jotnasidr

[jotnasidr]

Meeting the Jötnar: Surtr, He of the Primordial Funerary Fire (And Ragnarök-related musings)

(Image of a ram’s skull sourced from Pinterest)

Surtr, despite his significant role in the Ragnarök myth, is rarely discussed in Norse religious circles beyond that he is the slayer of Freyr, the ruler of Muspellheim, and thus he is evil. But is that truly the case? It took me a long time to grapple with Surtr and the role he plays in the greater Norse cosmos. When I first began my walk down this winding path that led me to Norse Animism, and eventually to the Jötnar, I saw Surtr only as a villain, not unlike how they portrayed him in the movie Thor: Ragnarok: flaming, angry, and utterly ruthless. But that is not the Surtr that I have come to know.

According to the Eddas, creation came from nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There was Ginnungagap, the Yawning Void. Then there was Niflheim, the foggy, icy realm of Eitr, the primordial poison and life-giving substance. And finally we come to Muspellheim, the fiery world ruled over by Surtr, and likely in turn Sinmara, his partner or consort. Life only began to bloom in Ginnungagap when the fires of Muspellheim warmed the frozen Eitr of Niflheim, causing it to drip down into nothingness. But it was not nothing for long, for Ymir formed from the melted poison - the first living being in the cosmos, and the progenitor of all life as we know it.

From Jesse Byock’s translation of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, published by Penguin in 2005:

—

5. GINNUNGAGAP AND THE EMERGENCE OF YMIR

Gangleri asked: ‘How were things set up before the different families came into being and mankind increased?’

High replied, ‘When those rivers, which are called Elivagar [Storm Waves], came so far from their source, the poisonous flow hardened like a slag of cinders running from a furnace, and became ice. When this ice began to solidify and no longer ran, poisonous drops spewed out and froze into icy rime [hoar-frost]. Then layer by layer, the ice grew within Ginnungagap.’

Then Just-as-High said, ‘That part of Ginnungagap, which reached into the northern regions, became filled with thick ice and rime. Inside the gap there was mist and wind- whipped rain. But the southern part of Ginnungagap grew light because of sparks and glowing embers flowing from Muspellsheim.’

Then Third spoke: ‘Just as coldness and all things grim came from Niflheim, the regions bordering on Muspell were warm and bright, and Ginnungagap was as mild as a windless sky. It thawed and dripped at the point where the icy rime and the warm winds met. There was a quickening in these flowing drops and life sprang up, taking its force from

the power that sent the heat. The likeness of a man appeared and he was named Ymir. The frost giants call him Aurgelmir, and from him come the clans of the frost giants, as it says in The Shorter Sibyl’s Prophecy:

All the seeresses are from Vidolf,

all the wizards

from Vilmeid,

but the sorcerers are

from Svarthofdi

and all the giants

come from Ymir. (The Lay of Hyndla. 33)

‘Here as the giant Vafthrudnir says:

From where Aurgelmir first came, the wise giant,

among sons of giants.

When poison from Elivagar splashed out in drops

it grew until forming a giant, from there all our clans have come;

therefore they are all so cruel.’

(The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 30–31)

—

Without the fires of Muspellheim, Eitr would not have been able to perform its life-giving function and kickstart the universe as we know it. It is an integral part of the cosmos at large and we could not exist without it and its denizens - Surtr chief among them. But during Ragnarök, the spirits of Muspellheim ride the Hel-road north to Asgard, razing all of creation in their path. They destroy that which they created.

From Carolyne Larrington’s translation of the Poetic Edda:

—

“Yggdrasill shudders, the tree standing upright,

The ancient tree groans and the giant is loose;

All are terrified on the roads to hell,

Before Surt’s kin swallows it up.” 47

“Surt comes from the south with the harm of branches,

The sun of the slaughter-gods glances from his sword;

The rocky cliffs crack open and the troll-women are abroad,

Men tread the road to hell and the sky splits apart.” 52

“Then the second grief of Frigg comes about

When Odin advances to fight against the wolf,

And the bright slayer of Beli against Surt;

Then the beloved of Frigg must fall.” 53

—

Ragnarök is the sort of story that can make some people clutch their pearls or shudder in fear, while others cheer on the end of reality, thinking the extinction of all life something to look forward to. Yet, there rarely seems to be any discussion on the fact that, for all intents and purposes, business continues on as usual. Many of the gods and spirits die in Ragnarök (the thought of which, on an emotional level, I do not enjoy), yes, but their descendants and relatives take over the roles. Two humans survive within a tree (rather reminiscent of the first humans, Ask and Embla) and are able to repopulate the earth. The point being, Ragnarök is not an end, but part of a larger cycle. I will also note that these myths were written down post-Viking Age, chiefly in Iceland, and are thus a product of their time. They are not to be taken as absolute nor without bias, and mythology as a whole is not meant to be taken literally. These stories exist to explain the phenomena around us, both seen and unseen.

I interpret both the Norse creation myth and Ragnarök as a beautifully poetic way of describing the complex cycles of the world around us, and the sort of dual nature we can find in spiritual energy. It utilizes the symbols of Ice and Fire as two embodiments of these energies that could be compared to other practices, such as yinyang in Taoism. I have also seen a comparison of Wyrd to Tao in the book Wyrdcraft by Matthew Ash McKernan, so take a look at that if it’s something you jive with. All this talk of Ragnarök to say, I do not believe that Surtr, nor the denizens of Muspellheim, are evil. Now, on how that plays into our tradition and understanding of Surtr…

Surtr is not a villain, nor is he malicious or cruel-hearted. He, as the guardian of Muspellheim, also serves as a sort of embodiment of it (a parallel I see in Angrboða and Járnviðr - perhaps more on that later). As the realm of fire, Muspellheim is both life-giver and destroyer. I perceive it as the primordial forge and the primordial funeral pyre. What it creates, it also must eventually consume. It nourishes and it burns, but there is no evil in it. Surtr embodies this dichotomy, particularly the more destructive or cleansing aspect of fire, and Sinmara operates as his more creative mirror. We’ll have to save her for another post.

