Welcome to the fifth issue of Thunder, a journal dedicated to the thunder gods of Northern Europe. This journal is the joint venture of two organisations from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Thunderway Hall in America which promotes the revival of the Anglo-Saxon Thunor cult, and Thorshof in homely Buckinghamshire which encourages research into the Teutonic religion as a whole (though with an emphasis on the cults of Thor, Frey and the Teutonic goddesses).
Thank you to everyone who sent in their comments about what they want to see in this journal. It is now clear that the readership is divided between the 'neo-pagan' and the 'academic', so the editors will endeavour to please both camps. We will try to concentrate on academic articles on the historical thunder cults which should be of interest to everyone. We have also had a lot of interest in the thundercults from non-Teutonic areas. Articles on thundercults from Finnish, Russian, Baltic, Celtic or any other European culture would be most welcome. Please be aware that the editors' knowledge lies mainly within the Teutonic religions so this subject will dominate unless others help out!
We have also been asked for more practical articles covering rituals or magic. Thorshof is running a competition to encourage submissions on this subject, see penultimate page for details.
Thor is frequently connected with stars in both literature and art. I have produced this article as a summary of all the Thorist star lore I am aware of, however it is likely that not all of these constellations were attributed to Thor at the same place and at the same time. As with many other symbols the star constellations would have been dedicated to different gods, as today we have different familiar names for the larger constellations. It would make sense if the main constellations were given to the worshippers own patron (if possible). In the northern sky the two most obvious are probably Ursa Major and Orion, the former was given to a numerous gods while the latter was claimed by Frigg, Freyja and the Virgin Mary.
I have used the Latin names for the stars as they are the most universally known.
Ursa Major
This is the saucepan shaped constellation which points to the pole star. It is most frequently known as the Plough in England and the Big Dipper (i.e. a deep spoon) in the USA. All across Scandinavia and in Germany this constellation is known as the Wain. This constellation seems to have been ascribed to at least three of the Norse gods, Odin, Irmin and Thor. When given to Thor the constellation is called 'Karl Wagen', Karl being the familiar title given to the god in Scandinavia, normally translated as 'the Old Man'. This name is found in Denmark, Sweden and Iceland. It is highly likely that the Wain was given to any prominent deity who travelled in a chariot, which would also include Freyr, Freyja, and the old earth goddess Nerthus. The name Irmin is interesting as this elusive god may be Tyr.
R H Allen (1) quotes an old rhyme describing the god figures at Upsala which describes Thor as follows:
The God Thor was the highest of them,
He sat naked as a child,
Seven stars in his hand and Charles's Wain.
Prudence Jones also quotes a similar source from Messenius (2) stating that this writer believed the seven stars to be the Pleiades, but as these are a considerable distance from Ursa Major, she suggests Ursa Minor instead. Following this logic Jones suggests that Ursa Minor represents Thor's hammer. I drew the cover illustration based on this theory, with Ursa Major forming the wagon and Ursa Minor the hammer, Polaris is doing a most untypical star of Bethlehem impression over Thor's head.
Again the link between Thor and stars is very strong. Charles's Wain is yet another name for the plough and is derived from Charlemane. Thor is often described as racing across the sky (part of the job for a Thundergod) so the stars are very appropriate symbols for him, and especially for his wagon. In the Haustlong poem (4) this idea comes across very strongly:
'The son of Jord (Thor) drove to the game of iron (battle) and the moon's way (sky) thundered beneath him.'
Ursa Minor
This is a smaller version of Ursa Major which lies much closer to the pole star than its larger image. This constellation is probably best known in England as the Little Bear. Early Scandinavia's called it the Small Chariot, or Freyja's Wain or the Throne of Thor.
The constellation is roughly chair shaped. Chairs were very unusual in the early middle ages and symbolised high authority. Common folk sat on benches or stools, hence the modern term 'chairman' for a leader, the only person important enough to be seated in comfort. The only obvious god figure of Thor that survives is seated on an elaborate decorated chair or throne, and larger god figures may have had similar thrones.
