The Sigtuna Pendant

 The Sigtuna pendant, excavated in the 1960s shows artistic similarities to the Hiddensee pendant, namely: the raven motif and the detailed filigree workmanship. This has led to some suggestions that it is the work of the same craftsman. Like the Hiddensee hoard, the piece dates to the late 10th century.

Sightuna at that time was a newly founded royal and commercial centre, and an early focal point for the establishment of Christianity in mediaeval Sweden. It is speculated that the town was founded as replacement for Birka, which became abandoned in the 960s. The town was named after Fornsigtuna (modern-day Signhildsberg), an old royal estate, 2.5 miles to the west of Sigtuna. According to chapter 5 of the Ynglinga Saga, which is the initial part of Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, the euhemerised Odin 

                     'took up his residence at the Maelare lake, at the place now called Old Sigtun.

                     There he erected a large temple, where there were sacrifices according to the

                     customs of the Asaland people. He appropriated to himself  the whole of that

                     district, and called it Sigtun. To the temple priests he gave also domains. 

                     Njord dwelt in Noatun, Frey in Upsal, Heimdal in the Himinbergs, Thor

                     in Thrudvang, Balder in Breidablik; to all of them he gave good estates.'

There are various theories regarding the etymology of the name, Sigtuna. The primary ones are as follows:

a) 'place' (tun) of a 'swamp' (sig).

b) 'place' (tun) of 'victory' (sig).

It should be remembered that 'sig' forms the first element in some of the bynames of Odin:

a) Sigdir (victory bringer).

b) Sigfodr (father of victory).

c) Siggautr (victory Gautr).

d) Sigrhofundr (victory author).

e) Sigmundr (victory protection).

f) Sigrunnr (victory tree).

g) Sigtyggr (victory true).

h) Sigtyr (god of victory).

i) Sigthror (successful in victory)

While both explanations are suitable, I personally favour the latter. The Ynglinga Saga  draws a clear connection between Odin and the old settlement of Sigtuna. From the 10th century, the new Sigtuna took over the functions as well as the name from the old settlement, while the former Sigtuna became known as Old Sigtuna or Fornsigtuna. 

Returning to the symbolism of the pendant, it is clear to me that the bird head represented on the bottom of it is a raven in abstract form, a heathen symbol with close connections to the god, Odin. It is stylised to form almost a hammer shape, and for this reason many modern reproductions are referred to as the Sigtuna 'hammer'. The original pendant was crafted in gold and an image of it is shown below.

My own personal copy in stainless steel, which is difficult to come by:

                       

  

Further Reflections on the Snaptun Stone and the Gnezdovo Pendant

 Some years ago, while my Celto-Germanic Culture, Myth and History blog was still active, I posted my thoughts on the images contained on the Gnezdovo mask amulet and the Snaptun stone. There is still a link to my article on Pinterest: Celto-Germanic Culture, Myth and History: The Image of Loki on the Snaptun Stone and the Gnezdovo Amulet http://celto-germanic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-image-of-loki-on-snaptun-stone-and.html

Don't bother clicking on the link as it no longer works! Since that time, due to the popularity of my old blogs, this theory of mine gained traction to such an extent that you will find it repeated on most websites that promote the sale of reproductions of this amulet. Please note: there is a very good reason why I did not reproduce that article on this blog in 2019 when it was founded. This was a theory dating back to 2014, which I now have reservations about. However, it does go to show how gullible people can be, taking the speculations of other people and then promoting these as so-called facts, just because it appears on the world wide web!

There are certainly stylistic similarities between the two objects but that is not proof that my speculations were correct! I stand by my claim that the Snaptun stone has a clear association with Loki. Visually, the face on the stone appears to have its lips sown together. In Skaldskaparmal Chapter 35 (Brodeur translation) it is stated:

'This was their decision: that the hammer was best of all the precious works, and in it there was the greatest defence against the Rime-Giants; and they gave sentence, that the dwarf should have his wager. Then Loki offered to redeem his head, but the dwarf said that there was no chance of this. ‘Take me, then,’ quoth Loki; but when Brokkr would have laid hands on him, he was a long way off. Loki had with him those shoes with which he ran through air and over water. Then the dwarf prayed Thor to catch him, and Thor did so. Then the dwarf would have hewn off his head; but Loki said that he might have the head, but not the neck. So the dwarf took a thong and a knife, and would have bored a hole in Loki’s lips and stitched his mouth together, but the knife did not cut. Then Brokkr said that it would be better if his brother’s awl were there: and even as he named it, the awl was there, and pierced the lips. He stitched the Ups together, and Loki ripped the thong out of the edges. That thong, with which Loki’s mouth was sewn together, is called Vartari.'

It should be remembered that there is also an association between Loki and fire. Many commentators deny this association but there is evidence to be found in Jacob Grimm's Teutonic Mythology, volume 1:

  

'The three brothers Hlêr, Logi, Kari on the whole seem to represent water, fire and air as elements. Now a striking narrative in the Prose Edda places Logi ["flame, fire"] by the side of Loki, a being from the giant province beside a kinsman and companion of the gods. This is no mere play upon words; the two really signify the same thing from different points of view, Logi the natural force of fire, and Loki, with a shifting of the sound, a shifting of the sense. From the burly fire-giant Logi has developed a crafty, seductive evil-doer. Both can be compared to the Greek Prometheus and Hephaestus.'

