Autumnal equinox

With my sisters and brothers rodnovers...

Asatru glossary

V

Vaett – name of the female spirit, guardian of earth. When ships approached the shore the sailors had to remove the horrifying ornaments from the ships’ bow, so they wouldn’t frighten off the vaetts.

Vala – prophetess from Voluspa. Another Vala is mentioned in Nordic myths: this Vala gave birth to three daughters fathered by Odin: the three Nornas. It’s possible that it’s the one and same person, if the name vala designates any sorceress (vovla).

Valaskjalf – the throne upon which a Nordic witch sits in trance and predicts the future. This prophesying was one of the most renowned Nordic rituals, which also included communion with the dead and descending into the Underworld. The throne is also called seidhjallar.

Valhalla – dwelling-place of fallen warriors – Einherjar. Odin’s daughters – Valkyries – brought the dead warriors to Valhalla where they would serve them mead; for food the warriors ate meat of the ever-regenerating boar Seshrimnir. In the Eddas, Valhalla is described as an vast hall covered in gold. It had 540 doors through which 800 warriors could pass at the same time.

Vali – son of Odin and Rind. The Eddas only mention that he’s brave and a good shot.

Valkyries – maiden-warriors whose duty was to take the best men fallen in battle to Valhalla. In the beginning, Valkyries were depicted as blood-thirsty maidens appearing as nightmarish beings to warriors thus foretelling their deaths. Later they were depicted as beautiful fair-haired warriors who served the heroes in Valhalla. The root of this word val is also in the name Valhalla and Valknut; this root means fallen, slain.

Valknut – one of the sacred symbols of Asatru. It’s consisted of three triangles that together make up the number nine, a sacred number in the Germanic tradition. This is, first and foremost, Odin’s symbol (the other name for Valknut is Odin’s Eye), but it’s also associated with Valkyries and Freya. Valknut translates as Knot of the Fallen; this makes it the sign of warriors fallen in battle who belong to either Odin or Freya after death.

Vanadis – one of the names of Goddess Freya. It means the Goddess of the Van.

Vanaheim – abode of the Vanir before peace was made with the Asir.

Vanir – one of the two divine tribes. The Vanir are first of all forces of nature and fertility Gods. In the beginning of time they entered into war with the Asir; the cause of this war was Gulveig. After the war was ended, some of the Vanir were sent to the Asir, and vice versa. The Vanir sent Njord, Frey, Freya and Kvasir from their ranks, and in return they got Henir and Mimir. Hemidal is also a Van (the singular of Vanir) as well as Egir.

Var – the Goddess who would punish unfaithful lovers as well as other who broke oaths.

Vardlokkur – song sung by women during the ritual in which volva foretold the future and communed with the dead. This song helped volva to fall into trance while sitting on her throne – the valaskjalf.

Ve – Odin’s brother; together they shaped the first humans – Askr and Embla.

Verdandi – Norna of the present, whose name means Is. She was the one who decided the length of an person’s life line.

Vestri – name of the dwarf who was on the western side of the world.

Vidar – Odin’s son, God of the forest, described as the “taciturn God”. During Ragnarok, he will slay Fenriz and thus avenge his father.

Vili – Odin’s brother who created the first humans, Askr and Embla, together with his brothers Odin and Ve. His name means will.

Vingolf – palace of the Goddesses in Asgard.

Vitki – Nordic sorcerer.

Völsungs – Volsung was the offspring of Odin an the father of Sigmund and Signy, who created Sinfiotilj, not knowing they’re related. Sigmund’s other son was Siegfried (Sigurd).

Volva – a woman practicing magic.

Voluspa – part of the Poetic Edda; this text is a description of the visions of a prophetess in trance, telling of the creation of the Universe and the coming of Ragnarok. Because of its style the text is difficult to comprehend, so it’s necessary to consult other sources of Nordic mythology.

Poeta magica's Edda

Enjoy...

...I couldn't post all 55 minutes of the performance, but here is the adress of the clip on the You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnOnpyC8vgs. Skaal!

Asatru glossary

U

Ulfsark – «wolf-skin». A name used for warriors similar to berserkers who fought without armour or shields. They’d go into battle blinded by belligerent rage of their God, Odin. Their terrifying looks were helped by warrior colours which were used by these warrior of Odin, like the Picts in ancient Britain.

Ullr – God of archery, winter and hunting; Thor’s stepson. Most often depicted as a hunter on skis; because of this some have associated him with Skadi. He is one of the twelve chief Gods of the Nordic pantheon.

Ullr

Uppsala – the place where the most famous shrine was located. Adam of Bremen describes it as follows: in the centre of the shrine there were statues of Thor, Frey and Odin. Thor’s statute was in the middle, because the people revered him the most. Next to the shrine there was a tree that was green in both summer and winter, as well as the like in which people were drowned as sacrifices to the Gods.

