Frigg is the Norse goddess of weather and clouds. Also known as Frigga and Frig. She is often depicted in white garments as such with silver and grey trims. There is an aspect of being the goddess of change as well as she weaves the future as one of the practitioners of seidr, the Norse magic of divination. She is thus the goddess of weaving and fate. Change is also an aspect of weather and clouds so it fits her as well. She has a queenly air to her as well and this fits her role as the queen of the gods.
Just to reiterate what I said under the Goddess Freya, I don’t think Frigg and Freya are the same woman. They have very different spheres. Freya might be considered the aspect of femininity that is a single warrior maiden, the archetype of the shield maiden, who is a party girl The kind of girl a man wants around when he is single and sowing his wild oats. Frigg on the other hand is very much that aspect of femininity a man wants to settle down and have children with. One is the erotic expression of love and sexual desirability, the other is a good and loving mother and wife. As I pointed out before one is Vanir and the other Aesir. Each of them has different children and in Frigg’s case her son Balder is central figure along with her love for him on one of the main stories of Norse Mythology.
Now it should be noted that Frigg has her own flaws. When her husband Odin was away and missing she did sleep with both of his brothers. This may be more of a reflection that the Norse people did not have as strong conviction about sexual fidelity in marriage as other religions and cultures. She has her warrior aspects as well, especially when it comes to defending or avenging her children.
Frigg’s symbols are birds particularly falcons and like her husband – ravens. There is a grass called Frigg’s grass that was used as a sedative for mother’s giving birth. Mistletoe is also sacred to her. A mother looking out for her children and her home is her aspect.
Frigg’s one failing is that despite her powers of divination she could not prevent or reverse the death of her beloved son Balder. This I suppose one of the great ironies of her story that she is both a mother and a strong one at that. A powerful woman who weaves the tapestry of fate and yet despite all this she cannot prevent something terrible from happening to her children. All her power and love is not enough.
There is definitely a lesson here for the mothers of her time when she was worshiped. That even if a mother knows the fate of her children and is wise, understanding and powerful, misfortune can still happen to her children. In a world where children died much more frequently and early than today, this is a message designed to comfort mothers. If Frigg herself cannot stop her own son’s death, what makes you think you can? No matter what, that is truly out of your hands.
Modern depictions of Frigg are rare. She of course appears in the Thor comics and the movies. I can say this that she is definitely cast as a mother sitting at home rather than a warrior goddess like Freya is at times. A strong mother who runs her household well, who cares for her children and loves her husband is what she is an example of to others. A strong archetype and a common one in mythology. You see much the same with Hera in Greek Mythology.
Personally, being a little pagan in mindset, I can respect the separation of femininity in Frigg as opposed to say the masculinity of Odin and Thor. The one thing Norse mythology has is a strong set of expectations of what is feminine and what is masculine, without saying one is weaker than the other. Just very different chosen roles. Mother verses Father is definitely a dichotomy with Frigg and Odin and the Roles are very distinct yet strong. Based on the mythology, the idea of more than two genders or gender neutral is simply not present. Rather it embraces the two genders as the way it is and exults both of their strengths. Frigg being the strong aspects of what it is to be female and Odin the strong aspect of what it means to be male.
I think when you look at stories, the strong mother and wife is something that literature in general never seems to get tired of as an archetype. Perhaps it is because all of us look back to some sort of strong mother figure who influenced our lives and so it is very relatable. We are all children, so Frigg appeals to us and our own sense of motherhood as a powerful force in our lives.
In my own writing Frigg knows the future but rarely gives it out because of her past experience. She has learned fighting fate is a bad way to go. Knowing the future does not help change it. She is loving and caring but sad, drawing strength from her husband and children. Passionate and Powerful, but very much down to earth.
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
So my wife says to me last night that the next day I would officially be old. I say in return. “Well then, I can also officially call myself a dirty ‘old’ man and start acting like it, let the fun begin.” She has no idea what she is in for now.
This post is dropping at 12:39 because it is that time that is on my birth certificate that I was born. According to my mother, I interrupted lunch.
Tuesday, March 18th, 1969 was an interesting day – The United States began the secret bombing of Cambodia in the Vietnam War that day. There was a Solar Eclipse that day. Barbara Bates – the famous model/actress died that day by suicide:
The Song everyone was listening to was Dizzy by Tommy Roe.
I don’t what else people expect in a time where Richard Nixon was President and the late 1960s were coming to an end. The movies. books and all that were typical for the period.
I don’t remember anything because for me I was an infant and the world was a far different place than it is now. We hadn’t even landed on the moon yet.
Looking back at 50 years of life, to say I do not have regrets would be a lie. If you don’t, you really haven’t had to make tough decisions or faced difficult situations. That said, regrets can either motivate you or cripple you. For me they motivate me.
