Logi The Spirit of Fire

Since we humans have developed the ability to be in contact with the spirit world, we have given names to what we have seen. The first names were given to the spirits of the elements and that isn't different in the Norse tradition. One of the most powerful fire-spirits of the Norse mythology is called Logi. Mythology says that Logi is the second son of the frost giant called Mistblindi or sometimes called Fornjotr. The eldest brother of Logi is a Norse deity called Kari, the god of the northern winds. The youngest brother is Aegir, the king of the sea, older than Njörd.

One of the most heard tales of the adventures of the Norse gods is the one when Thor and Loki go into Utgard and enter different contests with Utgardens-Loki, trying to win against many family members and friends of Utgard-Loki, in a series of random contests. In this story, Logi the fire spirit appears, entering the food contest against Loki and winning. No one knew who he was, but he devoured the meal, the bones, the plates and even the table. Later he was revealed as Logi the old god of fire.

One of Logi's names is Halogi, meaning "High-Logi", it seems that this spirit is very tall. Logi's wife is Glut (glow) and she bore him two daughters so called Einmyria and Eisa, translating to "Ashes" and "Embers". Logi, of course, lives in Muspelheim, the realm of fire.

As it is seen many times in both norse mythology and celtic, there are many deities that come in three, a magical triplicity, such as Odin and his two brothers Vili and Vé, with Logi we also see this magical triplicity with his own brothers and himself, Kari the eldest, Logi and Aegir the youngest, Wind, Fire and Water (sea). These deities are really old, older than Odin. It is possible that there three deities might be linked to the myth of creation, a myth that predates the Aesir and the Vanir.

Logi and his two brothers make the triplicity of the primal elements working in earth, as the sea (water) itself interacts with the earth, and of course the fire and wind that help shaping worlds. These deities no doubt were once linked to the magical quadriplicity of the natural elements of fire, air, earth and water, in a time before the creation of the myth of Odin, in a time before we humans gave an anthropomorphic shape to the spirits.

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Muspelheim

Muspellheim is one of the nine realms of the Norse cosmology, the Land of Fire. It is one of the first two primal worlds created around the World Tree, and the collision between Muspellheim and Niflheim or fire and water/ice, created the energy that formed the basis for the other seven worlds.

Muspelheim is one of the realms of the spiritual world a spiritual worker can visit while in a state of altered consciousness. We have to take into account, that the worlds of the Norse cosmology aren't just myth, they are actual realms connected with each other.

Muspelheim being a volcanic, filled with flame, dust and magma, a traveler doesn't have the perception if it is day or night, the sun and the moon are completely veiled by smoke, but it doesn't really matter the kind of season or day time in Muspelheim, everything will look just the same the entire year, and the sky in a constant red and orange light. It is a hostile place and none live there, naught remains alive in such place with the exception of the Fire Etins natives to the land, everything else is a vast landscape as far as the eye can see with just molten rocks, lava, dust and scorched land. However, there is a part of this world that is less hostile and it can be visited with caution, where the land meets the ocean, black sanded beaches with hot springs and houses made of melted back rocks pilled together here and there, the homes of some of the natives of the land. The black sanded beaches are far away from any safe border that one might go through, safe in a manner of speaking, because all the borders to this land are well protected, such as Myrkwood to the West and the mountainous passages of Svartalfheim to the Southwest, mountain chains that form a natural barrier.
The only vegetation one might ever find, are some scorched trees and burnt grass of the Myrkwood Eastern part already in Muspelheim.


This is the land where Surt reigns, the great Fire Giant, older than memory and the Lady Sinmora.

Working with the gods: Glut

You may be wondering why i lable "Working with the gods" even when i talk about spiritual beings who are not labled as gods in the lore or minor deities or even if i write about them but i do not extend the knowledge at a more personal level of that deity or when i do not specify much how to work with a specific deity. Well this is simple, for two personal reasons, one is because i need to have a personal guide for the gods and goddesses, spirits, wights and other beings of the northern pantheon and mythology because i've been asked to aid in games where norse gods enter and they need to have as many knowldge about them as possible, and in this way, it is easy to find them all in a list that i am making here in the lable "Working with the gods" so it will be also easy for me to help hehe. Another reason is the fact that i'm not sure if people know what gods are, if we understand the meaning of the title  "god", a spiritual being who is very powerful in specific ways and it can help us humans in a variety of needs, expressing their powers over nature, being able to contact us between this world and the world of spirits, then yes.. those spirits are deities and we can call them gods and goddesses, this is why in this list, there are many spiritual beings who aren't as famous as Odin or Thor, or weren't labled in the lore as gods, but they are equal in power and greatness in their own ways and we must honor them by telling their stories and how they might help us in their field of expertise.

