The word used in the ancient Norse tongue for a relic is minja (pl. minjar), which is defined as a remembrance, perhaps denoting the idea that the symbol laid upon an altar reminds us of our traditions and lore within the Heathen faith. Later, Christians also employed this term to refer to their own relics, demonstrating that the concept of sacred remembrance bridged the gap between pre-Christian and Christian practices. The English word “relic” itself has a parallel meaning, tracing back to the Latin reliquiae (“remains”), derived from relinquere (“to leave behind”), underscoring the idea of something passed down as a memorial of the past. This connection is significant for our tradition, as one of our most revered ritual objects, the holy ring—specifically Óðinn’s ring, Draupnir—is given the title of minja. This makes it a perfect term for our relics as well, and should be recognized as such.
Þá stóð Hermóðr upp, en Baldr leiddi hann út ór hǫllinni ok tók hringinn Draupni ok sendi Óðni til minja, en Nanna sendi Frigg rifti ok enn fleiri gjafar.
Then Hermóðr arose; but Baldr led him out of the hall, and took the ring Draupnir and sent it to Óðinn for a minja. And Nanna sent Frigg a linen smock, and yet more gifts, and to Fulla a golden finger-ring.
These relics would include all of those we use in the practice of our faith, but most especially the regalia of the Goðorð, which we will describe here:
Skikkja: As stated, devotion to the Gods is a crucial aspect of the priesthood, and must define the role thoroughly. This would include examining the dress of the divine and understanding that these descriptions mean something to us. We are not arbitrarily told that Óðinn wears a dark blue cloak, or a wide-brimmed hat, or even a mask (as he is called Grímr, “The Masked One”). These descriptions exist as theological representations of priestly aesthetics, for the role should reflect some reverence for the highest of our Gods, even if one devotes oneself personally to a different deity. Óðinn is king, and the king should be paid his respects. Because of this, all members of our holy order should wear a blue Skikkja, or cloak, that represents this connection. This should be initiatory, meaning that as soon as one is properly inducted into the role, this donning of the cloak should be included. It represents stepping into the position, and devoting one’s life to wisdom and righteousness, as the sources tell us.
The clothing of the priest should be white. We find this to be a symbol of holiness and purity in many religions across the world, and ours is no different. There are sources describing Vedic Brahmans wearing white, Greek Hiereus wore this, and the Celtic Druids. Evidence for the Germanic priesthood wearing white comes from the following sources:
Writers report a custom of the Cimbri to this effect: Their wives, who would accompany them on their expeditions, were attended by priestesses who were seers; these were grey-haired, clad in white, with flaxen cloaks fastened on with clasps, girt with girdles of bronze, and bare-footed…(1)
Thereupon those priests of the Goths that are called the Holy Men suddenly opened the gates of Odessus and came forth to meet them. They bore harps and were clad in white robes, and chanted in suppliant strains to the Gods of their fathers that they might be propitious and repel the Macedonians.(2)
We also find in the sources that the Blótklæði (Blót-Clothes) of the gathered is red, and thus we should see the Goðorð using red trim on their white clothes to demonstrate their responsibility to those of their community. From this, we can develop a full aesthetic of priestly attire that would be donned upon their achievement of the first station, that being the Blótgoði. Here is the aesthetic we have developed and its symbolic meaning:
White Shirt: An over-shirt going down to the knees, similar to the Slavic kosovorotka¸which represents purity and divine light, similar to the considerations of the Baldrs Brá (Baldr’s Brow) described in Gylfaginning 22:
The second son of Odin is Baldr, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him. A certain herb is so white that it is likened to Baldr’s brow; of all grasses it is whitest, and by it thou mayest judge his fairness, both in hair and in body. He is the wisest of the Æsir, and the fairest-spoken and most gracious; and that quality attends him, that none may gainsay his judgments.
This represents an aspiration for the Goðar to be like Baldr. To be just and kind, compassionate and stern when necessary. He is one of the original Ljónar or judges of the Gods, and his son Forseti ends up ruling over their Þing, which is something we should take into consideration. He is sent to Hel, to live in the realm of Mímir’s grove so that he can prepare the humans Líf and Leifþrasir for the coming world after Ragnarǫkr. Thus, his righteousness is that which will lead to the next Golden Age, and should be something the Goðar live by.
