Thor's Hammer

How Thor Got His Hammer

 

Sif's Hair

Thor loved Sif without limits and was especially proud of her hair.  Before he left, he kissed his wife goodbye.  That night Sif slept alone in their bedroom, in Thor’s magnificent hall, Bilskirnir.

No one noticed a lone figure creeping through and into Bilskirnir that night.  The Shape-Changer Loki pulled out a knife and bent over Sif.  She continued to sleep, breathing deeply, unaware of the evil that the Trickster was about to perform upon her.  He ever so gently took the strands of hair in one and with the other, he quickly cut the locks from Sif’s head.  By the time he was done, Sif was bald.

Thor gasped in horror at the sight of his beloved Sif.  Raising his head to the roof and with arms stretched wide, he let out a cry of anguish so terrible that all the Gods and Goddesses throughout Asgard could hear it.  Her sorrow now pained him more than the lost of her hair that he loved so much, for he loved his wife more than life itself.

Loki heard Thor’s cries and tried to hide from him by changing his shape, but no matter what shape he took, there was no way he could hide from the anger.  Thor soon overtook the Evil-doer, and grabbing him by the throat he lift him off his feet.

With feet dangling in mid-air Loki begged for forgiveness.  "A harmless prank," Loki cried, as he tried to loosen Thor’s grip around his neck.  "Please, Thor, it was only a joke.  I meant no harm."

Loki looked at Sif for a moment.  His tongue licked his lips and his fertile mind search for a solution.  "I will replace the hair with hair that is even more noble and graceful,"  Loki finally said.

Thor loosened his grip.  "How?" he asked.

"With the help of my friends, the dwarfs," Loki said.  "If anyone has the skill to do it, it is the dwarfs."

"I hope so, for your sake," Thor said, as he dropped Loki to the ground.  "If you don’t make good on your promise," Thor growled, "I’ll hunt you down and crush every bone in your body with my bare hands."

Loki hid his fear and stood tall as he straightened his cloths and brushed off the dust.  "No need to worry," Loki said and winked at the Thunder God, and was off before Thor could say another word.

Svartalfaheim

Loki wormed his way into the bowls of the Earth to Svartalfaheim until he found Ivaldi’s sons hard at work in their smith-shops.  "I immediately knew that only the sons of Ivaldi had the skill to help poor, dear Sif," Loki said in the most compassionate voice he could conjure up.  "I have come a long way to ask you if you would be so kind as to use your magical skills as smiths, to make such hair?" Loki said.

"But what will we get out of such a deed?" one of the dwarfs asked.

"Why, I’m sure you will receive the everlasting, undying appreciation of mighty Thor and his beautiful wife.  And, of course, I too will be in your debt.  "Then Loki smiled and with a twinkle in his eyes he said, "And everyone knows that the appreciation of three Gods is worth a hundred time more than all the gold in the nine worlds."

The dwarfs could see that though Loki was offering only promises, but they accepted to Loki’s request.

"But if you really want to win the good will of the great Gods of Asgard, you might want to consider a gift to the All-Father and Freyr as well," Loki said.  "It couldn’t hurt."

The dwarfs agreed once more and immediately went to work piling wood on their furnace deep in their cave.  When the dwarfs were finished, they placed the strands of gold hair over Loki’s outstretched hands.  So light and fine they were that even the slightest breath caused them to shimmer.

But the dwarfs did not stop when the hair was completed.  They continued to work the bellows and cause the fires to burn even brighter and hotter.  Loki was so pleased that he showered the dwarfs with a storm of thanks that seemed endless, even for the Master of Lies.  He declared the sons of Ivaldi the greatest smiths in all the nine worlds and promised to let all who he met know of their great gifts of magic and smith-working.

Dwarfs

As Loki may his way through the underground passageways of Svartalfaheim a most wondrous idea popped into his nimble mind.  He quickly turned around and began to make his way through a long passageway that led to the hall of the two brother-dwarfs, Brokk and Eitri.

When the two dwarfs saw Loki they could see that he was holding three marvelous treasures, the golden hair, the ship and spear.  Loki could see into their hearts and knew they were filled with envy and jealousy at the marvelous craftsmanship with which they were fashioned.

"You have never see such exquisite workmanship as that which manufactured those items," Loki said, "because there is none that can come close to matching it."

"Not true," Brokk said.

"Oh?  Do you know of anyone who could match the skill that fashioned those treasures?" Loki asked.

