Contents :- 'Fro of the Dance' * The Most Glorious of the Æsir and Ásyniur *Freyja - the Spinner * The Origin of the Elves * Ritual Costume * * Forthcoming Events * Competition *
to the Winter Nights issue of The Wain. The season is turning dark again and becoming cooler (and hopefully full of the right amount of rain) - it is the time of the Freysblót, the álfablót and the disablót
There has still been no submissions or items prepared on the god Njörðr but I couldn't leave him out of this Vanic journal yet again so the Victorian print of him with the ski- goddess on the front cover is to remedy this. I know it's a little misleading in that it was Skaðhi who was the jotun (giantess) but I'm grateful for anything I can get on him at the moment.
For those who may have been expecting 'The Lay of Beli', this has now been rescheduled for the Yule edition.
All uncredited articles and reviews are by the editor.
The opinions expressed in contributors to 'The Wain' are not necessarily those shared by the editor.
All rights reserved. (c) 1997 All articles, poetry and illustrations are the joint copyright of the author/artist and the editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the editor.
P. Deegan : Editor
Fealcen Stow
Subscription is £2 for four issues.
Submissions of articles, poetry, artwork, etc. on the Vanir would be warmly welcomed (but not any item which promotes hatred or division due to racial, gender or sexual orientation differences).
Subscriptions to the journal and/or submissions for publication should be sent to:
P. Deegan
PO Box 16071
London SE16
Set to the tune "Lord of the Dance"
(Chorus)
"Dance, then, wherever you may be.
I am the Fro of the dance," says He.
"And I'll lead you on, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance," says He.
I dance on the barley and I dance on the corn.
I dance in the laugh of every child that is born.
I dance with my sister when I dance with my wife,
For I am the Dance and the dance is Life.
I danced into Ælfheim when my first tooth had come.
I danced into Asgard, when the fighting was done.
I danced into Hlidskjalf, Odin's high seat above,
I danced into Barri when I won my love.
I dance on your helmets and I dance on your shields.
I dance on my wain as she moves through the fields.
I dance with the Moon and the stars in the sky.
I dance with the Sun as my ship sails high.
I danced with the Ynglings and I danced with the Danes
I danced with Scyld Scefing, holy child of the Wanes.
I danced with the English, when they came from the seas:
When Hengest and Horse danced on new lands with me.
Though all things must wane and nothing stays at its height,
Though Odin and Asgard must fall in the fight,
The World-Ash will stand, the greatest of trees,
and the dance of life will still dance through the leaves
(Chorus)
"Dance, then, wherever you may be.
I am the Fro of the dance," says He.
"And I'll lead you on, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance," says He.
(Editorial Notes:
1. Originally written for Oak Harrow Garth Midsummer celebrations - as the Christians took a lot of our heritage originally they can't complain about this borrowing.
2. 'Fro' is a Germanic form of the title "Lord" and 'Wane' is a proposed Germanic form of "Vanir".
3. A more earthy version was also written, honouring the sexuality the Vanir rule - adults only though.)
You may ask why an article on the Æsir and Ásyniur is in a journal dedicated to the Vanir. Surely tradition tells us that the Æsir were a different tribe of gods to the Vanir - that the Æsir and Vanir actually fought each other in the beginning ?
Yet despite first appearances this is an introduction to the Vanic deities Frey and Freyja. For to quote from the best earliest source of our northern lore - the thirteenth century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson - as he wrote in his 'Edda' (the Prose Edda):
"Freyr is the most glorious of the Æsir ..... And Freyja is the most glorious of the Ásyniur"
Gylfaginning [23-5] (2)
It can be seen that Snorri was here using Ás meaning a deity in the general sense, rather than as specifically a deity of the Æsir, though the eddic tales tell of Njörðr, Frey and Freyja living amongst the Æsir anyway.
Frey and Freyja are brother and sister, the children of the god Njörðr and his sister. Frey is actually the Old Norse word for 'Lord' with Freyja being the Old Norse word for 'Lady' or 'Woman'. They are often described today as fertility deities, which is true, yet they are also much more.