I suppose the temptation at this point is to slow down and take it easy. I really have no such desire. The concept of sitting back and retiring still in my mind is far away. I really don’t see myself playing golf, sitting on beach or any such thing. Rather, I see myself pumping iron, taking a long hike and advancing a new career and moving forward with my life. I imagine the words I will rebel to most are – ‘Slow down, take it easy or act your age.” What does that all mean anyway?
Nope, I figure I would rather die doing something than nothing. I can think of nothing worse than dying in bed. I know the grim reaper is going to get me some day, but I plan on facing her bravely and cracking a sarcastic joke as she touches me. Slowing down and taking it easy is not something I think I will do very well, unless it involves books.
As for acting my age, I figure at 50 I should be able to define what acting my age is. It isn’t up to anybody else but me what that means; so to all the judgmental people out there who think the world fits nicely into categories they define for everyone else, fuck you and fuck that. I still plan on being a dirty old man toward my wife and pursuing the things I enjoy. At fifty, I have at least realized life is too short not to enjoy as much of it as you can get. I haven’t grown up yet and now I don’t have too.
It is time to live life not fade out of it.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
“Everyone has the Right to Pursue Happiness” – The Book of Rabyd 1:4
Thoughts and Exposition:
Will Smith has a great line in the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness”. He centers on the idea of how the founding fathers has enough wisdom to put in the word ‘pursuit’. This is what is often forgotten in this right. You do not have the right to be happy. You do have the right to pursue what will make you happy or what you think will make you happy. It does not include a safety net where the government bails you out if you fail.
I suppose it should be argued at this point that this right is equal to the other two already stated of life and liberty. The issue here is that some people will be champion of people’s life and liberty but then will involve themselves in the affairs of others in such a way as to either meddle or try to restrict other’s pursuit of happiness by law or ordinance. They think they know what would make others happy and try to use force or influence to make it so.
Truthfully, the respect for this right in others is the biggest litmus test of whether you genuinely treat people as human beings or objects. The person who can see what would be better for someone else but does not act because he or she respects that person’s right to pursue their own happiness is a person who also is seeing them as a human being, not as something to manipulate.
I have been using the abortion debate throughout this discussion so I will use it again here. The conflict is simple I think because a woman might argue that having a child would not be in line with her pursuit of happiness. The counter argument then comes that you are violating the child or fetus’ right to live. If we are truly seeing the two rights as equals then we are pretty much left in a stalemate and so the issue falls to other things. The right to happiness doesn’t really help us here either because we could make an argument for both sides for happiness.
In abortion we have a conflict of rights but the question is which right has superiority over others. If we give certain rights superiority over others then how can we say we are treating them all equally? Some other factor, must come into play to settle this quandary and it may be Rabyd 1:5 which we will talk about in the next week.
For me personally this is why I try to conduct myself (and I hope my family conducts themselves with the idea as well) of not meddling in other people’s affairs. If we do feel we have a better way for people to live that might aid them in their pursuit of happiness; we do not force the issue, but attempt to persuade people to that end. Our goal is not to meddle, but we will certainly act in compassion if we see a need and react if asked to help.
Part of respecting the pursuit of happiness is respecting the need for people to struggle through that issue on their own. To impose my view of what would make them happy on them would be wrong. It is wrong because it does not recognize the other person’s humanity or their right to pursuit what they believe will make them happy.
One thing needs to be said here. People who achieve happiness are often ones who find out the pursuit of it involves letting other be happy. The one great obstacle to our pursuit is think other people need to live up to our standards of what they should do and be. When they don’t do this, then disappointment leads to unhappiness. Part of being happy and pursuing it is learning a) You will not find it in others and b) You will never be happy as long as you are trying to impose your view of it on others.
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods and goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves, and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.
We also don’t take an offering here. We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it. Let’s be honest, offerings are not giving to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never see a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.
Opening Song: Never Give Up – Motivational Video
I don’t normally post motivational videos but I do listen to them from time to time. I think I might consider creating a morning playlist as I write. This might be the one to kick it off.
Poem: ‘Go Get it’ – Will Smith – From the movie The Pursuit of Happiness.
Meditation:
Song of Preparation: “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
Text:
“Everyone has the Right to Pursuit Happiness” – The Book of Rabyd 1:4
Sermon:
Will Smith has a great line in the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness”. He centers on the idea of how the founding fathers has enough wisdom to put in the word ‘pursuit’. This is what is often forgotten in this right. You do not have the right to be happy. You do have the right to pursue what will make you happy or what you think will make you happy. It does not include a safety net where the government bails you out if you fail.
I suppose it should be argued at this point that this right is equal to the other two already stated of life and liberty. The issue here is that some people will be champion of people’s life and liberty, but then involve themselves in the affairs of others in such a way as to either meddle or try to restrict other’s pursuit of happiness by law or ordinance. They think they know what would make others happy and try to use force or influence to make it so.