Thus both the images and the star constellation show Thor as a dominant god, this name for the constellation was probably not recognised outside the cult of Thor.
Gemini
A bit of guesswork here! Two stars are mentioned several times in the Eddic myths called Thiassi's eyes, which are probably the bright twin stars of Gemini. They best known from the story of Skadi, an enraged giantess who demands compensation from the gods after Thiassi's death. As part of the payment Odin made two stars out of her fathers eyes.
However the Lay of Harbard (3) contests the Skadi story. Thor describes how he was responsible for this constellation.....
'Strong Thjatsi, the thurs, I overthrew in battle,
and the awful eyes of Alvaldi's son
I cast on the cloudless sky.
Those be the mighty marks of my great works'.
Again the stars can be claimed by several gods but here there is a marked difference in their meaning, Odin's act was meant as an apologetic memorial while Thor's resembles a hunter mounting a trophy. The battle Thor boasts of does not tie in with the Skadi story where all the gods kill Thiassi by burning him in a great fire, but both tales seem to refer to Gemini.
Aurvandil's Toe
No this is not a Latin name, I don't claim to know where this star is. The Whetstone story gives a fragment of another myth, where Thor carries Aurvandil back from Giantland in a basket. One of Aurvandil's toes froze on the journey and broke off. Thor tossed it into the sky and made it into a star. The name Aurvandil is well known in the north and is found in Anglo-Saxon as Earendel. It may also be connected to the Gloucestershire story of Wandil the giant. Wandil stole the spring but the gods defeated him and threw his body into the sky, where his eyes stare down as the Gemini stars (2).
However it is unclear whether these connected myths refer to the same stars or even if the names describe a single star or a constellation.
Polaris
Polaris is the pole star, if you walk towards it you are travelling north. For early sailors this star was invaluable and the Anglo-Saxons called it the Ship Star.
The Scandinavians knew this star as the 'God's Nail' which again suggests the cult of Thor. The article on the Symbolism of the Whetstone in Thunder 4 pointed out the belief that Thor has a fragment of stone or iron in his forehead representing the god's control of fire. Nails were also hammered into housepillars dedicated to the god which supported the centre of the house, so the link between the god's nail and the axis of the heavens is very tempting. Furthermore in northern Scandinavia Polaris is nearly overhead, adding to the link between the nail and the world pillar.
Thor's Halo
In later artwork from the late middle ages to the turn of the century, Thor is often shown with a halo of stars. This symbolism may stem from the descriptions given above of the godfigures at Uppsala and it is in representations of the Uppsala images that the stars are most obvious. One such image was used on the cover of Thunder 3.
Overall these myths show two things very clearly, Thor is primarily a sky god and the stars were obvious motifs to use in his myths, and secondly Thor dominates the other gods in star folklore proving his popularity among the Teutonic peoples.
(1) Star Names Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Hinkley Allen, Dover Pub Inc 1963 (reprint from 1899).
(2) Northern Myths of the Constellations, Prudence Jones, Fenris Wolf 1991.
(3) The Poetic Edda, Trans. Lee M Hollander, Texas Univ Press, 1987.
(4) Edda, Snorri Sturluson, Trans. Anthony Faulkes, Everyman, 1987.
Tina Deegan's interesting expose (Thunder #4) of the Celtic thunder-gods Taranis and Sucellos prompted me to put together some thoughts about the origins of the Northern European Thunder God. His best-known guise is of course Old Icelandic Thorr, the familiar figure from the tales of Asgard. This aspect of the god is, however, late and specific to one tradition (the Icelandic, a mixture of Scandinavian and Irish elements). What do we know about the original of whom Icelandic Thorr is a later re-casting?