The fertility aspect of Frey is confirmed in an eleventh century account by Adam of Bremen who described (as well as Thor and Odin) a figure whom he called 'Fricco', in the pagan temple at Uppsala in Sweden, and whom was endowed with a large phallus. Historians identify this 'Fricco' as a Germanic form of the name Frey. Adam of Bremen's account goes onto say that 'Fricco' 'grants to mortals peace and sensual pleasure'(3) and that, when weddings were celebrated, the special priest for 'Fricco' would sacrifice to him.
Yet it is not merely in the area of the fertility of the earth that Frey rules for he is also 'ruler of rain and sunshine'(4) and this is an aspect of Frey which is often overlooked by those whose patron deity is a more obvious sky-deity.
Frey is also a 'wealth-giver'(1) and, paradoxically in one who gave up his sword for love, 'battle-skilled' with his name being used in Norse kennings for warriors. In Gylfaginning 'High' implies that Frey is very capable in battle because he says that Frey could have killed the giant Beli just with his fist (as opposed to the stags antler which he used).
He is associated with kingship, for the Swedish kings traced their descent from Yngvi- Freyr, and also with wisdom. Frey is called 'the wise youth' in Skírnismál by the wise goddess Skaðhi(5) and in the tale of Gestumblindi's riddles (discussed in issue one of 'The Wain') the very wise king Heithrek was a worshipper of Frey - as Thorskegga Thorn suggested, Heithrek's patron could be no less wise than he.
There is also an unexplored magical or far-seeing side to Frey for in Flateyjarbók the worshippers of Frey in Thrandheim told Olaf Tryggvason that he not only brought peace and plenty but also that he 'told us future happenings beforehand'.(6)
Frey is also a god of the dead, being particularly associated with the burial mound. In an euhemerised (i.e. the myths of the gods retold as human history) account in Ynglinga Saga it says 'The first age is called the Age of Burning ... But after Frey had been placed in a burial mound in Uppsala, many cheiftains raised burial mounds ...'(7) and in Gísla Saga it says Frey would not permit frost on the burial mound of his favourite. The final word on Frey, I shall leave to the god Týr :
'Frey is the best among the blessed hosts
here in the garth of the gods:
aggrieves not maids nor men's spouses,
and frees all bondsmen from fetters.' Lokasenna 8
Of Freyja, golden and compelling, Snorri Sturluson said 'she is the most approachable one [i.e. of the gods and goddesses] for people to pray to'(9). Apart from a role in fertility, this great goddess was the goddess of love, sexuality and lovers and also of magic, especially the art of seiðr which she taught to Odin(10). Freyja is also strongly linked with the traditional female craft and mystery of Spinning. Another very important aspect of this goddess is her guardianship of the dead. Her large and beautiful hall is called Sessrumnir ("many-seated") in Fólkvangr ("army plain") and in the Prose Edda it says '... half the slain she chooses each day, and half has Odin'. One woman in Egil's Saga refused to eat until she would 'sup with Freyja', i.e. she died.
There are hints she may have been a battle goddess in that she has a sacred swine called Hildissvin or 'battle-boar' and she would ride out to battle to collect her dead. There is also a late tale of how Odin stole Brisingamen and ransomed it by demanding Freyja stir up perpetual war between two kings.
She is described as very beautiful and desirable and certain myths describe the lengths to which the giants would go to win her. In Þrymskviða the giant Thrym manages to steal Thor's hammer, Mjollnir, and uses this fact to demand that Freyja be his bride. When it is suggested to the goddess that she will therefore have to go and be his bride so the hammer can be recovered, she gets so angry that they go away and consider the other options - even though it means that the god Thor ends up cross-dressing and a funny episode ensues. The goddess Freyja is a strong, independent goddess who is not to be ordered around by other deities.
Her best known attribute is Brisingamen ('the necklace of the Brisings'). She was also known for her falcon form or cloak with which she was said to travel through the worlds and for travelling in her chariot pulled by two cats.
Like her brother, she is also a source of wealth, for her daughters are Hnossa and Gersemi (meaning treasure or jewels). Freyja herself was said to weep tears of gold on her journeys to find her wandering husband Oðr in the Eddas.
