Enter Into Nordic World

In my eyes, it is not possible to understand the true nature of the runes without studying the Norse mythology. A common mistake made by New Age “runemasters” is that they study the runes from divination point of use, and not from the ancient tradition. But the people of the North were using the runes in many different way, the divination practices were only part of them.

It is important, for every runemaster wannabe to remember, that if you want to master the Norse runes, you must read the Norse mythology, explore Poetic Edda and Northern sagas. What can these teach you? Many things, I might say.

For example, I have learned many different runic spells and rituals that have not been described in any book about runes I have ever encountered; therefore, it is my belief that their authors never really studied the mythology behind runes. A lot of interesting nordic mythology uses of runes in spells and high magick can nordic mythology be found within the Poetic Edda itself. More information can be found in classic Sagas. For example, no book about runes I have read ever mentioned that the Thurisaz rune can be used to cause mental illness.

Another interesting thing that you can find with the help of Northern mythology is the correspondence between runes and Northern gods. For example, while most book about runes agrees that Thurisaz is the rune of the god Thor, I haven’t found many books norse myths that mention that Heimdall was the god of Daguz and few more other runes. Or, that Nauthiz, Isa and Hagalaz are the runes “guarded” by the Nornes – Urd, Werdandi and Skuld. This leads to interesting interpretation that the Hagalaz guarded by Urd is the rune of the past; Nauthiz guarded by Skuld is the rune of the future; and Isa, guarded by Werdandi, is the rune of the present. This can be used in many different divination and magical practices.

Exploring the Norse mythology is not only fun, but also educating for everyone who is interested in the Runes. You can find explanations of each rune, descriptions of spells and rituals, and examples of uses for each rune, scripts and bindrunes. It is important to nordic mythology remember that mastering the subject of the runes require not only learning the runes themselves, but also the culture from which they originate – the culture of the Vikings, and people before them. Without this, no one can become a true runemaster.

In Norse mythology there are two races of gods; the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir were considered to be the more enlightened of the races, boasting such figures as Thor, the god of thunder, his sons Modi nordic mythology and Magni, the All Father Odin and others like Frigg, queen of the Aesir and Tyr the god of war and sacrifice. The Vanir on the other hand were considered to be less civilized, though virile and strong. These two groups warred in the early parts of mythology, but eventually called a truce and exchanged hostages to ensure the continued good behavior on both sides. Freya, her brother Frey and their father Niord came to Asgard to live with the Aesir as part of this bargain.

Freya was said to be the most beautiful goddess of both the Aesir and the Vanir, and though her appearance will vary depending on the viewer it was often said that she had hair of gold or crimson, and that she would appear nude to her followers. She was the goddess of love and fertility, and her domain extended from human coupling out to cheap NFL jerseys the animal kingdom and even over nature which included the crops of farmers. Freya shared this responsibility with her brother Frey, who was the male half of virility and fertility. Both of them were considered to be royalty among the light elves or the Alfar, who were creatures of strength and light.

Freya was also a goddess of battle and magic. While she was worshiped by lovers, heathen warriors would also pray to her. Freya of the Black Sword Hand was also the queen of the nordic mythology valkyries, who were warrior maidens that would fly across battle fields and select the noble dead for their reward. Half of them would go to Valhalla with Odin, and the other half would go to Freya’s hall Sessrumnir in Asgard. Freya also took women who were killed, and often those who died as lovers.

Freya also possessed many famed items and treasures of Norse myth. Her necklace of Brisings was made of cheap NFL jerseys amber and gold by four skilled dwarven smiths who were each granted a night with Freya for her to possess it. The necklace represents the four seasons, and amber and gold were supposedly made of Freya’s tears when they fell to the sea and earth respectively as she sought her missing husband. Freya also possessed a chariot drawn by two cats, Beagol and Treagol, and a cloak or skin of feathers that allowed the wearer to become a falcon.

While every faith has a goddess of fertility and love, and some have many, those who practice Asatru have a very unique goddess. Not only is Freya beautiful and fertile, she is also independent and wild. A goddess of battle and magic, she is considered nearly equal to Odin and Thor, and she rides with Odin on the Wild Hunt along with the valkyries. Freya was a woman given respect and accord in a time when equal rights were rare, and women’s liberation was hundreds of years off still. Harsh circumstances in the rough and rugged country that these gods ruled over though made for exceptions.

“Freya,” by Micha F. Lindemans at Pantheon
“Lady Freya,” by Anonymous at Goddess Freya

People who are born cheap NFL jerseys between 22nd November and December 21st belong to the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac sun norse myths sign chart. The zodiac symbol of Sagittarius is a centaur (the upper half is a man holding a bow with an arrow that points towards the sky and the lower half is a horse). A centaur signifies that a Sagittarian is hunting to discover the meaning of life. Sagittarians are adventurous people and truth-seekers, and aim their thoughts towards divine realms of the heaven. Read characteristics of Sagittarius.