Truthfully, the respect for this right in others is the biggest litmus test of whether you genuinely treat people as human beings or objects. The person who can see what would be better for someone else but does not act because he or she respects that person’s right to pursue their own happiness is a person who also is seeing them as a human being, not as something to manipulate.
I have been using the abortion debate throughout this discussion so I will use it again here. The conflict is simple I think because a woman might argue that having a child would not be in line with her pursuit of happiness. The counter argument then comes that you are violating the child or fetus’ right to live. On the front of pursuit of happiness both have this right and so we are still at draw.
If we are truly seeing the two rights as equals then we are pretty much left in a stalemate and so the issue falls to other things. In abortion, we have a conflict of rights but the question is which right has superiority over others. If we give certain rights superiority over others then how can we say we are treating them all equally? Some other factor, must come into play to settle this quandary, and it may be Rabyd 1:5 which we will talk about in the next week.
For me personally this is why I try to conduct myself (and I hope my family conducts themselves with the idea as well) of not meddling in other people’s affairs. If we do feel we have a better way for people to live that might aid them in their pursuit of happiness; we do not force the issue, but attempt to persuade people to that end. Our goal is not to meddle, but we will certainly act in compassion if we see a need and react if asked to help. Part of respecting the pursuit of happiness is respecting the need for people to struggle through that issue on their own. To impose my view of what I think would make them happy on them would be wrong. It is wrong because it does not recognize the other person’s humanity or their right to pursuit what they believe will make them happy.
Closing Song: “Tacky” – Weird Al Yankovic
Having a little fun to end it. Weird Al in a classic. Have a laugh and pursuit what you feel will make you happy. It is your right.
Parting Thought:
A crude statement I suppose, but true. In your pursuit of happiness – be careful to not be drawn into things that will get you off the path. For instance, by giving a fuck about certain people who you suspect don’t give as much a fuck about you as you do them. Just keep walking toward your happiness.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
I suppose the imagery of a giant is pretty universal but as we will see there is a controversy about it when it comes to Norse Mythology. Giants are the primary antagonists in most of the stories of the gods in Norse mythology. The frost giants take prominence but there are also other types of giants. Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition’s Monster Manual lists six types of giants – Cloud, Fire, Frost, Hill, Stone and Storm. It might be argued that all of these have some from ideas found in Norse mythology.
But the question starts pretty early as regards if the Norse people actually conceived these giants as ‘giants’. The problem is one of translation and when Christians began to translate the word for ‘giant’ they may have bastardized it by adding the Greek mythology concepts and used the word for ‘giant’ that reflected this change. What you see then is a mutation of the original Norse Idea and the Greek idea of titans.
The original concept in the Norse may simply have been beings that represented the forces of Chaos. When you look at some of the giants you get that – Storm, Fire, Frost, Hills, Stone and Clouds are forces of nature that are both large and powerful. Both needed for survival, but also feared because of their destructive nature at times. The “giants” are simply personification of these forces. They may or may not have been large humanoids to the Norse people. It would make more sense if they were not.
The reason I say it would make more sense if they were not, is the simple fact that the gods and goddesses mate with giants and produce offspring. Sex between two individuals of great difference in size becomes problematic, unless the Norse people didn’t really have the concept of giants being large humanoids but rather simple humanoids that personified certain powerful natural forces. To the Norse people the gods and the giants may simply been the same size just representing on the one hand forces of order and civilization (the gods), and on the other, the raw natural forces of the world (the ‘giants’).
What I am saying is that the whole notion of these ‘giants’ being large humanoid like creatures might be a later addition. This would explain why later writers had to give some of the gods the ability to shape shift and change size. But the original myths may not have had this at all. The my simply have been referring to ‘giants’ as those being who represented the great powers of nature.
To me this makes the parings of some of the gods and giants interesting because it represents symbolically the need for the forces of civilization and humanity, if you will, to sometimes cooperate and draw strength from the chaotic forces of nature. That sometimes the ‘children’ of these paring represent both sides of that equation such as Loki pairings with the giantess that produced Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr. All of these Children have their chaotic element but there is also the ability to think and speak beyond the base animal that they represent in the case of Fenrir and Jormungandr. Hel herself is human like but represents that primal force of Death, but also her realm is orderly and well thought out.
It is why in Norse mythology all of the gods and giants are the product of a an original giant. That out of the primal forces of nature came the forces of order and chaos. Both are necessary and both can be in conflict or in love (lust) for each other. To me it speaks of how the Norse people could recognize that; in all things, some necessary things were present. Fire is a primal natural force that is dangerous; but without it, civilization and technology is simply not possible. The earth and hills can be wild and dangerous places; but without the earth we mine and the trees we cut down, we would not have tools or shelter. The mythology reflects this idea of necessary harmony, even tough at times those forces are a threat to each other.
