In the Prose Edda, twelve Goddesses are listed after Frigga as Ásynjur: Fulla, Gefjon, Hlín, Syn, Eir, Sága, Gná, Vár or Vór, Snotra, Vör, Lofn and Sjöfn. Modern Heathens sometimes refer to Them as Frigga's Handmaidens. (This is a piece of shared gnosis, not an historically attested term.) For many of the Twelve, this is all that survives in the way of attestations.
What is the Project?
Gradually over several years, and more intentionally recently, I have been building a devotional cultus around these Goddesses. As part of that, I've been putting together primers on each of the Twelve on my longform blog -- detailing Their surviving attestations, Old English God-names and epithets for Them, my own personal experiences and upg, a prayer, and devotional icon art -- as well as essays and modern myths exploring other aspects of Them and my cultus to Them.
Although I use Old English names for Them and honour Them in a syncretic heathen practice drawing on influences from across the British and Irish Isles, I hope these may be useful and/or interesting for practitioners working in a Norse, Continental, or other context. Or for anyone worshipping and building cultus to lesser-known and lesser-attested Gods!
I will update this post periodically, but if you like you can subscribe to my longform Wordpress blog for updates when I post.
Primers
Fulla
Geofen (Gefjon)
Hlēowen (Hlin)
Ār (Eir)
Saga
Lofen & Siofen (Lofn & Sjöfn)
Wearn, or Syn (Syn)
Essays and other posts
Introduction to the Project
Essay on abundance, ānanda, and Fulla
Essay on Frīg and Her importance to my cosmology
The Wren and her sister: a myth of Frīg feat. Ār and Gnæ
Essay on marriage as initiation, feat. Lofen, Siofen and Āþ
Hmm if Will has powers, I don't want him to be all "evil" about it, and I think that would also be lazy/cruel writing (just my take). I *do* believe he *has* them (I've written pages of analysis in my downtime after rewatching the seasons), but I still favor seeing this boy with a gun.
HOOOO BOY SORRY THIS TURNED INTO A RANT however you did ask for my opinion and this is my blog so you know what. I am gonna post it. And this will be the only time I talk about it.
I reeeeeally don't like kradall it creeps me out and I don't understand it at fucking all. I see people try to make Hear Me Out posts about them and AUs about them and it just makes less and less sense to me (and I KNOW this is bold ass words coming from me I KNOW) but the canon dynamic that does exist for them at no point to me ever at all in the slightest tipped me off or made me think to ship them. Never clicked.
Then again you gotta remember that I'm someone who has been autistic about Kratos since 2005 and I am so incredibly damn picky about shipping him unironically with anyone. Shipping Kratos with Heimdall knowing the kind of person Kratos is and what hes gone through to Become his new self in the norse saga just doesn't make sense. A lot of kradall I see (that isn't non/con honestly another huge reason I don't vibe with it is that a bunch of people use it as a bolt for r/pe stuff in the early moments of Ragnarok fandom) is just them in a very ooc marriage situation I can't wrap my head around. Throwing Kratos into a heavy intense relationship is dumb to me like it took him centuries to fucking get over Lysandra and then moving on to Faye and I'm expected to belive the Hear Me Out posts about why Kratos would be in a long term relationship with.... Heimdall? The guy who is a complete prick to giants? Who actively said misogynistic shit about Atreus' mom who Kratos still loves with his whole heart? And threatened to actively kill his 14 year old son? Kratos's son? Kratos who has lifelong trauma about his child dying from war? I'm not buying it im sorry. No way you cook it will convince me.
In the early points of the ships existence honestly felt to me like people who were into Heimdall just wanted to explore a crutch for brat breaking. But its just genuinley not something I'm into. I'm a firm believer of ship and let ship as long as its harmless and for the most part it is! It's people having fun but it's not for me and never, ever ever will be no matter what and there is a reason I don't talk about it on this blog.
