother than maiden, when I'm allowed to frame it this way. She is more gentle, more naturing. More keeper of the home and the "matured love" (marriage, long term relationship etc. where Freya is more for the frist "Wow" or even purly sexual relationships. Or the sexual side of a relationship, where Frigg would be more for the "communication/growing" side of the same relatinonship). Like wildfire and housefire. Both fire - but not the same type.

i was wondering what your opinion is on people who think Freyja and Frigg are the same deity? I recently began studying norse mythology because i'm interested in working with Freyja, and have come across scholars that think the two are one in the same which makes things a bit complicated for me when it comes to working with her because now i'm confused?

Sorry this took so long to answer, I wanted to make sure I was thorough in gathering my details.

This is a great question and one that I absolutely love talking about and have done a lot of research on, so thank you so much for asking this!!

Long story short: historically, we can't say for certain whether or not they were separated deities. However, in my personal practice, I believe they are two separate entities. I will explain why I think this is the case below, along with what research I have done on the subject to help you find your own path.

Let's start by saying that historians believe that Frigg/Freyja originated from the Germanic goddess Frija, a very similar fertility goddess who sometimes went by the name of Frea and was married to Woden. Not much has survived about this goddess besides a few stories.

Researchers then go on to try to prove that Freyja and Frigg are one in the same stating that Freyja is married to a man named "Odr" - a name that is essentially another way of spelling Odin, and that both goddesses are masters of seidr, and as a lot of history websites try to say, by extension both can tell the future. We also get the standard argument that Freyja's name translates to the title of "Lady" while Frigg means "Beloved".

Now most of what we know about Freyja and her family connections come from one story in the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning (there are also brief mentions in the Völuspá, Skáldskaparmál, and Heimskringla). In Gylfaginning, it mentions both Frigg and Freyja separately, but we get much greater detail about Freyja and who her family is.

"The sixth is Freyja, who is ranked with Frigg. She is wedded to the man whose name is Odr; their daughter's name is Hnos...."

In the stories mentioned above, all make some reference to Freyja having a husband named Odr. This is where we can choose to take this one of two ways. If we use the history of the germanic names, and claim that at some point, Freyja and Frigg split from Frija, then it's only fair to do the same with Odr and Odin, whose name stems from Woden (traditionally Wodaz). Of course, this is again all just how you view the stories and lack of historical context. I do find it interesting that we have a handful of stories that include both goddess, such as the Lokasenna.

The other thing that I find interesting in a historical context is that Frigg only bore sons: Balrd, Hodr, and Hermod. While Freyja is known to have daughter(s): Hnoss (and possibly Gersemi if you believe she is separate from Hnoss).

I also think it's unfair to rank both goddesses as the same kind of magic users. Freyja is given the honor of the original Völva. She is mentioned multiple times as the goddess who brought magic to the Aesir. Of course, the Völuspá is our first contact in which Gullveig (Freyja) is seen as a seidr and spá worker of great importance. This is really the only time Freyja is mentioned for her use of spá, as most of the stories end up using Frigg when matters of fate are at hand. Now Frigg is a weaver and spinner of fate. Some even see her as Nornir adjacent with her abilities to peer into the veil and adjust the threads of one's destiny. This is starting to get into my UPG, and I'll explain more of my feelings below.

Now, here are my personal thoughts on the two goddesses. Please bear in mind everything below is from my own personal experiences, and this might differ greatly from what you have learned or felt yourself. That is okay! No two people are going to see the gods the same way.

To me, there is no doubt that Freyja and Frigg and separate goddesses. Freyja, to me, is a goddess of self love, courage, power, and magic. She is to be respected and takes no shits and asks for her followers to demand the same from others. Frigg on the other hand has a more gentle energy, she is the smell of freshly baked bread, the winds of spring. Frigg is very much a goddess of the hearth, family, and crafting (especially those involving weaving/knitting/ect). And while these are two areas that can cross over, the differences in energies that I have experienced is unique.

