VIKINGS SEASON 5 NEW TRAILER VIKINGS RETURN! Ragnarok Edits
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Verônica Bonczynski (ArtStation.com) Katheryn Winnick ************ I like the black-and-white image of this piece as well, of which has a certain timeless allure. Katheryn Winnick is of Ukrainian descent, a region with some Viking roots. The Russian Czars were descended from the Viking rulers there.
There are some who are a bit unhappy with how the Asatru religion has been portrayed on 'Vikings', and a few other things; however, being one of the more popular TV programs, it still perhaps gives a needed promotion of Asatru/Heathenry/Odinism. Maybe it has planted the seed for some people.
These are the stories they will tell in Valhalla. For this list, we are counting down the most brutal, emotional and shocking moments from "Vikings". Our list includes, Fighting the Earl, Aslaug's Death, The Raid at Lindisfarne, Ragnar's Goodbye to Athelstan, Rollo’s Betrayal and the Battle For Kattegat and more! Join WatchMojo as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Vikings Moments.
List Entries and Rank: 10. Lagertha Becomes Earl 9. Ragnar's Goodbye to Athelstan 8. The Raid at Lindisfarne 7. Fighting the Earl 6. Rollo’s Betrayal and the Battle For Kattegat 5. Ragnar’s Death 4. Aslaug’s Death 3, 2, 1: ??? .
Allsherjargothi Stephen McNallen of the Asatru Folk Assembly addresses the Folk prior to the dedication ceremony at NewGrange Hall Asatru Hof.Allsherjargothi Stephen McNallen of the Asatru Folk Assembly addresses the Folk prior to the dedication ceremony at NewGrange Hall Asatru Hof. *************************
This talk was given by Stephen McNallen at NewGrange Hall in 2015. I don't want anyone to absolutely hold me to the idea that NewGrange Hall is literally the first "community hof," as there may have been numerous meeting places of one type or another over the years. Of course, there have also been many smaller hofs, and I don't want to minimize that either; but apparently this is the first officially known and exclusive location. This is important---even if you're not specifically an Asutrar, or don't live close to it---as it sets an example for the folk to follow. The great Leif Erikson was both a Heathen and brief colonizer of North America a millennium ago. I think if Erikson is looking down upon NewGrange Hall, that he would be proud of what the AFA has accomplished.
I think the time has come for individuals to step up and be the satellite for what you believe... in the county you live in. One doesn't need any special permission to be an organizer where they live, and I would say that a county is just the right size region for this. It doesn't have to be literally official, and you need not a title, as you may merely be assisting the greater whole. I can think of many beautiful locations, in urban areas and not far off the beaten path, which could serve as spiritual gathering places for small groups. Sometimes when I'm at one of those special places, I experience a brief feeling of bewilderment that I'm the only person there enjoying its bliss. Think outside the box; there are many untapped resources around us. No human endeavor is real until someone uses their energy to breathe life into it.
Extreme up-close video of tornado near Wray, CO! AccuWeather SEE ALSO: 360 Video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCXp9Y5uPn4 Extreme up-close footage of tornado just north of Wray, CO earlier today! Uploading 360 video from inside the outer circulation next.
Propaganda Bill in Congress Could Give America Its Very Own Ministry Of “Truth” Claire Bernish - AntiMedia.org - June 6, 2016 (ANTIMEDIA) United States — In the true Orwellian fashion now typifying 2016, a bill to implement the U.S.’ very own de facto Ministry of Truth has been quietly introduced in Congress — its lack of fanfare appropriate given the bill’s equally subtle language. As with any legislation attempting to dodge the public spotlight, however, the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016 marks a further curtailment of press freedom and another avenue to stultify avenues of accurate information. Introduced by Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Ted Lieu, H.R. 5181 seeks a “whole-government approach without the bureaucratic restrictions” to counter “foreign disinformation and manipulation,” which they believe threaten the world’s “security and stability.” cont...
Wotan’s Plea God of wisdom and of war Gave us the runes and sired Thor His ravens o’er Midgard fly Watching us from Asgard’s skies Great warriors in death are called To feast with him in his great hall The Folk worldwide, his sons and daughters Give respect our Allfather But from his eye there falls a tear For the fate that looms so near The warriors have lost their might His children have no will to fight The Folk have clearly lost their way And though the threat is clear as day Our people hide their heads in sand Lacking courage to take a stand Where are the genes we did inherit From the mighty men of merit? Blood of Vikings in my veins flows But, in my kinfolk… I do not know Weakness and cowardice they portray Their own ancestors they now betray Perhaps they are in too much shock To see that this is Ragnarok We must unite, and we must fight Or usher in our own twilight For our children’s sake Wotan implores The Folk must stand, and we must roar!
