Mythology around Runes: Uruz

As i write about a Rune, i will also write about its mythology and as i wrote about Uruz this wednesday, here it goes the mythology around it.


Mythology: Uruz
It is likely that Uruz originally represented the second half of a primordial pair, the first being the cow, Audhumla, symbolised by the first rune, fehu. Uruz is undoubtedly masculine in character, and, indeed, there may have once been a mythological equivalent of the primitive mother goddess that was represented as a mighty bull god. If this was the case, then conformation of the theory has been lost over time. However, it is true that the most macho of the viking gods was associated with this rune. Thor, the thunder god, the strong champion of the deities of Asgard and sworn enemy of the chaotic giants, was the divinity to whom the peoples of the north ascribed the rune Uruz.The subsidiary meanings of both hail and ore add credence to this attribution, since Thor is the god of the storm and wielder of the deadly hammer that was made for him by subterranean dwarves.

Uruz

"Ur is a wild and fierce beast possessing great horns.
A formidable ranger of moorland, it fights with its horns.
It is a beast of courage."
                                                                           "The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem"

  The rune name is Uruz it is the letter U in the common alphabet, the rune for physical strength, good health, wisdom, sudden changes, male potency.
The name of the rune is primarily connected with long extinct wild bulls of the north, the aurochs. These untameable beasts roamed the wastelands and were much feared. However, the sound of the alternative name, ur, creates a pun, both on the old Norse word for ore, hence metal, and on a word meaning hail or drizzle, hence inclement weather. As well as these subsidiary concepts, the syllable Ur can also be taken to mean "ancient" or "primordial". This is a fitting description for an animal of prehistoric power, such an auroch. This rune is considered masculine and forceful in nature.

Upright Meaning:

Powerful energies are at work when the rune Uruz appears. If you require added vitality, then Uruz is a good omen. However, you must treat this power with respect and caution, or its wild nature may cause you to regret the fact that you chose to use its force in the first place. After all, it is fairly easy to goad a bull into charging, but it is not as simple a matter to stop it when its job is done. This rune's association with courage and great strength means taht it is certain that you will overcome any obstacles. Brute force will not be enough: You will also have to use your intelligence to harness the power of Uruz wisely. This rune is considered good for healing, giving strength to those who have been ill and hastening recovery. Uruz may also indicate a rise in status, but first make sure that you are not biting off more then you can chew.

Inverted Meaning:

Weakness and physical or mental fatigue are indicated when Uruz is inverted. There may even be an underlying health problem, so perhaps it is time for a check-up ora thorough review of your lefestyle. There is a sense of being overwhelmed by events and not having the will to face up to reality when the rune appears in this position, so take care: powerful forcer may ranged against you.

Body Part: Muscular system - all voluntary muscles
Associated Maladies: Lack of flexibility through overmuscling
Action: Strong, vital, healthy.
Solution: Exercise, power foods such as high-protein and high-carb diet.

Mythology around Runes: Fehu

As i write about a Rune, i will also write about its mythology and as i wrote about Fehu, i will begin with that.

Mythology: Fehu
According to the sagas of iceland, which, although composed during the middle ages, recorded the beliefs of the ancient Norse, the first living creature was a cow called Audhumla. This cosmic animal was born from the union of fire and ice that predated the creation of the nine worlds. Coming into existence in an environment barren of nourishment, Audhumla licked a great block of ice, thus freeing the giant Ymir, who either lay within it or was shaped by the actions of the great cow's tongue. Ymir became the ancestor of the gods, humans and the later race of giants, all of whom existed because of Audhumla and who continued to be nurtured by her, as are calves by their mothers.
The belief in Audhumla as the precursor of all that lives harks back to a remote time when the mother goddess was usualy personified as a totem animal. In Greece, for example, Athena was imagined as an owl, while Aphrodite was envisaged a dove.
In the Nordic culture, the mother goddess is the gentle, milk-producting cow. The rune Fehu is also directly related to some of Audhumla's Vanir descendants, especially Njord the God of Seas and Oceans and his children, the peace-loving Frey and the amorous Freya, each of whom have an association with wealth and fertility.