Anyway, going straight to the subject of the main topic now, i will write about Glut, it seems appropriate since i have start this month writing about Surt the lord of fire.
Glut was the first wife of Loki, they married when Loki was still very young, but she left him so he could marry with the giantess Angrboda. Glut is a fire-etin, a child of Muspellheim, so it doesn't seem uncanny that she would be the first one that Loki would have a strong connection, since he was born in Muspellheim. Glut's daughters are Einmyria and Eisa. There seems to be a lot of confusion with these names, because Logi had a wife called Glut and she had two daughters by the name of Einmyria and Eisa ,these names are very common among the fire-female-giants, but the Glut i'm writing here today, is the fire-giantess Glut who settled in the Iron Wood when she was still young and she was adopted as a younger sister by Angrboda. She was given to Loki as a bride by Angrboda, and she bore him twin daughters which he named them Einmyria and Eisa after the children of her long dead ancestress, the other Glut. However, this relation did not last for long, after an year, Loki lost the interest for her and Glut returned to love with Angrboda and her babies.

Glut and her daughters greant stamina, energy and strength to those on sports, athletes, practicioners of martial-arts etc. Glut can also help to heat up the passion between a couple. I haven't said this before, but in ancient times, people use to ofer a variety of things to the gods as we know it well, so it isn't different with other beings, eveything you want as an offering to a fire-etin, must be burnt before.

Working with the gods: Surt

We have all heard about Muspellheim, one of the nine realms in the Norse cosmology but it isn't a famous place as much as Asgard is for exemple, people tend to stick with the knowledge most appealing to them, we know better about the beautiful landscapes and beings of Asgard or Vanaheim or even Álfheim because those are places of light and beauty, of magic and wondrous powers, but all the other realms are equally important. What ever you might know of Muspellheim, the first thing you need to know is about the deity who rules over that realm.
Muspellheim is the eternal land of Fire where the fire-etins live, their king is Surt / Surtur the Black , whose sword gave the first sparks to create all the other realms, and it is said that he is the oldest living being in all the nine realms, few have seen him and even fewer had the opportunity to meet him, but for those who have, they have shared their knowledge with us and i am here today to talk about Surt as a contribution to the vast lore of the Norse/Germanic pagan traditions.

Surt is the king of fire, the supreme deity who has turned all his powers to the fire element in the Norse Mythology, he is also the king of all the fire-giants/etins and his realm is Muspellheim. We know about Ginnungagap, the great vast blackness of the universe and the only existing thing in the beginning and Surt appeared out of that blackness with his flaming sword eventually creating the land of Fire called Muspellheim which in some time got close enough with the realm of ice Niflheim and as such, the frozen earth melted revealing Ymir the primal frost-giant and Audhumla the great cow. Thus life was created in such matter, the meeting of fire with ice in the Norse mythology. Surt's children had connections with Ymir's children and they mixed their bloodlines. Surt was the only living thing in the beginning, lighting all that blackness with his great sword Laevateinn, and he is the oldest living being also, unfortunately, no one knows where he came from or how, or what brought him, but it is interesting to know that the element of fire and of ice is indeed the first things to appear in the creation of any planet, and so he is the very symbol of creation.
Most people don't know, but Surt is the godfather of Loki and raised him as his own son, as it is told in Loki's birth tale, when his mother Laufey came to Muspellheim to give birth to him when running away from the most powerful clans of Jotunheim after defeating Farbauti, Loki's father.
Surt is a powerful being, having the knowledge about all kind of fires, even the primal fires from which stars and worls are made of, he knows about the energy of such fires and the power of heat.
In the lore, it is said if Ragnarök comes to pass, Surt will rise up with the legions of Hela's dead beings and attack Asgard, and if that happens, Surt will kill Freyr who gave up his sword for love, after that, much of the world will be consumed by flames and Surt will rebirth it again. This is the very symbol of the power that fire has over nature, Freyr the god of fertility and light with his powers over the land, giving life to it, as we see all the landscapes around us filled with life, and when a great fire comes, in this case Surt, bringing death with him ( Hella ) burning all the land, and as Freyr will do, giving up his sword, refusing to fight the inevitable chaotic power that is too powerful to face, such as nature does, it has no powers to face the fires and it stands there, waiting to die and be consumed by it, just to rebirth after that in great beauty and stronger.

