“Battle’s End” – Dark Shieldmaiden – Prelude

April 8, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Odin’s Day!

September 25, 1066

Anya the Bold knew she was dying. She still clung to her sword while sitting with her back against the tree. She had lost so much blood through her wound on her left side that she was sure death would come soon. She had seen this many times before in others but now she knew it was coming to her. A mortal wound that she knew would be her end.

Not that she feared death. Vahalla awaited and now she had more than enough reason to enter its gates. She had watched her husband die as a warrior. Vagnar had stood on the bridge with his great axe holding off the Saxons long enough for the rest of them to escape. She knew he would fall but she had not waited around to see it. She honored his sacrifice while hiding the fact that she herself had been stabbed by a Saxon sword.

She lay dying she thought of his embrace knowing it would soon be renewed in Vahalla. Her thoughts turned to his strong arms around her and the last time they had made love on the morning of the battle when King Godwinson’s army then surprised them. They had enough time to arm themselves and then battle ensued. Had not their own king fallen and their ally Earl Tostig, King Gdowinson’s brother fallen as well, things might have been different. The Saxons had completely surprised them.

She knew her husband had felled many Saxons that day. How many had fallen would surely be the stuff of legend as the tale was retold. For now, though she knew he had only proceeded her in death by some hours. She stared at the trees in front of her while her vision darkened…

She awoke but it was not the hall of Vahalla she saw. The same English trees lay before her and she felt strange. It was now nightfall and she was alive; something she had not expected. She actually felt renewed and yet also had a feeling like she had downed far too much mead. She could move which when she had fallen asleep she could not do. She had lost too much blood. How was this possible?

Looking down at her wound, her breath caught in her throat.

“Odin.”

It was healed like it had never existed. Her head swam in disbelief.

“It’s alright, You were dying and I saved you. You might not, however, believe how.”

She looked to see one of her fellow Norseman standing over her. He had a strong young face, but his eyes betrayed an age much older. She had seen him before but did not know his name.

“Why?”

“Because the wife of a brave man needs to be around to hear his tale.”

He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. Then she smashed her fist right into his face, knocking him on his backside.

“You rob me of Vahalla and my husbands embrace. I should kill you.”

The man sat there, rubbing his chin. He smiled.

“No. You will join your husband someday, just not yet. And killing me might prove far more difficult than you might imagine.”

Anya raised her sword and drove it down; but in a motion, which she did not see, the man stood to his feet and caught her wrist. The strength of his grip caused her hand to flex and the sword to fall from her fingers. He then put the arm behind her back and his other arm went around her holding her still. His strength was far superior to any man she had ever met.

“I have given you a gift. A gift that you need to understand and I am willing to teach you, but you must calm down and listen. I have given you a chance to tell your husband’s tale for generations to come. But more than that, I have given you a chance to truly live.”

Anya relaxed.

“Why would you do this.”

“Because your husband was not the only one who has loved you.”

He let go of her and she spun and looked at him.

“Anya the Bold. I have watched you for a long time. From the time you were a child. You have a strong spirit and an intelligent mind. You are brave and a passionate heart. I have come to love you, but I would not dishonor your marriage.”

“Who are you?”

“Just call me Erik. Listen, If you want to honor your husband’s sacrifice, live and give him vengeance. What happened today cannot go unpunished.”

Anya looked at Erik grimly and then nodded. She then held up her sword. The sword her husband had given her a few years ago.

“I shall avenge my husband, twenty Saxons will fall to this blade, I swear by Odin the All-Father.”

“Good, and I will tell you more about what happened to you. But for now, we must join the others and return home. The Saxons will wait until another day.”

As he turned and she followed a tear formed in her eyes. If only she had known the horrors that awaited her, she might have killed Erik for his ‘gift’.

Writer’s Notes:

Its been a bit since I started something new. My hope is this series is intriguing enough and entertaining enough for me. It is a story I wanted to read but seeing no one has written it yet, I decided to do it.

I remain.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“51st Birthday” (Plus DNA Stuff) – The Rabyd Skald

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin) Day!