Rosalyn Kim Suho American Hustle *************************
Although she was only 23 when this was filmed, Jennifer Lawrence already had a certain presence. Her name is English, but she seems to me a warm Southern Scottish beauty.
'The Black Sun' Posted by renegade - RenegadeTribune.com - August 18, 2016 by Ron McVan (2007) Let us look at each other in the face. We are Hyperboreans!” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche The human body in its current state is hardly a fit vehicle for the forces of the vast and mighty mysteries of eternity. Man is ever becoming but very few are those who ever become in life’s all too fleeting physical experience. Our purpose on earth must be more than to merely exist as animals. Every human being born into the living world must at some point recognize that they have obligations to fulfill above their own personal existence. Both Man and the races of the world are equipped to transform the material world of gross matter to higher living standards and culture just as they are equipped to transcend it. There is plenty room on the planet for all the races to raise themselves and their own indigenous culture to the highest possible levels. Animals and insects even within the limits of their capacity and dimension follow the divine plan and nature’s law in perfect accordance while man with all his advantages cannot. Animals and insects do not mix their species, do not pollute the planet, torture one another or kill each other for personal gain or travel half way around the world to destroy someone else’s nation. Nor would they ever fill their bodies with mind altering substances or partake in such sick perversions that mankind is prone to. Today’s world is spiraling into chaos because man has turned his back on his Gods and divine inheritance, turned his back on nature and the will to be as a species which instills the essential building blocks that are the earmark of a healthy culture and society. Race is the foundation of all culture. A culture is the expression of an ideal and great ideals can change the world and known to have created golden ages in the course of history. Capitalist materialism and consumerism can never produce a culture or advance its people in fact it will ultimately ravage, pollute and destroy all human kind and the planet as well, the results of which we are witnessing now before our very eyes. cont...
Bank of North Dakota Prairie Public Broadcasting Chronicles the Bank of North Dakota's fascinating history and reviews its key role in financing the state's economic future. During the early 1900s, North Dakota's economy was dangerously dependent on a single industry—agriculture, an industry controlled by financial interests outside the state. To diversify the economy and regain control of its financial future, North Dakota created a unique asset: the state-owned Bank of North Dakota. North Dakota is the only state in the union with a state-owned bank. The program documents the rise of the Non-Partisan League and its struggle to overthrow the out of state interests that controlled the North Dakota economy and chronicles the political infighting, the dirty tricks, the back room deals, and the amazing series of events that led to the creation of the bank. "The Bank of North Dakota" features historians, economists, bank staff members and members of the Industrial Commission discussing how the bank came into existence, how it has responded over the years to its mission, and its evolving role in promoting commerce, agriculture and industry. ************************* Bank of North Dakota
President, George Washington, Poses as Baphomet, Magick in Plain Sight Leak Project President, George Washington, Poses as Baphomet, Magick in Plain Sight. Things that make you go What? How many of you listening to this podcast right now have seen the Statue of President George Washington posing as above so below? The same posture Baphomet represents ? But isn’t Baphomet the Devil? Or the Dark Lord? Isn’t Baphomet Lucifer and or the AntiChirst? Why does the Church of Satan Promote Baphomet as their Representative? Decoding Baphomet and Symbolism. This is high level knowledge. ************************* Leak Project (official website)
Greenland Sharks Can Live for 400 Years A new study has found the Greenland shark to be the longest-lived vertebrate known to science. Radiocarbon dating of the eyes of 28 female Greenland sharks revealed one specimen to be almost four centuries old. The research also suggested Greenland sharks do not reproduce until they are around 150 years old. The creatures are among the slowest moving sharks, swimming at only one or two miles per hour. More at Newsy.com. http://www.newsy.com/videos/the-greenland-shark-can-live-to-be-400-years-old/
Human Sacrifice Ritual at CERN - Caught on Tape - FULL Mark Dice Illuminati Satanic scientists at CERN conducted a "human sacrifice" ritual in front of a giant statue of Shiva in Geneva, Switzerland, it appears. Watch the disturbing footage here which shows men wearing black robes and appearing to stab a woman. Some believe this is an actual human sacrifice ritual, others believe it is a prank to poke fin at all the "conspiracy theories" about CERN. Media analyst Mark Dice has the story. ************************* One very common component within these elitist-occult circles is that they just can't stick to one theme at a time. CERN mixes Shiva, Apollo, Cernunnos, Saturn, etc. It appears that in any endeavor, this willful conflation of what they project as their brand of occultism, is an eclectic mishmash of gods, symbols, and codes to the point of silliness. Also, their expressions are very large and loud. There's a certain unspiritual aggression to it, like someone mad for power. It's very curious if you look up some of these old elitist Transhumanist types and watch them literaly complaining about death, and throwing back at their critics "Don't try to destroy my dreams."
