Harrowman Ealdham

On Calling Thor In the Eddas, Thor tends to appear suddenly whenever he is named or called. This reveals a potential naming taboo tradition regarding Thor, or that he has a sort of all-hearing ability regarding his name. In Gylfaginning, when the giant smith was building the walls of Ásgarðr, the Æsir nefndu Þórr, who immediately responds and smites the giant smith. And again in Gylfaginning, during the story of Thor and Hrungnir’s battle, Thor arrives immediately after being named by the Æsir when Hrungnir gets out of hand and makes boasts and threats towards the gods. Manuscript DG 11 4to uses the term nefna, while AM 242 fol. uses the term kölluðu. Another instance is in Lokasenna, when Thor appears suddenly after being named by Loki, and begins to threaten Loki for his slander. In this instance, it is simply his name being spoken that initiates the arrival of his presence. This custom of calling on Thor is present in the sagas, and is usually in an invocatory method. In Landnámabók, the settler Kráku-Hreiðarr Ofeigsson instead of throwing his öndvegissúlur overboard, he decides to heiti á Þórr to determine where he is to settle, and vows to fight whoever might be settled there. The giantess Arinnefja in Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana, states hét ek þá á Þórr, and offers him a goat as a sacrifice if he would relieve her from the torment of her sisters. Which he creatively does. Thor is also said to respond to poetry composed in his honor. Great examples of this type of poetry were composed by Vetrliði Sumarliðason and Þórbjörn Dísarskáld and retained in Skáldskaparmál. These poems should be seen as a part of the specific prayer structure with regard to his siðr. In Eiríks saga Rauða, Þórhallr veiðimaðr composes poetry for Thor, which results in a whale being beached as a gift for his poetry. He was said to be found chanting to himself. The term used being þylja, implying repeating something by rote or memory. It is said in Klements saga, that Thor er nær hvars sem hann er blótinn — is near where he is sacrificed to, or worshipped. Indicating that there was a belief that Thor was literally present at places where he was worshipped. This reflects the tradition of calling and naming, and Thor’s immediate response to summons. On a more ominous note, the Sámi roused Thor as Horagalles/Toragalles through joiking, their custom of chanting. To rouse Thor had the potential to be both beneficial and dangerous. If he was not directed properly, Thor would harm the one who summoned him, with such doom being remedied only by copious amounts to of sacrifices being given to him, as Lars Levi Læstadius records.

I want to clarify that I intentionally did not mention Lady Hel in this post. I personally do not reject her worship, though some people do. In my personal practice I see her as another aspect of the Earth Mother Frigg - Queen of Heaven Jörð -Queen of Earth Hel - Queen of the Underworld

To worship Loki is to worship adharma. Loki is not a God and should not be honored. The same goes for Fenrir and Jormungandr. Their worship is exclusively new age nonsense that, in my eyes, was created to subvert Germanic tradition. Evil is a slave to the Good, but that does not mean we should strive for evil. To worship Loki (or Fenrir/Jormungandr) is to completely miss the point of worshipping the Gods in the first place. Reject these new age and counter religious ideas.

Woah! I check Telegram after I get off work and I see we’ve made it to 700 subscribers! Thank you all so much. I’m glad you guys enjoy my thoughts and content. I will try to post more regularly, but as you know, sometimes life gets in the way. May the Gods bless all of you and may all of you have a lovely weekend. :)

Thank you all for 2,500 subscribers! With so many people spreading trash these days, I figured I’d share a few friends’ channels, and channels I recommend, which may be of interest. In no particular order… Hammer and Vajra - Pan-Indo-European religion: https://t.me/hammerandvajra Survive the Jive (obvs): https://t.me/survivethejive Harrowman Ealdham - Germanic paganism and comparative mythology: https://t.me/Ealdham Waldeinsamkeit - Germanic paganism, and Midwest German culture and history: https://t.me/Urglaawe Kolovrat and Trinity - Slavic paganism: https://t.me/kolovratandtrinity Æhtemen - Anglo Saxon paganism: https://t.me/AEHTEMEN Sigmund’s Metaphysical Männerbund - Germanic paganism and outdoors: https://t.me/sigmundsmannerbund Maitridatta - a Buddhist friend: https://t.me/Maitridatta Vajrarastra - another Buddhist friend: https://t.me/vajrarastra Pagan Places - modern and historical pagan sites: https://t.me/pagan_places Will of Gaut - Germanic paganism: https://t.me/willofgaut