For those who want to call upon Surt and ask for his aid, Surt gives energy and courage, and the fire within all of us is lit, he is the very force that kindles the fire in all of us, that little spark that might spead into a great power which gives us the capacity to face all the hazards of life when we feel saddened and unmotivated. He can also be called upon for inspiration, for those who are musicians and those who are dancers, for all fire-etin love to dance and love to hear music.

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Logi the Fire Spirit

Who is Logi?

Logi is a powerful Norse fire-spirit. In myths, he is the second son of the old frost-giant Mistblindi, also known as Fornjotr, born of a fire-giant mother just after the Flood. His older brother is Kari the North Wind, and his younger brother is Aegir the King of the Sea. He later entered into the sworn service of Utgard-Loki. He appears in the story of Thor and Loki meeting the sorcerer-ruler Utgard-Loki; they were challenged to beat the lord of Utgard's various friends and family members in random contests. Loki was challenged to beat one of his courtiers in a contest of eating; the fiery man soundly trounced him, as he not only devoured the meal but the bones and the plate as well. He was then revealed as Logi - the old fire-god against the new one. Logi was sometimes called Halogi (High-Logi) by his friends and family, because he was very tall. There is some history that conflates him with a mortal king by the same name. His wife was named Glut (Glow) and she bore him two daughters, Einmyria (Ashes) and Eisa (Embers). They seem to have long since passed away, and Logi lives alone in his black-rock cave in Muspellheim, the World of Fire. Whether there was a mortal Logi/Halogi who lived a life similar to his - perhaps living Logi's archetypal pattern - or not is something that we may never know.

Logi is a very old god, one of the original magical triplicity of Kari-Logi-Aegir (Wind/Fire/Sea), more ancient than the invading Indo-Europeans. Some scholars, including H.A. Guerber in his Myths And Legends Of The Norsemen, conjecture that these three giant-Gods were part of an older creation myth that predates the myths of the Aesir and Vanir. Together, they make up a triplicity of the primal elements working on the Earth; the interaction of Sea, Flame, and North Wind creating and shaping the world of the North. The Scandinavian scholar Preben Muellengracht has suggested that these three elements of Sea, Flame and North Wind were an alternative model to the magical quadriplicity of Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The sea-kings of Orkney historically traced their descent from these three brothers.

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Muspelheim 2nd Part

Flora:

None to speak of. Muspellheim borders on the Myrkwood, which is more properly a liminal space between the worlds, and there is vegetation there, but the Muspellheim side of the Myrkwood is full of charred trees.

Fauna:

There are creatures in Muspellheim, besides the fire-etins, but little is known about them. There have been sightings of reptilian creatures that crawl through lava-hot mud, varying in size from a couple of inches long to something the size of a city bus. The fire-etins do hunt and eat some sort of animal; there are charred bones around to prove it, but discussing their diets is considered to be impolite.

Residents:

