I was born a cradle catholic. I obviously converted to paganism but I have… a quirk I guess, and I was curious if anyone else does this.
When someone i know who believes in the catholic/christian god is struggling, I will burn a candle for them in a church. Not because I believe but because I feel it would mean more to them.
That’s like… their god. And I feel they would get more comfort out of that that me going ‘may Thor give you strength’, y’know?
This reading list contains works that I do not wholeheartedly agree with, but have been influenced enough by to feel they are worth including. Please read carefully and critically. If you have questions about aspects of these works, feel free to reach out to me in my ask box or DMs with questions! Similarly, if there's a resource that you're wondering about but don't see listed here, you're also welcome to ask me about it! I might not have read it (and I always love another thing to read), or I might have very strong opinions about the book and/or author and would be more than happy to elaborate.
Academic Books
The Norse Sorceress - Leszek Gardela, Sophie Bønding, & Peter Pentz
The Viking Way - Neil Price
Freyja - Great Goddess of the North - Britt Mari Näsström
The Road to Hel - Hilda Roderick Ellis
Pre-Christian Religions of the North - ed. Jens Peter Schjødt, John Lindow, and Anders Andrén
Shamanism in Norse Myth and Magic - Clive Tolley (I don't like sejd being characterized as shamanism, but worth checking out regardless)
Academic Papers
Spirits Through Respiratory Passages - Eldar Heide
Gand, seid og åndevind - Eldar Heide
The Maiden with the Mead - Maria Kvilhaug
Vǫrðr and Gandr: Helping Spirits in Norse Magic - Clive Tolley
A biography of seiðr-staffs - Leszek Gardela
The Norns in Old Norse Mythology - Karen Bek-Pedersen
Spinning Seiðr - Eldar Heide
Seid-seansen i Eiriksoga - Eldar Heide
(Magic) Staffs in the Viking Age - Leszek Gardela
Trolls and Witches - Gunnar W. Knutsen and Anne Irene Riisøy
Books Written by Contemporary Practitioners
Elves, Witches and Gods - Cat Heath (I have some major disagreements that stem from my own UPG around sejd, but I do believe this is the best book on sejd from a practitioner's POV)
Podcast Episodes
Secrets of Seiður (part 1 and part 2) - Nornagaldur
Fröja's Apples with Sara Bonadea - Radical Elphame
Viking Sorceress with Adam Bierstadt (and the Q&A) - The Nordic Mythology Podcast
The Sacred Flame Podcast (no specific episodes, because I find the podcast as a whole to be very relevant)
Brute Norse Podcast (again, no specific episodes because I think this whole podcast gives good thought on bringing myth/folklore into the modern world)
Interviews with Contemporary Practitioners
Ask and Icelandic Völva - The Norse Witch
Eaten by the Wolf with Andrea Hejlskov - The Nordic Mythology Podcast
Living Tradition with Icelandic Völva Tanya Lind - The Nordic Mythology Podcast
Youtube Channels and Videos
Performing Magic in the pre-Modern North
The Shape of the Soul: The Viking Mind and Individual
Life and Afterlife: Dealing with the Dead in the Viking Age
I hope to continue to add to this post as I remember more sources, and as I continue to read and learn (I have a huge reading list that I hope to add here as I finish each piece). I think that learning sejd means it's necessary to read more books and papers that you dislike than ones that you like, and I would generally say that I have not liked most books written by practitioners.
A part of me misses a pagan community around myself.
Does anyone know of a group/discord server/ whatever that I could join? Preferably 18+ for no other reason than that i’m 30 and dont wanna be around teens the whole time lol
This is something I've wanted to talk about for a while (in more detail than I have in the past) since it's such a pervasive struggle in Pagan circles. So, I'm going to break down the overall differences in how our religions generally define divinity as opposed to Abrahamic faiths (the main three being Islam, Christianity, and Judaism with a focus on the first two), as well as how we see these differences manifesting culturally.
Very Long Post with beginners in mind who have questions about the role of Divinity in Paganism!
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To start, let's define some key traits of the Abrahamic God and his role within the faith of his worshippers.
In Christianity particularly, He's often defined as a "Tri-omni God," as in he is omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent. In simpler terms, an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good being. This God's judgment is that which determines the universe, it's absolute, and it's unlimited.