The above video was of a particularly good lecture by Stephen McNallen from 1993. He's always a fascinating speaker and interview. He's conducted quite a few interviews recently.
This is it - the product of 45 years devotion to Asatru, in easy-to-understand words. I will write other books, but never one like this! 'Asatru: A Native European Spirituality' at Amazon.com **************************************************
'Sister Golden Hair' by America (1975) I don't mean to read too much into something, but this song feels to me like a light tribute to Germanic or blonde beauty... behind what was obviously a simple ode to a young woman. I remember some years ago, taking an evening class at the College of San Mateo one summer. A 30ish sort've long-haired hippyish guy had a crush on this young 20ish woman from Russia. She was a tall, slender, very pretty blonde with a humble personality. He was tactful, but he tried to convey across some sort of expression of his like for her, although he didn't overstep his bounds. I recall of him saying to this young immigrant woman, something like "we're glad to have you here Zoya."
The following text apparently no longer has any type of copyright, and I wanted to save this particular writing from being lost. I would suggest using FromTextToSpeech.com for anyone who just wanted to sit back and listen rather than read. I find the "Heather" voice to be clear and easy to understand. I can recall republishing a wonderful text interview which the Odinic Rite conducted with a representative of the Slavic Faith Association from Poland a few years ago. I was very surprised that the OR discarded it. Also, I wanted to add that this isn't necessarily a "Norse Creation Myth" as much as it is a Teutonic Creation Myth. It could very well have originated in the original Teutonic homeland north the the Himalayas, probably well over 10,000 years ago, and perhaps much longer. "Nordic" is a region, while "Teutonic" is a people who lived in many regions over the course of time.
Odinic/Asatru Creation Myth In the beginning, there was Ginnungagap, the yawning void or the vast abyss. It was a region so tremendous, so limitless that it extended for ever in any direction, with space to contain a million universes and still have room for another few million. To contemplate it would make you sick with dizziness, would make you weightless, would bend your mind with terror for it had no length, no breadth, no up, no down. In the beginning there was nothing in Ginnungagap that any human thought could grasp, not a drop of water, not a blade of grass, not a even a grain of sand. There was no light, no darkness, no silence and yet no sound - only a yawning void. Although this nothingness was so vast and shapeless, it was still not empty. It had no form but it was definitely not empty. Only the gods know this secret. After the beginning, this nothing began to be something and there were seen to be in it two contrasting regions.
First of all was a region of fire, called Muspell (also known as Muspellheim). No ordinary being could live there for the land was ablaze and the air aflame. Later the combusting fire giants were to make Muspell their home. Muspell means "Home of the Destroyers of the world".
The second of the great regions in the vast abyss of Ginnungagap was cold, bleak wilderness of ice and snow and freezing fog, called Niflheim. Niflheim like Muspell, had existed for countless ages before our earth was created. In the center of Niflheim there surged and foamed up the mighty fountain of Hvergelmir, the Roaring Cauldron. All the rivers of all time proceeded from Hvergelmir. Their names were fearsome and their forms were magic: Howling, one was called, others Storming, Frightful, Bubble-blasting. One was said to be composed entirely of chunks of ice fighting their way along in the shape of weapons - spears, javelins, swords and battle-axes.
Another tumultuous fountain in Niflheim was Elivagar or Icy Waves. Elivagar, too had welled up from its unknown source since time immemorial. Some even say that Hvergelmir and Elivagar were only different names for the one primeval fountain. However that may be Elivagar's crunching, creaking, groaning mountains of ice expanded and exploded and spread lay upon layer as glaciers all over the northern quarter of Ginnungagap. And across the ever growing sierras of ice, whirled winds of hail, blizzards and frozen torrents of rain.
Most important, there bubbled up through Elivagar a poisonous scum which set the slag which runs out of a furnace. This hardened into black ice. When the mass stopped and flowed no further it hung suspended, forming colossal icicles and icebergs log jammed up and up, one on top of another. So between them, Hvergelmir and the poisoned Elivagar completely filled the northern part of Ginnungagap. At last the yawning void which lay to the north quarter was blocked with heavy and crushing ice and frost; while in contrast, the southern sky of Ginnungagap glared with sparks and molten gases gushing out of Muspell.