In our world the giants represent much the same. Large chaotic forces that must be fought and overcome. The show up in a lot of places in fantasy mythology. But the idea of being primal natural forces is pretty interesting and we see that too. For me though I prefer if the giants remain as the larger than life humanoids. It just makes the battles more epic. Courage is a necessary thing when facing them. Every movie or book that uses them reflects this. Or on rare occasions we find a giant that is actually gentle who desires to help but his great power can unintentionally cause harm. Thus even when we bend such forces to our will, there is still a danger because of their nature.
All important lessons taught to us through the giants.
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
Seeing I talked about him in my post on Odin last week, I figured I would talk about Thor directly this week. Thor – God of Thunder, God of Storms. Odin is the god of rulers and leaders. Thor is the god of the warrior and the common man. Even in Viking times that made him more popular. This is probably why more stories have survived about him than any other. People loved Thor, but they feared Odin because he was the judge of the dead, along with the Valkyrie.
Thor is probably the most well known god of the Norse pantheon today becasue of comic books and movies. He is far more likely to go on action packed adventurers in our world and so people see him doing things actively and often violently. Odin is far more subtle and a master strategist. Thor is neither. A great example of this is when he wakes up to find his wife’s hair missing. He gets up, surmises that Loki had something to do with it and then goes and physically threaten Loki to do something about it. Odin probably would have found a way to fix the problem himself through magic and then he would have found a way to get Loki back that was far more subtle.
Thor is the god of thunder and storms. His wife Sif is the goddess of the earth which is a common paring in most myths. The rain watering the earth and bringing life is a common concept and it often plays itself out in rain/storm gods being paired with earth/nature goddesses. Thor’s exploits are long but the most notable are: He welds Mjölnir (Lightning), the hammer of the gods. He is noted for his many battles with the Giants and with the world eating snake Jörmungand, who he will battle at the and of the world Ragnarok.
Thor had many other powers, including healing, He is said to be able to drink more mead and down more food than any other god. In mythology, he is not a blond but a red head. He also possess the stereotypical hot-headed anger of the red head. He wears a belt that doubles his already considerable strength. If you are looking for a god that was a man’s man, then Thor is your god. He was the kind of man you wanted along side you in battle and the kind of man you wanted to drink and party with as well. Not so oddly, he is also associated with fertility and was often evoke a blessing marriages for fertility. But part of that reputation was earned outside of marriage with the fact he had many children and a lot of them were not Sif’s.
Our concept of Thor in our modern day is largely influenced by Marvel Comics. Thor is a blond, blue eyed viking type. The movies and the Comic make him very much the noble hero and try to lessen the fact that he was hot headed, slept around and partied like a boss. He is far more noble in the comics version, than he is in the mythology.
That said I did like the fact that Chris Hemsworth decided to work out to play the character instead of doing the CGI muscles thing. I think he was a good choice. It is just our modern world isn’t ready for Thor as he was in mythology, because quite frankly he is fully masculine and makes no apologies for it. Marvel’s Thor tends to be a little more pretty boy than masculine warrior.
The Thor of mythology is a little rough around the edges, where Marvel’s Thor is polished and presentable. You would be proud to take Marvel’s Thor home to your parents; if you were dating him, and they would think he was such a nice young man. The Thor of mythology, you might have to explain why the fridge is empty, the alcohol is all gone and perhaps why both you and your sister are knocked up with the same due date.
I guess I like characters though that have a little more of a subtle grey side. Thor in any context doesn’t really have that. He leaves that sort of thing to Loki. That’s why while I like Thor, I don’t consider him my favorite. Odin still has the honor of being my favorite Norse god. Thor however still inspires a lot of respect for his courage and loyalty to his friends.
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods and goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves, and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.
We also don’t take an offering here. We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it. Let’s be honest, offerings are not giving to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never see a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.
Opening Song: “Blame Canada” by Robin Williams (South Park)
One of my favorite moments of Robin’s career and oddly enough a song I have been singing from time to time these days. I play a lot of a PC game called The Long Dark. it basically an apocalypse simulator where a freak magnetic storm destroys all electronics and your plane crashes in the Canada wilderness. You task is simply to survive as long as possible. As I am trekking along trying to find the next resource to survive I find myself on occasion remembering this song and singing the verse of it.
Poem: “Slow Dying Flower (poem about Robin Williams)” by Shay Callow
He was the brightest star the world had ever seen,
but no star can burn bright forever, although that was unforeseen.
He was a man who brought joy to all those around him,
so that he never had to show them how his life was grim.
He made them laugh until their stomachs hurt,
even though inside he was full of despair, sadness and disconcert.
