#wuodan

[doubtspirit]

Odin (Wodan/ᚢᚦᛁᚾ) the Wanderer

[silent-galdr]

Merseburg Charms

First Merseburg Charm

Eiris sâzun idisi, sâzun hêra duoder.

suma haft heftidun, suma heri lêzidun,

suma clûbodun umbi cuniowidi:

insprinc haftbandun, infar wîgandun.

Second Merseburg Charm

Phôl ende Wuodan fuorun zi holza.

dû wart demo balderes folon sîn fuoz birenkit.

thû biguol en Sinthgunt, Sunna era swister;

thû biguol en Frîja, Folla era swister;

thû biguol en Wuodan, sô hê wola conda:

sôse bênrenki, sôse bluotrenki,

sôse lidirenki:

bên zi bêna, bluot zi bluoda,

lid zi geliden, sôse gelîmida sîn.

[savagedisruptions]

Listen/purchase: Es glimmt empor aus ewger Nacht by Wuodan's Wunde

[grey-rowan]

Set up a small altar to Wuodan at my work place. I have generally considered him the primary deity concerning my career in international education, given his connections to both language and wandering. (Which is why I figured he'd be alright with the Japanese altar cloth until I find something better.)

Gorgeous idol sold by CastingsofCthulu.

[undeadspaceship]

have an Odin or Wuodan with a bejewel flip phone

[moonyartsblog]

Today Clay Calloway as...

Series 6 Post 19: He is the main representative of the class of divinities called Æsir, Allfǫðr.... God of wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, runic alphabet.

🌸 The Old Norse theonym Óðinn is a cognate of other medieval Germanic names, including Old English Wōden, Old Saxon Wōdan, Old Dutch Wuodan, and Old High German Wotan (Old Bavarian Wûtan). Translated as 'lord of frenzy',or as 'leader of the possessed',Wōðanaz stems from the Proto-Germanic adjective *wōðaz ('possessed, inspired, delirious, raging') attached to the suffix *-naz ('master of')

🌸 The modern English weekday name Wednesday derives from Old English Wōdnesdæg, meaning 'day of Wōden'. Cognate terms are found in other Germanic languages, such as Middle Low German and Middle Dutch Wōdensdach (modern Dutch woensdag), Old Frisian Wērnisdei (≈ Wērendei) and Old Norse Óðinsdagr (cf. Danish, Norwegian, Swedish onsdag).

🌸 He wields Gungnir, his spear, and rides Sleipnir, his eight-legged steed, another mythological allegory of Irminsul or Yggdrasill. Son of Borr and the giantess Bestla, brother of Víli and Vé, husband of Frigg and father of many of the gods, including Thor and Baldr. He is also often referred to as "Father of the Gods" or Allfǫðr, Allvater, Allfather.

🌸First of all the two ravens Huginn and Muninn (the names mean Thought and Memory), whom he sends around the world every day so that, when they return at sunset, they whisper to him what they have seen; and then two wolves, Geri and Freki, to whom he throws his food in the dinners of Valhalla since he feeds exclusively on mead and wine.

[thorraborinn]

okay okay you got me i'll bite what is martin syrett's etymology of óðinn and how does the new finding support it. if you wanna.

So I gotta warn you this is kind of really niche and after taking a closer look I'm not actually sure the bracteate is evidence of this after all. I'm gonna try to hit the most important points but I'm skipping over lots of details.

In standard notation for transliterating Scandinavian runic inscriptions, you use square brackets [ ] to fill in runes that can be inferred but not directly read, usually by damage. Krister Vasshus has been transliterating this wod[i]nas, but in retrospect we might have to wait for their full paper to know how confident he is in that [i]. Here's the wod[i]nas, cropped and mirrored:

There is room for an i rune (and importantly, not for an a rune) but I'm not sure if Vasshus thinks it was actually there and got damaged or if the maker just left it out (which happens). I left that comment in the notes on the assumption that it was there originally. I can see a faint ᛁ-shaped darkness where it should be but I also admit that I really, really want to see it and that's not a great situation and I should be waiting for Vasshus to go into more detail.

Anyway, people are probably familiar with the idea that Óðinn's name was, at an earlier level of development of the language, *Wōdanaz. This is based on forms like OE Wōden and OHG Wuodan, but not on Óðinn, because there are some phonological problems. If *Wōdanaz had passed down into Norse unmodified, it would be *Óðann (supposedly attested in OSw. ōþansdagher 'Wednesday'). If, on the other hand, it had been *Wōdinaz, that would trigger umlaut, and the Norse would be *Ǿðinn (also supposedly attested in OSw. ǿþinsdagher).

Óðinn has long been recognized as an example of a word composed by means of what's called the Herrshersuffix (roughly 'ruler-suffix'; the term is usually attributed to Wolfgang Meid who wrote a detailed essay on it in the 30's but I'm not sure he actually used the term and actually went to great lengths to avoid giving it that precise a meaning). It's found in a lot of Indo-European languages and works something like this: to make a name of a ruler, representative, or possessor or some word, take that base word's stem, lengthen the stem vowel, add *-n-, and add the masculine or feminine a-stem ending. To get a Lithuanian god of oaks, you take a word for oak (PIE *perkus), lengthen the vowel: *perkū- and add *n-as: Perkūnas. This is a brutally oversimplified version. Germanic and Celtic normally skip the vowel-lengthening step (what that really means is they kept making new ones after some Indo-European phonological features were lost).