"Yes, I do," Brook said.

"Who?" asked Loki.

"We can," Eitri said bluntly.

"Really?"  Loki said in a slow and methodical way, as if the thought was just now filling his mind.  "If your skill is greater, then you should be able to fashion treasures to equal - no, surpass these marvelous devices."

"We could," Brokk said.

"Easily," Eitri said.

"Then do so," Loki demanded.

"Why should we?" asked Brokk.

"To prove to the nine worlds that you two are the master craftsmen," Loki said shrewdly.

"Would you like to make a wager?" asked Brokk.

"Loki thought for a moment and then said.  "Yes.  I’ll wager my head against your heads that you could not possibly make three treasures the like of these."

The two dwarfs immediately accepted Loki’s wager.  They realized that if they were as good as their boost, they could not only rid themselves of Loki once and for all, but the treasures of the sons of Ivaldi would be their’s.

Loki

Brokk began piling wood into the furnace while Eitri place a lump of gold into the fire.  Brokk began pumping the bellows as hard as he could and the fires grew white hot.  Finally, Eitri finished his task and pulled Gullinbursti out of the forge.  Gullinbursti was a boar that possessed bristle of gold.

Next, Eitri fetched another block of gold, much larger than the first, and placed it on the forge.  Brokk continued to pump the bellows until heat made the gold was soft and malleable.  When Eitri finally pulled the treasure he was working on out of the fire, he held a gold arm-ring in his hand.

Finally, Eitri placed a large chunk of iron on the forge and told his brother to pump the fires until the iron was white hot.  Brokk did as he was instructed while Eitri hammered and pounded the iron, reshaping it over and over.  When Eitri finally pulled the iron from the fire he cried out in anger at what he saw.

He held a powerful iron hammer in his hand, but the handle was obviously too short.  He examined it carefully, and though he was disappointed by the misshapen handle, he was satisfied that the hammer was not entirely spoiled.  He called the hammer Mjollnir.  So massive and powerful it was, the two dwarfs stared at each other and nodded their approval that the hammer might be short in the handle, but it was still the most powerful weapon that anyone had ever created.

Asgard

Loki and Brokk reached Asgard.  Word of their coming had reached Asgard before they arrived.  Brokk listened to Loki tell of how he was able to convince the dwarfs to create the gifts and finally said, "Talk it up, Loki, for soon you will lose your head and the power to speak."

"What do you mean?" asked Odin.

Brokk told the All-Father of his wager with Loki and it was agreed that the Gods, Odin, Thor and Freyr, would sit in judgement and decide which of the gifts were greater.  Loki began describing the gifts that the sons of Ivaldi created for the Gods.

"This spear is for you, Odin," Loki said.  "It is named Grungnir and when you throw it, it will always hit its mark."  Odin took the spear and examined it carefully.  "You can use the spear to stir up wars and make men keep their oaths."

Loki then turned to Freyr and gave him Skidbladnir.  "This is the most remarkable ship," Loki said.  "You can fold it small enough to place it in your pocket, and yet it is big enough to hold an entire army armed to the teeth.  As soon as you hoist its sail, it will sail over water and sky and never fail to find enough wind to propel it.

Finally, Loki turned to Sif.  "My third gift is the fulfillment of my promise to Sif and Thor."  He presented the long, flowing strands of gold hair to Sif.  "Place it to your head and it will take root and grow as if it were your own hair.  Your beauty will be restored and then some."

After Loki was finished presenting his gifts, Brokk stepped forward with his gifts.  "I have here a gold arm-ring," he said.  "It is a gift for the all-wise Odin.  It is known as Draupnir and it is not merely a ring made of gold.  Every ninth night, eight additional gold rings will drop from it."

Brokk next turned to Freyr and presented him with his gift.  "This boar of gold is named Gullinbursti.  He has the power to run faster than any horse or steed and he will never grow fatigued."

"My third treasure is for the mighty Thor," Brokk said "It is a hammer and its named is Mjollnir.  Within it is the power of the thunderbolt.  Nothing can break it and no weapon is as powerful as this hammer.  "The Storm God took the hammer and raised it.  It took all his strength to lift it.  "It will hit its mark every time you throw it," Brokk said.  "And it will always return to your hand, no matter how far you throw it."

Thor

Odin, Thor and Freyr did not need any time to consider their decision.  They were all of one mind and considered the hammer, Mjollnir, the most important gift of all.  It was more important than all the other gifts collectively because such a powerful weapon as the hammer could defend Asgard against any attack by the giants.

