Mugwort is named as the first herb in the Nine Herbs Charm. Also called Una which means ‘one’ or ‘the first’. It’s commonly thought that the name comes from mug-wort, as a herb used to flavour ales or used to brew ale in its own right. But for those who use mugwort in their rituals, you’ll know it can be burnt as an incense (like sage) and has a pungent but pleasant smell. Nowadays the herb has another name, ‘dreamweed’ because of the association mugwort has with inducing vivid dreams. An eleventh century Anglo-Saxon herb blessing reads this about mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris is the Latin name) -

‘The root, Worn as an amulet bestowed health and strength.
Artemisia is mighty among herbs!
If you fear magic, hang four bundles
In your room, and demons or other bad things will not harm you
Your children or the cattle...’

Me þæt wyrd gewaf – Wyrd wove that for me. Wyrd, Scyld and Weorðende. Three names that correspond with Urðr, Skuld and Verðandi, the Norns (OE Wyrd) who determine our fate. They weave our life’s tapestry that, upon our death is read by the Helrûna who determines our judgement (dōm).

The Norns by Hermann Hendrich, 1906

Wyrd are weavers of fate and as such, it should be no surprise that the OE word for needle ‘nǣdl’ was used as a kenning for the soul. If we look at the ‘need’ rune, Nẏd or ᚾ (the word being phonetically very similar to needle) we can see a pictogram of a needle and thread. Nẏd comes from the word nīed, meaning ‘compulsion’ or ‘compulsion of fate’ which is itself a denoscription of Wyrd.

It’s the Midsummer-full moon tonight (9.37pm for those in England), the first full moon since the sunstede. As usual my family-hearth will hold a rite and give libations to the Ése and Wane.

Details of the 28 runic Futhorc found on the ‘Seax of Beagnoth’, whose name appears on the seax. The seax was discovered in the Thames river, 1857.

Heofon-fýr or Heaven-fire was an OE kenning for lightning, whilst þunres-sleġe or Thunor's strike / Thunor's blow was the thunder clap. The word sleġe is itself connected with slecg meaning sledge, which gives us the sledgehammer.

Ing wæs ærest mid East-Denum
gesewen secgun, oþ he siððan est
ofer wæg gewat; wæn æfter ran;
ðus Heardingas ðone hæle nemdun

Ing was first among the East-Danes seen by men,
until he later eastwards went across the waves,
his waggon sped behind.
Thus the Heardingas named the hero.

The Ing rune poem describes the god Ing (Ingwe), also known as Frēa (Freyr). Author Marijane Osborn suggests that the reference to Ing 'eastwards went across the waves, his waggon sped behind' refers to the constellation of Boötes (Ing) and Ursa Major (the plough or wagon).

A leed (poem) I wrote in Anglish playing around with skaldic speech. In it, Woden brings a man back from death to question him about what death is like for those that are tired of life, those that fear death, and those that accept and even risk death for the chance of a better life. I wrote it in a similar form to the Old Norse ljóðaháttr verseform.

"Galder galed ¹
the gallows' Lord
as the lich ² He sung from sleep.
Runes He raist ³
to read the lips
of the man there cold as clay.

The man then moved
to meet the one
that sung him from his sleep.
'Who hails me?
Who bears me
from Hel's halfhearted care?'

'Tis Waytame, me,
that welcomes thee
to the land of living men.
For runes and rede
to raise from thee
I dragged thee from the dead.

I raised thee up
to understand
what wisdom have the dead.
Now answer me
what I ask of thee:
what awaits all wayworn men?'

'Tis bitter cold
and blinding dark
on the winding way to Hel.
No sweetness waits,
nor sleep's embossom, ⁴
in the dreary hall of Hel.'

'I raised thee up
to understand
what wisdom have the dead.
Now answer me
what I ask of thee:
what awaits those death do dread?'

'Hel's cold will
awaits all things,
this the earg ⁵ shall share.
She sees not place
nor purse's weight
but kills without a care.'

'I raised thee up
to understand
what wisdom have the dead.
Now answer me
what I ask of thee:
what awaits those death would dare?'

The dead man faltered,
meeting the eye
of the wight that 'Waytame' hight.
'Thou know it well
great on'eyed one
I see Ygg within thine eye.

