Working With The Gods: Nerthus And Njord

When we are familiar with the Norse/Germanic tribes of old, we have the perception that the most worshiped deities were those linked to war, conflict, protection, fortification and all the things linked to combat. If any of you has read the book "Germania" by the Roman Tácito (if you haven't, you should, for it is the best and most complete historical-ethnographic treatise of antiquity) you see that the Germanic and Norse tribes did little work of agriculture, and even with the Baltic sea at hand, they also did little fishing and invasions by sea at that time. Works of magic and spirituality were left to the prophetesses and the slaves would perform the dangerous work of giving themselves to a deity as gifts in certain times and to certain deities. So the most worshiped deities were the ones linked to war and battle, the earth deity mother of all gods and living things, and in some cases, certain prophetesses were worshiped as living godesses.

A little history doesn't harm anyone, but all this to say that certain deities weren't there since the beginning, at least not with the names we know nowadays and not with the powers atributed to them. Nerthus and Njord are the Norse deities of the ocean, of the northern sea, they began to be worshiped in a late time and only nowadays ,with the spiritual work increasing, we know more about these deities and their true powers.

When working with Nerthus, Njord's wife, we do know that she prefers female spiritual-workers. No one is able to see her face, it is always covered, only a person who has become a priest or a priestess of the Vanir tribe, can see the face of this deity, otherwise a person that hasn't this job or any link whatsoever with the Vanir, must be killed if by any chance sees her face. So those who work with this deity are always female attendants, it is really rare to see any male working with Nerthus.
Njord prefers male spiritual-workers, they can be of any gender, but he really prefers male spiritual-workers and if any of those have the chance to have any kind of meal with this deity or be invited to a feast, be ready to eat a lot of sea food. If you want to gift Njord with food, his favorite is salmon.
Such as the post I have written about Freyja as being one of the few deities we know which colors she prefers, we too know the colors which her father, Njord, prefers, and it isn't hard to figure it out since he is a god of the northern sea and his halls are filled with those colors, white and the many tones of blue.

Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a drawing made by me entitled "The Summoning of Njörðr". 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

Working With The Gods : Tyr

Tyr is a god easy to spot, his right hand is missing, but it isn't only for that fact that you will recognize him. He wears a warrior presence, a stern but kind look and a great sword hangs on his right side by the waist. Usually he will be dressed with the dark tones of the colors of war, grey and red. Usually he also wears a cloak to cover his right arm.

He is a deity that prefers to work with male spirit-workers. This is a deity very difficult o work with, if you call upon him be certain that you know exactly what you want, because if he appears, he will be there only for a short time and then vanishes. He is a deity that goes directly to the matter, leaves you with some words of wisdom and then he is gone, it is up to you to know what to do with those words, your choice.

Usually the group of spirit-workers that gather with him, make a semi-circle in front of him, all must wear a weapon of their choice and Tyr will be there, speaking like a warchief speaks to an army. 

Working with the gods: Loki

Those who work with the god Loki the Trickster, said to be a very hard god to work with and to handle. The first thing you need to have in mind if you are a spirit-worker willingly to work with this god, is that Loki will likely do things to the spirit-worker, that he/she will not like or expect. The knowledge i have earned with the shamans i speak with and an important friend who is also a shaman ( RavenKaldera ), it was told to me, that when working with this god, it is important to have an other god as your protector, to set limits when working with Loki, so you dont end up "bad" or doing things that goes beyond your likings. Also this god may not stick to the agreement and the rules you may have had and stipulated, before you started the spiritual work.

When inviting this god to work with, you dont have to worry about which food he might like, he will eat all kinds of stuff, but that doesn't go the same way when dealing with drinking, in that he will prefer alcoholic beverages with cinnamon and red pepper in it if possible.

Don't forger and always keep in mind, that if you will work with Loki, you best be prepared for the ways and doings of this god, and it is always better to work alongside with an other spirit-worker who already has a good relationship with Loki or perhaps if you work with Hela, in case you need to protect yourself, you can always call upon Loki's daughter to calm him down.

Working with the Gods: Nerthus and Njord

Nerthus and Njord have arrived both together and separately. Nerthus likes a female spirit-worker, and she prefers "beer that drinks like a meal" - thick rich stout. She is always veiled, because anyone besides a Vanir priest/ess who sees her face must be killed. Make her attendants female. Njord prefers a masculine spirit-worker and is especially fond of rum, and salmon baked in a salt dome. He likes blues and whites, sea colors. If he can be invoked near the seaside, that's even better. His attendants can be any gender, but they should be useful and practical, and if they know something about ships or are interested in sailing, that's even more of a bonus.

Supported by RavenKaldera

Working with the Gods : Tyr

Tyr

Tyr wears dark red and dark grey and carries a sword slung on his right side, so that he can draw it with his left hand. He prefers a masculine-to-male spirit worker. If the person has long hair, it should be pulled back in a braid and not left to hang loose. Tyr is grim and stern, and tends to only show up for a short time, to speak to someone and then leave. He won't stay for merriment; he's not a party guy. He will want armed attendants, who should flank him but give him space. During the ride, the person will be unable to move or feel their right hand - it's a kindness to provide a cloak beforehand that is slung over the right arm, but leaves the left one free - and sometimes this numbness will last a few hours after Tyr has left, so the person will be aware that they may be missing an astral hand for a while.