First the name. Deegan mentions the Gallic Taranis, from which modern words for 'thunder' are derived in certain Celtic languages, e.g. taran. Taranis is not necessarily the original form, however: a variant Tanaris is recorded, and here we begin to move into familiar territory, since a presumed Celtic (1) *tanaros would - or at least could - equate to a Proto-Germanic *thun(o)raz; this proto form became in Old English thunor (and in modern English this becomes 'thunder'), in some German dialects 'donar' (modern 'Donner') while in Norse it became variously thurr and thorr. Therefore, the god's name is not 'thunderer, (he who wields the thunder)' but 'thunder' itself. The Germanic word is not derived from the Celtic, however, they are a shared inheritance from the Indo-European language which is the origin of both.
So why the change from 'taranos' to 'tanaros' or vice versa? It is not so much a question of one form becoming another, as of the two forms existing side-by -side, as far as I can see. Such variant forms can result from metathesis, as when OE byrd 'bride' has the -r- slip out of place to form the modern dialect 'bird' meaning young woman, or when some dialects use the pronunciation 'ax' for 'ask', 'gurt' for 'great', 'purty' for 'pretty'. They both exist in the language at the same time, until the need for standard written forms makes one the official and correct word, and the other a mere variant.
It is perhaps appropriate at this point to bring some history of a slightly older date than we would normally find in the pages of this periodical - longer ago and further away than Asgard itself. The Hittite Empire throve in Anatolia (modern Turkey) during the time of the pharaohs. The Hittites themselves were speakers of a language of the Indo-European type, though much older than any other we have so far been able to read. This means that Hittite linguistic, social and cultural structures were broadly similar to those found in ancient Europe, sharing as they do a common ancestor. During the middle of the second millennium BC (or should that be BCE?) the Hittites' supreme god appears to have been Teshub, a storm god who was worshipped by the indigenous Hurrian peoples of the Near Eastern area; however, after the Hittite Empire itself began to decline in 8th to 7th century BC, there was a resurgence of worship for the Hittites' own storm god, rejoicing in the name of Tarhunzas (2). So here we have a 'god of storms' worshipped by an ancient people having close structural and linguistic links to the equivalent cultures of Europe, with a name suspiciously close to the ancient forms which stand behind both the Germanic and the Celtic thunder-gods. The name Tarhunzas may well be the earliest recorded form of the word which turns up variously as Thorr, Thunor, thunder.
(1) Scholars can often reconstruct words in ancient, unrecorded languages by 'triangulating' from forms which have survived into more recent periods. Because these reconstructed words are not recorded (and the reconstruction may have to be changed in the light of new evidence), they are marked with an asterisk
(*). These reconstructed languages are designated by the prefix 'Proto' as for example 'Proto-Germanic' for the language form from which all the later Germanic languages are derived.
(2) In the name Tarhunzas the -h- represents a laryngeal consonant of uncertain pronunciation. It may not have been continued into European forms, although it would nevertheless have 'coloured' the following vowel by affecting its pronunciation.
An Old English word Thunorrad exists with the meaning 'roll of thunder', it occurs once only, to my knowledge, in the writings of the ecclesiastic, Aelfric. The first element thunor is of course the normal Old English word for 'thunder', the atmospheric phenomenon, and was once the name of the high god of their pantheon. The second element -rad is the word for a 'road', but originally it meant 'the act of riding', and the sense 'place where one rides' developed by extension of meaning. The two elements together therefore mean, possibly, 'thunder-road' which doesn't seem particularly apt for 'thunder clap', but what of the alternative possibility? Imagine you are an early farmworker, huddled in your timber house as the sky darkens overhead. The light goes livid, the clouds swirl and billow like thick smoke, then in the distance, but still frighteningly loud, a grumble of deep-throated thunder booms out. You look to your children, shrinking into the gloom of the space behind the benches, and say 'Thunor's riding!' Thunorrad may have had just such resonances for the early English, though if Aefric knew this he would never have admitted it!
The imagary of the god's huge chariot lumbering across the sky-paths surely inspired this Old English compound. Perhaps the noise of thunder was supposed to be the rumbling of the wheels and the lightning was sparks thrown off their iron felloes.
