#northernpath

[hildshall]

[trollkall]

Hâlogiaptann – what Halloween really is

Halloween celebrations have resumed in Norway, to the annoyance and torment of many adults. We are constantly hearing that this is an imported tradition from America - of recent date. In fact, the night of November 1 is one of the oldest pagan traditions we have, and that night has been marked by our ancestors for probably tens of thousands of years. It was a festival for our dead ancestors.

https://www.odelsarven.com/single-post/h%C3%A2logiaptann-what-halloween-really-is

[eswynn]

There is always work to do. Spirituality is a practice, and I am a practitioner. . . . #pagan #heathen #germanicpaganism #slavicpagan #ancestorwork #oldeurope #pagansofinstagram #heathenry #runes #seiðr #fornsiðr #shamanism #wolves #suncross #vanadis #vanatru #northerntradition #northernpath #wolftotem #wolfshepherd #occult #lascaux #chauvet #norsepagan #elenoftheways https://www.instagram.com/p/B-2OrF-n0J6/?igshid=1x1l86gxk1hm6

[briarsandbramble]

Started working on some chains for the Thor's Hammer pendants coming my way. #vikingknit #chain #necklace #jewelrydesign #scandinavian #viking #norse #medieval #trichinopoly #trichinopolychain #metalwork #norsewireweave #jewelry #custom #etsy #handmade #heathen #asatru #northernpath (at http://www.thewellandspindle.com)

[hildshall]

Hild's Hall Rune a Day Project - November 2021

11/1: ᚷ Gebo

11/2: ᚱ Raidho

11/3: ᛞ Dagaz

11/4: ᛁ Isa

11/5: ᚢ Uruz

11/6: ᛃ Jera

11/7: ᚦ Thurisaz

11/8: ᚠ Fehu

11/9: ᛇ Eihwaz

11/10: ᛜ or ᛝ Ingwaz

11/11: ᛒ Berkano/Berkana

11/12: ᛊ or ᛋ Sowlio

11/13: ᚹ Wunjo

11/14: ᚲ Kenaz/Kauna

11/15: ᛚ Laguz

11/16: ᛏ Tiwaz

11/17: ᚺ or ᚻ Hagalaz

11/18: ᛈ Pertho

11/19: ᛖ Ehwaz

11/20: ᛗ Mannaz

11/21: ᚨ Ansuz

11/22: ᛟ Othala/Othila

11/23: ᚾ Nauthiz

11/24: ᛉ Algiz/Elgaz/Elhaz

Summary:

I randomly drew one Elder Futhark rune each day from November 1 through November 24, 2021. Each day, I researched the meaning of runes from a variety of sources, some really wildly out there, some pretty grounded in the actual study of runes as an alphabet vs. uses in magic or associations with esoteric things.

I took this opportunity to learn more for myself, to decide for myself what feels and seems right, so that I can incorporate runes, rune reading, and the symbolism of runes in our home hearth cultus in a deeper and more meaningful way.

I learned a lot about a variety of subjects I wouldn't have considered before the project.

I have a lot MORE to learn, as half my reference works haven't arrived yet via intra-library loan. So I'll be doing more, even if I don't blog about it on the regular.

Initially, the project drew me closer to the deity Freyr/Ing/Ingvi, which surprised me. But a lot of the associations seemed to be related to him in the early part of the project.

Half way through - literally, on day 12 - I woke up in the middle of the night thinking of Odin, and how the Allfather is constantly getting himself into situations in the myths so that he might know more. His apparent hunger for knowledge, which is a never-ending quest... I get that, I really do, and now I feel more connected to Odin than ever I was (which admittedly, wasn't much before now).

As I worked through the project, I came to the opinion that while we absolutely need to keep ourselves grounded in historical definitions and understanding, there's nothing actually wrong with modern innovation and reinterpretation of the runes. Look, the popular Web of Wyrd symbol is modern (there's several versions of that), as is the Vegvisir, and I, for one, use both as meaningful to me. We can't have a living religion defined strictly by what Arch Heathens may or may not have done or thought or believed (and a lot of that is guesswork, anyway). So it is with the runes.

Hence, I call myself "Northern Path Eclectic" versus "Heathen" or "Norse Pagan", although I identify with both terms, to separate myself from those who are trying a faithful reconstruction. It's pretty clear they do NOT want to be associated with someone like me, going by what they say online.