Oðr, usually identified as Odin, may be a slightly later introduction with the merging of the Æsir and Vanir. For the divine family pairing, which was customary amongst the Vanir, was disapproved of later and Oðr would have been introduced to replace her original consort which would have been her brother Frey. In the same way Njörðr fathered Frey and Freyja with his sister and the Egyptian Isis and Osiris, another well-known divine brother and sister pairing, show this motif is a global phenomenon for a special class or godly tribe.
1 Snorri Sturluson (Anthony Faulkes - trans)., Edda, (Everyman 1987), p. 75
2 Snorri Sturluson (Anthony Faulkes - trans).,ibid., p. 24
3 James Allen Chisholm, 'The Grove and the Gallows: Heathenism in the Greek and Latin Sources', Idunna (Issue 17), p. 40
4 Snorri Sturluson (Anthony Faulkes - trans)., ibid, p. 24
5 Lee Hollander (trans.), The Poetic Edda, (University of Texas Press (c) 1962 - 1994 print), p. 65
6 H.R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, (Penguin (c) 1964), p. 103
7 Andy Orchard, Cassell Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend, (Cassell (c) 1997), p. 28
8 Lee Hollander (trans.), The Poetic Edda, (University of Texas Press (c) 1962 - 1994 print), p. 98
9 Snorri Sturluson (Anthony Faulkes - trans)., Edda, (Everyman 1987), p. 24
10 Britt-Mari Näström, Freyja - the Great Goddess of the North, (Almqvist & Wiksell - Lund Studies (c) 1995), p. 66
Bibliography
James Allen Chisholm, 'The Grove and the Gallows: Heathenism in the Greek and Latin Sources', Idunna (Issue 17)
H.R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, (Penguin (c) 1964)
Lee Hollander (trans.), The Poetic Edda, (University of Texas Press (c) 1962 - 1994 print)
Britt-Mari Näström, Freyja - the Great Goddess of the North, (Almqvist & Wiksell - Lund Studies (c) 1995)
Andy Orchard, Cassell Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend, (Cassell (c) 1997),
Rudolf Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology, (D.S. Brewer 1993)
Snorri Sturluson (Anthony Faulkes - trans)., Edda, (Everyman 1987)
Eric Wódening, Gods of the World: The Vanir in Ancient Heathenry, (Theod 1996)
There are two sources in the myths and folklore of Northern Europe that link the goddess Freyja to the art of spinning. Firstly one of the Norse names for the star constellation Orion is 'Freyja's Spindle' (more commonly referred to in Asatru research by its alternative name 'Frigga's Spindle'), secondly one of the titles for the goddess given by Snorri Sturluson in the Edda, is 'Horn'.
Horn is probably derived from the Norse word for flax, the plant from which linen cloth is made. Turville-Petre suggests that Horn was once a separate goddess whose name was adopted into the cult of Freyja in the late heathen period, or even confused by Snorri. He points to a number of local place names in Sweden dedicated to Horn which would suggest a local goddess cult. However it is impossible to be certain, it could simply mean that Freyja was often invoked in that name in that particular area.
However tenuous the information, Freyja was certainly imagined as a spinner. This ancient craft has lost its relevance in modern society and it is not surprising that this aspect of Freyja tends to get ignored by today's heathens. But such an important symbol for our ancestors should not be simply cast aside as out of date and redundant. No heathen would scorn Mjolnir for being a 'low technology missile' !
I will therefore endeavour to explain the importance of spinning for the Anglo-Saxons and Norse folk and provide modern parallels for its symbolism.
The spindle was a wooden or bone shaft of about eight inches long weighted at one end with a doughnut shaped stone called a 'whorl'. Fibres of wool or flax were attached to the spindle which was spun rapidly while the spinner drew out the fibres to the required width. The weight and momentum of the spindle drew out and twisted the fibres to turn them into thread. The spindle was a very simple machine (it can be duplicated with a pencil stabbed through a small apple) but it was very effective. All thread and yarn for sewing and weaving was produced on a spindle from Neolithic times to the fourteenth century. In the North all fabric from muslin to sailcloth started its life on the spindle.
