#nordic animism

[fornasedensgudar]

A while back ago I had a lil rant about the pagan/heathen/witch community and made this list with my friend about some problematic aspects about our craft/faith/practise or what ever you call it to help pepole who are new to it.

Idk if it any of worth or if anyone will bother to read all this but I hope its somehow helpfull for you new ones to this path.

(Pardon my 🇬🇧, im a 🇸🇪)

1. Not every polytheist does magic or has an intrest in it and thats ok.

2. Not every norse heathen knows runes or has to know every Rune and meanings to have a meaningfull relation to the gods and nature.

3. Not every raven is a sign of Odin, sometimes it just means you saw a raven and thats just as good if not better if you ask me.

4. Being able to quote havamal in old norse or know every myth and kenning of the gods is good. But does not mean you have a stronger spirital connection the land and the gods then those who dont know it all. It just means you are good at reading. And that in it self is something you should take pride in.

5. A good acorn and some dirt is just as good if not better than any long ritual with ancient chantings sourounded by a collection of crystals.

6. The pebble you find on a walk can shine just as fine on your altar, as the amethyst that was mined and payed for.

7. Your altar dont have to look Nice, it just need to feel Nice.

8. An offering dont have to be big to work. It just have to mean something.

9. Offering one loaf of bread you baked with your own two hands, is worth more than five loafs you payed somone to bake.

10. Just because a pebble dont have a story, does not mean it never had one. And just because a star has a story, does not mean its a good one.

11. If all nature is holy, that includes the parts you dont like or find nasty. Yes even ticks and spiders, mud and horrnets. No one said you had to like holy things.

12. Your body is a temple yes, but you and only you decides what rites and offerings are right the god within said temple.

13. You can still be a drunk horny ape and be spiritual.

14. No illustration of the gods is more corect or more true to their form.

But then there is no garantee everyone will see who its meant to be. And thats ok.

15. Doing spirtual junk and practise magic or healing does not make you more enlightened...

16. Just because you wrote a book about magic, healing and spiritual matters, does not make it a good book or you a good author.

17. Just because someone you look up to said it, does not make it more right. It just means they said it.

18. Making this list to remind the pagan/witch/heathen community to hummble them selfs does not make me better. Im also doing this to just remind myself. Im not better or wiser than any of you lot.

19. Dont ever expect to have your craft respected if you dont give that same respect back to others.

20. It does not matter how old or big your coven or group is. If it has toxic and harmfull parts that clearly hurt and or make pepole unhappy. Then its ok to criticize it. Age or size does not make it untuchble.

21. If a craft or faith says its all about nature but cant change its ways, then it has clearly missed a very important thing about how nature works.

22. Every rock is an altar and every forest is a temple.

23. For every horn of mead you offer to the gods, you should plant at least one seed.

24. If all in this world has a spirit and is alive, does not mean you cant take space and exist and live in it.

25. Its not about beliving. Its about to experience and to perceive. That if you ask me, is the core of animism and polytheism.

[findingthe-stillpoint-blog]

Nornir

[thorraborinn]

In this connection the sayings that the elks and the bears are the pigs and oxen of the ruler of the wood become important and testify to the close connection felt between the ruler of the wood and the wild game.

Anna Birgitta Rooth, "The Conception of 'Rulers' in the South of Sweden," p. 122 (discussing skogsrå)

The spirit animal masters who own and care for these animals (which appear as peccaries to the Runa in their waking lives) see them as their domestic pigs.

Eduardo Kohn, How Forests Think, p. 141

[wolfhuron]

Norse Animal Spirits: Boar

Boar is generally not the first animal to pop into someone’s mind when thinking of Northern animal spirits, but he is a powerful and ancient teacher.

Boar is strong, powerful - a personification of the rune Uruz. Boar is associated with both Freyja and Freyr (as Gullinbursti and Hildisvini) and is thus a spirit associated with fertility. Not only is Boar representative of divine masculinity in the form of phallic fertility, but also in the form of an earth-dweller. Boars live close to the ground, close to the Earth, and as Vanir-adjacent spirits they are in-tune with the natural rhythms of the world. Boar is also a companion spirit, as both Hildisvini and Gullinbursti are mounts and traveling companions to the Twins.