I absolutely recommend, if you have an interest in this subject, a project like this. Even if you aren't interested in runecasting or divination or those subjects at all.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from all y'all out there interested in this topic. Are there interpretations you've experienced that I should know? How do you do runecasting? Do you think this is a valid tool for divination... or is it just an alphabet?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hávamál 138-144 (Larrington):

138. I know that I hung on a windswept tree

nine long nights,

wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,

myself to myself,

on that tree of which no man knows

from where its roots run

139. With no bread did they refresh me nor a drink from a horn,

downwards I peered;

I took up the runes, screaming I took them,

then I fell back from there.

140. Nine mighty spells I learnt from the famous son

of Bolthor, Bestla's father,

and I got a drink of the precious mead,

I, soaked from Odrerir.

141. Then I began to quicken and be wise,

and to grow and to prosper;

one word from another word found a word for me,

one deed from another deed found a deed for me.

142. The runes you must find and meaningful letters,

very great letters,

very stiff letters,

which the mighty sage colored

and the huge powers made

and the runemaster of the gods carved out.

143. Odin among the Æsir, and Dain among the elves,

Dvalin among the dwarfs,

Asvid among the giants,

I myself carved out some.

144. Do you know how to carve, do you know how to interpret,

do you know how to color, do you know how to question,

do you know how to ask, do you know how to sacrifice,

do you know how to dispatch, do you know how to slaughter?

[jerazeit]

Things to do today

1. Go to the shrink, get new meds.

2. Offer a mug of hard cider to Thor for safety through this storm for me and mine.

3. Sleep 

[hildshall]

THIS. You don't have to spend a lot of time engaging the Gods to be a Norse Pagan/Heathen. This might be the hardest thing to understand as you transition from Atheism or Monotheism.

Oh, shit, it just occurred to me that people equate "being religious" with "serving a god or gods."

Okay, yeah, no, that's not true for all religions, including Norse Heathenry.

The mark of Norse Heathenry is its Animistic worldview, not deity servitude or even faith. Animism is the view that all things are interconnected and interdependent, including the sacred and the profane.

Venerating gods is part of Norse Heathenry, and is a big cultural factor that distinguishes Norse Heathenry from other forms of Animism, but god-veneration is not the cornerstone of Norse Heathenry. That's why god-veneration is not treated as more important than spirit-veneration and ancestor-veneration.

Your fundamental worth is not dictated by gods because it functionally can't be; it's dictated by relativity, because we live in a relative universe. That is Animism.

When I say "things have worth by virtue of their existence," it's because I'm looking at the world and saying, "Ah yes, this thing exists so therefore it has significance, i.e. there is a signifier, i.e. there is meaning, i.e. there is worth."

The gods' opinions of me do not, in totality, affect the fate of my immortal soul, just like my opinion of them does not affect theirs.

Their opinions will only matter if I, of my own volition, seek a specific kind of transcendence that a god offers, such as going to Valhalla.

I see where people are getting confused now.

[eswynn]

More work on the standing stones and the sacred grove. Almost done! :) #asatru #vanatru #paganism #pagan #newage #runes #seid #seiðr #fornsiðr #primalcraft #primalwitchcraft #menhir #thor #odin #shamanism #heathen #northernpath #norsemythology https://www.instagram.com/p/B1C8UmnHgLy/?igshid=1658hflrfvro0

[hildshall]

The Age of Loki

12/27/21

When you are older, you wake up several times in the night, for a lot of reasons. When this happens, if you dream and remember anything about those dreams, they tend to be different ones, all unrelated to one another. At least, so it has been for me.

Last night (or rather, this morning) I had three very distinct, connected dreams in between waking up several times, all on a single topic.

That topic was Loki.

I am writing this down right now, first thing in the morning, because I believe Loki absolutely reached out to me, directly, and without question.

Note: I have never paid any special attention to Loki. I honor Loki along with the other deities and powers, but no more than that. I've never felt any kind of connection with him whatsoever.

I know Loki is popular, but he never appealed to me. Well, except for Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of the character of Loki in the Marvel movies, but I'll watch Tom Hiddleston in anything at all. He's a gifted actor and very easy on the eyes, after all.

But back to my dreams.

I do not remember the details the dreams. The theme, though, was on Loki having different faces (and yep, one was Marvel Loki). I was looking for the real Loki, as I moved through a ton of different situations and places. I really needed to find him.

Eventually, I did. Of all the faces of Loki I saw (and I want to say I saw dozens), only one stuck with me, and that one I can literally see when I close my eyes.

