Love, Laughter, and Loki

Norse Heathenry, also known by various other names such as Asatru, Norse Paganism, Northern Tradition Paganism, the Northern Way, Forn Sed, or sometimes just Heathenry, is a widespread movement growing within Neopaganism. It is in short the worship of the old Gods of the Norse (the Northmen), also known as the Vikings. When referring to the Norse the implication is that we are referring to the ancient peoples of Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and the Anglo-Saxons collectively. Some modern Heathens are directly descended from the peoples of these lands and that is why they follow the old Gods of the folk who resided there. Other Heathens might not have a drop of Scandinavian or Northern European blood in their ancestry but feel drawn to the Norse anyway. Whether or not one must be of Scandinavian or Northern Eurpopean ancestry to dare consider themselves followers of the old Gods of the North (a belief often referred to as folkism) is up for debate. The point is there exists people who have faith that Odin, Thor, Frigga, and others exist and are called to worship them as the Vikings of old did.

The Norse have long had an influence over the cultures and attitudes we see even today. Even our days of the week reflect the widespread appeal the Gods of the North have had over the centuries. Six out of the seven days in our week are named after Norse gods: Sunday ('Sunna's Day', Sunna being the sun goddess), Monday ('Mani's Day', the moon god), Tuesday ('Tyr's Day', the god of war), Wendesday ('Woden's Day', the Anglo-Saxon name for Odin, king of the gods), Thursday ('Thor's Day', god of thunder), and Friday (either Frigga's Day or Freyja's Day, scholars debate which. Frigga is queen of the gods, and Freyja is the great goddess of the Vanir, the lady of love and battle). Only Saturday takes it's name from another culture, from Saturnalia which is of course from the Roman Saturn. Many Norse customs have been adopted in modern holidays. The Christmas tradition of decorating trees and burning Yule logs comes from the Norse, and the image of Santa riding around in a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer is taken from the image of Odin riding around on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir around Yule, bestowing blesses and curses upon households for the year. The practice of leaving milk and cookies for Santa is derived from that of leaving offerings for Odin to appease him. Similarly the practice of dying eggs for Easter comes from the same action taken by the ancient Germanics at Ostara, the spring equinox. Even in modern fiction we see how much appeal the Norse gods still have, in books, comics, film, and fairy tales.

Modern Heathens attempt to reconstruct these ancient traditions through reverance of the old Gods and the practice of celebrating traditional rites and festivals in honor of the Gods, our ancestors, and our community. Groups of Heathens, often called Kindreds, gather together to discuss and remember the old ways in gatherings and ceremonies. Though our knowledge of ancient Norse customs is fragmented at best there are some clues we have been able to pick up from various sources over the years so that we can venerate the old Gods as close to how the old Vikings did it as possible. Some clues have been found in collected stories of the Gods in works like The Poetic Edda and The Prose Edda , both of them written down by a monk named Snorri Sturluson in the tenth century. Other sources include archaelogical evidence as well as remnants of ancient practice still observed by Scandinavian and Germanic peoples today.

Thanks to these finds, modern Heathenry now boasts a set of complex beliefs, concepts, and practices which include:

In the Beginning there was Ginnungagap, the Great Void. Out of that eternal Nothingness sprang Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the sacred Ash and around it spun two worlds. Niflheim was the land of primal ice, and Muspellheim was the land of primal fire. These two worlds drifted in and out of each other's orbits and then finally spun so close together that the fire from Muspellheim melted some of the ice from Niflheim to reveal the body of the sleeping giant Ymir. Also thawing out was the great sacred cow Audumhla. While Ymir suckled on her udders for nourishment, Audumhla licked more ice to reveal Buri. As Ymir's sweat gave rise to more Etins, Buri grew and had a son named Bor, who eventually sired three sons by a giantess named Bestla. These three sons were Odin, Vili, and Ve. They killed Ymir, creating a great flood of his blood which washed all the giants away. Then from Ymir's broken bones Odin and his brothers created the mountains, from his teeth they made rocks, and from the rest of his blood they made the oceans and the lakes. From Ymir's body the Nine Worlds were created and these worlds now spin around Yggdrasil, the World Tree, until the day Ragnarok arrives to destroy it all.

