Jotunheim Part IV

There is no doubt that the source of magical power in Jotunheim, is the famous Iron Wood. From the distance it might look like a common thick forest, but its magical energy causes great transformations in every living organism there. Those who born inside this forest will certainly have strong magical powers but also great physical deformities. No wonder why the children of Loki and Angrboda, Jormundgandr, Hela and Fenris, born in the Iron Wood, have the physical aspect that we all know.
As I have mention in the previous post, Angrboda is the chieftess of the wold clan and also the seer of the nine clans of this place. She gained the title of Chief of Chiefs after many battles between the tribes. All clans have still have chieftains, but lets put it in this way, Angreboda is the "King" and the other chieftains are the nobles that govern in each place that belong to the realms of the "king" they are like the Jarls (since we are speaking of themes related to the Norse, a Jarl was a nobleman/chieftain of the Norse people, rulling over one place).
But since this post is about the places of Jotunheim and not those who live there, lets continue with that matter. Angrboda's halls lie inside Iron wood as it is expected. Huge gates with lots of bones and skulls hanged, a terrible sight that turns many away.

Outside Iron Wood, high on a mountain, lies the fortress of Gymir, the father of Gerda, Freyr's wife. 
There is a hut and a mill, a very small village with only two sister as residents, it is called Grotte and the sisters Fenja and Menja. Whatever is going on there, it is dangerous, and not much is known about the place.
Hyndla lives in the northern mountains of Jotunheim, deep within a cave, the same Hyndla who guarded the mead of poetry in Svartalfheim.

Working with the Gods: Baldr

Baldr or Baldur is the Norse god of beauty, naivety and light. He is one of the few gods who as descended into the realm of Hel and do not yet arise from it. His story is a difficult one to understand, very tragic for the Aesir tribe of gods, a story of mischief and sorrow.

In the Norse mythology, Baldr is the youngest son of Odin and Frigga, the most beautiful of thesky gods, the Aesir. His mere presence brought light and merriment to all the gods in Asgard, and from him, a very bright light came to everywhere he went. 

Baldr married the Aesir goddess Nana who took care of the orchards of Asgard. They lived in the hall called Breidablik and in its surroundings nothing that was impure could ever live in such place, everything was naturally beautiful. They had a son called Forseti who would be later be known as the god of justice.

The saga of Baldr, Baldurs Draumar (Baldur’s Dream), tells us of the time when Baldr began to have strange dreams about his oncoming doom, death was approaching to cover in darkness the world of Aesir, light itself would be swallowed by it. Baldr told his parents about the dreams and his mother, Frigga, in a hurry, travelled throughout the nine realms asking every living thing not to harm her beloved son. Every living thing made this oath and when Frigga passed by the mistletoe, she thought that it was too young to make such an oath and she thought it to be harmless. Then she returned to Asgard and told to Baldr what she had done and that he was safe, nothing could harm him. Baldr made a game out of this, every god would throw weapons against him and every single object would bounce off.

Every great tragic story has vengeance in it, and this one isn't different. The god Loki was angry with the Aesir because they had murdered his wife Angrboda and imprisoned one of his sons, Fenrir, so Loki discovered the secret of Baldr's imunity to all things except the mistletoe, so he made a dart out of it and waited until the games of throwing weapons to Baldr began. Loki offered himself to help Hoder, the Blind brother of Baldr, so he could also participate in the games. Hoder agreed, and threw the mistletoe dart to Baldr, killing his own brother.

Meanwhile Loki fled and there was great mourning in Asgard. Many gods offered themselves to avenge Baldr's death, but Odin had other things in mind and none from his family was fit to do the task. So Odin raped the giant goddess Rind and she gave him a son called Váli, the god of vengeance. Váli didn't knew about the true story, all he knew is that his half brother Baldr had been killed by Hoder, and so he murdered the blind god.

Baldr was placed on his ship called Hringhorni and the funeral fire was started. Many were those who came to Baldr's funeral. Thor lost his self control because of the death of his younger brother, and in that rage he kicked a visiting dwarf right into the fire thus killing him. Baldr's wife, Nana, threw herself into the funeral pyre, thus commiting suicide to be with her beloved. Baldr's horse was also burnt along with everything that belonged to the god of light. When the time came to push the ship into the waters, it prove to be too heavy. All of a sudden a female giant called Hyrrokin, ridding a great wolf, came and gave the ship such a shove, that the earth itself trembled. It is said that this mysterious Hyrrokin was none other than Angrboda, Loki's wife, coming to witness her vengeance for the murder attempt on her, and for the kidnapping and later binding of her son Fenrir, and also her child Jormundgand, the great sea serpent.