He appeared as a very tall man, dressed in modern clothes (think of the stereotypical movie-style "professor" clothes - browns and golds and blue, with several layers - he even wore a tie!), with a light colored overcoat (not sure if it was a trench coat or a lab coat, either way it was very long), towering over me behind my right shoulder, looking down at me with the most genuine smile. His hair was shoulder length, straight, and artificially blond (like he'd bleached it). He's thin and muscular, and when I say tall, think basketball player height, over 7 feet tall. SUPER tall.

I can still feel him standing over my right shoulder, hours after I woke up. I can see him there, in my mind's eye.

It is powerful and clear and might be the single most "supernatural" thing that has ever happened to me.

Look, I am not magical. Not one little bit. When something happens in my life that seems magical or supernatural, I always look for the mundane explanation first. Look, in "The X-Files", I identify with Scully, ok? If the mundane explanation works well, good enough for me.

So with this dream thing, it is absolutely possible it's just various things coming together in my mind and working themselves out, just like dreams typically are, and it means nothing more than that.

I just... don't FEEL like that's the case. I have a strange feeling like he's literally still standing there, and I can't shake it.

I've had two other dreams of this kind. One where I woke up with Bragi's name ringing in my ears, and one where I woke up thinking of the Berkano rune.

Those two were not as strong as this. This was incredibly clear.

The other thing I woke up thinking of, is the term "Age of Loki".

Is it that Loki is getting more powerful as more and more people discover him, learn about him and his stories, and he gains devotees? Maybe. Or maybe it's something else.

I don't know.

But what I do know, is that Loki has shown me his true face, and I'm going to have to do something about that.

I'd love to hear from you Lokeans out there, to see what you think, get your point of view on it. Thanks.

[hildshall]

Told "NO".

I don't usually ask for stuff from the Gods. Most of the time, my offerings are just recognition of all they do for us, and gratitude for it.

But I have had a bad, bad run of weeks, y'all. One of the hardest I've ever experienced, with major personal losses, grief, and stress.

So I made an offering and asked for a PAUSE. Just... please, give me a break. I need a BREAK!

And I went to light some alcohol like I often do, to transition that request to the other world.

It wouldn't light.

Huh, never had that happen before. Tried again. No fire.

I tried three times. Neg-a-tor-reeee.

I do believe I was just told NO. That my request isn't going to be granted and that I better just keep rolling with the punches.

Ok, then.

[hildshall]

VERY HELPFUL post as I work through my rune-a-day project.

Some hot takes about runes

When we modern people approach the Elder Futhark, it's fake. It emerges from the comparison of the Younger Futhark and the Old English runes, so it's basically just learning those and then selectively forgetting some of it. To work with the raw material, you have to work with the younger or the Old English and to work with the Elder Futhark you have to work with both of those first.

The reason people like the Elder Futhark is because it can be presented as eternal, pure, separate from history (this is what's meant when people say "original" because we actually have hardly any idea of what's "orginal" about it). With YF and Old English runes you have no choice but to acknowledge the languages and carvers, which ruins the perfect systematic worldbuilding.

The number of runes is unknown/infinite and always was. There is no 24-fold (or 16-fold, or 18-fold) elemental totality; there is no totality at all; the runes were always an open system and so is the world.

Runes do not pertain to creation in the way that the Hebrew letters do; Óðinn created the world but the runes are clearly external to him and discovered by him afterward. If we accept the idea that Óðinn created the world than much of Norse mythology is the creator encountering unknown and unforseen emergent complexity in his own creation.

Runic culture was definitely related to ogam culture (and more than just ogam lochlannach) but nobody wants to touch that because beyond acknowledging that they're related somehow it's a dead-end. Some scholars used to want to say that ogam was inspired by cryptic runes but if anything the flow of influence was probably more in the other direction.

Norse and Irish poetic culture were also probably related, and runes and ogam both pertain to poetry.

Those huge lists of different alphabets you get in Icelandic manuscripts are about as unique as galdrastafir (aka not at all). It's the Icelandic reflex of a pan-Eurasian phenomenon. Here's one in Arabic: https://dpul.princeton.edu/catalog/bg257f09h

Some things about ættir specifically

We have no idea what ættir were called in any language other than Icelandic. A great deal of our runic vocabulary comes from 17th-century and later Icelandic. The theory that it originally meant "eights" is not feasible.

There is no "Freys ætt," it's fjár ætt 'the ætt of fé'

There's also nauðar ætt and íss ætt, different configurations that break up the futhark into two ætts rather than three, one counting backwards from nauð and one beginning with ís.