The Symbol of Comfort
The most obvious result of spinning is the production of clothes for warmth, comfort and survival, emphasising the protective and generous qualities of the housewife. Home produced cloth would have also produced blankets, table linen and wall hangings, all adding to the comfort of the home. In the dark ages the weavers work was as important as central heating is today, a vital weapon against the cold.
The Symbol of Wealth
While cloth was completely hand made it was a very valuable commodity. To give you an idea of the work involved, the manufacture of a simple gown would involve the following tasks ....
The woman would go out to the fields and catch a sheep and shear it. The wool would be muddy and soiled and would need to be washed, so soap had to be made and water heated over an open fire. The wool would then be dried and teased by hand to work out the tangles (this task alone would take several hours) then the wool would be combed to prepare it for spinning.
It would take several days solid work to spin the fleece into thread, most women's spinning would have been constantly interrupted by cooking, cleaning and caring for children so the spinning would take several weeks. At this stage the thread would be dyed, the woman would have to go and search the hedgerows for suitable plants and brew up the dye. The thread would then be dried again.
Next the weaver wove a starting braid (i.e. tablet wove the warp threads into a selvage) and tied the braid to the top of the loom and tied the individual threads into the heddles. The cloth would then be woven and finished.
All together the cloth would take over a week to produce and a busy housewife would need nearer a month with all her other commitments. As a result it is not surprising that cloth had a high value. In early Iceland it was the women who were the main earners because the skilled and resourceful housewife could weave a surplus of cloth which could be sold. The spindle can therefore represent a woman's financial independence. In the wealthy household with a small army of female slaves and servants the housewife commanded a profitable textile business. This could be compared today to a woman running a business from home.
A Symbol of Virtue
Not all women had the domestic skills or the motivation to keep abreast of their everyday duties and keep the family supplied in cloth, let alone sell surplus cloth to provide an income. As a result the proficient spinner was highly prized as a bride. The fairy stories of Northern Europe stress the importance of marrying a practical woman rather than an attractive but lazy maiden who will be a burden to her husband.
The image of the spinning woman was a symbol of female virtue. This image was very heavily ingrained in Christian imagery of the early Middle Ages, Eve is always depicted as a spinner and the Virgin Mary was always shown spinning as an example of the perfect maiden (the spindle was later replaced by a prayer book to show piety, but in the very early days no common woman would own a book !). However downtrodden women were in Christian society the spindle still represents skill and independence.
A Symbol of Female Power
The traditional weapon the enraged housewife would use against her husband was the distaff. Obvious modern equivalents would be the rolling pin or the frying pan. The distaff was a long staff to which the wool or flax fibres were secured to keep them tidy while spinning. The distaff had a great advantage over the modern woman's arsenal, being swathed in a thick layer of soft fibres, blows would cause pain but not endanger the life of the victim.
Medieval manuscripts often used the comical scene of the husband being beaten by his wife, to Christian thinking at the time these represented the world turned upside down. One such picture shows the devil encouraging the woman to be dominant.
The distaff is a very appropriate weapon for the housewife as it has served to represent the female sex for hundreds of years. Thus we have the expressions distaff side, spinster, wife (weaver) and from the Anglo-Saxon sources peaceweaver. The distaff was the woman's equivalent of the sword in a hostile world, its image portrays her independence and her power over the home. One medieval illustration even shows a housewife beating off a wolf with her distaff.
Symbol of Fate
All across Europe the spindle is the tool that the fates use to create the destiny of mankind. The classical parcae spin wool to create fate: one spins, one measures and one cuts the thread to end each mortal life. Closer to home the Lithuanian fates spin and weave the fate of each individual and the cloth they produce becomes the mortal's winding sheet. European fairy tales often imply the spinning fates, especially the French tale 'Sleeping Beauty' and England's 'The Three Old Spinners'.
The Norns are not often described as spinners but in The First Lay of Helgi (1) they mark the future territory of a new born prince with a celestial thread...
At night in Hall, the norns did come,
to the lord they allotted, his life and fate:
to him awarded, under welkin most fame
under heaven to be, among heroes first.
His fate-thread span they, to o'erspread the world
(for Borghild's bairn), in Bralund castle;
they gathered together, the golden threads,
and in the moon-hall's middle, they made them fast.