In the meantime Odin and Frigga gave another task to one of Baldur's brothers, Hermod. He was to ride into Helheim and beg Hela to release Baldr. Hermod rode fro nine days till he finaly reached the Gates of Helheim and entered. He begged to Hela for his brother's life and she told him that she would only release him if every living thing in the nine worlds would weep for him. The Aesir went in all directions asking everyone they met to shed a tear for Baldr. All did so, except for an old female giant called Thokk and thus Baldr was lost forever. It is said that this Thokk figure was no other than Loki himself in disguise, making sure that Baldr stood with her daughter Hela.

There is much speculation in why such an event happened, why did Odin let all of this happen. In a foretelling, Odin knew that Baldr would be slain when Ragnarök started if Baldr was alive by then, on the other hand, being slain, Baldr would come to life after Ragnarök and rule in Asgard. It is said that Baldr's death was arranged by Odin and Loki to protect Baldr and send him to the safest place in the nine realms, the realm of the dead, so he might arise when the time comes and rule in Asgard.

The Saxons had another version of this story, in which Baldr and Hoder were two princes and both wanted the mortal princess Nana. Both fought and Hoder killed Baldr with a sword named Mistletoe and thus he married Nana.

It is clear that behind this story we can see that the only thing that can prevail over the light, is darkness, the opposite. Hoder the blind god is darkness and he took the life of his brother, Baldr, the god of light. When darkness covers the land, death and sorrow comes to mortal men and it is in darkness that Ragnarök starts, when all light fades away. But after te darkness a new light comes forth and life sprouts once more. Baldr revives and will rule in the realm of the Sky Gods.

One thing is also certain, to Baldr was given another task and he became a different god with a new sacred task, he is now the god who gives light in dark places, this also means giving light to those who live a life in darkness, while their mind is, metaphorically speaking, in darkness. Sorrow, sadness, depression, living in hard times, Baldr gives light and a new awakening.


Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a painting of Baldr made by me. If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

Jormundgand The World Serpent

 Note: Photography work by Missloony, you can find her at [Link] and [Link]

In many cultures since the first steps of humankind towards spiritual paths, there has been always tales of a cosmic serpent, a being that moves in the seas of the world or around the world itself. For exemple, i've been reading about African myths, and in the West of Africa in the regions of Guinea all the way to Congo and Angola, there has always been the myth of the creation of the world by a goddess named Mawu and her husband a great serpent surrounding the world. We know about this myths all over the world and this serpent has many names, but today what i will talk about, is about this serpent in the Northern Mythology and paganism, and by the help of some shamans who work with this serpent, i'm able to write about it and how its influences our lifes and the world.

The Northern serpent is called Jormundgand, most people are afraid of it or make the mistake to compare it with an evil being of the seas who is ready to destroy the world. This is because of the coming of Christianity. The serpent has always been a symbol of great power, magic and wisdom, a strong symbol in the shamanic communities all over the world and of course a symbol to the pagan peoples. Once again, the christians had to twist this figure and turn it into a terrifying image of fear to make people forget their old ways, the ways of the their ancestors, to scorn ancient knowledge and embrace the new religious faith. In truth, the world serpent, or in this case, Jormundgand, wraps and protects the world we live in, the boundary of magic between out world and the other world of spirits.

Who is Jormundgand?

The god Loki had three children with Angreboda the chieftess of the Iron Wood. The first of their children was Hela, the goddess of death. The secound was Fenrir, god of destruction. The third was a magical serpent who couldn't speak any words, it wasn't male nor female, or maybe it was both. The serpent grew fast into a size that could no longer dwell in the lakes of Iron Wood. Odin tried to stop and take away the powers of Angreboda's children, he saw in them great peril, he threw the serpent into the oceans of Midgard and laid a spell on it. The serpent circles Midgard forever, giving protection to the world and all its inhabitants, and the serpent was known by the name of World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, that is where its name comes from, it is the translation of its title, Jormundgand.