Other examples in Germanic languages include *druhtinaz 'lord' (ON dróttinn, OE dryhten) from *druhtiz 'troop'; ON þjóðann 'ruler' from þjóð 'people, nation'; ON Herjann (a name of Óðinn, but literally 'army-leader') from herr 'army'; and others.

Meanwhile, there is pretty much the same problem with all of the preterite participles in Old Norse. The participle ending is -inn, and already was in the Elder Futhark period (faikinaʀ, haitinaʀ, slaginaʀ all attested) but does not cause umlaut (which it "should" according to everything else we know about the phonological development of Norse); and the Proto-Germanic reconstructed participle ending is *-anaz. Despite the ending -inn, many of those words even show signs of having had an *a there in the past (can explain on request).

Trying to resolve this has been kind of an ongoing argument for like a hundred years, it's not especially consequential but it's one of those things where it's weird that it hasn't been put to rest.

Syrett's proposed solution was that the participle ending was completely replaced, and the Herrschersuffix partially, by a similar but different suffix that also already existed in the language. Words like gullinn 'golden' and eikinn 'oaken' are formed with a suffix reconstructed *-īnaz and which belongs to a class of suffixes that behave a little bit more like words in compound words, meaning a different set of phonological rules applies. The word gullinn doesn't have umlaut in Old West Norse (would be *gyllinn; this works differently and unevenly in East Norse, e.g. Danish gylden, but it's also in Old Swedish that *Œðinn is supposedly found alongside *Óðann).

Meanwhile, the word wodinʀ is already attested on the inscription Sö Fv2011;307 but it's highly lacking in context and a lot of people have not counted it as a pre-Norse attestation of Óðinn, or at least not as a secure one, though it is exactly what would be predicted by Syrett's theory. Even if it is accepted, the new find is significantly older, so the new one is still important.

I'm invested in all of this because it's kind of implicated in a load-bearing pillar of my MA thesis.

[jeromecolby]

Jerome Backstory

Circe ranks as one of the greatest witches of mythology. A beautiful enchantress . Circe, in Greek legend, a sorceress, the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and of the ocean nymph Perse. She was able by means of drugs and incantations to change humans into wolves, lions, and swine. The Greek hero Odysseus visited her island, Aeaea, with his companions, whom she changed into swine.

The daughter of Helios and Perse, Circe was a powerful enchantress versatile in the arts of herbs and potions and capable of turning human beings into animals. She did just that to Odysseus’ sailors when they reached her dwelling place, the secluded island of Aeaea. Odysseus, however, managed to trick her with the help of Hermes and, instead of becoming an animal, he became her lover for a year. The couple had three children, one of whom, Telegonus, eventually killed Odysseus.

Family

Circe was the daughter of Perse, one of the Oceanids, and Helios, the Titan sun god. As such, she was part of a family of formidable sorceresses. Pasiphae, who supposedly charmed both Minos and Procris, was her sister, and the even more notorious enchantress Medea was her niece, since she was the daughter of Circe’s brother Aeetes, the guardian of the Golden Fleece. Circe had another brother, Perses, who was slain by Medea after he had deposed her father Aeetes from the throne of Colchis.

Reaching Circe’s Island

Disheartened and dispirited from their horrendous encounter with the man-eating Laestrygonians – after which they had been left with only one out of their twelve ships – Odysseus and his remaining men land on Aeaea, Circe’s island.

At first glance, it seems to them like a desolate island, since the only visible sign of life is a column of smoke rising from somewhere deep in the woods. Naturally, Odysseus sends his men to investigate, putting his brother-in-law Eurylochus in charge of the scouting party.

The Transformation of Odysseus’ Men

After some time, the men reach Circe’s house and are surprised to find many fearsome beasts – mostly lions and wolves – slouching around and acting as domesticated as the tamest pets imaginable. From the inside, they hear a woman’s voice: it’s Circe singing melodiously.

Eurylochus suspects danger, so he chooses to stay outside as Circe comes out of her house and welcomes the rest of the scouting party indoors. Odysseus’ men are treated with some fine-flavored wine they gulp down in a second with the utmost pleasure. However, once they do that, Circe makes a quick move with her wand and, suddenly, all of Odysseus’ men are transformed into pigs. They still have their human brains, so they start grunting and weeping as Circe puts them into her pigsty.

Odysseus Tricks Circe

Eurylochus runs back to Odysseus and tells him the whole story and Odysseus decides to confront Circe. Fortunately, on his way to Circe’s house, he is met by Hermes, who gives him a magical black-rooted white-flowered plant called moly which, the divine messenger says, will make Odysseus immune to Circe’s spells.

As indicated by Hermes, Circe’s wine has no effect on the cunning Greek hero and so, after the enchantress pulls out her wand, Odysseus responds by pulling out his sword. He makes Circe swear that she won’t hurt him and forces her to restore the original form of all his sailors. Circe does precisely that and, furthermore, taken aback by his bravery, offers Odysseus her sincere love and unconditional devotion.

Odysseus accepts them, and, as a result, his men stay in Aeaea for almost a year, after which Odysseus becomes restless to go back to Ithaca and once again see his mortal wife, Penelope.