In East and West, the ends they hid:
the liege's land, lay there between;
on the Northern side, Neri's sister
did hang one end, to hold forever.
It is tempting to link the thread of the Norns with the goddess's sky spindle. Frigg is certainly connected with fate and for her the sky spindle is probably linked to her knowledge of destiny declared by Freyja in Lokasenna.( It is also possible that Freyja was acknowledged as a fate spinner, but she is far more connected to the realm of magic.
The Symbol of Magic
The strongest link between the spinner and magic in the Norse sources is the description of the Valkyries in Njals Saga (2). The battle maidens work at a loom threaded with human intestines and weighted with human heads, arrows and spears are their weaving tools. When the cloth is woven they tear it into pieces and ride over the battlefield. The woven cloth is a magic spell which gives the Valkyries control over the battle as they choose warriors to die. Most magical skills were considered strongest in women so it is not surprising that their monopoly over cloth production was often connected to magical skills.
This connection is also found in Orkneyinga Saga where a sorceress makes a magic battle flag for her son, the army that follows this banner will be victorious but the man who carries it will die. The mother has clearly made the material herself and sung charms over her spinning and weaving. The link between spinning and weaving is also seen in Eyrbyggja Saga (3) where Katla transforms her son into a spindle to save him from his pursuers.
However the strongest evidence for a link between spinning and magic comes from our fairy tales, particularly the story 'Frau Holda' collected by the brothers Grimm. Here a spindle wetted with the spinners blood becomes a talisman that transports the spinner to Holda's land. As Holda has obvious connections with Freyja and Frigg in her roles as goddess of fertility, childbirth and spinning, it is possible that this story was also once told of Freyja.
In our ancestors eyes the spindle was a sophisticated machine, rotating rapidly in blurring motion as the spinner worked in a time when very few tasks were mechanised. As a result it is hardly surprising that the spindle was considered a tool of magic. Even today people are fascinated by seeing a spindle in use and marvel at the effectiveness of such a simple tool. The spinning brings to mind the use of a fire drill or the whirling of a strong wind, and in a twentieth century context, an electric generator.
Freyja's Spindle
With this information we can see the Freyja of old, cloaked in her falcon wings that enable her to traverse the worlds, working the heavenly spindle and singing charms of great power. The sky spindle implies a control over fate and an authority over the Norns. There is no suggestion anywhere in the Norse myths that the Vanir are subject to the Norn's decrees, emphasised by Freyja's absence in the prophecy of Ragnarok. The Vanir are in control of all magic power and can shape the worlds to their will.
As a goddess of wealth Freyja would obviously show an interest in the lucrative aspects of spinning, and was probably seen as a teacher of textile skills like Holda. And if she spun and wove for her own pleasure she would not have been the first warrior maiden to do so. Even Brynhild was a weaver of tapestries.(4)
Suggestions for Modern Heathens
It is almost impossible to produce a modern alternative for the spindle, even the spinning wheel is now archaic, and to my mind the spindle is best left as it is. The traditional approach allows the goddess's symbol to be retained and the star constellation Orion shows it clearly in the winter sky. Die hard up to date heathens could consider the spindle as a whirling ball of magic energy, but this steals us of the mundane presence of the goddesses' tool of power.
I would recommend that all heathens with close links with Freyja (or Frigg and Holda) become familiar with the spindle and watch it being used. If nothing else it is a powerful image for meditation. The spindle itself can be used in rituals to invoke the power of the goddesses, ask the blessing of the Norns at a child naming ceremony or to honour the ancestral mothers at Mothers' Night. As a symbol it has much more potency if it is used to spin thread during the ceremony. It is easy to learn to use a spindle but it is better to learn from an experienced spinner than try to pick it up from a book. Some tasks are very difficult to describe on paper !
Bibliography
(1) The Poetic Edda. Trans. LM Hollander. Texas Univ Press. 1962.
(2) Njal's Saga. Trans. M. Magnuson & H Palsson. Penguin Classics. 1960.
(3) Eyrbyggja Saga. Trans. H Palson & P Edwards. 1989.
(4) The Saga of the Volsungs. Trans. J.L. Byock. Univ of California Press. 1990.