Yggdrasil means 'Odin's Steed' for Odin once 'rode' on it in away by hanging from it for nine days and nights in order to gain wisdom. On the top of it's branches sits Hraesvelg ('Corpse-Eater'), a giant eagle and at the bottom gnawing on the roots is the great dragon Nidhogg. In the middle a squirrel named Ratatosk runs up and down the trunk carrying insults between the dragon and the eagle. In the branches live four deer who control the four winds: Duneyr, Durathor, Dvalin, and Dain. Around the tree live the four dwarves who guard the four directions: Nordri, Austri, Sudri, and Vestri (North, East, South, and West respectfully). Sunna the sun goddess and Mani the moon god travel along the tree bringing their lights to the different worlds, and to ensure that they continue to do this the gods have two wolves named Skoll and Hati chase them both across the sky threatening to swallow them should they stop driving their chariots.

Asgard is the home of the Aesir and the vast majority of the Gods worshipped by the Norse. It is where Valhalla, the hall where Odin's half of the chosen slain, resides and it is the seat of Odin himself where he watches the other Worlds from his hall. It sits on the top of the world tree and thus is often called the Shining Realm or the Golden Realm because it gets the most of Sunna's light.

Vanaheim is the home of the Vanir, and rests just below Asgard bordering our next world:

Ljossalfheim, sometimes simply known as Alfheim, is the land of the light elves and of the faeries. In addition to the Gods the Norse believed in a number of land wights, or spirits, and the elves are among these. They are beneficial magical beings and are guardians of nature.

Midgard is, quite simply, Earth. Here. It lies just below Vanaheim and Alfheim and is bordered on four sides by the next four worlds.

Jotunheim is the land of the Jotun, or Jotnar, or giants.

Svartalfheim is the land of the dark elves, or dark land wights. It is also known as Nidavellir and is home to the dwarves, the blacksmiths of the Gods, who created many of the Gods' treasures including Thor's lightning-hurling hammer Mjollnir, Freyja's necklace Brisingamen, Odin's spear Gungnir, Freyr's ship, and many others.

Niflheim is the land of primal ice and of the frost giants

Muspellheim is the land of primal fire and of Surt and the fire giants.

Helheim is the land of the dead. It lies at the bottom of Yggdrasil and as such is the land of Forever Twilight. It is ruled by the goddess Hel.

The Nine Worlds and Yggdrasil are essential concepts to the practice of Heathenry, and while not all Heathens believe in the Norse creation myth literally the Nine Worlds are seen as actually existing. Many Heathen magic practices, discussed below, involve visiting the other eight worlds to gain knowledge and perform workings for other people who can not do so themselves.

There are a variety of different Gods and Goddesses that the Norse venerate. Traditionally two (well, three) races of Gods are worshipped: the Aesir and the Vanir. Some Heathens recognize a third race, the Jotnar, but there is much debate going on in the Heathen community as to whether or not the Jotun are Gods and should be worshipped, and it's likely to be a debate that will never be resolved. Below are descriptions of some of the main Gods that are recognized in Norse Heathenry. This is far from a complete list, and Heathens do not just recognize Gods but also recognize and revere land wights (or spirits), elves, dwarves, faeries, and the Disir (female ancestral beings). Ancestor reverance and veneration of those who have passed on before is also of crucial importance in Heathenry.

These Gods are most often honored in a traditional rite called a blot (rhymes with 'boat'). A blot is, quite simply, the giving of an offering to a particular deity, either as merely thanks and tribute or as a petition for that deity's help or blessing. Blots can be elaborate or they can be simple. Most times the blot (which is a word in Old Norse that means 'blood') involves the sprinkling of some libation upon the participants of the ritual. While traditionally this was livestock blood, blots are not really performed with livestock sacrifices anymore for the most part so most times the sprinkling is done with wine, mead, or some other drink. Where there is no sprinkling involved, the ritual is called a faining.