Odysseus’ and Circe’s Offspring

If we are to believe Hesiod’s genealogies, however, we must deduce that Odysseus returned to Aeaea once or twice more after this, or at least that he stayed there for a little longer than a year. Since Circe – says Hesiod – bore him no less than three children: Agrius, Latinus, and Telegonus. The last and youngest one of the three ended up killing Odysseus by mistake using a poisoned spear given to him by his mother.

Circe in Other Myths

Circe plays a smaller part in few other myths: she purifies Jason and Medea from a murder, and she transforms PIcus and Scylla into a woodpecker and monster respectively.

Jason and Medea

Circe shows up in the second most famous Ancient Greek story of sea adventures, the voyage of the Argonauts. According to Apollonius, after Jason and Medea treacherously and brutally kill the Colchian prince Absyrtus, it is Circe who purifies them from the sin, though she also chases them away from her island once she learns the full gravity of their transgression.

Circe, a Vengeful Lover

Before falling for Odysseus, Circe felt an attraction to at least three other men, the first one a mortal, and the second two a god.

The mortal was Picus, who was too faithful to his wife Canens for his own sake: after fiercely rejecting Circe’s advances, Picus was turned into a woodpecker. Unable to fight through the unbearable sorrow, six days later, Canens threw herself into the river Tiber.

Another time, the sea-god Glaucus asked Circe for a potion which would make the beautiful nymph Scylla fall in love with him. Circe, however, loved Glaucus for herself, so, when he scorned her, she gave him a potion which turned Scylla into the hideous sailor-preying monster Odysseus and his crew had to evade soon after leaving Circe’s island. The third was the God Odin. Odin was known for taking more than one female. Though he loved his mate, Odin had an affair with Circe keeping her happy so nothing bad fell on him.

Who was Circe?

The daughter of Helios and Perse, Circe was a powerful enchantress versatile in the arts of herbs and potions and capable of turning human beings into animals. She did just that to Odysseus’ sailors when they reached her dwelling place, the secluded island of Aeaea.

Where did Circe live?

Circe's home was Aeaea.

Who were the parents of Circe?

The parent of Circe was Helios.

Who were brothers and sisters of Circe?

Circe had 3 siblings: Pasiphae, Aeetes and Perses.

How many children did Circe have?

Circe had 4 children: Agrius, Latinus, Telegonus and Jerome.

Father: Odin

Odin (/ˈoʊdɪn/;[1] from Old Norse: Óðinn, IPA: [ˈoːðinː]) is a widely revered god in Germanic mythology. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates Odin with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and projects him as the husband of the goddess Frigg. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, the god was known in Old English and Old Saxon as Wōden, in Old Dutch as Wuodan, and in Old High German as Wuotan, all ultimately stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Wōđanaz, meaning 'lord of frenzy', or 'leader of the possessed'.

Odin appears as a prominent god throughout the recorded history of Northern Europe, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania (from c.  2 BCE) through movement of peoples during the Migration Period (4th to 6th centuries CE) and the Viking Age (8th to 11th centuries CE). In the modern period the rural folklore of Germanic Europe continued to acknowledge Odin. References to him appear in place names throughout regions historically inhabited by the ancient Germanic peoples, and the day of the week Wednesday bears his name in many Germanic languages, including in English.

In Old English texts, Odin holds a particular place as a euhemerized ancestral figure among royalty, and he is frequently referred to as a founding figure among various other Germanic peoples, such as the Langobards. Forms of his name appear frequently throughout the Germanic record, though narratives regarding Odin are mainly found in Old Norse works recorded in Iceland, primarily around the 13th century. These texts make up the bulk of modern understanding of Norse mythology.

Old Norse texts portray Odin as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. He is often accompanied by his animal companions and familiars—the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over Midgard—and rides the flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the underworld. Odin is the son of Bestla and Borr and has two brothers, Vili and Vé. Odin is attested as having many sons, most famously the gods Thor (with Jörð) and Baldr (with Frigg), and is known by hundreds of names. In these texts he frequently seeks greater knowledge, at times in disguise (most famously by obtaining the Mead of Poetry), makes wagers with his wife Frigg over the outcome of exploits, and takes part both in the creation of the world by way of slaying the primordial being Ymir and in giving the gift of life to the first two humans Ask and Embla. Odin has a particular association with Yule, and he provides mankind with knowledge of both the runes and poetry, giving Odin aspects of the culture hero.

Odin is a frequent subject of interest in Germanic studies, and scholars have advanced numerous theories regarding his development. Some of these focus on Odin's particular relation to other figures; for example, the fact that Freyja's husband Óðr appears to be something of an etymological doublet of the god, whereas Odin's wife Frigg is in many ways similar to Freyja, and that Odin has a particular relation to the figure of Loki. Other approaches focus on Odin's place in the historical record, a frequent question being whether the figure of Odin derives from Proto-Indo-European mythology, or whether he developed later in Germanic society. In the modern period the figure of Odin has inspired numerous works of poetry, music, and other cultural expressions. He is venerated in most forms of the new religious movement Heathenry, together with other gods venerated by the ancient Germani Odin, also called Wodan, Woden, or Wotan, one of the principal gods in Norse mythology. His exact nature and role, however, are difficult to determine because of the complex picture of him given by the wealth of archaeological and literary sources. The Roman historian Tacitus stated that the Teutons worshiped Mercury; and because dies Mercurii (“Mercury’s day”) was identified with Wednesday (“Woden’s day”), there is little doubt that the god Woden (the earlier form of Odin) was meant. Though Woden was worshiped preeminently, there is not sufficient evidence of his cult to show whether it was practiced by all the Teutonic tribes or to enable conclusions to be drawn about the nature of the god. Later literary sources, however, indicate that at the end of the pre-Christian period Odin was the principal god in Scandinavia.

