Æhtemen

So whilst Woden’s byname of Þundr resembles the word thunder but means ‘to swell’, we still might associate Woden with thunder through another of his bynames. Grim means hooded or masked but this also referred to the clouded sky – we still describe the dark and cloudy weather as ‘grim’.

Grim is connected to the OE Grīm and ON Grímr, both from *grimmaz ‘fierce’, ultimately from *gʰrem- ‘to thunder’.

One of Odin’s names that is often posted about is Þundr. Jackson Crawford translates the name as meaning ‘stretched’ from the verb þenja. However Stephen Pollington translates Þundr as ‘swollen’ which is more likely. There’s an OE cognate in the word þindan ‘to swell’. The name is found in the term ‘Þundr oc Uðr’ or the ‘Swell and Wave’ and is suggested that the name refers to Odin swelling the stormy sea.

Hétumk Grímr, hétumk Gangleri,
Herjann ok Hjalmberi,
Þekkr ok Þriði,
Þundr ok Uðr, Herblindi ok Hár.

Scenes from the Gundestrup cauldron.

A storm has set in in this part of England. And whilst I’ve sometimes connected the gale-winds with Woden's song, these wet and windy storms are connected with the thunder god Thunor. There are lots of images and depictions of the gods holding their beards (see STJ post here), but one of the more famous is the bronze Eyrarland Statue showing Thor parting his beard. One name used to describe Thor and no doubt connected is Skegghöss or Beard-voice or Beard-speech. Another name is Skeggraust, Beard-voice or Beard-flow. Both carry the idea his voice is the source of the storm.

The name Hörn (used by Freya/Frēo) is thought to come from hǫrr / hörr meaning flax and both Frēo and Frīge are associated with flax through weaving. Hörr is cognate with the word har – becoming harl (flax) in modern English. Har is also connected to the word hair – a connection strengthen by the fact that ‘flax’ – from *pleḱ means to plait, hence why plaited hair is sacred to Frēo and Frīge.

There certainly seems to be a connection with plaiting hair and weaving flax. Flax, also called dise, which is ready to spin resembles hair and gives its name to the distaff – the staff for holding dise – which is the tool associated with seiðr.

Possible depictions of seiðr and the striking similarities of the Lejre idol and the Skellerup woman.

Älvalek (The Dancing Elves) by August Malmström 1866

An absolutely incredible interactive map of hillforts throughout Britain and Ireland.

It’s the Winter-finding full-moon tonight and the first full-moon of the winter season, which in English lore started after the equinox last month. As usual my family-hearth will hold a ritual to honour the ancestors and the changing of the season.

As Bede stated ‘The old English people split the year into two seasons, summer and winter, placing six months - during which the days are longer than the nights - in summer, and the other six in winter. They called the month when the winter season began Ƿintirfylliþ [Winterfylleth], a word composed of "winter" and "full moon", because winter began on the first full moon of that month.’

It is important to remember that the Elves of Germanic tradition were not the faery or pixie creatures by which more recent folklore has interpreted them. The Elves are the spirits of the ancestors who could influence the world of the living, much like the Roman manes. Their name, from Proto-Germanic Albiz, cognate with Latin albus, means White and shining, they are beautiful and radiant.

Under Christianity their negative influence was emphasised, as illness, disease and madness was attributed to elf-shot. Positive outcomes however were held to be under the weaving of Wyrd by the Meotod, God as meter or measurer of fate.

Survive the Jive and Maria Kvilhaug have both arrived at similar conclusions that one of the most fundamental elements in the origins of Hallowe'en is not just the Celtic Samhain, but the Germanic Alfablót (Old English Ælfblōt) where a sacrifice was given to the Elves on the Winterfylleth (winter-fullmoon) of October.

This veneration of the spirits of the dead is a tradition which, as mentioned in Guyenót's article above, has been cut off from us. The honouring of our ancestors and the preservation of our bloodlines is something that is fundamental to the Racial Weltanschauung and thus on Hallowe'en, I believe it is more important than ever to bring this connection to our ancestors back into our lives.

Edith the fair was said to have identified the body of Harold Godwinson from his tattoos. The custom of tattooing was described by William of Malmesbury in 1125 who writes in his book ‘Gesta Regum Anglorum’ (Deeds of the Kings of the English) that ‘In fine, the English at that time wore short garments reaching to the mid-knee; they had their hair cropped; their beards shaven; their arms laden with golden bracelets; their skin adorned with punctured designs’.

An excellent song above by English band Forefather. The tune is based on the English folk song Robin Hood and the Tanner.

A very important date today

https://youtu.be/y8-_BVJiRAo

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Be sure to pour one out for the brave and noble dead who fought arduously for their homeland, before and after the battle was over.