The practice of Galdr involves the chanting of verses to achieve a certain outcome, based on whether the Gods join you in the singing. The reverberation of the chant is pivotal to the development of a proper Galdr and must be taken into consideration when performing it.
There are three types of Galdr we will present here, to give the full spectrum of the record involving this practice.
First are the Direct Galdr, which are the verses in Galdralag meter that are in the sources and can be connected to a specific working.
Then there is the Chronicled Galdr, which are the chants given in a specific poem that are not in the Galdralag meter, but which are specifically stated to be a chant given. It should be noted that while these verses are not Galdralag, they are still in Ljóðahattr meter, from which Galdralag is formed. In fact, when we learn about the sanctity of Galdralag in Ynglingasaga, it is directly connected to the ljóða:
Allar þessar íþróttir kendi hann með rúnum ok ljóðum, þeim er galdrar heita; fyrir því eru Æsir kallaðir galdrasmiðir.
“All these feats he taught with rúnar and ljóða, those which are called Galdr, and because of this the Æsir are called Galdr-smiths”.
In every instance you will find that this record not only demonstrates the extent by which the holy Galdr prevails through the sources, it also leaves absolutely no doubt as to this being the only sacred magical practice involving chant and magic. The writing of rúnar and the holy Galdr chants are our sacred practices, used as forms of prayer to the Gods that connect us to Óðinn’s holy sacrifice, where he gained the knowledge of the rúnar, and the nine Fimbulljóðar.
Since the Galdralag meter is an alternate form of the Ljóðahattr (Fimbulljóðar =The Great Ljóðar), it is easy to see that the two are intertwined and grew from the same event. This provides us with a theological basis upon which these practices are formed and lends weight to the argument that the Galdr and rúnar are our holy arts, while the Seiðr that comes from Jǫtnar (Hyndluljóð 33) is, without a doubt, the black magic of this belief system.
The Direct Galdr list given here have been proven as an aspect of the meter form and connected directly to the practice.
(For more information see The Goals of Galdralag: Identifying the Historical Instances and Uses of the Metre by Eirik Westcoat, Saga Book, University College London, 2016).
Some of the Galdralag verses are advisory or explanatory, so we have omitted them here. We also omit Galdr that is too story-specific, or which contains curses from or relations to Jǫtnar. Furthermore, it should be noted that enumerated Galdr are altered here from the original so that each song can stand by itself. For example, when Óðinn says in Hávamál that he knows the first, second, third etc. song, these enumerations are removed so that one can simply state the song in any instance.
Having the words to chant leads us to the question of which actions one may take during the singing of Galdr. Some of the passages have descriptions of what one may do, such as inscribing rúnar or sprinkling water. When such a description does not exist, a simple act would be to choose an appropriate deity to represent the blessing, then take a hlutr (small statue of the deity) and touch the person upon the forehead with it. Although most scholars agree that the following passage is influenced by Christianity, there may be some ancient vestiges connected to housing divine images as blessings:
Þat var háttr hans, ef hann sendi menn sína til orrostu, eða aðrar sendifarar, at hann lagði áðr hendr í
hǫfuð þeim, ok gaf þeim bjanak; trúðu þeir, at þá mundi þeim vel farast. Svá var ok um hans menn, hvar
sem þeir váru í nauðum staddir á sjá eða landi, þá kǫlluðu þeir á nafn hans, ok þótti iafnan fá af því fró;
þar þóttust þeir eiga alt traust, er hann var.
“It was his (Óðinn’s) custom when he sent his men into battle, or on any expedition, that he first laid his hand upon their heads, and called down a blessing upon them; and then they believed their undertaking would be successful. His people also were accustomed, whenever they fell into danger by land or sea, to call upon his name; and they thought that always they got comfort and aid by it, for wherever he was they thought help was near”.
By considering this, we look at the deity as being the one granting the blessing, and the deity uses the Goðorð as the conduit for such things. For this reason, we shall put into parentheses next to each entry the name of the God or Goddess best associated with the concept within the Galdr.
Direct Galdr
Fire (Heimdallr)
Níu em ek mœðra mǫgr,
níu em ek systra sonr.
Of nine mothers am I the child,
of nine sisters am I the son.
Caution (Óðinn)
Gáttir allar,
áðr gangi fram,
um skoðask skyli,
um skyggnast skyli,
því at óvíst er at vita,
hvar óvinir
sitja á fleti fyrir.
All entrances,
before going forward,
should be looked for all around,
should be examined all around,
because it cannot be known for sure
where enemies
sit in the room beyond.
Kindness (Freyr)
Veit-a hinn,
er vettki veit,
margr verðr
af aurum api;
maðr er auðigr,
annar óauðigr,
skyli-t þann vítka váar.
He knows not,
who knows nothing,
many a person becomes a fool on
account of money;
one person is wealthy,
another not wealthy,
one should not blame him for the woe.
…(other galdrar from page 100 to 112 in Æfinrúnar book 2)
Excerpt from: Æfinrúnar1 and Æfinrúnar2: A Book of Sedian Rites and Prayers Bk.1:The Sacred Rites– https://a.co/d/8nqOU0W
Æfinrúnar2: A Book of Sedian Rites and Prayers Bk. 2: The Sacred Rites– https://a.co/d/8nqOU0W