Runa is a new quarterly magazine produced by the Rune -Gild. Concentrating on North European Myth, Folklore and Magic it is well produced and covers a wide range of topics relevant to the Heathen revival. Subscription UK £10 for four issues (£2.50 sample) payable to 'Eormensyl Hall', BM Sorcery, London, WC1N 3XX.
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The Book .... Probably the most easily-accessible beginners' both on the language ever produced, First Steps in Old English is designed with the complete novice in mind. Taking the most basic West Saxon dialect as the starting point, Stephen Pollington leads the reader on a painless and enjoyable trip through the basics of the language, its grammar and vocabulary. For the student who prefers to work at his or her own pace, this book is an invaluable aid.
Easily the most user-friendly introduction to any ancient Germanic language!
The Tape .....On this 40 minutes cassette tape, Aergeweorc, the author reads extracts from early English literature in prose and verse, including Deor, the battle of Brunanburgh, extracts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, charms, leechdoms, laws and two sections from Beowulf. Many of these texts are presented in the First Steps textbook, allowing the reader to hear a fluent presentation of the language.
(For a sample of the material on this tape, visit the website of Tha Engliscan Gesithas to hear Deor in Real Time Audio: www.kami.demo.co.uk./gesithas/index.html)
The Correspondence Course ..... For beginner-level students who prefer working with a tutor but do not have access to an evening class, Stephen Pollington now offers a correspondence course in Old English. For an understanding of the mechanics of the language - which is the foundation of our own - there is no better introduction. Absolutely no previous language-learning experience is necessary.
All titles are available from: Anglo-Saxon Books, PO Box 30, Brandon, Norfolk, IP26 4NU (Tel 01842 828430)
Book £19, Tape £6.90, Course £35.
On 27 September 1997 the friends of Thorshof met to discuss the meaning of Ragnarok, a prophecy foretelling the death of the gods, the end of the world, and the birth of a new era. With hindsight it would have been better described this as the 'meaning of life' debate. It would be impossible to summarise our differing opinions so we have all written a short article on our own views.
This was an interesting discussion which, before the event, I had envisaged being argued mainly between those who did not believe in Ragnarok as an original heathen belief at all, those who took Snorri Sturluson's account of Ragnarok in the Prose Edda to be a true report of our forefather's heathen beliefs in all its aspects and those who took Snorri's account to have been influenced (to a greater or lesser degree) by the prevailing Christianity.
However it did not go at all according to my expectations for not all felt that the original beliefs were extremely important. Also, and as it turned out extremely logically, the discussion also seemed to quickly veer onto discussions of various aspects and views on life after death and how did we see things happening after our death.
Questions were raised as to whether we saw Ragnarok as a true heathen event?, whether it was still to come or even whether a version had already occurred (such as the conversion of the north to Christianity)?, did we think that Loki was still bound and was Snorri's account of him merely a propaganda job, should he simply be seen as a trickster god for as the blood brother of Odinn, the chosen travelling companion of Thor and the means by which the treasure of the gods (including Freyr's wonderful ship Skidbladnir and his gold bristled boar Gullinbursti), he could hardly be unworthy and evil? These ideas were not agreed within the group by any means - some felt it showed his later evil all the more clearly.
There was even an argument on what was or, even is there, evil? Life is not simple and I do not generally believe in someone blaming an outside agency - 'the devil made me do it'. My personal contribution was that I believe there appear to be certain people for whom the sheer obsession with hurting people or wanton destruction of people or lives cannot simply be put down unfortunate childhood experiences or difficult personal circumstances - such people are flawed in the way that some animals have dreadful temperaments despite training and are just 'bad'. A lot of unpleasant events which cause great distress to people, even ruin their lives, are unfortunately natural events and although the effects could be said to be 'evil' it is not a personally inflicted state of affairs or through an outside agency of malevolent intent (unless you intend taking giants such as the frost giants somewhat literally).