When it comes to magic, I think it's important to define that there are two main types of practices in the Norse religion: spá and seidr. Spá can be defined as looking into the web of wyrd (or fate) and prophecing someone's future, along with a few other higher level additions that we won't worry about here. Seidr is essentially witchcraft as we know it today. This is where I think claiming both goddess to be equal is incorrect, as while seidr can be used as a catch all term, it does not immediately equate to being a spákona. We know from mythology that Frigg is a spákona, and is able to tell the fate of all men. This is no easy feat, not even something that Freyja, the Völva of all Völvas, can accomplish. However Freyja, is a master at seidr. She can craft wild potions and charms that never fail and curse men without a second thought. This is also why I believe that when I started digging deep into my training with Freyja, she was not the one to train me in the way of Wyrd, but instead had me work with the Nornir to start to learn spá.

I wish I could tell you without a doubt I had an answer. Unfortunately, history has not been kind to the Germanic and Nordic people and most of what has been preserved was written after Christian colonization so many inferences have to be made. But in my mind, that's the great thing about paganism, it's individual. You are allowed to make your own decisions based on your own research and personal discoveries and find what works best for you. I personally don't connect well with Frigg, but Freyja on the other hand has helped me realize so much of my potential. So keep reaching out to the gods, keep discovering, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful relationship with whoever you decide to work with.

~ Keegs

Sources: https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-vanir-gods-and-goddesses/freya/

Https://Historiska.se/norse-mythology/frigg-en/

https://worldhistory.org/Frigg/

http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/seidhr.shtml

[thewickedgriffin]

The European continent was much longer "pagan" and thus polytheistic than monotheistic. Monotheism got established with the rise of Roman Civilization, and later on, during the early Middle Ages. "Pagan" was everything and everyone not belonging to Roman civilization. Today, we can reconstruct but must remain careful in doing so but we must also acknowledge that "European Paganism" is not a single doctrine, teaching or a book, it was a way of life for many tribes. Some reconstructionists prefer to look at the local history of each Country. In Romania, for example, some study ancient Dacian and Thracian roots, studying the Thraco-Dacian pantheon of gods, called Zalmoxianism. In France, some reconstruct local tales and worship of Gaulish mythology, but also french Le néodruidisme is of interest. In Poland, there's a great interest for the pre-christian slavic beliefs revolving around God Świętowit and Perun (Перун) and Matka Syra Ziemia. There's a church called Rodzimy Kościół Polski in Poland. In Russia, there's the Mari tribe, Чимарий йӱла, considered to be the last Pagans of Europe, still holding on to their native beliefs, located in the Mari El Republic along the Volga River. Their myths and traditions survived and never got lost. In Italy, there's people studying native Etruscan paganism, La Vecchia Religione. Prior to Constantine, Italy was pagan. Pagan Roman and Greek Paganism have many similar myths and roots, yet Etruscan people are a source of interest. La Vecchia Religione has Celtic, Germanic, Italic, Pre-Latin, Latin, Roman, Grecian roots. Italy was occupied since the Paleolithic Era. In Spain, some want to study the roots of the Iberian tribes and, later on, the Celtic remnants Some can be found (via blending of two religions) in Priscillianism. In Germany, there's Roman, Celtic, Germanic and Slavic influences. Bavarian ("Bajuvarii" tribe) traditions have different roots than the North or West of Germany. Some try to construct Allemanic roots, called Firne Sitte. Sure, there's Indo-European roots. In Scandinavia, there's Asatru, but also Saami & Finnish shamanism, Suomenusko. All these beliefs existed before modern nations, they're European pagan.