"We have decided in favor of Brokk," Odin said.  "Brokk has won the wager."

"Then I will have Loki’s head, just as we agreed," Brokk aid.

"Instead of my head, which is useless to you, I will give you its weight in gold," Loki said.

"I have all the gold I need and more," Brokk said.  "I will have your head."

"Then you will have to take it, if you can," Loki said, and he then raced away as fast as he could, running out of Gladsheim.  The Gods laughed at the way Loki tricked the dwarf.

Brokk turned to Thor.  "Where is the honor of the Gods?  I have been cheated by Loki and the Gods do nothing.  I thought honor was the essence of the Gods?"

Thor, who was still not pleased with Loki over what he did to Sif, agreed to bring Loki back to Asgard and make him pay the price he agreed to with Brokk.

Thor

It was not long after Thor stormed out of Gladsheim that he returned with Loki, dragging him by the neck.

"Now I will have his head," Brokk said.

"Wait just a moment," Loki said as Brokk reached for his knife.  "It’s true I agreed to surrender my head, and it now belongs to you, but my neck is still mine.  You may not touch any part of my neck."

The Gods laughed and nodded at Loki’s demand.  Brokk realized that Loki had tricked him once more.

"If your head is mine, then I will do with it as I please without touching you neck," Brokk said.  "If I can’t cut it off to stop your lies then I can as least sew your lying mouth shut."

Loki laughed at Brokk, but the dwarf was serious.  He then grabbed Loki by the head and began sewing up his lips with an awl.

~ Bilbo's World

 

Most practitioners of Germanic Neopagan faiths wear Mjollnir pendants as a symbol of that faith worldwide.  Renditions of Mjollnir are designed, crafted and sold by some Germanic Neopagan groups and individuals.  In May 2013 the "Hammer of Thor" was added to the list of United States Department of Veterans Affairs emblems for headstones and markers.

 

 

Sif

Freyr

Loki

Odin

Thor

Dwarf

Asgard

Svartalheim

Thor the Bride

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society.  Mother's Day dates back to ancient cultures in Greece and Rome.  In both cultures, Mother Goddesses were worshipped during the springtime with religious festivals.  The ancient Greeks paid tribute to the powerful Goddess Rhea, the wife of Cronus, known as the Mother of the Gods.

Similarly, evidence of a three-day Roman festival in Mid-March called Hilaria, to honor the Roman Goddess Magna Mater, or Great Mother, dates back to 250 BCE.


The history of the Ancient Norse people is complex.  In day to day life, most women presided over the farm work, house work, weaving and childcare; they were also shown to do some business and commerce of their own (scales have been found in women’s graves).  Most women's lives were bounded by hearth and home, but they had great influence within this sphere.  The keys with which many were buried symbolise their responsibility for, and control over, the distribution of food and clothing to the household.

There were also Female Skalds (Poets), Shield Maidens (female warriors) and Priestesses.  And the Seidr, a type of Norse magic that was most commonly performed by women. 

Norse women had rights that didn’t exist in other parts of Europe (such as the right to divorce their husbands and own land).  Typically a male heir inherited the farm, but it wasn’t unheard of for a wealthy widow to take over an estate if her husband died and if she didn’t have grown sons to run the place.  There were also laws that penalized men for violence against women or from giving women unwanted sexual attention.

 

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the celebration of the "Mother Church" replaced the pagan tradition of honoring mythological Goddesses.  The fourth Sunday in Lent, a 40-day fasting period before Easter, became known as Mothering Sunday.

The modern American holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in West Virginia.  Her campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her beloved mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.  

Anna’s mission was to honor her own mother by continuing work she had started and to set aside a day to honor mothers, "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world."  Anna's mother, Ann Jarvis, was a peace activist who had cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and created Mother’s Work Clubs to address public health issues.

 

Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Mother's Day, but the day nearly always falls around Beltane.  It's the time when the Earth Mother opens up to the fertility God, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops and new life all around.

When Margaret Murray wrote God of the Witches in 1931, scholars quickly dismissed her theory of a universal, pre-Christian cult of witches who worshipped a singular Mother Goddess.  However, she wasn't completely off-base.  Many early societies had a mother-like Godform, and honored the sacred feminine with their ritual, art and legends.