Like a clown, his smile was painted on,
only when he removed it did you see the wretchedness in his deep blue eyes; that’s when it dawned
that he was a slow dying flower,
fading petal by petal and losing power
until the day he’d been poisoned enough by this ghastly world,
and he died once and for all by his own hand – that’s when the truth of his life really unfurled.
Meditation:
Song of Preparation: ‘Why Do We Read and Write Poetry’ by Robin Williams (scene from Dead Poets Society).
I figured the man who said the quote today should be the one to say it. plus he adds his own commentary which is nice. It is a great disappointment to me that Robin didn’t win the best actor award in a leading role. He should have with this performance.
Text: What We stay Alive For – Robin Williams
“Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
Robin Williams – “Dead Poets Society”
Sermon:
“O captain, my captain!” I can’t tell you how much the Dead Poets Society shaped my life. I still difficulty watching it as it is very sad, but if has a theme it is what Robin’s character is trying to get across the entire movie – seize the day, live life, find something that makes life worth living. Write your verse and make it a good one.
I have long taken the message of this movie to heart and this quote reminds me of something I need to remember. There are many things we do to sustain our lives but there also needs to be the things we live for otherwise life isn’t worth a damn. There are many things that are noble pursuits but if you can’t get up and have something to live for then you’re going to struggle.
In my life right now i have spent a lot of time setting goals and establishing the discipline I need to achieve them. But I can’t say the overall aim is simply to live. To exist. There is something in life we must have a a passion for or the reason to live will run out and we will find ourselves much like Robin himself. With no reason to continue.
I for all I am worth that no matter what life throws at me I remember that what I may be doing in life that is noble and good, I remember I need something to stay alive for. So reason beyond life’s purpose being life itself. To go from being alive to living life. May we all find that.
Closing Song: Friend like Me – Robin Williams from Aladdin
I don’t know that I will ever be able to look at Aladdin the same way again or in particular the genie without thinking of Robin Williams. This performance and animation are some of his best work. It is a pretty unforgettable song
Parting Thought:
If I take any inspiration from Robin’s life it is to always make sure I get up and not give up on myself. Something we all need to remember.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
I became interested in Norse mythology as a teenager. It was a combination of two factors.
Firstly, I played Dungeon’s and Dragons – 2nd edition. One of the realms I created as a Dungeon Master at the time was a Norse like realm with the Norse Pantheon in full power. My character from that realm was what would now be considered a Tempest Priest of Thor named Thane True-Blade. He had a brother Karic True-Blade who was a devoted follower of Tyr and a fighter. There was a female thief named Sylvia who was more or less devoted to Loki. You get the idea.
Secondly, there was the Marvel Comic world with Thor the comic book. No, I haven’t seen the movies. Reason? Because while the comics and D&D were instrumental in getting me involved in Norse mythology, I soon fell in far greater love with the actual mythology, than how it has been used or inspired other things.
I start each post on The Grey Wayfarer with “Happy Thor’s Day” or “Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day” This is an example of one of those inspirations. Our days of the week have four of them that are direct references to Norse gods and goddesses. It could be argued that Sunday and Monday are as well, but they are also generic references to the Sun and Moon. So we could be dealing with Apollo as much as Sunna/Sol and Luna as much as Mani, depending on which mythology you want to credit. But Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all have direct reference to Norse mythology.
It is these references along with many others in the western world that draw me to Norse Mythology, Christianity didn’t erase them all and in fact sometimes embraced them and made them their own. Our recent celebration to Christmas; for instance, is full of things that are borrowed and plan out stolen from Norse Yuletide. Those symbols had other meanings but Christianity has taken them and repackaged them for their own use. I find it however interesting what has survived and why.
Much of western culture and heritage is Norse and no, I don’t find that anything to be ashamed of. In fact, there is a lot to be said for the lessons that Norse Mythology were teaching to its people. Religion shows what cultures value and try to pass on and so studying Norse mythology can help us see what those values were and how they were taught generation after generation.
Unlike the atheist who does not see any value to religion, I don’t take that course. Religions develop for reasons and not all of them are about manipulation or control. Part of paganism for me is that there are ‘universal’ truths and principles that religion guards and promotes which benefit society and often at some point they are turned into religion or become part of a religion mostly in an effort to preserve them. Religion for years was also the place where science at a low-level and philosophy was created and preserved and part of that is mythology. Stories that illustrate those principles and truths. Stories that teach are the stock in trade of mythology and that is not always a bad thing.
There is also the simple fact the Norse Mythology has had tremendous impact on modern culture particularly pop culture involving fantasy writing and movies. Elves, dwarves, giants, etc. all owe their inspiration to Norse mythology. Comics, movies, art and many other things draw on Norse Mythology. My writing is definitely influenced by it and has for a long time. But I am not alone there – Tolkien, CS Lewis, Robert Jordan, and many others join me in that regard.
