#freya god of war . ― . ᚠ

[warmaiidens]

"Let me take care of you." (unprompted ask, Dite for Freya)

Freya had been tending to the gardens, devoting herself entirely into her craft. At least she did not lose that; the plants still moved to her hands, vines shifting and curling. She could hear them, listen to them. They did not have a voice like humans or gods, but still the right song of theirs spoke their feelings and emotions. She sat there, her eyes nearly closing as she had listened and her hands were muddy from picking the weeds and protecting the roots.

The voice caused her to wake up, looking over toward Aphrodite as she smiled softly. "Are you sure? I can go wash up on my own, I would not want to burden you with such trivial matters,"

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

(To Freya) Since Freyr refused to answer, we want to know if there’s any Vanir herbs safe for humans to consume?

"Well, assuming you are asking Freyr, I'm going to assume you might be asking what herbs are safe to consume that also will give you an enjoyable night?" Freya questioned as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Do you know how many nights I had to take care of him, making sure he didn't chase after a frog wanting to kiss it because 'she had the most beautiful voice?'" She couldn't help but chuckle a little as she waved her hand up. "Of course, I know safe herbs you can eat, but I do need you to be straight with me. Are you looking for sustainable herbs to add flavor to food, or do you want to get a high safely?"

[warmaiidens]

Freya had plenty of questions, but the girl wasn't dead as Kratos had said. which meant something had changed. There was life after death, she helped those who wish to be reborn again. "Whoa," Freya said, though not at all bothered by all the questions. She reached out and placed her hand on the table and nodded. "Yes, I know your father. Kratos of Sparta, and he's not here, but I know where he is," Freya said, as she nodded.

"Yes, I can help you find him. He and I are close," Freya said with a smile as she moved to stand up. "If you trust me, I understand you don't know who I am or where I'm from, but I can help you find him,"

Calliope looked away from the woman when she guessed that the girl missed her father. She looked down into the bowl of stew in front of her, pushing the pieces around slowly even as she nodded. Freya said she hadn't meant to bring up past pains, and the girl knew that that was true; she had just been making conversation, after all. It wasn't Freya's fault that her history with her father was….complicated, to say the least.

Because even after everything that had happened, she still loved her father. Calliope very much wanted to confront him, to ask him WHY he had left her there, after finding her once more…., but more than anything, she wanted to see him again, wanted to hug him, to have him tell her that everything would be all right. But she had to find him first, which was going to be a difficult task.

She looked up when Freya repeated her name, though the woman's tone puzzled her. It seemed as though she recognized the name, but was surprised to hear it all the same. Calliope wasn't sure what that meant…..until Freya asked if her father's name was Kratos.

Calliope's eyes widened, and she leaned forward, the stew in front of her abandoned in favour of a barrage of questions.

"Do you know my father? Is he here? Can you help me find him?" Would he even want to see her after all this time? What would she do if he turned her away? After everything that had happened, that was probably her worst fear, but she had to at least try.

[warmaiidens]

[ TRAIL ]:  sender  leaves  a  trail  of  kisses  down  receivers  stomach. (Freya!)

Freya didn't remember the last time this had felt so…. good. no, good was not the right word, for her it sent waves of pleasure against her skin like the rippling tide on Vanaheim. She leaned her head back against the furs as her hands ran through her long dark auburn hair as she let the heavy breaths leave her lips. "Sarah," words finally form as she focused on each little kiss trailing from her sternum down her stomach. Abs of steel tightened as she bit the bottom of her lip and just relished the sweet feeling. Something she hadn't felt in centuries.

"Don't stop," She asked, as she shifted her legs apart, squeezing them around Sarah's body as she laid on top of her with charming little kisses. It was sensual, seductive, and sweet.

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

"i would seek compromise. no one needs to come to harm from my poor decisionmaking." //kratos to freya!

Freya leaned against the table, as she shook her head and looked up at Kratos. "You're judging yourself on your past and what you considered poor," She started softly as she pointed toward one of the realms. "In Vanaheim, you went out of your way not just to help me but save my brother. And you were willing to put aside your troubles of the fates to visit the norms for your son," She stood up and moved over to place her hand up against his shoulder as she turned to look up at him.