(5) Orkneyinga Saga. Trans. H. Palsson & P. Edwards. Penguin Classics. 1981
This article is based on Thorskegga's previous research into spinning myths ...........
The Goddess of the Viking Age, Unpublished.
Spin Me A Yarn, Privately Published.
Spinning in Myths & Folk Tales, At the Edge, No. 6 June 1997.
This is the start of what I hope will be a regular feature. The myths tell us that the god Freyr was given Alfheim (Elf-Home) as a tooth-gift so elf-lore is extremely pertinent to a Vanic journal. We start with a most appropriate article:
There are three stories that explain the origin of the elvish race in Scandinavia. They all show a blending between heathen and Christian tradition. As they are all of interest they are given here in full:
THE BATTLE IN HEAVEN:
Once a traveller lost his way in Iceland and was greatly relieved to find a farmhouse. The farmhouse was occupied by a mature woman and her two daughters. The traveller was given good hospitality and when evening fell he asked if he could share a bed with one of the girls. The mother consented and the traveller went to the girl's bed in happy anticipation.
However when he tried to embrace the girl his arms passed straight through her body. He could see her lying quietly beside him but try as he might he couldn't touch her. The traveller questioned the girl on this strange phenomenon. She replied that when the great war had been fought in heaven, all who had fought with the devil had been sent into eternal darkness, while those who had supported neither side were sent down to earth to dwell in rocks and under hills. As a consequence the elvish race was capable of both the greatest good and the greatest evil. They were unable to live with mortals but were able to show themselves to mortals when they chose.
This tale is in contradiction with the usual Scandinavian folk belief that elves of both sexes seduce mortals and half-elvish children abound.
EVE'S HIDDEN CHILDREN :
One day God decided to call on Adam and Eve. They greeted him and showed him around their house and Eve proudly showed him her children. She had been washing the children when God arrived and was now ashamed that some were dirty, so she hid the unwashed children. God was aware of the deception and asked Eve if she had any other children. Eve replied no. Then God decreed that the children that had been hidden from him should be hidden from all men. They became the first elves, the hidden folk (huldufolk).
It is typical of Christianity to blame all the World's ills on Eve, the first woman. But this next tale shows a very different interpretation of the goings on in Eden.
THE HULDRE MINISTER:
There was once a farm in the highland of Norway which was frequented by a tusse (goblin or elf) who came to borrow things from the farmer from time to time. The local parson got to hear about this and went to the farm to investigate. While the minister was speaking to the farmer the tusse arrived, he put the ale pot he had borrowed on the table, bowed to the parson and made to leave the room. The parson got to the door first and preached a sermon at the tusse determined to convert the creature. The tusse struggled but could not escape, eventually he said 'I am not clever enough to discuss such things with you but I will go and fetch my brother, he is a minister just like you'. The farmer spoke up for the tusse as he had always been honest and reliable and the parson let him go.
Shortly after the tusse minister arrived in his black robes with a bible in his hand. The tusse minister asked if the parson knew the book of Genesis. The parson replied that he did. 'And that God created a woman out of Adams rib bone ?', yes the parson knew that too. 'Then do you know why Adam said 'this time'' the tusse minister asked and the parson admitted that he did not. The tusse minister explained that God had first created a man and a woman and the woman was equal to Adam in all things. This first woman was called Lilli or Lillo. God decided that it was not right that a woman should be equal to man and he sent the first woman away. Lilli and her children went to live under the hills. The children of this first woman were without sin and could only be seen by mortals if they wished it. God then created a second woman from Adam's rib bone and that is why Adam said 'this time'. As the children of Lillo had no sin they had no need for the New Testament that was meant for sinful men alone. The parson believed these words and utterly humbled he never preached again.
There is a slight contradiction in Genesis around which this story has been formed. God creates both man and woman in Ch1 v27 but apparently creates woman again in ch2 v22. When God presents the woman to Adam, Adam says ' This is now bone of my bones.....' which must be the sentence the tusse minister refers to (quote from Kings James translation).