So I am 51 as of today. I can think of a lot of things to say but I really have no words other than to be very appreciative of life, family, and friends. I enjoy my life as much as possible and I find that having gone around the sun one more time hasn’t made me feel too much different at this point. Age creeps up on you in a slow relentless bastard way.

Historically speaking – March 18,1969 was the day Richard Mixon ordered the secret bombing of Cambodia to start.

Barbra Bates commits suicide at age 43 – she was actress and because her day of death is the same as my day of birth, I won’t forget her. She is hauntingly beautiful.

The world was a very different place. Led Zepplin has one of their supershows that day.

For me, I entered the world at lunchtime and so far I have to say it been an interesting bittersweet ride but getting much better each day.

Genetics Test Results:

Recently I did a DNA test to gain a new understanding of my heritage. It was a nice early birthday present when the results were reported a couple days ago. The results are in and I will do things in order from largest to smallest.

69% – England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe – Not surprising as this includes the Netherlands. By studying the family tree, I can more specifically say I am English, Welsh, and Dutch for the most part. Dutch would be about a third of this.
24% – Germanic Europe – In particular I have traced this to Bavaria. This is my father’s biological lineage for the most part on his father’s side.
4% – Ireland and Scotland – My mother back a bit does have an Irish ancestor.
3% – Norway – Yep, There is some Viking blood in there. I haven’t been able to track this down but a lot of people who have English heritage can have this as the Vikings did spread over large parts of Europe. It’s actually unusual for anyone not to have this if you are of Northern European descent. The Viking legacy is that there is a little Viking in all of us.

I now have a list of countries to visit: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, Bavaria, and Norway.

Of course, then my religious heritage would be Odin/Woden/Wotan. The All=Father had many names and was worshiped throughout this area.

In a case to get more specifics I still have to keep plugging at the family tree, But now I have a more positive lead toward my actual direction.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Short Post on a Busy Day” – The Rabyd Skald

March 16, 2020March 17, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day!

I would write more today but I have a lot to do. I can say that my birthday post in a couple days will have a lot of new information because my genetics test has come back. As I am currently reflecting on the results I can say one thing for sure, the nature of this blog will not change as it confirms a couple things and whether it was Odin, Woden or Wotan there is a good chance my ancestors worshiped the All-Father.

I will be getting back to the goals bucket list and all that this week, but Mani’s Day is going to be full of travel and testing so I need to have my mind free for a while.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Fate and Nine Worlds” (Asatru – Part 24) – The Pagan Pulpit

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be (if any) 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 given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Iceland Viking Battle Song”

Meditation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

Of course, the centerpiece of any religion is ultimately its cosmology. Where did we come from? How did we get here? Who are we in the universe? What happens after we die/ how will the world end? These questions are in part what the religion clings to as they seem to be questions with no way to have a definite answer. Asatru is no exception.

The Nine worlds are probably well known to most followers of Asatru and anyone who has even a passing interest in Norse mythology is the idea of the nine worlds and their interaction with each other tat dominates cosmology. Midgard is the realm of earth. Asgard the realm of the gods. And with seven others there is no simplicity here and that makes sense. All the nine worlds are part of the Yggdrasill the world tree.

There’s a concept of fate to the Asatru way but not in the way you think at first. One’s day fo death is fated but how and in what ay one dies is up to the person. One cannot know that day so one must live bravely knowing each day could be that day. This makes vk=ikings tend to live on the edge and push life to its fullest knowing one cannot determine the day of one’s death but one can determine how one lives so one might have a good death. I suppose this is a practical cosmology in this sense. The philosophy being live fully and bravely at all times.

One’s ultimate fate is then determined by how one died. Common death often earned Helheim with its queen Hella, but for the brave who died in battle – Valhalla. There are of course many other options for all the other deaths. But these are probably the two most well known. One could say that how one dies has a great bearing where one will spend the next phase of one’s life until Ragnarok.