Fehu

As i have told, every wednesday i will talk about a rune, why at wednesday? Because it is the day of the week for Odin, he who found and learn the magic of the runes. the name of this day of the week, follows after his name, wotan, wodanaz or woden, Woden's day. To the this every week at the same day, i
had a lot of help from my Girlfriend also, Missloony

" The first charm i know is unknown to kings or any of man-kind. Help it is named for help it can give in hours of sorrow and anguish. "
                                                                   "the Havamal"


The rune is called Fehu, it is the letter F in the common alphabet, the rune for money, riches, luck, abundance, success and Happiness.

It's power i am about to explain and you can use this rune to help you in your fisical self or others, by painting on a stone and put in the body part or parts, by just drawing or painting in your self or tattoo in a last attempt if you like. It can also be used in Divination as i will also write their meanings, so you can work with them.

Every rune has a meaning, and each one inverted has an other meaning!

Upright Meaning:

Fehu is obviously an indicator of prosperity. Before the introduction of hard currency, cattle herds were the measure of wealth amongst many abcient peoples. So when this rune is found in future position, a profitable time lies before you. However, just as the ancients sacrificed one of their herd now and again to show the gods that they were thankful for their good fortune, it is equally important that you receive the gifts of fehu with humility. The rune also suggests that you should look after the possessions that are already in your keeping and that you should guard your resources agaisnt times when the warmth of comforting fire is chilled by icy blast of winter. Even if you are comfortably off, you have an opportunity to ensure thatthis happy state continues. Conversely, if you are feeling the bite of poverty, Fehu promises that the time will soon come when you will be prosperous once more. Aside from these material concerns, the appearance of fehu bodes well for fertility, childbirth and new beginnings of all kinds. Equally, as the "song of Odin" states, when one is in misery or grief, the rune Fehu will bring motherly comfort, which is one of the most valuable things in the world.

Inverted Meaning:

A reversal of fortune resulting in the loss of something valuable is likely when this rune is inverted. The association of Fehu with wealth and property suggests that this loss will involve a material possession, but it may equally relate to the

departure of a loved one or a close friend. However, since the basic nature of Fehu is nurturing, the loss will be made up in time. Tradition also states that Fehu inverted may refer to problems with conception or fertility in general.

Body Part: Bones and teeth.
Associated Maladies: Calcium spurs or buildup, serious overweight.
Action: Over-richness, over-fattiness, calcification, building up of matter.
Solution: Add fat, minerals, extra nutrients - make things richer.

Next wednesday i will write about an other rune, stay tuned.

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Haustablot or FallFest 21st-24th September

Note: The Drawing was made by me to ilustrate the celebration i am about to write of.
You can watch my works in this [Link] at my gallary.

To begin with, i will tell you what a Blót is.

The Blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples. This celebration wasn't made just by the norse/germanic people, but also throughout Europe, the celts, and latins did it, in their own traditions, often animals and even people ( most prisoners of war ) were sacrificed, the word Blót means "to worship with sacrifice", in this celebrations, the people give their offerings, such as mead. food, animals, personal objects, all to the Gods and in turn, people expected the Gods to give them gifts in turn, they asked for fertility, good health, a good life and peace and harmony between the people and Nature.

Now that you know what a Blót is, i will tell you what is the Haustablot, this specific blót in this time of the year, in 21st to 24th of September, it is the autumn equinox, such as the Celtic Mabon and Alan Elfed, it is a time to celebrate the harvest of the crops and it's ending, it is also a time to thank and to meditate, the celebration is made with the food and drink that is made with the Corn and wheat, and also to celebrate with cakes, cookies, mead, bread, vegetables, fruits, nuts.
It is not just a time to thank to yourself, your family, the Gods, and all the hard work, but also a time to thank to the Landvættir, who  are spirits of the land and they protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a corner of a field, or as large as a section of a country.

Introduction to Runes

Note: The image was taken by MissLoony.
Most of my readers were expecting this subject the wednesday the 14th of September, but i couldn't do it, it was my Father's Birthday, but from now on, every wednesday i will post and talk about a new rune till it comes to an end, i hope you enjoy and learn about each rune and its healing power. This is the Introduction to them. Stay tuned, for every wednesday there will be a new rune to talk about.

The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark (or fuþark, derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K).