From earliest times Odin was a war god, and he appeared in heroic literature as the protector of heroes; fallen warriors joined him in Valhalla. The wolf and the raven were dedicated to him. His magical horse, Sleipnir, had eight legs, teeth inscribed with runes, and the ability to gallop through the air and over the sea. Odin was the great magician among the gods and was associated with runes. He was also the god of poets. In outward appearance he was a tall, old man, with flowing beard and only one eye (the other he gave in exchange for wisdom). He was usually depicted wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a spear.

JEROME

As everyone knows, what Circe wanted, Circe got. When she set her sights on The father of Gods, Odin nothing would stop her. Odin, the God seen a beautiful God who could help him win his battles with her potions. Little did he know she would trick him, and keep him at her island for months while the plan all along was to impregnate her with a son. One she would cherish above all. He would be a brother to Thor. Only his powers would be that of not onky strength, he was a sorcerer as well. Jerome is out going, the life of the party. He has many abilities and ones he is still finding he has. He isn't like Father, or his Mother and is actually a nice guy with a huge heart. Yiu fuck with what's his, or family and he will make you pay.

 

[crimsonkingart]

8° Odin Odin is the supreme god os wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, the god was known in Old English and Old Saxon as Wōden, in Old Dutch as Wuodan, and in Old High German as Wuotan. His best known name was All Father and he is Loki's blood brother, Loki is the Uncle of Thor. Odin also has the curious habit of appearing to humans as a traveler; this detail inspired Tolkien's Gandalf. Odin was also often accompanied by two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, which mean Thought and Word.

[skogs-hytte]

[vaterslain]

Odin vs. Wotan vs. Woden

(This info applies to my main modern gods verse and the classical verse)

All three, in their core, are the same being but have slight differences due to the passage of time and the evolution of local beliefs. A very loose comparison would be the Greek vs. Roman gods. All are wizards, war gods, knowledge seekers, wanderers, warriors, and connected with the runes. 

My Odin favors his Norse form, but every now and then takes on Wotan. If he’s in Germany or the general area where the Germanic tribes roamed, Wotan may show up more often. Cultures and mythological beings who had closer contact with the Germans (like the Romans or Slavic peoples) will know Odin better as Wotan. Likewise, in the British Isles, the locals referred to him in his Old English name, Woden. There are a plethora of other names he goes by in different lands (Wuodan/Wodan are his surviving Dutch names), but those function more like a local translation of the Odin name. 

Tldr; Odin’s name/form may change depending on what the local culture called him or perceived him as.

More on their distinctions under the cut

Wotan fully encapsulated the “wandering wizard” role and is his oldest surviving incarnation (there’s the even older Wodanaz, but so little is known that only his name is what survives). It’s been speculated that originally, he wasn’t the chief god among the Germanic tribes, but it was Tyr; the biggest departure he has with Odin and Woden. Wotan has all the more time to indulge in his travels and magic, letting his passions run free (hence the origin of his name meaning “rage/madness”). Unfortunately, not much else is known about Wotan since there’s barely any surviving primary sources and archaeological evidence of that era. 

Woden was known as the common ancestor of all Anglo-Saxon kings and was the god to whom the kings can point to when ask if they had the divine right to rule. Many places in the British Isles still bare remnants of his name compared to the mainland, where some still exist, but not as much as on the islands. As this is the form with the least amount of deviation from Odin, this is the rarest of his apparitions (unless he’s visiting the British Isles). 

Odin fully shifted to becoming the chief god and king in the Norse sources. It is here where we hear about the concept of Valhalla and his need to gather souls. He is the result of an amalgamation of minor roles, different gods, change in the passage of time, and shifting cultures/environments building up for hundreds of years. Since this is the incarnation of Odin humans remember the best, it became the form he frequently takes; not much else survives of his older manifestations. They become loose concepts and archetypes he brings out on special occasions, rather than full fledged gods with distinct personalities. 

[diminuel]

Inktober 04: Mythology

Wuodan!Dean once again! :D Wuodan is the major god of the Alemannen. He’s basically Odin, just Swiss.

Prompt List by the @thebunkerofletters

[sagaofgunnlaugserpenttonguedr]

Odin Viking God

Odin (/ˈoʊdɪn/;[1] from Old Norse: Óðinn, IPA: [ˈoːðinː]; runic: ᚢᚦᛁᚾ) is a widely revered god in Germanic mythology. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates Odin with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and project him as the husband of the goddess Frigg. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, the god was known in Old English and Old Saxon as Wōden, in Old Dutch as Wuodan, and in Old High German as Wuotan, all ultimately stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Wōđanaz.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin

[shiro-absence]

