Váli god of vengeance

Odin had a son with the giantess Rind, his name is Váli, but he his also named Ali or Bous so people might not be confused with Vali the son of Loki with Sigyn to whom Odin drove him to madness after being turned into a wolf.
Váli the  son of Odin is the god of vengeance like his half-brother Vidarr, but Váli was the first one to gain this title and his story is closely related with Baldur. When Hoder/Hodr the blind god was tricked by Loki into shooting and arrow towards his own brother Baldur ( an arrow made by the only thing Baldur wasn't imune to, mistletoe ) Odin decided that he needed another son to avenge the death of Baldur. Odin forced himself on the frost giantess Rind and she bore him a son, Váli.
In the myth, Váli grows to adulthood in a single day and made an oath, never to wash his face, combing his hair or do any other kind of personal hygiene until he slains his brother's killer, Hodur, who was also an half-brother to Baldur. It seems that Váli had little knowledge about the true facts and in truth he didn't care much about it, his objective was one only and as soon as he set eyes upon Hodur, he slained him, a blind half-brother of his, defenceless and innocent.
 
Váli's story is one difficult to understand, all about Baldur's death is, but probably this was Odin's plan all along, for Baldur went to Helheim and from there he as a different power and he will be a great ruler after Ragnarök if that comes, from there he is more then a god of beauty. Also Hodur was limited in his power while in Asgard, a god of shadows and dreams, of powers hidden inside one's mind, magical powers out of mere sight, he could do little in Asgard, and so by dying, somehow he was also set free and extended his powers and his field of expertise, and also help those in need, and be called upon in easier ways. If this is true or not, only Odin and Loki might know the truth. About Váli, it is strange that Odin needed a son so desperately just to kill another son of his, probably he had more plans for this child and probably for Váli, killing his own half-brother wasn't an easy task, he might had pondered about that for some time, but how would he if he grew to adulthood in one single day? Well.. those who know the goddess Rind, know that she works with time itself, and can go to and fro without being noticed, she can stop time, she can freezes that in a single place were one might live his life in a normal period of time, and other do the same outsider that place but each don't have the perception of time, and has one might live an entire life in a normal time frame, other's outsider the place choosen by Rind, live slowly second by second, so Váli had in truth plenty of time to grow and learn, and probably he did what he had to do because Odin asked him to and behind these actions, a greater good could be achieved, for Váli is now among the Aesir tribe and lives as a champion of Asgard.
 
We might learn with this story, that one might have the need to sacrifice what is dear to him/her, in order to achieve a greater good, or to turn the life of many into a better way of living, and this takes great courage. So in my point of view, Váli can be called upon ( as Odin also in this case ) not just for a simple vengeance, but also to take heart and courage to do what must be done, to sacrífice whatever needs to be sacrificed in order to build a better future, a better life, for us and those around us that we love so dearly.
 
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Váli blót - 14 February - Valentine's Day

Váli Blót

First of all, i would like to tell you who is the god Váli.


Vali, as it is told in the Skaldskaparmal, is the "son of Odin and Rind, stepson of Frigg, brother of the Æsir, Baldr's avenging As, enemy of Hod and his slayer, father's homestead-inhabiter."
Váli is also among the twelve Æsir seated as judges at Ægir's banquet. He is not only seen as a God of vengeance, but truly one of the Æsir, seated with the others at table and drink. He is referenced for his courage and his accuracy with the bow, and is one of the inheritors of Asgard after Ragnarok.

The Birth of Váli

The prophecy made by Rossthiof was duly fulfilled, for Rinda bore a son named Vali (Ali, Bous, or Beav), a personification of the lengthening days, who grew with such marvelous rapidity, that in the course of a single day he attained his full stature. Without even taking time to wash his face or comb his hair, this young God hastened off to Asgard with bow and arrow to avenge the death of Balder, God of light, by slaying his murderer, Hodur, the blind God of darkness.
Of course, metaphorically speaking, he hasn't born just for a single purpose, to avenge the death of Baldr, and he did not took a single day to grow and run to Asgard to kill Hodr, this tale is told, for us to have that perception that Váli was quickly trained to become a great warrior, an archer, and he grew with such skills, that he became a great god, and too soon he proved his abilities, his skills.
Also, there is a tale which says that de God Hoder (the Danish version of the god Hod / Hodr) was the lover of Nanna the princess of the Danes. Balder also desired Nanna and tried to woo her without success. Undeterred Balder raised an army of gods and attacked Hod with a fleet of ships. Hoder successfully held them off and even managed to break Thor's weapon ( apparently in this time, Thor did not owned his magic hammer Mjölnir ) Hoder eventually killed Balder using a magical sword. Odin's son Bo ( Váli ) later avenged Balder.

Why is it Váli's day at the same day as Valentine's Day ?

Vali is the God of eternal light, just as a beam of light was often called with arrows, he is always represented and worshiped as an archer. For that reason his month in Scandinavian an now in Neopaganism of Northern Beliefs calendars is designated by the sign of the bow, and is called Lios-beri, the light-bringing. As it falls between the middle of January and of February, the early Christians dedicated this month to St. Valentine, who was also a skillful archer, and was said, like Vali, to be the harbinger of brighter days, the awakener of tender sentiments, and the patron of all lovers.

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Mythology around Runes: Sowelo

Note: The Photo was taken by Missloony

Mythology of Runes

Sowelo


In northern mythology, the sun is considered to be female, personified as a giantess named either Sol or Sunna. Two of the Asgardian deities are also associated with this rune.
The first is Baldur, "The Beautiful", the beloved, yet tragic, god, who was slain by a mistletoe dart thrown by his blind brother, Hodur. This myth expresses the cycle of the year and the duality of light and darkness.

The thunder god Thor, must have a place in the symbolism of the rune, because it looks so much like a lightning flash. Thor, the guardian of justice and order, was known for the swift retribution that he dealt out to wrongdoers. So the meaning of this rune can be applied to the workings of the law and also to taking justified revenge.

Mythology around runes: Jera

Mythology of Jera :

"The brightly decorated Christmas tree is the most familiar aspect of the rune Jera. Its image evokes happy memories and the yuletide spirit."


The symbolism of jera relates to the tragic tale of baldur and hodur, two of the sons of Odin. Baldur, who was known as "the Beautiful", shone like the sun. Poor hodur, on the other hand, was blind and so quiet that he was often ignored. Baldur was so beloved of both gods and humans that his mother, Frigga, spent a long time extracting a promise from every living thing that they would not harm him. However, she ignored the mistletoe because it was so puny that she could not imagine that it could possibly hurt her beloved son. Unfortunately, Frigga had not considered the malice of the deceiful fire god, Loki. Loki incited the other gods to trow weapons at baldur, all of which bounced off him. The he suggested other objects, such as pots and pans. No harm came to Baldur. Only blind Hodur held back because he could not see his brother, but wily Loki persuaded him to join in the game and offered not only to guide his hand, but to procide him with an unlikely weapon: a dart made from the puny mistletoe. This small dart alone hit its mark, and baldur fell down dead, slain by his brother's hand. But all was not lost, for Baldur eventually conquered death and was later resurrected, just like the sun on midwinter's day.