In the nordic mythology it is said, that Odin hanged in a branch of Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, bleeding, he passed into the other side ( as i've written in the Post about sleipnir ) to know the secret and magic of the Runes.

This is a brief introduction to the runes, the alphabet used by the germanic and scadinavian people, the runes were also adopted by many others throughout Europe, it has survived till today, but the runes have more to say about them and their hidden powers, that many talk about but only few realy know, every wednesday i will post and write about a rune, till it reaches an end, stay tuned if you want to learn more about the runes, thank you for your time, Farewell.

Wyrd - The Role of Fate

Note: The photo was taken by my parents. Beautiful isn't it?

The word wyrd means fate or personal destiny. The cognate term in Old Norse is urðr, with a similar meaning, but also personalized as one of the Norns, Urðr (anglicized as Urd) and appearing in the name of the holy well Urðarbrunnr in Norse mythology ( Well of Urd ). The concept corresponding to "fate, doom, fortunes" in Old Norse is Ørlǫg.

The well of Urd or Urðarbrunnr is cited as one of three wells existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil that reach into three distant, different lands; the other two wells being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Mímisbrunnr, located beneath a root near the home of the frost Jötnar.

Always a bit of mythology and culture, doesn't harm anyone, but now back to the subject.

As i've tould before in an other post, in the Norse pagan view, the wyrd shows us that we are a part of a great "tapestry", which connectes us to the Gods and to our ancestors, our personal fates are influenced by the ancestors that came before us, of course i am not saying that we are fated to a certain destiny our a certain path, but rather that we have some inclinations to some things, doings and wishes. For instance, the three Norne, goddesses of fate, they sew up a great tapestry or the wyrd that connects us all to the natural world and to each and everyone of us, but they never end their work, which means that we are free to shape our lifes and find for our selfs our destinys. See the wyrd as a great web also, a cosmic web, where we are all in and connected to each other, so if one thread of this web is broken, we also feel it and we take the consequences, simple as this, if we do not respect and take care of the world arround us, this world were we are living in, sooner or later we will fall because many threads in the web are being broken.

Sleipnir - The Shamanic Riding

Note: The picture was taken by Missloony and it is i, enjoying a cheerful day with her.



I will talk about Sleipnir as a shamanic symbol but first i will tell his story and how he came to be...Right at the beginning of the gods' settlement, when the gods had built Valhalla, an unnamed builder appeared, he has offered to build a fortification for the gods that will keep out invaders in exchange for the goddess Freyja. After some debate, the gods agreed in this, but had placed a number of restrictions on the builder, including that he must complete the work within three seasons with the help of no man. The builder makes a single request; that he may have help from his stallion Svaðilfari, and due to Loki's influence, this is allowed. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks to the surprise of the gods. The builder, with Svaðilfari, makes fast progress on the wall, and three days before the deadline of summer, the builder was nearly at the entrance to the fortification. The gods convened, and figured out who was responsible, which resulted in a unanimous agreement that, along with most trouble, Loki was to blame.

The gods declare that Loki would deserve a horrible death if he could not find a scheme that would cause the builder to forfeit his payment, and threatened to attack him. Loki, afraid, swore oaths that he would devise a scheme to cause the builder to forfeit the payment, whatever it would cost himself. That night, the builder drove out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari, and out from a wood ran a mare. The mare neighed at Svaðilfari, and realizing the kind of horse it was, Svaðilfari becomes frantic, neighs, tore apart his tackle, and runs towards the mare. The mare runs to the wood, Svaðilfari follows, and the builder chases after. The two horses run around all night, causing the building work to be held up for the night, and the previous momentum of building work that the builder had been able to maintain was not continued.

When the Æsir realize that the builder is a Hrimthurs ( a frost giant tribe who live in the land of Niflheim ) they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and kills the builder by smashing the builder's skull into shards with his hammer Mjölnir. However, Loki as a mare, later gave birth to a gray foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir, "the best horse among gods and men. The horse later was given to Odin, and he became his horse.

Now that i have given you his story, i will talk about Sleipnir as a symbol of the shamanic ridings, the shamanic journeys.