Personally, even listening to the different views put forward (very interesting), my particular interest in Ragnarok still came from a personal viewpoint and how the Vanir are involved - So is Snorri's account true? I agree with the idea that Ragnarok IS a heathen concept but that Snorri's account has changed some of the original parts of the tale - which to me are very important. When looking at the Voluspa (which even Snorri quotes) for an earlier account, it is noticeable that the only death specifically stated is that of Odinn by the wolf: 'Frigg's husband will fall lifeless' (1) and even then a quote was found in Brian Branston's 'Gods of the North' to the effect that Vafthrudnismal (Poetic Edda) talks about Vali, who takes revenge for Odinn's death, as 'he will sunder the savage jaws' (which together with the tales of his shoe which was said to be made from the leather of all the left-over strips which are thrown away) suggests this method was to ensure that he could tear the wolf apart - i.e. to let Odinn spring back out again.
The verse in the Volsupa after the world has ended have the Aesir discussing 'the great world doom' on Itha plain before Balder comes back from Hel with Hod although accounts sometimes imply that Balder is let out to bring the gods back.
From the Vanic viewpoint the account of Ragnarok is especially problematical - if it is an account of the entire worlds, why is it said that Njord goes back to his tribe but the Vanir are not mentioned as fighting or dying on either side? Freyja, who is known to have the first pick of the fallen warriors for Sessrumnir, is not mentioned with her dead at all - where are they supposed to be? Even Freyr, who Snorri recounts as dying by Surt, is listed as going to fight Surt in the Voluspa but not as dying in the battle.
Despite problems in the Prose Edda account, and even in the poetic lay the Voluspa, Ragnarok seems entirely feasible as an event of the world requiring renewal for which the old order must be cleared away. There are cycles in most timelines. It seems rather sad to contemplate the earth's beauty being destroyed, and the end of the good elements of human society today, but to me it is not so much a case of Mother Earth being destroyed as being cleansed and that, as shown even in the Christianised version of the end of time, the physical existence of humans is not destroyed.
(1) The Prophecy of the Seeress, L Hollander, The Poetic Edda, pg11.
A thousand winters ago, the Gods died. Swallowed by wolfish missionaries, burnt by unholy fire, poisoned by Troth-breaking. The Rainbow Bridge, linking Heaven to Earth, was shattered, and the halls of Asgard broke. There followed a sword-age, a wolf-age, where brother slew brother, oaths were tossed out and tossed aside, and Jord was drowned in a flood of watery baptism. As was foreseen be a seeress, who, noted the progress of White Christ, and prophesied the fall of the Holy Gods.
Now Wyrd may turn as stated in Voluspa, or not. Readings of the Ragnarok range from fundamentalist literalism to psychological metaphor, and this is all very well. But something happened to the Gods at that time and I'd like to know what. Myth should hold the inner truth of events and phenomena. I'm wondering whether the events seen in Voluspa have already happened.
What if the Gods did die: Odin, Thor, Freyr? We know they can. Did their wives follow them - Frigg, Sif, Gerd - onto their funeral pyres? Were Freya and Idun taken into slavery by etin and thurs? Looking at the world in bleaker moments, I sometimes feel this is true. Does Jormungand no longer encircle the Garth? Remember the Earth is now round, where once it was flat, and so has a boundary no longer.
And how have the Gods returned - which certainly they have - to our hearts and memory? I have no sure knowledge, only a nagging in my mind. Some thoughts have come to me. Try them against the anvil. See if they hold:
Thor did not die. Yes, he faced the Wyrm and slew it, threw it perhaps into the darkness of space, staggered back nine paces, poisoned by mistrust, the loss of troth. He has survived in our memories as Tor Trollbane, weakened but cared for by Sif, set to return after 900 years. Whilst his daughter and sons have kept safe the girdle and gloves, have hammered out the thunder.
Freyr did not die. If Freyja is Gullveig and can survive three burnings, surely her brother can cope with one from Surt. He and his kin have returned to the Vanir, have kept troth with true folk, the hedgewitches and wise, remembered still as the Lord and the Lady. Now perhaps, a new truce must be forged.
Odin was swallowed by the wolf, engulfed in gaping and ravenous maw. If he roams free now, it is because his son, Vidar, has pulled him from Fenrir's ripped and bloody jaws. Welcome again, Odin - shaper and healer.
