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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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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Fire in Shamanism

Man has aways had a special relation with the fire element. It was through the light of fire, that man saw for the first time his reflection, the shadow of his own body reflected in the walls of the caves, he mistook it as the first hypothesis of this being his own soul. This shadowed reflection might have been one of the reasons that led the early human to start having another point of view about the world, and made him want to paint on the rocks his everyday activity and his relationship with the divine.

In this time, fire started to be the source of heat and illumination in the cold and dark days of winter, it was also the perfect element to change the raw animal meat into a new source of nourishment. Radical changes happen with the coming of fire, changes in their food, in their daily works, to explore new dark paths, to give light in the caves so they could paint and make other kids of art, to wander in the night and also a great change happened in terms of spirituality. Fire helped people to gather around it, and in this way, tribes were formed, and communities start to evolve and spread through the landscape. Mastering the art of the fire was a proof of passage to adulthood and a proof of survival. This also led to the sacred gathering of shamans around the fire, to discuss events and work together.
If we take a look at these shaman gatherings that still happen today, we can see how fire is important in this kind of situation, inside any Yurt, Tipi or other shaman tent. It is the fire that feeds the heat inside the tent, the sound of the crackling fire and the smoke, the first inducing process which heps in the altered state of consciousness or what we call, shamanic trance.
In shamanism, it is believed that the fire is the natural element which helps us to communicate with the spirits and our ancestors, because if you listen close enough, you might hear them speaking to you or with each other, and so the shaman before starting his work, he lights the fire. It is also in the heat of the fire, that the shaman prepares his drum, stretching the animal skin enough so that when hitting the drum, the sound may be similar to the heartbeat.
Fire was the first element that helped in the creation of the universe and our own world, fire was and still is one of the most important elements.

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.

Supported By RavenKaldera

Mythology around runes: Kaunaz

Mythology:
The rune Kaunaz is associated with trustworthy gatekeeper of the gods, Heimdall, a deity as mysterious and brooding as a pine forest. Heimdall is a son of Odin, and it was his job to prevent mortals and giants from crossing the rainbow bridge, Bifrost, as it was prophesied that they would do, thereby bringing about Ragnarok, or the "Twilight of the Gods". He was ever-watchful, and was thus identified with the vigilant owl. Heimdall is known as the "shining god", and was personified as a torch or beacon. He stood between Asgard and the World of Humankind and is credited withpassing on the knowledge of the runes to mortals. Bonfires and beacons lit on mountaintops in order to pass on news of great importance were likewise associated with Heimdall and his rune, Kaunaz.

Note:  This was scheduled to this day.

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.