This tale shows an unwillingness to accept the low position of woman in the Christian faith and Eve's blame for original sin, which is in keeping with the relatively high spiritual position of women in heathen times. Lillo, the fiercely independent woman brings to mind the Norse goddesses and Disir - and possibly points to an older tradition where the elven race are descended from a goddess. It is very tempting to connect strong willed and sexually unashamed Lillo with Freyja.
Bibliography
Ashliman, D.L. - The Origin of Underground People WWW http://www.pitt.edu/~dash Tales 1 & 2 + regional variations on both stories
Boucher, A. Trans - Elves, Trolls & Elemental Beings. (Icelandic Review Library 1977) Tale 2
Christiansen, Reidar - Folktales of Norway (University of Chicago Press 1964) Tales 2 & 3
Simpson, Jacqueline - Icelandic Folktales and Legends. (Univ. Of Calif. Press 1972) Tales 1 & 2
Informal and friendly discussions were held at Thorshof in July to discuss possible appropriate modern dress for modern heathens. Those present worshipped different deities but all were bright and sincere heathens. The following notes, for those worshipping the Vanir, are from (or inspired by) the ideas that came out during the brainstorming at that meeting.
We have no pretensions to be any form of authorities but lay them out for your consideration - feedback would be welcomed on this subject. It could be argued that, as a faith of today as much of the Viking or Bronze ages, it is appropriate to simply make yourself clean and dress in good modern clothing with simply a token of your favourite god or goddess:
For Freyr, this could be simply be a Viking ship pendant or boar/stag brooch, even the 'horn of plenty' which may not historically be linked specifically to Freyr but which is most appropriate for him. This could be threaded into the middle of a little string of amber beads (even attaching tiny bells as suggested by "the unmanly clatter of bells" mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus - cat bells or those used by Morris dancers are the right size) or just by itself with a thin leather tie. Possibly with a green man T-shirt or top - again while not historically linked to him, would be appropriate.
For Freyja having a beautiful necklace (amber, mother-of-pearl, pearls or rose quartz are stones I personally think are appropriate) or a little amber heart would be nice. Gold and copper are good materials. A boar brooch again or falcon token would also be appropriate.
For Njörðr a Viking ship pendant or seagull token seem appropriate
For any of the Vanir, the Ring of Troth suggest the use of the sunwheel
For people who are priests or priestesses of the Vanir, wearing the oath ring on special occasions is good. Yet it is nice, and symbolically takes you away from mundane worries, to dress with care in special clothing to perform a ritual to the gods and goddesses. Also, as an ethnic faith, it could be argued that it just as much appropriate to look at our traditions and produce a ritual garment based on our native traditions to celebrate our high holy days. Before getting onto the main clothing suggestions, I'd like to cover some related considerations.
The Vanir do not have colours traditionally associated with them in the way that 'Red' Thor or blue for Odin were associated with those gods but certain colours do suggest themselves when looking at the deities. As gods of the world, undyed (i.e. natural) or earthy colours and the greens of various foliage seem good and for Njörðr, shades of blue (greeny-blue or grey-blue) would be nice. However it could be argued, from the figure identified as Freyr on the Oseberg tapestry, that you could make a case for wearing predominantly red (with yellow, blue and green decoration) to honour Freyr. As the Vanadis was said to shed tears of red-gold, so gold (or more practically bright yellow) would be a good colour or decorative trim for Freyja robes.
Footwear, it was agreed, could range from literal reproductions (if going for a near authentic dark age costume) to discreet modern styles in natural colours (but no trainers) for a look inspired by the folk traditions. For Vanic followers it would also be appropriate, providing it was practical in the circumstances, to go around in bare feet.
There is also the question of whether it is appropriate to wear leather and fur or whether you should wear alternatives, including plastic. There are folk, such as Freyslunda Worldhouse in Sweden, who "reject every kind of unnecessary violence against all forms of life" and encourage vegetarianism. Such a stance often goes with a refusal to use leather or fur as if to take the life for sustenance is not acceptable then to take it for covering the body is not acceptable either. Personally I have to say that I am not a vegetarian and feel quite comfortable eating meat and wearing leather (at least) for two reasons: 1. I feel that while certainly animals appear to be a higher form of life than plant or cereal crops, it should be accepted that we basically only survive by taking in other life - try and live on plants that died before being harvested and you would perish very quickly. 2. In the use of leather, apart from its sturdy qualities and the fact it 'breathes' in a way that plastic cannot, it is the ecological aspect that is a consideration. Leather, coming from a living creature, is 'renewable' and does not remove the non-renewable sources of the earth in the way that the manufacture of plastic does. But, allowing for personal belief differences, various suggestions arose - ranging from a nearly authentic look to a modernised folk costume - and a few are detailed below for 'The Wain':
1. NEAR AUTHENTIC -
1.1 FOR BOTH * Woollen cloak, with optional hood, which could be edged with fur or braid. A very strong cloak pin is required to hold this - most appropriate forms are from re-enactment markets.