Loki is loose, free of his children, honoured even, by Loptr-men and women. Is he still the threat he was cast as, now that Gimli is being built?
For are we not now in Idavoll, finding again the runes and the gaming pieces, recalling the lore and the sagas. The waters of the Nailed One ebb away, fields of knowledge grow again as if by themselves. Wrongs can be righted. And we walk with Gods again - Balder, Hod, Honir - telling new tales and new myths, facing new perils, new etins and thurs, the sibs of dead Fenrir seeking revenge.
Aside from the myth of Odin's self sacrifice upon the World Tree, Ragnarok may not only be the most significant myth that has come down to us, but also the only directly religious myth, whose events necessarily affect our lives. It speaks of the destination of this world and of the continuance of ourselves beyond the decay of our bodies. I cannot think of any other myth that speaks so pointedly of the future and thus of how we are to live the present.
At the moment two thoughts dominate my conception of the Ragnarok.
There is hope of a perfected world, transcending mortality, of that age when Baldur shall return; and that we have a unique part to play in its realisation - both individually and as a people.
I think we have a unique part to play because we alone of the divisions of humanity are the kinsfolk of Baldur, and it is only we who can humanly restore divine order after the infamy of his killing, who can validly avenge the murder. The restoration and avenging can only be brought about by disposing of the cause and sustaining infamy - by disposing of Loki and his influence. This, I believe, can only be achieved by people who are both the kinsfolk of Baldur and of Loki, thus it can only be achieved by us, who alone are in that relation.
Thus we always have something to do: to identify the influence of Loki within us and then remove it; and to identify it outside us and then remove it.
I cannot recall another myth that similarly implies an action on our part, and one that has general benefit, going beyond the selfish. Without something that one is supposed to be doing, and for a purpose, I do not think that a religion can be said to exist. Like a game that has no way of winning.
Here of course I am assuming that we are living at a considerable time after the murder of Baldur, since I find it hard to imagine any historical period when there was not wickedness in the world, when there was not intelligent intentional evil as opposed just to that disregard for human values which the giants represent, and which may be encountered in the forces of Nature, and in its substances and inhabitants.
Given that the ultimate destination is a perfected world, this world is then destined to be shorn of all those features which make us do what ideally we would not, and make us not to what ideally we would. Therein lies its imperfection, and I believe the Gods take account of this in Their wishes for us. They would have us do things now that I think They would not have us do in another time. And so Odin the Grim can change to Baldur the Beautiful. That, I think, is the meaning of the death of the Gods at Ragnarok.
I believe that one's merits on earth will determine one's deserts in heaven or upon a new earth.
What will happen to those Northeuropeans whose lives are not good enough for the Gods to invite them to dwell in Asgard in preparation for the final battle? Obviously, I do not know, but as my ideas about the question may affect how I live, it is worth having an opinion on the matter. If they are genuinely unpleasant, then I think they will fight on the side of Loki; and if they are just mediocre or merely not lived well enough to be chosen, then I think they will wait in the realm of Hel, to be released when Baldur returns. What about the Non-North-europeans? None can bring about the restoration of justice by taking part in the avenging battle, so I think they will likewise wait in the realm of Hel, though perhaps the evil ones will also join with Loki and the demons.
'Among the brave warriors of Odin was a mighty prince and warlord. Odin's son he was named and maybe this was true for the god loved him. Slain in battle he was given a grand hero's funeral, even the gods attended to honour his passing. He took his place in Asgard, seated beside his father's mighty throne. Waiting for the day when he could prove his courage again and fight beside the god of battle himself.'
These were the words of an old traveller, an aged veteran warrior who had proved himself a wise weaver of tales. The farmer's children crowded around him, warmed by the hearth's embers, elders sat on the benches, listening intently, contemplating the divine.
'When will Odin fight?', the feisty children demanded. The traveller smiled at his eager audience and gave his answer.