In Greek mythology, Sagittarius is known as the Centaur Chiron. The ancient Greeks believed a centaur is not only adventurous and brave, but also wise. Chiron, the centaur was a great friend of Hercules, the Greek hero. In Greek myths, Sagittarius is shown as the representative of the Greek god Zeus. Sometimes, Sagittarius is also associated with the Greek goddess Tyche and the Norse God Thor. Another Greek myth connects Sagittarius with Crotus, the son of Pan, the goat-god, and Eupheme, the nurse of the Muses.

The Greeks considered the centaur Chiron as the King of Centaurs. According to Greek myths, Sagittarius is a wild and uncivilized centaur that was wise. The kings of Greece would send their sons to Chiron for their education. Chiron was not only a teacher, nordic mythology but also a philosopher and a hermit. According to the Greeks, Sagittarius, the norse myths archer, is the son of Saturn. Chiron, the Sagittarius, was popular among the Greek gods and goddesses.

Snakes have slithered in all shades through humanity’s collective dreams. Whether they are black serpents such as Typhon or Apep — who dwell in the underworld and challenge the gods — or snakes in rainbow hues that help set the world in motion, serpents and snakes have coiled themselves around our imagination, in every conceivable color.

Rainbow Snakes

In Haitian Voodoo and African mythology, Damballah Wedo is a “loa,” or spirit depicted as a rainbow serpent. Damballah was believed to have created the stars, planets and Earth from his 7,000 coils. He is closely associated with a lack of speech and is found near water sources. Khonvoum, the Pygmy god of the hunt, is another rainbow serpent found in African mythology. Aboriginal tribes in Australia believe the rainbow-colored Ngalyod to have created the sacred sites of the tribe during the “Dreamtime.”

Green Snakes

Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” god of language and knowledge to the Aztec and Toltec, was named after the green-plumed quetzal bird. The snake goddess of the Egyptian oracles, Buto, was said to be “papyrus colored” after the green hue of the reeds.

Black and White Snakes

In Chinese folklore, the tale of the white snake woman is a kind of allegory, telling of the doomed love between a woman and a scholar.

Black serpents often appear in Egyptian mythology. For instance, Apep is a serpent demon and rival cheap NFL jerseys to the sun god Ra, who lives in perpetual darkness. Typhon, a mythical serpent-like monster from Greek mythology, was cast into Tartarus by Zeus. As a dweller of the underworld, Typhon is often norse myths depicted in black hues. Many mythological sea serpents also take on darker forms. For instance, Jrmungandr of Norse mythology — said to have grown so large he encircled the world — is often depicted as a black, coiled serpent.

Other Colored Snakes

The legend of the Yellow Snake Chief comes from the Winnebago tribe of North America. According to the legend, he is one of the four Snake Spirits placed in the four corners of the Earth to keep it from tearing apart. In Hindu mythology, Rahu is a serpent believed to swallow the sun and moon nordic mythology gods during eclipses. He is sometimes depicted as a blue dragon, nordic mythology or serpent, riding in a chariot drawn by eight black horses.

Norse mythology covers the gods, goddesses and myths that comprised part of the religion of the Vikings. A quick reading shows a hard life filled with adventure and danger, a chronicle of great heroes like the thunder god Thor who fought giants and monsters to protect mankind from the threats of Winter given form. However, even the heathen gods had to deal with the mundane chores of daily life. Walls needed to be built, families cared for and laws enforced. This last was an area overseen by the Norse god Forseti, who is an obscure figure in mythology.

Forset is the son of the god Baldur and his wife Nanna, which incidentally makes him the grandson of the All Father Odin and the goddess Frigga as well as the cousin of Thor’s sons Modi and Magni. Forseti, nordic mythology gods in a logical step being the son of the god of light and goodness, became the god of justice and law. Fair and strong, Forseti could speak no nordic mythology lies and was adept at ferreting out falsehood. Forseti lived and ruled in the beautiful, shining hall Glitnir which boasted a silver roof supported by pillars of red gold. It was to this place that all of the problems of the gods that needed to be solved by a neutral arbitrator came, where Forseti would find and get to the truth of matters.

The idea of norse myths a code of justice, one that is settled by an outside judge, isn’t a new one by any stretch of the imagination. However, it isn’t mentioned a great deal in the bigger parts of Norse myth. Forseti doesn’t solve great problems in major stories, nor create great treaties that help forge stronger ties. Forseti’s role is similar to Tyr, though obviously in a more civilized role than the battlefields that Tyr would find as his arena. Forseti is almost identical to Bragi, the god of poetry and of skalds, in that both gods are prominent lords of important realms of culture, but they’re left out of almost all of the major myths and stories. The death of Baldur, the theft of Idun’s apples and the various schemes of Loki were all strangely absent of mention of Forseti, which is odd considering that his father was murdered. It seems to suggest that it was only later, when the Norse were more civilized, that nordic mythology Forseti was added to the pantheon to see over a more modern aspect of the culture rather than Odin or one of the older gods.

“Forseti,” by Anonymous at The Norse Gods
“Forseti,” by Anonymous at God Checker
“Forseti,” by Mica F. Lindemans at Pantheon