#norse Polytheism

[blitzsicedcoffee]

Sometimes I wonder if my patrons watch me open a container with my teeth, and then elbow their fellow gods and point going, "look look! That one's mine" 😏

[bowldrips]

...But Loki had such dealings with Svadilfari, that somewhat later he gave birth to a foal, which was gray and had eight feet; and this horse is the best among gods and men.

-Gylfaginning

[undeadmagick]

Broke Boy Guide to Altar Offerings

Hey! Are you broke but still wanna offer something up to the gods? Don't worry! (So am i) So here's a guide of things that are either free, low cost or that you probably already own to slap onto those altars. Mind you: These are mainly modern offerings that I attribute to these different classification of gods. I'll likely update as time goes on with other classifications :)

General Offerings to Deities:

random flowers from outside

random sticks from outside

hand written letters/prayers

plushies of the animals they're connected to

raw/cooked meats as "sacrifices"

drawn symbols

Art/Creative Deities:

symbol painted bottle caps

pens/pencils/markers

old sketchbooks

stickers/prints

origami

comic books

figurines

Death Deities:

bones or meat from your meals

dirt from a dead plant

dying flowers

skull imagery

coins or other gifts for those passing

photo/belongings of your late loved ones

Familial/Household/Protector of Children Deities:

photobooth photos

jewelry gifted from family

baby teeth from your children

breast milk

old baby shoes

framed photo of family

cookies/bread

homecooked meals

Fire Deities:

birthday candles

charcoal discs

burnt herbs

alcohol

incense

tobacco

matchbox/lighter

Healing Deities:

your current medications

bandaids

water

skincare

vitamin gummies

spell jar in an empty pill bottle

Knowledge/Wisdom Deities:

old books & textbooks

pens/pencils

mini chess pieces

written down philosophical quotes

good test scores/report cards/degrees

Love/Lust Deities:

origami 3D hearts

chapsticks

unused makeup

love letters to deities

love letters about S/O or crush

current perfume/cologne

current lotions

apples

Nature Deities:

plants dedicated to them

herbal tea packets

feathers

milk

fruits/vegetables

spells using recycled materials (toilet paper rolls, etc.)

bread

acorns

Sea Deities:

beach sand

shells

sea water

tiny sea animal figurines

shared fish dinners

makeshift spell jar using a shell

Trickster Deities:

laffy taffy joke wrappers

cards against humanity packs

other comedy card games

[broomsick]

To those of you who worship obscure divinities: there are no rule that bind you except your own. Go worship that obscure deity. Go invent that festival from scratch. Go make that offering even if it’s unusual. Go write that prayer even if you’re the only one who gets it. Go play around with your freedom as a practitioner and explore! Even in a spiritual context, creativity is a gift.

[aleck-le-mec]

“Paganism is dead”

No man it’s just not organized and that’s the way it should be, creating a monoculture for paganism is potentially extremely dangerous to its themes of individualism and personal practices . Yeah we don’t have temples or pilgrimages but that’s because the grace of the natural world/ our deities can be found anywhere and everywhere we don’t need temples our own bodies are pagan temples. Our own flesh and bones are structures of divinity to us, we make altars in our houses and make those our blessed places. Most of paganism is heavily private of course you think it’s dead that and anytime western culture is faced with a polytheistic system it has an absolute hissy fit.

[cursecuelebre]

Top Recommendations for Norse Pagans that aren’t Problematic.

There is a lot of books by people who are racist and part of far right side of Heathenry and I’m going to try my best and list the books I have that helped me on my path that isn’t problematic and have questionable intentions. Books and YouTube channels.

Anglo Saxon Socerery and Magic by Alaric Albertson. He is very knowledgeable in his work and path especially on runes which includes the rune poem to make your own interpretation and witchcraft side of things. He even talks about the Elves which I appreciate because not a lot of Norse authors talk about them. It’s more Germanic than Norse but I can’t see any problem adopting certain aspects since they are very similar. I will say he does take himself a bit serious at times but his information is so good and worthwhile. I have not read his first book on Travels through middle earth but it focus on more the pagan side.

Poetic Edda and Prose Edda: it’s what every Norse pagan needs. It’s the foundation of Norse paganism not bibles but myths and tales that can help along our journey. There is tons of translations, but my favorites are Dr. Jackson Crawford Poetic Edda and Anthony Fawkes Prose Edda. But look into other sagas as well like Volsung which Dr Jackson Crawford also wrote about.

Beowulf. More of a Germanic tale but again includes it has roots of Germanic sorcery, traditions, religion like the concept of Wyrd (Fate), the runes, and values within his society like loyalty and mythical creatures. Again there is many translations even Jrr Tolkien did a incompleted version of Beowulf but I think Tom Shippey finished that version I could be wrong. Nonetheless explore more than one, the oneI have is by Seamus Heaney.

Grimm Fairy Tales this mostly German Folklore but it’s still quite important to learn about in German folk magic, creatures and entities in German folklore tends to be very real to the practitioner in their spellwork.

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith a very progressive outlook in Norse paganism, he talks about creating communities in Norse paganism and calling out and denouncing Nazis in the community how Norse Paganism is inclusive and how to be open to all types of people. But he has a beginner approach to the deities, beliefs, values within Norse paganism.

Look into a lot of academic sources that’s where you will find a lot of information on Norse paganism and religions.

Tacitus Germania - A Roman historian talking about the Germanic tribes their culture and customs.