He's attributed as being a "prime mover," as in that which began everything. The concept of the holy trinity, as well, refers to the all-encompassing nature of the deity: existing above creation, within creation, and in tandem with creation simultaneously and equally.
The idea of total judgment and/or absolution is also a key concept of these religions, and that is where we get these ideas of sin, hell, heaven, repentance, etc. Judaism, obviously, differs a bit here, but Islam follows pretty similar.
So what does Abrahamic influence look like in Pagan circles?
"Will the Gods be mad at me if I ___?"
"Do I need to ask permission before I ___?"
"Is it a sin in paganism to ___?"
"Something bad happened to me. Did I anger the Gods?"
"I can't hear the Gods talking to me. What am I doing wrong?"
"I'm too scared of messing up to start my practice."
It's easy for me, with a few years of experience, to say that we are polytheists with no central authority (or very little, at least), we can have as many or as few Gods as we wish, and we may offer as often or as rarely as we wish. So forth and so on.
However, many of the people who ask these questions are only familiar with the Abrahamic God's unquestionable and singular authority. This leads to insecurity when operating within a religious system without authority.
There's also the other direction wherein people overcorrect and reject any sense of a developed religion to completely avoid any reminders of the centralized, structurally-driven experiences with their old faith.
This can look like excluding certain Gods on a surface-level 'moral' basis (e.g., Zeus), discrediting worshiper/worshipee relationships in favor of working relationships, or completely disregarding myth in their practice.
These things come about because someone who is used to the more literal interpretations of the Bible (or other dogmatic holy texts) would expect pagan myths to be treated the same, so they reject them altogether. Someone might exclude Zeus because the myths make him out to be a rapist and an adulterer.
This does not account for the fact that the myths are symbolic and metaphorical allegories that use the Gods to connect a spiritual perspective to physical or cultural realities of the times they came from. In other words, those who can not deconstruct the literalist perspective are more likely to fall into the same fallacies when it comes to Pagan myths.
How Would I, Personally, Understand the Gods?
So, knowing how Abrahamic faiths have influenced some practitioners to view Divinity, how should we look at the Pagan Gods? It's fairly subjective, but I'll start with my perspective.
The Pagan Gods are not Tri-Omni. They are not all-powerful, all-knowing, or even all-good. This is because they do not exist as something greater than the physical, but are instead the spiritual connection to the physical. In a sense, they are "beyond," but still not above. I wouldn't say that they are limited by the laws of reality, but rather, they are the laws of reality.
The concept of "all-knowing" is a trickier one. From the perspective of a Norse Pagan, I would argue that fate is never set in stone, that we are still working on the tapestry that is our destiny.
How can the Gods know beyond what does not exist? I don't believe they do. Can they know more than us? Can they have a perspective beyond us? Absolutely. The stars, the clouds, the rains, and the winds are all a part of something beyond us, and also including us. That doesn't make them "all-knowing."
As far as "all-good," that's a questionable concept on its own, in my opinion. I would not consider them malicious, of course, but I would say that Gods do exist beyond mortal ideas of morality. Is a hurricane evil because it destroys homes and livelihoods? Or is that just the way of natural occurrence? The philosophies within Pagan religion, such as hospitality and reciprocity, are concurrent within nature and humanity, and those are therefore concepts we should think long and hard on.
Why do we worship the Gods, then?
"If they aren't as powerful and all-encompassing as the Abrahamic God allegedly is, then why do we worship them?"
It's a good question. I, personally, don't believe that any religion truly has an all-powerful God, so that aspect just isn't in question for me. I practice Paganism because connecting to the world around me, both spiritually and physically, is more valuable and enriching than other belief systems.
Worshipping the Pagan Gods is not something I do out of fear of punishment, hope for salvation, or obligation to a higher authority. That's why Pagans aren't commanded to proselytize. Instead, Pagan religions work on the concepts of voluntary engagement with themselves, their communities, and the natural world as part of the natural cycles of giving and taking.
We choose to worship, not based on any requirements, but because it's fulfilling for us on a spiritual level without having to forsake the things that make us human.
This leads me to my next commentary on the differences between these religious umbrellas:
Structure in Society: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up
Christianity and Islam in particular, are Top-Down religions. This means that they rely on the enforcement of a higher authority to operate.