In my opinion, the character known as Logi in Gylfaginning, who in Old Norse is the personification of fire, is a hypostasis of Loki, as is Utgard-Loki.

'“Then spoke the one who came last, ‘Who was called Loki: ‘I know such a trick, which I am ready to try: that there is no one within here who shall eat his food more quickly than I.’ Then Útgarda-Loki answered: ‘That is a feat, if thou accomplish it; and this feat shall accordingly be put to the proof.’ He called to the farther end of the bench, that he who was called Logi should come forth on the floor and try his prowess against Loki. Then a trough was taken and borne in upon the hall-floor and filled with flesh; Loki sat down at the one end and Logi at the other, and each ate as fast as he could, and they met in the middle of the trough. By that time Loki had eaten all the meat from the bones, but Logi likewise had eaten all the meat, and the bones with it, and the trough too; and now it seemed to all as if Loki had lost the game.

'....

 but he who was called Logi was “wild-fire,” and he burned the trough no less swiftly than the meat. '

The Snaptun stone is most clearly a forge stone, used as part of a bellows, directing air into the heart of the fire. Its soapstone construction makes it resistant to heat. However, this was no simple forge stone; in my opinion, it had a ritual and possibly a cultic purpose, and may serve as evidence for a cult of Loki in Demark, where it was discovered in 1950 at Snaptun, possibly as a result of tidal movement. It also serves as evidence for an association between Loki and the element of fire.

The link between Loki and the Gnezdovo pendant is far less certain and this is why I no longer stand by my earlier theory. The discovery of this item dates back to 1993 and was part of a burial hoard, containing a total of 395 items, including temple rings and other pendants. The actual site where it was discovered, Gnezdovo, begain to arouse interest in 1867 with the construction of the Orel-Vitebsk railway after the discovery of some 10th century silver ornaments. However, it was not until 1874 that a systematic excavation started and was led by M.F. Kustsinsky. It should be noted that Gnezdovo was a Varangian trading station, so one should not be surprised by the mix of Norse, Slavic and even Arabic cultural objects discovered there.

While there is nothing definitive in the design of the pendant to indicate that it represents Odin, it should be noted that He is also called Grimnir, the 'hooded' or the 'masked' one and this pendant does appear to resemble a mask. There is certainly a stylistic resemblance between the pendant and the Snaptun stone but this should not be interpreted as definitive proof of a link with Loki. I would also add, that to the best of my knowledge, no academic has stated any association between the pendant and a specific deity. 

Bloodofox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lokistone.jpg

An image of the original silver find of the Gnezdovo pendant.

The Hiddensee Amulet

 In this article, I am going to discuss the 'Hiddensee amulet', a little about its background, and some of my own thoughts and speculations on its symbolism. The Hiddensee amulet was discovered as part of a hoard of  Viking-age gold treasure in 1873 on the German island of Hiddensee, which is situated in the Baltic Sea. Its discovery came about as the result of flooding in the area.

Experts date the hoard to the last quarter of the 10th century and it consists of 10 cross-like pendants, 4 small spacer pendants, a broach and a neck ring. The total weight of the hoard is 598g, a very substantial weight in gold! It is generally considered that all 14 pendants were worn as part of a single necklace. If that is the case then many of the spacer pendants are surely missing? It should also be noted that the cross-like pendants vary in size and weight, the smallest weighing just 20.2g and the largest, 40.4g (Armbruster, Eilbracht). If they were intended to be worn as a single item, as suggested, then it would have felt very heavy indeed, especially if the wearer was a woman. A closer examination of the pendants shows that there are at least two different styles. That fact, along with the large variations in size and weight of the pendants, gives me the feeling that this was not intended to be worn as a single necklace.

The whole treasure was manufactured in one workshop and from a single source of metal (Armbruster, Eilbracht). Anyone interested in its manufacture would profit by reading the excellent and detailed analysis by Barbara Armbruster and H. Eilbracht, Technological aspects of the Viking age gold treasure from Hiddensee, Germany.

For a long time there has been speculation that the treasure belonged to the Danish King Harald Bluetooth Gormsson (died 985/986 CE) or a member of his family. The neck so-called ensemble appears to mix heathen and Christian elements which is evident in the 10 cross-like pendants. Bluetooth converted to Christianity at some time in the 960s but the circumstances and details are rather vague and very confusing. Regardless of whom the hoard was commissioned for, the recipient must have been both wealthy and presumably powerful. Due to the dating of the hoard and the location where it was found, the assumption for its ownership by Bluetooth or his family may be valid. It has long been speculated that the hoard was stolen by Slavic pirates, operating at that time in the area. In my opinion, the theft was possibly from a goldsmith's workshop, rather than the Danish royal family, although it could have been commissioned by them.

I have only recently learned that these pendants were not at all unique and other examples have been discovered, one example being a silver version from a hoard in Tolstrup, Denmark and dies from Hedeby, Germany, one being quite elaborate, like the Hiddensee pendants, the other being more simplistic and lacking in filigree ornamentation (Armbruster and Eilbracht). 