Stark is a good friend of mine and I wouldn’t be where I am today in terms of the things I’ve learned about Germanic and Indo-European traditions had it not been for him. I’m happy that fate allowed us to cross paths early on in my journey, friend.

If you are just starting your journey into understanding Paganism, true spirituality, or Natural Religion, I highly recommend these books that will help you along your way. Bhagavad Gita is an amazing book that will teach you the nature of the divine and is overall an exceptional book that will help you in forming the foundations of your pious life. “The Book” by Allan Watts is great for understanding the nature of the true self (the soul) and the common denominator between everything in the living Cosmos. Tao Te Ching is a foundational text for Taoism. It is to help one understand natural order, or “the Way” and overall is an exceptional book containing much wisdom. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, devout Pagan, and Stoic philosopher. It is a book that has helped many people, including myself, in everyday life. It was intended to be for himself, not a wide audience. Nonetheless it has turned out to be one of the most influential pieces of Stoic literature of all time. Finally, we have Hávamál. The author for Hávamál remains unknown. Its name translates to “The words of Hávi (The High One/Óðinn)”. It is a great book of advice and wisdom from a Germanic perspective. All of these books are from completely different cultures, but Truth remains unchanged no matter where it is found. This collection I’ve presented is meant to be a great starting point for laying the foundation of one’s understanding of true spirituality and Natural Religion. I firmly believe that anyone who reads these books will benefit from it. Thank you for reading. I wish you good luck in this important endeavor. Hail the Gods!

To limit your spiritual growth only to one specific grouping of poetry or text is being dishonest with yourself. We as Germanic Pagans may use our own sources for the foundation of our spiritual practice or beliefs, but we would be no better than Abrahamics to say; “I only rely on Germanic texts alone for my spiritual journey!”. Indeed, our lore is rich and better off than what most traditions have in this period of post-Christianisation, but would you say that you are truly pursuing a path of Truth, Knowledge, and Wisdom if you weren’t willing to accept them no matter where they may be found? Going against this is like being a whale in a self-made fish tank. You no longer allow yourself to explore the vastness of the sea. Rather, you limit yourself to the shell of your own egotistical limitations

Bledsian Ēostre! ❁ Góðan Sigrblót! ⴲ

This is an exciting new find from Kent England. It is a 6th-7th century copper alloy patrix bearing an odinic spear dancer like those found across other Germanic countries.

It is impossible for the Gods to misunderstand you, or your intentions.