The acceptance of a dogmatic book that claims to be the word of a God is, of course, the most notable feature of these religions. One could also point out that there are established religious systems of hierarchy (clergy) within Christianity, and similar functions within certain sects of Islam and Judaism.
The authority (at the Top) commands certain truths to become known, without question, and for the common worshipper (at the Bottom), to make these their reality.
(Obviously, this is a generalization and not all practitioners of these religions will follow along like this. However, over centuries of these religions existing, these are the overarching trends of their practice.)
Paganism, on the other hand, is derived from the average person's cultural and spiritual experiences (From the Bottom), developing alongside shared natural, cultural, and spiritual perspectives of the rest of the community until it forms something cohesive and well-understood so that it filters upwards into the main nexus of society (The Top).
Over time, this may then become another religion in a position of power that is enforced with authority, but this is not true for the majority of its history or practice, largely due to the lack of orthodoxy or dogma. Even in notable societies, like Ancient Greece, pagan worship and beliefs could vary greatly by region and city.
These societal differences in the structures of these religious groups reflect the way divinity is viewed. In Abrahamic religions, their God is the unquestionable leader of all things. In Paganism, the Gods simply are, and we may choose to allow them into our lives.
What this Means for You:
Paganism comes in many, many different forms, and it's highly individualistic.
I'm willing to bet there are going to be a few things in here that both Pagans and people of other faiths are going to disagree with, but this is based on my experiences and knowledge, in a general presentation, about how these topics may affect your pagan practice.
Deconstruct authority. This is a non-dogmatic religion with very little concept of orthodoxy or of othropraxy.
Learn for yourself. Learn why things were done, learn what philosophies accompany certain actions, and learn why some things should be carried on today (or shouldn't).
Unlearn Monotheism and the "Tri-omni" God. These don't apply to Paganism.
Take your time. These Gods are not wrathful, they are not vengeful, and you are not obligated to worship. Learn, practice, and love at your own pace.
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Very Long Post, sorry again! I'm more than open to discussion and commentary, but please keep it civil. This is a very generalized post that is an attempt to address a very complex struggle as concisely as possible.
There are a lot of things I haven't gone over, and there's a lot more to be discussed on the matter. For this reason, feel free to add on!
(Editing to add in)
This can not POSSIBLY account for all variations within both religious umbrellas. This is a broad overview of how mainstream Abrahamic religious structures have altered the way divinity would've been viewed (or maybe should be viewed, now) by Pagans.
Hey, don't be afraid of things that challenge your faith. Seriously, don't.
Either they'll give you a new perspective on things, or you'll become more secure and confident in your current beliefs. But avoiding the hard questions leaves you in an echo chamber with half-baked ideas and an insecurity in yourself. Step out of your comfort zone so you have room to grow.
PMO seeing pagan videos using fucking ai in the actual visuals, there’s hundreds of art depictions, both new and old, that are made by real artists. AI shouldn’t belong in spaces such as ones designed to teach people about human experiences such as religion in any form.
i hate that ai has been so entangled with information and art, it doesn’t belong in either.
I am ashamed to admit it that when I entered my new relationship earlier this year, I took down my altar.
She knows the norse myths are near and dear to me and that both me and my brother wear a mjollnir pendant daily.
I was unsure if she would accept my religion, being catholic still. But last weekend she introduced me to her best friend and led with ‘you’re both pagans!’.
The norse pagan experience: “Wow, i love this topic! Let’s find out more about it!” *it’s only been mentioned once* *the original text is lost to time* *a few sentences remain but they make no sense* *scholars are baffled* *students are crying*
Here’s a question for my Scandinavian followers, or anyone who knows more about runes than I do:
I re-read the section of the Hávamál where Odin talks about carving, coloring, reading, and “sending” the runes, and I understand he’s probably not talking about the rune-tokens we use for runic divination today (especially since those were invented in the 70’s). But that got me wondering what he is actually referring to, so I must ask:
Is he talking about carving runes on wooden sticks or poles instead?
Right now I’m thinking about an episode I saw of Hilda. In one scene, she walks into a graveyard carrying a stick covered in runes. She rolls it against the ground, evoking the dead, in order to raise them from their graves.