Moving on to discuss the symbolism of the cross-like pendants. All 10 cross-like pendants have a suspension loop in the form of a bird, which clearly resembles the Thor's Hammer from Scania, Sweden. I interpret this bird to be a raven, not an eagle as some claim. The raven, as my readers will know, is closely associated with Odin and is thus a heathen, not a Christian symbol. So we have to ask ourselves, what is the the raven doing on these pendants if they belonged to a Christian king? Likewise, what is a wolf's head doing on the suspension loop of the Thor's Hammer from Fossi, Iceland, if it is a cross and not a hammer as I believe? One could argue that in both cases, these were examples of a period of transition from Germanic heathenism to Christianity. I have discussed the wolf hammer before, and I will do so again in a future article.

Another feature of the pendants are the 'eyes' in the lower half of the pendants which give them a mask-like appearance. If you have a reproduction copy and hold it up to the light, you will see this most clearly. Until I read Armbruster and Eilbracht's work I thought that I was probably the only person to have observed this feature. They comment on this on page 38 of their article and quote from Graham-Campbell (2001, p.180), referring to the 'glaring eyes associated with Thor in Eddic tales.' They also compare the body of these pendants with 'the pagan Thor's hammer.' I would encourage anyone who is interested in any aspect of the Hiddensee hoard to read Technological aspects of the Viking age gold treasure from Hiddensee, Germany

 An excellent example of the Tolstrup pendant may be found on the website of Asgard, a Scottish manufacturer of good quality Viking age reproductions: Hiddensee . You will note from this reproduction and the photograph on page 38 of Armbruster and Eilbracht that the Tolstrup pendant lacks the 'eyes' of the Hiddensee ones but they are present on the dies from Hedeby (page 31).

All of the Hiddensee, Tolstrup and Hedeby pendants contain what appear to be three equilateral crosses within their body. Two of the Hiddensee pendants resemble more the cross style featured on the Tolstrup pendant and are less stylised and not so subtle. One can see how the majority of them resemble a series of three Thor's Hammers, rather than Christian crosses and they share this style with the four hammer-shaped spacer pendants.  

Some Thoughts on the Gender of Odin's Ravens

 I have previously discussed the symbolism of Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn, on my various blogs. I refer my readers to my article from 22 July 2019 on this blog, Huginn and Munnin, Symbols of the First Function . The article may also be found in my book, Wotans Krieger Volume 4: A Final Blast on the Giallarhorn , also published in 2019 by Black Front Press.

In that article, I discussed how Edred Thorsson viewed the different but related functions of these two ravens. Huginn represents the rational mind, the 'left brain', and so it is emblematic of sovereignty and the law. Munnin represents the intuitive mind, the 'right brain', and so it is concerned with transformation, magic, in other words. Both these ravens, with their separate but related functions, are thus symbolic of the god, Odin Himself.

My recent studies of the various corvid species in the British Isles have caused me to consider another aspect of these ravens and their functions. All corvids mate for life and are very loyal birds. Indeed, I almost always see local carrion crows fly in pairs; no doubt they are mated couples. Where one sees an odd number, say three, if the third bird is a mature adult, then it is highly probable that its mate has died. Rooks, on the other hand, tend to be present in larger groups, not just pairs.

This information made me realise that Huginn and Muninn are a mated pair. The question then arises as to which one is male and which one is female. Huginn is symbolic of rational thought, a quality more associated with men, while Muninn represents intuition, a quality more associated with women. I realise, of course, that I am projecting human gender characteristics onto a different species, but what matters here, is symbolism.    

The Practice of Senicide, Valhalla Cliffs, Odin Ponds and the Hyperboreans

A few years ago whilst reading Origins of English History (1882) by Charles Isaac Elton I came across a curious passage relating to the practice of senicide (killing of the elderly). Senicide appears to have been carried out not only in pre-Christian times but:

"Even in comparatively modern times the Swedes and Pomeranians killed their old people in the way which was indicated in the passages quoted above". (page 91)

Pomerania is an historical religion which is situated on the southern shore of the Baltic sea in modern day Poland and Germany. The name is preserved in the modern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A recent update of my autosomal DNA on LivingDNA has finally found * most but not all of my maternal ancestral DNA which originates from 3 main areas of German settlement in Europe; southern, northwestern and northeastern Germanic DNA. The latter pertains to the geographical area of Pomerania; so who knows, maybe my ancestors practised this custom!