I suppose for an atheist such as myself, the lesson is one of living life fully as one can not know when one is going to die so making a memorable end would be worth something to those that love me. This s one area of Asatru where I think the cosmology is interesting but the real world is little like the world of Yggdrasill.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Germanic Magic” (Asatru – Part 23) – The Pagan Pulpit

January 5, 2020January 5, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

Theme Song: “Rún – SKÁLD

Meditation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

Magic is a word that conjures up a lot of imagery and there seems to be a definite difference in the understanding of those who practice it in the real world and those who write it in the fantasy literature genre. In the real world magic is a more earthy and practical day to day stuff. Germanic/Norse magic is probably not as central to the practice of Asatru as it is in Wicca, but it still plays a vital role. In considering Germanic magic there some elements to consider – the magical workers themselves and the terms used most commonly, Runes, Seidh, and Deity Possession.

In Asatru, the magical workers are pretty much a part-time lot. I suppose if you had the means to pursue magical practice full-time most might consider it but most are part-time in the practice like poets and songwriters. The term for a woman who practices magic is Völva and the term for a man who does the same is Thul.

There are specialized terms for the various practitioners of various types of magic beyond this. This includes terms for those who practice dark magic. Gand is the general term for magic and Galdr is the word for a spell and covers most of the verbal and ceremonial magic. There are lots of types of magic but in Germanic magic – most, however, deals with the spirits of the dead and the spirits in general. Music is assumed to have a magical quality to it. That’s why skalds are not just bards but magical practitioners as well.

Runes are sometimes invoked in divination but seem to be in Asatru more of the standard offensive and defensive magic. They are old to the point of being ancient and there are currently 24 major ones although other runes are present. No one really knows what they mean anymore. It probably the fact of Chrisitan persecution that may have destroyed many of the works of magic that the Germanic pagans had that could be helpful but no longer exist. Each rune has its own power and each rune often ahs its own patron deity associated with it. Although the runes as a whole are associated with Odin the most as he is the one who is said to have brought them to knowledge from his nine-day ordeal on the World Tree – Yggdrasil.

The second division of magic outside the runes is Seidh. Divination or prophetic vision is mostly associated with women. These days it concerns things involving trances and things similar to shamanism. This could include illusion and shape-shifting as well. Most notably though it is given the term – second sight. The reading of omens as well. There is so much here that I am barely scratching the surface.

One rare thing to talk about is the idea of a deity manifesting its personality in a ceremony through a worshiper. It is not mentioned much in the lore or practiced much in Asatru by my source’s own admission. But it does rarely seem to happen. I’ve seen such things in my Pentecostal faith where people are said to be speaking in tongues or prophecy but this is a little different in that this is said to be Odin speaking through a follower. I must emphasize this is very rare today and debated among the followers of Asatru.

While as an atheist I pretty much dismiss these things, I find it a fascinating thing that religious cultures can have so much in common and yet feel they are so divided. The idea that psychologically both as individuals and groups we can believe things like magic is an interesting phenomenon and one that crops up often in any religion. Asatru’s is much more complex, subtle, and sublime than most.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Yuletide – The Original 12 Days of ‘Christmas'” – Odin’s Eye

December 18, 2019December 18, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

I think it is no secret that what is celebrated as Christmas these days was originally a pagan holiday known as Yule. Yule differs from Christmas in that it has twelve days of celebration whereas Christmas centers on Dec. 25th. In contrast, the twelve days of Yule were all about celebrating the end of the year and the welcoming of spring although it will take some time to fully materialize. The Winter solstice is the focus of Yuletide along with a lot of drinking.

Considering that in Viking lands, this time of year is basically hunkering down and waiting out the winter. One did have to keep oneself both alive with stored food and firewood but also entertained and safe from the Wild Hunt. Yuletide is a twelve-day long party and the Vikings loved to party.