The fire-etins are territorial, and curt and abrupt with outsiders. They take offense fairly easily, and react in an appropriately fiery manner. It is best not to travel there without first getting permission. In their human form, they stand six to eight feet tall, and their skins are usually blackened with soot. When they flip to their fiery forms, the soot is shaken off, and so you can see them with unblackened skin for a little while after they change back. They wear very little clothing - usually just a tunic or loincloth of some sort of tanned reptile skin - and there seems to be no clothing difference between males and females. In their fiery form, they are like great pillars of fire, sometimes vaguely humanoid-shaped, and sometimes not. They can fling fireballs a good way, so running away from them is not recommended, nor is attempting to fly in. Like all etins, they are cannibals, and are not averse to eating visitors. Unlike other etins, they eat all their food cooked...because they can cook it in a matter of seconds.
Fire-etins are generally cheerful and wild, except when they are being suspicious and cautious. In fact, if they are subdued, you're probably in trouble. They have infectious laughter and love to shoot sparks, competing with each other to create fireworks that illustrate their moods. They are the most confident and courageous of etins, and they always laugh during battle. They do some of their own metalworking, but for the more intricate and delicate things they trade with the duergar, who are the undisputed masters of forging.
The Lord of all fire-etins is Surt, and the Lady is Sinmora. Some claim that they are husband and wife; some claim that they are the same individual, and that Surt happens to like flipping from male to female form, and having a separate female persona.
Surt is rather short for a fire-etin, which shows his great age - not that they get shorter with age, but more that the younger generations are taller. His manners are more courtly than the average fire-etin, and his wrath is a little more controlled. He is very intelligent, although he has on occasion acted less so in order to gall visitors into making rude comments, and thus having a reason to fry and eat them. He is not to be underestimated. Surt has a close relationship with (and a great respect for) Hela, with whom he is building Naglfari as a joint project. He has said that he is Loki's godfather, and that Laufey came to Muspellheim to give birth to him, because nowhere else in the Nine Worlds was hot enough, and that she lay in Surt's biggest fireplace to bring him forth.
Fire-etins are useful for learning to work with fire - well, obviously. They can help you with learning to make fire from an older method, such as tinder and flint, and with deciphering the subtleties of the rune Kano/Kaunaz/Ken, and with learning to heat your body with your own energy. They are very good for people who tend to throttle their aggression to the point where they get stepped on; they can help folk get in touch with their inner fire. They are also good for people suffering from burnout, who have lost enthusiasm for life. Their courage and confidence is contagious, almost to the point of blind enthusiasm, but it's a nice change for the tired and cynical.

Muspelheim 1st Part

Muspellheim is the Land of Fire. It is one of the first two primal worlds created in a vortex around the World Tree, and the collision between Muspellheim and Niflheim - fire and water, fire and ice, heat and cold - created the energy that formed the basis for the other seven worlds.

Time and Seasons:

There is no day or night in Muspellheim that the average traveler can understand. The Sun and Moon are entirely occluded by smoke, but the light of the fires creates a constant orangey-red sky, rather. The inhabitants actually do have a way of telling time and season, but they don't explain that to outsiders. To the traveler, there may as well be no time or season. Muspellheim spins closest to our world, ironically, at the winter solstice.

Geography:

To say that Muspellheim is the Burning Land is quite literal. A good percentage of it is molten lava rock, and much of the rest is constantly aflame. Attempting to fly over it from most of its borders is nearly impossible, due to the smoke and fumes and long distances where you don't dare land anywhere. The general opinion is that unless you are a fire-etin, Muspellheim is uninhabited and uninhabitable, and no one can journey there anyway.

There is, however, a small portion of the Fiery Realm - perhaps less than a twentieth - where human beings can walk around, with caution. It is the small part of Muspellheim that is coastline; there are beaches of black sand and lava rocks, and bubbling hot springs, and holes in the earth where small fires spring up. Here the fire-etins keep their homes - huts made of shiny black rocks piled and melted together - and they use their human forms here. They are perfectly capable of traveling anywhere else in their world in fiery form, and indeed fire-giants all seem to be more comfortable in fire-form than flesh-form.

The beaches of the Land of Fire are all a long way from any solid border (such as the Myrkwood or the mountainous gates of Svartalfheim), which provides a natural barrier for overflying enemies and spies. Having to cross hundreds of miles of choking smoke, leaping flame, toxic fumes, and devastating heat generally discourages even the most sturdy of flyers. Should anyone make it to the coastal area and actually give in to the temptation to land, they will find that it is well guarded. This is the area of Surt's court, and nothing breathes along that narrow stretch of black beach that he doesn't know about. Generally the fire-giants will be surrounding you and demanding to know your business within minutes, and if they don't like your answer, they will eat you. In other words, don't go there without an appointment with Surt or Sinmora.

The two largest and most impressive structures in the coastal area of Muspellheim - in fact, in all of Muspellheim - are Surt's manor and Naglfari. Surt's manor is carved entirely out of a single giant piece of black volcanic glass the size of several city blocks. It is round, with jutting projections like an iron crown, each of them a chimney over a hearth the size of my living room, belching white smoke. There have only been two such structures made, and his manor is the larger one. The smaller one is another giant piece of black volcanic glass, this one with a spiral series of vaulted chambers cut into it, and it is an underground part of Elvidnir, Hel's palace in Helheim, given as tribute by Surt to his godson's daughter.