For instance, the ancient carvings of rounded, curved, feminine forms found in Willendorf.  These icons are the symbol of females once revered.  Pre-Christian cultures like the Norse and Roman societies honored the deities of women, with their shrines and temples built to honor such Goddesses as Bona Dea, Cybele, Frigg and Hela.  Ultimately, that reverence for the archetype of "mother" has been carried over in modern Pagan religions.  

Some might argue that the Christian figure of Mary is a Mother Goddess as well, although many groups might disagree with that concept as being "too Pagan."  Regardless, those Goddesses of motherhood from ancient societies were a widely varied bunch - some loved unwisely, some fought battles to protect their young, while others fought with their offspring.

Take advantage of the blooming of spring, and use this time to celebrate the archetype of the Mother Goddess, and honor your own mother, female ancestors and friends.

 

This simple ritual can be performed by both men and women, and is designed to honor the feminine aspects of the universe as well as our female ancestors.  If you have a particular deity you call upon, feel free to change names or attributes around where needed.  Otherwise, you can use the all-encompassing name of "Goddess" in the rite.

1. Decorate your altar with symbols of femininity: cups, chalices, flowers, lunar objects, fish, doves or swans.  You may also need the following items for this ritual:
• A white candle
• Photos or images of mother, ancestors or other females
• An offering of something that is important to you
• A bowl of water
• A handful of small pebbles or stones
2. If your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do so now.  Begin by standing in the Goddess position and saying:

I am (your name), and I stand before you,
Goddesses of the sky and Earth and sea,
I honor you, for your blood runs through my veins,
one woman, standing on the edge of the universe.
Tonight, I make an offering in Your names,
As my thanks for all you have given me.

3. Light the candle and place your offering before it on the altar.  The offering may be something tangible, such as bread or wine or flowers.  It can also be something symbolic, such as a gift of your time or dedication.  Whatever it is, it should be something from your heart.  
4. Once you have made your offering, it is time to call upon the Goddesses by name. Say:

I am (your name), and I stand before you,
Isis, Frigg, Hela, Jord, Gaia, Freya.
Mothers of the ancient people,
guardians of those who walked the Earth thousands of years ago,
I offer you this as a way of showing my gratitude.
Your strength has flowed within me,
your wisdom has given me knowledge,
your inspiration has given birth to harmony in my soul.

5. Now it is time to honor the women who have touched your life.  For each one, place a pebble into the bowl of water.  As you do so, say her name and how she has impacted you.  You might say something like this:

I am (your name), and I stand before you,
to honor the sacred feminine that has touched my heart.
I honor (Susan), who gave birth to me and raised me to be strong;
I honor (Maggie), my grandmother, whose strength took her to the hospitals of war-torn France;
I honor (Cathleen), my aunt, who lost her courageous battle with cancer;
I honor (Jennifer), my sister, who has raised three children alone…

6. Continue until you have placed a pebble in the water for each of these women.  Reserve one pebble for yourself.  Finish by saying:

I am (your name), and I honor myself,
for my strength, my creativity, my knowledge, my inspiration,
and for all the other remarkable things that make me a woman.

7. Take a few minutes and reflect on the sacred feminine.  What is it about being a woman that gives you joy?  If you're a man performing this ritual, what is it about the women in your life that makes you love them?  Meditate on the feminine energy of the universe for a while, and when you are ready, end the ritual.

I (your name) , am giving thanks to all the Mother's of Midgard,

to all the females above and below.

I close with honor, Blessed Be and Hail.

 

Thank You to all the Mothers!

 

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/godsandgoddesses/a/MotherGoddess.htm

Beltane

May Day

May Pole

Mother's Day

Mother Goddess

Rainbow

A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets in Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.  It takes the form of a multicolored arc.  Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun.

All rainbows are full circles, however, the average observer only sees approximately the upper half of the arc, the illuminated droplets above the horizon from the observer's line of sight.

For colors seen by the human eye, the most commonly cited and remembered sequence is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colors reversed, red facing toward the other one, in both rainbows.  This second rainbow is caused by light reflecting twice inside water droplets.

The rainbow has been a favorite component of art and religion throughout history.  In Greco-Roman mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger Iris between Earth and Heaven.  In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by Goddess Nuwa using stones of five different colors. 

In New Age and Hindu philosophy, the seven colors of the rainbow represent the seven chakras, from the first chakra (red) to the seventh chakra (violet).  The rainbow has been adopted as a symbol of Gay Pride in the West.  In Wicca, the rainbow symbolizes hope, the close interconnections between sky and Earth, spirituality and physicality, and the principles of connection, coalition and unity.

