Ramblings about life and living and polytheism of a Germanic flavor with some Celtic sprinkles. ************************** I am currently building relationships with Freyja and Tyr and am slowly studying the AS Futhorc.
30 Days of Deity Devotion
Finally finished! I had an idea to do a 30 Days meme, but for individual deities rather than a general path. Here it is! I figure it’s a good way to show devotion to a god you are close to, or else a good way to learn more about a god you know little about. Think of it as a challenge!
- A basic introduction of the deity
- How did you become first aware of this deity?
- Symbols and icons of this deity
- A favorite myth or myths of this deity
- Members of the family – genealogical connections
- Other related deities and entities associated with this deity
- Names and epithets
- Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)
- Common mistakes about this deity
- Offerings – historical and UPG
- Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity
- Places associated with this deity and their worship
- What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?
- Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?
- Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?
- How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?
- How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?
- How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)
- What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?
- Art that reminds you of this deity
- Music that makes you think of this deity
- A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with
- Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity
- A time when this deity has helped you
- A time when this deity has refused to help
- How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?
- Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered
- Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently
- Any interesting or unusual UPG to share?
- Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?
And there you go! If you plan to do this, let me know! I’d love to read what everyone has to say about the gods of their various practices.
So definitely doing this at some point!
Freyja: option 1 Thor: Option 1 (I love recreated statues from found artifacts) You could also be like me and use symbols as opposed to statues. Some falcon feathers bound with a gold necklace for Freyja, for example.
I was leaning towards those. I definitely like the replica one of Thor, and the one of Freyja on Hildisvini is interesting to me because it’s not how she’s typically portrayed.
I like your representation idea, though I don’t know where I’d find falcon feathers around here! I’m definitely going to find myself a nice strand of amber beads, too. (I gave up trying to find decent jewelry to symbolize her, so I just have lots of amber things).
I’m also trying to think up something for Saga, as she’s associated with story telling and that’s what I do with my life, and when I move into wherever I’m moving to I want to make a sort of “wight house”. I’ve got all kinds of plans.
I was originally going to write this yesterday, but I realized that I was way too frustrated to get the message across without being potentially offensive and abrasive. So here’s the refined version.
First off, I’m noticing that a lot of the newer pagans (the large influx of Lokeans in…
Everyone should read this.
This is such a fantastic, non-hyper sexualized representation of Frejya and I love it! This is the kind of thing I want in my house.
(via justaviking)
Seems like every Heathen on Tumblr is a devote follower of Loki, evidently that makes me stupid.
i’m not! you aren’t alone ;)
Also not a Lokean. I don’t have a luckbringer. I’m not any sort of [insert god here]swoman.
It seems like the Heathenry and Asatru tags have become completely about Loki lately. No one talks about the other gods, it’s super rare for anyone to mention wights or ancestors, and people are running away with this idea that the gods were just so mean to Loki and how dare anyone not want him around without taking the time to try to understand the social context involved and why his crime warranted his punishment.
Basically, people are taking Loki without taking the worldview that he comes from and that is a problem.
I wonder if it has anything to do with Marvel.
As legitimate as the Marvel films are as any other pop culture exposure to the mythology, I really think there’s a lot of contamination going on where Loki is concerned because of his characterization in the films.
There is a person right now with a blog set up claiming that Loki is speaking through her. By her own admission, she only began reading the myths after seeing the Avengers and feeling compelled to do so, which is totally valid as UPG goes. BUT she has not read any of the surrounding context material for the Eddas and Sagas. So i have to question her perception of what is happening and what she is claiming Loki is telling her because she has not deconstructed her modern framework in her understanding of the myths.
If we’re going to begin accepting Loki more so than our ancestors did (and I think that it’s no bad thing), we have to understand what role he played then, the full magnitude of his crime (it goes far beyond just murder) and the context for his punishment. We cannot rely solely on the Eddas to do this because the Eddas are full of Christianity and we have no context for what is happening in them or why certain things that seem trivial to us are treated with such importance. (This is also why I do NOT recommend that newbie Heathens read the Eddas and Sagas first…read the “boring” stuff about social structure and daily life first to deconstruct your modern Christian-colored assumptions).
I’m going to be side-eyeing all of the Loki UPG.
(via filthypolak)
Seems like every Heathen on Tumblr is a devote follower of Loki, evidently that makes me stupid.
i’m not! you aren’t alone ;)
Also not a Lokean. I don’t have a luckbringer. I’m not any sort of [insert god here]swoman.
It seems like the Heathenry and Asatru tags have become completely about Loki lately. No one talks about the other gods, it’s super rare for anyone to mention wights or ancestors, and people are running away with this idea that the gods were just so mean to Loki and how dare anyone not want him around without taking the time to try to understand the social context involved and why his crime warranted his punishment.
Basically, people are taking Loki without taking the worldview that he comes from and that is a problem.
(via barefoothexe)
It does! Thank you so much! :)Well what is he like? What does he like? Hmm… What’s his story? Do we know? Do you know if he has any passages in the Eddas that I could read?I wish I could find more on Bragi… I like him a lot… I feel he’d be good for me… Does anyone that follows me worship Bragi intensively…?Bragi is the skaldic god of poetry in Norse mythology.