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Loki

Note: The drawing was made by me, you can see all of my works by clicking on the Portfolio bellow.

This Tale can not be found in any lore, those who wrote the ancient storys of the Gods and their doings, did not work with the Jotnar. This specific story was told to a friend of mine who works with the Jotnar and he told me the story, so i do not have any credit over this, excepct on the art work. The tale was told to me by Raven Kaldera, here it is a link to his website [Link] Enjoy.

The Birth of Loki - Laufey's Son

In the beginning, there were the frost giants of Niflheim and the fire giants of Muspellheim, and when the great flood came, many were washed away. Some found safety on a piece of Ymir's body that congealed into a new world, and they named it Jotunheim - the new home of the giants. Some say that it was formed of Ymir's spine and shoulders, for it formed itself into a land of great and imposing mountains, trees that nearly reached the sky, huge and fierce animals that roamed the dark forests, and lightning storms that split the sky.

The surviving Jotnar found it welcoming, and they married each other and produced many new Jotnar - the mountain-etins, the woods-etins, the sea-etins. Some settled high in the cold northern mountains, or the western mountains by the ocean, or the islands, or the eastern rain forests, or the southern woodlands. And in one place in the south of Jotunheim, they settled in a strange forest. Its trees were shorter and harder than anywhere else in the world, and they bore strange fruit. Magic leaked from the very earth; the place reeked of it, and tainted everything that was born there. The etin-folk named it the Iron Wood, and the recognized it as the sacred heart of Jotunheim, the wellspring of its magic. Werewolves and werecreatures were born there, and beings strange and twisted, but their deformities were considered a sacred thing. For a twisted troll to say that he had the blood of the Iron Wood was to replace scorn with reverence in the eyes of the onlookers. Magic ran strong in the blood of the Iron Wood folk; seers and galdr-folk came forth from that place, to marry and spread their bloodlines through all the etin-folk.

The folk of the Iron Wood divided themselves into nine clans, and each elected a chieftain. There was much fighting as to who would be Chief of Chiefs, however, and many were slain in the battles, and the blood soaked into the earth. Finally the fighting came down to two clan chiefs, both of whom swore that they would defeat the other and win the leadership of the Nine Clans.

One was Farbauti, whose name means Cruel-Striker, and whose clan was Lightning. He was tall and strong and broad as the side of a mountain, and belched fire from his mouth. Fire-giant blood ran strong in his veins. The other was the young chieftess of the Wolf clan, a powerful witch with the lineage of the Volva in her. She was tall and strong and had hair the color of dried blood, and she could see into the future and prophesy. And she saw that she would be Chief of Chiefs, and set out to make that prophesy come true.

And it came to pass that Farbauti went from the Iron Wood and came to the western mountains, and thence to the ocean, and he wandered in a boat among the many islands off the coast of Jotunheim, some so close to the world's border that one could almost see Vanaheim in the distance. And it was there that he met a beautiful giantess named Laufey, the Lady of the Leafy Isle. She had earth-goddess blood in her, old and ancient as Jord, and she shone like silver in the moonlight, and Farbauti could think of nothing but her from the moment that he saw her.

It is said in the lore that he struck her with a lightning-bolt, and thus was their son born. The truth of the matter is that love and desire for him did indeed strike her like lightning, and the fruit of that love and desire was that she swelled with child. Yet she had not gone but three months before her womb began to burn, as if a brand flamed there, and it caused her great pain. Farbauti feared for her, and wished her to return with him, for there were healers in the Iron Wood who understood the nature of its bloodlines. She agreed to travel with him back to the Iron Wood, although she sorely missed her leafy isle, but she understood that their son must claim his right to the chieftainship, should it come to Farbauti's death. Her husband built for her a cottage out of stone, and guarded it, for he feared that the wolf-chieftess might strike at her.

He was right in this thinking, for the wolf-chieftess heard of Laufey and her swelling belly, and the Sight came on her, and she saw as in a hazy dream that this son of Farbauti's might someday master her. So she called upon her brothers and sisters, and in wolf's hame they set upon the cottage, where Laufey lay within moaning in pain, for her time was almost upon her.