It was quite obvious that after eons of time the regions of fire and ice in the yawning void must meet. When this eventually happened there arose that most amazing of all phenomena, which no one since the world began has been able to explain - Life. When the two elements came together in space, the yawning void was as mild as the windless air, but as the ice of Niflheim touched the fire of Muspell there was a tremendous explosion and a mighty booming band. The fermenting drops of venom bubbling up through Elivagar were fused to life by the fire and across the length and breadth of Ginnungagap their there formed the body of a giant. He was shaped like a man and at first he hardly moved. A broth of bubbling and boiling mud and ice gave birth to his ferocious head, his arms, his torso and his sludge-streaked legs. His later descendants, the frost giants, named him Aurgelmir which meant Mud Boiler, for they knew the secret of his creation; but others called him Ymir.
For long ages Ymir lay sleeping in his porridge of poisonous, seething mud and ice. At last his body was solid and he began to sweat. Under his armpit grew a male and a female; then one of his feet mated with the other to produce a six-headed son, Thrudgelmir, who in due course gave birth to Bergelmir, the direct ancestor of the frost giants.
Not all the ice of Niflheim was impregnated with the poison from Elivagar, and where it remained pure but was still melted by the fires of Muspell, a vast cow appeared in the thawing ice. Her belly spread across the heights as a colossal cumulus cloud and her legs were columns at the corners of space. From the udder of this great cow the giant Ymir suckled. The frost giants called her Authumla meaning Great Nurse. Authumla herself needed sustenance and she began to lick the continents of ice about her, finding them pleasantly salty to her taste. Just as a master sculptor sees in a block of marble an image which only he can release, so when Authumla licked the ice something new began to appear.
By the evening of the first day her questing tongue had licked out the hair of a man. All next day she nuzzled and slobbered until a man's head appeared. By the third day she had licked a complete man into shape. The gods called him Buri for they claim him as their firs ancestor: he was beautiful and bright to look at, a great and mighty god. As time went on, Buri had a son called Bor, a name which means born, for all those thousands of years ago there were still not very many words available. Bor's wife was Bestla the daughter of a giant known as Balethorn. Bor and Bestla had three sons called Odin, Vili and Ve.
All these beings, the ancestors of the giants and the gods, and the universal cow Authumla, had formed the primeval form lessness Ginnungagap. Because of the venom proceeding from Elivagar some were evil. Others, like Buri, were good. But it is well known that good and evil cannot live peacefully together and before long there was a tremendous battle between the cosmic powers.
The frost giants were a dark and violent race, misshapen, monstrous and noisy. Old Ymir's son, born by the union of his foot with the other, was a glacier-like being with six-heads called Thruthgelmir or Mighty Roarer, and his son was known as Bergelmir or Rock Roarer. When they and their ancient father and grand father Ymir met in council with the notice was ugly and and Odin, Vili and Ve, the sons of Bor were irritated beyond endurance.
Odin and his two brothers quarreled with old giant Ymir and after a great battle they killed him. When he fell, hacked to pieces, so much blood flooded from his body that all his giant family were drowned except the youngest, Bergelmir, and his wife. Bergelmir swam through the billows of blood dragging his wife by the hair until he was able to scramble on to a giant mill and there they sprawled across the millstone gasping for breath. In this way, the race of frost giants and hill ogres was able to continue.
Odin, Vili and Ve dragged Ymir's carcass, still pouring volumes of blood into the middle of Ginnungap. There were so many wounds in Ymir's body that the blood flowing out formed the sea. All oceans, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, pools and streams came from Ymir's blood.
Wondering what to do with the remains, the sons of Bor decided to sculpt it into something useful, so they set to work. They pounded, kneaded, chopped and slashed his tremendous corpse, pushing and pulling his flesh this way and that as though it were clay until they were satisfied. When they had finished the first part of their gruesome task they had produce the groundwork of the earth: the rolling hills, plains, dry river beds, empty lakes, and empty sea-bed. Into all these hollows they poured Ymir's blood so that the earth lay entirely surrounded by the sea with rivers running through it. His bones they hacked and splintered to make mountain crags. They made individual rocks and seashore pebbles from his toes, double teeth and remains of broken bone. They used Ymir's hair for tree's and bushes. For soil the made out of his flesh, and the race of dwarfs appeared spontaneously rather like maggots. Bor's sons had now created the earth and the beaches and the sea but yet there was no sky. So Odin, Vili and Ve between them heaved up the mighty skull of Ymir to form a dome over the earth. Now they had to find a way to keep it in place.