There appears to have been two main forms of killing the elderly, via use of the 'family club' and jumping off the 'Valhalla cliffs' down to the 'Odin pond' below. Senicide appears to have been more common in times of famine which caused family units to make hard choices in terms of who should be allowed to survive. Mr Elton tells us that:

"One of the family clubs is said to be still preserved at a farm in East Gothland." (page 91)

Being beaten to death is obviously a far harsher form of senicide than jumping off a cliff and it appears that in the latter case this was usually a voluntary practice. An alternate and Swedish name for the Valhalla cliffs is attestupa (kin/clan precipice). Apparently ritual forms of senicide are said to have taken place during prehistoric times when the elderly were no longer able to either support themselves or assist their families. The use of the term attestupa dates back to the 17th century in Sweden and is based upon the 13th century Gautreks Saga about the legendary king Gautrek. In one part of the saga members of a particular family kill themselves by jumping off their family cliff. Whilst many modern scholars doubt the existence of these Valhalla cliffs they nevertheless persist in folklore. We should take what modern scholars have to say about the past with a pinch of salt when their research conflicts with ancient writings, folkore and oral traditions which are usually found to be quite reliable. Many modern academics are far from neutral with their research and are often guided by political instincts, often rooted in cultural Marxism.

"'Here by our home', says the hero, 'is Gillings-rock: we call it the family-cliff, because there we lessen the number of family when evil fortune comes. There all our fathers went to Odin without any stroke of disease. The old folk have free access to that happy spot, and we ought to be put to no further trouble or expense about them. The children push the father and mother from the rock, and send them with joy and gladness on their journey to Odin." (page 91) 

The existence of these Valhalla cliffs is confirmed by Pliny the Elder in his The Natural History:

"Three such cliffs in West-Gothland and Bleking still bear the latter name, and to another the remarkable statement attaches, that the people, after dances and sports, threw themselves headlong from its top into the lake, as the ancients relate of the Hyperboreans and Scythians. (iv.12) 

Sir Laurence Gomme in his Folklore as an Historical Science, 66-78 refers to some houses in Silesia and Saxony where a mallet hangs in front of the houses. In one example at Osnabrueck there is also the following inscription:

"Wer den Kindern gibt das Brodt

            And selber dabei leidet Noth,

           Den schlagt mit dieser Kettle todt."


My translation:

 "Who gives bread to the children,

            And thereby suffers need himself

           With this mallet strike him dead."

Procopius relates in his The Wars that the Heruli burned their elderly and sick after fastening them to a stack of wood and stabbing them to death. Senicide is historically confined not just to the northern Germanic world but to other parts of Europe, India and also Japan. In ancient Rome people reaching 60 were said to be thrown from a bridge or used as human sacrifices to the gods. (Old Age in the Roman World, Tim G Parkin, 2003)  Mr Parkin also tells us that in ancient Greece when the Athenians besieged the island of Keos in the Aegian Sea the inhabitants voted that all the elderly over the age of 60 should commit suicide by drinking hemlock. Another case was on the island of Sardinia where 70 year old fathers were sacrificed by their sons to the God of the Harvest, Cronus, the leader of the Titans.


The practice of senicide may be traced further back to the Hyperboreans who practised 'happy suicides:

"Their habitations be in woods and groves, where they worship the gods both by themselves and in companies and congregations. No discord know they. No sickness are they acquainted with. They die only when they have lived long enough: for when the aged have made good cheere, and anoynted their bodies with sweet ointments, they leape off a certain rocke into the sea. This kind of sepulture is of all others the most happie." (The Hyperboreans, Hecataeus, quoted by Elton, page 90)

It is clear that in the case of the Hyperboreans senicide was voluntary and entered into as a means of avoiding age-related sickness or when the elderly had finally tired of life. The practice was also clearly ritualistic and the method a forerunner of the so-called Valhalla cliffs and Odin ponds. Who were these 'Hyperboreans'? The ancients believed that they were a race of 'giants' who lived 'beyond the north wind.'

"Behind the Rhipoean hills and beyond the North Pole there is a blessed and happie people, if we may believe it, whom they call Hyperboreans, who live exceeding long, and many fables and strange wonders are reported of them. In this tract are supposed to be two points or poles about which the world turneth about, and the verie ends of the heaven's revolution. For six months together they have one entire day, and night as longe, when the sun is cleane turned from them. Once in the year, namely, at our midsummer, when the Sun entereth Cancer, the Sun riseth with them, and once likewise it setteth, even in mid-winter with us, when the Sun entereth Capricorn. The countrie is open upon the Sun, of a blissful and pleasant temperature, void of all noisome wind and hurtful aire." (The Hyperboreans, Hecateus, quoted by Elton, page 90)  

It is clear that these Hyperboreans resided in the area of the Arctic at a time when the climate was temperate and the area covered by forests and rich in wildlife. This was the original home of the Proto-Indo-Europeans (the Aryans) before their dispersal. (See The Arctic Home in the Vedas, 1903 by B.G. Tilak) Echoes of this original Hyperborean arctic home are to be found in the recorded mythologies of many of the Indo-European peoples, including the Vedas and the Avesta. The whole subject of Hyperborea and its place in prehistory and geography will be dealt with in far more detail in a future essay (the gods willing!).


