The Ysby Thor's Hammer and its Striking Resemblance to the Hedeby Thor's Hammer

 Please examine the photograph of a newly discovered Thor's Hammer pendant from the site of an archaeological excavation at Ysby in Halland, Sweden in 2022, which was widely reported in professional journals and the Miami Herald in October of that year.

                                                     Image courtesy of Radio Sweden

The photograph shows the hammer after it had been cleaned up. It is approximately 3cm in height and cast from lead. Although made from the most humble of metals it may have very well been gilded in silver or gold.

I would now like you to see an image of a Thor's Hammer discovered in modern day Hedeby in Germany. I am unable to glean exactly when it was discovered but I am led to believe that it was either in the 1950s or the 1970s. I have owned a bronze version of this hammer since the late 1990s and currently wear a stainless steel version, manufactured in Germany, and purchased by me well over 5 years ago.

The original, as pictured, was cast in silver. Modern reproductions of this hammer are available in gold, silver, bronze, pewter, stainless steel and zinc alloy.

Below is a photograph I have taken of my stainless steel version, which shows the detail with far more precision than my bronze copy.

My readers will note that this is one of the few historical hammers which depict a human face, which by process of deduction must be assumed to be that of the god, Thor, not Odin as some sellers on 'Etsy' have incorrectly suggested! This adds an extra layer of sacrality to the amulet. On the head of the hammer is found an 'infinity knot' with three circles. The design is the same on both sides on the original and on modern reproductions.

My question is this: why do we find the same design of hammer in both Germany/Denmark and Sweden? Are there any other original examples in existence? I would appear to be the very first researcher to have publicly identified the similarity in design of both hammers.

During the 8th to the 11th centuries Hedeby, or to give it its Danish name, Haithabu was an important trading centre on the southern end of the Jutland peninsula. It is now part of the German Land of Schleswig-Holstein in the most northern part of Germany. The issue of German or Danish ownership of this territory became an inflamed question during the 19th century. After the second Schleswig War in 1864 it became a permanent part of Germany but it has been fought over for many centuries prior to that. The official language of the Land is German but the languages of Low German, Danish and North Frisian are also recognised. Its culture is a mix of those three elements, making it an intriguing Germanic 'melting pot'. As an aside, I have recently learned that I am genetically related to a number of human burials from post Viking Age Hedeby, four males and one female, which makes the Hedeby hammer that much more special for me.

Royal Mint's African 'Britannia'

 To my great disgust and consternation I encountered the following 2021 news article from Vogue magazine, when carrying out some research on the Britannia divine archetype, a subject which I have written about before, and which I will return to in a future article on this blog. Here is a link to the news article which I am referring to: https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/britannia-woman-of-colour

So it would seem that it is not only the BBC ('Bastardising of British Culture' Corporation) and the educational establishment which is attempting to rewrite British history, but now the Royal Mint! To quote from the article: 

 “It is a huge step change for us,” says Anne Glossop, the first female Deputy Master of the Mint. “Our work is at the core of representing society and the heritage of a nation, and we need to reflect that.”

No, Miss Glossop, your role is to mint British coins, not attempt to rewrite British history or make 'right on' political statements! The 'heritage' of the United Kingdom is not African! Britannia is not merely a symbol of the insulae Britannicae, but a divine archetype, as anyone who has studied ancient historical symbolism could have told you. Britannia is concerned with the origin of the British Isles (which includes the island of Ireland), not recent unwanted developments, since the unasked for mass invasion of our islands since 1948! The native populations of these islands are Germanic, Celtic and a Celto-Germanic mix, a Europid population with a common Indo-European ancestry. It is and never has been native African!

The 'credit' for this unholy creation belongs to an 'Irish children's book illustrator' P.J. Lynch, which the article states:

'who was among a wide and diverse group invited to submit designs and renderings to be judged anonymously.' 

I am not surprised that the judging was 'anonymous'! The Royal Mint's 'advisory committee' appears to be as equally 'diverse'. Once again, nobody has asked the native peoples of the United Kingdom what they think! I trust that all right-thinking people, such as my readers, will vote with their pockets and refrain from purchasing this highly politicised creation! I wish to emphasise that I am not criticising the model who posed for this coin but its creators, designers and commissioners! 

 

 

 

The Nonsense Talked about so-called 'Shield-Maidens'

 In recent years a great deal has been assumed on the subject of 'shield-maidens', sparked off by the discovery that the body buried in Birka grave Bj581 was that of a female, not a male. From the time of its discovery in 1878, it was naturally assumed to be male due to the presence of a sword, a seax, an axe, a spear, two shields, armour piercing arrows and two stirrups.

Analysis of the skeleton's pelvic bones  in 2016, and a DNA analysis in 2017, established the remains to be female. An analysis of the weapons indicates that they had been used. Naturally, academics and feminists are wetting themselves into a frenzy about this and the assumption (unproven) follows that 'shield-maidens', either organised groups of them or individuals, were a common and natural part of life in 10th century Sweden, and by extension, the rest of Scandinavia and the wider Germanic world. However, as the saying goes, 'one swallow doth not a spring make.'

One thing that I would like the academics and feminists to explain, is the lack of wear and tear to the woman's bones, which one would expect from a seasoned warrior. The presence of weapons in a grave is not proof that its occupant was a warrior, and the condition of the bones would suggest otherwise. However, that did not hinder the makers of the television series, The Vikings from presenting 'shield maidens' for their gullible audience to uncritically assume as an historical 'fact'. It was an enjoyable series but at the end of the day, it was simply fiction.