Boar is wild, passionate, and intense, yet also carries a sort of quiet knowing about them. Boar is duality. Call upon Boar when you need passionate and strong support. When you need guidance of a raging river, Boar will answer.

[mannazandwyrd]

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A post shared by Nordic Animism (@nordic.animism)

Really appreciated the academic evidence of *Ostara as a correct reconstruction of a name of a goddess of spring, as explained by Mimisbrunnr’s Joseph Hopkins, in the caption of this post by @nordicanimism - and thought it was worth pointing to here given the Tumblr discourse about Eostre for the past month or so. Click through to check it out.

Hope you’re all having a great long weekend and enjoying your Eostre / Varblót / Sigrblót celebrations!

[elizatungusnakur]

A very interesting article commenting on the red flags within New Age spirituality and the 'Plastic Shamanism' scams prevalent in Iceland.

(Link courtesy of the folks down at the Nordic Animism Discord server, hosted by Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen.)

[wunjold]

Had an interesting experience.

I live with my Christian family, but don't often eat with them. My mother invited me to join them for dinner, and I gratefully accepted.

My family always prayed to the Christian god before meals, per the Christian custom, just like they faithfully attended church every Sunday and gave praise and offerings (of money) there. Myself, having recently come into a new shade of my pagan path, I was looking forward to the mealtime prayer as an opportunity to actively thank whatever I was eating and appreciate all the energy and life that went into it. In this case, it was potatoes, corn, and beef, which were very easy to offer thanks to. I feel that acknowledging what I am eating and thanking it's spirit and having an attitude of gratitude is the least I can do for these literal living things that involuntarily died and passed on their energy to sustain my own life force. They could have had any other fate, but instead, these particular potatoes and corn kernels and slices of beef came to me, so why on earth not be grateful to them?

I was highly disappointed and a little taken aback when my very Christian mother, with her many Bible-verse wall hangings and cross decorations and strict rules of church attendance (at least when I was a child), did not offer a prayer of thanks to her god. I'm sure the delicious dinner blessed her body all the same, but it struck me as odd that this woman who always managed to appear holy in public was unbothered to toss aside a simple ritual she made me believe was of the outmost importance as a child. Meanwhile, I cared little how my practices appeared to the public, in fact endeavoring I don't draw too much attention to myself with my offerings, burnt herbs, antlers, drum and singing, but some things just can't be replaced (and I'm certainly not posting my practices on social media nor inviting others to watch). Integrity, how you behave when no one is watching to scrutinize your actions, is a key part of any spirituality or religion. If you can't carry out your faith and beliefs in solitude, in your home, even with a scowl, why perform them in public?

[paganmusings]

So, for any inclusive Heathens (and other pagans) out there who haven't heard about it, Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen from the Nordic Animism page/channel/etc has figured out that 2023 is a good place in the lunisolar calendar to reinstate the octennial cycle and celebrate the Aun year as a means to start healing our collective relationship with the world

I think it's a good focus point for gathering energies and collectively starting the work to fix some of the problems that have been building since Industrial Capitalism started to hold sway.

So with the first full moon after the first new moon after the winter solstice (lunisolar calendars are... interesting), the Aun year has started. I'm probably going to be posting here off and on about it over the year.

I invite heathens, pagans, and everyone else interested in reconnecting with nature in an animist way and healing some of the damage done in the name of "progress" to read up about it and participate how you can. Pick up garbage in parks. Donate to organizations fighting for clean water access and maintaining wilderness (especially indigenous-led ones!). Go and spend more time in nature, actually paying attention to what's there. Go to therapy and heal some of the damage that living in this capitalist system has inflicted on us all. Drink more water. Get a plant and take care of it, start a window herb garden, really get out in the yard and plant veggies and herbs and flowers that you like so you're slightly less dependent on the capitalist supply chain. There are so many things people can do that will make the world a little nicer, and every bit is valuable.