 

In Norse Mythology, a rainbow called the Bifrost Bridge connects the realms of Asgard and Midgard, homes of the Gods and humans.  Bifrost was magically constructed from fire, water and air, whose quivering and changing hues it has retained.  Of all the Gods only Thor, God of Thunder, never passes over the Bridge for fear it might be demolished by his heavy tread and lightning bolts. 

Scholars have proposed that the bridge may have originally represented the Milky Way.  According to the Prose Edda, the rainbow bridge ends in Asgard and is the residence of the God Heimdall, who guards it from intruders.  

Heimdall, the God who guarded the Rainbow Bridge, taught the runes to mankind.  The runes were carved into the end of the rainbow. In this way, he passed the runes on to men, so that they, too, could learn the secrets of nature.

During Ragnarok, the giants breach Heimdall’s defenses and cross the bridge to storm Asgard and slay the Gods.  At the end of the cosmos, it is said that Bifrost will collapse and shatter beneath the weight of the monsters.

The Bifrost plays a minor role on the 2011 film, Thor.  In the film, the Bifrost allows the Asgardians to travel to Midgard and to the other realms.  This version of the bifrost is more technological in nature and instead of being a rainbow, those who travel using the Bifrost are transported at light speed throughout a worm-hole like vortex.

 

Rarely, a moonbow, lunar rainbow or nighttime rainbow, can be seen on strongly moonlit nights.  As human visual perception for color is poor in low light, moonbows are often perceived to be white.

 

Fogbows form in the same way as rainbows, but they are formed by much smaller cloud and fog droplets which diffract light extensively. They are almost white with faint reds on the outside and blues inside.

 

A rainbow is a connection to the Divine, a direct line.  So the next time you see a rainbow, say Thanks to the Divine Friends.  Blessed be!

Colors

Rainbow

Weather

 

Sunna and Mani

Sunna and Mani

Once upon a time in a small village there lived a mother and father who had two beautiful children.  A girl who was blonde of hair with golden curls that looked like rays of sunshine.  A boy with raven black hair and silvery eyes who seemed to prefer the night, the girl was always pleasant and kind as was her brother and they played contently as children.
 

One day they decided to take them to the village elder so that they might find fitting names for them.  They entered into the hut of the elder, who after looking at the children thought a few moments and said: “the runes say these two are not just your children, but that of Sol the Goddess of the sun sent to us for a short time”.

The parents just looked at one another and asked the elder, “What shall we do if they are the decedents of the Gods?”

The elder looked grimly at the parents “it will be for them to decide” and with that she sprinkled sacred herbs over the fire and called the name of Frigg and Odin “come great mother and father and tell us what to do”.

Sparks flew from the fire and a voice appeared from now where: “Children of the sun and moon we give you the gift of two names…Sunna of the sun and Mani of the moon, when these two reach their eighteenth birthday they must come to this hut once more and leave their earthly home for a life among the Gods”.

The parents were saddened by this but they had no choice.  They raised them well and the village revered and love the Goddess children.  Sunna like the ‘sun’ was always kind and generous to her people brining light wherever she went.  Her brother Mani lit the way for the hunters at night illuminating the forest with his silvery eyes.

When they were eighteen they again entered the hut of the elder.

“You have returned children of the sky”, she said.  This time the fire burned brighter and out of the flames walked Frigg.

“Children it is time”, she said reaching out her hand.  And with that Sunna and Mani were taken to the world of the Gods.  There in the largest hall of the Gods they were brought by Frigg to receive their ‘duties’.

There in the hall they met the Goddess Sol, their mother who looked at the children with pride and love.

Sol smiled and said: “Sunna here is your shield, may it keep the rays of sun from the Earth as you ride.  Take this with your chariot and steed.  For ever after this day shall you ride across the sky and to Mani, here is your shield, may it shine forever across the sky as a reminder to the Earth of the nightly journey in which travels the Moon.  For ever after this day you shall chase your sister across the sky”.

At this she shed a single tear and held them both saying “For never shall you see one another again, for as one rises, one sets, as one travels across the sky the other hides in the underworld, never again shall you see each other except for times when the moon and sun rest together in the sky.”

 

And so with sadness Mani and Sunna boarded their chariots and rode off in the sky together for a short while until they departed forever.