Likewise, feminists and academics will refer to the presence of a few female warriors in ancient myths and legends and cite that as evidence to support their theory. Typical examples from the Germanic world include the following: Brynhildr from the Volsunga Saga, Brunhild from the Niebelungenlied, Hervor from the Saga of Hervor and Heidrek, Lagertha from Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes) and many other lesser known ones. Examples from the Celtic world include Queen Mebd of Connacht from the Tain Bo Cuailinge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), and Scathach, also from the Tain. There are also examples that my readers will be aware of from ancient history but none of them are said to be warriors but leaders of warriors, such as Boudica, the Queen of the Iceni (Tacitus, Annals), Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, princess of Deheubarth, Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians and daughter of Alfred the Great. Nobody is disputing the historical existence of female leaders of warriors but that is a far cry from the concept of the common place so-called 'shield-maiden'. 

Wotans Krieger Recommends: My True Ancestry

My readers may be interested in the following website, which allows you to upload your autosomal DNA from any testing website and obtain an initially free analysis of how your DNA matches those of ancient tribal peoples. It will also show you your closest ancient 'matches'. For people like me, this is far more interesting than discovering some living 4th cousin, 3 times removed or the rather inaccurate autosmal analysis regarding modern nations that is often the case with DNA companies, who struggle to discern the difference between German and English DNA! This analysis goes beyond the artificial constructs of 'nations' and identifies with precision, the tribes which you are descended from.

The free analysis will only remain on your account for just over two days unless you pay a nominal fee for the data to be retained. You have the option to choose from 13 levels of membership, so the more you pay, the more detail and the more ancient matches you will receive. What you have already paid will count towards any future upgrades, making this a cost effective way of researching your Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Dark Age and mediaeval tribal make up.

My True Ancestry 

Another particularly interesting feature is an analysis of your descent from various Y-DNA haplogroups, not just your own direct paternal line.

 

As well as mtDNA haplogroups:

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.    

Germanic Native Faith

 Over recent years, I have pondered the issue of how to name pre-Christian Germanic religion. Our ancestors did not need to apply a name to their religion because it was accepted that all members of their community were already an integral part of their real-world spiritual community by virtue of being born into the clan, tribe, or folk group. The terms 'Germanic heathenism', 'Germanic paganism', or 'Germanic polytheism' are all retrospective terms, and by using them ourselves, it causes us to put an unnecessary psychological distance or barrier between us and our ancestors.

'Heathenry', 'Asatru', 'Wodenism', 'Odinism', 'Wotanism', et cetera are all modern-day terms that are used by practitioners of our religion as self-descriptors. The problem with 'Asatru' is that it immediately implies that the follower is relating to the religion in a particular place and time period, a thousand or so years ago in Old Norse-speaking communities, while the majority of followers live outside of the far north and are a product of the 20th or 21st centuries. The same also may be said about practitioners of 'Vanatru'.

 'Wodenism', 'Odinism', and 'Wotanism' all imply that the follower is a worshipper of the god Wotan, Wodan, Woden, Odin, which may not be the case; his primary allegiance may be to a different deity. It also implies a form of monotheism and the granting of a supremacy to the god, which our ancestors may not have granted. The problem here is our overreliance on the Old Norse written sources and our framing the gods into a hierarchical 'pantheon' like the ancient Greeks and Romans, which, in my opinion, is a serious error. I will explain my thinking on this particular issue in a future article.

The term 'Odinism' originated in 1841 with the publication of the book On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History by the Scottish historian, Thomas Carlyle. This term was then taken up by the Australian, Alexander Rudd Mills, in the 1930s, who founded the First Anglecyn Church of Odin in Melbourne in 1936. Whether he was familiar with Carlyle's work, I do not know. The next major use of the term was by the Odinic Rite, which was founded in England in 1973 by John Yeowell, known as Stubba , and John Gibbs-Bailey, known as Hoskuld. The Odinist Fellowship was founded in 1988 by Ralph Harrison, known as Ingvar, and Mr Harrison was formerly a member of the Odinic Rite. Likewise, Woden's Folk was founded in 1998 by Wulf Ingessunu, a former member of the Odinic Rite. These are the three main Odinist/Wodenist groups that operate in England today, and all three have folkish elements of belief. 

The group Asatru UK was founded by a number of Facebook members in 2013 and describes itself as 'inclusive' and stresses that it welcomes people regardless of 'gender, sexuality, or ethnicity'. We can conclude from that description that it is most certainly not folkish but universalist, placing it at the opposite end of Woden's Folk on the heathen spectrum. 

So, back to the question of what we should call our religion? In recent years, I have taken an interest in Balto-Slavic mythology and pre-Christian religion. Modern-day practitioners of that reconstructed religion call it 'Rodnovery', the etymology of which translates as 'native faith', making it an ancestral and thus folkish religion. Indeed, it is often called Slavic native faith in the English-speaking world. It embraces all the Slavic peoples and gods. Thus, I see no reason at all why we should not use a similar term for pre-Christian Germanic religion, id est Germanic native faith.

Germanic native faith thus embraces all folkish interpretations of the religion, regardless of region and time period and avoids the notion of an hierarchal pantheon, something which in my opinion, is an alien concept to the Germanic folk soul and would rid us of some of the negative baggage and harm that has been done to our religion by American 'white supremacists' over the years.