The 12 Days of Yuletide are:

Mothers Night – Dec 20
Night of the Wild Hunt – Dec 21
Manni – Dec 22
Freyr and Nord – Dec 23
Feast of Community – Dec 24
Eir – Dec 25
Thor = Dec 26
Skaldi and Ullr – Dec 27
Odin – Dec 28
Sunna – Dec 29
Valkeries – Dec 30
Oath Night – Dec 31

All of these days either have a feast associated with an event or gods/goddesses. A lot of the traditions we see at Christmas are still associated with Yule – the yule log, mistletoe, decorating trees, etc.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

“To see the truth, change one eye for another”

Meditation:

Year’s End seems to have significance for all of us in a more meditative level. For me, 2019 has been a ‘meh’ year for the most part. It has had its high moments but there have also been some downtimes. Mostly though it was just the dull drudgery of existence that I don’t like thinking about as it depresses me, Mostly through meditation I am thinking about what my oath should be for 2020 which I will give on Dec 31st. It is not wise to make oaths and not complete them. Even ones given to yourself.

Mystery:

There is a mystery to my future that hits me at this time of year. I have less and less connected to my past career and life and that is both wonderfully freeing and at the same time frightening as I don’t really know what I am going to be other than being a writer. The mystery of the future seems more prominent at a year’s end.

Spirituality:

If there is anything that hits me as far as spirituality, it is a sense of community. Introvert though I am, I fully conscious that people affect my life for good or ill and that means working hard to be true to those who have been true to me. I guess in that sense as well, communion with my fellow man is important as well.

Conclusion:

Yuletide will probably grow more important to me as time goes by. It does provide a platform to celebrate various holidays with people and that is a good thing. For me, the reflective moments of the past and future are far more significant. For me, this year is about Oath Night. last year I did a very minor and safe oath, I need to take it up a notch this year.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Blót and Sumble” (Asatru – Part 21) – The Pagan Pulpit

December 1, 2019December 1, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

Theme Song: MANEGARM – ‘Blot’

An absolutely beautiful song. English translation below.

Sacrifice:

At the hills of the kings

The trees of the gods are standing

An ash tree so proud and strong

A link to the land of the gods

A gate to ancient worlds

Made open with life

A sacrifice made with nine hanged

Whose flesh the ravens prey on

The fields that are here, bear the wounds from the years of famine

Seeds are vanishing in their path

Hear our speech

Bring our sacrifice to your table

A sacrifice to honor you, we give life

We give blood

Give us your crops

Let it the starved earth grow

Give life to the barren north

The fields that are here, bear the wounds from the years of famine

Seeds are vanishing in their path

Hear our songs

Help us to suppress the grime of Sweden

Give us wind in our sails

Cure our broken dreams

Let the tree sprout

Give new life to the root of the tree

Let the ravens eat this sacrifice

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/blot-sacrifice.html

Meditation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

Probably the two most common things that I understand quite well because religions all have them are 1) Festivals and 2) Services. In Asatru, the words are Blót and Sumble but the concept is the same.

Blóts are festivals that involve sacrifice. There are lots of these that either focuses on a particular deity or centered around a holiday. Blóts vary in style and elements depending on the worshipers much like any religion but there are a few common elements to all of them. 1) Preparation, 2) Focusing, 3) Invocation, 4) Offering, 5) Blessing, 6) Sharing, 7) Completion. These elements are commonalities and I have seen them in pretty much any type of religion when it comes to the celebration fo holidays.

A sumble is more of a regular meeting for the purposes of meeting together as a group of worshipers. It is far less formal than a Blót although it can be part of a Blót. Basically put, the master or mistress of ceremonies fills the horn with ale or mead and then announces the focus of that round of the sumble and then either gives the horn to the one taking the role of the Valkerie or just to the next person. The person drinks and then gives it to the next person or speaks with the focus of that round in mind. This is the time for toasts, boasts, and oaths. One tradition has the first round being the focus of praise to the gods, the second round is to remember the honored dead and the third to give oaths as an example.

Oaths are a special case because the sumble has certain responsibilities to the oath-taker. Most notably to challenge the oath if they think it too large or difficult. The group is responsible to make sure oaths are reasonable. They are also responsible to praise fulfilled oaths and penalize or fine oaths that fail.