When I am in Surt’s presence, I never quite know what I am going to get. Sometimes, he appears young and handsome, with long flaming hair and a ram’s skull atop his head - reminiscent of the Icelandic volcanic cave where it was alleged settlers made sacrifices to Surtr, in which I believe the skulls of sheep were found. This is often how I see him, but other practitioners have seen him as an elderly man, wizened and ancient.

When I work with him, it is when I need to burn something away. If something is no longer serving me, if it is harming me, I will call upon and offer to Surtr. When it is time for growth, especially in uncomfortable places, I know that he can assist me. When farmers use fire to burn down plots, it is not to destroy. When done properly, this process nourishes and rejuvenates the soil, allowing new life to grow. This is what Surtr does on a cosmic scale, and he can also help us as individuals if we so choose.

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for listening to my ramble. At the end of the day, every practitioner is going to experience every spirit or deity differently, but I thought it important to voice my thoughts on an oft-misunderstood deity. Thank you, and if you wish it, may Surtr bless you.

All my love,

Íviðja

[jotnasidr]

Community Project: A Guide to Jotnar

(The title is a work in progress)

So recently I've been heavily tossing around the idea of collection individuals experiences with various Jotnar that are involved with heathenry. This is going to be a UPG heavy project, but I want to collect the experiences of those that do interact with these entities and potentially create a website guide or maybe a book or something to show how various heathens that do have cultus with the Jotnar experience them, and maybe get people in touch with eachother to talk about it. This is a very early project idea, so I've made a google form to gauge interest in wanting to share stories, analysis, devtional pieces, etc. https://forms.gle/FVBkySjWtYBYBVnM6 Disclaimer: This is going to be about entities of the living tradition, just because a name is not mentioned somewhere does not mean that they are not going to be included, this is UPG heavy so if you're not cool with that it's not the project for you.

[jotnasidr]

Surrounded by blueberries and pine, Sweden.

[jotnasidr]

Trollmoot – a discord server for worship and work with troll spirits and the Jötnar

Trollmoot is an online 18+ gathering space for those who worship and work with troll spirits and the Jötnar. Whether you're experienced in trolldöm (Scandinavian folk magic), curious about working with trolls, or seeking community with fellow practitioners, you'll find a home in Trollmoot.

[jotnasidr]

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada by adamgibbsphoto

[jotnasidr]

Norrköping, Östergötland, Sweden by grovetwig

[jotnasidr]

norse pagan prideposting

[jotnasidr]

Lokamaer Divination Readings

Hello! My name is Leikn, and I am a Norse seiðkona with 8 years of divinatory training. I have just launched my Etsy shop, where you can purchase rune readings, channelled messages from the Gods, Godspousal confirmations, and more! I use a blend of divinatory techniques depending on the spirit/deity I am communicating with. Oracle cards, runes, tarot cards, pendulums, osteomancy, and seiðr are a few of the tools I call upon. If you would like a reading from a spirit or deity not listed on my page, please contact me! I would love to work with you and your spirit team. Through the end of the month, you can get 15% off with code PRIDEMONTH

lokamaer.etsy.com

[jotnasidr]

Kummakivi or “Strange Rock” can be found in the forests of Finland. These strange geological formation have, without any scientific explanation, wound up in a perplexing positions. The mystifying sight is that of a giant rock performing an unbelievable balancing act on a seemingly smooth, curved mound. 

Some Finnish folklore explains the odd locations of these giant stones by saying that trolls (or giants) carried, threw or rolled them there.

[jotnasidr]

Eldertree - Sari Bremer , 2022.

Finnish , b. 1976 -

Etching , 75 x 50 cm.

[jotnasidr]

Värmland, Sweden (November 4, 2023).

[jotnasidr]

Dimmig trollskog.

[jotnasidr]

A misty road

[jotnasidr]

[jotnasidr]

Prayer to Skaði on a Chilly Morning

Resharing a prayer I wrote to Skaði. As we just had our first snowfall of the year yesterday, and I can still see snow gently blowing on the wind today, it felt right x0x

---

We praise you, Skaði, as the leaves of autumn relinquish their gold. We praise you, Huntress, and the skillful arrows you draw. We revere you, Skiing Lady, and your noble deeds manifold.

We honor you, Skaði, Avenging Jøtun Goddess of old. We honor you, Mountain Guardian, as the bitter winds gnaw. We celebrate you, Thiazi's Kin, enacter of justice and intentions bold.

We thank you, Skaði, when we find respite from the cold. We thank you, Winter Warrior, as the frosts of blizzards thaw. We hail you, Wife of the Sea-God Njord, He who is fair-soled.

May we be guided by your courage, you valor, and skill, May we find solace and warmth through this dark season’s chill.

Hail Skaði!

[jotnasidr]

[jotnasidr]

May the gods cradle us close during these horrific times. Have hope, stay as safe as you can and have a plan in place for the worst, if possible. We will get through this together and we will absolutely not give into fear and the ouroboros of pessimism, no matter how tempting. We will survive this and so much more. Don't lose hope; I love you all.