Returning to the subjects of the Valhalla cliffs and the Odin ponds:

"The situation of several of these 'Valhalla Cliffs' is still well known in Sweden. The lakes, which stretch below, were called 'Valhalla-meres' or 'Odin-ponds'. 'The old people, after dances and sports, threw themselves into the lake, as the ancients related of the Hyperboreans': but if an old Norseman became too frail to travel to the cliff, his kinsmen would save him the disgrace of 'dying like a cow in the straw', and would beat him to death with 'the family-club'. Similar stories are told of the Heruli in the dark forests of Poland'; and among the Prussians 'all the daughters except one were destroyed in infancy or sold, and the aged and infirm, the sick and the deformed, were unhesitatingly put to death': practices as remote from the poetry of the Greek description as from the reverence for the parents' authority which might have perhaps been expected from descendants of 'the Aryan household.'" (page 92)

Mr Elton quotes an example of the brutal practice of clubbing from  Conversion of the Slavs, Maclear where:

"A Count Schulenberg rescued an old man who was being beaten to death by his sons at a place called Jammerholz, or 'woeful wood'; and the intended victim lived as a the Count's hall-porter for twenty years after his rescue. A Countess of Mansfeld, in the 14th century, is said to have saved the life of an old man on the Lueneberg Heath under similar circumstances." (p.92) 

Here in England it was a common practice that when the old were lying on their death beds, in order to save them from any unnecessary suffering the family physician would be called for and the patient would be administered a 'little something' to 'help them on their way'. Occasionally a pillow would be laid gently over their head as an alternative.





* This is due to their recent 'German Project' which involved collecting and expanding their continental Germanic DNA database. I will expect my German DNA to increase in percentages as their database expands.

Further Reflections on the Grim Reaper, Odin and Ankou

Ankou in La Roche-Maurice, Finistère, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 by Ifernyen. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankou The image has not been changed and the author does not endorse this blog.






This article should be read in conjunction with The Grim Reaper, an Aspect of Grimnir the Hooded One. There is very little serious reading matter on the subject of the Grim Reaper and this is why I urge my readers to study the aforementioned article for background information. What has inspired me to revisit this subject is the current plague that threatens both Europe and the rest of the world. Coronavirus brings in its wake the spectre of death. Italy is a prime example of this; there are nearly as many deaths from the virus as there are recoveries. Some people refer to Italy's 'aging population' to explain the high number of deaths from the virus but this explanation is not particularly convincing. 29.4% of the population in Italy is above 60 years of age but this is similar to other European countries such as  Germany (28%), Portugal (27.9%), France (25.7%), Spain (25.3%), the United Kingdom (25.3%) and Belgium (24.6%). These figures it should be noted date back to 2017.

I believe that the reason for the large number of deaths is to be found in the large number of cases of the virus. It is as simple as that. Once the figures get into the thousands in the United Kingdom one can expect to see a similar death toll. Forget the nonsense about the likelihood of just 1% dying. That is pure political propaganda and wishful thinking. What we are facing is a real plague which is only just starting and will be here well into next year.

Interestingly between November 2019 and January 2020 both my partner and myself received a series of strange and recurring dreams concerning death. I believe that this was a warning about the plague that was about to hit the world. Such dreams should not be ignored but be acted upon, taken as warnings. Such dreams are not necessarily premonitions of personal death but a warning to take care. At the very least I would expect all of my readers to avoid public places (regardless of your age), carry an anti-bacterial sanitiser, wear a face mask and gloves and do not use public transport. If you do not own a car or a motorcycle now is the time to invest in either a bicycle or push scooter or just use what the Gods gave you: your feet! Despite my bad knee I have been daily increasing the amount of walking that I do so that I avoid using the buses entirely. They are a breeding ground for disease at the best of times but especially for Coronavirus. Anyone within just short of 15ft of a diseased person may become infected by this virus on a bus and particles can remain airborne for 30 minutes.

In addition to taking these minimum precautions now is the time to set your final affairs in order and this includes writing a Will and getting it witnessed. Too many people die intestate without making their wishes and intentions known. Apart from these practical measures now is the time to invoke the Gods for their protection. Thunor is the deity that I would turn to first for this. Those of you who share our faith, wear your Thunor's Hammer and visualise Thunor's protection all around you, enclosing you in a sphere of red light.

As I mentioned in my earlier article there is a clear association between Odin as Grimnir and the Grim Reaper; both persons acted as psychopomps for the dead. There is also an association the ferryman Charon of Greek mythology and Odin appearing as Harbard the ferryman in the Lay of Harbard in the Elder Edda. Interestingly in the Netherlands and parts of Belgium the Grim Reaper is known as Magere Hain ('meager death') and Pietje de Dood ('Little Peter the death'). This concept is said to predate Christianity and thus older than the mediaeval image of the Grim Reaper. The origins of the mediaeval image of the robed, skeletal and scythe carrying Grim Reaper are obscure and whilst Odin as Grimnir feeds into this image it would of course be incorrect to argue that Odin is the sole source for the arising of this psychopomp. The image of the Grim Reaper that has come down to us makes His first appearance in 14th century Europe at the time of the Black Death (1347-1351) which like the Coronavirus originated in Asia and killed between 30-60% of the population of Europe. A figure from Cornish, Welsh and Breton legend, Ankou bears a remarkable similarity to the Grim Reaper. Like the mediaeval Grim Reaper He often appears as a skeleton, wearing a robe and carrying a scythe. The Ankou is said to be protect the graves of the dead and to also collect their souls. (See The Celtic Legend of the Beyond by Anatole le Braz.)  Sometimes like Odin He wears a large hat which covers His face and a  black robe. How far back Ankou can be traced is difficult to say as folklore is to a certain extent influenced by later cultural accretions. I will at some point do a separate study of Ankou.