"The man I knew three years ago didn't even think of compromise. The fact you are thinking of that now proves it's not poor decision-making but growth in how you view things. Don't sell yourself too short, Kratos," Freya smiled as she tilted her head. "So what do you have planned?"

[prome-th3us]

Runes for beginners: introduction

In this grimoire I'm going to go through runes and their meaning in a way that is accessible to everyone. I'm gonna make a post for every rune so it's gonna be a long serie. I hope you will find this useful and if there's something unclear or wrong, please let me know!

I decided to avoid runes magic because I just want to help to get to know the runes a little better. Before practicing magic, you have to understand what this powerful tool is.

Introduction

Runes are not only a writing system, but they were also used as a magical, divinatory and spiritual growth tool. Rune (norse: rún/rúnar) means "segret, mistery". The characters used to engrave the rune, symbol of a certain energy in this world, were called runstafas (runic sticks).

They are an oracle and we can ask them to guide us: they work better if our question is specific and detailed. The lecture of Runes sometimes is obscure: the petitioner must interpret the details and understand them. Runes give us a way to analize the path we are on and to understand one of his possible outcomes: the future isn't static, we can change it with everything we do.

each rune has a phonetic value and a name that identifies its function and meaning; then it has a very specific history behind it and is associated with a diety.

Historical origins

I'm not gonna say much about the historical origins of the Runes because there are so many different theories about them and we could write an entire book just about this topic.

This is what you have to know:

the ancient futhark comes from the alphabet used by the Celts of Lugano (leoponzi) which has Greek origin. The Greek alphabet would have been absorbed by the Etruscans in the 12th century BC. and then by the Celts of Lugano in the VII. From here, thanks to trade, it would have arrived in the far north, with the necessary changes.

The Greek alphabet influenced the Gothic one and then the Germanic peoples adapted it (we can see how the Gothic alphabet is actually similar to both Greek and Runic, then the Othala rune resembles the Greek Omega).

it originated from the Roman alphabet, given the many relationships that different peoples entertained.

Mythological origin

"I know that I hung

On the wind-blasted tree

All of nights nine,

Pierced by my spear

And given to Odin,

Myself sacrificed to myself

On that pole

Of which none know

Where its roots run.

No aid I received,

Not even a sip from the horn.

Peering down,

I took up the runes –

Screaming I grasped them –

Then I fell back from there."

from the Old Norse poem Hávamál.

In Norse mythology, it's Odin who brought the Runes to the other gods. He wanted to know everything and he was envy of the Norns, who already knew them. He went to the Well of urd, the home of Runes, and since they reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, pierced himself with his spear, and peered downward into the waters below. He forbade any of the other gods to grant him the slightest aid. He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from the dead, for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes in the depths: the runes. He's also lost his eyes for the wisdom.

Other important concepts

First of all, to truly understand how runes were used, you have to know at least a little of Norse mythology (I will tell you some books and links in the last paragraph). Then you have to understand what Orlog and Wyrd mean.

Orlog

This is basically karma but without reincarnation. Every person is born completely responsible for everything they do in their life since the first second: positive actions bring positive results, bad actions bring bad results, even in the afterlife. Who did positive things will go to Valhalla (where the heroes and the people who died in battle go) or to Sessrumnir (the halls of Freya). Who doesn't die in an honorable way or who did bad thing will go to Helheimr (the realm of Hel, this means that even who died in a normal way and who had a normal life will go there) or to Nilfheimr (the world of ice and cold, where the Ice Giants live).

Basically we decide where we are going with every choice we make.

Wyrd

A giant cobweb that extends in space and time: each thread is made up of a different manifestation of energy and all together it constitutes the very fabric of the universe. Since we are born, we are in some part of this web so we are also part of it.

Wyrd and Orlog are intertwined: who does good things and has a good Orlog, he will be on a good thread of the web. Wyrd is the fabric of life as well, so the world will be influenced by the positive energy of the man and will give him back this energy.