[fornasedensgudar]

Hello! I have a questions but i'm not sure if there's even an answer: do you know whether there is a norse or continental germanic god/goddess that is associated with wind??

Oh Im so glad you asked because I love wind gods and spirits and I got two that I feel like almost no one outside of Scandinavia seemes to know about.

One is norse but not really germanic. The other, is not even norse just swedish af lol.

First I like to tell you about Kåre.

I bet most of you have never heard of him, but I also bet you heard of Ran, or Logi och Ägir.

As some may know, Ran is married to Ägir, a sea jötun. And I bet you know Logi, the jötun who is wild fire personified.

What does this have to do with Ägir? Well Ägir is listed as the brother of Logi and Ägir. Whos father Fornjot, is know in one saga to be the King of the swedish island of Gotland. (Perhaps a hint to an old cult or god of the island.)

These three sons of Fornjot personified the elements or the three most brutal aspects of nature, the wild deep seas, the every hungry wild fires and the ever harsh and cold northen wind. (With a father who rule over an island in the baltic sea that makes rather sense)

The name Kåre is also a swedish word describing a special form of wind or storm.

Kåre is also mentiond in Flatöboken and in one story in Fundinn Nóergr Kåre is the father of Frosti of the frost. But in Hversu the son is named Jökull wish means ice feald. This Jökull is in folklore (mostly in norway) said to be the father of old man winter.

So a lot of maybes here and things that hint he was more well known from Gotland to iceland and norway back in the day but a lot been lost.

But we do know he was a winter and wind jötun and one of the three elemental brothers.

My local group do offerings to him during winter and autum rituals but I know some pepole up north do as well. But overall hes rather forgotten compared to his brothers.

Here is a drawing of him by me:

THEN we get to the fun local part.

Ysätters-Kajsa!

Now who the heck is this and whats her deal?

Well Im from a Village called Asker, In Närke.

And back in the day, the farmers spoke about a troll by some, a Huldra by others and by some a spirit/creature who did not fitt any of the molds. Manny famous writers also wrote about her. Most famous of them all is Selma Lagerlöf.

Ysätters-Kajsas name came from the old Moss/lake in Ysätters thats said to be her home or birthplace, but she ruled the weather (but mainly wind) all over Närke but mostly Asker and the sorounding flat plains and fealds.

Ysätterskällan was likely an old offering place to what once was an old goddess or for spirits witch hints to her older roots before she was said to be an evil troll or forest spirit.

The Kajsa in her name is explained in a intervju with an old farmer from Asker in the start of the 1900s dokumentet in the book "Asker, Sant å sånt"

"that was just wat they named them trolls and giants back in the day"

That might seeme weird but tbh in the 1700s there are stories how pepole would toss coins to Kajsa of the sea while fishing.

Or in the 1800s when some in the Mountains and forest called forest and Mountain spirits for Kajsa as well.

It almost seemed as a form of a so called "noa-name" or maybe as the old man said: "it was just what them trolls was named back in the day."

(Im sure there is someone smarter here who can explain this weird Kajsa thing)

But ok, her wind aspect then?

Well first of all, its windy in East Närke.

Like the start of this old poem said

"Den ljuva Närke slätten, där enbart stormen består."

"The lovely Närke plains, where only the storm remains."

Also in manny stories she is said to controll wind and to travel by air.

In one story its said Ysätters-Kajsa looking down on Närke and was like "man this place is pretty, pepole have it good here, we cant have it like that."

And pretty much just made sure its always a bit windy and would play trick on the humans, making them get lost in forest, stealing laundry that hanged out to dry and in general just make the pepole of Närke just a little less comfy in their home.

But she is also a protector or the land!

In one myth, back in the day when a wild fire almost brought an end to the village of Asked she came to save the pepole, because even if she liked to play tricks on them she also deeply loved the pepole and needed them just as much as she they needed her.