However for the Germanic mind it is perfectly reasonable in my opinion to draw a clear association between Odin and the Grim Reaper. Likwise in the Celtic mind it is also reasonable to associate Ankou with the Grim Reaper. What is clear is that this image is firmly present in the Northern European collective psyche and may be traced back to pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic religion. His purpose is to assist us in the transition between life in midgard and those realms beyond this one. For this reason we should as I have said before welcome Him when the time comes for He is our guide.

The Odinic Faith of Ragnar Lodbrok

The historical existence of Ragnar Lodbrok is disputed by some historians who claim that he is merely a legendary character or a conflation of more than one historical personage and yet there is far more historical evidence for his existence than for that of 'Jesus Christ'. Ragnar is referred to in Icelandic sources (The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, The Tale of Ragnar's Sons, Heimskringla, Hervarar Saga and Sogubrot), Danish sources (The Roskilde Chronicle, The Chronicle of Sven Aggesen and Gesta Danorum), Frankish sources (The Annals of St. Bertin), continental sources (History of the Dukes of Normandy), English sources (The Annals of St Neots) and Irish sources (The War of the Irish with the Foreigners and Fragmentary Annals of Ireland). Strangely though these same historians do not doubt the existence of Ragnar's sons; Ivar 'the Boneless', Halfdan, Bjorn 'Ironside', Ubba and Sigurd 'Snake-in-the-Eye' although there is some doubt about Hvitserk.

In this particular article I wish to focus upon the religious faith of Ragnar, something which appeared to be questioned in the recent television series The Vikings. Ragnar Lodbrok is said to be the same Ragner who led the Siege of Paris in the year 845 and this was depicted in the television series although some historians doubt the identity of this Ragnar with Lodbrok. Ragnar is said to have offered 111 prisoners of war as a sacrifice to Odin by hanging them on an island on the river Seine. This act if correctly reported and attributed to Ragnar would certainly testify to the fact that he was a follower of Odin.

Ragnar met his end when he was thrown into a snake pit by Aella, king of Northumbria. According to the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok these are his last words:

"It gladdens me to know that Baldr's father makes ready the benches for a banquet. Soon we shall be drinking ale from the curved horns. The champion who comes into Odin's dwelling does not lament his death. I shall not enter his hall with words of fear on my lips. The Aesir will welcome me. Death comes without lamenting. Eager am I to depart. The Disir summon me home, those whom Odin sends for me from the halls of the Lord of Hosts. Gladly shall I drink ale in the high-seat with the Aesir. The days of my life are ended. I laugh as I die."

The Krakumal (translation by Thomas Percy) has a different and much longer version of Ragnar's last words but in my opinion they are far less moving and poignant. These are the last three verses:

"We fought with swords. O that the sons of Aslauga knew; O that my children knew the sufferings of their father! that numerous serpents filled with poison tear me to pieces! Soon would they be here: soon would they wage bitter war with their swords. I gave a mother to my children from whom they inherit a valiant heart.

" We fought with swords. Now I touch on my last moments. I receive a deadly hurt from the viper. A serpent inhabits the hall of my heart. Soon mall my sons black their swords in the blood of Ella. They wax red with fury: they burn with rage. Those gallant youths will not rest till they have avenged their father.

" We fought with swords. Battles fifty and one have been fought under my banners. From my early youth I learnt to dye my sword in crimson: I never yet could find a king more valiant than myself. The gods now invite me to them. Death is not to be lamented.

" ‘Tis with joy I cease. The goddesses of destiny are come to fetch me. Odin hath sent them from the habitation of the gods. I mail be joyfully received into the highest seat; I mall quaff full goblets among the gods. The hours of my life are past away. I die laughing."

The faith of Ragnar is clearest in his last moments of life. He faces his death with courage. He does not lament it but indeed looks forward to entering the hall of Odin and being welcomed by the Gods. This indeed should be our attitude towards death. That does not mean to say that we should do anything to hasten it on but when it does come for us we should meet it with fortitude and renew our praise of the Gods.

We should take the courage and faith of Ragnar as an example and I feel that it would be fitting to include his reported words in our sacred rites.

A Dream of Valhalla/Folkvangr and Freyja

I do not often discuss my dreams on my blogs but on occasion I feel that there is a pressing need to do so and this is one of those occasions. Last night I woke up at about 3.00 am following a very vivid dream. In my dream I saw a procession of warriors and they were led by a female who I sensed was a deity but not a Valkyrie. She rode on a horse. I do not recall if the warriors she led were on horseback or not as everything in my dream was indistinct and the whole dream lacked colour. It was entirely monochrome in nature, consisting of various shades of grey. There was no light in the dream but it was not entirely dark either but resembled twilight. The female at the head of the procession also carried a very large round shield in front of her. I instinctively realised that this was a Goddess and was Freyja Herself.