I have to say that there are two things that happened this week that are of note in regard to Asatru and religion in general. In my group of former ministers turned atheist/agnostic, we spoke this week on social values of religion and how it can hold families, cultures, and societies together. part of that was the mention of holidays and services. People need some symbols and practices to note their tribe and culture and religion often fills that role. The substitute for me is Norse paganism.

The second thing that happened was during work. Thanksgiving I had to work and it is Black ‘Friday’s start so I was there helping with setting up and on the second half of the day checking receipts as people left the store. During that whole time, I was wearing my Wolf Hammer (above) as it was Thor’s Day. I received about five comments on how cool it was and two of those specifically mentioned how they appreciated other religions being represented at this time of year, one mentioning Yuletide. One guy even showed me his hammer tattoed to the top part of his chest. I never met any of these people before in my life, but the connection was there.

This illustrates the power that blóts ad sumbles undoubtedly have to build community and connection. Something that has been missing from my life. Something I probably need to recover. I really don’t connect with Christians that well anymore.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Offerings, Prayers and Altars” (Asatru – Part 20) – The Pagan Pulpit

November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

Theme Song: “Asatru, Nordic Roots”

Mediation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

With the idea of the friendship of the gods more prominent than anything Asatru worship of the gods as far as its practical form follows suit. The offerings, prayers, and altars reflect this and I find this as a former Christian minister very fascinating. Ritual is a part of religion and it has its purpose in being aspects of the relationship with the divine. In Asatru what I see in their rituals is more of a fellowship and friendship emphasis with the gods being the guests of honor.

Offerings in the modern-day tend to be drink offerings (alcoholic) and already prepared and cooked food. In the old days, the slaughter of the animal, skinning, and cooking were a part of it. But very few people today tend to know how to do this so buying food and preparing it is substituted. As with a lot of religions drink offerings are poured on the ground to symbolize the gods partaking. Food is offered up and then shared among the worshipers. Pagan offerings have a practical side and I wonder if the Christians realize that their potlucks and similar meal sharings have more in common with pagan worship of old than their own practice of communion.

Prayers are different. Asatru argues that for the most part, a worshiper should pray standing upright to indicate one’s relationship with the gods is not subservient so much friendship. Other than that, the details are more about what places one in an attitude of prayer; so whatever works. The prayers themselves, having read many of them, are more in line with most prayers I have heard starting with a Hail, followed by a recognition of the title of the god where they dwell and what they did with what weapon. Then there is an asking for aid with a summarization of the problem. In meditation in private, this takes the form of visitation fo the gods in their homes and engaging them in discussions that reflect the friendship nature of worship.

Altars provide the focus for this whether in homes or places of worship. They tend to be in mantlepieces but any space dedicated to the task of prayer and meditation will do. They also tend to be as individual as the people who use them reflecting their gods of choice. Statues, candles, banners, flowers in season, etc. can all be a part of an altar depending on the taste of the individual worshipper. Public altars tend to be a little simpler and reflect the group as a whole.

As an atheist, I don’t worship anything, but I do find that my meditation space has an altar quality to it and probably I will create something to reflect this myself. For me, of course, having a statue of Odin as the original Grey Wayfarer would be appropriate. A banner depicting wolves and ravens, a candle for a meditation focus and perhaps a spear to reflect Odin’s weapon. Runes would be prominent as well given Odin’s association with them. If I am going to meditate on the Nine Noble Virtues, I should have an appropriate setting.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Njord – God of Sea and Wind” (Asatru – Part 18) – The Pagan Pulpit

November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, 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.

Theme Song: Eivør Pálsdóttir: ‘Tròdlabùndin’

This live performance of this song is done in a fjord which is fitting given the god of the sea who was married to the goddess of the mountains – Skadi. Although they never really consummated their marriage.

Mediation:

This is still one of my favorite poems

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

As one would expect, the naval culture of the Vikings would have a god of the sea. Njord – god of wind, fire and the sea seems to be laking is stories but I imagine not in veneration in the old days of the Vikings. He is also one of Vanir hostages like Freya and Freyr who are his children. He was invoked probably regularly for fair weather and a fair journey and success every time the Vikings took to the sea for any reason.

