#germanic deities

[feldgeistchen]

Some thoughts on Odin

Last weekend i attended a presentation by a German/Norwegian professor who studies religions and especially norse paganism and folk tales and he said some interesting stuff about Odin:

He said that Odin is above all a god who's trying to fight against fate. He tries to gain as much knowledge as possible about the future and the fate of the gods. Also, many of his attributes are directly connected to the fate of the gods, a.k.a. Ragnarök:

his spear

his horse Sleipnir (the fastest and strongest horse, perfect for battle)

the ring Draupnir (golden rings were used by kings and lords to pay their mercenary soldiers, i.e. Odin can form the biggest army ever with his neverending supply of rings)

Valhalla with all the soldiers who will fight with him when Ragnarök comes

etc.

So he is not directly a god of war who enjoys battles (as some people think), but rather a god who is trying to prepare himself as best he can for the fight he knows will come. He's wandering the worlds in search of more knowledge, he learns the runes, magic, seiđr, he's putting together an army, and so on.

This description really resonated with me, because I worship Odin and I've never experienced him as someone who would find joy in battle as other gods specifically attributed to war do. He seems to me more like an old commander, someone who has seen and experienced everything there is to see and experience. Someone who is well prepared to fight if necessary, but only if necessary. Someone who would rather use his intellect and wisdom to avoid fighting all together.

Maybe that's also why many people who work with Odin say that he seems like a calm old grandpa who shares random wisdoms with anyone willing to hear them.

.

Additional thoughts:

In Norse mythology, fate is the highest power and even the gods can do nothing to change or prevent it. This is also shown by Baldur's story. It's his fate to die and be in Hel, no matter how hard Odin or the other gods try (and this is a good thing, because this way he's one of the only ones who survive Ragnarök (since he doesn't participate in the fights)).

[creativity-of-death]

Jörmungandr / Nature’s Wrath

Such a good video

[deitiesmasterlist]

Anglo-Saxon Deities

Goddesses

Eostre : Goddess of spring and rebirth.

Erce : Goddess of the earth

Frig : Goddess of marriage, prophecy, clairvoyance, love and motherhood.

Rheda : Goddess of victory

Gods

Seaxneat : Patron deity of the Saxons and god of the family.

Thunor : God of thunder, strench, fertility, forge and protection.

Tiw : God of the sky and war.

Wade : God of the Sea.

Woden : King of the gods and god of wisdom, healing, death, royalty, war and knowledge.

[pagansquare]

The Lie that Tells the Truth

CRASH!

A massive commotion out on the front porch. The kids rush to the window to see what's happening. That's when the screams begin.

Read more...

[feldgeistchen]

"Donnerkeile" -> fossil belemnites as remnants of Thor's lightning

"Donnerkeile", so-called "thunderbolt", is the German name for the fossil remnants of belemnites ("an extinct group of marine cephalopod, very similar in many ways to the modern squid and closely related to the modern cuttlefish" (Wikipedia)). These were often found on the coast of the Baltic sea, but since people didn't know about their origins yet, they were believed to be the remnants of Thor's lightning bolts as they were often washed ashore after thunderstorms.

One source says that they were Thor's teeth which he lost when spitting out thunder and lightning; another source says that they were Thor's lightning bolts that were petrified when hitting the sand.

Sources:

Steine und Mineralien

Spektrum.de

[feldgeistchen]

Germanic wooden cult figurines

Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines, sometimes called pole gods, have been found at many archaeological sites in Central and Northern Europe. They are generally interpreted as cult images, in some cases presumably depicting deities, sometimes with either a votive or an apotropaic (protective) function. Many have been preserved in peat bogs. The majority are more or less crudely worked poles or forked sticks; some take the form of carved planks. They have been dated to periods from the Mesolithic to the Early Middle Ages, including the Roman Era and the Migration Age. The majority have been found in areas of Germanic settlement, but some are from areas of Celtic settlement and from the later part of the date range, Slavic settlement. A typology has been developed based on the large number found at Oberdorla, Thuringia, at a sacrificial bog which is now the Opfermoor Vogtei open-air museum.

The oldest of the figures is the Mesolithic find from Willemstad in the Netherlands and the latest is 13th-century, but most date from between c. 500 BCE and 500 CE. They are found as far west as Ireland (although at least one found in Britain, the Strata Florida figure from Wales, was imported) and as far east as Gorbunovo Moor in Russia. By far the majority were preserved in wetlands of some sort; however, only one figure—from the late Bronze Age settlement at Wasserburg Buchau, near Bad Buchau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany—has been found in the lake village culture of the Alps.

Source:

Wikipedia

[feldgeistchen]

I just found an animal skull on a walk in the woods behind my house... i hope that's a good sign... (after a quick google search, i think it's a boar skull)

I've literally never ever found anything like that in these woods before (bear in mind we don't have any large predators here in Middle/Western Germany, the biggest predators here are foxes)

[feldgeistchen]

i am looking to start working with Freyr and am not quite sure where to start. any advice on how to reach out to him? (also sorry for any spelling mistakes i can’t see the text, there’s a glitch)

Hey! I'm quite new to working with Freyr too, so i can only tell you what i've done or are currently doing:

i'd suggest you first read up on all the sagas and stories he's part of to get a feel for him and what he stands for and is like

about the 'reaching out' part: to me, it feels like Freyr isn't one of the 'talkative' gods who's always interacting with you, but rather someone whose presence you suddenly feel, like he offers comfort and peace whenever you need it instead of words or advice (i'd describe it as like a warm comforting hand on your shoulder)

when i'm 'reaching out' to him (or rather inviting him to share a moment with me) it's usually when i'm going on walks or sitting in the sunshine. this is also something you could do at the beginning to begin building a relationship, just invite him to join you whenever you feel like he'd enjoy being with you (i.e. in moments of peace or joy)

maybe praying to him could help you too if that's your thing. you could either write your own prayers, find some you like online, or just tell him about who you are and what's drawn you to him

you could also familiarise yourself with his symbols and what they mean to him and to you, i.e. peace, joy, fertility, love, nature, agricultural themes, sacrifice -> all of these not just in the literal way but also in any personal way you connect with these motives

I hope this helps you a little bit :)