Weather is the state of the atmosphere,
to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or
cloudy. On Earth, common weather
phenomena include wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog and dust storms. Less common
events include natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and ice
storms.
Meteorologists use very sophisticated instruments
for predicting the weather. But since
they often get it wrong, many may prefer traditional customs of forecasting the
weather from colors in the sky or the behavior of animals. We all have looked up at the sky for a sense
of what the weather will be.
Weather lore is the body of informal folklore related to the prediction of the weather. It has been a human desire for millennia to
make accurate weather predictions. Oral and written history is full of rhymes, anecdotes,
and adages meant to guide the uncertain in determining whether the next day
will bring fair or foul weather.
The ancient people of the Norse had close ties with
the Earth and it’s seasons. Their lives circled around the seasons as much as
the seasons circle around the year. The
changing seasons affected not only the weather, but the day to day survival of
the Norse, dictating what they ate, where they lived and how they lived. The ancient people’s very existence depended
upon adapting to change and living by the seasonal cycles.
One of the defining traits of Neo-Pagan religions is
an awareness of the forces of nature. Among
the many powers attributed to witches is the fantastic ability
to summon storms, stir winds, and call forth any manner of precipitation as
well as to withhold life giving waters to blight crops, and to destroy homes
and villages with mighty winds and torrents of rain.
"When halo rings the
moon or sun, rain's approaching on the run." A halo around the sun or moon is
caused by the refraction of that body's light by ice crystals at high altitude.
Such high-level moisture is a precursor to moisture moving in at increasingly
lower levels, and is a good indicator that an active weather system is on its
way.
"When cows lie in a field, a good rain this
will yield."
"Red sky in the morning, sailors take
warning. Red sky at night, sailor's
delight." A red sunset
probably means dry weather the next day.
"When the wind is in the north, the skillful
fisher goes not forth. When the wind is
in the east, it is good for neither man nor beast. When the wind is in the south, it blows your
bait into a fish's mouth. When the wind
is in the west, then the weather is at its best."
Will there be rain to make crops grow or will there
be fair weather for safe fishing? Or for
urban pagans, will there be rain to carry an umbrella or sunshine to be on the
beach. When the signs weren't favorable,
people developed rituals (weather magic) to help turn the odds in their favor.
"Burn the picture of a deformed or otherwise
ugly person and the heavens will cry for them out of pity." Or "Dip a
broom in salted water and flick it to the four directions
to bring rain."
Among Native Americans, the Rain Dance is a ceremony
performed to bring rain and ensure the crops.
"Tying up winds in a rope or string and slowly
untying the knots to release the winds." These types of ropes were often sold to
sailors in the Middle Ages.
"Goddess Sunna bless and decree that the sun
shall shine on me." Repeat nine
times while holding a sunstone or other sun powered crystal. Do this every morning leading up to your
holiday or event that you want sunshine for.
Hagalaz h is the rune that tells you to pay attention. Challenges are
occurring in your life, but these are to be embraced rather than
feared. A hailstorm, for example, may
seem daunting and scary at first, but if you catch a hailstone you will realize
that it is only water and is not to be feared.
Sowulo s rune
represents the power of the Sun. In almost every religion in the world, the Sun
is held most sacred. To the Norse, the
sun was known as Sunna or Sol and was considered feminine. The sun’s light and warmth symbolizes life,
nurturing, growth and all that is good.
Isaz i rune represents being frozen in
time or place. In Ancient times, ice was
a constant factor in the day to day lives of the Norse. It threatened their
crops, their ships and their livelihoods, almost throughout the entire year. To the people though, it also served as a
symbol of creation from which all life eventually springs forth.
Freyr is a Norse God of weather and fertility; brother of
Freya. The dwarves build Freyr a ship, Skidbladnir, that can hold all the Gods
or fit in his pocket. Freyr goes as a hostage to the Aesir, along with Njord
and Freya. He courts the giantess Gerd through his servant Skirnir.
Even a good life has
its days.
As a hard rain good for the crops
turns to a hail storm that flattens them.
Even then the bad times don't last;
even the thickest hail
melts away.
Jotunheim (Jotunheimr) is one of the Nine Worlds and
the home of Giants (Jotun). Homeland of
the frost giants and rock giants, it was on the middle level of the Norse
universe. The other giants were the
fire giants, who lived in Muspelheim.
From Jotunheim, the giants menaced the humans in Midgard and the Gods in Asgard. The Jotun represent the forces of chaos and
the untamed powers of nature, such as storms.