The Re-launch of Indo-European Mythology, Religion and Spirituality

 After a hiatus of three years since my last post, I have decided to revive this blog. I now have the time needed to continue with my writing and have spent a considerable amount of time in researching various aspects of pre-Christian Indo-European religion and revising my study of Latin, primarily through some online courses through the University of Cambridge as well as a considerable amount of self-study.

The first time I encountered Latin was via an online course with the National Extension College. The course was extremely in depth, probably too in depth as little of it stuck with me. Over three years ago, I began studying Latin again from scratch, but this time at a much slower pace. I have now reached a level which is broadly comparable to A Level standard, being able to translate both ways, from Latin to English and English to Latin.

My recent studies of Latin have demonstrated to me how intricately linked the language is to Modern English. A grasp of Latin helps to improve one's understanding of English, whether this be vocabulary, etymology of English words or grammar. Latin is an incredibly logical language and studying it helps to keep one's brain active, which is very important in old age (I will shortly turn 65) and provides an excellent basis for studying other foreign languages.

One of the drivers for returning to my Latin studies was to enable me to read original Latin texts about the Germans, Celts and other ancient Indo-European peoples, without having to rely upon the translations of others! This is something which I hope to utilise in future posts on this blog.

In addition to studying Latin, I have also completed an online course, Comparative Indo-European Linguistics, through Leiden University in the Netherlands, an excellent course which I recommend to all my readers. 

For mind, body and spirit purposes, I have spent the last four months engaging in Rune Yoga, using the 18 rune Futhorkh of Guido von List. For the very first time, I have been getting to grips (if you excuse the pun) with hand mudras as well as the asanas and mantras. My practice of hand mudras has proved a little problematic as my essential tremor in my left hand has gradually worsened through the years.

Please start to check this blog on a regular basis as I hope to be updating it several times a week. 

A Dream of Wotan: Wotan id est furor

 Early on Friday morning (about 6.00am on 29/5/22) I had a very vivid dream in which I appeared to be on the top of a high rise building. Why I was there, I do not know. In the distance I could see something or someone getting closer and closer. I felt a sense of alarm and a feeling of danger.

As the image drew swiftly closer, I perceived that it was a human figure on a horse. As the figure approached the building I could see clearly that the person had the face of an old man with a long white beard, riding a white horse. He was bare headed and his face appeared very angry. His face grew ever more angry and in that moment I sensed that this was none other than the German god, Wotan/Wutan/Wuotan/Wodan. I stress Wotan, not Woden or Odin. Wotan or Wuotan has a greater sense of rage than Odin, and even Woden. The root of Wotan is the German word 'wut' which has the connotations of rage, frenzy and even possession. Of course other versions of this name have the same root but 'Wotan' conveys the meaning better, and it was this name that was communicated to me during the dream. All of these names for the god stem from the hypothetical Proto-Germanic *Wodanaz, 'the lord of frenzy'.

It was unclear to me whether Wotan's rage was directed at me personally or it was simply a characteristic of the god that was being manifested. Before the god could get closer to me I was spirited away to a far away place, a place that Wotan has pre-determined for me. This was the sense of the dream. 

Wotans Krieger Volume 4: A Final Blast on the Giallarhorn

 

IN this, our fourth and final volume on the writings of Wotans Krieger, the author blends Northern European history and mythology with the increasingly dystopian realities of living and practising as a heathen in the twenty-first century. With an eye for detail, particularly in relation to his ability to decipher the intricate metaphor, psychology and linguistics concealed within our folk heritage, Wotans Krieger offers his readers another excellent insight into the mysteries that lie just beneath the surface of our reality. Chapters include A Remodelling of Future Teutonic Society and the Rejection of the State Idea; USA, Israel and the Pilgrim Fathers Complex; The Mark of the Beast and the Microchip; The Survival of the Germanic Caste System in Late-Medieval Rural England; Reverence for the Gods; A Dream of the Ancestors and the Mask of Odin, An Update; Along the Wodenist Path by Wulf Inessunu, A Review; White Shariah, A Personal View; American Odinism and the Dangers of Monotheism; A Dream of Bind Runes and The Wanderer; Smart Meters and Population Control; Smart Phones, the World Wide Web and the Mark of the Beast; The Church of England, A Capitalist Enterprise; The Use of Genetic Testing in Ancestral Research; Church of England Schools Promoting the Mark of the Beast; Vattisen Yaly, the Ethnic Religion of the Chuvash; The Cashless Society, Smartphones and the Bilderbergers; More on DNA Testing and Ancestral Research; Cheddar Man, A Tool of Propaganda; Attila, An Aryan Archetype?; Constitutional Monarchy and Democracy, A Contradiction in Terms; Biometric Bank Cards and Proposals for UK-wide and EU- wide ID; The Eye of Sauron, the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill 2018; Garma, Ragnarok and the New Aryan Man; Gimle, the Future Abode of Odin's Chosen; American Circumcision, An Indication of its Biblical Psychosis and the Pilgrim Fathers' Complex; Are the Gods Merely Archetypes?; The Relationship Between the Gothic *Iggws, Yngvi-Freyr and Kristos; Reverence for the Gods Revisited; and What Have They Done to the Earth?