Fortunately (because without a sky the earth would been a dark and miserable, not to mention uninteresting place to live in) a solution was at hand: they were able to make use of the dwarfs. Odin, Vili and Ve peremptorily ordered four of them to stand forever at the four corners of the world to hold up the sky. They called them Nordi (North), Sudri (South), Austri (East) and Westri (West). A little later on Odin created the winds by posting a giant (one of Bergelmir's sons) in the form of an eagle at eh ends of the earth to flap his wings for ever. And into the stream of air Bor's sons cast Ymir's brains to make the clouds.
The dome of the sky was now firmly fixed, but it remained dark and menacing. Freed from the supporting sky, the sons of Bor caught the glowing cinders and sparks which were thrown up and out of Muspell and poised them in the middle of the yawning gulf to light both heaven and earth. They appointed positions to all the stars: some were fixed in heaven, some were to pass backwards and forwards in regular patterns. In this way the seasons of the years were marked out, but as yet there was no sun and moon, and day was not separated from night.
Odin, Vili and Ve now gave a great grant of land encircling the outward shores of the ocean for the race of giants to settle in, calling it Jotunheim or Giant land. Finally the gods took Ymir's brows to build a circular stronghold of the cliff-like walls around the earth. They called this fortress Midgard, meaning the Middle Enclosure.
Creation of Night and Day
Narfi, one of the first giants to colonize Jotunheim, had a stunningly beautiful daughter who was quite unlike the Viking women in appearance. She had a dark complexion and dusky hair. Her name was Nott (Night). Beautiful she was, she made herself more so by wearing bright stars in her long dark hair. Naturally enough, many men wished to marry her and being a young woman of strong character, she married three husbands, one after another.
Nott's first husband was a handsome young fellow called Naglfari or Darkling, who may well have been a distant cousin of hers. Their marriage did not last long, but long enough for them to produce a son called Aud (Space). If you happen to be alone on a dark night with no clouds and the stars twinkling away into infinity, you will be well aware of the presence of Aud.
There was some mystery about Nott's second husband. Nobody ever called him anything else but Annar (Another). It looks suspiciously as if 'Annar' was simply a bye-name, a name employed to disguised the person's identity. People frequently speculated about who could really be or where he came from. There seems no doubt that he was not a giant and if that was the case, then he must have been a God, for no other beings have been created at that time. It is probably no was to find out whether Annar was someone of supreme importance who felt embarrassed about acknowledging a relationship by marriage to the giants. Whoever he was, Nott and her second husband Annar had a lovely daughter who was named Erda (Earth). Now, here is the surprising thing: of all the gods, Odin himself also had a daughter called Erda - so people are left to draw their own conclusions.
Night's third and last husband was Dellinger (Dawn), god of Dawn, He was definitely a relative of the gods and as his name implies, he was bright and fair. Their son Dag (Day), took after his father's side of the family and was very blond and beautiful.
It is clear that the Gods knew all about Nott and her various children and they were only too happy to work them into their scheme for the universe. The gods decided that each twenty-four hours should be divided into twelve and twelve and that half should be light and half dark. They gave Nott and her son Dag each a chariot and a pair of horses and sent them up to the heavens to drive around the earth, one after the other, once every twenty-four hours.
Nott drove first with her lead horse, Hrimfaxi (Frostymane) who each morning sprinkles the ground below with dew as he champs at his bit. The froth and glitter of his spit can be seen as it gathers in beads on the leaves and petals before dawn.
Behind, gallops Dag. His lead horse Skinfaxi (Shiningmane). The resplendence of his two shining steeds and of his own long golden hair, illumines all the earth and the sky with light.
Creation of Sun and Moon
In the old days the sun and moon, made like the other stars and planets from the flames of Muspell, swung unguided across the heavens. At that time there lived on earth a man named Mundilfari. It is not clear whether he was of the giant race of a poor relation of the gods. His name means 'the world turner' and in the beginning he man well have charged with making the world spin round - under the direction of the Gods of course. Perhaps this important work may explain his rather arrogant nature which in the end, got him into trouble.
Mundilfari had two children so bright and handsome that he thought nothing in creation could compare with them except the sun and the moon. Proudly he called the boy Mani (Moon) and the girl Sun (Sol). When the Gods heard about this they took offense. Vainglory of this kind was too much for them to bear and they snatched the children away from their father and put them to work in the heavens. It is these children we see as bright lights in the sky.