There is also the fact that I simply find the Vikings bad ass warriors and a lot of why they did what they did was their mythology. It is a mythology formed in the harsh realities of the ice, snow and cold of the North. I understand how these relate all to well having lived in the North of North America all my life. So I suppose there is a natural resonance with such mythology for me as that mythology of the Norseman provides a common ground. A spiritual connection based on a commonly understood environment, if you will.
My methods of approaching this are much less systematic as those of say Odin’s Eye or Of Wolves and Ravens. What I think I will find more beneficial is a topical rather than chronological methodology in Crossing Bifrost. Topic Headings will include, but are not limited to, the following.
The Norse World – Yggdrasil (The World Tree) and Its Realms – Asgard, Midgard, Hel, etc.
Norse Races and Creatures – Elves, Dwarves, Giants, etc.
Norse Gods and Goddesses – Odin, Freya, Thor, Frigg, Loki, etc. This would also include god monsters like Fenrir the Great Wolf and the World Serpent Jörmungandr.
Norse Symbols and Objects – Thor’s Hammer Mjolnir, The Valknut Symbol ,etc.
Norse Culture and History – Probably a little more difficult to define but topics here might involve how the Norse Mythology influence Viking Culture and History.
Basically I will probably have a sub page under Crossing Bifrost for each of these where appropriate and them probably follow an alphabetical listing on each sub page itself. The one requirement basically is that it has to relate in some way to Norse Mythology to be posted here.
Hope you enjoy my journey of discover on this subject. If you learn something along the way – well that is good too.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
Happy Sun’s Day. It is also the 11th Night of Yuletide. This night is sacred to the Valkyries and Warriors. We remember those who choose the slain as the noble and honored dead destined for Valhalla, and those warriors who were chosen. Today we remember the virtue of Self-Reliance.
Announcements:
We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods and goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves, and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.
We also don’t take an offering here. We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it. Let’s be honest, offerings are not giving to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never see a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.
Today’s service resembles a concert more than a service. Basically, the idea struck me that I should do the past year, one month at a time, in song. So there will be no text or sermon today. Just one song per month (two for one month) representing each month as I experienced it. This probably as much as a reflection on this past year, but rather than write about it, I will just give you a song on each month and a little commentary.
I suppose a warning is in order as I am going to be pretty open here about my thoughts. I also should note that I had to take a break twice while writing this post. There are a lot of strong emotional memories to 2018 for me. Some good; some bad. In any case, my hope is a little more closure on a year I hope to not repeat. Overall it changed me for the better, but it was a helluva ride.
Music for me is still a an expression of the real emotions and thoughts I am having I can’t express in words. I think for this reason this way of doing a year review is probably more accurate in many ways than just writing about it.
January: No Rest for the Wicked – Godsmack:
I choose this song for the theme for the entirety of 2018. I started with the struggle to be a ‘man of God’ who had lost his faith. The whole year was me not getting enough rest because of all my struggles. In the end, I dropped the masks and I am probably far more at rest because I am more genuinely who I really am now. The verses of this song really reflect some of my thoughts to this day, so it fits.
February: American Pie – Don McLean:
In February, my long time organist and friend died. This represented the last of three great musicians/vocalists in my church and with this death for all practical purposes it was ‘the day the music died’ both in my church and my soul. It was my grief over this, and the fact only one person understood it at the time, that left me vulnerable.
March: Losing my Religion – REM:
March was a transitional month for me as I started to fall in love with someone I shouldn’t have. Looking back on it, and as warning to others, grief over the loss of two good friends in less than a year, a weak marriage and looking for comfort, left me open to this. That and not caring about my religion anymore. I had lost my faith a couple of years before due to theological reasons, but now the emotional side of it came crashing down.
April: Don’t Stand So Close to Me – The Police:
Lot’s of secret love this month. Both directions and both forbidden. I have come to a greater understanding of this song than I ever wanted to this year. Now when I hear this song, I remember the lessons of this past year vividly. Mostly how easy it is to submit to temptation, especially when you are hurting and want something to ease the pain. There is really no excuse for this, but there are reasons people do this which I now know all too well. I have no excuses, but I did have those reasons.
May: Monsters – Shinedown:
The shit hit the fan in late May and my monsters got loose. I think I made the remark at the time that the Pagan was freed from his cage and was kicking the Christian’s ass. I suppose this song stretches into June as well.
The reason it does, is I trusted someone I considered to be a friend with something important. They took advantage of that trust and betrayed me to get one more win over me, probably to stroke his already overly inflated ego. Yeah, rage doesn’t begin to describe what I felt when I found that out. It became greater as more details emerged during the summer and I began to discover how planned and maliciously thought out this betrayal was. It still is something I struggle with and quite frankly I finally found someone I don’t believe I can ever forgive. At least not until the scale of justice gets balanced first. Til then my monsters stay hungry and patiently wait.