I've been in this fandom a long time and let me say Kratos x Heimdall reminds me a lot of when GoW3 came out and people started shipping and writing tons of Kratos x Hermes dubcon stuff for the sole reason of yaoi fujoshi people wanted to fetishize the gay male power dynamic. Its like I honestly feel some people see a big muscular man and a smaller effeminate man and are like "oh I need to make one a submissive girl" like again I know its just words and pictures on a screen but I have been here long enough to be Very Tired of seeing my sexuality get used as a fetish tool sjshskdnks
And. And ill be honest. And this is petty and trust me this is literally just me and my opinion but I cannot fucking stress how utterly confused and flabbergasted because FREYR IS RIGHT FUCKING THERE. HE IS RIGHT FUCKING THERE. BLATANTLY INTO KRATOS, A COMPLETE KIND SWEETHEART FULL OF LOVE, EXACTLY THE KIND OF GUY THAT WOULD SHOW KRATOS A GOOD TIME AND HAS AN ADORABLE ONSCREEN DYNAMIC THAT DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE AU'd OR CHANGED TO MAKE SENSE AND THIS FANDOM DOES NOTHING WITH IT. I see so many AUs where Heimdall survives to get with Kratos and valid but you know what??? I am gonna be angry, WHERE ARE MY FREYR LIVES AUs. WHERE ARE MY AUs WHERE FREYR LIVES AND GETS KRATOS ASCENDED ON THAT VANAHEIM ZA???????
LIKE FORREAL. I honestly feel like this fandom gets so blindsided by Heimdall and wanting to put him in situations and hell I'm guilty of it too, but I have genuinley met GoW Heimdall likers that straight up forgot Freyr existed and it shocks me. I don't get it!!!!!!
Theres a reason I ship Heimdall x Hermes together and its because their individual dynamics are so unbelievably compatible and I like to explore that. But I get people wanting something more realistic in universe as a muse. When it does come to shipping Heimdall with someone else in canon that makes absolute dynamic sense to me, I gotta be honest, Heimdall x Gná is the only "heimdall gets a dom" pairing that I can realistically get behind. Since they both would actually like each other despite being hated by all their peers for their devotion to Odin. Is it healthy? No, but Kradall isn't exactly peaches and cream either. So we work with what we got babey!!!!
especially right now. It’s draining mentally, emotionally and physically. I’ve been a CNA/GNA for five and a half years. I’ve loved my job up until COVID hit. I loved helping people and seeing them get better, and hated crying with my coworkers when others passed. But I’ve also been hit, kicked, called slurs, been punched and given a concussion, and had my scrub top literally ripped off of me and my supervisor refused to let me go get another (even tho I live a few minutes away). Last night I explained to someone that I want them to do as much as they can, so they get better. I’ve seen them get up and do things on their own, and they begin to gaslight both me and my coworkers. Telling me that I should not be in this profession. (Note, I am one of the people that works my ass off. I’ve done 20 day stretches because of how short we were and how desperate staffing is.) that set something off in me. I broke. I helped them with what they needed and ran to the bathroom sobbing. I could not keep it together. When the director of nursing came in, I explained the situation. I explained how I feel abused at this job, we are all burnt out and I was quite literally crying for help. I explained how I almost walked out of the job. I also explained I have been in the ER and to the doctor multiple times for severe pain from my job. All I got in response was “I’m glad you didn’t”. Management doesn’t care about us. They care that the patients are content and they are getting money. I couldn’t breathe and she just stood there and stared at me. They work us shorter and shorter every day. Then beg us to come in for “bonus money” because people call out. These conditions are unbearable. We have had multiple people walk out on the job, knowing they will lose any certification they have. We have waves of people quitting every week it seems, and understandably so. The expectations are too high for such few staff. And we are given more to do every day. Whatever you do. Healthcare is not worth it anymore. It’s constant burnout and you’re never guaranteed days to yourself. There is so much more I can share. But I’ll keep it at this. If you have any questions as my experience as an aide, feel free to ask away.