Some people claim that this serpent is an enemy of our world, but those who work with it, haven't seen any evidance of this. The serpent is a symbol of boundaries, and each person needs to have some, we are free, but with our freedom, we must take care if it isn't harming anyone, there must be boundaries for everything, we have to know when to stop, or when our deeds are enough in some occasions, for exemple, parents may help their children, taking care of them, loving them, but they can't always do everything for their children, there must be boundaries, and parents need to let their children live a little and learn with their mistakes, children have to grow by learning how to do things themselves, in the future they will need that independence, or they won't be able to survive if they are used to have other's resolving their problems for them. An other exemple is when helping someone, we may help in anyway that is needed, but there must be boundaries in both sides, we must know when to stop helping, when the person asks more than you can give, or when the help becomes an obsession for both, or a regular thing and the other person no longer knowns how to live without help and becomes attached to the help of others.

Jormundgand also teaches us about protection, the protection of a space or a person, what we must take care of, keeping the places, our home, our working place, away from chaos, keeping those we love, away from any harm, holding them tight in our loving arms.

Also, if you want to keep this big snake happy, you might want to donate or make volunteer work to help the reptiles of our world, safe and sound, at any institution or local zoo near you, protecting them against the hazards and the problems they face nowdays with the destruction of their habbitat, keeping things in order away from chaos, establish boundaries between the natural world and the world of humans.

What is Rökkatru?

Note: The Drawing was made By me and it was an illustration already for the story of the birth of Loki here in my blog, but it serves well for this post as well!

First, there was Asatru, which meant, technically, “True to the Aesir”, or the Norse/Germanic Gods of sky and war and culture. They included Odin, Frigga, Heimdall, Baldur, Iduna, Bragi, and many others. Eventually, those whose religious practice concentrated on the Vanir – the second, more agricultural pantheon of Gods including Frey, Freya, Njord, and Nerthus – decided that they would be called Vanatru. Some time after that, Abby Helasdottir of New Zealand coined the term Rökkatru, for those whose primary focus  was the third pantheon of underworld Gods. These include Hela, Loki, Angrboda, Sigyn, Fenris, Jormundgand, Narvi and Vali, Surt, Mordgud, and Mengloth, among others.

The concept of a World Tree is not limited to northern Europe. Many cultures around the world have world trees, and it is usually the job of the shaman or spirit-worker in that culture to travel from world to world. There are always at least three levels: heaven, earth, and underworld. Each are valued equally and have their own blessings and dangers. There are always spirits of sky, spirits of earth, spirits of the beloved ancestors and those who guard them. Norse cosmology grew from a preliterate culture that followed this pattern, and we follow the same idea. Three pantheons, all valuable, all necessary to the functioning of Yggdrasil.

Those who identify as Rökkatru do not see “dark” as bad, nor “underworld gods” as evil. We feel that this is a Christian concept that has infiltrated some modern interpretations of Norse cosmology, first through the Christians that wrote down (and tainted) the only sources we have of these myths, and second through the Christian upbringings of many converts to Northern religion. Other Neo-Pagan sects have already been down this road and come out the other side; they have learned that underworld Gods are to be honored and revered for many things. Death is not evil; it is part of life. So is rot and decay, and loss, and the passing of all things. So is chaos, so is randomness, so is the destructive parts of Nature that we humans find inconvenient. All these things are sacred and so are the Rökkr. Just as there are those dedicated to Hecate, or Kali, or Hades, or Ereshkigal, or Coyote, so are there those who are dedicated to Loki and Hela and the others.

Currently, at this time, Heathenry (reconstructionist Norse/Germanic religion) prefers to limit itself to worship of the Aesir and Vanir. Northern Tradition Pagans, however, believe that Gods are not divided into categories of “good” and “bad” Gods. They are all worthy of honor, and we honor all of them. Since there are already many lovely websites with information about Asatru and Vanatru but very little for Rökkatru, and since honoring all three pantheons instead of only two is part of what sets us apart, we have chosen to put up a small place of education about this third truth. Not all Northern Tradition Pagans are Rökkatru – they might just as often be dedicated to or favor Aesir or Vanir Gods – but they will all agree that it is good to see all the Gods honored, and have no issue with the followers of underworld Gods.

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