Caty's blog: "ASATRU"

Land Wights Protective Spirits of The Earth that live among us in Midgard. House Wights Spirits that are attached to a particular place or family. Valkyries Help collect the Battle Dead and deliver them to Freya & Odin's Halls. Disir Minor Goddesses that promote healing, love and safety in the home. Swartalfar Great Smiths/Tool Makers. Guardians of naturally occurring metals & resources. Trolls Mischevious Spirits who dwell in Midgard Under Rocks, In Streams, etc. Etins/Jontar/Giants/ Chaotic forces of the Universe. Huldafolk Hidden Folk with tails that travel Midgard unseen in daylight. Fetches Beings that accompany those not killed in battle to the realm of the dead. Norns Similar to the Greek fates, weavers of Wyrd. There are three: Urd, Verdandi & Skuld. Hughnin & Mughnin Odin's Ravens Thought & Memory who circle the world and tell Odin what they see.

They are race of gods, who were frequently at war with the Aesir, but later reconciled and dwelt with them in Asgard. The Vanir correspond to fertility, prosperity, eroticism and magic. They are more gentle and concerned with matters of nature and fertility. And they are Aegir, Bragi, Frey, Freya, Heimdall, Hnossa, Holde, Idunna, Nanna, Nerthus, Njord, Ostara, Ran, Skadi, Svol, and Ullr.

The Aesir are the great gods who live in Asgard. The Aesir correspond to the functions of magic, law, and war. And they are Balder, Fjorgyn, Forseti, Frigga, Hermod, Hod, Loki, Magni, Meili, Mudi, Nanna, Odin, Sif, Sigyn, Thor, Thrudh, Tyr, Vidar and Voli

ODIN He is the chief God leader of the Aesir he gave us the runes and he knows all that goes on in the nine worlds from his ravens and his wolfs. TYR Is the god of Law THOR Is a son of Odin protector of Asgard and Migard. His animal is the goat of which he has two who pull his wagon. FRIGGA She is the wife of ODIN and has prophetic knowledge she rarely speaks of it. She is the goddess of mothers and the home. FREYA she is the Goddess of magic love and physical well-being. Her magic is called Seith or Sedir.Her animals are cats of which she also has two and sows. FREY He is FREYA’s twin brother He is lord of prosperity, material and physical well-being. He controls the natural processes in the land and air. Animals are boar, deer and horses. NJORD He is the father of the twins Frey and Freya. He is god of the sea and harbors. RAN she is a goddess of the sea wife of Aegir she collects those who die at sea and brings them to her hall when they die. BRAGI God of Eloquence, and poetry husband to Idhunn. EIR Goddess of healing. FORSETI God of Justice he is the judge of the Gods. FULLA attendant to Frigga. GEFJON Goddess of Virtue you may obtain gifts of the body and spirit from her. GNA Goddess of Transformation She raises awareness also a attendant to Frigga. HELLA daughter of Loki she rules the land of the dead. HLIN Attendant to Frigga and protects people from danger. HODHR The god of blind Force He is the brute strength and the embodiment of conflict. IDHUNN Goddess of eternal renewal she is the keeper of the golden apples. LOFN Goddess of Indulgence attendant to both Odin and Frigga. LOKI the trickster he was born a giant but made a blood brother to Odin and is the god of Fire and of smiths. Though he does love to play a good trick on the Gods but sometimes they tend to get out of hand. SAGA Goddess who is the story teller to the gods. SAKDI goddess of hunting and winter wife first to Njord then to Ullr. SIF Goddess of the Harvest wife to Thor her hair is made of pure gold. SJOFN She is a love Goddess perhaps an aspect of Freya. SNOTRA goddess of Intelligence. SYN Goddess of Denial is the defender in legal matters. ULLR god of winter sports and of War. VALI God of Vengeance. VAR Goddess of honesty will take vengeance if a oath is broken that is made in her name on the party that breaks it. VIDHARR God of silence is good to call on to overcome a crisis. VOR Goddess of awareness nothing can be hidden from her.