Ættir configurations had more to do with encoding cryptic runes than anything else and could be reconfigured at will. The standard f/h/t ættir (þrídeilur) were definitely the "default" but the klapprúnir ættir configuration could also be used to encode messages without comment with the assumption that the reader would figure it out. The klapprúna-order (6-4-6-4) is: ᚠᚢᚦᚮᚱᚴ fuþork ᚼᚿᛆᛍ hnas ᛐᛂᛘᛕᛚᛁ templi ᛒᛅᚵᛑ bægd Though it really only works well with Modern Icelandic

[hildshall]

Rune a Day Project - Day 17 - November 17, 2021 - Hagalaz

Day 17 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Hagalaz, meaning the "hail": (as in the icy chunks you get with thunderstorms sometimes). It represents completion, destruction, chaos, procrastination, misfortune, transformation, frustration, events out of your control, sudden and monumental change, fury, natural disasters, catastrophe, disruption, negative weather events, a "wake up call", death, the cycle of creation and destruction, setbacks, and loss.

Same rune can be found in different forms: ᚻ ᚼ

Most esoteric interpretations of this rune are negative, some more so than others. One source that suggested that this rune represents the need to learn from our mistakes and hardships, and I like that idea.

I live in a part of the world that gets hail - sometimes very destructive hail - several times a year (this is tornado country, and hail is often associated with tornadoes). I am very familiar with the danger - and the wonder and awe - of huge chunks of ice raining out of the sky when the temps are warm. And the impulse to run out, get a big hailstone, and take pictures of it next to everyday objects (to measure the size - "It's the size of a dime!" "It's the size of a quarter!" "It's the size of a golf ball!") and gawk at the image.

I was inspired to look closer into hail as a weather phenomenon, and discovered that hail does NOT form in winter (in winter, you can get freezing rain, snow, sleet, or graupel, aka "snow pellets" or "corn snow" or "soft hail", which I thought was an interesting term I hadn't heard before). I suspect, to our ancestors, graupel and hail were the same basic thing. However, graupel isn't typically destructive like hail is, because hail is harder and bigger, and hail tends to come in spring (when new crops are fragile) and fall (when crops are ready to harvest) in the northern hemisphere, and can be an outright disaster to crops.

One thing you learn if you live where you get a lot of hail - you can't stop it, but you can be prepared for it. I think this speaks to the need to always have a backup plan and always be prepared for an unexpected negative event. What that means, and how, is highly dependent upon your personal circumstances, but the warning remains.

However, just like hail, these catastrophes don't last forever, and like hail, the worst effects melt away like hail melts away into water and then evaporates quickly in the summer sun.

[hildshall]

Rune a Day Project - Day 24 - November 24, 2021 - Algiz (or Elgaz/Elhaz)

Day 24 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Algiz. Literally, it means "elk-sedge" (Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem) or "Yew" (reversed and found in the Younger Futhark). It represents protection, defense, the higher self, support patronage, care, guardian, reaching up to the divine, prayer, warding, hallowing, restraint, resistance, shield, Yggdrasil, guardian spirits, Hamingja, communication with spirits and the divine.

Lots of references out there hone in on the "elk" part of "elk-sedge", but I wanted to learn more about the actual plant itself. Sedge has hundreds of varieties, but the one the Anglo-Saxon rune poem is referring to is claudium mariscus, called in modern times "sawtooth sedge", "swamp sawgrass", "great fen-sedge", or "saw sedge". It grows in boggy areas just as the poem describes and it is one of the grasses used in thatching houses (literally up to modern times). It can grow about 8 feet tall and is native to temperate areas of Europe and Asia. North America has several related subspecies. The edges of the leaves are sharp, hence the sense of defense and protection, because you can literally cut yourself on these plants.

Sedge as a species in all of its varieties is known to provide ground-cover and protection for small animals & pollinators. So yet again, there's that protection association.

I also see a roof support column in the shape of Algiz, which again connects that with protection from the outside world (the roof column supports the thatched roof, right?).

Many sources also related this to Yggdrasil and/or the Tree of Life, prayer, and communication to the spirit world and the divines. I think this is pretty obvious going by the shape - yep, looks like a tree, and yep, absolutely resembles a person with arms wide in prayer. Thus, if you want to draw deeper associations to this rune on those interpretations, I think that makes a lot of sense.