Utgard – «the place without». Capital of the giants in Jotunheim where Thor, Loki and Talfi competed with Utgard.

Urd – Norna (Fate) of the past. The spring by which she sits bears the same name. Ur means old in Nordic languages.

Asatru glossary

T

Thor – Odin’ son Thor is the God of storms, thunder and springs. He was considered a fertility God because he stopped the winter ice, and in the old days he was the most popular Nordic deity. Unlike Odin who was revered by priests and berserkers, Thor was more of a “people’s deity”. Numerous myths describe Thor’s exploits, depicting him as a strong but benevolent God. His strength was so extensive that he could fight even the horrific snake of Midgard, the Jormundgand, as well as Old age, Hunger and Thirst. His hammer – Mjollnir – was an efficient weapon against giants; today it is the most recognizable symbol of the Nordic religion (another fact testifying to Thor’s popularity). In the end of time, Thor will face his eternal enemy, Jormundgand; neither one will come out of this battle alive.

Thor

Thrym – the giant who came to possess Thor’s hammer. He promised to return Mjolllnir to the Gods if they give him Freya for his bride.

Tjazi – Skadi’s father; he stole Idun’s apples of youth.

Tridi – third member of the trinity of Har-Jafnhar-Tridi; one of Odin’s manifestations. By that name Odin described himself while describing the essence of the supreme deity to Gylfi. Tridi means “third”.

Troll – a mythical being. It’s depicted as a giant of great strength, but not very bright; he’s always outwitted by a hero or a simple peasant. It was believed that their residence was in Trollebotn, a dark and cold region connecting Greenland to the Scandinavian peninsula. The verb fortrollen (enchant) is derived from this being’s name.

Trudheim – Field of strength, Thor’s dwelling in Asgard.

Týr – Nordic God of war, equal to the Roman God Mars. Although he’s believed to be Odin’s son, there’s a possibility that Tyr is from a much older pantheon. The archaeological proof for this comes from the prehistoric era; images of a one-armed God have been discovered in Scandinavia. Tyr lost his right arm by helping the Gods fool the wolf Fenriz, who was a great danger for the whole Universe. Because of this, Tyr is regarded as the bravest and most daring of all the Gods; he’s also revered for his devotedness. Like Odin, Tyr decides the victory in a battle. In his honour war dances were performed and his Rune (Teiwaz) was engrave on handles (or blades) of swords. During the Twilight of the Gods, Tyr will also find his demise in the fight with the giant hound Garm.

Asatru glossary

S

Sága – Goddess of history. Her abode is Sökkvabekkr or Sunken (river) bank. This name is a poetic explanation of history as something dynamic but basically hidden from man’s gaze, something that only Saga has insight into. The noun saga was derived from the name of this Goddess (sögur), and it signifies tales from Iceland’s past.

Sagas – prose works created on Iceland during the 13^th and 14^th centuries. One of the first sagas was written by an abbot of the name Kari Johnsson; his saga tells the story of king Sverrir. Although these works are by its nature realistic, it’s not such a rarity to come across a fantastical being or event in them. Skaldic poetry was often quoted, mainly to emphasize an occurrence. The most famed author of sagas is certainly Snorri Sturluson, author of the saga Heimskringla and many others. There’s also the Saga of Njal, work of an unknown writer, considered the pinnacle of Nordic medieval literature, just like the Sagas of Greenlanders &c.

Seidr – Nordic magical practice associated exclusively to women. Several women would gather in a place prearranged for the ritual, and one of them (the volva) would sit on an improvised throne (seidhjallar). Women gathered around the volva would sing song in order to fall intro a trance, during which she would go on astral journeys or commune with the dead. According to legend, the Goddess Freya was the one to reveal the art of seidr to the Gods, and the only male individual who dared practice this art was Odin.

Sif – Thor’s wife; one night Loki cut off her hair. The dwarves made her a new head of hair from gold, that magically grew again on her head. She was the mother of Ulir, the God of archery.

Sigin – wife of Loki, mother of Nari and Vali. When Loki was punished for his offences, she remained by his side, collecting the poison falling on his face.

Siktuna – a place by the lake of Loh in modern Sweden. Coming to Scandinavia, Odin founded a shrine here in which rituals were performed in “As tradition”.

Sigurd – Old Germanic hero, one of the Volsung. He slayed the dragon Fafnir and thus gained riches and wisdom. By tasting Fafnir’s blood, Sigurd gained the ability to understand bird-speak, which later helped him fin Fafnir’s treasure.