1.Asgard:the home of the Aesir the gods each have a hall for them and there followers. The more commonly known halls are Sessirum FREYA’s hall and Valhalla Odin's hall. 2.Vanaheim: The home of the Vanir Gods. 3.Alfheim: The home of the Light Elves. 4.Svartalfheim: The home of the Dark Elves. They live mainly underground. 5.Nidellvir:The home of the Dwarves. They are excellent craftsmen and are known to make the best weapons and armor in all the nine worlds. 6.Jotunheim: The home of the Giants. The giants are basically humanoid in appearance and color. 7.Muspell: The home of the Fire Giants. 8.Niflheim:A world of ice and fog and is also the home of Nidhug the Dragon, who feeds on the dead who have truly lived a evil life . Helheim is the land of the dead and is a part of Niflheim and is ruled by Hela. 9.Midgard: Where you are now Folks! And is connected to Asgard by the Bifrost bridge.

Well seems theres at least three dietys that can lay claim to this Thor ,King Thorri of Iceland and Thorra a winter goddess! Now days many honor Thor on this day but alot about Thorri sounds way to much like the God Thor!Heres some infor from another site I found. If satr ar groups have one thing in common it is the idea that with the Troth what is important is not what one believes, nor which organisations one is a member of, but what one says and does. Working Tru and living Tru are of utmost importance for without Tru actions and Tru relations to the world any professions of faith are empty and carry no weight. Yet not every satr ar will want to take up the task of offering Blt to the Gods or leading community ritual observances and so there must be other ways of manifesting Troth through action. Most important in this regard is that each individual makes some effort to make the ways of the Folk a reality in their lives and in the world more generally - this includes work on the private level, reading the lore and contemplating our sacred literature, but more importantly for satrar this includes supporting and participating in the works of the satr community. It is hard to be Tru without being able to participate in and support the life of a Tru community, for to our ancestors kin, clan and tribal ties were vital (and in that order). Such support can take many forms, most obviously the best way to support such works is to attend and promote the attendance of Bl tar and other community events - merely attending such works is an act of Troth, indeed it is the primary act of Troth Yet in these times and in a country like Australia the pace of life and geographical distance can hinder ones attendance of such workings and so satr ar must be inventive and find other ways of participating in the life of their community. If global communications networks are good for anything they are good for providing a sense of community even at distance. Through e-mail communications we can link members of our community even if this is only in an ephemeral way - but, as always, these links mean very little unless they are translated into real works and actions on a regular basis. Most importantly these links mean very little unless we try to build community by supporting the actions of our community. Hence when it comes time for us to celebrate one of our Seasonal Blessings and especially our great Blessings we can use global communications to co-ordinate and promote real works that all can participate in no matter where they live. In this sense even if we cannot share the same geographical space and time we may still join together in the same mythical space and time and forge our bonds through common acts and common purposes. Now while we stress the importance of actions and works in the world we also believe that such actions can only be effective when they are accompanied by an understanding of the reasons for those actions. Hence it is important for hearth leaders to take up an educative role and ensure that those who participate in their works do so with some level of understanding. Above the hearth level it is important for community leaders to provide the basic information and guidance that the community need in order for them to effectively participate in the life of the community. Without such guidance the community has no leadership and hence is not really a community at all, merely a collection of disparate individuals. Taking up the responsibility of providing education and guidance is not 'spoon feeding the masses' but providing the benefit of experience so that the road traveled by our folk is one that becomes easier with time - there is no sense in every member of the community having to re-invent the wheel. Hence in order to have self-actualising community we must actively foster an environment where individual self-actualisation is possible, this strengthens both the community and the folk who are a part of that community. In such a manner we lay the ground work for the future of our great tradition It must always be stressed that information about various satr workings is forever growing and so our tradition grows and changes as new information about our ancestors comes to