Renewal
From every death comes life, and with the destruction of the world a new one shall arise. In the Ragnarok prophecy, after the conflagration has ended the Underworld, Jormungrund, will rise up out of the sea to become the new Earth. This is likely based on the same observations that developed our creation myth, when
Ragnarok
Our cycle ( of Ages ) concludes with the return to Chaos, with the breaking down of the Order so that all must either defend the light of the Gods or succumb to the darkness within and join the forces of corruption. Our lore is quite explicit in its telling of the end of this
Acceptance and Duty
Acceptance and Duty Of course, there are moral implications involving a belief in fate, which in turn involves the power of choice. If I believe that my choices are mine and that they are not guided, driven, or predetermined, then the responsibility is mine and mine alone. But if my choices are predetermined, then whatever
The other side of the Godhead, Heaven and Earth : Nerthus, Frigga-Frea
Tacitus says that seven northern nations worship Mother Earth, who is named Nerthus . Among the tribes that he says worship Nerthus are the Longobardi (Lombards). In the History of the Lombards by Paul the Deacon c. 750, the now Christian Lombards have a legend among them, “a silly fable told by told men” about
Frigga
Odin’s wife and mother of the Aesir—Thor, Baldur, and Hodur with him; she also gave birth to Frey, Freya, Blik, Blid, Frid, Eir, Hlif, Hlifthrasa, Thjodvarta, and Bjart with her brother, Njord. Such a close union is allowed among the Vanir (but not the Aesir), and we would see this as an aspect of divinity
Hödur’s supposed blindness
HÖDUR’S SUPPOSED BLINDNESS. To all that has been said of Hödur above, one statement in Gylfaginning stands in the sharpest and most irreconcilable contrast: the statement that Hödur, the warrior, dragonslayer, archer, and sportsman was blind! The uncritical manner in which Gylfaginning has previously been handled has enabled this statement to remain in mythological textbooks
The Purpose of Sacrifice
Sacrifice is never viewed as a form of humility on our part . There is even evidence that the gods sacrifice to one another . The reason for this is that we believe such offerings empower the divine , which allows them to perform magnificent feats , usually to our benefit.When Ódin , in Hávamál
The Epic School in Odin’s Wife
The major literary sources of Norse myth are of four kinds: eddicpoems, skaldic stanzas, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, and the sagas. What unites this body of literature is that it provides us with a picture of the pre-Christian past, either, because the material itself originated in the pre-Christian period and was recorded later, or because its authors were
Gullveig
Since we have already discussed the first Giants or Etins in the creation story, it is now time to progress to the role of these creatures of Chaos after civilization has been established. Heimdall taught the humans all sorts of skills to help them create a culture, giving them the holy fire as well as
Hel in The Asatru Edda
XXIV. Hel Urðr, the Dís of örlög, is also the Dís of death. Because she determines the örlög and length of every human’s life, she also determines their death. She who lays the lots of life, lays the lots of death. She and her sisters reign over the past, present, and future; she reigns over