> > MEET THE AUTHOR > > Wotans Krieger is now in his early-60s and started his mystical search as a child, being given a copy of the Bible by his eldest brother whilst sick with measles. As a young man in the 70s and early 80s he devoted himself to a study of the Biblical scriptures and esoteric Christian literature until the death of his German mother, a spiritualist medium, in 1989. Her death caused him to gradually reassess and reject Christianity as he spent several years exploring his maternal German heritage, studying German history, the writings of Nietzsche and teaching himself the basics of German to sit various public examinations and eventually obtaining a diploma from the Institute of Linguists. Whilst he immersed himself in Wagnerian opera he discovered the emotional pull of the Germanic gods which led him into a thorough study of mythology and the runes. In other words, he heard the 'call of the gods'. Around this time he received a mailshot from Woden's Folk and this led to his current 16-year association with them.

Coronavirus and the Atomisation of Man

Julius Evola and to a certain extent Edred Thorsson (Stephen Edred Flowers, PhD) refer to the process of atomisation in many of their works. In this modern age man is no longer viewed as a member of a community but as an individual. Of course we are all individuals but we all exist as members of a larger collective. The atomisation of man in Europe has its origins in the period of Christianisation where the Indo-European caste systems began to disintegrate and this process was completed with start of the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution overturned what was left of the caste system in rural areas and we see the beginning of the polarisation of society between the capitalist factory owner and the proletariat. This polarisation then led to the emergence of capitalism and Marxism.

Anyone who wishes to gain insight into polarisation at its most extreme need look no further than the United States of America, a country which lacks caste and race and is the epitome of degeneracy (the term used primarily but not exclusively in an Evolian sense). I would refer my readers to Evola's essay American "Civilization" (published in Hitler and the Secret Societies. A Collection of Writings, 2019, Artemis Press). The North 'American' is the ultimate example of the democratised and atomised man and this is the form of man which is now developing in western Europe. This atomisation helps to explain why the United States is beginning to implode.

My observations of the behaviour of a large minority of people during the lockdown here in England confirms my conclusions that atomisation of the average Englishman is well underway. We have seen large gatherings of demonstrators in London last weekend protesting over the death of an African-American at the hands of a police officer. Any outpouring of anger concerning that death should be exhibited in the United States, where the incident happened, not in England, a country whose capital is 4,009 miles away from Minneapolis, where the deed occurred! Indeed any such protest should not have occurred during a pandemic lockdown which has already cost over 40,000, probably over 50,000 lives! What is even more incredulous is that the police allowed the demonstration to go ahead. Instead people should have been charged with breaking the lockdown rules.


The very fact that covidiots feel that they could and should have congregated on beaches, held street parties and secret 'raves' during the pandemic demonstrates two things to me: 1. the general level of intellectual ability of the population is quite low (which can be seen by the poor grammar and diction of most Coronavirus deniers posting comments on Youtube) and 2. the complete lack of regard for the health of others. By breaking the lockdown rules people are willfully disregarding public health and potentially spreading a virus. They may feel relatively immune to the disease if they are under 50 and have no health problems but that demonstrates their ignorance (the virus can kill anyone) and utter contempt for the health and lives of other people. This latter point demonstrates my thesis that the average Englishman is now almost completely atomised, a law unto himself with no feelings of responsibility towards his fellow man.

Wotans Krieger Volume 3: Another Sip From Mimer's Well, Edited By Troy Southgate

My thanks to Troy Southgate of Black Front Press for publishing this third volume of my work. The book may be ordered here: Black Front Press

• IN the third volume of this popular series, Wotans Krieger continues on his mystical journey into the vibrant heart of Celto-Germanic spirituality and provides his readers with another enlightening selection of essays and commentaries. Topics include The Use of Music in Rituals, Donner Swings his Hammer; Thor-Indra, Protector of the Aryan Folk; Religion and the Education of the Young; Thunar as an Archetype; Early Germanic and Indo-European Settlement of Britain and Stonehenge; Polar Symbolism and the Immovable Centre in Aryan Tradition; The Aesir and the Vanir, a Reflection of the Megalithic and Battle Ax Peoples and Their Fusion; Further Reflections on the 432,000 Einheriar; Five Examples of Famous Wotan Initiates; Langridge's ROH Parsival, a Review; Out of the North He Shall Come;  The Aryan Gral as a Stone; Otto Rahn: Aryan Mystic, Scholar and Gral Seeker; Sacrifice, the Pathway to Spiritual Revelation; The Aryan Introducers of the Sun Cross into the British Isles; Vril and the Emergence of the Hidden Coming Race; Mandalas, U.F.O.s and the Coming Ragnarok-Korangar; The War Between the Aryan First and Second Castes; The Serpent as Symbol of the Aryan Priestly Caste; Yule: A Liminal Time of the Year, My Experience; A Yuletide Message from Wotans Krieger I; The Great Yearning: An Armanist Ritual, a Review; Wodenism; Aryan, Descendants of the Shining Ones; Yggdrasill, Source of Life for the Human Race; A Yultide Message from Wotans Krieger II; The Teuton and his Relationship with the Wolf; Widar, the Silent and Meditative God; Heathen Elements in Wagner's Lohengrin; An Esoteric Understanding of the Einheriar and Walhall; The Deliberate Disintegration of the Aryan Caste System; U.F.O.s, the Final Battalion; and Germanic Heathenism, Fastest Growing Religion in the UK.