A more serious and structured rite is the sumbel. In this a group of Heathens will gather together and pass a drinking horn filled with a libation of mead or some other beverage around a circle. The horn is passed for three rounds, each of which have a disignated purpose: the first round is for the participants to hail the Gods, the second is to hail an ancestor, mentor, or someone else who has passed on, and the third round is a toast, boast, and oath where the participants can either hail a living person who is present or not, can brag about a recent deed or accomplishment, or swear an oath of allegiance to the Kindred or to the Gods. The purpose of a sumbel is not to get drunk, but to gather together in reverance of Gods and kin. Sumbels can be done by themselves or they can be done within the context of a blot.

The Aesir are regarded as the primary race of Gods worshipped in Asatru, and indeed the word Asatru literally translates into 'true to the Aesir'. The Aesir are seen as being concerned mainly with societal law, societal morals, and matters of war and justice. They inhabit Asgard, the highest of the Nine Worlds, and among their number are as follows:

Odin--the king of the Aesir, the Allfather. In the beginning he helped to create the worlds from the body of the Jotun known as Ymir with his brothers. In addition to being the creator Odin is also a God of war, death, strife, wisdom, inspiration, and battle madness. His home in Asgard is a hall called Gladsheim where the majority of the Aesir's important affairs are taken care of. He has another hall in Asgard called Valhalla. Here is where he keeps half of the chosen slain who have fallen in battle, brought here by his warrior maidens the Valkyries who also tend to them. These warriors known as the Einherjar, are to serve as his army when Ragnarok is unleashed.
Odin is portrayed as a white-haired older man wearing a wide brimmed hat and often seen traveling throughout the Nine Worlds under many different guises and names. He is missing one eye since he sacrificed it to Mimir in order to gain some of Mimir's wisdom. It's not the only sacrifice he has made to gain wisdom either. One of his most famous attributes is that he hung himself on the world tree for nine days and nights in order to gain knowledge of the Runes. He watches the Nine Worlds from his throne Hlidskjalf in his tower Valaskjalf in order to gain knowledge in addition to sending out his two ravens Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory) daily to spy on mortals. Odin also has two wolves Greki and Freki (Hunger and Thirst) whom he gives all of his food too, himself drinking only mead and wine.

Thor--son of Odin and of a Jotnar named Jord (Earth), Thor is the God of Thunder, the controller of the weather and the guardian of Asgard. He is the strongest and bravest of the Aesir and is the one most counted on to fight the Jotun and keep them from invading Asgard. Thor has been the most popular of the Norse Gods for centuries...so much so that his hammer Mjollnir has become the main identifying symbol for followers of Norse Heathenry. This hammer can hurl lightning and Thor weilds it wearing his magical gauntlets which protect his hands, as well as a magic belt (Mengingjarjar) which enhances his strength, and when he is about he rides a chariot drawn by two goats. Red haired and red bearded Thor is said to have a fierce temper and a very black-and-white view of right and wrong. He is married to the Goddess Sif who wears a golden wig since Loki cut off all her hair, and with her he has two sons Magni and Modi and a daughter named Thrud, who is constantly being sought after for her hand in marriage.

Frigga--wife of Odin, and Goddess of marriage, hospitality, and frith (harmony). Much more than some housekeeper, Frigga is a powerful seeress whose counsel Odin values greatly. Her will is quite formidable. Everytime she has set her will against Odin's, she has come out the victor. Frigga is the patroness of all the crafts that go into creating a good home--sewing, spinning, cooking. She lives in a hall called Fensalir with many handmaidens, among them her sister Fulla, goddess of abundance; Eir, goddess of healing; Gna, Frigga's messenger; Gefjon, patron of manual laborors and unmarried girls; Snotra, handmaiden of virtue; Sjofn, handmaiden of peacemaking; Var, who witnesses oaths; Hlin, handmaiden of mourning; Syn, goddess of oathtaking; Lofn, who blesses unions of love; Saga, keeper of history; and Vor, who sees all.

Tyr--god of war. Tyr is one handed, having lost his right hand when he placed it in the jaws of the great wolf Fenrir when the Gods needed to bind him. Thus Tyr is also considered a god of self-sacrifice and bravery.