'There will be a great battle, Odin and his champions will ride against all the enemies of men and drive them to the very boundaries of the nine worlds. Thus it is the hope of every warrior to go to Odin's hall, and ride victorious in celestial battles beyond imagination.' ..........................................................................................................................................
Time passed, the Christians came with their eastern faith. The old gods waned and were abandoned for the shining saints. But the tales were remembered and loved, and told and retold, improved and changed. Odin had lost his power, and his great battle could no longer be won, but his courage was still acknowledged, every monster from the old lore was pitched against him, that he might die a hero's death against overwhelming odds.
But this is only Odin's world, there are other gods. Those who fight alone against the enemies of men, strengthened by the spirits of mortal friends. As the old faith faded, they too were drawn into Odin's battle. Freyr the great slayer of giants, Beli's bane, is killed. Tyr battles his ancient adversary, the wolf who swallows the sun each winter, but Tyr can no longer prevail. The World Serpent, vanquished when the world was young and men first ventured into the open seas, is resurrected, and the ever victorious Thor is slain.
Yes, in our own time Ragnarok is the most important myth. It has coloured the perceptions of historian and heathen alike. The myth's message of failure and unchangeable fate permeates the whole religion. It is a great shame that this late, Christian era adaptation of the myths, comes across more strongly than the ancient gods. The only genuine message in Ragnarok is the admittance that the old faith has been defeated by Christianity. The doom of the whole pantheon is not a heathen dream of the future, but the admission of a loss.
Ragnarok is so convincing a prophecy, because the details in the myth are very heathen. Tyr and the Wolf, Loki battling Heimdal, the heavenly hall for lovers of alcohol. However like Lokasenna and the Havamal, it is not an ancient myth but a collection of miscellaneous traditional lore, and in this case used misleadingly out of context.
To many Ragnarok is the Wagner-like twilight of the Gods, the end of all things, and a reason for renouncing a faith that cannot offer hope! Yet for me Ragnarok is a vision of hope, a reason for my faith and linking my life here on Midgard with that eternal dream of destiny that alone makes sense of my life.
First it is necessary to separate Ragnarok the epic tale, from Ragnarok the message: to remember that any author or skald has certain obligations and conventions to obey. Such obligations as making the tale such that it will excite the audience; too they cannot leave loose ends, so the various mythic beings must be accounted for; and allowing Thor or any other God to die of old age cannot be allowed. Too the author will be influenced by their age, and write in a way that suits that time: not to mention drawing on common images: so is it so strange that Ragnarok resembles the Christian Apocalypse?
This leads to my contention that it is necessary to separate myth the tale from myth the message: for myth the tale will be influenced by all sorts of factors that might have no bearing on the message. However if it is possible to identify the message, then our myths contain the very roots of our faith. Now I must stand up and be counted, probably accept a few brickbats too: I do not spend ages musing over who fought who at the final battle, or the mechanics of Odin's doom, for they might or might not be the tricks of the writer: my concern is with the inspiration within the myth!
Ragnarok tells me certain vital things about my faith and my relationship with it. In the first instance it links Gods and men in a doom: a message that all things must end, be they the realm of the Gods or even my life; Midgard too. In this message I can see portent of my own death: imagine the battle between disease and age, and my fading bodily strength: is that not a personal Ragnarok? However there is another message: after Ragnarok there will be a new place, and Gods and men will survive: not of necessity in a way that I could now envisage, but that continuation is made clear. Possibly it is Balder who survives in the myth, for having met his doom before Ragnarok, it was not necessary to account for him at the final cataclysm, but it shows that the Gods of our faith are not all doomed. A survival not just for some new race of Gods and man: but a personal survival beyond the personal Ragnarok
There is another aspect of comfort: Ragnarok makes it clear that all things will change: be they Midgard, great nations and empires or whatever. However it also shows that something, will go on: so even now when the British Empire I was raised in is vanishing: I can see it is not the end, nor should I or mine despair at inevitable change.