If each strand is a different manifestation of energy, each type of energy must have a name: the runes. In runic divination, what we see is a reflection of the energies in and around us (or around the person we are divining for). When we want to modify the Orlog, the process is different: we use the Runes as a channel for the energies that we need. We can say that the practice related to the runes is of two types: passive (divination) and active (healing, protection, etc ...).

Aettir of Runes

In the ancient futhark, there are 24 runes divided in three aettir (sing. aett, sets) of 8 runes each. Every aett is dedicated to a different diety:

Aett of Freya. She is of the Vani lineage and is therefore linked to fertility and harvest. She was welcomed with her twin brother Freyr in Asgard at the end of the war between the Aesir and the Vanir (basically the "wae" between the Norse people and the invaders). She can use the Runes, so she's a goddess of magic but also of love, associated with death (she is the leader of the Valkyries) and sexuality. The runes in this aett are: ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ ᚷ ᚹ.

Aett of Heimdall. Of the Aesir lineage, he is among other things the guardian god of Bifrost and Asgard: he has hearing and sight that reach everywhere. Following a spell of Odin, he was born of nine waves and for this reason he is called "son of the wave". The runes in this aett are: ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ ᛃ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛊ.

Aett of Tyr. Of the Aesir lineage, he is known as the "Father of Heaven". He sacrificed one of his hands to be able to bind Fenrir and is a god linked to justice, loyalty, heaven, defense, war and law. The runes in this aett are: ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛜ ᛞ ᛟ.

Last things

Ok so for this first post it's everything! I will continue in the next posts to explore every single rune. I just wanted to suggest some links and books if you want to go deeper into the fascinating history of runes.

Here you can find an interesting article about everything I just said, with so many references and here they also give a list of good books (if you can't afford them you can download their pdf from this site)

Anyway if you want to dig into norse mythology you can read:

Poetic Edda

Prose Edda

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow

(other good books can be found here).

And of course, if you still didn't realize this, I fricking love the website Norse Mythology for Smart People, even tho everything I wrote in this post is from "Le Rune" by Marco Massignan (I couldn't find the English Translation sorry).

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

"I'm always right. Love you, Yngvi,"

"You're lucky you're right, bully."

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

So Freya, was that true? That Freyr said you fell off the stairs drunk before?

Freya's hand brushed against her forehead as her thumb and pointer finger pressed firmly against skin to massage her brow. "Unfortunately.... yes," Freya nearly grumbled as her twin was getting his revenge by telling stories about her now. Well, she could play this game.

"I did, but at least I saved the wine. You never waste vanaheim wine, especially strawberry! At least I didn't break my nose or my foot."

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

[ 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 ] ― sender wraps a soft blanket around receiver’s shoulders @ freya

Freya struggled to stay awake, as she sat in front of the fireplace. Her eyes wavered between half-lidded to close as she sat on the floor. The wound on her shoulder had pretty much healed however she did not want to aggravate it or cause more trouble to it.

The warmth of a blanket woke her up a bit, as she shifted slightly and reached up to touch it. "Nico?" Freya whispered, as she turned to look up toward the young boy who had given her the blanket and she gave a tired smile. "Thank you,"

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

Freya, will you also train Thrud?

"I would not be against Training my granddaughter, no," Freya said as she lifted her hand up with a small shrug.

"However, I think she was more interested in training with Sigrun. I know that Sigrun has since given me back my title as Queen of the Valkyries, but there is no one else I would trust more to care for any new Valkyries and if Thrud preferred to train with her I would not interfere,"

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

Hail Freyja

Hail to the mighty Vanadis

Hail to the beautiful sister of Freyr

Hail to the Lady of spinning, seidh, love, and passion

Bless and walk with us this day

A familiar prayer, one she had heard on the lips of people before. She never understood how she had such devotion but she never dissuaded people from praying to her in times of need or comfort. If she heard the prayer, she would come to her people, to help them. Listen, learn, to find out what they needed.

Freya selflessly aids her people, and she will always do so, in whatever they need. "I hope you are well, friend," she responds with a smile.

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

"Her voice was beautiful! You should have heard her, Freya; it was our favourite song from when we were kids." -- from Freyr. ^^

"My brother, ever the romantic. Only you can hear the voice of a frog and call her beautiful. All I heard was clicks and trills. Though valid, she had very beautiful colors,"

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

Tag 016.

ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Pre God of War ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . God of War ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . God of War Ragnarok ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Mass Effect 1 ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Mass Effect 2 ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Mass Effect 3 ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Dragon Age ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Mythology Based ᚠ . ― Freya Saga . : . Assassin's Creed

[warmaiidensmovingagain]

In truth, Freya was waiting for any moment for Heimdall to strike. To attack her, lash out, and prove he was lying. Maybe she wanted that, give her a reason to fight back. Yet the horn rested in her hand and her fingers wrapped around it. She still felt on edge, as if waiting for him to snap back with some sort of ambush. Carefully, she placed the horn on her hip and readied her hand to grab her sword in a split instant.

"Oh no, not this village. I'm taking you to my village," Freya said, as she turned to point forward, a simple command. "You walk in front, that way if any ambush happens, you can be the first one hit," A snip in her voice, making it clear he was a sacrificial lamb at this point. If any attack were to come, he would be hit first. "You can see the devastation you have caused to my realm, perhaps seek forgiveness from any gods that might listen," Right now, she was not one of those gods.

Her bare feet started to walk, moving out of the temple as she would take him to the abandoned village of her home. That way she knew where to find him, and if he wasn't there, she would know it all to be a trick. Already she made notes, she wanted to speak with Brok and Sindri to ensure this horn was the true one and not some replica, and then speak with all of them on the position of Heimdall. She didn't trust to bring him back to their safe house, but she wanted to ensure they all had a choice. Especially when it was not her house to speak of.

Even though he knew that his heart could not be heard from the place Freya stood, some part of him worried that she could. That she could smell his fear. Coming here, he knew, could result in his death, and though she hadn't done so yet... his death might just be on the horizon. If only he could see that far, this conversation might be easier to do.

"Freely." He repeats, looking at the horn and back to the queen. He understood her point. He had given her nor anyone else any reason to trust him and it was by her mercy alone that Heimdall was still standing and breathing. He hadn't expected to be taken back to their headquarters, but the village? Well, he supposed it was better than nothing. There he can wait for his fate. Would he die? Or would he be given mercy, despite everything he's done?

Give me the horn. He almost doesn't hear it and visibly flinches. He hadn't thought that it would work and now that he was here, standing at the fork in the road. The only logical decision was to give her the horn- the exact horn he had been gifted and sworn to protect, the horn that would warn his people of Ragnarok. Part of him was reluctant to give it up, especially into the hands of the people that used to be his enemy.

"Y-yes..!" He hesitates to move but does so, slowly walking close enough to place the horn in her hand. His heart is racing, the blood in his ears is roaring and all he wants to do is turn tail and run. Run far away where he could not be reached by anyone. He wants to cower, to shrink into nothing. What Odin could have seen in this woman was beyond him, but he couldn't say that she wasn't intimidating in her own right. No wonder she was spoken of so highly, he could feel the power radiating off of her, hear the authority in her voice.

"I will wait in the village, just as you say." Part of him wants to apologize for his actions against her brother, but he felt that might be poking the already very agitated bear. Heimdall takes a step back to give Freya her space. "Whatever your decisions, you have the horn now. Do with it as you please."

[warmaiidens]

There was still a major threat of worry because Freyr was covered in so many bandages and it looked as if his face was burned heavily. The Elves hadn't told her much, but she knew it had to be serious with the amount of pain and bandages he was in. "The light elves do have some good fruit," Freya teased, as she brushed her hand against a stray tear as she carefully sat on the side of his bed. She hoped these wounds would heal, it must have been from being so close to Ragnarok and forcing him back.

"It's beautiful. The last time I was here, the lake was dangerous but it has since settled down. I don't even feel the tension in the air anymore," Freya admitted as she glanced over toward the balcony that overlooked the beautiful lake of Alfheim.

Blue eyes turned back to her brother and gave a nod. "I honestly didn't believe it but… I had to see," Freya admitted because the last thing she saw was Freyr holding back Ragnarok. How he got out just didn't make sense to her when she barely made it out herself. "Careful," She hushed as she reached over but hesitated, not wanting to hurt him. He must be extremely sensitive to the pain.