[huginnsheathenhof]

Anyone who identifies as Heathen is welcome and encouraged to submit their responses to the survey. For this survey, we are using the same definition for "heathen" as the 2014 Norse Mythology Blog Census. For our survey the term Heathenry includes but is not limited to those who identify as Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, Ásatrú, Asatro, Firne Sitte, Forn Sed, Forn Siðr, Germanic Heathenry, Germanic Neopaganism, Germanic Paganism, Heathenism, Heathenry, Norse Paganism, Norse Religion, Northern Tradition, Odinism, Old Way, Theodism, Urglaawe, or Vanatru or any other spiritual practice influenced by the traditions and practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples. --- The survey is now available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. --- The survey is on a Google Form, so you will need to have a google account to access it. Nobody but Google itself will see your account info. This was done for security reasons, both to ensure nobody could easily 'game the system' and to better protect the privacy of participants. --- Unless you specifically give us permission to quote you all of your responses will remain anonymous. This survey will be open until January 16th. The findings of the Huginn’s Heathen Hof Demographic Survey will be posted by the beginning of February of 2017 and made available to the public for use as a resource for the modern Heathen community.

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

If they would have been norse, you could bet that "Hospitality" would be the first one. Because of the thin settled land, as a merchant, traveler or who ever elese leaved his home - you depend on the mindset of "You should open the door and give them clothes, food and shelter". (Seeing the Havamal, litterally every chapter!) I think, working with the acutal history of the "Norse People" is really helping you figuring out what "Ideals" they would have had. Just by understanding the world they living in.

Remember that the “nine noble virtues” aren’t a historic remnant of actual old norse paganism, they were invented from scratch in the 70’s by a British fascist man.

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

Todays five cent....(Sigyn)

I feel so drawn to Sigyn at the Moment. Don't ask me why. But this is so hard, because there is so little about here. Even most Blogs about here, formost talk about Loki. Which is okay - because this legend of her survived (as I read, because the christen Scholars liked how it portraited a devoted submissive Wife, what fitted thier narrative). But...one of the Post even draw the line that Sigyn could have been like a "old norse Victoria" (or Nike). A Goddess of Victory.

See. Nike is not only the Goddess of Victory in War - but also in Art and Music. (Or other fields.) Victory in this subtext mean "winning/sucessing" in whatever. So what...if you allow me to speculate for a moment - it was the same with Sigyn? A personification of Sucess in something? Maybe it started out as "Victory in Battle" - but what if it evolved from it? For me this made really really sense. And so maybe I will look out for her in this Way. Looking out for Bragi for Inspiration, Odin for Wisdom or Frigg for foresight is all well - but it's to often the "Motivation" to finish that I miss.

So maybe, there is where the "Victorious Friend" could help me out and rand me a little bit of sucess (or the patient to reach my sucess, because admit it - Patient is something, that Sigyn needs a Ton of.)

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

Today I was praying. Because I feel so lost at the moment. With so much out of my range to change. Normally I pray to Frigg (mostly because as the goddess of household and marriage, as mother,she understands my concerns best). Sometimes I pray to Freya, when...sometimes..*laugh* But today I get a different call. Odin called me to talked to him, so I did. And there he was, as wise wayfarer and was looking at me. It feels so gentle, so quiet to talk to him. And I was talking about, how I feel like I just stumble across the dark and maybe accidently stepping on a path without knowing, where it will bring me and that I'm afraid and lost and all this things. And he just smiled and reminded me, that there is no way away from our fate, the norns had choosen for us. But that we ourselfs can change, how we approched it. Odin knows, that ragnarok had to happend and the gods will go down. No way to change that - but he also knew, that it was on him to deciced how to approched this! He could have laid back and whining about it; getting depressed and just let it happend. Like "why even brother"? But he didn't. He stood up and said: "Ok, but at least I met my end fighting!" Because he told me, that even if we can not change what will happen, we can change how we look at it and maybe what will come after that point of our faith! Just because change is from the table, doesn't mean that all you can do is sit back and do nothing. And this felt so honest, so uplifting and great in the moment! Listen to your gods! Listen to your feelings, who is right to speak at the moment! I, for myself, feel much better now at my way!

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

https://www.alehorn.com/blogs/blog/what-were-traditional-viking-weddings-like

Found these Link about "Viking Weddings" and maybe would be like some input, on how "accurat" it is. I must admit, that I don't know much about this part of the living....

Maybe out there are someone, who know more?