Skadi – «destruction», daughter of the giant Tjazi and wife of Njord. When the Gods killed her father for stealing Idun’s apples, she went to Asgard to ask for reparation. Refusing gold, she demanded a husband, and believing that she’s chosen Baldur, she mistakenly chooses Njord. However, her marriage to Njord was not a very happy one. Seeing how they could never reach a consensus on joint dwelling, they separated, and Skadi went back into the snowy mountains that were her home, while Njord remained at sea.

Skalds – Icelandic poets who were greatly respected by the people in their times. The basic trait of the skaldic art was using the kenning, a literary figure which would use a poetic description instead of a noun (e.g. fire – the wolf that devours trees). The most celebrated skald was Egil Skallagrimsson.

Egil Skallagrimsson slays Ljot tha Pale

Skirnir – a devoted servant of Frey’s; his name means «gleaming». By Frey’s command he went to the hall of the forest giants to propose the she-giant Gerd for Frey.

Skol – the wolf that hounded Sol i.e. the Sun. Whenever there was a solar eclipse, the Nordic people would say that the wolf ate the Sun. his name means “scorn”.

Skuld – one of the Nornas, a Fate. She was associated with the future, and her role was to cut the life line of every person and thus put an end to his or her existence.

Sleipnir – Odin’s swift horse, who had eight legs. Odin travelled on this horse between the worlds, and the very way he obtained it is interesting. The giant who built Asgard had a horse named Svadilfar that did all the work for him. Loki approached Svadilfar in the form of a mare and conceived with him a foal – Sleipnir.

Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) – the most famous of Iceland’s saga writers; he’s considered the author of four works of prose: The Prose Eddas, Saga of Egil Skallagrissom, one of the sagas about St Olaf and the book of Heimskringla (circle of the world). The Prose Eddas contain Gylfginning (the fooling of Gylfi), a work that is, aside for Voluspa, an essential source on Nordic mythology. The Eddas also includes legends from the time of the great migrations, whose protagonists are Attila the Hun and Sigurd, while the Heimskringla is a chronicle on the kings of the Ynglig dynasty, a dynasty founded by Frey.

Sol – the Sun. As in the Hittite language, the Sun is female in the Nordic tradition. A myth associated with this deity is this one: a man had a son so handsome that he called him Mani (Moon), and a daughter so beautiful he named Sol (Sun). This enraged the Gods, and so they took his children and placed them in the sky as heavenly bodies to shine upon the Earth and measure time.

Stag – one of the sacred animals of the Asatru movement, associated with Frey. In addition to the fact that the stag’s horns symbolize the Sun and fertility, it’s also known that, lacking a sword, Frey used a stag’s horn to slay the giant Beli.

Sudri – “south”. Name of the dwarf that guarded the south side of the world.

Surt – «black». Fire giant with a flaming sword who sets the world ablaze during Ragnarok. He resides in Muspelheim with the other fire giants; during Ragnarok he will lead the forces of darkness in their battle against the Gods.

Sutung – the giant guarding the mead of inspiration. Odin snatched it from him after seducing his daughter Gunold who guarded the magic potion. Upon uncovering the deception, Sutung rushed after him in the form of an eagle, but it was too late.

Svartalfheim – an underground world, the abode of dwarves and dark elves. This world is the smithy of the universe, a place where many powerful objects were crafted: Freya’s necklace – Brisingamen; Odin’s helmet of invisibility; the magical shackles that imprison Fenriz.

A list of Odin's names

Alfodr- Allfather

Asagrim- Lord of the Aesir

Atriðr- Аattacking rider

Baleyg- Flaming Eye

Biflindi- Spear Shaker

Bölverkr- Evil Worker

Draugadróttinn- Lord of the undead

Farmatyr- God of Cargoes

Fimbultyr- Mighty God

Fjolnir- Wise One

Gangleri- Wanderer

Galdraföðr- Father of Magical Songs

Grimnir- Hooded, Masked One

Hangagud- God of the Hanged

Har- High One

Harbard- Grey Beard

Helblindi- Hel Blinder

Herfodr- Father of Hosts

Herjan- Warrior

Hjalmberi- Helmet Bearer

Hrafnagud- Raven God

Hropt- Sage

Jafnhar- Evenhigh

Kjalar- Nourisher

Ófnir- Inciter

Oski- God of wishes

Rúnatýr- God of Runes

Saðr- Truthful

Sanngetall- Finder of Truth

Sidgrani- Long Beard

Sigfodr- Father of Victory

Sváfnir- Sleep bringer

Svidrir- Calmer

Svipall- Changing

Thridi- Third

Thund- Thunderer

Vak- Wakeful

Valfodr- Father of the Slain

Vegtam- Wanderer

Veratyr- God of men

Ygg- Terrible One