The Geneology of the gods gets confusing sometimes but Njord’s first wife is either unnamed or Nerthus but she is only named in passing by a roman writer in the first century and doesn’t have any other source. We do know he did marry later Skadi from her choosing him by looking at his feet. The marriage was never happy or consummated however as the two are very different.

There really is a lack of worship in modern times of Njord. Probably due to ot the fact that far fewer people are people of the sea. Asatru gives him veneration but it seems almost casual even with our source Paxton. He is one of the gods, but his story is limited.

Of course, from a religious point of view, gods and goddesses tend to be popular when people live in their sphere of influence. Perhaps today you might see a pilot of a plane invoke Njord being the god of wind as well, but the sea-going sailors and raiders of old are long gone. There is really less reason to invoke him now. Unless you view him as a god of traveling in any other medium but land. Not a bad god, just not invoked as much because of the change in the world.

For me, Njord’s story is also light. The fact he was the guy with the most beautiful feet in Asgard says something and is reflected in his children as they are both considered young and beautiful. The marital problems are not anger based but the product of being two different people which I find interesting. Neither one could really get along in each other’s home so they part purely on practical grounds and remain good friends. A lesson that does spin around in my brain. Sometimes a match isn’t a good one and just needs to be recognized as such. Being a wayfarer myself, I would have little need myself to invoke him as I prefer my feet on solid ground.

At this point, I am leaving my consideration of the gods and goddesses in my continued learning about Asatru. There are many more I could do, but they are minor. I am now going to shift this series to Asatru practice and spiritual understanding.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Loki – Trickster God” (Asatru – Part 17) – The Pagan Pulpit

November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day

Announcements:

Theme Song: “Loki” – Rebellion

The lyrics of this song not only recount the stories of Loki but the chorus really encapsulates Loki’s mind – “Lord of Chaos, Brother of Wisdom, the others side of good lurking in your mind”

Meditation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

Loki is an antagonist that does a lot of good things. Recounting his role in all the stories fo Norse Mythology would take quite some time and he is not as straightforwardly evil as a character as people would think. Much like Fenrir, he only turns against the gods because, in the end, they turn against him. Did they have a good reason and a rational fear to do so? Perhaps but the realness of Loki is that he is not a straightforward villain, you can see his side of the story. You can see he has some good points and it hard to be truly disgusted with him.

In the world of the past when the Norse gods were actually worshiped, Loki does not have any worshipers if you look at his artifacts. None that we can tell. Loki is a god, but his worship must have been underground and outside the norm. No temples or statues to this trickster god. But to those willing to bargain and engage in cunning and discreet deception, Loki smiles.

To the followers of Asatru Loki is worshiped by some. His cult is not of the mind that Loki is evil or Ragnorak is the end fo all things but rather a necessary change of the wheel of time. He may make trouble form time to time but the benefits might be worth it. I mean Sif’s hair, Freya’s Ship, Thor’s Hammer and Odin’s Spear are all products of his work. The walls of Asgard are the product of his trickery as is Odin’s steed Sleipnir. The modern heathens have many debates about Loki. It is only his role in Baldar’s death and the fact he kept one person from weeping over Baldar that condemns him. Although his three Children by the giantess add further problems.

Villians, if they are done well, have a motive that you can actually sympathize with. No one is truly evil and Loki is no exception. It should be noted that as epic as some of the antagonists in Morse Mythology can be, Loki represents the threat within that comes from a person who is an ally that could be turned into an enemy. There is a lot of wisdom to be gained when considering this element of Loki’s story.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

	Grant W on Of Wolves and Ravens – M…
	Wolfgang on “Skadi: Goddess of the W…
	Heimdall Norse Mytho… on “Heimdall – Guardi…
	Ed Raby Sr on Pause, Reset, Re-Align, R…
	Dawn on Pause, Reset, Re-Align, R…