Tag Archives: Disir

Skaði: Building on the Old Foundations

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The handout for our January 2013 discussion:

 

Literature:
(Compiled primarily from Arlea Anshutz’s Skadhi Page at   http://www.wyrdwords.vispa.com/goddesses/skadhi/index.html

Skaldskaparmal 3
Skadi, daughter of giant Thiassi, took helmet and mail-coat and all weapons of war and went to Asgard to avenge her father. But the Æsir offered her atonement and compensation, the first item of which was to choose herself a husband out of the Æsir and choose by the feet and see nothing else of them. Then she saw one person’s feet that were exceptionally beautiful and said: Continue reading →

CUUPs Winternights Script 2012

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In October 2012, I had the privilege to lead a Winternights celebration for the Coyote Willow Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. While CUUPs welcomes the participation of persons from all religious backgrounds, it seems that the majority of the participants practice different kinds of Wiccan-influenced eclectic Pagan tradition. Creating a ritual that was accessible to those participating while remaining true to my own form of Heathenry was an entertaining exercise. Continue reading →

Winternights 2012 report

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Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate its fifteenth Winternights November 10, 2012. While for the most part the weather to date had been warm and dry, the morning we met at the Pueblo Montaño trailhead was cold, overcast, and windy. Intermittent drops of rain fell as we made our way to our destination on the bank of the Rio Grande, the same site we had used last year. Perhaps because of the weather, we saw less wildlife than in previous visits, though we did see a few ducks and crows, and at least once we heard the sound of cranes flying overhead. Continue reading →

Three From the Hall Beneath the Tree?

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The handout for our discussion of the norns, September 2012

Three From the Hall Beneath the Tree?

While the norns do not appear as characters in the sagas, they are mentioned a number of times in poetry. Some verses that may be helpful to understanding them include the following:

Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskalds (The Saga of Hallfred Troublesome-poet) 6

Hallfred Ottarson, following his conversion, composes a number of verses, including this one:
Continue reading →

Yule 2011 Report

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Though most members would not begin their personal Yule celebrations for another few days, on December 18, 2011 Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate the opening of the Yule season and hold its last official holiday observance of the year. As with previous years, we celebrated indoors, and in 2011 Debbie and I hosted the event at our home. Continue reading →

Winternights 2011 report

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Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate its fourteenth Winternights November 6, 2011. Though the drought gripping New Mexico had continued, there had been enough precipitation that the Bosque was once again open (in fact, it had rained for a few hours the previous morning), so we met at the Pueblo Montaño trailhead and hiked for a time until we reached our destination on the bank of the Rio Grande. The site was one we had not used for many years, but it offered a spectacular view of the river; during our time there, we were made aware of the presence of ducks, cranes, ravens, and crows. Continue reading →

Winternights 2011 Handout

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Winternights (Veturnóttum)

 Literary quotations (emphasis mine):

Austrfararvisur St. 4-5

Réðk til Hofs at hœfa;/ hurð vas aptr, en ek spurðumk/ (inn settak nef nenninn)/ niðrlútr fyrir útan;/ orð gatk fæst af fyrðum,/ (flǫgð baðk) en þau sǫgðu,/ hnekðumk heiðnir rekkar,/ heilagt (við þau deila).

Gakkat inn, kvað ekkja,/ armi drengr, en lengra;/ hræðumk ek við Óðins/ (erum heiðin vér) reiði;/ rýgr kvazk inni eiga/ óþekk sús mér hnekði/ alfa blót sem ulfi/ ótvín í bœ sínum.

To Hof I struck the path./ The door was shut. Outside/ I had to ask. I bent down,/ Poked my nose in to see./ Not much I learned from that household./ They said, “Today is holy.”/ Heathen bullies threw me out./ To Hell with them, say I!

“No farther can you enter,/ You wretch!” said the woman./ “Here we are heathens/ And I fear the wrath of Odin.”/ She shoved me out like a wolf,/ That arrogant termagant,/ Said she was holding sacrifice/ To elves there in her house. (Page translation, http://vikingraiders.yolasite.com/resources/Austrfaravisur.pdf) Continue reading →

Pagan Pride Day 2011 Presentation Handout

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One of the handouts available at the talk I gave during this year’s Pagan Pride Day in Albuquerque:

Glossary for The Basics of Asatru
(and other forms of Heathenry and Paganism inspired by pre-Conversion Germanic religion)

Æsir: One of the families of gods. Some of the better-known include Odin, Frigg, and Thor.

Alfar: Elves. Often called alfar to avoid people confusing them with fantasy, Lord of the Rings style elves. Believed by some Heathens to be deceased male ancestors.

Asatru: Literally, “faith in the Æsir,” though it isn’t strictly limited just to worship of the Æsir; all wights allied with the Æsir and humanity may be worshipped. It is the reconstruction and revival of the pre-Conversion religion(s) of the Germanic peoples.

Æ, æ: Ash. In modern Icelandic, pronounced like English “eye.” Continue reading →

Winternights 2009 Report

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On October 31st, 2009 the membership of Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate Winternights.

We met at a trailhead in the Sandia foothills at about noon, and after exchanging some pleasantries and my slinging the bag full of horns and mead over my shoulder, we departed on our short hike to a rocky outcropping well-known and loved by the Hall. Continue reading →

Spring/Sigrblot 2009 report

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With Pete needing to leave soon for training to deploy to Iraq, Keeper of Seasons Hall met on April 11, 2009 for a combination spring and victory blót.  The weather during the days was still shifting back and forth from warm spring to lingering winter, but we were done with overnight freezes.  In order to include as many Hall members and family as possible, including those who were getting over illnesses or recovering from triathlon participation, and to avoid any possible rain or hail, we decided to meet at one of our member’s homes and have a blót and potluck there.   Debbie and I had the honor of hosting the event. Continue reading →