light. Hence any information presented in this or any other document is not set in stone but open to improvement and expansion based on traditional sources of information. The following document was produced in order that the participants at the July Thorrablt could have access to the relevant information to make their ritual work successful. It is hoped that this document will not only serve as a vehicle of information and education but also inspire people to take an active role in the life of the Australian satr community. This active participation can take the form of attendance of our Hearth workings, organisation of other workings at points remote from the Sydney area, personal workings such as meditations and also the promotion of such workings through various media. In what follows there is all of the basic information that one needs to participate in the Thorrabl t at many different levels and folk are encouraged to utilise that material in their own workings. Of course we always welcome any questions, constructive feedback or comments on any of our activities. About The Thorrablt The Thorrabl t is a seasonal working which takes place in mid to late January in the Northern hemisphere or mid to late July in the Southern Hemisphere. The term Thorrablt seems to have been derived from the compounding of two Old Icelandic terms- the word Bl t, which is a form of heathen blessing and the word Thorri which is in fact the fourth winter month in the Old Icelandic calendar. Folklorists claim that as recently as the 1700's Icelanders were in the habit of greeting this frigid month with certain ritual observances called Thorrablttar, or sacrifices to Thorri. One example of such observances involves a ritual circling of ones home, a kind of warding similar to that we perform in our Landnma (land-takings); except here one has an example of warding against the unfriendly wights of winter. Perhaps the most important wights to ward against in this regard are the Frost Giants or Rime-Thursar; certainly these entities are most closely connected to the frost.ᠠ According to tradition in order to celebrate the Thorrablt a farmer was supposed to rise before anyone else in his household, go outside clad only in a shirt and his underwear and hop around the dwelling on one foot. This account may be accurate and it seems appropriate that at this time of the year one might need to get in touch with the nature of cold weather in a fairly intimate way. Yet it must also be considered that this account probably stems from Christian times and is most likely an attempt to make the ritual warding seem silly and foolhardy. The image of Scandinavian farmers hopping around their homes in their underwear is an amusing but unlikely prospect - especially given the climatic conditions. It is more likely that the farmer would have taken a torch from his hearth fire and circled his home as a form of warding against frost wights and other unwanted winter spirits. After this ritual act of warding the farmer would most probably have called upon other wights to bring warmth and frith to his home and hearth for the remainder of the winter season - most important in this regard was that the farmer bid welcome to a wight named Thorri (Thorri will be discussed further below). This Blt was concluded with a celebration, the farmer prepared a banquet for all the neighboring folk who would gather to feast and dispel the winter gloom with good company. This was only one form of ritual observance associated with the Thorrabl t and there is evidence of other ritual observances that were also important - in some regions of Scandinavia it was appropriate for wives to treat their mates especially well on this day; in such regions the Thorrablt was also known there as 'husbands day' The question then arises - What is the origin of these practices? The late 14th century manuscript known as the Flateyjarb k mentions a King Thorri who loved to make a sacrifice in midwinter, which eventually came to be called 'Thorrablttar'. Other royal characters named in the tale include gir (Sea - also the name of a God), Logi (Fire - possibly connected to the god Loki), Kri (Wind), Frosti (Frost), and Sn r (Snow). Modern writers have concluded from this that the early medieval author of Flateyjarbk was recording half-forgotten memories of a yearly observance to a winter spirit called Thorri, an entity who seems to have been associated with weather spirits. This is indeed one possible origin of the rite and it is correct to highlight the fact that all the characters mentioned above are appropriate spirits for wintertime. It is not hard to imagine that these names may have referred to various frost giants or Rime-Thursar who are often given names associated with weather extremes. Examples can be found such as Bleistr (wind-lightning), Eitill (chilly), Hr mnir (frosty) or the giantess Fnn (snow). Likewise there are dwarven names with many references to weather extremes such as Frosti (frosty), Gustr (wind) and Vind lfr (wind-elf) and other dwarves whose names refer to heat and fire such as Sindri and Sjrr (both of which mean sparky). Hence