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Leader of the Aesir. Odin had a myriad of names including Allfather, Ygg, Bolverk [evil doer], and Grimnir. He also had many functions including being a god of war, poetry, wisdom, and death. His halls were called Gladsheim Valaskjalf and Valhalla. Odin's high seat, Hlidskialf, was in Valaskjalf. It was from this throne that he could see over all the world. Valhalla is where he gathered his portion of the slain warriors, Einheriar, whom the valkyries had chosen. The valkyries would serve mead which forever flowed from the udder of Odin's goat, Heidrun. They also served the warriors meat that came from the boar Saehrimnir, which the cook Andhrimnir would prepare for eating by boiling it in the cauldron Eldhrimnir. The boar magically came back to life before the next meal. After eating, the warriors would go outside the hall and fight each other to the death. They were, of course, brought back to life before the next feast. All of this fighting was practice for when Odin would lead the Einheriar in the final battle, Ragnarok. Odin had a spear named Grungir which never missed its mark and a bow which unleashed ten arrows with every pull. He also owned a magic ring called Draupnir which created nine of itself every night. It was this ring that Odin laid on his son Balder's funeral pyre and which Balder returned to Odin from the underworld. Another one of Odin's prized possesions was his wonderful steed named Sleipnir which had eight legs. The horse was the offspring of Loki, who in mare form seduced a giant's horse named Svadilfari. Sleipnir could travel to the underworld and through the air. Odin also had two wolves, Geri and Freki, and two ravens, Hugin [thought] and Munin [memory]. He sent his ravens out every day to gather knowledge for him. Odin sacrificed himself for knowledge by hanging on the world tree, Yggdrasil, which means Ygg's horse. Ygg is a name for Odin and horse is a metaphor for the gallows. He thereby learns the runes. Another sacrifice he made for wisdom was his eye. He gave it up in order to drink from the Well of Mimir which bestowed great knowledge. Because of this, he is typically depicted as having one eye. He is also depicted as wearing a cloak, being old, having a long grey beard, and wearing a wide brimmed hat down low over his face to conceal his one-eyed visage. Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok; Fenris-Wolf swallowed him. Knowing his fate, he still chose to embrace it and do battle. Showing the true warrior ethic. He was the god of warriors and kings, not the common man. Many heroes genealogies start with Odin, including Sigurd. His name is not found in many place names and therefore it is believed that not many people worshipped him. He was thought to be a traitorous god, as shown in the sagas, who would strike down a warrior at his whim. |
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Loki Loki is a familiar name in mythology, and most know him as a trickster God. He had more qualities that just that though. He was associated with all forms of mischief, stealth, thievery, revenge, lies and dark magick, and natural disasters like earthquakes, and fires. Loki was a shape-changing Giant, married to Angerboda. They had three children. Two were considered monsters (Jormungand, the sea-serpent, and the Fenris wolf), and the third was Hel, the Goddess of the Dead. After he tricked Hod (or Hoden) into firing the mistletoe arrow that killed Baldur, Loki was punished by being chained to a rock until Ragnarok. Not only was he chained to a rock, but a serpent hangs above him, dripping venom on Loki's face. As he writhes in pain, earthquakes are born. During another one of his tricks, Loki had turned himself into a mare in order to lure a magick stallion away from its work on Asgard. From that encounter, Loki became pregnant and gave birth to the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. Loki gave the horse to Odin. One wonders why the other Gods tolerated such a trouble-maker in their midst. It's been suggested that Loki was originally a more benign character, but myths were re-written and altered with the coming of Christianity to make him fall more in line with the evil figure of Satan. |
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Thor's Day
Thor, the god of strength and commitment, ruled over this day. Consider dishes prepared to enhance vigor, stamina,devotion and dedication. Energy: Male Ruler: Jupiter - Rules growth, expansion, generosity - Use for magick involving growth, expansion, prosperity, money, business, attracting more of what you have.
Today's Magickal Influences ~ Luck, Religion, Healing, Trade And Employment, Treasure, Honors, Riches, Legal Matters
Today's Goddesses: Juno, Hera, Kwan Yin, Mary, Cybele, Tara, Mawu, Mlaba Mwana Waresa, Ishtar, Nuit
Perfumes: Stock, Lilac, Storax, Aloes
Incense: Nutmeg, Henbane
Color of The Day: Dark Purple, Indigo, Blue
Colors for Tomorrow: Light Blue, Pale Green
Lucky Sign: Thursday Is The Lucky Day For Sagittarius And Pisces
Candle: Blue | | | | | | | |
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Lord of the Wild Hunt
by D.J. Conway The Lord of the Wild Hunt is the most misunderstood of all the Pagan God's aspects. He is the Celtic male counterpart of the Greek Goddesses the Erinyes, deities who see that justice and what we call "fate" is carried out. Unfortunately, the early European Christians managed to covince people that the Lord of the Hunt was really their devil, who supposedly went out on dark, stormy nights and on Halloween to kidnap unsuspecting souls and carry them off to the Christian Hell. Actually, this Lord is very different from anything imagined by the Christians. The Lord of the Hunt carries out the will of the Goddess in Her role of recycling Mother and Fate. He makes certain that souls who are ready for the transformation from life to the physical death are in the right places at the right times to meet their destinies. It is also his duty to bring to justice those who have broken the laws of the Goddess. The story of the Wild Hunt or the Ride of Death is known all over Europe. The Nordic and Germanic cultures say this Ride is led by Odhinn/Wodan, or Erl King. Others were also were said to lead a Wild Hunt: Dietrich of Berne (Teutonic); the French Grand Huntsman of Fontainebleau; the Celtic deity Arawn; the Norse Lusse (an evil spirit in the form of a great bird of prey); and King Arthur. Even the folk hero Robin Hood (whose story goes back much further than medieval times) was a type of the Lord of the Hunt. He used his arrows to bring down and punish offenders. Many Pagan male deities can be identified as the Lord of the Wild Hunt. Arawn of Wales was the god of Annwn, the Underground kingdom of the dead. Gwynn ap Nudd of Wales was the King of the Faeries and also ruler of a section of the Underworld. The Dagda of Ireland was known as the god of death and rebirth. Odhinn had an aspect as Lord of Death. He was God of the Hanged, and collected his share of warrior-souls from the battlefields. His wolves, Geri and Freki, ran with Odhinn and the Valkyries when he led the Hunt. A shape-shifter, he produced the battle panic called "battle-fetter," a psychological state that caused men to be unable to act. The Danes knew Odhinn in his aspect as Lord of the Hunt and called him the Ellerkonge (Erl King), or king of elves. The Erl King was associated with the elder tree and with Hel in her aspect as Old Lady of the Elder. The Norse god Hod or Hodr, who slew Balder, was sometimes shown as a threatening god, wearing a death mask and a hood, very similar to the father of Robin Hood. In his night ride through the sky, the Lord was accompanied by a pack of spectral hounds (a Goddess animal), and great host of ethereal entities, who possibly represent the ancestors of the person he is seeking. The Hounds of the Hunt are known by a variety of names. In England, they are called the Gabriel Hounds, Yeth Hounds, the Dartmoor Hounds, and the Wisht Hounds. The Irish called them the Hounds of Hell, while the Welsh knew them as the Cwn Annwn (Faery Hounds). The God in his aspect as the Lord of the Hunt is not to be feared, for, contrary to many stories, he performs his task with compassion. Without his gentle guidance, our passage at death would be much harder. We shouldn't fear the Father whose firm but compassionate correction of our mistakes helps us live a better and more spiritual life. | |
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