Great was the duel between Farbauti and the wolf-chieftess, and many scars they left upon each other, but in the confusion Laufey slipped from the house and fled as fast as an etin-woman laboring could run. She fled the Iron Wood, but the wolf-giants came after her, sniffing out her trail. She fled from Jotunheim itself, and crossed the world-border into Midgard, yet still they followed her, and the howling froze the blood of the Midgard humans who heard the chase. She fled into the Myrkwood, so fast that the fierce tribes who lived there could not catch her, but the wolves followed. And so it was that she came to where the trees of the Myrkwood were charred and blackened, and saw the burning waste of Muspellheim beyond. And she knew somehow that the burning in her womb had brought her here, to the burning land.

As she stepped foot into Muspellheim, Surt the Black came forth with his men-at-arms, and challenged her. "What seek you here, island woman?" he growled.

"I seek sanctuary, in the name of the father of my child, Farbauti, who is descended from your sons," she gasped out. "For his enemy is hot on my heels, and this child pleads to be born."

"What will you give me, island woman," Surt asked, "if I shelter you from all harm until there is no more harm to come? What will you give for your protection?"

Laufey held out her hands, and showed that she had nothing on her save her shift. "I come empty-handed into your kingdom, my Lord Surt," she said, "and I have nothing to offer. What would you have of me?"

"Empty-handed, perhaps, but full-bellied," Surt said. "Give me the treasure that you carry. Let me be godfather and second father to your child, and I will give you both sanctuary, for as long as you wish."

Laufey hesitated, for she did not wish to betray Farbauti, but the wolves were howling in the distance and her womb burned so that she could no longer stand or walk, and she finally gave in and agreed. Surt bore her to his castle, and the wolves were stymied, and howled many days along the border of Muspellheim, but they did not dare enter, for Surt was too powerful in his own kingdom, and the very land would rise up against them and burn them to death, and so Laufey and her son were saved.

Surt's palace is hewn from black glassy rock, and his hall has many fireplaces around it, big enough to cook an ox and still have room to turn the spit. And it was in the largest of these that Laufey lay down in the coals, and she lifted her skirts and spread her legs, and a burning brand came forth from her body. Surt took tongs of iron and drew the brand forth from her, and as he did so it became an infant boy with hair the color of flame. And so was Laufey's son born.

Laufey sent to her husband, telling him that he had a son, and pleading to return. But Farbauti was still at war, and felt that it was too dangerous for his wife and child, and he bade her bide with Surt until it was safe. But the years passed, and it was still not safe enough in Farbauti's mind, and all Laufey's pleading had no effect on his fear. Laufey burned first with desire for her absent husband, then with resentment, then with anger. Meanwhile, Surt the Black raised her son like his own, and showed him the mysteries of fire, and the fire-blood in his veins.

When Laufey's son was thirteen years of age, and was going from child to youth, Farbauti sent to Laufey and told her that it was over, and the wolf-chieftess had won. He had agreed to a truce, for she was more powerful than he, and she had been elected the Hagia, the Wise Woman and Chief of Chiefs of the Nine Clans. In return for giving her the title, he bade her promise not to harm his wife and son. So Laufey made ready to go, but before they left a seer of Muspellheim came forth at Surt's bidding and prophesied for Laufey's son.

The seer looked deep into the red-haired youth's sharp green eyes, and she gasped, and said, "You shall have no home, wanderer, save the road itself, and that road will be hard for you, and yet all places on the road shall be your home. You shall have freedom greater than any other, yet be bound by your own choosing. You shall be dearly loved and terribly hated, and little understood. Your name shall be more well known outside the Nine Worlds than any other name in the Nine Worlds save two, and one shall be your blood brother and the other spring forth from your loins." And with this prophecy, they left for the Iron Wood and came to Farbauti at last.

Farbauti made ready to welcome Laufey back, but she spoke forth in anger, and said, "You would not let me share your danger, but only your safety, and I say that this is not love. For I would have died by your side, yet you ordered me apart. So I will not live here with you, but will go up into the mountains that look down upon your forest, and there I will build a home and live. You may visit me when you will, but I will not live with you." And Farbauti wept for the first time, but there was no moving Laufey, for her feet were planted like the earth.

So Farbauti turned to his son, and said, "Will you go with your mother, then, or will you stay here with me, your father?"