My Thoughts on Tribalism and the Rejection of the Concept of the Nation State

For a number of years now I have come to gradually reject the concept of the 'nation' as a desirable organisational working model, in favour of tribalism, a far more ancient and authentic way for man to organise himself collectively. My antipathy towards the concept of the 'nation' is based upon the historical fact that pre-Christian Germanic man lived in clans and tribes, not within nation states. This held true also for the Celtic peoples. That does not deny the reality of das Volk (Old English folc, Old Norse folk) in terms of a wider human identity but in reality our pre-Christian ancestors did not think in 'national' or nationalistic terms. Indeed often a given Germanic tribe would enter into a temporary alliance with a Celtic tribe in order to fight or resist an opposing Germanic tribe. They felt no contradiction in doing so. Their loyalties first and foremost were to the clan, then to the tribe.

The Term 'nation' is to be found in the German language; die Nation, as an alternative to das Volk but it is of alien, Latin derivation (natio-'I am born') and one which was not used by 19th and 20th century folkish thinkers and ideologists. 'Volk' has a more organic and German feel than 'Nation'. Indeed I would encourage my English readers to use the term folc in preference to the alien 'nation'. Folc and Volk are related but not absolutely identical terms. A folc can of course exist without a nation state as is the case today with England.

Both Germanic and Celtic tribes consisted of smaller units called clans that had some kind of common identity, a common origin myth. The clans in turn consisted of units of interrelated families. Our ancestors for reasons of biological health married outside of their clans but only with other clans that were part of the same tribe. This helped to create and maintain a consistent biological unity, identity and avoid inbreeding.

Whilst my knowledge of German, Germanic and Celtic history made me aware that tribalism was more ancient and authentic than nationalism it did not explain my general reluctance to consider myself as a 'nationalist' and indeed I have never claimed to be one, contrary to the claims made by certain websites. It is only with my recent reading of Edred Thorsson's Re-tribalise Now! A Step-by-Step Guide to Cultural Renewal (2020, Arcana Europa Media) that I fully understood the deeper reasons for my antipathy towards nationalism and the 'nation state' concept. Why I did not understand this before I do not know but thanks to Edred's book I can now more fully articulate my feelings for the very first time.

It is no coincidence that the creation of the nation state of England coincides with the spread of Christianity. The dream of a united England was that of King Alfred of Wessex (847/849-899), commonly called by the misnomer Alfred the 'Great'. He is not as many wrongly assume, the first king of England but he did call himself the King of the Anglo-Saxons which of course in reality he wasn't. He had grandiose ideas about forming a single kingdom out of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy under him and his descendants. The first king of all England was in fact Aethelstan (c. 899-939) from 927-939, a grandson of Alfred.

The centralisation of political power goes hand in glove with the centralisation of religion. The Church pushed for the centralisation of political power in order to extend their control and primacy over the religious life of the Anglo-Saxons. Tribes were a threat to political and religious centralisation. Edred makes clear in his book that the "traditional tribal structures of ancient Europe were targeted for destruction, first by the Roman Empire and then by its successor, the Roman Catholic Church." He points out that tribal loyalties were more important to people than their loyalty to the Church.

The move from tribes to tribal confederations (Saxons and Franks) to 'nations' (and sometimes to empires) coincided with the introduction of Christianity. The christianisation of Norway and the emergence of a king of ALL Norway is one such example in addition to the English one. The temporal power of the king was used to suppress heathenism and to force the outward conversion of the king's subjects to the alien religion of Christianity. The king thus betrayed his gods, ancestors and fellow countrymen. This is why I contend that just as we reject the alien religion of Christianity we must reject the alien and Christian concept of the 'nation state'. It is not only too closely tied to Christianity but it was a willing tool in the eradication of heathen religions and a means of spreading that pernicious religion around the world. It is also responsible for two unnecessary world wars and many European ones.

In a future article I will give some suggestions as to how we may move away from the concept of 'nation' to that of tribe and clan. For the benefit of my foreign readers England has not been a 'nation state' since the Acts of Union with Scotland in 1707.

Bifrost; a Rainbow Bridge?

Karl Georg Zschaetzsch makes the interesting observation in his Atlantis. Die Urheimat der Arier (Atlantis. The Original Home of the Aryans), that the bridge linking Midgarth with Asgarth is not a rainbow bridge but consists of only three colours, red, white and black (the colours of the Prussian and old German flag):

"Nach Plato war die Bruecke hundert Fuss breit und aus weissen, schwarzen und roten Steinen erbaut. Diese Bruecke wird auch in der nordischen Ueberlieferung unter dem Namen Bifrost erwaehnt, es heisst darueber: 'Sie hat drei Farben und ist sehr stark und mit mehr Kunst und Verstand gemacht als andere Werke.' In der Erinnerung der nach dem Norden ausgewanderten Arier war die Bruecke Bifrost so schoen und farbenpraechtig wie der Regenbogen. Im Laufe der Zeit, als der richtige Sinn der Ueberlieferungen mehr und mehr in Vergessenheit geriet, wurde dann die Bruecke, die 'schoen wie der Regenbogen' war, fuer den Regenbogen selbst gehalten. In der nordischen Ueberlieferung heisst es ferner: 'Dass die Goetter eine Bruecke machten vom Himmel zur Erde, die Bifrost heisst.'" (page 24) 

My translation:

"According to Plato the bridge was a hundred feet wide and built out of white, black and red stones. This bridge is also referred to in the Nordic tradition under the name Bifrost. It is said about it: 'it has three colours and is very strong and made with more artistry and understanding than other works.' In the memory of the Aryans who emigrated to the north the bridge Bifrost was so beautiful and and gloriously colourful as the rainbow. In the course of time, when the correct meaning of the traditions were more and more forgotten, then the bridge, which was 'as beautiful as the rainbow', was mistaken for the rainbow itself. In the Nordic tradition it is further said: 'That the gods made a bridge from heaven to earth, which is called Bifrost.' "

My readers will no doubt note that the reference to Plato concerns his works on Atlantis; Timaeus and Critias. Plato does indeed tell us that the walls of Atlantis were constructed of red, white and black stones, covered with brass, tin and orichalcum. People have speculated what kind of metal orichalcum was. It may have been platinum or some other type of alloy. We are not told what kind of stone the bridges in Atlantis were constructed of so Zschaetzsch is clearly presuming that they were made of the same kind of stone as the walls. It is a reasonable hypothesis.

Re-reading the passage in Zschaetzsch's book caused me to read again the passages relating to Bifrost in both of the Eddas. In the Poetic (Elder) Edda it is referred to as Bilrost and no description is given concerning it. More detailed information is to be found in the Prose (Younger) Edda where it is called Bifrost. In Gylfaginning High says to Gangleri: "You must have seen it, maybe it is what you call the rainbow. It has three colours and great strength and is built with art and skill to a greater extent than other constructions."
(Translated by Anthony Faulkes, published by Everyman, 1987)

In modern artwork Bifrost is usually depicted as a rainbow bridge and this is no doubt due to that single reference in Gylfaginning to its appearance. Indeed the passage itself is contradictory; having only three colours and yet compared to the rainbow. The etymology of Bifrost-'swaying road to heaven' (see Dictionary of Northern Mythology, Rudolf Simek) is not particularly helpful but Simek suggests that its earlier name, Bilrost means either 'the fleetingly glimpsed rainbow' or 'the multi-coloured way' but favours the former. An alternative name in Gylfaginning 4 is Asbru; 'bridge of the Aesir'.We have to conclude that there is no clear answer to this puzzle but the reference to three colours in Gylfaginning cannot be ignored and on that basis I feel that there is merit in Zschaetzsch's argument.

Most students of Norse mythology will notice the prevalence of the number 3 in the Eddas. This was noted especially by Lionel Fanthorpe in his Mysteries and Secrets of Numerology, 2013. There are of course 3 primary colours in light: red, green and blue but this does not explain the Atlantis-Bifrost connection. White, red and black are the representative colours of the Germanic caste system (see page 40, The Indo-Europeans by Professor Jean Haudry). As I have previously noted, these 3 colours are present in the old Prussian and German flag as well as the flags of other Indo-European founded countries. Thus finding these colours in the construction of the walls of Atlantis helps to reinforce the Atlantis-Aryan connection which is the basic premise of Zschaetzsch's book.

The Coming Coronavirus Second Wave and My Premonition

After reading about reports of covidiots holding VE day street parties across the United Kingdom I decided to air my views further on the pandemic on my blog. Let me remind my readers that I was given a premonition in late 2019 in the form of a very strange dream. You can read about this on A Dream From Late 2019 Concerning Mass Death

Let me recap the essential elements of my dream! I saw piles of corpses filling the streets and police helicopters in the skies above. I knew instinctively that these people did not die of misadventure of any kind but from natural causes of some description. At the time of the dream there was no mention of Coronavirus or any epidemic in China in the news. A month or two later the whole thing kicked off in Wuhan, China. Even then I did not suspect that the virus would spread around the world and cause a global pandemic. It was only in mid March 2020 that I realised that my strange dream (which meant nothing at the time) was a premonition. Indeed there are many countries such as Ecuador and Iran where corpses are literally piling up. This has not happened yet in the United Kingdom, although the death toll is the highest in Europe. It could be argued that in the terms of more than 30,000 deaths that they are indeed 'piling up', but I believe that by the end of 2020 they will literally be piling up when the apparently inevitable second wave will have hit the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister announced some easing of the lockdown yesterday evening, causing great confusion in the minds of everyone, not least his own Cabinet! His replacement of the 'stay at home, save lives' message with 'stay alert', a vague and ineffectual slogan, was effectively a green light for less disciplined members of our society to go ahead and do their own thing. Commuters were seen cramming together like sardines in underground trains in London. Irresponsible fools held street parties which police officers, risking their own lives had to interrupt, resulting in the arrests of many drunken fools, with many of these scum spitting and coughing in the faces of officers. NHS consultants, having witnessed death on a daily basis and the horrors of this ravaging disease first hand, took to Twitter to voice their alarm, anger and frustration. Likewise a police Chief Superintendent voiced his concern after recovering from a coma caused by the virus. This man was under 50 and in good health, thus demonstrating that anyone can be a victim.

Coronavirus is not only affecting people over the age of 50 and those with health problems but the young and healthy as well. There are plenty of examples of such cases for people to research on the internet should you question my word. Despite the fact that this is a latter day plague, the members of the David Icke fan base are out in force on social media platforms, particularly Youtube, the haven of many fools who trot out their unscientific conspiracy theories like confetti, and the largely half educated masses soak up their propaganda like a sponge. This is particularly the case with the so-called 'right'. One tends to find that such people will favour more than one conspiracy theory and often they tend to follow a similar pattern. It does not surprise me that many who contend that Coronavirus is either a 'hoax' or 'man-made' also tend to deny the reality of climate change (whether man-made or not) or believe that the likes of 'Tommy Robinson' or Melanie Shaw are being 'persecuted' by the establishment. Usually these people favour the same theories and form a veritable cohort of sorts. They are predictable, easily read psychologically and fodder for manipulation.