Forseti--god of justice

Heimdall--the watchman of the Aesir. He guards the rainbow bridge Bifrost which leads into Asgard. To gain better eyesight he sacrificed an ear to Mimir. His hearing is so sensitive he can hear wool growing on a sheep's back. His great horn Gjallarhorn lies outside his hall Himinbjorg and the sound will be heard throughout the Nine Worlds when he blows on it. The horn is to signal the beginning of Ragnarok. Heimdall was raised as a mortal, washing up on the coast of Aurvanga-land in Midgard in a boat. He is said to have sired the three classes of humans: slaves, common men, and kings.

Skadi--goddess of winter, vengeance, and the hunt. A Jotnar who was accepted into the ranks of the Aesir when Loki made her laugh after she came to Asgard to seek vengeance for the death of her father Thjazi.

Baldur--son of Odin and Frigga. God of peace and beauty, the most beloved of all the Gods. His mother loved him so much that she went around to all of the Nine Worlds extracting promises from each plant, rock, animal, and other object both living and nonliving that they would never harm Baldur. However she neglected to get this promise from the mistletoe, which she considered too young and frail to do any harm. Loki found this out and fashioned an arrow from the wood, giving it to the blind god Hod who was eager to join in the game the other gods were playing at throwing random objects at Baldur to watch them bounce off him. Hod shot the mistletoe dart at Baldur and killed him, sending him to Helheim. When Frigga sent her messenger to Helheim to ask for Baldur back, Hel said that he could come back only if everything in the world wept for him. Everything did save for an old hag in a cave who said 'Let Hel keep what she has'. After Ragnarok Baldur will emerge from Helheim, which will be the only realm left standing, to help rebuild the world anew.

Vali--god of vengeance, born for the sole purpose of avenging Baldur's death

Idunna--goddess of youth, keeper of the apples of Asgard which give the gods their youth and longevity. She is married to Bragi, god of poetry.

Loki--god of mischief and chaos. A Jotnar who is a blood-brother of Odin, married to the goddess Sigyn. He also has a Jotnar wife named Angrboda with whom he fathered the goddess Hel, the great wolf Fenrir, and the Midgard Serpent Jormungand. Loki's mischief often got the gods into a lot of trouble, but he also got them out of a lot of it and no matter what his trickery was always of benefit to the gods ultimately. His prank of cutting off Sif's hair lead to the creation of Mjollnir, Odin's spear Gungnir, Freyr's magic ship, and other objects sacred to the Gods. Even his role in the death of Baldur is ultimately of benefit to the world for Baldur is now preserved in Helheim, where he will be safe during Ragnarok and thus will be free to return and help rebuild the world. However it did not stop the Gods from binding him with the intestines of his own son in a cave. Above him hangs a poisonous serpent who drips venom which Sigyn catches in a bowl. But when she goes to empty it some poison falls on Loki's face and his shudders of agony are what cause earthquakes. There is some debate and speculation among Norse Heathens however as to just HOW bound Loki is. Not surprisingly reactions to him among modern Norse pagans range from regarding him as a Norse Satan to a misunderstood Trickster to a merry friend. It is a heated debate which, again, may never be resolved.
Because of some bad 18th century mix-ups, Loki was equated with the fire-spirit Logi and thus Loki has carried the image of being a fire-god for a couple of decades. Despite the fact that this might not be historically accurate this image of Loki being a fire-god seems to be around to stay.

Where the Aesir are concerned with societal law, the Vanir are concerned with natural law. The Vanir are regarded as being mostly deities of fertility, nature, magic, and abundance. Once the Aesir and the Vanir were at war with one another after the Aesir kidnapped a goddess named Gullveig and burned her three times. The war was fought to a standstill and a truce was made with hostages exchanged. The Vanir inhabit Vanaheim, and among them are:

Njord--god of the sea and of sailors. His hall Noatun (shipyards) is shaped like a ship. He is one of the Vanir who were given over as hostages to the Aesir as part of the truce between the two races. He is the father of Freyr and Freyja, and the lover of Nerthus. He was briefly married to Skadi when she chose him as a husband by picking out his feet from a line under a curtain but the marriage did not last due to differences in living preferences.