"Freyr," Freya shook her head with a chuckle. "you're not going anywhere anytime soon. Gives us some time to catch up more," Freya said and then gave a soft nod. "Calm, brother. Thanks to Angrboda, pretty much everyone made it out safe and sound. Atreus is fine, he's off on his own now. Kratos and I, many of the Asgardians who turned against Odin, and more all made it out safely. I still worry about Sindri though, no one has seen him since the day," Freya admitted, as she took a breath.

"Of course, they are." Freyr chuckles quietly, wincing as he crawls back into the bed. When his back meets the cool surface of the pillow, he visibly relaxes with a relieved sigh. "I still can't believe they managed to find me. Glad they did, though. Can't imagine how bad everything would be if they didn't." He definitely wouldn't be eating the best food of his life, that's for sure. The elves were loyal still to the man despite his failure to appear when they requested. He felt terrible that the only thing he could really do was send some men their way, but he had his own war to fight. Here, in their possession, he was receiving the utmost care. They were gentle, but firm when they needed to be, already aware of his tendency to... not listen to what he's told. Who told them that? He wonders.

"It's been so long since I've been here I... forgot how pretty it was." He motions to the doors in his room that lead out to a balcony overlooking the waters of Alfheim. There were a set of chairs, but Freyr was not permitted to use them yet. The elves wanted him to remain in bed while he regained his strength and promised that, the day that he could get up without struggling too much he would be helped outside so he could finally get some fresh air. He looks over at his sister and offers a small, sheepish smile.

"It must have been quite a shock, huh? Hearing I made it... I told them to send for you first. If anyone deserved to know first, it was you." He looks down at his hands, lips pursed into a thin line, a scowl plain on his face. "I would have found you myself but, ah... I think about halfway through my escape I must've passed out... How... how are the others..? Did they make it out? What about the kid..? Are they okay?"

[warmaiidens]

Freya brushed her hands against the dirt, her brows furrowed. Someone had been hunting, and the splatter of blood stained the ground where the animal had run and no doubt didn't get far. However, it was suffering and it would continue to do so until its life was ended or saved. The tracks veered right, as it seemed to avoid the river. Water would carry the blood and attract other predators so it was trying to stay on land.

The witch stood up when suddenly she heard movement from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and as if by fate, the woman spoke of a wounded animal. "So you are the hunter who tracks this beast," Freya said, as she looked at the woman. She was not Vanir by the way she dressed and spoke. Her assumption came that she must be from Midgard or perhaps Jotunheim. "You are not of Vanaheim, so the wildlife is a bit more resilient here than elsewhere. The animal still lives, but is badly wounded. She suffers, so it's best if we end her life quickly, and I would advise you to thank Vanaheim for the sacrifice," Freya said. The land was alive, it wasn't like the other realms. Vanaheim lived and breathed through the plants and animals, it was all connected and provided. A cycle that ebbed and flowed. If not treated properly, the realm might lash back and even harm the guest if not respected.

"Your animal turned right here, avoiding the water due to the predators. If you are a good tracker, you might be able to find her before she disappears into the brush,"

@warmaiidens liked for a starter

With her bow slung across her chest, Faye wandered through the forests of Vanaheim, following the trail that the animal had left behind. She had come to Vanaheim looking for something that Tyr needed, and had stumbled across an injured animal in the process. Faye didn't want it to suffer needlessly, but she had to FIND it before she could help it.

And whether that was by nursing it back to health or putting it out of its misery remained to be seen.

She wasn't as familiar with Vanahiem as she was with Midgard, though, and it was taking her longer than she'd like to see where the animal had gone. If she didn't find it soon, she might have to abandon this quest in favour of finding what Tyr had asked her to get.

He'd recommended that she find some of the locals, to see if they could point her in the right direction, instead of blindly searching a whole realm.

Faye saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and headed in that direction, only to find another woman, not the animal she'd been seeking at all.

"Did you see a wounded animal come this way?" she asked as she approached. Hopefully, the stranger would be willing to point her in the right direction.