I will say this one more time: I agree that governments may very well attempt to use the pandemic as an opportunity to unleash yet more electronic surveillance on their populations and are complicit in the introduction of the cashless society. However, that in itself cannot be used as an argument to deny the reality of the Coronavirus or its deadly nature. In the United Kingdom about 15% of people infected with the virus have died and it is an horrific way to die. Some conspiracy theorists talk of losing their 'liberties' due to the measures imposed by the government. I see no such loss of liberties. People are not under house arrest; they have been free to go to work if necessary, go shopping for essentials, obtain medicine and medical treatment, enjoy outdoor exercise and provide care to others. Many of these people in normal circumstances would have welcomed several months at home, resting. These very same people who lecture the rest of us about the value of 'family' find that they cannot after all bear being in the presence of their 'loved ones' for any extended period of time! One sees the same thing at Yule and at funerals! Hypocrisy at its very best!

Whilst I firmly believe that my dream was a premonition I hope that I am proven wrong over the course of time. The issue of free will and fate and their interaction, as with the nornir of Norse mythology, are complicated issues. All one can do is to be faithful to the message that the gods give us as individuals. I believe that this premonition emanates from the gods. If I fail to deliver its message then I will have demonstrated disobedience to the gods. My priority is and always has been the gods. The feelings of others about the message is irrelevant. All I can do is speak the message. I am not responsible for the feelings, actions or inaction of others: they will answer for that themselves before the judgement seat of the gods. The nornir and the gods knew that I would be receptive to, and not dismiss their message. They also knew that I would speak the message without fear or favour.

Another characteristic that the naysayers on this issue generally share in common is their lack of a scientific education. I am not a scientist. It is thus reasonable for me to take note of and rely upon the best judgement of scientists and physicians. It is the height of sheer hubris for someone lacking a scientific education to venture to debate with scientists as if they were their equals. I have also observed that the vast majority of the deniers tend to be below the age of 50 and generally in good health. These are the very same people that are at the least risk (apart from children) from the virus but are quite prepared to challenge the government's measures, which are designed to keep those of us who are at greater risk, safe! They fail to see the questionable moral stance that they are taking.

There are some who believe that by flouting the government's guidelines they are showing themselves worthy of Valhalla, failing to see that their only reward will be a painful, suffocating straw death. Bravery must not be confused with foolishness and being reckless with one's life. Julius Evola took this attitude when 'braving' an air raid in Vienna in 1945, resulting in the paralysis of his lower body for the rest of his life. He literally tempted fate. This is what happens when you deliberately tempt the nornir. Our ancestors survived long enough to breed by not recklessly risking their lives to prove a foolish point. This is the behaviour expected of children and young fools.We need to be guided less by our testosterone and more by the intelligence that All-Father has given us. Unfortunately this is a lesson that the young usually must learn for themselves; the hard way. Some never learn this lesson!

Germany, South Korea and China, who all recently eased their lockdown measures are now experiencing what appears to be a second wave. The same thing can and I feel will happen in this country within the next one to two months. If this happens then the final death toll will not be in the tens of thousands but the hundreds of thousands: all because of the stupidity and the arrogance of the masses.

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 Thoughts on Coronavirus and the Lockdown

The Prime Minister is due to chair a meeting with his cabinet this afternoon regarding a potential easing of certain aspects of the lockdown. Some commentators anticipate that some lifting of restrictions will occur as early as next week. If this were to happen then this would in my opinion be a grave mistake, grave being the operative word. The government has been criticised internationally for introducing the lockdown too late. It will compound this error further if it decides to end or ease the lockdown too early.

The number of new cases being reported in the United Kingdom is still in the thousands and the death toll has started to increase again. Indeed there were 6111 new cases and 649 more deaths reported yesterday. These should be taken as warning signals by the government but it is clear that they have other priorities as they face pressure from big business-their paymasters to lift the lockdown. Added to this is the pressure that they are facing from their electorate who hypocritically criticised the government in February and March for their inaction and are now complaining about being under 'house arrest'! In situations like this I can almost pity the Prime Minister as whatever decision he takes will be unpopular in some quarters.

For the benefit of my many international readers no one is under 'house arrest' in the United Kingdom. People are free to travel to work, to go shopping, to exercise or attend medical appointments. What is forbidden is taking unnecessary journeys outside of these guidelines and gathering in groups of more than two people who do not share the same household. Social distancing of being at least 6ft apart is encouraged both outside and in shops. Whenever I have needed to walk to the shops or to town I have encountered no problems with the police.

Prior to the lockdown being implemented I started to decrease my use of public transport as buses are a hotbed of contamination, not just from Coronavirus but from colds, flu and other viruses with people coughing and spluttering and not placing their hand in front of their mouth. I started to walk to my part time job there and back twice a day, taking me over 2 hours a day, despite suffering from arthritis in my knees. I built up a certain amount of fitness in preparation for not using the buses at all. I also started to wear a face mask and practiced social distancing before the public were told to do this. Thus far this has kept me contamination free.