June: Familiar Taste of Poison – Halestorm:
I fell in love with Halestorm this summer. I also fell fully in love with a young woman. It’s a decision I now regret. I think the relationship was full of natural chemistry but part of that chemistry was the additional effect of generating a toxicity that was wonderfully deadly. I didn’t want to be saved and I didn’t want to be sober. In the end, I think that toxicity killed it. I probably should be glad for that, but there is still a sadness and pain to it all for me. This song definitely captures that feeling for me still.
July: 400 Lux – Lorde:
I don’t like describing people as addictions. It makes them seem like they’re not people but the relationship I had was addicting. Relationships are things. We were always killing time together in July, so the lyrics fit too. It’s no accident I chose the video for this song that has scenes from The Perks of Being a Wall Flower. It’s a reminder, that life needs to be lived and not just observed. It’s also a book I probably will not read again for the foreseeable future. Maybe someday I will pick it up again with new eyes, because I really liked it. There are too many memories associated with it right now. That and the Song All of Me by John Legend. This song by Lorde I can still listen to and remember without it being too painful, but not that one.
August: Stuck with You – Huey Lewis and the News:
August was a roller coaster month. It was pivotal turning point. I went from being very special to the young woman in question to becoming someone they used to know in the space of less than a hour. I found a new job, but this happened the same day, so the joy of that disappeared. I found myself alone and bleeding from my soul pretty bad. In that state, I also woke up and began to think that my wife and I could save our marriage. From my perspective, it was a long shot and I fully expected my wife to tell me to go to hell.
But she didn’t. She accepted my apology and apologized to me in return. We talked, I mean really talked, for the first time in years. It started a healing process that is still in process, but we are better than we have ever been in a long while. This was the start of that.
Long story short, we found our way back together. In all of this, the only one who really never stopped loving me is her. The only one who exercised ‘Christian’ love, mercy and forgiveness was her. It overwhelmed me and I fell in love with her again. We picked this song as our own while on a weekend away. I am happy to be stuck with her and she is happy to be stuck with me.
September: Love Walks In – Van Halen:
In August I was standing in a convenience store when this song was played. I started singing it out loud as the cashier was doing so too. He stopped and asked me if it had meaning to me and I said it did now. I continue to play this song on my ‘Wife Playlist’, it makes me think of this moment and her every time. Throughout September it was my second favorite song next to Stuck With You.
October: I have two for this month. Sorry I couldn’t choose just one.
Both of these songs are on my current walking play list and have been so for a long time. In October as school began in earnest, I found myself listening to them every day. I still do when I listen to music.
Prayer – Disturbed:
It is the way I pray – ‘living isn’t hard enough without ‘god’ making it harder. I love the lyrics of this song and the feelings behind it. It reflects a lot of my continued struggles with faith.
Voices – Disturbed:
I love the video of this song as it reflects the song so well. I like how the guy is bullied, made fun of and has that girl he likes moment where she dissed him. He then fantasizes about how to get even with them all – the voices speak in his head. Instead of acting on them though, he just leaves work and goes to a concert and lets it all go instead. I listen to this one a lot when I am having dark thoughts. It helps them simmer down.
November – Hammer to Fall – Queen:
I include this one for a lot of reasons: 1) The biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was released this month and my daughter and I had a date and went to see it. Best movie I have seen in a long time. 2) I think in some ways it became a month of returning to ‘normal’ where my wife and I, my family and the friends I have left are back to some sense of stability. This song kind of is symbolic of that as my daughter and I got back to talking music, books and movies – instead of the chaos of my life. 3) The message of this song. The hammer is going to fall, so live life fully. 4) Plus it wouldn’t a music list without Queen.
December: Dreams – Van Halen:
Reflective of the end of the year. I graduated college (with a little work to do) and my wife, myself and family have been celebrating the holidays together. I am starting to dream again about what my life will be. Dreams are what love is made of according to the song and honestly my life has started to reflect that again.
Parting Thought:
Wishing you the most prosperous journey as you travel through 2019.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
Happy Thor’s Day. This is the 8th Night of Yuletide. this night is sacred to Skadi and Ullr – The goddess Skadi is a giantess associated with skiing, bow hunting, winter, and the mountains. Ullr is the god of snowshoes, hunting, the bow, and the shield. The idea behind this night is hunting and being outdoors. It is also a day to remember those who provide our meals and sustenance. The Virtue remembered tonight is Truth.