A further epiphany of my faith: Ragnarok by showing how my doom is linked to that of both the Gods and Midgard, demonstrates beyond all doubt the relationship between myself and all things- be they in heaven or earth. So my Gods are not some distant figure, they share my life, just as I share my life with Midgard and all things pertinent to it.
So whilst Ragnarok does not offer some vision of a permanent heaven, or even of what will become of me and mine for there are some things far beyond comprehension. It shows clearly and without equivocation that for all things there is a hope and a future. That future could be personal reincarnation, it might be as a great thought, or maybe as some strange entity in a far galaxy: but whatever, it tells me to hope and work for that unknown future for all things.
Ukko or Pitkänen is the ancient Finnish thundergod, who like Thor is associated with agriculture. The name 'Ukko' means 'old man' while 'Pitkänen' means 'thunderbolt'. Ukko's wife is Rauni, the Earth Goddess who controls the winds and lightning. Rauni's sacred tree is the rowan and her name is connected to the Swedish 'ronn', 'rowan tree'. Koppana suggests a link between the title 'Ukko' and the Norse Allfather. (see also Thorist Starlore: Ursa Major above).
The Finnish Gods, K M Koppana, Mandragora Dimensions 1990.
Festivals of Ukko involved the sacrifice of a cock or a sheep. A chest of birch bark was packed with sacrificial meat with beer and spirits and carried to a mountain held sacred by the worshippers. The chest was left untouched overnight to allow the god to take his share. The following day a feast was held with the remaining food and portions of the drink were poured into the ground to ensure fertility.
Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, Edited by M Leach & J Fried, Harper Collins 1984.
We have been asked for Thor rituals and magic workings etc. We hope to be able to include a practical article in each issue of Thunder. To encourage submissions we are offering a 10 year free subscription for the best ritual/magic working received!
As an alternative for our more academically minded readers, we will also welcome fictional descriptions of Dark Age rituals based on historical evidence, but please note, they must reflect the thunder cult theme. All competition entries must be received by 1st May 1998.
At Yule one of the important traditional images in England is the boar, or, to be more precise, the boars head. I know there is even a boar's head carol which I believe was used to sing in the boars head at a Christian feast at one of the Oxbridge Colleges.
This to me brings to mind one of the Vanir's sacred animals; the boar. Both Freyr and Freyja in the myths have boars. Freyr has the dwarf forged Gullinborsti (Goldern Bristles) which shines in the dark but Slidrugtanni (Cutting Tusks) is also mentioned for him - I don't know whether he has two boars or Gullingborsti has cutting tusks. Freyja has Hildisvin (Battle Boar) which brings to mind two images: the boar with which the Anglo- Saxon Warriors graced their helmets, and Freyja riding out to the battle-field to collect her dead.
Please note all back issues of Thunder and the Wain are available from the Thorshof Website. Print outs of the back issues can also be ordered by UK subscribers for 50p each (plus 50p to cover postage etc.)
Thunder 1: Thunor-Rainman or God of Thunder?, Gautrek's Saga, The Asgardsreien, Blind Mans Buff.
Thunder 2: Thor and the Goddesses, Old Frisian Thuner Biad, The Folks Noisy Friend, Hill Figures.
Thunder 3: Perun, Latvian Solstice, Tor Trollbane, Perkunas/Perun, The Holy, Thorolf's Holy Mountain.
Thunder 4: Taranis, Thor Folk Belief & Folk Magic, The Holy, Whetstones, Costume Notes, Thorcake.
Wain 1: The Riddles of Gestumblindi, Freyr in England
Wain 2: Fro of the Dance (song), The Most Glorious of the Aesir and Asyniur, Freyja the Spinner, The Origin of Elves, Ritual Costume.
The Cult of Thor, Then and Now, Thorskegga Thorn The Marriage of 'Freyja' (the Lay of Thrym retold), Thorskegga Thorn Print outs are also available from Thorshof for 25p each + postage.
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Thorskegga Thorn, Thorshof, 106 Oakridge Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2PL.
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Thor Tales from England, The Relationship between Thor and Loki, Inspiration from the tales of Hercules.