Freyr--god of sex, pleasure, fertility, and love, and twin brother of Freyja. He is also a warrior god, but gave up his sword so that he could marry the Jotnar Gerda, whom he courted through his servant. Another god who was exchanged as a hostage to the Aesir Freyr is also the Lord of the Light Elves and Fairies. He has a ship called Skidbladnir, which he can fold up and put in his pocket when he's not using it. His personal assistant and man-at-arms is Skirnir, who carried courtship messages to Gerda for him in the Borri Woods. He also have two elf attendants named Beyla and Byggvir. He rides a battle boar named Gullinbursti ('Golden-bristle) as well as a horse named Blodighofi ('Blood-hoof').

Freyja--goddess of love, beauty, sexuality, fertility, witchcraft, magic, battle, and the teacher of Seidr, a form of Norse shamanism, as well as the twin sister of Freyr. She wears a sacred necklace called Brisingamen which she slept with four dwarves for, and is the most beautiful and desirable of all the goddesses. Freyja is much more than a T&A goddess however. She is a powerful witch and seeress, and a wise battle strategist. Odin made her Queen of the Valkyries, and she takes half of the chosen battle-slain into her hall at Folkvang. Indeed she gets first pick, and she often gets the cream of the crop. She drives a chariot driven by two cats Beegold and Treegold, as well as rides another battle boar, the sister of Gullinbursti. She is another of the Vanir traded to the Aesir as a hostage and the one Odin wanted most....not just for her beauty but for the Seidr craft he wished to learn. She taught him Seidr in exchange for him teaching her the Runes. By her late husband Od--whom she shed golden tears for--she had two daughters Hnoss and Gersimi.

Frodi--'Fruitful One'. Father of Njord.

Nerthus--goddess of the Earth. Possible mother of Freyja and Freyr by Njord. She is always veiled and rides once a year through the land in a cart drawn by two cows, accompanied by a procession of slaves. At the end of the parade when she goes home to her island all the slaves are drowned in a sacrifice to her.

Hel--goddess of death and ruler of Helheim, the underworld. The daughter of Loki and Angrboda, Hel (also known as Hela) is seen as being half healthy and whole woman, half rotting corpse or even skeleton. She recieves all the dead that do not fall in battle and end up in Valhalla or Folkvang. Helheim, however, is not a place of punishment despite the Christians applying the name to their pit of torment. A small part of it, Nastrond, is set aside to punish evil-doers such as murderers, oath-breakers, and such, but overall Helheim is merely a peaceful place of rest for the dead. It is well guarded by Hel's servants, among them a Jotnar woman named Mordgud, a great hound named Garm, a pair of hags named Bigvoer and Listvoer, a giant corpse-eating eagle named Ari, and many others. The path to Hel's realm is called the Helvegr (road to Hel) and the gate is called Drop to Destruction. Her hall is called Elvidnir where her servant Ganglati works to help feed the dead who gather.

Aegir--god of the sea, and host of Aegirheim, the great feast-hall of the Gods.

Ran--a goddess of the sea who claims the souls of drowned sailors and controls sea storms. Sacrifices were frequently made to her to ensure a peaceful voyage. She and Aegir's nine daughters, the Nine Undines, are the maidens of the waves and are the mothers of Heimdall by Odin, and are named Kolga, Duva, Blodughadda, Hronn, Hevring, Bara, Unn, Blygja, and Himinglava.

Nehellenia-- a Dutch goddess of vegetation and of the sea. Although not one of the Norse, She is still revered by some Heathens.

Holda--German goddess of winter. She is not officially one of the Norse either but she is still revered by a lot of Heathens as well.

Ullr--god of winter and hunting. Associated with skiing. Regarded by some as one of the Vanir.

Surt--ruler of Muspellheim and of the fire-etins. He is fated to destroy Yggdrasil at Ragnarok.

Angrboda--the Hag of the Iron Wood, a stretch of land in Jotunheim where monstrous Jotnar dwell. Concubine of Loki, and by him the mother of Hel, Fenrir, and the Midgard Serpent.

Mimir--god of wisdom. The Aesir had exchanged hostages to the Vanir, and Mimir was one. But Mimir's new hosts grew tired of his constant talking so they decapitated him and sent his head back to Odin in a bag. As punishment for being a bad guest Odin threw the head down into a well after reanimating it. The well became Mimir's Well of Wisdom. Odin had to sacrifice an eye to Mimir in order to drink from the Well, and many other gods have made sacrifices to Mimir in order to gain enhancements, such as Heimdall's sacrifice of an ear for better eyesight.