one must at least entertain the idea that Thorri might simply be another winter weather wight and that the Thorrabl t is a Blt to a lesser wight There is, however, another explanation - it is possible and even quite probable that Thorri was not merely a lesser wight connected with the season but originally the familiar God Th rr - the great God of Thunder. The fact that the narrative in the Flateyjarbk associates the names of familiar gods and giants with royal personages might indicate that the narrative has more to do with the world of myth than the realm of history. If this was the case we could infer that the characters Logi, gir and Thorri might just be the deities Loki, gir and Th rr. Thorri, Thrr and the Thorrabl t In regards to the wight Thorri one can easily recognise that there are some important connections to the deity Thrr. Th rr, like midwinter itself, is linked with the weather in a dramatic way; this dramatic connection to weather is reflected in the names found in the tale of 'King Thorri'. One must also recognise that in many ways Thrr is an ideal God for this time of year. Firstly the need to ward off the hostile forces of winter might be seen as reflecting Th rr's own struggle to ward off hostile Thursar, in particular those associated with the frost. The blazing fire of the hearth, heart of the home, is the protective force which wards off the forces of winter from the snow-besieged farmhouse - the farmers journey around the home-stead with flaming brand in hand is similar to Thrr's journeys into J tunheim to ward sgard from hostile Thursar. One must also contemplate the fact that whilst this is the coldest time of the year it also falls about one month after the Winter Solstice when the suns impending victory over the frost is evidenced by the fact that from now on the days will grow visibly longer. Th rrshammar (the sun), the symbol of life and growth, wins its victory against the forces of death and stasis. It is fitting that we welcome Thrr into our homes at this time for his hardest battles have been fought, he can take a moments rest and prepare for the final victorious confrontation. There are other important reasons for us to give Bl t to Thrr at this time of year. Firstly is the Icelandic notion that Thorri is merely the diminutive of Th rr and hence King Thorri's name itself relates him to the great god Thrr - if 'King Thorri was the founder if the tradition of the Thorrabl t than it is possible that he would have dedicated these Blts to his own patron deity, the God of the Hammar - Th rr. Another reason relates to the need in the human heart for cheeriness and for the lively gratification of hunger and thirst during this time. We need to dispel the gloom of winter through celebrating with friends and family by taking part in the festive activities of Thorrablt. This activity itself resonates with what we know of Th rrs lusty, good humored and gregarious nature, his love of food and drink and his role as protector of Gods and folk alike. By the month of Thorri, winter has well and truly set in and the novelty of the season has worn thin, we need to revive and revitalise ourselves through the frith and grith of community and take heart in the fact that the days are growing longer and the warmer months are on their way Ways of Acknowledging the Thorrablt Below are some suggestions for acknowledging the Thorrablot, use these suggestions as a point of departure for establishing your own way of acknowledging this time of year. It is important that the following suggestions are mainly meant to get one in touch with the energy of the season and are not a substitute for ritual workings. They should be used in combination with more formal workings whether that be as simple as a meditation on Th rr's relation to the season, a simple form of Blt or a more complex working. No matter what form of working one is doing it is important that one also makes some actual effort to feel the seasonal energy - hence one must experience the interplay between the crisp cold and frigid frost that we experience outside of the home and the warmth and comfort that are found within our own home-steads If one lives in a region, which has snow cover at this time of year, it might be appropriate to make a snow statue of Thrr. Those who do not live in areas with snow but are keen to exercise their artistic talents might consider making an ice carving of the deity. This is a good way to get close to the nature of ice and cold Celebrate the month of Thorri by accepting the cold and becoming more intimately aquatinted with it. Take a walk without your coat or do some other activity whereby one can come in close proximity to the cold outdoors One can mentally greet Thorri, making it/him welcome in your life - contemplate the fact that this is the coldest time of year, yet midwinter has passed about a month ago, why does the earth follow behind the sun in this way. Contemplate the fact that these weeks of cold in the month of Thorri are a prelude to the spring and Sunna's victory. From within the warmth of ones home one might wish to offer a toast to Thrr. A modern Icelandic toast to the God Th rr, translated into English reads - Let us greet Thorri with great courtesy, for he is a brave fellow. He is extraordinarily strong and powerful Make token offerings of food or drink to the Thorri, gir, Logi, Kari, Frosti, and Sn r of Flateyjarbk fame. Go winter camping and come home to a roaring fire and a glass of brandy.I think I like them all! and the link http://www.homepages.ihug.com.au/~peloquin/ritual/ritual3.htm