Prehistory[edit] Paleolithic[edit] Further information: Paleolithic Europe, Mousterian, and Aurignacian Neanderthal presence is known from the caves of Wildkirchli in the Appenzell Alps, dated to about 40,000 years ago.[1] Anatomically modern humans reached Central Europe 30,000 years ago,[2] but most of what is now Switzerland was covered by glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum (Würm glaciation). The ice-free parts, northern Switzerland along the High Rhine and part of the Aar basin, were exposed to permafrost. Human habitation in the Swiss plateau can be shown for the beginning Mesolithic, in Wetzikon-Robenhausen beginning around 10,000 years ago. 　 Neolithic to Bronze Age[edit] Further information: Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps and Linear Pottery culture Further information: Bronze Age Europe, Beaker culture, and Urnfield culture The Neolithic reaches the Swiss plateau before 7,000 years ago (late 6th millennium BC), dominated by the Linear Pottery culture. The area was relatively densely populated, as is attested to by the many archeological findings from that period. Remains of pile dwellings have been found in the shallow areas of many lakes. Artifacts dated to the 5th millennium BC were discovered at the Schnidejoch in 2003 to 2005.[3] 　 In the 3rd millennium BC, Switzerland lay on the south-western outskirts of the Corded Ware horizon, entering the early Bronze Age (Beaker culture) in step with Central Europe, in the late centuries of the 3rd millennium.. 　 The first Indo-European settlement likely dates to the 2nd millennium, at the latest in the form of the Urnfield culture from c. 1300 BC. The pre-Indo-European population of the Alpine region is typified by Ötzi the Iceman, an individual of the late 4th millennium BC found in the Austrian Alps (some 25 km east of the Swiss border). 　 Iron Age[edit] Further information: Iron Age Europe, Hallstatt culture, La Tène culture, Gauls, and Rhaetian people The Swiss plateau lay in the western part of the Early Iron Age Halstatt culture,[4] and it participated in the early La Tène culture (named for the type site at Lake Neuchatel) which arose out of the Hallstatt background from the 5th century BC.[5] 　 By the final centuries BC, the Swiss plateau and Ticino were settled by Continental Celtic speaking peoples (Gauls): the Helvetii and Vindelici inhabited the western and eastern part of the Swiss plateau, respectively, and the Lugano area by the Lepontii. The interior Alpine valleys of eastern Switzerland (Grisons) were inhabited by the non-Celtic Raetians. 　 The distribution of La Tène culture burials in Switzerland indicates that the Swiss plateau between Lausanne and Winterthur was relatively densely populated. Settlement centres existed in the Aare valley between Thun and Bern, and between Lake Zurich and the Reuss. The Valais and the regions around Bellinzona and Lugano also seem to have been well-populated; however, those lay outside the Helvetian borders. 　 Almost all the Celtic oppida were built in the vicinity of the larger rivers of the Swiss plateau. About a dozen oppida are known in Switzerland (some twenty including uncertain candidate sites), not all of which were occupied during the same time. For most of them, no contemporary name has survived; in cases where a pre-Roman name has been recorded, it is given in brackets.[6] The largest were the one in Berne-Engehalbinsel (presumably Brenodurum, the name recorded on the Berne zinc tablet[7]), on the Aare, and the one in Altenburg-Rheinau on the Rhine. Of intermediate size were those of Bois de Châtel, Avenches (abandoned with the foundation of Aventicum as the capital of the Roman province), Jensberg (near vicus Petinesca, Mont Vully, all within a day's march from the one in Berne, the Oppidum Zürich-Lindenhof at the Zürichsee–Limmat–Sihl triangled Lindenhof hill, and the Oppidum Uetliberg, overlooking the Sihl and Zürichseee lake shore. Smaller oppida were at Genève (Genava), Lausanne (Lousonna) on the shores of Lake Geneva, at Sermuz on the upper end of Lake Neuchatel, at Eppenberg and Windisch (Vindonissa) along the lower Aar, and at Mont Chaibeuf and Mont Terri in the Jura mountains, the territory of the Rauraci. 　 Roman era[edit] Main article: Switzerland in the Roman era In 58 BCE, the Helvetii tried to evade migratory pressure from Germanic tribes by moving into Gaul, but were stopped and defeated at Bibracte (near modern-day Autun) by Julius Caesar's armies and then sent back. In 15 BCE, Tiberius and Drusus conquered the Alps, and the region became integrated into the Roman Empire:[8] the Helvetii settlement area became part first of Gallia Belgica and later of the province of Germania Superior, while the eastern part was integrated into the Roman province of Raetia. The following 300 years saw extensive Roman settlement, including the construction of a road network and the founding of many settlements and cities. The center of Roman occupation was at Aventicum (Avenches), other cities were founded at Arbor Felix (Arbon), Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst near Basel), Basilea (Basel), Curia (Chur), Genava (Genève), Lousanna (Lausanne), Octodurum (Martigny, controlling the pass of the Great St. Bernard), Salodurum (Solothurn), Turicum (Zürich) and other places. Military garrisons existed at Tenedo (Zurzach) and Vindonissa (Windisch).[8] The Romans also developed the Great St. Bernard Pass beginning in the year 47, and in 69 part of the legions of Vitellius used it to traverse the Alps. The passes were expanded from dirt trails to narrow paved roads.[8] Between 101 and 260, the legions moved out of the region, allowing trade to expand. In Raetia, Roman culture and language became dominant.[8] Nearly 2,000 years later, some of the population of Graubünden still speak Romansh which is descended from Vulgar Latin. In 259, Alamanni tribes overran the Limes and caused widespread devastation of Roman cities and settlements. The Roman empire managed to reestablish the Rhine as the border, and the cities on Swiss territory were rebuilt. However, it was now a frontier province, and consequently the new Roman cities were smaller and much more fortified. Christianization and post-Roman era[edit] Main article: Alemannia In the late Roman period in the 3rd and 4th centuries, the Christianization of the region began. Legends of Christian martyrs such as Felix and Regula in Zürich probably are based on events that occurred during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian around 298. While the story of the Theban Legion, which was martyred near Saint Maurice-en-Valais in Valais, figures into the histories of many towns in Switzerland.