But this was not the end….for deep in the dark forests of Ironwood, there among the wolves there sleeps two little cubs whose father was Fenris the great wolf, the bane of Odin.

The wolf cubs woke to a bright light moving across the sky.  “What is that light mother?”, they asked.

“I am unsure my cubs we shall go and ask your father” she replied.

But they could not go outside of the cave for the light was so bright it illuminated their fur, making it hot and uncomfortable to walk.  It was so hot in fact the cubs could barely stand longer than a second in its bright rays and so their mother tucked them back into the cave until nightfall.

However that changed nothing, that night when the mother wolf went out to hunt she found the light of the moon shone so brightly she could not hide and thus all in the wood were able to flee from her hungry jaws.

This angered the wolves!  No longer able to walk out in the day to roll in the long grass, no longer able to hunt they were trapped like rats in the cave.

The mother wolf finally decided to do something about this and so one night she stuck her head out of the cave and howled the loudest howl she could manage, so loud it was that several miles away the great father of the cubs Fenris stirred and woke.

Fenris then made the journey despite the heat and the light toward the cave.  Fenris looked at his wife and said” It seems my dear we have need to act, although it angers me to have to do this now, but what choice do we have, this constant light is enough to drive one mad”.

“It is true Fenris we must do something, but what.” she replied.

The cubs came out and looked deep into their father’s eyes.  “Send us father” they said “for we are strong and no one in the nine worlds has seen us yet, they won’t be looking for us”.

“We shall go” they said, “chase the sun and her brother the moon and catch them in the sky as the move, thus ending the light in the woods and enabling us to sleep once more.”

Fenris and his wife agreed.  The two wolves would be sent into the sky.  The little cubs were kissed and cuddled and leapt strongly into the sky.

As soon as they saw the chariots in the sky they gave chase.  Sunna rode her chariot faster as the wolves grew closer but still they ran, still they followed.  No matter how fast she ran they were there nipping at her wheel, they tried to run between her and her brother but the two could not keep up with the chariots and seemed just one tooth away from each chariot.

However once in a while the wolves would catch the sun or the moon but Sunna and Mani would struggle and pinch them until the set them free and so each time you see the sun black or the moon red know that the sun and moon are within the jaws of the wolves and thus it is our duty to raise our voices and convince those rogues to release them, so with your loudest voice yell out:

Hail Sunna, Goddess of the Sun!!

Hail Mani, God of the moon!!

Hail, Hail, Hail

 

by Larisa C Hunter, Gydja of Kenaz Kindred

 

http://www.odins-gift.com/poth/2stories/sunnaandmani.htm

Sunna

Sunna and Mani

Sunna's Day

Mani

Mani's Day

Hela's Day

Calendar of the Sun


Hela's Day

helA  was the Germanic Goddess of the two underworlds: Helheim and Niflheim.  Hela welcomes all those who do not die gloriously in battle but of accidents, sickness or of old age, and are hence unworthy of the higher abodes of the Gods.  Hela's realm in itself isn't bad, with older sources make it rather pleasant, and indeed a close reflection of the idealized God-house seen in descriptions of Valhalla.  Autumn and Winter are her seasons.

Colors: Black and White
Elements: Earth and Air
Altar: Upon black cloth to the right place four black candles, a skull, bones, a pot of earth, a pile of withered leaves, and a gravestone. Upon white cloth to the left place four white candles, incense, an ivory chalice of mead, a crystal sphere, and a bunch of dried roses. Veil the windows.
Offerings: Blood. Pain. Difficulty. Toil. An arduous task that will take all you have to give and will benefit the generations yet to come.
Daily Meal: Meat stew and bread.

Invocation to Hela

Hail to Hela
Queen of Helheim
Wisest of Wights
Keeper of Secrets
Keeper of the hopes for tomorrow
Guardian of Souls
Implacable one of the frozen realm
Half the face of beauty
Half the face of Death.
You who feed the dead
At your meager table
Where everyone gets their fair share,
You who care not
About wealth or status,
About fame or fortune,
Who cares for the peasant
Equally with the ruler,
Teach us that Death is the great leveler
And that we need have no pride
When we reach your halls.
Lady who takes away
Yet holds always promise,
Teach us to praise loss and death
And the passing of all things,
For from this flux
We know your blessings flow.

(Blow out the candles, bow to the altar and pour out the libation of mead. The roses should be placed outside to rot in the garden.)

http://www.paganbookofhours.org/rituals/hela.html

Hela

Hela's Day