I submit myself to the Bestower of Boons, whose form represents the state of the highest realm of Heaven. Who manifests in a singular form, though in essence He is pervading everywhere; And He whose Third form embodies the highest knowledge of the One. Who remains absorbed in His Own Self. He who sits upon the high throne of Heaven; I hail to that Holy Host. I submit myself to Eormen, Who is formless and the very root from where the sacred runes arise; Who Abides in the state of Oneness. He is the Lord who is beyond the knowledge which speech can express and beyond the perception which sense-organs can perceive; He is the rider of the great ash. He terrifying and fierce. He destroys all for its benefit; at the same time He is an embodiment of compassion to his devotees, I bow down to he whose maidens carry souls to his hall to leave this dream-plain. Which is a dwelling place for all that is order. I submit myself to whose voice is thunder, Who is shining gold resembling the sun. In the depth of whose mind is bottomless like the sea, Whose pledge shows itself with his waning eye. From whose wings the mead of poetry drops, From Him all inspiration and enthusiasm intoxicate. High upon the Ash did he hang to become one with his higher form, and around whose neck adorns the ropes of Hel. I submit myself to the Soother of Woes, Whose red mustache sways from His beautiful face, which is adorned with a golden helm and a solar gaze, Whose mien is beaming with beauty, Whose throne is adorned with silver and gold, And who rules the cosmos with a just hand. Whose Clothes are the blue like the eternal sky and whose breast is adorned with the greatest of chainmail. I worship Him who is widely known and is beloved by His devotees, Who is the great bestower of Truth and Wisdom. Who is the Lord of Earth and of all. I submit myself to the Terrible One Who is of terrifying appearance, Eminent and extremely Strong; Who is the Highest Lord, Who is ever Unborn and Whole; and with the Effulgence of Million Suns, Who has spear in hand, the flash of which restores all order and makes evil tremble in fear. I submit myself to He whose auspicious nature is beyond the elements of the material world and who brings an end to an age Who always give great joy to the wise men and who is the enemy of disorder, By taking Away the great delusion, He plunges the prepared soul into eternal bliss. O Destroyer of Fetters; please be gracious to me; please be gracious to me, O Lord. I submit myself to the King of Creation. So long as divine law is not honored in this world or later by mankind, Joy, peace and the end of sorrows will not be experienced in life. Therefore O Lord, please be gracious, You who reside within all beings. Please be gracious, You whose breath breathes life into the cosmos. Salutations to the Master Sage. Even in the darkest of times, O Lord, I always at all times only bow down to You, O Great Calmer, Please protect me from the sorrows of birth and old age, as well as from the sins which lead to suffering, Please protect me O Lord from afflictions; Protect me You who blesses me with bliss. O Source of Speech and Life-Breath, May this Galder please You. And may You look upon me favorably.

Hello everyone, I hope you all are enjoying your spring. I just wanted to say that I apologize for the lack of activity. The reason that started this big period of silence is that I have been writing a book of prayers for the Norse and Anglo-Saxon tradition compounded with this there have been a lot of other things that have happened in my life and it is very difficult to commit extra time mentally and physically to developing more post for this channel. It has been very rewarding seeing this channel grow, and it has been very funny to see the enemies I’ve made along the way. Which is a good thing, because to have enemies means that you stand for something. After I conquer this period in my life, I will be going back to posting on here but right now, I have priorities that are taking up the majority of my time. I will post on here when the book of prayers that I am writing is finished and finally published. I am passionate about this project because I wanted to be a book that every German pagan can have on their altar, and there can be formulated prayers on demand. Because I know how time-consuming and daunting it can be to write a full prayer to a God especially for a beginner I thank you all sincerely for understanding, and I will leave you with one last devotional prayer that I made based on a mantra to Shiva.

Anglo-Saxon buckle plate found in Wiltshire a couple days ago.

What it’s like studying Indo-European cosmologies…

Several amulets shaped like miniature fire steels have been found from the Viking Age, sometimes alongside Thor’s Hammers. Thinking about the folk tale from Småland, connecting sheet lightning with Freyja’s fire steel, these amulets may very well have been a symbol of Freyja.

“When as a boy I was visiting the old Proud-Katrina, I was afraid of lightning like all boys in those days. When the sheet lightning flared at the night, Katrina said: "Don't be afraid little child, it is only Freyja who is out making fire with steel and flintstone to see if the rye is ripe. She is kind to people and she is only doing it to be of service,” - A recount from Småland Swedish folklore told by Johan Alfred Göth This bit of folklore explains certain graves that contain firesteel amulets. It is interesting here how it mentions that she is checking on the rye. Because in German folklore we see a figure known as the Rye Mother (Roggenmuhme). The Rye Mother shows a few christianized elements such as kidnapping children, being depicted as dark and witch-like, killing rye with her touch. However, German farmers would give sections of unharvested rye as an offering to appease her for a good harvest. She is also associated with rainfall. This is no doubt a post Christian conception of Freyja.

Neorth’s blessings to all. May you find financial stability and peace within your families.

Rudra Ambika Art: Jamini Pal, Murshidabad

Happy Solmonath! Hail the Earth-Mother!