I have noticed that on social media platforms such as Youtube there are posters advocating the breaking of the lockdown rules which in itself is an incitement to break the law with some idiots boasting that they are coming and going as they please, visiting people that they do not live with. Such people genuinely deserve to be infected with this virus but sadly they will infect other innocent people in the process.

I am one of the few commentators in the folkish movement who still believes that the Coronavirus pandemic is genuine. Many others are attempting to deny the reality of the virus, claiming that it is either a 'hoax' or greatly exaggerated. Some attempt to interpret the statistics (albeit with a biased intention) or will just simply venture forth their worthless and unsubstantiated opinions without even bothering to refer to statistical evidence. Take this from someone who has had inside knowledge over the decades: government statistics are never interpreted in a vacuum. They are always interpreted with a biased intention. It is the old concept of is the 'glass half full' or 'half empty', to put the matter in simplistic terms. To genuinely interpret statistics we must do so as far as we can without a biased intention. Instead the majority of people will approach the interpretation of statistics with an intention of 'proving' their pet theory. This is subjective and in many ways natural and common place but it is not objective or scientific.

Whilst I believe that this virus is real and dangerous I DO believe that the government of both this country and those of other countries will use the present crisis to extend further the surveillance state and hasten the introduction of the cashless society. These two things do not and should not infer that the pandemic is a hoax but governments, global capitalists and banks have their own agenda on the back of this. Shops are encouraging people to pay without using cash and governments encouraging their populations to 'download the app' are examples of this. Thankfully I do not and never have owned a 'smart' phone and I have no intention of ever having one. Apart from the obvious concerns about privacy and state surveillance I would not have the capability of using one. I am a technophobe, brought into the world in the era of black and white television, 2 channels and cars with starting handles. I suffer from essential tremors in my hands for which I take medication and it now takes me about 10 minutes to type and send a text message. The other day it took me about 2 hours to work out how to switch my mobile phone with big buttons on, despite having it for several years!

For years now I have argued that the introduction of the 'smart' phone is an aspect of the 'mark of the beast' referred to in Revelation 13:16-17:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."  (Authorised King James Version)

I reiterate that the 'smart phone' is an aspect of the mark of the beast but it is not the final version as the real mark will be contained within the body of a person. This is the first stage. There have been suggestions by some that unless one has a  'smart' phone and downloads the 'app' one may not be able to continue with going about one's usual everyday life. I do not believe this. Apart from the fact that not everybody has a  'smart' phone it is too early at this stage for any western government to attempt to introduce any such draconian measures as people will simply not co-operate. However this is a useful opportunity for governments to measure the compliance of a population in preparation for further conditioning (I use the term in the sense of mass suggestion, a form of hypnosis).

Whilst I am fully aware of the agenda of governments, global capitalists and banks I must remind my readers of my position on the virus, that I believe that it is real and deadly, especially for those with certain health problems (e.g. asthma) and those over the age of 50. Let me quote some statistics for you at this juncture! The potential for death from Coronavirus at the age of 50 is 20 times that of a 20 year old, 8 times that of a 30 year old and 3 times that of a 40 year old. At age 60 the death rate is 2.5 times that of  50 year old, 8 times that of a 40 year old, over 20 times that of a  30 year old and over 72 times that of a 20 year old! See: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/04/09/adjusting- covid-19-expectations-to-the-age-profile-of-deaths/ I must point out that these are global statistics and of course will vary from one country to another.

My readers may recall that the World Health Organisation encouraged several months ago that anyone over the age of 60 should shield themselves and avoid public places. However the government of the United Kingdom ignored this advice and focused purely on people over 70. They did so not for any scientific or medical reasons but because many people in their 50s and to a lesser degree in their 60s, still work and their objective was safeguarding the economy first, not people. In the light of this any easing of the lockdown that may take place next week will not be for the benefit of the public but for the safeguarding of the wealth of the 1%. However the 99% have since 2008 been conditioned by the government into believing that it is THEY who are responsible for reimbursing any lost wealth of the 1%. That strategy will continue because the majority of the people are extremely easy to manipulate, both individually and collectively. This is achieved through the indirect use of hypnosis and suggestion via television, the internet and newspapers.

As my readers may recall I recently reported on a dream that I had in late 2019 prior to the onset of the Coronavisus epidemic in China. A Dream from Late 2019 Concerning Mass Deaths I sincerely believe that this was a premonition given to me by the gods concerning the impending pandemic. I saw masses of bodies piled up in the street, people dead not from misadventure but due to 'natural causes' and helicopters in the sky above. This dream meant absolutely nothing at the time but from its content and timing this was clearly a premonition. The worst my dear readers is yet to come!

If the lockdown is lifted or even eased too soon then we will inevitably experience a second and more deadly 'wave' in September, the beginning of the new school year and the winter half of the year when the NHS is at its busiest. It is estimated that there are over 12 different strains of Coronavirus with one unique to this country. See https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8288189/At-12-different-strains-coronavirus-circulating-UK-March.html As mentioned months ago by scientists, this virus is mutating and there is thus no guarantee that a person cannot be infected more than once. There is therefore no guaranteed immunity.

Whilst it is only a film I would encourage my readers to obtain a copy of the 1964 film, The Masque of the Red Death, starring Vincent Price, based on the 1842 short story by Edgar Allan Poe. So dear readers if you feel so inclined, then 'party on': the Grim Reaper awaits!