Freyja led the warriors through a gateway, the details of which I could not make out. I was not part of the procession but watched it from the side. There was no interaction between them and I. Then immediately after this I found myself inside a very large enclosure with thousands of people. I could not discern their features but I knew that these were all dead people and the enclosure was indeed the fields around Valhalla. I found that not only was I in Valhalla but I was positioned upon a hill and started 'preaching' to the masses. Please excuse my use of a Christian term but I cannot think of a more appropriate alternative! I started to tell the masses in front of me that Odin was the father of all the Gods, that He was the father of great heroes that bear His blood in their veins and that He is the father of all our people whether they can claim direct descent from Him or not. In essence I was publicly proclaiming my faith in Him. I make no apology for using the Norse version of His name as 1/4 of my ancestry can be traced back to the original Norwegian colonisers of a hitherto deserted area of western Lancashire in the 10th century. Of course my ancestors also knew Him by the name of Woden, Wodan and indeed Gwydion too. At this point I woke up. I did not see Odin within the dream, only Freyja. Of course the fact that it was Freyja who led the host of dead warriors and it was a field that I found myself in would lend to a better interpretation that this was Folkvang ('field of the host') that I visited rather than Valhalla but both are equally worthy places to spend eternity!

I have had a few mystical dreams over the years, all of which I have been able to interpret and I do hold a qualification in Dream Analysis but do not claim to be any kind of expert in the field and the interpretation of dreams is by necessity a personal one. Not all dreams have a 'meaning' but are merely the actions of the subconscious playing through and rerunning thoughts encountered in the  conscious mind during the daytime. However this dream stands out as one which merits a spiritual interpretation. I am not going to attempt an interpretation here because my intention is to initially make the dream publicly known. In addition to a spiritual or mystical interpretation it should be noted that the ancients believed that via the dream state they could encounter other entities including Gods. This is the first time that I have ever encountered a deity within a dream and the first time that I have dreamed about Valhalla or the afterlife. Whilst I was aware of being in Valhalla I had no awareness of whether I was dead or still a living, breathing human being.

My late mother who has been dead 31 years this year was a spiritualist medium and she often told me of her out of body encounters in the dream state where she engaged in astral travelling and encountered the spirits of the dead and angelic beings. This was her belief and I am not in a position to judge that belief as beliefs are inherently personal things. As an aside on one occasion she told me that she had left her body in order to minister healing to my half sister in Germany. Many years later my half sister related to me the experience of her being seriously ill and seeing the spirit or form of my mother by her bed. They had fallen out with each other before this encounter and never spoke to each other again and yet both parties related to me the very same experience which I cannot explain through rational or scientific means.

The dream could be interpreted as an example of astral travelling to a different realm and there are a few examples of this in the saga literature of northern Europe so it is a belief that was held by our pre-Christian ancestors. A third interpretation may be that of a premonition. This is partly why I am making known this dream today on my blog, in order to strengthen the faith of my fellow heathens in the reality of our Gods, the afterlife and the existence of worlds outside of along side of Midgarth if indeed it is a premonition. A few weeks ago I discussed with my partner how both my mother and my late brother had premonitions in the form of dreams of their impending demise and speculated whether this would be my experience as well.

On Sunday 2nd of July 1989 my mother told my late former first wife of a dream that she had a few days previously in which she saw her gravestone. My wife told me about the dream after we returned home that evening. I was rather sceptical and dismissed the dream straight away. I was at the time a fundamentalist Bible-believing Christian. However 4 days later on Thursday 6th of July she was dead. She had a heart attack which she could not possibly have predicted by any rational means. My late father pointed out the rather unusual date: 6/7/89!

In 2009 I received a telephone call from my brother who likewise told me of a dream in which he had received a premonition of impending death. 10 days later he died suddenly and again there is no rational explanation for how he could have predicted this. My German grandfather who died in 1933 was taken ill and shortly before his death he sat up in bed and told my grandmother of seeing a crowd of dead relatives at his bed who had come to greet him. Shortly after this experience he died. This was not a dream that he had but a vision whilst awake. The appearance of dead relatives prior to death is a form or function of the psychopomp. Odin, Freyja and the valkyries all performed the function of a psychopomp. The Grim Reaper is the best known form of the psychopomp in western Europe since the middle ages and I have already speculated on the association between Him and Odin in another article: The Grim Reaper, an Aspect of Grimnir the Hooded One

We will see what this dream actually means with the passing of time and thus I dare not venture an interpretation.

The Rehabilitation of Loki, the Shadow of Odin

Loki, is He a God or a giant? The scholars argue that the Eddas appear to be ambiguous about this. My argument is that His status is no less ambiguous than many of the other major Germanic deities. We know that his father was Farbauti (ON 'dangerous hitter'), a giant. The etymology of Farbauti`s name is associated with lightening or the storm (See Rudolf Simek's Dictionary of Northern Mythology ). His mother was Laufey (ON 'leaf island'-a rather incredulous interpretation). Her alternative or additional name was Nal (ON 'needle) because she was so slender and nimble. Simek suggests that Laufey may have been a tree Goddess. She is generally considered to be a Goddess and listed as such in the Eddas and we have no reason therefore to doubt that She was one. The Eddas are replete with stories of matings between Gods or Goddesses with giants and the giants should be considered as an earlier race of Gods which the Aesir and Vanir displaced. Odin Himself was of giant parentage via His mother Bestla, a frost giantess. Thus we may conclude that Loki had as much Aesir blood flowing through His veins as Odin. However Loki's attitude towards the Gods is ambivalent. Early on in the mythology He is portrayed as a positive member of the Aesir, often coming to their aid in times of crisis. It is only with the beginning of Ragnarok and the events that precede it that we see a markedly different side to Loki. Causing the death of Baldur and preventing His early release from Hel and His slandering of the Gods in the Lokasenna He hastens on Ragnarok and shows Himself as an apparent enemy of the Gods.