Laufey's son was silent a long while, which was surprising to those who knew his quick tongue, but finally he said, "You are the father of my blood, but you were not there when I needed you as a child. Surt the Black cared for me then, and which is more important: the father who gave me his blood, or the father who gave me his time? I cannot choose, and so I will not. I will live with you, Chief of the Lightning Tribe, until I am a man, but I will be known henceforth only as Laufey's Son." And Farbauti accepted this, although with heavy heart.

Laufey spoke forth, and asked, "Will you bring our son to the council of the Clans, and see him welcomed into the Nine?" But Farbauti would not go forth where the wolf-chieftess held court, and he would not see his son welcomed with her hands, which was not all pride, for he still feared that she would break her word and kill his son. Laufey laughed and said, "Seers have spoken for our son, and they did not see him dying before his time, so I will take courage and go before the wolf-chieftess and demand our son's heritage." And a council was called, and she brought her son before them, and Farbauti watched from the trees lest there be foul play.

When the wolf-chieftess heard, she was sore in her heart, for she remembered the dream wherein it was whispered that Farbauti's son might one day master her, and she did indeed contemplate killing him in spite of her word. And with this in mind, she hid a knife in her skirts, even though the deed seemed evil to her. Yet when Laufey and her son came to the clearing where the Council stood, and she faced the youth across the fire, with his flame-red hair and his sharp green eyes and his three-cornered smile, the vision came on her again, and she saw it more clearly this time.

And she saw that someday, not far off, when Laufey's son came to manhood, he would come to her and would indeed master her, but that mastery would be Love. He would become her consort, and he would be the father of all of her children, and she would love and desire him above all others, and sometimes hate him as well. And she saw also that he would be her greatest joy and her greatest sorrow, and that he would be the eventual cause of her death, and her rebirth. And she saw also what the seer of Muspellheim saw, that he would wander forever, and be loved and hated, and come to both fame and infamy. And she would have wept, but she was too proud; and she would have screamed at the trick that the Norns had played her, but she saw the wyrd that must be, and that it was her orlog to take part in this path. The knife fell from her stiff fingers, to bury itself unseen in the earth.

So Angrboda did the only thing that she could do. She stepped forward, in all her regalia of the Hagia of the Iron Wood, and she welcomed him into the tribe, saying, "Laufey's son, child of the lineage of Farbauti, you are welcome into the Nine Clans of the Iron Wood, the sacred heart of Jotunheim. We are your family, and we will guard you, and succor you, as long as you live among us. May none who hear me ever say otherwise!" And she threw back her head and howled, and there was sorrow in the howling, and all wondered to see it, but they all joined in as well, and with one great howl Loki was swept onto the path that would be his life.

Of Fire and Mischief

NOTE: The Picture was taken by MissLoony, All Rights Reserverd.


I will talk about the Natural Elements and today the subject is the elemental fire and the importance it has even as a therapy.
The Fire is the source of all creation, it all began with it, i see fire as a living creature, that breathes to live and eats or consumes all arround, so it can grow, it moves, it pulses with life. Fire can be a cosy friend but also a terribel enemy, above all else, when working with it, we must have the utmost care and respect it.
The fire as a therapy is like magic upon our minds, try to sit or lay near a bonfire or a fireplace, in a chair or bed, close your eyes and listen the crackling of the fire, imagine yourself in a distante place, beautiful, dreamlike, near a river or in the mountains, the wind is cold, you feel inside your heart, the bliss , you feel warmer, or you can even think about a place inside a wooden house, snow outside with the sound of the wind blowing hard and the yelp of the wolves. You will fall asleep and have a great rest upon your pillow. Of course you can imagine thousands of situations at the sound of the crackling fire.
Just like the God Loki, he has an outstanding power and skills over fire, and he gained all this knowledge with the Giant Surt the black of Muspellheim, surffice to say, he is the lord of fire. But that is another story for an other post. And speaking of Loki, i avail what i have said, to speak about it, many people see him as the devil of the christian myths, i can tell you, that is a mistake often taken, in the Norse Mythology there are no evil gods, each one has his purpose, his own skills, powers and doings, Loki is the God of Mischief, fire, magic, shapeshifting and cunning, and all of us in our daily lifes, when working with other persons, we have to be cunning, eyes opened, or the society will "eat us alive", also we have to shapeshift, not like loki, but in a metaphorical way, play a bit, not with evil purposes, or to gain things we want and pass over others, but in a way so we can help others and ourselves, it is easy to make evil, and hard to do good, that is the true lesson and the real task.