They made the girl he named Sol ride like a jockey on one of the horses pulling the chariot of the sun. The two horses drawing Sol's chariot, Arvakr and Alsvin (Early-Wake and Supreme-in-Strength), had to be protected from Sol's great heat, the Gods fixed an indestructible shield known as Svalin (Iron Cool) between the horses and Sol. Year after year, until the end of time, they follow their path across the sky, varying its height and length with the regular pattern of the changing seasons.
Sol's brother had to ride one of the horses of the moon, called Alsvider. But because his journeys were much more complicated than because the moon he was set to a guide of waxes and wanes each month so that it is never quite the same for two days in a row. Mani could not manage this himself and he in his turn kidnapped two other children from earth. A little boy named Bit and his sister Hiuki, had been sent up a high mountain by their father to fetch water from a well. That was the last the old man ever saw of them.
As Mani drove behind the peak in his glowing chariot, he snatched the unsuspecting children and took them along with him. On a clear night of the full moon they are both visible: people on earth call them the children in the moon and it is they who make the moon wax and wane. How exactly they do this is a puzzle. No one knows whether they draw a curtain across Mani's face, or whether they persuade him gradually to turn his head sideways and then back again.
From the earth both the son and the moon can be seen racing across the sky. This is not only because they are drawn by splendid galloping horses. They have a pressing reason for losing no time in their journey: they are both being pursued by wolves.
A long, long way away from Midgard, where it is almost always winter and dark forests stretch as far as the eye can see, in one desolate ravine where the tree trunks are corroded iron, live evil witches, troll women known as Ironwooders. Evil breeds evil. The worst of these witches became the mother of dozens of giants, all born in the form of wolves. Their brutish father was himself a wolf or at least a werewolf and it is said that he was no other than the famous Fenrir. Two of his cubs grew into such huge, terrifying animals that the powers of evil were able to set them like ravening dogs onto the sun and the ever-changing moon.
Bounding through the sky, the wolves chase the horses and the chariots as though they are rabbits or hares. One shaggy, dark wolf pursues the sun; the other just as hideous, leaps along, following the moon. Sun and moon have no hiding place from these evil beasts and are doomed to run away until the doom of the Gods.
The prophecies say that in the end the wolves will overtake Mani and Sol and swallow them up completely.
Creation of Humans
The three sons of Bor were at first known as Odin, Vili and Ve. Though Odin developed many names during his years, he was still mainly known as Odin. Vili was sometimes known as Hoenir and Ve often called Lothur.
One morning, when all creation was new, the sons of Bor were walking together along the ocean shore. As they looked about them they could not help admiring the world they had made. The pure air sparkled with light for everything was running according to their plan - the sun was thinning, the breezes were blowing enough to cool and refresh the skin, puffy white clouds adorned the blue sky and the waves lapped pleasantly along the vast empty strand.
Empty? Well, not quite. In the distance, just beyond the waterline, the three gods made out two logs of driftwood. They had only been recently deposited on the yellow sand by the waves sweeping in from the ocean and were so near the water's edge that the tide still splashed the side of the one nearest to the sea.
Odin looked at his brothers Hoenir and Lothur and a wild idea came into his mind. Together they strode along the firm golden sand until they stood over the two logs. As the bay curved round, the sun happened to be behind them and Hoenir's shadow fell along the log nearest the water while Lothur's shadow lay along the other one.
Odin watched as the shadows of their legs and arms moved, making it look as if the logs too, were moving. He dropped down onto his knees by the log nearest the shore; it had been the trunk of some primeval elm tree. Placing his lips to the rough bark of the tree, he breathed out his divine spirit. Then he stood up and the three stepped back to watch.
Slowly, perhaps even hesitantly, the bark of the elm log began to shrivel and split and roll back until the body of a naked woman appeared. She was very beautiful but her skin was blanched like plant grown for a long time with out light and her eyes were vacant. She lay quite still without moving a limb.
Odin bent over the other log, which had come from an ash tree. Once more he breathed on the thin bark and this time the figure of a man appeared in the wood. His eyes open vacantly and he, too, lay motionless.
All this time the shadows of Hoenir and Lothur lay alone the newly released bodies. The three young Gods looked at each other and without speaking each knew what to do.Odin had released Woman and Man and given them a soul and life. Now the other two brothers made their gifts. As Lothur looked down on the woman he transferred to her the flush of youth, the use of her five senses and the power of understanding. Slowly she sat up, looking around the new world. Then she turned to look at the body still lying motionless and empty beside her.