[8] The first bishoprics were founded in the 4th and 5th centuries in Basel (documented in 346), Martigny (doc. 381, moved to Sion in 585), Geneva (doc. 441), and Chur (doc. 451). There is evidence from the 6th century for a bishopric in Lausanne, which maybe had been moved from Avenches. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Germanic tribes moved in. Burgundians settled in the Jura, the Rhône valley and the Alps south of Lake Geneva; while in the north, Alamannic settlers crossed the Rhine in 406 and slowly assimilated the Gallo-Roman population, or made it retreat into the mountains. Burgundy became a part of the Frankish kingdom in 534; two years later, the dukedom of Alemannia followed suit. The Burgundy kings furthered the Christianization through newly founded monasteries, e.g. at Romainmôtier or St. Maurice in the Valais in 515. In the Alaman part, only isolated Christian communities continued to exist; the Germanic faith including the worship of Wuodan was prevalent. The Irish monks Columbanus and Gallus re-introduced Christian faith in the early 7th century. The Bishopric of Konstanz also was founded at that time. 　 　 Switzerland in the Middle Ages[edit] 　 Early Middle Ages Under the Carolingian kings, the feudal system proliferated, and monasteries and bishopries were important bases for maintaining the rule. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 assigned the western part of modern Switzerland (Upper Burgundy) to Lotharingia, ruled by Lothair I, and the eastern part (Alemannia) to the eastern kingdom of Louis the German that would become the Holy Roman Empire. The boundary between Alamania, ruled by Louis, and western Burgundy, ruled by Lothar, ran along the lower Aare, turning towards the south at the Rhine, passing west of Lucerne and across the Alps along the upper Rhône to Saint Gotthard Pass. 　 Louis the German in 853 granted his lands in the Reuss valley to the monastery of St Felix and Regula in Zürich (modern day Fraumünster) of which his daughter Hildegard was the first abbess.[9] According to legend this occurred after a stag bearing an illuminated crucifix between his antlers appeared to him in the marshland outside the town, at the shore of Lake Zürich. However, there is evidence that the monastery was already in existence before 853. The Fraumünster is across the river from the Grossmünster, which according to legend was founded by Charlemagne himself, as his horse fell to his knees on the spot where the martyrs Felix and Regula were buried. 　 When the land was granted to the monastery, it was exempt from all feudal lords except the king and later the Holy Roman Emperor (a condition known as Imperial immediacy or in German: Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit). The privileged position of the abbey (reduced taxes and greater autonomy) encouraged the other men of the valley to put themselves under the authority of abbey. By doing so they gained the advantages of the Imperial immediacy and grew used to the relative freedom and autonomy.[9] The only source of royal or imperial authority was the advocatus or vogt of the abbey which was given to one family after another by the emperor as a sign of trust. 　 In the 10th century, the rule of the Carolingians waned: Magyars destroyed Basel in 917 and St. Gallen in 926, and Saracenes ravaged the Valais after 920 and sacked the monastery of St. Maurice in 939. The Conradines (von Wetterau) started a long time rule over Swabia during this time. Only after the victory of king Otto I over the Magyars in 955 in the Battle of Lechfeld were the Swiss territories reintegrated into the empire. 　 　 　King Rudolph III of the Arelat kingdom (r. 993–1032) gave the Valais as his fiefdom to the Bishop of Sion in 999, and when Burgundy and thus also the Valais became part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1032, the bishop was also appointed count of the Valais. The Arelat mostly existed on paper throughout the 11th to 14th centuries, its remnants passing to France in 1378, but without its Swiss portions, Bern and Aargau having come under Zähringer and Habsburg rule already by the 12th century, and the County of Savoy was detached from the Arelat just before its dissolution, in 1361. 　 The dukes of Zähringen founded many cities, the most important being Freiburg in 1120, Fribourg in 1157, and Bern in 1191. The Zähringer dynasty ended with the death of Berchtold V in 1218, and their cities subsequently thus became independent, while the dukes of Kyburg competed with the house of Habsburg over control of the rural regions of the former Zähringer territory. When the house of Zähringen died out in 1218 the office of Vogt over the Abbey of St Felix and Regula in Zurich was granted to the Habsburgs, however it was quickly revoked.[9] 　 The rise of the Habsburg dynasty gained momentum when their main local competitor, the Kyburg dynasty, died out and they could thus bring much of the territory south of the Rhine under their control. Subsequently, they managed within only a few generations to extend their influence through Swabia in south-eastern Germany to Austria. 　 Under the Hohenstaufen rule, the alpine passes in Raetia and the St. Gotthard Pass gained importance. Especially the latter became an important direct route through the mountains. The construction of the "Devil’s Bridge" (Teufelsbrücke) across the Schöllenenschlucht in 1198 led to a marked increase in traffic on the mule track over the pass. Frederick II accorded the Reichsfreiheit to Schwyz in 1240[9] in the Freibrief von Faenza in an attempt to place the important pass under his direct control, and his son and for some time co-regent Henry VII had already given the same privileges to the valley of Uri in 1231 (the Freibrief von Hagenau). Unterwalden was de facto reichsfrei, since most of its territory belonged to monasteries, which had become independent even earlier in 1173 under Frederick I "Barbarossa" and in 1213 under Frederick II. The city of Zürich became reichsfrei in 1218. 　 While some of the "Forest Communities" (Waldstätten, i.e. Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden) were reichsfrei the Habsburgs still claimed authority over some villages and much of the surrounding land. While Schwyz was reichsfrei in 1240, the castle of Neu Habsburg was built in 1244 to help control Lake Lucerne and restrict the neighboring Forest Communities.[9] In 1245 Frederick II was excommunicated by Pope Innocent IV at the Council of Lyon. When the Habsburgs took the side of the pope, some of the Forest Communities took Frederick's side. At this time the castle of Neu Habsburg was attacked and damaged.