The Norns--Urd (That-Which-Is), Verdandi (That-Which-Is-Becoming), and Skuld (That-Which-Should-Be). The keepers of the Well of Wyrd.

While most Heathens recognize all of the Gods there are a few out there who are dedicated to one or two patron deities. In addition to blotting to the Gods, daily offerings are also given to the land and house wights which share the Heathen's residence. A house wight is a type of house guardian and food offerings are given to it daily to ensure a harmonious and safe home. Land wights are given the same treatment as are other land spirits such as elves and dwarves.

The best way to get more information on these deities and to get insight into their natures is to read the Lore which contains the stories about them. The best source that is available are the Eddas. The Eddas, both the Poetic and the Prose, are required reading for anyone wishing to practice Norse Paganism.

Orlog is the gathering of the primal layers of all of a person's past and present actions, all the actions of the people that person has known that has affected them, all the decisions that person has made or have been made for them, and all the thoughts and feelings that person has experienced or that other people have experienced about them. Orlog is similar to the Eastern concept of Karma, that all of a person's past and present actions, thoughts, decisions, feelings, and experiences add up to influence any and all decisions, actions, feelings, and thoughts the person will experience in the future. The orlog of other people around that person will affect that person's orlog as well. Wyrd is the working in and out of orlog to determine how that person's orlog will affect their future experiences. It is a complex web that can be difficult to understand but the sum of it is: All of a person's future actions and decisions are directly affected by not only that person's past actions and decisions, but also the actions, decisions, thoughts, and feelings of other people around them. It adds up into that person's orlog, and wyrd is the determination of how that person's orlog will affect his or her future. It is not fate. In the Norse tradition nothing is ever set in stone, and a person's orlog can be changed. It is another function of wyrd to give a person a choice as to just what extent they will allow the orlog of other people around them to affect them.

The concept of wyrd and orlog teaches us that none of us are really alone in this world, that in away we are all connected. What we do affects and influences everyone else, so it is a lesson in paying attention to our actions, words, and decisions and watching how they affect others. When we affect another person's orlog in a good way, we end up being affected in a good way in return. The same happens when we affect another's orlog in a bad way. It goes hand in hand with the concept of Frith.

Frith is another one of the most complex concepts in Heathenry and as such can be difficult for beginners to understand. The word itself means 'peace and security' which seems to be rather paradoxical in a spirituality embraced by a warrior people. Frith is the concept of everything working together in harmony in order to ensure that the home, community, nation, and the world run smoothly. To be frithful means to recognize one's kinship with other people and to do what is necessary to ensure that those relationships are harmonious and as peaceful as possible. It does not, however, mean that all Heathens have to be all peaceful all the time. To be frithful also implies that one must be willing to stand up for one's principles and stand up for what they believe in. Frith does not stop us from standing up to other people when they are doing us or those we love and value wrong, but it does stop us from sinking to their level by causing us to handle the situation as diplomatically as possible. In other words a Heathen living in frith is not going to 'turn the other cheek' when attacked, but they are going to attempt to take the higher road by first trying to resolve the issue with maturity and grace. This is especially true when the maintaining of frith is threatened.

The concept of frith and the desire to maintain it among modern Heathens has directly led to the creation of the Nine Noble Virtues, which are:

Courage--this doesn't mean that a Heathen can never be afraid. On the contrary it means being willing to fight for what you know in your heart is right despite your fear.

Truth--both to others and to oneself

Honor--respect for both others and oneself

Fidelity--being faithful and loyal to oneself, one's community, one's kin, and one's Gods and principles

Discipline

Hospitality--recognizing that one is part of the community as well as being an individual, and the willingness to be frithful to their community and kin

Industry--the value of working in order to accomplish various feats

Self-reliance--willingness to be responsible for oneself, to take responsibility for one's actions

Perseverance

A little note: Not all Heathens live by these Virtues, nor recognize them as canon Heathenry, and indeed they really didn't exist before the 1970s when Stephen McNallen introduced Asatru to the United States. It is the opinion of some that they were added as sort of a '10 Commandments' to water down our religion and make it appear more 'friendly' and appealing to a country that is mostly Protestant Christian. It's yet another one of those debates which are ongoing :).