So its said when the fire got to the center of the village, a woman was seen dancing up on the church towers roof and as she did storm clouds started to form and with wind and rain the fires was put out and the Village was saved.

Ysätters-Kajsa drawing by me:

This is also why my group call to her and giver her offerings for protection. Shes our local trickster and protector spirit of the wind.

But being a very Asker and Närke spirit. This is one I have to say I would think would be very weird and not really ok if like, pagans in america for some reason started to make offeings to. Because this is not just any big ol god or goddess. This is a local myth and spirit and part of my childhood and culture. I added a lot here from books just to get the facts right but I also just str8 up heared stories about her as a kid. She is just the protector of Asker and the bringer of wind in Närke.

Like if you dont live here, dont.

Go with Kåre then instead whos more wind in general.

But I had to share this about her becouse I just love her and wind spirits and gods in general.

Also, this is a good reminder to check what you have local, you might have myths and stories about old spirits and gods of the land you grow up and live in.

As I often say. The best way to do polytheism and anmism is to know and work with your local land and the spiritits and gods within said land. Because thats the best tools you got right here, right now. The land it self.

[vopro-heathen]

Trying my hand at devising a rune divination system using regular dice. That way I can do divination on the go more easily and with the same results (theoretically). It depends on the rune spirits, but I'll try my best

[witnesstruesorcery]

NORDIC ANIMISM

https://www.youtube.com/user/Runehr/videos

[mani-mooncrow]

Raven Mask

Made in 2022

[wolfhuron]

Norse Animal Spirits: Raven

Raven is a mysterious, enigmatic spirit. Raven is a knowledge bringer - they are heavily connected to the otherworld and the spirits of death and the afterlife. When Raven brings wisdom it is never easy but it is always needed. Raven knows the runes and whispers them into your ear. They have seen all Nine Worlds and know all that is in it, but they do not share easily. To learn the wisdom of Raven, one must sit with them, learn from them. You must learn to see from their point of view.

My New Year’s Resolution this year is to connect more with my spirituality. One of the ways I’ve decided to do that is with this blog. This is the first installation in a series of posts where I share some of my knowledge from my experiences as a Norse animist and seidkona. I hope you enjoy.

Love always,

Huron

[monotheistreal]

Explore the world of Animism with our latest video on Monotheist. We're delving into ancient beliefs, thinking about how people first connected spiritually. Animism suggests that everything, even small rocks and big rivers, has spirits. Our video isn't just about definitions - it's a trip through history, looking at why Animism matters and how it shaped different cultures. Come along and dive into Animism with us! We're Monotheist, bringing you easy-to-understand talks about religion and spirituality. Subscribe for more cool discussions on Animism and the deep links between people and the spiritual world. #Animism #Religion #Monotheist #AncientWisdom #SpiritualTraditions #DivineConnection #CulturalHeritage #SacredBeliefs #MysticalJourney #FolkloreExploration #SpiritualUnderstanding #MythicalExploration #TimelessBeliefs #NatureSpirits #ReligiousInquiry #MonotheistInsights #ExploringFaith #SacredHistories #CulturalSymbology #GlobalSpirituality #WisdomOfThePast #RitualsAndBeliefs #HarmonyWithNature

[clockworkqueensdefeat]

I hike almost every weekend. I like being out in the woods and feeling the connection to the land.

Last weekend I tried a new preserve. I only got a few yards away from the parking lot and it felt off. I can’t even say it was bad vibes, there were no vibes. This is the first time I haven’t felt anything.

I’ve had more connection in the local shopping mall than I did on this trail. It was deeply unsettling. I made it less than a quarter mile before I turned back. I’m not sure what happened there, but I’ve never felt…nothing before.

I ended up finishing my nature time on the nearby paved bike trail. It was not the hike I wanted, but at least I got some energy back.

Anyway, here’s some cool moss I saw on the bike trail.

[theeditorandnarratorcollaborate]

BookTuber Tuesday - Mythweaving today with Sophie Strand