Two Raven’s extend from the side of Woden’s head. Hyġ and Myne (Huginn and Muninn) who, each day whisper to Woden Hræfngod all the news of Middangeard. They seem part of Woden, appearing like horns, perhaps representing the left and right side of his brain, for Woden fears that one day these Ravens will fly and not return. A loss of thought and mind. After all, Woden is the god of Wod – the god of madness and insanity.

Woden is also the Rune-god, who gave our folk the runes after hanging on the World Tree for nine days and nights. And here we find another link with his ravens, for the OE Rûn (rune) are also the secrets which are whispered to him each day.

Woden appears with two birds. If we look at the first bird and the bird motif on the crest of his helmet we can see the beak has a curve - also depicted on the wood carving in the previous post (which was based on an Anglo-Saxon find from Blakeney, Norfolk England). The second bird has a straight beak - maybe representing a different species. After all - Woden is both a Raven god and Eagle God.

Woden in his role as Wish-Lord from 'The Saxons in England, Volume 1 by John Mitchell Kemble'

One of the names of Odin in the Old-Norse mythology is Osk, which by an etymological law is equivalent to the German Wunsch, the Anglo Saxon Wisc, and the English Wish. Grimm has shown in the most convincing manner that Wunsch may be considered as a name of Wuotan in Germany; and it is probable that Wúsc or Wísc may have had a similar power here. Among the names in the mythical genealogies we find Wúscfreá, the lord of the wish, and I am even inclined to the belief that Oisc, equivalent to Ésk, the founder of the Kentish line of kings, may be a Jutish name of Wóden in this form,—ésc, or in an earlier form óski, i. e. Wunsch, Wýsc. In Devonshire to this day all magical or supernatural dealings go under the common name of Wishtness: can this have any reference to Wóden’s name Wýsc? So again a bad or unfortunate day is a wisht day: perhaps a diabolical, heathen, accursed day. There are several places which appear to be compounded with this name; among them: Wishanger (Wíschangra or Wóden’s meadow), one, about four miles S.W. of Wanborough in Surrey, and another near Gloucester; Wisley (Wíscleáh) also in Surrey; Wisborough (probably Wíscbeorh) in Sussex; Wishford (probably Wíscford) in Wiltshire.

Bynames of Woden.

Grímnir – Grîma – Grimr - Grim.

Grim(r) is a byname of Odin~Woden. In the Northlands he is known as Grímnir, the name he assumes in the Grímnismál, Grímnir meaning the ‘Masked One’, as does Grimr. In our English wordhoard we have similar names – Grîma meaning masked (Tolkien used the name Gríma in LOTR), whilst Grimm meant savage.

In the north of England we find Grim remembered in various place names like Grimsby, Grimshaw and Grimsthorpe. In the south, across the home counties and Wessex we find numerous ditches that were known as Grim’s Ditch or Grim’s Dyke.

The origin of the word points to a time when the roles of the sky god (Woden) and the storm god (Thunor) were closer aligned. The Proto-Germanic *grimmį̄ meant ‘anger or wrath’ – the PIE root being *gʰrem- which meant ‘to thunder’.

Wyrd byð swyðost – Wyrd is strongest (unconquerable) This is a line of Anglo-Saxon text, suggesting nothing can fall outside of the sister’s decree. I don’t hold the view that the path they lay for us is so rigid there can never be any scope for free will. But I do believe in destiny to some degree – and experience has taught me never to tempt fate. Wyrd comes from the word Weorðan – meaning ‘that what becomes’ – and is also the root of the word ‘worth’. What becomes of life is what we make of life. There is another line from an Old English text which reads ‘me þæt wyrd gewaf’ – ‘wyrd wove that for me’, suggesting that Wyrd only intervenes at certain times.

ON Urðr - OE Wyrd
ON Skuld – OE Scyld
ON Verðandi – OE Weorðende

Your fate is woven,
Your life-thread is spun.
Your wyrd is a song-
That will now be sung.
By Urd, who knows;
How your path begun.
By Verðandi, who chooses;
How your worth is won.
By Skuld who decides,
How your death will come.

poem by Hāmasson

Naenigne ic under swegle
selran hyrde
hordmaththum haeletha,
sithan Hama aetwaeg
to thaere byrhtan byrig
Brosingamene,
sigle ond sincfaet;

I have heard tell of
no better treasure fit
for princes
Since Hama carried back
to the Shining Citadel
Brisingamen
that ornament and Gem

There is very little reference to Freya in Old English, but in Beowulf there is reference to Freya's necklace Brísingamen or Brosingamene. It was returned by Hama, an OE name for Heimdallr, who in the Skáldskaparmal is called 'Seeker of Freyja's Necklace'.

Woden art (pen and ink) by Hāmasson.

Raven mythology shows considerable homogeneity throughout the whole area [northern regions of the northern hemisphere] in spite of differences in detail. The Raven peeps forth from the mists of time and the thickets of mythology, as a bird of slaughter, a storm bird, a sun and fire bird, a messenger, an oracular figure and a craftsman or culture hero.

- Edward A. Armstrong, "The Folklore of Birds," 1958

In rural Essex getting footage for another video that I can't wait to get working on. It was such a privilege to gain access to this special church that is normally permanently locked.

Hael Woden!