Not all Norse Heathens practice magic, but some do choose to do so. There are a variety of esoteric traditions that are recognized and are being reconstructed among Norse Pagans today. The most popular of these are the Runes, the craft of working with the mysterious power of the 24 character alphabet that Odin hung himself on the World Tree for nine days and nights for. Runecraft includes things such as divination, spellcraft using the Runes, shamanic journeying, and evocation.

Another form of Norse magic which is being practiced more widely among some Norse Pagans today is the craft of Seidr. It is a form of shamanism which utilizes trancework, meditation, shamanic journey, altered states of consciousness, divination, herbs, drumming, and divine ecstasy. It is a craft practiced mainly by Heathen women, originally taught to Odin by Freyja. Men can practice Seidr too but traditionally they had to be willing to crossdress, as Odin did. Nowadays for the most part that really isn't the case and it's been established for the most part that men can practice Seidr as well.

Other forms of Norse magic include galdr (Odinic and Runic battle-magic), spae (or witchcraft), utiseta (mound-sitting and trancing), and hamfara (soul-traveling, which overlaps into Seidr and Runecraft sometimes). There are other types of witchcraft and shamanism practiced widely among modern Heathens as well and practices do vary from individual to individual, group to group. Some magic-practicing Heathens are cross-disciplinary, and some use magics from traditions that are not Heathen. Many witches and shamans within Norse Paganism are willing to use whatever works, just as the Vikings did.

In addition to blots and sumbels, Norse Heathens have some set holy dates which they celebrate and recognize as sacred festivals. Different Heathens celebrate these festivals different ways, and the dates vary from Kindred to Kindred, but it is basically the same outline.

Yule--the most important of the Norse festivals, the beginning of the Norse year. Yule marks the time when the sun is at it's weakest and when elves, fae, land wights, and the Disir roam the world freely. It is a feasting time marking the middle of winter and the promise of the sun's return. Yule is also when the pattern for the rest of the year is established, for it is the time of the Wild Hunt, when Odin and the Einherjar go out and ride among the living choosing who will live and have good fortune and who will die and suffer bad fortune for the season. It is the time when offerings like food are left out for them, as well as the dead who roam freely at this time. Oaths are made or renewed at Yule as well. The festival lasts for twelve nights, the first night being Mothernight when the Disir are honored. Traditionally it starts at sundown the evening before the winter solstice (Norse days began at sundown) and ends at sunset on New Year's day.

Charming of the Plough--about the beginning of February. The feast of new beginnings when the new year is blessed.

Ostara--around the spring equinox, marks the beginning of spring. Celebrates new beginnings, a new season, and awakenings. It's named for the goddess of spring among the Anglo-Saxons and Germans.

Valpurgis--end of April, first day of May. Marks the beginning of summer and when magic is at it's height. Celebrates fertility and sexuality. Freyja is especially honored at this festival.

Midsummer--summer solstice. The high point of the year when deeds are brightest and the heart is at it's most daring.

Freysblot--beginning of August. Celebrating a bountiful harvest and observance of the beginning of autumn.

Haustblot--fall equinox.

Winternights--end of October/beginning of November. The beginning of winter and the time to honor the dead and the land wights. The last of the harvest is given as offerings to the Gods and elves.

There are a variety of minor festivals and feasts held by Heathens throughout the year as well, most of them commemorating fallen Viking heroes or important events on the Scandinavian calender. Veteran's Day in the United States for example (Nov 11) has been designated as 'The Feast of the Einherjar' and is the day Odin's dead at Valhalla are honored. Individual Gods have their holy days as well that some Heathens may celebrate.

This page is meant to be a beginner's introduction to Norse Heathenry, and is far from a complete work. In fact really the best way to learn more about the ways of modern Heathens is by going into the community and experiencing the rites and kinship with the Gods firsthand. This page also describes but one way to worship the old Gods, as there are dozens of factions within Asatru which do things differently (Folkists, Tribalists, Universalists, Odinists, Theodish, to name but a few) and do not always see eye-to-eye. The one thing these different factions do have in common is their reverance of the Norse Gods and a desire to connect with the old ways of the North.