That is how people superficially see Loki's role. However like life He is more complex than that and in my opinion He should be viewed as being the Shadow of  Odin. Loki and Odin are said to be 'blood brothers' and often journeyed together in Midgard. There is some suspicion that He is in fact the God Lodur who along with Odin and Hoenir gave life to man. Both Odin and Loki are half giant in extraction but Loki as Odin's Shadow has his giant inheritance from His mother's and not His father's side. Usually it was the Gods who mated with giantesses and not the other way around. My inkling is that Laufey may have been raped by Farbauti and hence the apparent shame and lack of identification with the father. This may account for why some are tempted to see him more in the light of being a giant than a God. Curiously He is named after His mother, not His father for in the Eddas He is referred to as Loki Laufeyjarson. Perhaps He was anxious to bury his giant heritage, maybe even ashamed of it for the reason stated above?

Scholars point out that there is no evidence for any cults of Loki in the pre-Christian past. However this betrays their lack of understanding of His role. If Loki is Odin's Shadow then it is unlikely that we would expect to see any such evidence for the common people were highly unlikely to worship such an apparently negative deity. Additionally as Odin`s Shadow He in effect IS Odin, His darker and seemingly more destructive side. However it is the Loki side of Odin's personality which grants the All Father such naked intelligence, cunning and at times seeming duplicity. Loki is a catalyst, an agent of change and transformation. Whilst He is responsible for hastening on Ragnarok He was not responsible for the loss of the Golden Age. In His seeming 'evil' deeds He is in fact providing a solution to the Wolf Age in which we find ourselves in. Through His actions the new Golden Age will arise after Ragnarok. He is the ultimate problem solver but His motives are not always clear.

Loki represents the ultimate Left-Hand Path Germanic God. He stands alone. He is independent. He cares not for worship, adulation or approval. There is no consensus over the etymology of Loki`s name and this does not surprise me for there is no consensus at all about Loki who is the ultimate enigmatic God. My interpretation of His name is one that suggests 'light'. I am reminded of Lucifer (an Indo-European, not a Semitic name) who shares a similar personality and name. It is likely that Loki derives from the PIE word *leuk. George William Cox in his The Mythology of the Aryan Nations volume II states:

"The name Loki, like that of the Latin Vulcanus, denotes the light or blaze of fire, and in such phrases as Locke dricker vand, Loki drinks water, described the phenomena of the sun drinking when its light streams in shafts from the cloud rifts to the earth or the waters beneath. The word thus carries us to the old verb liuhan, the Latin lucere, to shine, and to Logi as its earlier form, the modern German lohe, glow; but as the Greek tradition referred the name Oidipous......., to know and to swell, so a supposed connexion with the verb lukan, to shut or lock, substituted the name Loki for Logi, and modified his character accordingly."

The Eddas know of an Utgard-Loki and a Logi, a fire giant. Wagner in his Das Rheingold conflates the two characters of Loki and Logi together in the form of Loge and it would appear that there may be good grounds for doing so. It is interesting to note that the Old Norse equivalent of Saturday is Laugardagr, the Swedish logerdag and the Danish loverdag. Clearly originally before the pernicious influence of Christianity Loki had a much more revered role in the Germanic pantheon but like many of the Gods He was demonised and this demonisation continues amongst many modern day 'Asatru' and 'Odinists'. We need to view Him as the Germanic Prometheus who has brought the light of intelligence to man rather than the Christian imposed idea of being a 'devil'. To understand Loki we must try and free ourselves of our 20th century thinking and Christian indoctrination which I believe is the root cause for Loki's perception as being a type of heathen 'devil' or even as the 'archetypal Jew' which some heathens consider Him to be. It is clear to me that Loki represents those repressed parts of Odin's Self, those parts which both He and His followers have disowned (especially in modern day American inspired Odinism which owes much more to Christianity than genuine Germanic heathenism). By embracing this concept we will be able to understand Odin as a personality far better than the current one dimensional thinking allows. At the same time we will be able to understand Loki far better and appreciate His contribution to the Norse mythos. Those parts of our Self, those drives which we have that are deemed to be unacceptable by one's parents, teachers and society at large we disown but this act of repression does not make them go away. Instead they become repressed in the personal Unconscious and take on a life of their own, becoming the Shadow. We must learn to accept the Shadow, to integrate it as far as possible but NOT to be controlled by it. This is the process of Individuation taught by the great father of analytical psychology Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), the 'Aryan Christ' (see Richard Noll).