The Raven was also associated with the Wælcyrge (Valkyrie). One Old English name for the Raven was Wælceásiga, which like Wælcyrge meant 'Chooser of the Slaine'.

Perhaps the reason our ancestors used lakes to deposit their offerings to the gods was the water mirrored the world creating an image of the otherworld?

The OE word libban or lybban meant to exist or live. Also spelt lifgan, we can see the connection with the word life. From the same root was the word lybb, which meant a drug, herb or charm. The OE Lybbestre was a female healer, skilled in herbalism (OE lybcræf).

The Cheddar Brooch, displayed at the Somerset Museam in Taunton.

I was excited to see this for two reasons; one being that it's from the Anglo-Saxon period, and the other being that it was discovered in one of my favourite places in the county (and the world for that matter) Cheddar!

I highly recommend the Somerset Museam. Full of amazing artifacts, and it's free entry!

A desire to transcend the home of man conflicts with the natural worldview of our ancestors and divine declaration. Our world was shaped for man. Do not fear your death, but savor your life.

Fire is a living entity. It feeds, it grows, it needs to breathe or it dies out. Words connected with breathing often come from the same root as words meaning to be alive or have a soul. Spirit and Respire for example – both coming from the root (s)peys- meaning ‘to blow’.

Woden blew life into Ash and Embla, giving them spirit – in the same way blowing into hot Ash and Embers can reignite a flame.

Lêodrûne was an OE name for a sorceress or pythoness, a chanting-witch who sang secret rites and enchantments. Lêoð meant song or charm – which is cognate with the word Lied (modern German for song) and the English word 'lay' or poem. The word rûne (or rune) was a secret. Her craft was lêoðcræftig or being skilled in chanting.

The chanting of song or magic spells would infuse an object with magic. The word 'spell' itself meant to talk or speak – from the Old English 'spellian' and is why we still 'spell' words. The witch became the enchanter and her spell the enchantment. The French word charm also had the same meaning, to recite or cast a magic spell and evolved into modern English word charming.

The darkness of night was when the woodland filled with spirits and otherworldly beings. But, there were those who didn’t fear the darkness! The OE nihtwæcce was a name used to describe a night-witch. The nihtgenga (male) was a night−goer, whilst the nihtgenge (female) was a night−prowler. Finally a name some may recognise, the sceadugenga, the OE word for someone who wandered the darkness.

The Swabian (Suebian) tribe who gave their name to the side-knotted hair style – the Suebian knot, were also amongst the Germanic tribes who settled in England. Amongst the East Saxons kings, the names Swæfred and Swæfbert were rooted in Swæf, the English spelling of Swab. The Swabians also gave their name to the English towns of Swaffham (Norfolk) and Swavesey (Cambridgeshire).

The spider spinning a web and the Wyrd Sisters weaving our fate – it's easy to see how some superstitions regarding spiders invoke luck or involve fate – or even foretell a gift of clothing!

The words 'spider' and 'spinner' both come from the same root - *(s)pen – 'to spin' and the words 'web' and 'weave' also share the same origin - *(h)uebh- 'to weave'. So its no wonder how the two overlap.

But there is another element to the web – another beast who has eight legs! Sleipnir! Fathered by Loga (Loki) as Loki himself has a connection with the spider. According to Hilding Celander, writing in 1911, the name Locke meant 'spider'. This may be the meaning behind the name Loki.

The Faroese word Lokkanet (Lokke's web) meant cobweb, just as the Swedish word lokkanät does, from the Germanic root word *luk meaning locked, looped or knotted. Loki the tangler indeed.

I'm curious about Pagans who talk about 'winning'. I suspect they would elaborate by saying that they want Paganism to become the dominant religion. Dominant where? Nationally? Among their ethnic kin exclusively? Globally?

And which Paganism, exactly, should 'win'? Germanic? Celtic? Hellenistic? Should Icelandic Heathenry 'win', or should Anglo-Saxon? Mercian or Bernician?

It seems to me that to talk of Paganism 'winning' is to treat it like a political movement rather than an indigenous way of life. The aforementioned are merely questions; my real point is this...

Any 'winning' that comes by the indiscriminate use of technology is of the material kind. For a political movement, that might be okay. But for a religion/indigenous spirituality, equal (if not greater) consideration must be given to the spiritual, philosophical and cultural impact of technologies. Is it any wonder that critics accuse Folkish Paganism of being foremostly political when many Folkish Pagans act more like a political movement by prioritising material victory?

According to official history, in 2600-1500 BC, whilst the people of the Indus Valley were writing noscriptures, the proto-Germanic people hadn't even discovered the runes. We were essentially illiterate until Christianity brought to us the technology of writing. Is that because we were so inferior, or did our ancestors choose not to adopt this technology?

Technological adoption can be beneficial, when the material benefits are weighed against the spiritual, cultural and physiological dangers. AI's proponents seem concerned solely with the material impact. That's not surprising in this godless modern age. But it is surprising when self-proclaimed religious people likewise pay no heed to the spiritual, cultural and physiological dangers.

So now you can produce visual propaganda in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile the hand withers, the mind atrophies, imagination fades, the exchange of energies (gift for a gift) principle is overlooked, the very purpose for which the gods gave us this life (to share in the act of creation, to nurture beauty, to forge powerful bonds of kinship, to exercise mind and body) is shunned. Worse still - those who adopt AI technology may be empowering Loki and the þursar (more on that in a future post).