Discord Among Gods
As stated many times , not only did Gullveig and Loki spread their corruptive ways among men, they also dwelt in Asgard, sowing discord among the Gods. In the Odinic faith even the divine, as part of nature, are subject to the forces of entropy. But this is not viewed as a weakness, for it is the very nature of their struggle with Chaos that gives them strength, and they in turn inspire us with their valiant spirits.
From the earliest age we find the Gods in continuous conflict with the powers of Chaos, which affects the entire order of the cosmos. Odin and his brothers must kill Ymir, the first Giant, Thor kills his Etin foster-parents, Gullveig and Loki enter the scene, Etins overrun Midgard and must be pushed back by the Gods and heroes of our folk, and so on. Even though these forces were subdued in the lore, the struggle between Order and Chaos will continue for all time.
But when the ‘Ancient Age’ (Ár Alda) ended, the Gods pulled away from humanity after the Etins had been quieted. Loki is in chains, Gullveig banished to the Ironwood, their children Fafnir, Jormungand, and Leikn either bound or made to work in the service of the great order punishing nidings, the race of Etins see their numbers greatly diminished in the Hunwar, and the conflicts between the Teutonic Clans have been settled. However, one single act of violence has driven the Gods away from us until Ragnarok. This is an act of deicide, when Hadding killed Freya’s husband, Odur, after the latter had been stripped of his divine power and turned into a monster due to his hatred for Hadding and his family. When Hadding refused to propitiate Freya and her family (the Vanir) for his crime a terrible curse was placed upon him by the Vanadis which nearly caused his ruin. Even after the offerings were made, it still marked the end of the ancient era when the Gods
frequently intermingled with our people. Instead, they work for the order from afar, and ask us to be virtuous and pious so that we can stave off the coming Ragnarok for as long as possible.
Almost every calamity in our stories can be traced back to Gullveig and Loki, for they embody the very nature of manipulation and negativity that, as stated, reaches into Asgard itself. Thor’s battles with Geirrod, Thjalfi’s injuring of Thor’s goat, Freya’s learning of Seidr, Idun’s kidnapping, the Aesir/Vanir war, Baldur’s death, the enmity of Ivaldi’s sons (Volund, Egil, Slagfin), Freya’s kidnapping, Fenrir in Asgard, Baldur staying in Hel, and so much more are all the result of their actions. It is only towards the end of the ancient age that the Gods realize that the only way to put a hold on the corruptive elements is to neutralize them. But by then it is too late: the damage is done, the seeds have been sown, and the road to Ragnarok has already been paved.
The idea that the Gods themselves have faced the forces of corruption demonstrates, through personal experience, the wisdom that they have in judging us in the afterlife. They know that these forces are powerful, and that it is easy to succumb to them, but therefore they expect us to be strong and courageous. The selfish, the weak, and the cowardly, i.e. those who follow the cult of Loki, cannot overcome these desires, so they immerse themselves in them. Often, they are simply overaged children who refuse to grow up and their self-centered mentality makes them incapable of caring for anyone on a full-time basis. It can be even worse if such individuals actually have children then start mistreating them or abusing them for their own selfish desires. They do not care about how their behavior affects the child, their only concern is how that child reflects upon them or their social standing.
So, when we face the Gods at the Helthing—given the overall virtues they taught to our ancestors—their ultimate examination of our lives will be based on if we lived for those around us, or for the Self. I do not mean this in an altruist, egalitarian sense, but as a natural expression of our folkish and family values that eventually extend to all peoples of the world. Have we helped to build society or destroy it? Did we promote the family or its demise? Did we help others or hurt them? We will not be judged by Gods using petty and ludicrous paradigms of ‘perfection,’ which ask when and where we mighthave gambled, had sex outside of marriage, or refused to treat our body ‘like a temple.’
When you die, you know your afterlife will be blessed because of the people you have around you at the time, who love you and care for you and will miss you dearly. They represent your happiness in death and your subsequent rebirth, and their devotion is the ultimate proof to the Gods that you are worthy of a laudatory judgment.
Odisbook: The Book of Odr