[9] When Frederick failed against the Pope, those who had taken his side were threatened with excommunication and the Habsburgs gained additional power. In 1273 the rights to the Forest Communities were sold by a cadet branch of the Habsburgs to the head of the family, Rudolf I. A few months later he became King of the Romans, a title that would become Holy Roman Emperor. Rudolph was therefore the ruler of all the reichsfrei communities as well as the lands that he ruled as a Habsburg. 　 He instituted a strict rule in his homelands and raised the taxes tremenduously to finance wars and further territorial acquisitions. As king, he finally had also become the direct liege lord of the Forest Communities, which thus saw their previous independence curtailed. On the April 16, 1291 Rudolph bought all the rights over the town of Lucerne and the abbey estates in Unterwalden from Murbach Abbey in Alsace. The Forest Communities saw their trade route over Lake Lucerne cut off and feared losing their independence. When Rudolph died on July 15, 1291 the Communities prepared to defend themselves. On August 1, 1291 a Everlasting League was made between the Forest Communities for mutual defense against a common enemy.[9] 　 In the Valais, increasing tensions between the bishops of Sion and the Counts of Savoy led to a war beginning in 1260. The war ended after the Battle at the Scheuchzermatte near Leuk in 1296, where the Savoy forces were crushed by the bishop's army, supported by forces from Bern. After the peace of 1301, Savoy kept only the lower part of the Valais, while the bishop controlled the upper Valais. 　 The 14th century[edit] Further information: Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy 　　 　 High Middle Ages With the opening of the Gotthard Pass in the 13th century, the territory of Central Switzerland, primarily the valley of Uri, had gained great strategical importance and was granted Reichsfreiheit by the Hohenstaufen emperors. This became the nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy, which during the 1330s to 1350s grew to incorporate its core of "eight cantons" (Acht Orte) 　 The 14th century in the territory of modern Switzerland was a time of transition from the old feudal order administrated by regional families of lower nobility (such as the houses of Bubenberg, Eschenbach, Falkenstein, Freiburg, Frohburg, Grünenberg, Greifenstein, Homberg, Kyburg, Landenberg, Rapperswil, Toggenburg, Zähringen etc.) and the development of the great powers of the late medieval period, primarily the first stage of the meteoric rise of the House of Habsburg, which was confronted with rivals in Burgundy and Savoy. The free imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and monasteries were forced to look for allies in this unstable climate, and entered a series of pacts. Thus, the multi-polar order of the feudalism of the High Middle Ages, while still visible in documents of the first half of the 14th century such as the Codex Manesse or the Zürich armorial gradually gave way to the politics of the Late Middle Ages, with the Swiss Confederacy wedged between Habsburg Austria, the Burgundy, France, Savoy and Milan. Berne had taken an unfortunate stand against Habsburg in the battle of Schosshalde in 1289, but recovered enough to confront Fribourg (Gümmenenkrieg) and then to inflict a decisive defeat on a coalition force of Habsburg, Savoy and Basel in the battle of Laupen in 1339. At the same time, Habsburg attempted to gain influence over the cities of Lucerne and Zürich, with riots or attempted coups reported for the years 1343 and 1350 respectively. This situation led the cities of Lucerne, Zürich and Berne to attach themselves to the Swiss Confederacy in 1332, 1351, and 1353 respectively. 　 As elsewhere in Europe, Switzerland suffered a crisis in the middle of the century, triggered by the Black Death followed by social upheaval and moral panics, often directed against the Jews as in the Basel massacre of 1349. To this was added the catastrophic 1356 Basel earthquake which devastated a wide region, and the city of Basel was destroyed almost completely in the ensuing fire. 　 The balance of power remained precarious during the 1350s to 1380s, with Habsburg trying to regain lost influence; Albrecht II besieged Zürich unsuccessfully, but imposed an unfavourable peace on the city in the treaty of Regensburg. In 1375, Habsburg tried to regain control over the Aargau with the help of Gugler mercenaries. After a number of minor clashes (Sörenberg, Näfels), it was with the decisive Swiss victory at the battle of Sempach 1386 that this situation was resolved. Habsburg moved its focus eastward and while it continued to grow in influence (ultimately rising to the most powerful dynasty of Early Modern Europe), it lost all possessions in its ancestral territory with the Swiss annexation of the Aargau in 1416, from which time the Swiss Confederacy stood for the first time as a political entity controlling a contiguous territory. 　 Meanwhile, in Basel, the citizenry was also divided into a pro-Habsburg and an anti-Habsburg faction, known as Sterner and Psitticher, respectively. The citizens of greater Basel bought most of the privileges from the bishop in 1392, even though Basel nominally remained the domain of the prince-bishops until the Reformation it was de facto governed by its city council, since 1382 dominated by the city's guilds, from this time. Similarly, the bishop of Geneva granted the citizenry substantial political rights in 1387. Other parts of western Switzerland remained under the control of Burgundy and Savoy throughout the 14th century; the Barony of Vaud was incorporated into Savoy in 1359 and was annexed by Berne only in the context of the Swiss Reformation, in 1536. 　 In the Valais, the bishop of Sion, allied with Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, was in conflict of the Walser-settled upper Valais during the 1340s. Amadeus pacified the region in 1352, but there was renewed unrest in 1353. In 1355, the towns of the upper Valais formed a defensive pact and negotiated a compromise peace treaty in 1361, but there was a renewed uprising with the 1383 accession of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy. Amadeus invaded the Valais in 1387, but after his death in a hunting accident, his mother, Bonne de Bourbon, made peace with the Seven Tithings of the upper Valais, restoring the status quo ante of 1301. From this time, the upper Valais was mostly independent de facto, preparing the Republican structure that would emerge in the early modern period. In the Grisons, similar structures of local self-government arose at the same time, with the League of God's House founded in 1367, followed by the Grey League in 1395, both in response to the expansion of the House of Habsburg. 　 See also[edit] Charles Guillaume Loys de Bochat Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_history_of_Switzerland