Lothur then transferred his power to Man. The warmth of blood began to course through his veins and he, too, received understanding and the gifts of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Hoenir's gift was the faculty of speech.
The two new beings, the first man and the first woman, looked at each other in full understanding, rose to their feet and embraced. Odin name the man Ask (Ash) and the woman Embla (Elm), from the trees out of which they had been formed. He took off his clock and draped it over the woman and put his tunic around the man's shoulders. Together the first human beings turned away from the sea and walked hand in hand into their new world. .
I finally saw the final episode for season three, 'The Dead', which was one of the best ones so far in the popular series. Clearly, each season has received more of a budget as the program has grown in popularity. If you go to the 'Vikings' History channel site, there is an online store with posters, clothing, dvds, music, jewelry, throw pillows, tote bags, etc. This could foster more interest in the Asatru movement, if the interested individual can comprehend that Asatru wasn't only a "Viking religion." The Pagan-Asatru band featured is "Wardruna" from Norway, which apparently produced much of the music from the show. This could also foster interest in the pagan music genre as well. Those who will seek out other bands from this multifaceted genre will be surprised at how much is out there.
The spiritual tradition of "the Seer" character is apparently not an Asatruar, but an adherent of "Norse witchcraft." The general theme of Viking paganism was stronger in season three. Floki, in particular, was guiding by the Odinic spiritual tradition... by "the gods." He felt betrayed by Ragnar for his conversion to Christianity. Also, Lagertha's line "If you’ve gone to heaven, then we will never meet again. And yet, I think Odin will ride like the wind and rescue you, and take you to Valhalla where you belong. And there we shall meet again, and fight, and drink, and love one another."
There are many bloggers and forums which have followed the series, such as "Vikings - Fan Site, News and Recaps for History Channel's Vikings." There are numerous sub-plots ready to unfold for season four. Part of what I'm getting at here is that the Vikings were the last great "Heathen Nation" in Europe. This sets it aside from a series about any other post-Roman/Constantine European or Western nation. I know there will be many who will take that first step and google for more information about that "Viking religion." Then the second step, when they type in a search for "Asatru today" or "Odinism modern." Even if one is from a different folk path, it still bridges that disconnect.
I found the character of the Parisian Princess Gisla to be a strong and moving character. During the Viking attack, she stood along the top of the walls of Paris and urged on the defenders of the city. She displayed class and leadership qualities, only to be forced into a marriage with the enemy as it was. That final scene of her standing in her royal clothing and expressing her disgust was one that would get one's attention. If it was shown in a movie theater, dressed in animal furs and with long hair, Rollo's response of saying "hello" in French and then smiling would have received much laughter. Also, of course, the best scene with Ragnar jumping out've the boat/casket! Perhaps his "conversion" was faked?
It probably should be mentioned that--although France had every right to defend itself against the Viking horde--this was only after centuries of extreme Christian aggression against any traditions or ideas which were native to northern Europe.
The "Hexenwolf" legend
Since this posting is Germanic/Heathen in nature, I wanted to add one related article: 'The Legendary Hexenwolf'. This is a part of German-American folklore.
An interesting name
According to IMDb.com, regarding the surname of actor Bob Odenkirk ('Breaking Bad'; 'Better Call Saul'): His last name means "Church of Odin" in Old Norse. It was spelled
"Oatencirck" many generations back, and originated with a German
immigrant ancestor.
5-11-15 Addition:According to IMDb.com, regarding the given name of the actress Thora Birch ('American Beauty'; 'Ghost World'): Her parents, Jack Birch & Carol Connors, thought that she would be a boy, and planned on naming the child Thor, after the Norse God of Thunder and Lightning. When she was born, however, her parents feminized the name and called her Thora.
Bodi Mayo is finally offering his astounding ritual hammers for sale, just in time for yule. Bodi has donated these at our event auctions in the past and they always create a buzz. This is a true ritual hammer, not just a store bought hammer repurposed for ritual use. Each hammer is made from scratch, then shaped and welded using solid steel throughout. These are intended to be heirloom pieces, passed down for generations.
Contact Bodi today at southernheathen@gmail.com for more information.
Please share and support AFA Artisans this Yule! ************************************************** I am not an Odinist/Asatruar, but I thought that this was something that transcended "being an Odinist." This appears to be an finely crafted, American, hand-made item... made by an Asatruar in fact. An item related to honor and the folk spirit. I have an all-stainless steel hammer tool that belonged to my great uncle which I keep in plain view every day. It was made in the USA when items like this were made to practically last forever. To me, it's a proactive symbol of evolutionary struggle. .
