ᛉ Sagnamaðr Stark ᛉ

Get this…a few weeks ago, my boomer landlord, who threatened to damn near double my rent, found a pendant with the Fehu rune carved on it and asked me what it was, and I explained how in the rune poems, it’s a warning about the dangers of greed, calls it the source of discord among kinsmen. Well, my rent didn’t go up. ᚠ

“Fé vældr frænda róge;  føðesk ulfr í skóge.” “Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;  the wolf lives in the forest.” ~Norwegian Rune Poem How I read this is, unlike us, wolves don’t pursue wealth for the sake of wealth. What they take, they do so for their pack; their folk. ᚠ

Early Anglo Saxon burials containing ring pouches from Lincolnshire, and a modern reconstruction. The ring held the mouth open, and could be made of metal or wood, and on some lavish examples, the ring was made of a section of elephant ivory, traded up from the Swahili Coast. Women are always saying modern women’s clothing doesn’t have enough pockets…gents, now you know what to get her for Midsummer. 𐘾

A speculative reconstruction of how Alemannic zierscheiben may have been used, as decorative lids for ring pouches. Many examples were found at waist height in burials alongside metal and bone rings, and have a patch of wear on the frames consistent with being raised and lowered hundreds of times. 𐘾

A large Alemannic zierscheibe with a zoomorphic swastika design, made of silvered bronze, found in Strasbourg, 6-7th Century. 𖥹

With the way fuel prices are going and will continue to go, we’re gonna have to start asking the difficult questions soon. …such as; Scythian, Celtic, or Anglo Saxon warhorse aesthetics? 𐘾

https://youtu.be/topBq0TkLMY In this episode, Sagnamaðr Stark and I discuss the survival and influence of paganism throughout history, especially during the Third Reich, and explore its connections to mystical traditions, symbolism, and modern interpretations. The question being discussed is whether folk faith and paganism survived because of or despite the WW2 era.

On today’s episode, my friend Hammer and Vajra and I discuss one of the most glaring questions surrounding contemporary Paganism; did Paganism thrive in the Third Reich, or merely survive…and why is this relevant today?

You know who did renounce love for power? Fáfnir. Wagner had Alberich more explicitly renounce love, which he inferred from the fact that with Fáfnir, his greed and pursuit of wealth for the sake of wealth ends with him perched on a heap of gold in a cave…alone. In the Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, king Þráinn spends his life pursuing wealth and power, and willingly becomes a draugr to protect it. Before he’s slain by the titular hero, he warns that no good came from his treasure, and this is where that path ends. Painting by Hermann Hendrich, 1906. ᚠ

Oðinn doesn't renounce or betray Frigga.

On one recurring D-bracteate pattern, the animal’s body twists around itself, with one limb gripping its body; later reflected on the Viking Age gripping beast motif, though a more mammalian or human-like face takes the place of the raven’s. 𐘾

A simple bronze Thor’s hammer recently found in Brønderslev, Denmark. 𐘾

“My garments once in a field I gave To a pair of carven poles; Heroes they seemed when clothes they had, But the naked man is nought.” ~Hávamál 49, Bellows In the Ragnars saga loðbrókar, Ögmund’s crew encounter a trémaðr (tree-man) who speaks and tells them of how Ragnar’s sons sacrificed to him in ancient times, but now he has neither flesh nor clothes. The Anglo Saxon poem Maxims I connects Woden with the making of idols, “Woden worhte wēos”, as well. This stanza of course echoes the creation of the first humans in the Völuspá, when Odin fashioned Askr and Embla from two trees. 𐘾 “Váðir mínar gaf ek velli at tveim trémönnum; rekkar þat þóttusk, er þeir rift höfðu; neiss er nökkviðr halr.”

Is the Hárbarðr in the Hárbarðsljóð Odin or Loki in disguise? Hárbarðr accuses Sif of being unfaithful, as Loki does every Goddess in the Lokasenna, attempting to sow doubt and division amongst his enemies. Odin is attested as Hárbarðr in the Grímnismál; there could be a lesson there about Jötnar disguising themselves as Gods, evil disguising itself as good, to infiltrate society and spread degeneracy, perhaps he even seeks to keep Thor occupied and delay action through pointless debate. Now, if Hárbarðr is Odin, the purpose of this flyting match could be a test of Thor’s virtue. He wants to see if Thor has stooped to such lows, or remained noble and true in His battles and travels, and faithful to Sif, which He has. As Hárbarðr brags about his alleged sexual exploits, vile acts of rape and infidelity, Thor lists battles fought, Jötnar slain, before making His way around the sound to dispatch Hárbarðr. Art by W.G. Collingwood, 1908. 𐘾

A silver Thor’s hammer recently found in Kolding, Denmark. One theory is the popular ring-and-dot pattern, often found on Thor’s hammers and other amulets, was based on storm rings, when a halo appears around the sun or moon before heavy rain. 𐘾

“(Celtiberians) bury plates of iron in the ground and leave them there until in the course of time the rust has eaten out what is weak in the iron and what is left is only the most unyielding, and of this they then fashion excellent swords and such other objects as pertain to war.” ~Diodorus Siculus ࿋

“Over beer the bird of forgetfulness broods, And steals the minds of men; With the heron's feathers fettered I lay And in Gunnloth's house was held.” ~Hávamál 13, Bellows The heron was also associated with Hœnir, referred to as langifótr, long-foot, and aurkonungr, mud-king, in the Skáldskaparmál. The stark contrast here is that in the Völuspá, Hœnir gave sense to humanity, while here, the drink takes it. Painting by Franz Stassen. 𐘾 “Óminnishegri heitir sá er yfir ölðrum þrumir, hann stelr geði guma; þess fugls fjöðrum ek fjötraðr vark í garði Gunnlaðar.”

Celtiberian caetra armour from the El Altillo necropolis, Spain, 5-4th Century BC, with a sun cross design. 𐃏

“Some of these javelins come out of the forge straight, others twist in and out in spiral shapes for their entire lengths, the purpose being that the thrust may not only cut the flesh, but mangle it as well. And that the withdrawal of the spear may lacerate the wound.” ~Diodorus Siculus  Sounds like Cú Chulainn’s spear Gáe Bolg.  Painting by Angus McBride. ࿋

A friend pointed out that Galdralag metre is extremely similar to Buddhist Dhāranī poetry; characterized by a series of short alliterations followed by a long, “binding” final line. It appears to have been an ancient, widely known means by which to impel divine forces to intercede and aid you. Painting by Franz Stassen. 𐘾