Deathlessness wins
the one dares death,
for he knows what thou too know.
He lives full well
with wisdom won,
Yggs eye he gladly holds.
Deeply spake the dead,
now sink I back to sleep.' "

¹ galed = "chanted, sang spells"
² lich = "corpse"
³ raist = "carved, scored"
⁴ embossom = "embrace"
⁵ earg = "coward, man without honor, complete outcast"

ᚻægl bẏþ hƿitust corna;
hƿẏrft hit of heofones lẏfte,
ƿealcaþ hit ƿindes scura;
ƿeorþeþ hit to ƿætere sẏððan.

Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

The OE 'g' was pronounced more like a 'y', so the rune name hægl probably sounded like hay-l or hail.

Wayland’s Smithy appears to be central in what can only be described as Welandes landscape. Just a few miles north of the long barrow was once a mound recorded in the Woolstone (village) charter as Beadhildæ byrigels meaning Beadhildæ’s barrow (now lost to ploughing) which served as a boundary marker between Woolstone and Compton Beauchamp. Weland had kidnapped Beadhildæ whilst in the form of an Eagle to avenge his imprisonment by Beadhildæ’s father.

A 10th century charter from Compton Beauchamp names another local mound as 'Hwittuces hlæw' which locally became associated with Widia or ‘Widia’s Low’ (Widia’s burial mound). Widia was the son of Weland and Beadhildæ, whilst the Idlebush Barrow, which in the Woolstone charter was recorded as Weardæs beorh was once connected with Wade, Weland’s father. (Based on the work of author Leslie Grinsell).

In the Norse myths, Thunor receives his power or mana from the earth, this energy is called ‘jarðarmegin’ or earth power. In Julich, in the lower Rhineland, there are three innoscriptions to the matres (mothers) which mention Ferhui (life-power); the innoscriptions read 'Ala-ferhui-ae' and is meant to mean 'those who give complete life-power'.

In OE we find a cognate to ferhui in ferh (also spelt feorh and feorg) from the Proto-Germanic ferhuz meaning body, life and oak-tree - the oak being Thunor’s tree. Ferh / Feorg may even be connected to the OE Fyrgen who is Thunor’s mother, an aspect of Eorþe and the source of his power.

art - Thor Raises His Hammer by Arthur Rackham

These three Anglo-Saxon coins all bear a face believed to be of Woden (often called Woden Head coins). Interestingly they all (as do many AS coins) include the symbol of an equal armed cross with dots on each end. I wonder if it represents a constellation?

Anglo Saxon coins were called sceats or sceatta – a word that comes from the proto West Germanic *skatt which meant both treasure and cattle, a concept found within the Feoh / Fehu rune.

The three Iceni coins pictured above all contain a wolf. Above the wolf on the first coin is a symbol very similar to the crosses found on ‘Woden Head’ coins whilst the style of wolf on the second and third coin is referred to as the Norfolk Wolf. In the neighbouring county of Suffolk is the village Freckenham, which means home (-ham) of the Wolf Warriors, where Frec is cognate with Freki. Interestingly, a study of Iceni coins by John A. Davies shows that the majority of words found Iceni coins are West Germanic.

These three coins found near Ribe in Denmark all contain Wodenic symbols, including a snake, valknut, the face of Woden and in the centre of each coin a deer. In OE the High Deer or Heahdeor was a symbol of Anglo-Saxon royalty. Heah meant tall, high, proud or exalted and is cognate with Hár – a byname used by Woden.

Interesting post above. Pictured here is a herb called milkwort, the English name comes from the historical use of the plant by nursing mothers to increase milk flow. In Scandinavia milkwort was also called Freya’s Hair and in English lore we find it called Frigg’s Hair.

Our world is filled with holy moments.

Make sure you don’t miss them.

This Anglo-Saxon gold bracteate was found in 2010, in Scalford Leicestershire. It shows a figure drinking from a horn.

The OE month which fell around August was called Wēodmōnaþ or Ƿēodmōnaþ ‘weed month’. It’s also the month the grain harvest was bought in from the fields. So big was this task that everyone including children would help bring the harvest in, which is why in England the school holidays fall in August.

The celebration of Hlafmæsse or Loaf-Mass fell on the 1st August, known today as Lammas. The word ‘lord’ comes from hlāford or hlāfweard meaning loaf-guardian. The word ‘lady’ comes from hlǣfdīġe or the loaf-kneader and finally the servant, who was the hlāf-ǣta or loaf eater.