One is called Bragi: he is renowned for wisdom, and most of all for fluency of speech and skill with words. He knows most of skaldship, and after him skaldship is called bragr, and from his name that one is calledbragr-man or -woman, who possesses eloquence surpassing others, of women or of men. His wife is Iðunn.
How should one periphrase Bragi? By calling him husband of Iðunn, first maker of poetry, and the long-bearded god, and son of Odin.
Bragi is one of the deities that call to me the most prominently.
As someone who is called to the musical arts, who is a composer, performer, and ethnomusicologist, Bragi makes sense to me. Veneration/worship of Bragi, for me personally, often goes hand to hand with my own experience with Odin, very much for similar reasons. Not to say I don’t venerate/worship them separately; I very much do, and for differing reasons. They have purposes, and are useful for said purposes, and then some.
But enough about me. What would you like to know?
As far as reading goes, I’d look into the following:
- Gylfaginning, which is essentially an overview of descriptions, which includes Bragi.
- Skáldskaparmál, which prominently features a dialogue between Bragi and Ægir.
- Lokasenna, which features Bragi.
Bragi, history-wise, is known far back as a son of Odin. The earliest known Skald, Bragi Boddason the Old, shares His name.
He is a court poet who served several Swedish kings, Ragnar Lodbrok, Östen Beli and Björn at Hauge who reigned in the first half of the ninth century. This Bragi was reckoned as the first skaldic poet, and was certainly the earliest skaldic poet then remembered by name whose verse survived in memory.
It is a topic of debate whether Bragi Boddason ascended into godhood, his name survived into godhood, or the two are one in the same. Regardless, they are what they are.
As far as what He’s like? Your mileage may vary.
Bragi is known by many kennings; the Bearded God, Son of Odin, Husband of Iðunn, just to name a few. The Bearded God is appropriate, as he’s known to have the most prominent beard of the Æsir. The other two kennings should be self-explanatory.
Bragi is first and foremost a God of poetry, of inspiration and creative fire. He is a God of skalds and bards, those who weave worlds and work magic with the power of their words; the patron of singers and musicians and all those who wield the fire that burns not the flesh but the heart, and mind, and spirit. He is the son of Gunnlod and Odin, and His birth arises out of the bartered theft of Odhroerhir, the mead of terror, inspiration, and poetic fire. While He is numbered amongst the Aesir by virtue of His father, He carries the blood of powerful mountain giants by virtue of His mother. The blood of high mountain peaks and the slow moving fire running deep within them, of the raging storm-wind, the siren song of ancient conjure, of sacrifice, terror, ecstasy, and power all runs through His veins fueling the magic that leaps in terrible joy shaped by the words of His lips and the steel strong resiliency of His will.
Bragi is not a warrior, but more so a diplomat. He is invited to halls across the worlds, and resolves conflicts with a sharp wit and poetic eloquence, as opposed to the sword. He is said to have runes, carved in his tongue, making him an even greater master of words.
By and large, there’s not as much known about Bragi in the sagas as we’d like. That much is true. Bragi, in my experience, favours musical instruments, well-written, impassioned books, music scores, and the words of good poetry and songs. Help musicians and writers, or other performers. Patronise your local artist community, and attend performances. Introduce a friend to a type of performance or art with which they’re unfamiliar. Contribute to a charity designed to support the performing arts. Give money to buskers on the street. Help fund activism.
Hope this helps! :>
And now I have learned yet another new thing! :) I love the tumblr heathen and pagan community a lot sometimes.
Freya
From:Maris Pái
green heathen witch http://marispai.huginnpress.com/2012/03/21/f-is-for-freyja/
I actually…rather like this.
Quit insulting my religion and my culture with your ignorance! Thor and Loki could NEVER be together because it’s against Norse religion! Most of you ignorant people have never heard of the Ásatrú before and yet you’re insulting a religion much older than the common ones that…
seriously, respect our Gods. I don’t see many people drawing stuf about jesus or god doing homosexual things. seriously, cut this shit out.
1) They’re shipping characters, not our gods. There’s a difference. Accept it. Move on.
2) “Thor and Loki could NEVER be together because it’s against Norse religion!”
Back right the fuck up, there.
1) Thor/Loki is shipping Marvel characters, in which universe the social taboos concerning a man being penetrated do not exist.
2) “Insulting the gods with incest!” I think Freyr and Frejya would like some words with you.
3) This idea that homosexuality is somehow “against” Heathenry or isn’t allowed needs to be shot dead, drawn and quartered, then burned and its ashes scattered. The concepts of argr/ergi have no place in the modern world or in modern expressions of Heathenry. Perhaps they made sense to our ancestors, but their world is not our world and there is absolutely no reason for homosexuality to be “against” anything except outdated constructs of “proper manliness” based on the degrading of women.
“We are our deeds”, not our sexual preferences. What anyone does in their bedroom and with whom is none of my damn business and has absolutely zero effect on their worth, either as a person or as a Heathen.