I remember something similar from the Norse myths as well: When Freyr falls in love with the giantess Gerdr, he sends his man Skirnir to Jötunheim to bring her to him. But Gerdr refuses to accompany him back to Asgard, so Skirnir pulls out a stick, carves runes it, and uses it to curse Gerdr to never find love unless it’s with ugly giants or Freyr himself.
I did a little digging just now and discovered there’s archaeological evidence for rune-poles: The “Bryggen inscriptions,” which are a collection of medieval-era poles found in Bergen, many of which have runic charms carved on them.
If making rune-poles is what the Hávamál is actually referring to, then do we know how they work and how they’re used? Is there any folklore about it? I’m guessing there must be something, given the scene in Hilda.
I also have some additional thoughts that I don't know where to put but relate to my general inquiry: What I know about runes leaves me with the impression that ancient Scandinavians thought about very differently. Today we use it as a medium for storing and transmitting stories (interpret this word in the broadest possible sense here; I'm talking about things ranging from fantasy narratives, to personal anecdotes, to factual reporting). But I’m wondering—and this is just me hypothesizing—if people used runic writing more like musical notation or computer code, in which it represented something that was supposed to be played. This would make “knowing how to read the runes” more analogous to “knowing how to read sheet music” or “knowing how to read JavaScript.” It would also make the concept of “sending runes” similar to the concepts of “playing music” or “running software.” This makes perfect sense in principle...but if this were all true, then the questions remain: How were they sent, for what purpose were they sent, and through what kind of framework were they sent? How does it all work?
If its like in folklore, sending might be a variation of casting/throwing runes.
In the folk tales and songs they might throw runes behind them or cast runes on someone.
I've seen it suggested as doing hand signs against something. While others that it was pre-prepared staves with several runes.
Reading runes were definitely both reading the sounds and the intentions. We have inscriptions that are a few runes that doesn't make sense as words, like: gagagag (anzu (god) and gebu (gift) repeated). And there was no grammar, so you have to guess what the writer wanted to say.
The Scandinavian word for "letter" is bogstav/bøkstav, which means: beech-staff. So there have been some carving single runes into wood staves.
Another word for runes/signs is kumbler. Some suggest that kumbel is when used for writing and rune used for magic. But that's guesswork.
I dunno. This was just some early morning ramblings.
Yes it was stanza 144! This is fantastic and definitely in the vein of what I'm looking for.
I have some questions, if you don't mind: How does one cast runes onto someone? Is it like putting an enchantment on them? What does a rune hand-sign look like?
I think I may have some idea about what reading the sounds + intention is like, but it's very vague.
I greatly appreciate the early morning ramblings. Thank you.
In the songs you cast runes behind you when running away from enemies to confuse them. Or you cast runes on someone to confuse their eyes and hide who you are.
I wouldn't know what the hand signs would be. I just saw someone say that the image of the hero going into a hall and throw rune staves in someone's face to enchant them, is more amusing than magic. And considering that Europe and the Middle East have the concept of "doing hand sign for [x]", it might be closer to that.
...
I've read a children's book that took the idea and ran with that. The main character learns to form runes with her hands, both by experimenting by herself and from gods she meet, and that gives her skills like clear sight, protection, hiding and so on. Cannot remember the book name or author. But I think it was an English book. (It's hard to remember which language you read in when you store memories in images.)
It was clearly fiction from someone with a surface knowledge, not written by an expert! But the author did make some interesting suggestions on how you'd make rune handsigns.
This is fascinating. It's almost the meaning of the word "rune" doesn't actually refer to a futhark letter, but rather refers to "a shape experienced on the inside." Like how signs are in sign-language, where the internally-experience shape made by the body is what produces the meaning. And somehow these are cast on other people?
It almost sounds like the futhark then is more like a form of notation; where the letters merely represent runes the same way musical notes merely represent music.
This would also make sense as to why the runes are referred to as "secrets" in the myths—they would be "secrets" and "hidden meanings" if they represent an internally-felt experience—something I've been calling a "feel-shape" for lack of a better word.
But I don't know. Do I have the right idea about this?
But it's likely a mix of many things. Runes were very much used for writing messages and making declarations. Runestones are legible and we know they send wax tables and staves with runes. Runes were used for the Edda, the Icelandic Sagas and Medieval Runes were used long into the 14th century.