Synchronicity has been covered here before, and rather than start off by rehashing it again; I will simply give an example of it from my own life just yesterday. In the morning I walked out front to bring in one of the recycling/disposal bins. I noticed a piece of paper laying along the side of the property. As I was picking it up, I noticed that it was a label from a San Pellegrino bottle. I immediately thought of "synchronicity" being that S. Pellegrino water is from the Alps of the Bergamo province in Lombardy. After pondering that possibility for about three seconds, I concluded that it was more likely just coincidence. About an hour later, I took a break by walking to the back of the property where there is a deck next to a few trees overlooking the side of the lower mountain slope that it rests upon, as well as the bay in the distance. The book that I am currently reading is 'The Book of the Holy Strega' by Raven Grimassi (2012 edition). The book explores the legend of a woman in fourteenth century Tuscany named Aradia (pronounced "ah-RAY-dee-ah"), who led a group of followers across the countryside teaching people about "the old religion" (the native magical earth-based heathenry aka "witchcraft"; which I prefer to call "witcheathenry"). After a few moments of sitting and reading, I came to the following text: "And the fame of her wisdom and beauty went forth over the land, and the people worshipped her, calling her La Bella Pellegrina." At that moment, I knew that the "coincidence" of an hour earlier was actually "synchronicity." San Pellegrino means "Saint Pilgrim" in Italian, in masculine form; while San Pellegrina is the feminine form. It doesn't come any clearer than that; yet impossible to literally prove; except in your mind you can gauge the odds of this type of connection happening over and over. Reading a book regarding a subject of some importance to you is the best way that I know of to invoke these types of experiences. It either happens out of the blue, or you can consciously will it to happen (not force it). It's important to note--and even highly intelligent people have made this error--that these connections do not make you special or "the chosen one," but it's more like an affirmation of the universe telling you "good, you're on the right track." Have fun with it and read all of the messages and symbolism around you, while your driving or walking. Three black birds or three ravens are a big one with me, and that ties into Norse, Celtic, and Alpine mythology... as well as my own family coat-of-arms. Also, the number 18, silver (more often as a word), iron, the letter "C" (sometimes "B" as well), and a body of water on or next to a mountain... just to name a few off-hand. Having the masculine "pellegrino" message seemingly "delivered" to me next to the morning paper; and soon thereafter reading about Aradia the "pellegrina," reflected deep personal synchronicity, and even for reasons that I cannot divulge at this time. Also, the landscape from the deck closely matches the landscape from the cover of the book! All of this doesn't mean that I'm special in particular, but only that I am on the right track. One's actions will ultimately determine how "special" one may be. Are synchronistic messages and symbols the way that our goddesses, gods, god, angels, or spirit guides communicate with us? Three days ago, while running an errand during twilight, I was driving down a street with a mild amount of traffic. It was the type of semi-major street that cuts through a bedroom community. Someone was pulling out of their driveway, and I slowed down. Just a few seconds before I was about to step on the a gas to get going again, I noticed a woman standing on the sidewalk looking at me. We made direct eye contact, rather than a simple glance. Her eyes were almost hypnotic as she looked into my eyes along the dimly lit street. I wanted to keep looking at her for some unknown reason, but I turned away after three to four seconds. She never looked away. I don't know that it would make sense to describe her in any detail, but suffice to say that this could have been a message of some type. People or animal messengers merely "act out" the message unknowingly; and we have all been a messenger for others unknowingly. Ultimately, we as individuals must decide what these messages--if we choose to seek them--might actually mean. That woman really presented me with a strong (non-sexual) message, which I think I may understand; but this subject is bigger than any one person, and I'm merely trying to give some examples of it for others here. The individual needs to develop their own set of codes, numbers, letters, words, people, animals, incects, landscapes, and symbols. For me, a white-furred animal or insect represent a certain positive energy. Those little white butterflies symbolize that for me, and I call them "angels of the day." Sometimes very fair people can fit that symbolism, but usually in the form of a small-statured woman. White cats also have a certain positive energy to them. I once knew a female white-furred dwarf cat who everyone thought was so docile, but she would stare down big dogs who ran at her. She couldn't even hear them because she was deaf, and thus wouldn't even flinch; but the dogs always backed off because she wasn't afraid of them, or sometimes because she took a swipe at'em! She was sort've like an "angel of the day," standing firm against negative or potentially harmful forces. .