Red Trim: The life of the Goði/Gyðja should be one of servitude. Several sources describe the ring, which we have given in a previous chapter, and here we shall examine its use as the principal symbol of the station of priest or priestess of our faith. Since we have demonstrated that the Goðorð are also judges, and that the correlation between law and faith are intrinsically intertwined, it would also be suitable to have, as the motif of the ring, the serpent. In Niflhel, the serpent is a symbol of justice, where those who have committed Níð will be punished by the venom of the snakes until Ragnarǫkr. This serpent design is sanctified by Ullr, who once drank a sacred potion made from snakes in order to gain strength for his adventures (Saxo, see above). In every instance, the priesthood of our religion is connected to the administration of the law, and thus this symbol would be one that would best suit their station as the ones who pronounce dooms. We see the oath pronounced in the Landnamabók bk. 4, ch. 7:
Baugr tvíeyringr eða meiri skyldi liggja í hverju hǫfuðhofi á statta; þann baug skyldi hverr Goði hafa á hendi sér til lǫgþinga allra, þeira er hann skyldi sjálfr heyja, ok rjǫða hann þar áðr í roðru nautsblǫðs, þess er liann blǫtaði þar sjálfr. Hverr sá maðr, er þar þurfti lǫgskil af hendi at leysa at dǫmi, skyldi áðr eið vinna at þeim baugi, ok nefnasér vátta tvá eða fleiri; „nefniekíþat voett”, skildi hann segja, „at ek vinn eið at baugi, lǫgeið; hjálpi mér svá Freyr ok Njǫrðr ók hinn aimáttki Assf sem ek man svá sǫk þessa soekja, eða verja, eða vitni bera, eða kviðu, eða dǫma, sem ek veit réttast ok sannast ok héízt at lǫgum, ok ǫll lǫgmoet skil af hendi leysa þau er tindir mik koma, meðan ek er á þessu þingi.” Þá var landinu skift í fjǫrðunga ók skyldu vera þrjú Þing í fjǫrðungi, enn þrjú hǫfuðhof í þingsokn hverri; þar váru men valdir tíl at geyma hofanna at viti ok rétíloeti; þeir sltyldu nefna doma á þingum, ókstýrasakferli; því váru þeir guðar kallaðir; hverr tnaðr skyldi gefa tóll til hofs, sem nú til kirkju tíund.
A ring weighing two ounces or more should lie on the stalli in every chief Hof, and this ring should every Goði have upon his arm at all public law-þings (lǫgþingar) at which he should be at the head of affairs, having first reddened it in the blood of a neat which he himself had sacrificed there. Every man who was there to transact any business, as by law provided by the Court, should first take an oath upon that ring and name for the purpose two or more witnesses and repeat the following words:—“ I call to witness in evidence,” he was to say, “that I take oath upon the ring, a lawful one (lǫgeið) so help me Freyr and Njǫrðr and the Almighty Ás, to this end that I shall in this case prosecute or defend or bear witness or give award or pronounce judgment according to what I know to be most right and most true and most lawful, and that I will deal lawfully with all such matters in law as I have to deal with while I am at this Þing.” Then was the land divided into Quarters, and it was decided that there should be three Þings in each Quarter and three Hofs in each Þing Commune, i.e. Þing District or Community, and that men should be selected according to wisdom and righteousness to have ward of the Hof, and they were to nominate Courts of Judges at the Þings and to regulate the proceedings of lawsuits, and therefore were they called Goðar or Priests; and every man should pay toll to the Hof as now they pay tithes to the Church.
It may be possible that the wearing of this ring may represent a form of service in and of itself, for we fienemthat in Germania (ch. 31) warriors would wear an iron ring that represented an oath to slay an enemy:
Fortissimus quisque ferreum insuper anulum (ignominiosum id genti) velut vinculum gestat, donec se caede hostis absolvat. Plurimis Chattorum hic placet habitus, iamque canent insignes et hostibus simul suisque monstrati. Omnium penes hos initia pugnarum; haec prima semper acies, visu nova; nam ne in pace quidem vultu mitiore mansuescunt. Nulli domus aut ager aut aliqua cura: prout ad quemque venere, aluntur, prodigi alieni, contemptores sui, donec exsanguis senectus tam durae virtuti impares faciat.
Their boldest champions moreover pledge themselves to wear an iron ring like a shackle, an intolerable indignity for a German, till they win their release by the slaughter of a foe. With most of the Chatti this fashion finds favor; ay, and they grow grey with this badge, conspicuous alike to friend and foe. In every battle these shackle-wearers have the honor of leading the way. Their line is always in front, a truly startling sight; for their ferocious features scarcely relax even in times of peace. These men have no home, no land, no occupation; wherever they present themselves they find entertainment, squanderers of other men’s goods and heedless of their own, until enfeebling age unfits them for this career of desperate valour.
One can see from this account that such a wearing of a ring held a special symbolism, one of servitude towards a specific goal or mission. We can find a comparison to this in the religious sense with the binding that took place in the grove of the Semnones, where it states that “Every man who enters it must do so bound with a fetter, as a mark of humility and an avowal of the power of the divinity.”1 One should also remember that the Gods are also called Haptir, which means “The Bonds,” and Óðinn, who is the architect of our priesthood, has the name Haptaguð, which means “God of Fetters.”(3) If the ring is a symbol of service to the Gods, and they themselves are the representatives of this binding to them, it would be fitting that the priesthood would be the ones to wear such an emblem to mark them as the “pious ones,” the “godly ones” as they truly are.
Footnotes:
1.Strabo, Geographica Bk. 7, ch.
2. 2Jordanes, De origine actibusque Getarum ch. 65.
3.1Germania ch. 39.
Excerpt from: Æfinlǫgr: The Book of Sedian Law: Puryear, Mark, Hrafnakonr, Aðakán Jamesarson: 9798307965320: Amazon.com: Books