But of course it was a very small elite who knew what it was and could use it. For everyone else it was symbols that somehow meant knowledge and power.
Think about it from an outsiders view. Your chieftain somehow knows everything that's going on very quickly. You don't really know how. But it has something to do with the sticks with symbols on that he looks at sometimes. One day he look at a stick and immediately tell everyone to prepare for a feast next sunna's day, because his sister will arrive. And them the sister comes! How did he know?
Of course chieftain send a rune staff: "r u comin" and received an answer "b đere sun dai".
Or another situation. A stranger comes into the hall, not even the chieftain or adviser knows who he his. Then he show the chieftain a staff with symbols, and suddenly the chieftain hugs the stanger and calls him nephew. How? Why? Was the chieftain enchanted with the symbols?
And then people of course think: Could I get power and knowledge with these runes?
Again. Guessing based on human behavior. And a bit on the folk tales, Hero sagas and Icelandic sagas.
Btw the oldest song in Danish/Scanian was written in medieval runes. Translated to Latin letters, most will be able to read it.
That makes sense; reading and writing look pretty magical in a society where most people don't know how to. I suppose I'll keep digging around and see what I find.
Also THANK YOU for sharing that fascinating bit of rune music. :o
This prayer was written by me, and is part of a series of prayers to recite when going through rough times. Everyone is going through the ringer right now, given the state of everything, so hopefully this can help you get through some tough things too. Enjoy!
Hail Loki, the sly son of Laufey,
Confidante of the thunderer and blood brother of the raven god,
Fiery-haired father of the wolf, the serpent and the deathly lady,
I pray to you and hope that you may hear me
As it is in this hour of need that I need your help the most!
Loki, wily god of lies and fools,
But wise in the way that only a trickster can be,
You are the god of the outcasts,
The shape-changer whose identity is never defined,
Much like those who find comfort in your presence!
I pray that you, O Loki,
Will help guide me out of the suffering I find myself in;
Teach me the ways of cleverness so that I may slip from this snare,
As a wily fox outsmarts its hunter,
And gift me with your blessings and good humor,
So that even in the darkest moments,
I may find the light that you help bring.
You, Loki, are the inspirer of smiles,
The greatest companion, full of tricks and whimsy,
And all those who call you their companion,
From Thor to Odin to the common man,
Are very blessed indeed to feel your presence
And know your quick wit.
Hail Loki, the mischief maker and helpful guide,
And may you bring blessings upon this house in our times of need!
When studying ancient texts, it's important to leave the protestant Biblical approach at the door! I see so many people who are tempted to treat the Illiad, Platonic dialogues, or the Hermetica in the same way a Christian would treat a Biblical passage.
The claims and teachings of these texts do not hinge on the events and characters in them being historically true, and in some cases not even on being written by the author they're attributed to.
For example, there are certain texts in the Platonic corpus that most scholars nowadays believe weren't written by Plato, but the teachings presented in them fit very well with the rest of the Platonic writings and are thus still used because they cover certain topics and areas that weren't covered in the original texts. This does not invalidate the teachings in them, and that is the most important part.
The same goes for a lot of the mythology and epics about the Gods. They do not represent some form of cohesive account of their actions, doings, or personalities. They were written for many different purposes, by different people in different times. Some were comedies, otheres were lyrical metaphors and some were folk legends and tales.
Keep this in mind next time you pick up an ancient poem or dialogue in the bookstore, and happy reading!
I’m always kinda fascinated by how people picture the gods.
Like, for some reason Freya looks like an older woman to me. Matured and knowledgeable. Her hair is still largely dark blond but she’s got grey hair she doesn’t bother hiding. She has laugh lines and sharp eyes, like a hawk.
And Thor. He’s big in every sense of the word. But when he smiles, his face transforms from severe and intimidating to the warmest, most welcoming expression you can imagine. He laughs with his entire body and it loud and boisterous but never obnoxiously so.
Idk. I have more examples but i feel a little silly
Many people in the modern day pagan/polytheist communities are young. As such, a majority of them are neurodivergent, like I am. For me, that means a majority of the language used in resources is difficult to understand. This was originally going to be a post about that, but the more I wrote, the more I realised that many people, neurodivergent or not, just... don't know how to study resources. So, if you are someone that also struggles, I now present to you... my full guide on how to study resources.