The horse has always been a great symbol and actualy a living key in most of the cultures of the world, especially in Europe, all the way to the Mediterranean, to the far east of Siberia. For exemple, the horses take the Norse warriors to Valhalla, and in the case of Sleipnir, he helped Odin become a shaman and reach the other world, in search for the great knowledge.
Sleipnir is like the galloping of the shaman in his journey, the constante sound of his hooves is like the rhythm of the shaman drum, in which he journeys to the other side searching for protection and knowledge, from the spirits and ancestors, sleipnir alludes to move fast, and to everything that escapes the fisical control, like climbing the world tree of Yggdrasil into other realms, other worlds, the great journey, riding in a altered consciousness. Like i have said, the constante sound of a horse hooves when galloping, his like the beating in a shaman drum, a magic musicality, that induces rhe shaman to go in a slowly and progressive diving in his most deep corners of his mind, the instrument that makes you flow and enter in ecstasy.
The shaman rides his drum like Odin rides Sleipnir, and both free themselves from every limitations of space and time, "flying" towards the spiritual dimensions.
In many ways a shaman can enter in trance, there are use of drugs ( in which i dont aprove ) but those are a rare situation, at least in Europe, there are other ways, some too gruesome, and others more safe, such as the Drum or in a state of close to death, like Odin when he cut himself with his spear, and hung from Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, losing blood, he entered in a stare close to death, and his spirit journeyed to the world of spirits, to gain the knowledge of the runes and their power, after arriving there, he was congratulated by a Valkyrie who gave him mead, to celebrate his status as a shaman.
The constante sound ot the beating of the drum, takes you to a relaxation point when your body seems to fly,, just like the beating of the heart when the body and mind his calm, the constante sound of the heart pulsing, gives the baby inside of the mother, a state of relaxation, and it calms the baby, you notice this, that is why there are lots of toys for newborns, with the sound of the heart, a constante music like a drum, that can prove very useful indeed.

I hope this information gave to the readers any useful information.

Best Regards

Arith Härger

The Innocent mind of a child

Note: The picture is a photo of myself taken long ago, i thought it would ilustrate well what i am about to write.
Also as a token of my gratitude i will link a group who has helped me advertise my blog, here it is the link [Link]

Children have a way to see things, to see life, in a whole different perspective...
When people are young, till a certain age, they see things others can not, we all do, and we stop seeing those things when our inocence is broken or when fear dwells in our hearts and mind, so it doesnt depend on the age we have, in how many years that pass, i can not explain exactly why we see such things, but be sure that has everything to do with our inocence and the absence of fear. Every child sees ghosts, spirits and other beings, and have a realy good connection with the unknown and supernatural, often they can see spirits of the forests, of the earth, rivers, feel and see what we think it isn't there to be seen, we shouldn't encourage children to forget what they see, but try to understand them and talk to them, with an open mind and heart, trying to speak about it and embrace it.
For exemple ( my own exemple ) when i was a little baby i saw things and i remember very few of them in a misty dream in the corners of my memories, but too young those things were taken away from me, it took time for my innocence to be broken but too early i felt the poison of fear in my heart, i begain to understand death very young, and the fear of the loss and the unknown, and that fear made me ill, sadness and sorrow took over me, and too soon i forgot the things i could see in my innocence, when i knew not about the dreadful  and inevitable death, i could not understand why it had to be like that and i didn't knew what was to come after it. As i always say "fear does not give any profit" and it is true, fear takes the freedom and happiness of our hearts, and here i let a plea, do not fill the mind of your children with useless things, like a religion, do not impose any religion to them, or politics, not even any footbal club, this may look very naive in your minds, but it will change dramatically your child, let them grow in joy, in a cheerful life, in amazement, in time they will grown and understand, and make up their own mind, have their own thoughts, and so they will chose what path to follow, teach them that, to follow their own hearts, of course you have to educate your children in other things, and show to them the importance of life, the importance of nature, and teach them to respect both as they respect their parents, educate the children, so may on day you dont have to imprison the adult, a wise man once said.
Religion, football, politics, those are subjects you dont have to show to your sons and daughters, especially death, avoid showing them that, put your children away from it as well as you can, that they will know one day, but let time show to them, meanwhile, hide death from them, they need not to feel sorrow and fear so soon, remember, those are moorings to your children, they born free and let them be so.
In time, in an other post, i will talk about things we see, the diference between dreams, reality and visions, and my own experiences.

Best Regards

Arith Härger

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