Saxo Grammaticus history of the Danes

The Viking Way by Neil Price it goes good in depths about magic in Scandinavia like Seidh

Dictionary of Norse Mythology a quick guide to northern myths, if you are trying to find a specific god and you don’t have time to look up in a book it’s in there with great information to each one.

Children of Ask and Elm: History of Vikings by Neil Price on Scandinavian culture during the Viking age

Some YouTube Channels

The Norse Witch: Bente lives in Germany and their channel encompasses all of Norse paganism more around magic. They do interviews with other Norse witches of folk magic like Icelandic and Danish. Even gives good book recommendations and advice on general spellwork as well!.

Dr Jackson Crawford he is an author but he also has a YouTube channel. He was a professor in Colorado on Norse culture, mythology, and language and now is a full time YouTuber. He did a series of videos on the runes which are more historically accurate. Discusses the myths and the language and what do they mean. Jackson Crawford isn’t a Norse pagan nor he doesn’t care if you are one but just letting you know he isn’t coming from a pagan perspective.

The Welsh Viking also like Jackson Crawford but still has really great knowledge on Viking culture.

De Spökenkyker who is a channel that focus on German Folk magic living in Germany who is a practicing German Folk Witch.

Please feel free to add on any recommendations that are helpful and useful to the Norse pagan Community!

[odinswitch]

Quick reminder for both new pagans and experienced pagans: it's normal to not always feel a deity's presence, and it's normal even if you never feel their presence. You're not doing anything wrong.

[satanicpagan]

there’s something so beautiful about being theistic pagan and worshipping and speaking to ancient gods and goddesses. Bringing life back into ancient beliefs, traditions, and practices.

[devouredbyflame]

Being so afraid of being wrong that you can’t move is actually the worst thing you could do for your practice.

You aren’t imposing on anyone.

You aren’t insulting the Gods. Arguably, you don’t actually know what would be considered insulting unless you’ve actually asked Them.

You’re not going to be beaten up and told you are the worst devotee ever.

You aren’t going to be told by any Deity you are morally imbalanced or impure.

The only thing the Gods are actually concerned with is the ability to get you to listen to Them which means peeling away layers and layers of trauma, biases, and patterns that take you away from Them. They would not forcibly remove you from Their attentions just because you wanted to try something new or do something that no one else is doing.

The ultimate goal of any Divine relationship for either side should always be to draw nearer to Them, not be pushed away because your discernment is inaccurate while you are learning.

[thelovesofmyentirelife]

shoutout to worshippers+devotees of lesser known and less popular deities/entities, deities with less info on their worship, with less community to share and relate in your worship/devotion. who had to figure it out without much precedent or others' word or experience to help and guide and assure you

[anarcho-sgathach]

My most controversial take is that I think if youre going to be any kind of culturally based polytheist, you should a) learn the language and b) learn to do scholarly research.

I wont use the word "must", and call me a gatekeeper all you like, but there is so much misinformation out there that if you care about your practice being authentic/culturally sensitive AT ALL you need to learn how to sift through the centuries of romanticism and neopagan-speculation-sold-as-fact (looking at you, Wiccans).

Not saying your practice must be reconstructionist in nature, but if you can't tell what is supported by the data, what is conjecture, and what is outright fabrication, you are doing the material, your practice, and yourself a disservice.

[theic-manic]

Your Polytheist reminder that if you have altars in your home, then ...

Your housework is tending your temple.

Vacuuming, cleaning up the clutter, dusting... all of it.

Housework suddenly becomes not only easier but spiritually fulfilling when I play music and envision that I am not cleaning my bedroom or apartment but in fact cleaning my modern day temple.

You can dedicate cleaning each room or each corner to a specific deity if you like in addition to your altars.

Cleaning itself is not only great active meditation (it's when I get my best deity insights, such as this very post) but is such an underrated act of worship and devotion.

Witchy tip: sweeping dust etc out the door is a super effective cleansing activity that doesn't require expensive herbs or other ingredients.

Go forth and clean thy temples, babes. 😘🕯🧹

[bowldrips]

*youth pastor voice* "You know who else had 'mad drip'? The serpent that Skaði placed over Loki's head—"

[undeadmagick]

worship evolves with time. yes, the people who worshipped the gods back in the day had specific offerings to be given. but what is stopping you from giving modern offerings? things around your house? offerings shouldn't have to cost you a fortune. your deities aren't holding you at gunpoint to only receive what you can't easily get. they are a means of showing your love in your day-to-day. so yes!! give your deities candy bars! show them a silly little doodle of them in the corner of your notebook!! make a spotify playlist and play it for them!! dedicate a journal to them!! make a pinterest board and fill it with pins that remind you of them!! the important aspect of these offerings is that you are thinking about your deities. thinking about them and feeling love and devotion to them is a means of offering! you are devoting your energy in these acts!!

[broomsick]

“I don’t have to respect your deity because I don’t worship them” is a very odd logic to adopt while interacting with fellow pagans, I believe, especially for people who follow the same path or pantheon.

[that-one-grey-witch]

To my pagan/polythiest friends, heres a reminder to actually sit and chat with your deity about what you want/need and what would make life easier for you. They cant read minds most of the time (when you're not actively quietly communicating with them) and communication can only strengthen bonds. Go say that thing youre terrified to say or admit that you dont like some aspect of your practice. 90% of the time life gets easier when you do. And they're genuinely happy to see you succeed how you want to.

I see u, you're doin great

-Grey ♡