So.
Gay men, gay women, lesbians, genderqueer, transmen, transwomen, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, sexuality and gender IDs of all sorts: Here’s some mead. You are welcome. Anyone who says otherwise can GTFO my hall.
Just to clear the air before this gets out of control, I don’t hate Loki.
In fact I enjoyed SOME of his shenanigans, until it became offensive and disrespectful.
I cannot say whether or not Loki is a God or Jotun. It is heavily debated and I have no grounds for proof.
However, I will say this;…
I hope you don’t mind me reblogging to respond to this, I had too much to say to fit in the comment box.
I don’t think anyone should be getting angry at anyone for which Gods they might or might not make offerings to. I try to honor all the Gods, Aesir, Vanir, or Jotun. But that “honoring” is sometimes nominal only. To be completely and totally honest (and this is my first time publicly admitting this), I have a hard time honoring Frey and Frejya, because many of the aspects They embody are ones I find frivolous. I know this isn’t quite comparable to a devotee of Odin or Baldur deciding not to honor Loki, but still…what I am trying to say is, as polytheists we have many Gods, but I don’t think anyone should force another to honor a particular One.
That being said, the Loki issue becomes intensely problematic when people are kicked out of kindreds for being devotees of Loki or banned from honoring Him during sumble. That is what I dislike, because Loki is still a God and brother to Odin by blood oath. Furthermore, it pains me to see the already small Heathen community ostracizing one another over these kinds of things. It was the exclusion of Loki devotees that led to the notion of “Rokkatru.” As a devotee not just of Loki, but also of Hel and Sigyn, many people would consider me Rokkatru by default. But I think all the Gods have Their place in the world and in our lives, so it is better to be “tru” to all of Them. Of course, people disagree, and as I’ve said, I’m not going to tell them who and who not to honor!
Honoring Loki along with Odin makes a lot of sense to me in light of Odin’s vow to never drink without Him. A lot of kindreds have taken this route, and I know it is something Diana Paxson suggests in one of her books. I am perfectly cool with this, and I think you are doing a very respectful thing in keeping that tradition. I leave some mead on my altar every Wednesday for Odin and an offering of some variety every Saturday for Loki, so I think this is kind of similar.
The Marvel thing is a bit problematic, though. Everyone needs to find out about Heathenism some way, and whether it’s Marvel, World of Warcraft, Tyr, Lord of the Rings, SCA…or of course a more traditional way…all of that is cool as long as they actually learn. Marvel fans can become just as serious in their devotion as anyone else, though, of course, this is not always the case.
I know Tom Hiddleston’s performance gained a lot of sympathy for Loki. To be completely and totally honest, I’ve always felt sorry for Loki, long before I became a Heathen, and long before I knew anything about Marvel’s Thor comics. People are going to feel different things for different Gods, and I think that is fine. Some people feel very sorry for Frey because He sacrificed His sword to be with Gerda. I personally have a difficult time not rolling my eyes every time I read that story. As I have said, I think as long as people respect all of the Gods for being Gods, it is okay to question Their actions. The Gods don’t want blind sheep.
Yes, Rokkatru might have gained followers because Tom has a pretty face; Asatru might have gained some followers because Chris has a pretty face, too. But Loki devotees didn’t begin with this movie, and even Loki Wives were quite prevalent before Tom was ever cast for this part.
But the truth of the matter is, we’re a small religion, and if we want to grow we’re going to need to give people room to learn. If the Avengers made someone want to worship Loki, Thor, Odin, Frigga, or Sif, I think that’s a good thing. They’ll probably go out and buy the Eddas or other Heathen literature and learn something. Some will become serious devotees, and others will move on to the next big fandom thing that comes along. But regardless, they’ll go on knowing something more about the Gods and Heathen traditions. :)
I don’t want to beat this point to death, so I am just going to stop. But I guess what I really want to say is that everyone has the right to their own opinions about Loki, as long as they are respectful of others’ points of view. It sounds like you are being respectful in honoring Loki alongside Odin, and I greatly appreciate that.
Mostly just responding to the bolded part.
If a kindred has decided that Loki will not be honored at their gatherings, then those are the rules of the hall and those present are expected to follow them. Banning someone from your kindred because they choose to honor Loki in their own home is ridiculous, but if someone comes into a kindred and demands that the kindred allow them to honor Loki (or any Jotun who hasn’t traditionally been “adopted” into the clan of gods) at sumble despite the kindred not wanting that relationship with him, that person is right to be asked to leave if they cannot come to respect that decision.
I think we tend to forget that as Heathens our relations to the gods are reciprocal; they were made with certain figures and not with others based on who proved helpful and productive in that relationship, not simply “because they are gods” and therefore all deserve a place in our communities. That being said, modern Heathenry (especially in America) is about rebuilding those relationships from the beginning, and because the needs of our communities have changed drastically since these relationships last existed, those gods we bring into our communities and homes may very well include some that our ancestors, living in their world, thought dangerous.
(via lokavinr)