The runes are the alphabet or futhark of the Norse and other European tribes. There are many variations of them. The set shown here is the Elder Futhark which has 24 runes each, has a phonetic as well as esoteric meaning. The runes can be used for writing words or casting for divination. They can also be used as charms or for meditation. Ansuz: an-sooz (A) Signals, Messenger and Loki's rune Berkana: ber-ka-na (B) Growth, Rebirth and Birch Tree Dagaz: tha-gaz (D) Breakthrough, Transformation and Day Ehwaz: eh-waz (E) Movement, Progress and The Horse Fehu: fa-hew (F) Possessions, Nourishment and Cattle Gebo: gay-bo (G) Partnership a Gift Hagalaz: ha-ga-laz (H) Disruption, Elemental Power and Hail Isa: e-sa (I) Standstill, Withdrawal and Ice Jera: jer-a (Y) Harvest, Fertile Season and One Year Eihwaz:a-waz (EI) Defense, Avertive Powers and Yew Tree Kano: ka-no (K/C) Fire and Torch Laguz: la-gooz (L) Flow, Water and That Which Conducts Mannaz: man-naz (M) The Self Nauthiz: now-thiz (N) Constraint, Necessity and Pain Othila: o-the-la (O) Separation, Retreat and Inheritance Perth: perth (P) Initiation, Something Hidden and A Secret Matter Inguz: ing-gooz (NG) Fertility, New Beginnings and Freys rune Raido:ri-tho (R) Journey, Communication, Union and Reunion Sowelu: so-wa-loo (S) Wholeness, Life Force and The Sun's Engery Teiwaz: ta-waz (T) The Warrior, The Sky god and Tyr's rune Uruz: oo-rooz (U) Strength, Manhood, Womanhood and The Wild Ox Wunjo:woonjo (W) Joy and Light Thurisa: thu-ri-saz (TH) Gateway Place of Non-Action and Thors rune Algiz: al-gez (Z) Protection, Sedge, Rushes and The Elk Odin: o-din Blank The Unknowable, The Divine, The All-Father and Odin's rune. *NOTE: in the Norse written language there was no blank rune. This is a creation of the rune masters for divining purposes only.

HOLIDAYS Many kindred’s have there own holidays but these are the ones they all seem to celebrate. YULE 20 - 31 December Celebration of the Norse New Year; a festival of 12 nights. This is the most important of all the Norse holidays. On the night of December 20, the god Frey rides over the earth on the back of his shining boar, bringing Light and Love back into the World. In later years, after the influence of Christianity, the god Baldur, then Jesus, was reborn at this festival. Yule signifies the beginning and end of all things; the darkest time (shortest hour of daylight) during the year and the brightest hope re-entering the world. During this festival, the Wild Hunt is at its greatest fervor, and the dead are said to range the Earth in its retinue. The gods Odin or Thor are the leaders of this Wild Ride; Thor in his goat drawn wagon and Odin on Sleipnir make for a very awe-inspiring vision. In ancient times, Germanic and Norse children would leave their boots out by the hearth on Solstice Eve, filled with hay and sugar, for Sleipnir's journey. In return, Odin or Thor would leave them a gift for their kindness. Thurseblot (Thor's Feast: Full Moon of January) Minor feast honoring Thor, the protector of Midgard. During this time, the height of the Storm season, Thor's power is invoked to drive back the frost Jotuns so that Spring may return to Midgard. Disting 2 February Festival of the Idises, when the effects of Winter are beginning to lessen and the world prepares itself for Spring. Corresponds to the pagan holiday of Imbolc. Disting is characterized by preparing the land for planting. In ancient times, Disting was the time when the cattle were counted and one's wealth was tallied; thus making it a festival of finance as well. It was said that new calves born during Disting were a sign of great prosperity for the coming year. Ostara 20-21 March Festival of Ostara (Eostre), the Spring Goddess. This is a festival of renewal, rejoicing and fertility, although for most of the Northern People, the forces of Winter are still at full sway. In ancient times, the gift of colored eggs to one's friends and loved ones was a way of wishing them well for the coming season; a magical ritual of prosperity and fecundity. The rabbit was the symbol of this festival as well because of it's re-emergence during this season, and for its reproductive ability. These two rituals have survived into the modern holiday of Easter (which derives its name from Eostre) as Easter eggs and the Easter bunny. Like most ancient heathen rituals, they are relegated into the world of children; held for naught among adults; but the race memory lingers on. Walpurgis/Thrimilci 22 April - 1 May The festival of Walpurgis, a night both of revelry and darkness. The nine nights of April 22 (interestingly enough, the modern festival of Earth Day) to April 30 are