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Holle & The Twelf Nights of Yule

Frau Holle is connected to springs, wells and lakes, where she lives in a land on the bottom of the water. She is also connected with the fog. Holle can be seen as a bright shape drifting in the fog, and her fog maidens are “die Hollen”, who move over the land to come to the aid of women and children. During the twelve days of Yule, Holle rides across the sky and drives her wagon over the land. She visits houses, and when spinning has been completed and the houses are clean, she is pleased and gives a blessing to the house. In this period of the year it is as if time stands still and no turning of the spinning wheel is allowed. The twelfth Night is most strongly associated with her. In ancient times a meal of oat cakes and usually pickled herring is eaten, and an extra plate is left out as an offering for her. Another custom at the beginning of Yule is to shake your apple tree and call out: “Bäumchen, wach auf, Frau Holle kommt!”  It will bear more fruit the next year.

[vc_row][vc_column width=’3/4′]The elder tree is sacred to Holle, and an Elder outside the door of the farmhouse was thought to protect and bring good luck to a farm. In Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland, the goddess Perchta has many of the same characteristics as Holle further North. Perchta is also connected eith the Wild Hunt, Twefth Night and spinning. The same as the Dutch goddess Nehelennia. In the Norse folktale the Sturlunga Saga, we find Hulda for a giantess. Further in the Ynglinga Saga Snorri Sturluson wrote about Huldr who is a Völva, a Norse Witch. All of the free Norse and Germanic women were supposed to be experienced in magic, however some women much more than some others. The majority of the Germanic tribes, along with the Vikings, cultivated units of wise women, witches or priestesses who frequently stayed unmarried (although not always in celibacy), and who could, it seems to be, traveling on their own wherever they fancied without fear. A woman who wore the wand of the witch would never be molested or harmed. They were associated with the fate goddesses which therefore wielded supreme powers. It was an age and epoch when witches were honored and adored and wanted as wise ladies, healers, prophets, oracles, shamans and priestesses. Sagas prove that when a witch came to visit, the lord and lady of the house would certainly hand over the high seat to her, an exceptionally strong way of showing that the witch owned the higher authority.

There’s also a 14th century saga about a magical woman called Hulda, a beloved of Odinn and mother of Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa. Furthermore folk tales in Sweden, Denmark and Norway speak of Hulla, Huldre or Huldra who was an exceptional mountain or wood wife. Remarkable in Iceland wights and dwarfs are called Huldrufolk. “Holda” is likely to be a title, as both “Holde” and “Unholde” were used in the middle high German language as generic terms for, respectively, well- and malevolent and dangerous spirits.

In the German folklore another side of the goddess survived: her place in the Wild Hunt. In the ancient tales, the Hunt, Wuotis Heer (“Wuodan’s Army”) is not only led by Wodan, Wotan or Wod , but by Holda, Perchte or Frau Gode (also known as Wodan’s wife).

In Finland we have still Joulupukki. He is connected to Woden of norse mythology and said to wear tight red leather pants and a tight fur trimmed red leather coat. On the Winter Solstice, going by the names of Jólnir and Langbarðr (long-beard), Wōden led the Wild Hunt accompanied by Thor driving his flying wagon drawn by goat bucks. The Joulupukki may also be a man turned into a goat-man on Christmas Eve. There persists today in some parts of Finland the custom of persons dressing in goat costume to perform in return for leftover food after Christmas. Historically, such a person was an older man, and the tradition refers to him as a nuuttipukki.

Isn’t it a true magical time?

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Thanks for Woudan(?) crash course! Im American and never heard of him so, your description on the bottom of your gorgeous art helped a lot woth context!!!!

Great! We don't know much about pre Christian beliefs and lore in Switzerland. But I'm always happy to share what we do know!As you might know Switzerland is a natural border region, dividing central/ western Europe into north and south. It was always a contact zone and Swiss people are legendary soldiers and mercenaries who travelled a lot. So we've got 'imported' Norse and Celtic as well as Roman deities and traces of them all over.Odin's (Wuodan) one of the Gods that came to 'settle' in the Alps.