divinity in the waves

clara // she/her // a child of the sea 🕯️norse pagan and devotee of Njörðr 🎣 no frith with fascists!

[dottirofthesea]

🪽 and so the seagulls call me home 🪽

hi hi!! my name is clara, i use she/her pronouns and i am an adult. i'm pretty new to paganism and still learning, but i love it a lot and it's been really good for me.

this blog is dedicated to Norse paganism. although i honor and respect all of the Norse gods, i am particularly devoted to Njörðr, and drawn to the Vanir in general.

my original posts will be tagged #seasong, and anything i consider a virtual offering will be tagged #for (deity). otherwise, i may tag things sporadically but do not expect a particularly consistent tagging system.

other adults feel free to shoot me a dm, i love making friends!!

bigotry, hatred, and white supremacy are not tolerated or welcome here. Odin is the allfather, not the somefather.

dividers are by saradika-graphics and strangergraphics!

other places you can find me:

🪼 @seastarselene (Hellenic polytheist blog)

🪼 @f0restfreak (main blog)

🪼 @hikstihjarta (alterhuman blog)

[twunkish-cleric]

The fact that there are gods with disabilities makes me so emotional. Hephaestus, Tyr, Hodr, Odin and other disabled deities just prove that being disabled is a vital part of the human experience, not a deviation from it, and that concept alone is so moving. Just like there are deities for specific human experiences like fertility or war, there are also deities with disabilities, which just proves that we have just as much of a place on this earth as mothers and warriors do. The idea of that has genuinely pulled me through some hard times.

[jnacho]

[notyourplayground]

i promise: however big you think this wave will be, it is bigger

[uinuvien]

That wasn’t a joke. I aimed my estimate high and then added some.

The wave was bigger.

[fozmeadows]

I like to imagine that, thousands of years ago, humans still stood a (reasonably) safe distance from the ocean during weather like this to watch the waves, hooting and cheering when the spray came closer than expected and left them drenched

[babylon-crashing]

"For the woman who reads the waves."

This is, for the lack of a better term, a gift: an ocean-based grimoire I've posted on Internet Archive for anyone with sea fever.

This is certainly not the first sea witch grimoire, but (as far as I can tell) all the others come with a price tag. I understand that we live in a patriarchal, capitalist society, but it is my deep belief that magic should not be sold like a commodity. Magic, like the ocean, does not "belong" to anyone.

As I write in the introduction:

The Chao Wu Lu (Tide Witch Register) is a fragmented manuscript attributed to an anonymous collective of female ritualists operating along the Fujian-Guangdong coast during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries....Its contents—instructions for talismanic diagrams, incantations, ritual protocols, and fragmentary cosmological teachings—constitute the only known English-language compilation of Daoist-Fujian sea magic centered explicitly on female practitioners and female deities.

All I ask is that you don't try to make money off something that belongs to all of us: "The Sea Witch who steals is no longer a Sea Witch. She is a thief, and the sea does not protect thieves."

[brigitte-poetry]

For any Norse pagans who might not know, there's a popular theory among scholars that Njordr was originally the Germanic goddess Nerthus, who changed into a male sea god as the pagan Norse and Germanic religions grew, which is supported by the fact that their names seem to come from the same root word (Nerþuz) and they share a variety of place names across Scandinavia, among other evidence.

Basically Njordr is a transmasculine icon who protects his trans brothers and devotees and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

[dottirofthesea]

i'm in tears right now (in a good way). one of my most beloved friends has been having a terrible time recently, and i've been super worried about him, so i prayed to Odin to guide him through the dark. i figured since some of Odin's realms are wisdom and madness, he might be able to offer help with mental health problems.

lo and behold, this friend called me today to tell me that he feels like the bad things that have happened are reaffirming his choices to take a different path in life, and that it feels like spiritual tough love. he attributed this to God, being a christian. i won't contradict him to his face. but i think Odin heard my prayer, and stepped in. i am so, so floored and grateful. hail Odin, the one eyed-wanderer!

[rain--goblin]

Subtle, low energy devotional act to Thor:

Carry in the groceries in one trip.

[broomsick]

You're already honoring the Gods. "Is this offering enough?" "Has it been too long since my last ritual?" "Is it okay that I missed this festival?" It's okay, you're already honoring the Gods. Your belief is an offering of its own. It's your trust, your faith, your hope, and your love. You're giving it willingly, and that's a precious offering to the Gods, and a testament to Their existence.

[theflaminggoat]

I take great comfort in knowing that Odin is keeping an eye out for us~ 👁

[rain--goblin]

Well

He definitely does have an eye out if ya know what I mean

[broomsick]

Quick tip for new pagans (something that took me years to understand): faith isn’t a chore, or at least it shouldn’t be. If your religion starts to feel like it’s taking a toll on you, that’s a sign to take a step back, maybe practice more casually for a while. There’s no obligation for you to feel the connection 100% of the time. Faith is a great help, but it’ll come through when you need the help. So don’t force yourself into spirituality at a time when it doesn’t come naturally. It’ll leave you exhausted, not to mention spirituality is one of things that just can’t be forced. Trust me: fluctuations in your faith are temporary. Plus, there are lots of ways to keep a steady, yet casual connection to your faith. The Gods have always been there, whether you feel their presence or not.

[actiwitch]

all cats go to fólkvagnr

[alephskoteinos]

[thatsbelievable]

[homewardskies]

"Noatun is the eleventh, where Njord has

Made a hall for himself,

The Prince of men, lacking in malice,

Rules a high-timbered temple."

-Grimnir's Sayings, The Poetic Edda (Trans. Carolyne Larrington, 1996)

[mentally-ill-vvitch-bxy]

The gods understand. Do not fret if you have fallen into human necessities (work, school, mental illness, etc). The deities understand and are ok with you resting. Take time, take a breath, return when you can and they will be back for you as always

[bodhi-devotee]

being obsessed with your god’s domain before you started worshipping is so reassuring…

like what do you mean you’ve been here the whole time? that you’ve always been a part of me lying in wait? that you, the divine, has innervated & enriched my life long before i acknowledged you were divine? SICK!!!

[marshthebogwitch]

the gods have had mentally ill worshippers for as long as they’ve had worshippers.

the gods have had chronically ill worshippers for as long as they’ve had worshippers.

the gods have had neurodivergent worshippers for as long as they’ve had worshippers.

they won’t be offended or think less of you just because your devotion looks different to able-bodied neurotypical devotion. they understand.