venerated as remembrance of the All Father’s self-sacrifice upon the World Tree Yggdrasil. It was on the ninth night (April 30, Walpurgisnacht) that he beheld the Runes, grasped them, and ritually died for an instant. At that moment, all the Light in the 9 worlds is extinguished, and utter Chaos reigns. At the final stroke of midnight, the Light returns in dazzling brilliance, and the bale-fires are lit. On Walpurgisnacht, the dead have full sway upon the earth; it is the ending night of the Wild Hunt. May 1 is the festival of Thrimilci; the beginning of Summer. Thrimilci is a festival of joy and fertility, much like Ostara; however, most of the Northern World is finally escaping from the snow at this time. Einherjar 30 May Minor modern Asatru festival honoring the warriors who fell during battle and who ascended to Valhalla's halls. Corresponds with the modern American holiday of Memorial Day. Midsummer 20-21 June Celebration of the Summer Solstice, when the power of the Sun is at its height. It was at this time that most foreign trade was conducted, as well as shipping, fishing expeditions, and raiding. Thus, Midsummer was the festival of power and activity. It was not without its dark side as well. Midsummer was recognized as the longest day of the year; thus, the year began to age after this time and the days grow progressively shorter. The god Baldur is said to have been sacrificed at this time, but is reborn at Yule; the hero Sigurd was also said to have been slain by treachery at Midsummer by his blood-brothers Hagan and Gunthur (Gundahar). Lithasblot 31 July - 1 August The harvest festival; giving thanks to Urda (Ertha) for her bounty. Lithasblot has long been associated with ceremonial magic and magical workings. Harvest End (Mabon) 22-23 September Mabon is a minor blot acknowledging the end of the Harvest Season, also associate with vintage and mead-making. Most people held off the full celebration of this holiday, though, until the main festival of Winternights. Winternights 29 October - 2 November The beginning of the winter season for the Northern folk. Remembrances of the dead and one's ancestors were made during this feast. Winternights was a ceremony of wild abandon; much like the Carnivals season in the Mediterranean countries, and it marked the end of the summer season of commerce and travel and the beginning of the winter season of hunting. Much divination was done during Winternights to foretell the fates of those entering the coming year. It was said that if one sat on a barrow-mound (grave) all night long on Winternights, one would have full divinatory, shamanism (galdr and seith), and bardic (skaldr) powers . . . that is, if one retained one's sanity! Winternights marked the beginning of the Wild Hunt, which would continue until Walpurgisnacht. This festival corresponds roughly to the Celtic Samhain, and the modern American festival of Halloween, although the darker aspects of the festival are not as pronounced among the Norse people. (The Norse festival of darkness was Walpurgis, a full 6 months away).

Now many of the rune spells invole blood yes you read right BLOOD!Either your own or the person your casteing the spell for.Runes are often burned and mixxed with the blood and then both burned. The more powerful ones you or the person your casteing for has to drink the blood mix!Yes you read right Drink it! Now as we all know blood has who knows what in it now days but ashes from paper or wooden runes naa so Catys saftey tip.Make rune cookies! yes you can bake cookies in the shape of the runes or use store bought ones and write the runes on them with frosting also easliy bought at any good supermarket.Yes this works as you can make runes out of anything.So when casting spells be safe!

What magic in Asatru? You bet ya we have magic but unlike Wicca or Paganism not everyone does magic.Magic is left to those who have the talent and skill. There are two kinds that are used they are the Sedir and Rune Magic. By the way folks Sedir is one of those words that your going to see half a dozen ways to spell! A user of magic in ASATRU is often called a Vitki or Vitkia one of there traditional colors is red another being green which is FREYA's color. Either females or males maybe Vitki though you will more often find women as Vitkia. RUNE MAGIC: ODIN taught us the runes and how to use them so its always wise to consult him before casting. The most common form of Rune Magic is to cast fortunes much as one would Tarot cards. There are many good books on the subject. Also Runes are used when casting various spells. SEDIR: FREYA gave us this type of magic so once again it is wise to consult with her before casting spells. Sedir is a way of reshaping the inner or outer world with the will of the Vitki. Sedir makes use of magical materials and substances. And yes folks I am being skimpy on the information as the use of magic is not for everyone as it will bite you back when you cast spells. So if you truly whish to learn find yourself a teacher and learn from them. A third kind is the natual healer who is usaly also a Sedir magic user though not always.