Little disclaimer: I myself am a hellenic polytheist, but this guide is for anyone that struggles with understanding information from resources, whether you are a hellenic polytheist, norse polytheist, kemetic polytheist, etc. Though do understand that I am writing from the perspective of a hellenic polytheist, so I am bound to make mistakes when it comes to religions I am less educated on. You are always welcome to adjust anything I say here to fit your own religion accordingly.
Let's get started.
Firstly, you have to find resources. Many people happen to get stuck here, unfortunately.
How do I know what to research to begin with? When starting out, the general consensus among the polytheist/pagan communities is to research the related historical practice. How the deities were worshipped, what contexts they were worshipped in, the history of the deities, etc etc... all of these are very important factors to consider as a beginner. Only by knowing the history can you then delve deeper into specific terms and specific paths that may be right for you!
How do I find resources? Unfortunately, a lot of resources are behind paywalls or just plain hard to find. Here is a list of websites that I personally use and recommend:
scholar.google.com
academia.edu
pdfdrive.com
library.memoryoftheworld.org
libcom.org
libretexts.org
standardebooks.org
By the way, just a reminder that if you find a resource but there is a pesky paywall in your way, you can probably find it on archive.org for free!
How do I choose a resource though? If you are part of hellenic polytheism, then theoi.com is a great resource, but I always like to add primary sources into my research + not everyone reading this will be part of helpol. Try to find primary sources, first and foremost. Then read historical accounts. Then read secondary sources. Also, make sure your author is reliable! (that link is only for hellenic polytheism though, apologies. If you are not part of hellenic polytheism, then looking into who the author is/was as a person and what sort of contributions they made and beliefs they held never failed me personally!)
Found your resource? Made sure the author is reliable? Wonderful! Now what?
This is usually where the procrastination hits for me. Either that, or I get hyperfocused for a while but never complete it and then lose interest.
To avoid that, break things down and establish a routine. You do not have to finish a book in a day, or understand everything you read straight away. Setting those kinds of expectations for yourself will only make things so much more difficult.
Instead, make a routine for yourself. Outlined below is my routine:
Getting into the mindset. I always like to get myself into the mindset of studying by praying, whether this is studying for school or studying a resource. Since my entire life is devoted to lord Apollon, I pray to Him for it. However, if I am researching a specific god, I will typically pray to them instead. However, sometimes I do not have the spoons to write out a prayer, so I typically just adjust my surroundings instead. Turning my LED lights to a warmer colour and putting on some lofi music usually helps me! The studyblr community has great tips for this part! I also recommend I Miss My Cafe.
Reading. First, I try to read without annotating or taking notes. This is the time to take in the information, to try and grasp what I am reading. This is usually the most difficult part for me, because a lot of academic sources tend to use advanced language and sentence structures that are difficult for me to understand. Unfortunately, the only tip I have for this part is to read as slowly as you need. Do not be ashamed for taking your time. Typically, I only like to read one paragraph before I move onto the next step.
Annotation. This is where I re-read the paragraph I just read. Typically, I like to re-word the paragraph in a simpler way for me to understand. Sometimes I notice little patterns that may connect back to something I've read prior, whether in another book or earlier in the same book. When that happens, that is something I add too! Remember, you do not have to annotate. If it makes it easier, then perfect! If it does not, discard it.
Consult study tools. This is where I cross-reference with other resources. This is how the entire process repeats again. Though, you do not just have to use books for this part! YouTube videos, podcasts, online resources, etc etc...these always help too!
Application. After vetting the information, consider how it would apply to your life, if at all.
Of course, that's just my routine. You are always welcome to use it, but I also greatly encourage you to create your own routine so that you can cater it to your learning style!
I also recommend setting a time limit for yourself. If you have not completed a chapter within the time limit, that is okay! The most important thing about researching is making sure you are not guilting yourself into biting off more than you can chew. Take your time, you have a lot of it.
Research is vital to religions like ours, and research should be something everyone can do! Just because you may need some accommodations does not make you any less intelligent. We all learn differently. That is okay.
I hope this post can serve as something helpful for those who struggle in this area, and as a reminder that you are not alone in your struggles. If you have any questions or would like further clarification on some points, feel free to reach out!