Introduction:
I am wrapping up my four main theological objections to Christianity with the simple but profound fact that the god of the Bible is very suspect in as far as whether or not he is just and acts with justice. I would go so far to say that the god of the Bible does not follow his own clearly stated guidelines for justice – 1) “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth” and 2) Restitution Included. Namely that the punishment should fit the crime and that restitution when merited should be offered. This is the standard of justice found in the Torah or Law of Moses. Jesus of Nazareth takes this on in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 pointing out that the principles of justice were still valid and in fact because things should be done for the love of god, they were even more challenging. God expects Christians to still be just and follow his principles of justice. The issue is: does the god of the Bible follow his own rules. I would say not.
Faith:
From a standpoint of my own faith, the biblical god’s justice, and in particular the doctrine of Hell, has always been a problem. My standard answer throughout my days as a pastor to others that asked was that the justice of god was a mystery. That someday, we would know it all and see that this god was just to send people to hell. Even if they were people who we loved and who this god claimed to love. But it was more than that as some of the stories of god executing justice were a little lacking in justice. Job’s trial is a good example where God allows the Devil to kill all of Job’s children and servants save a few and does it simply to test Job to see if he will remain faithful. The Biblical god’s answer of – “I am god, that’s why.” is a little lacking in reasoning for a supreme being for one and the whole situation is lacking in compassion not just for Job but for all the people slain for another. They all lived and died simply to satisfy a bet between the Devil and the almighty is a little much to reconcile with the idea of God is love. Stuff like this definitely tests your faith and it should.
Religion:
The thing is most religious responses to the justice of God dilemma either cite ‘mystery’ (read – I don’t have a good answer, so I am going to punt) or our ignorance. Simply put they both attempt to give a god a different standard of justice than we follow. How convenient, but also telling that we cannot even use the standard of justice of ‘eye for eye’ with the biblical god. The very standard that this god gives, he does not follow.
The fact that I used to come up with this double standard for god myself bothered me for years when I realized that is what I was doing. A standard of justice is only viable if it is evenly applied to all. It should be logical and consistent enough that it CAN be applied to all without exception. We have learned not to tolerate double standards between those that lead and those that follow so why here? Why does this god of the Bible get a free pass for being hypocritical?
Religion does its damnedest to keep us from seeing this, and it does it by trying to make God so high his different standard of justice is justified. It sounds like a ruling religious class seeking to justify why they can impose rules on others that they don’t have to follow themselves. After all, they are ‘men of god’ and so as Cardinal Richelieu points out in the Three Musketeers movie in 1993 – “The Cardinal is not subject to the laws of men”. Easy to justify if you create a different standard of justice for your god and you then say you are subject to that standard, not the standard of men.
Theology:
But the Biblical God fails theologically and it comes out best in the doctrine of Hell and final judgment. Everything we will do is in a short temporal time of existence but everything about the final judgment of the god of the Bible is eternal. In short, this god is going to punish us in an eternal and permanent way for our behavior in temporal and non-permanent existence. This includes annihilation and eternal punishment views. The only thing that might save Christianity here as far as theology is actually the idea of purgatory where the punishment is redemptive and non-permanent. But even here there is a postulate that punishment can last centuries compared to the shortness of life.
So being burned like the rich man is said to be burned is somehow eye for eye and tooth for tooth? In that story, the rich man is burned not because he defied god but because he had a good life and Lazarus was rewarded because he had suffered in life. Go look at the story (Luke 16) yourself, this is the rationale that is given. So because a guy had it good he is punished with burning fire? How is this eye for eye? Justice would have been to have the two trade places for a second life, not that he is burned for a long period of time.
There is little justice in this story, just a god who on the one hand in the Old Testament tells people who prosperity is a sign of God’s blessing and then turning around and saying though that if you do become prosperous, the biblical god is going to burn you as punishment for it. In a full analysis of the biblical account not only are there many accounts where god’s justice is a little suspect but where he violates the very rules he sets forward because he gets jealous or angry. Like the other mythologies, the biblical god is very human and reflects probably more of the attitude of the author of that particular passage than the almighty that actually might exist.
Spirituality:
For me personally, I come back to the quote I have used before. If the god or gods are just then they will judge us based on the virtues we lived by. If they are not just, then they do not deserve to be served. If there are no gods then, we should live in such a way as to be fondly remembered. I worry less about an afterlife; because regardless, it is this life I must live either way. I choose to live based on virtue because, in the end, it is all I really have. My own personal responsibility for the life I live is mine alone. Cue Robert Heinlein.
Conclusion:
I will revisit these objections in the future with other thoughts. Odin’s Eye will continue to be a discussion point on faith, religion, spirituality, and theology. I will continue to use it to find a path to knowledge and wisdom. What you may see in the future is me actually deal with more specific Biblical passages and why they are problematic. There will also be the continued discussions of deism, humanism, and paganism. I probably will have a more detailed plan next Odin’s Eye.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
The Grey Wayfarer 