Harrowman Ealdham

It’s believed that the statue of Thor found in Eyrarland, Iceland, and the famous Icelandic “wolf cross”, have Christian influence in regards to their design. Specifically because the hammers in this context have a cross shape. I personally theorize that these are late Germanic expressions of a weapon that is commonly depicted throughout the Indo-European world. Commonly known as a Vajra This weapon is a materialization of cosmic order in the form of a weapon or lightning bolt. (which makes sense in this case given the nature of the deity that these objects are associated with). As you can see on this carving of Thor found in Sweden (pic #3), the head of his hammer is interestingly depicted with three prongs; much like the vajra. I am not denying the fact that Christianity could have indeed played a role in the evolution of the design, but ultimately I think these depictions of the Thunderer’s hammer are indeed Pagan.

Another misconception that I see pop up every now and then is that Thor is associated with smithing. I’m unsure of where this comes from, but folks who subscribe to this belief also think that the sound of thunder is his hammer pounding on an anvil. While this idea is very cool; the sound of thunder is more likened to the wheels of his chariot. We in the Germanic tradition already have a God/deity associated heavily with smithing. He is legendary elf-smith Wayland,(ON: Völundr) and if you have not read his story in Völundarkviða; I highly recommend doing so.

A rune-stone someone in Vermont, USA raised for their pet wolf-dog named Sigi. Credit to Scott T. Shell

Another lesser-known association with Óðinn is his connection with snakes. Across the Germanic world there are odinic depictions showing him alongside them. The connection between the Sky-Father deific and serpents across the Indo-European world is widespread. Shiva himself is almost always depicted with a snake wrapped around his neck to show his fearlessness. (this could be related to the sacrifice made by Óðinn on Yggdrasil. In Germanic tradition snakes are sometimes called by the poetic name “Hel-Ropes”. This could emphasize Óðinn’s fearlessness in the face of death to fulfill his duty of discovering the runes).

Happy Leif Erikson Day!

A friend of mine noticed the similarities between the depiction on the left and this medieval motif from a German church.

Two interesting Alemannic zierscheiben, with a likely Alemannic depiction of Wodan, surrounded by eagles (or ravens) forming a fylfot. The arms entwined through the knees could indicate a meditative stance.

Truth in the cosmos is comparable to mathematics. Despite separate cultures writing numbers or equations differently, they ultimately come to the same answer. Though the answer will be written and said differently because of isolation. Pic: A depiction of Óðinn from Sweden and an odinic figure called Nanabozho that existed among the Ojibwe tribe in North America.

Russian women near the Sharshenga River praying to trees.

I started collecting and processing my own pine resin for Blots/rites. I recommend anyone who uses resin and has access to pine trees to go out and collect some yourselves. Pine has an association with purification and fertility in many cultures. It was very commonly used in temples and shrines throughout the European world.

When I discuss the parallels between Gods within different Indo-European traditions, I’m always am amazed at how someone can be so confident in their defense against what I present and yet they’ve never read any sources from any tradition. Including their own. Once I was discussing how Óðinn not only has an association with wolves, but he also has an association with dogs/hounds. (Like other Sky-Father deifics in other traditions such as Hades, Shiva, Lugh, etc.) The person I was discussing with aggressively defended the position that Óðinn has no association with dogs. That’s an interesting claim considering in the story of Grimnismal; Frigg’s handmaiden, Fulla, bodes king Geirröðr that he will be visited by a man skilled in magic, (Óðinn in the form of Grimnir) and made it clear that; “ok sagði þat mark á ,at engi *hundr* var svá ólmr, at á hann mundi hlaupa.” and (Fulla) told this sign concerning him, that no *dog* was so fierce as to leap at him. It goes on to say that king Geirröðr, despite the explicit warning, had Grimnir (Óðinn) taken away to be tortured thus failing the test of sacred hospitality. “ok þó lætr hann handtaka þann mann, er eigi vildu *hundar* á ráða.” but nevertheless he had them take the man whom the *dogs* would not attack. If the dog/hound is not sacred to Óðinn, then why was it a key detail in forewarning his arrival to the king? Hail the Lord of Hounds. Hail the Heerfather Hail Woden!

It breaks my heart to say that the creator and owner of the clothing brand “Theater of War” has sadly lost his battle with leukemia. My heart goes out to his children and family members. I got to know the man a bit, he was very intelligent and passionate about history. It must have been an honor to supply museums in the UK with his brand’s name on it. I can only hope he is with his ancestors celebrating his arrival and is in a a state of indescribable bliss. Hail to you Adam. You are gone but your deeds and character will not be forgotten. If anyone would like to support his children and help his family raise funds for his funeral, here is a link to the Gofundme. https://gofund.me/b85aaba4

This is ironic considering Jupiter/Djous Patēr (Latin), Zeus Patēr (Greek), Dei-Pátrous (Illyrian), and Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ (Vedic) are all names used in Pagan societies and were used to worship/pray to the king or chief of the Gods.

Another good example of cultural/religious syncretism done by Germanic tribes, is when they conquered a culture they usually made the native sacred sites their own. This happened a countless number of times in England. The picture here is of the famous “Wayland’s Smithy”, a Neolithic tomb that was built between 3590-3555 BC. If you know history, you will realize when I mention the dates that the tomb was built nearly 4,000 years before the Anglo-Saxons invaded England, and 1,200 years before the Beaker Folk invaded the Isles and brought IE culture along with them. So that means that not only the Anglo-Saxons preserve this sacred Neolithic tomb and syncretize their religion with the Celtic associations with the tomb, but the Celtic AND Beaker Folk did as well. Meaning that despite the natives not even having an IE culture, the Beaker folk still insisted on keeping their tombs and sacred sights and applying their own religion to it. Some Neolithic tombs were even reused to bury the dead of the Beaker Folk.

I would consider myself to be a folkish Pagan, but sometimes it amazes how some of these people can be driven insane with the idea of strict religious purity. (almost like Christians) Going as far to call different dialectal names for the same God two different beings (such as Wotan vs Woden), and if you disagree with them you are a Marxist. It honestly makes no sense to call Indo-European syncretists Marxist considering our own ancestors syncretized different Gods of other IE traditions. Here is one of many Germanic examples. Below is shrine built for the Germanic mercenaries fighting the Picts in the north of what is now called England during their conquest of Britain. It reads, “To the God Mars of the Thing and the two Alaisiagae, Beda and Fimmilena, and to the Divinity of the Emperor the Germans, being tribesmen of Twenthe, willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow.” Now obviously, the “Thing”, a Germanic tribal assembly to discuss legal affairs, was not native to Roman culture. Implying that, though the shrine itself mentions Mars, the deity that was worshipped by Germanic warriors was indeed Tiw (ON: Tyr) a Germanic God associated with courage, the Thing/law, and war. I’m sure that the Germanic warriors had no issue worshipping one of their native Gods of war through a Roman shrine with the name of his Roman equivalent on it! The depiction of Tyr is from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. At the bottom it says “Mars or Tyr”.

Elements of Theology. (A Greek based conceptualization)