1.2 MALE * Plain linen undershirt with drawstring and neck slit and a hem that reaches to between the hip and just above the knee. The hem could be decorated with embroidery in a traditional motif or braid (such as the tablet woven type). * A collarless overtunic, longer but still above the knee, of a plain colour wood. This tunic should be edged with embroidery or braid. If the weather gets hot this could be left off. * Close fitting woollen trousers (like ski-trousers). Substitute leather if wool irritates your skin. * A heavy buckled belt.
1.3 FEMALE * A long natural or white linen underdress - a rectangle sewn up one side with a gathered neck and short sleeves set in. A 'hanging gown' made from a large rectangle of plain colour wool with braid (possibly tablet woven) or embroidery of traditional motifs around the base. It goes under the arms but over the bust . * The straps over the shoulders originally were fixed by two matching brooches but brooches today are not made strong enough for that purpose. I suggest putting a small loop on the front end of the straps and buttons on the back of the gown which will rest on the body. Then a couple of inches of velcro to secure the top edge. * Two matching brooches in the traditional places. * A couple of rows (on wire or strong plastic) of beads, amber, bracteates, charms, etc can be strung between the beads like a necklace. A shawl
2. MODERNISED -
2.1 MALE * Trousers in dark plain colour - but not jeans * Plain white shirt * Waistcoat with motifs in bright fabric paints * Deep belt with items such as a money pouch, swiss army knife, small drinking horn * Hip length cape with traditional brooch or leather jacket with motifs painted onto it * Plain style boots or shoes in black or natural * Appropriate jewellery
2.2 FEMALE * An 'apron style' dress in a dark fabric over a white blouse (à la Þórskegga) * Two matching brooches where the straps meet the bodice * Two or three 'necklaces' (wire strung traditional stones with loops at the end of each piece to hook through the brooch clasp) A belt for money pouch and a traditional element (such as keys or a tiny crystal ball). Even a swiss army knife for practical women.
Saturday October 4th : Fellowship of Isis Gathering Charlton House, Charlton Lane, London SE7. Presentations, stalls and refreshments Entrance Fee approximately £6 Saturday & Sunday October 11-12th:
The Halloween Festival University of London Union, Malet St, London WC1 Lectures, workshops, crafts, refreshments Saturday 12 noon to 10.30 -£6 Sunday 12 noon to 8.000 - £5 or two day ticket for £10 Saturday November 22nd :
DETAILS NOT CONFIRMED Pagan Federation Conference Fairfield Hall, Croydon. Entrance fee
There was a tradition of writing love songs to Freyja and Fealcen Stow is holding a competition of devotional pieces for Freyja. Just songs or poems may represent the original tradition but I would like to open it out for people to be able to express love for the goddess with whatever talent they have been blessed.
In England March 25th was 'Lady Day' so, if I can get sufficient material (couple of articles/devotional works) I'd like to make this forthcoming Spring '98 edition a Special one dedicated to Freyja. There are three A4 full colour prints of Jim Kirkwood's beautiful Vanadis picture (featured in issue one) - one for each of the best three entries and an additional T-shirt for the very best.
ENTRIES : A work done in honour of Freyja - such as a song, a poem, artwork, design of a modern costume based on Freyja folk tradition, create a recipe, a modern kenning .....................
SEND TO : PO Box 16071 (as on page 2)
CLOSING DATE : 1st February 1998
PRIZES : 3 Vanadis prints and 1 T-shirt
Fealcen Stow reserves the right to publish any entries submitted in 'The Wain'.