Upside down, this rune exists as "yr" in the Younger Futhark, representing the letter R and translated as "yew" (which in the Elder Futhark, is Eihwaz, ᛇ , which we talked about waaay back on day 9). In the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc it's "calc", representing and the letter K, and it could mean "chalice" or "chalk" maybe. For me, when I see this rune upside down, I think of the modern-day peace sign, ☮ . That was created by Gerald Holtom in 1958, and it stands for nuclear disarmament originally, but now is generally "peace".

Given that the "elk-sedge" interpretation of the rune seems to be *armed* self defense in some way, turning it upside down as an emblem of *disarming* seems appropriate, even if the symbol is not at all related to runes (it's a combo of the semaphore signals for "N" and "D").

Funny little coincidence, that.

Personally, martial artist and instructor, this rune REALLY speaks to me in terms of self defense. The idea that you learn, you arm yourself, but you only use it in defensive uses is the basic premise of all martial arts training that has any relationship to self defense. I really should be wearing this rune a lot as well as Tiwaz, the rune I wear all the time. I think I'll make it a point to include it on my person as much as possible going forward.

As an aside, this is one of those runes that some Nazis have slimed, so I reiterate, they can fuck right off.

[hildshall]

Rune a Day Project - Day 11 - November 11, 2021 - Bernako

Day 11 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Berkano, meaning "birch". It represents birth, new beginnings, new ideas, growth, family, regeneration, earth, creativity, recovery, healing & atonement, enjoyment of sexual relationships, sanctuary, secrecy and silence in service of protection and listening, liberation, true home.

Reverse means stagnation, obstacles to something new, troubles with conception or pregnancy, sterility, interference in growth, the abusive parent or guardian, problems with female reproductive system, anxiety.

A couple of years back, I woke up with this rune literally in my vision, and its name ringing in my ears. I still don't have an idea of why that was, but for that reason, this rune has been one I've learned a lot about, and one that I feel very close to. Since I grew my hair long, I wear this rune in my hair a lot.

Whether it has a deeper significance other than it's a "favorite" of mine is debatable, obviously. It could be like having a favorite color or a "lucky" number - it's just something that I like, and it doesn't have to have any more significance to it than that. Or it means more, and I don't quite understand that yet.

As I've progressed through this project, "new ideas" are absolutely a big part of the process, and so it's appropriate I drew Berkano at this stage. Yesterday, in particular, had a couple of really Big New Ideas (at least to me) that I'm still chewing on.

[hildshall]

Rune a Day Project - Day 20 - November 20, 2021 - Mannaz

Day 20 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Mannaz. Literally, it means "human" or "humankind". It represents identity, self-realization, the soul, the self, our role in our community, kinship, mutual support, helping others, others helping you, intelligence, rationality, the meld of reason & intuition, the mind, cooperation for the common good, shared human experience, individuality, self development, memory, the human condition.

An older word often used for what this rune means is "Mankind". So of course, I immediately thought of what I'm sure all of you thought of, which is, of course, WWE SuperStar Mick Foley, and one of his three characters, Mankind (the other two being Cactus Jack and Dude Love).

You're thinking that's me just making a little joke, but guess what? This rune is usually associated with the god Heimdall, and some scholars suggest that as Odin gave his eye for the wisdom in Mimir's well, so Heimdall also made a sacrifice... of his ear.

MICK FOLEY LOST AN EAR IN A WRESTLING MATCH. And then the dude wrote a book.

I'm not saying Mick Foley is a modern human manifestation of Heimdall, but I am saying we can't 100% rule that out.

On a slightly more serious note, this rune got me thinking about the supposed conflict between individualism and community. Many of us pit these against each other, as if to support one must mean sacrificing the other. That's absolutely not true, and IMO, a product of the binary thinking our culture has fallen into (us/them, good/bad, up/down, right/wrong, and so many others).

Pursuing individual pursuits without regard to community is ultimately self-destructive. Humans are social creatures, and we need community. Most of us, to varying degrees, understand this, and act accordingly.

However, building community without regard to individual well being and uniqueness is also a fool's game. No community that requires individuals to give up their inner selves for some "greater good" (what that is is ALWAYS subjective and most of the time is defined by an elite of one kind or another) will remain a community very long. There will always be individuals who will rebel in one way or another, until the group can't function any more.

The community needs individuals who are true to themselves to be stable and rewarding for its members, and individuals need community literally to survive.

In my experience, human beings in groups of more than a few people almost always organize themselves into a hierarchy (there's Heimdall coming up again, with the story of his dividing humanity into three groups). It is not unusual for the elite in that hierarchy to abuse their power in some way, no matter the size of the group or however well-intentioned the elite.

Mannaz is a great reminder of this.