Iron, a Sacred Metal to our Ancestors

Iron as a metal has fascinated me for some time, mainly because of its association with the Thunder God.
My readers will recall that Thunor/Thor/Donar was given an iron hammer by the dwarves Brokk and Sindri as part of a contest between them and the sons of Ivaldi.

However as I have written before this iron hammer was not the original one. Thunor first wielded a stone hammer which he had taken from his foster parents, Vingnir and Hlora who raised Him.

"It is certain that Thor took a stone hammer from Vingnir`s home as a spoil of victory, which he always used against the giants afterwards, except during the short time he possessed an iron hammer that Mimir`s son Sindri had forged for him."[Our Fathers` Godsaga, Viktor Rydberg]

After the new iron Mjolnir was destroyed by Wieland`s sword Gambantein, Thunor resorted to using the original stone one again and it is this stone one which will be recovered by Thunor`s sons, Magni and Modi after Ragnarok.  In my opinion the tale of the two hammers is a reflection of the transition from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. During the Bronze Age neolithic tools were still used alongside bronze ones and this is why we do not hear of any stories of Thunor having a bronze hammer. Of course originally the stone hammer would have been an axe. Many Thor`s Hammers do tend to resemble the axe rather than a pure hammer.
The stone battle axe is a symbol not only of the Aryan Thunder God but a symbol uniquely associated with our Germanic and Aryan ancestors.

Meteorites were considered by our ancestors to be divinely sent and from the meteorite iron of a special quality may be obtained. Meteorite iron according to J.T. Sibley, the author of The Divine Thunderbolt. Missile of the Gods, is "capable of taking a brilliant polish." This is because it contains 5-12% nickel which also helps to retard rusting. Iron pyrite which is also called `fools` gold` would have made quite an impression and of course when struck by flint it would shoot off sparks.

Iron in folkore was used to repel witches, ghosts, fairies and any kind of malevolent being. Iron axes or axe amulets, horseshoes, nails and knives were frequently used as a means of supernatural protection. Meteorite iron in particular was used for the formation of sacred tools in many cultures. In Sweden the `trolls` cross` was made of iron in the shape of an Odal rune and used to ward of malevolent magic.

"An axe(Thor`s weapon) and a broom are laid crosswise on the inner side of the threshold over which the nurse has to step when she goes out with an infant to have it christened. This is done that the babe may be safe from all the devices of the powers of evil.

"As Indra used to milk the cloud cows and churn the milk lakes and fountains with the thunderbolt, so did Thor. The German god`s  fiery weapon was often represented as an axe, and hence it is a customary thing with witches to draw milk from the handle of an axe stuck in a doorpost."[Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-lore, Walter Keating Kelly].

There is a reference to iron in the Old Norwegian Rune Poem for the rune Ur:

"(Slag) is from bad iron;

           oft runs the reindeer on the hard snow ."

 

Cremation, the Way to Woden

Over recent years I have given much thought as to the most appropriate method of disposing of the body after death, whether it be inhumation or cremation. This issue as Aryan or Germanic heathens should be important to us because as heathens we should desire to recover both the beliefs and practices of our ancestors prior to their forced acceptance of the alien and semitic religion of xtianity.

It is quite clear to me now after a great deal of study that cremation should be the preferred option for us as devout heathens. In this article I will present some of the evidence and the thinking behind this.

In The Road to Hel Hilda Roderick Ellis (Davidson) [a book published originally under her maiden name of Ellis] Dr Davidson demonstrates that the rite of cremation travelled northward through Germany into Scandinavia.

This should not surprise us as the Cult of Woden has its origins amongst the continental Germanic tribes. Later on He was recognised in Scandinavia. This God is a purely Germanic, indeed a purely German deity. There are very few etymological or theological cognates. Scholars have tried without success to compare Him to deities in other Indo-European mythologies. The closest cognate to Woden is in my opinion the Indo-Aryan God Vata. See my article Woden and Vata-Vayu-a Comparison published on this blog on 2/10/12!

It is through the act and rite of cremation that the Einherjar ascend to Walhall to be with their Lord of the Slain, the Lord of the chosen slain that is.

Initially cremated remains were buried in body-length stone cists. These later were reduced in size to small box-like stone cists which would contain the urn holding the ashes. Sometimes they were placed in mounds or ship graves. Eventually urns were not used at all.
The change from inhumation to cremation occurred at the time of the transition to the Bronze Age when Indo-European language and customs spread out throughout Europe.

Snorri Sturluson in his Ynglinga Saga says that Odin taught His followers to burn their dead:

"every man should enter Valhall with as much wealth as he had on his pyre, and should also enjoy everything which he himself had buried in the earth; and the ashes should be borne out to sea or buried in the earth; but over men of renown a howe should be raised as memorial, and over all men who acquitted themselves manfully memorial stones should be raised; and this continued for a long time afterwards."

We are reminded of the magnificent heathen funeral of Boewulf where he was cremated and his ashes placed in a barrow facing the sea. My readers should recall that the author of the poem was a xtian so such a depiction of a glorious heathen funeral is rather amazing.

"Heaven swallowed the smoke."[Beowulf]

This is the essence of the thinking-the non-corporeal elements of man, some may refer to this as the soul or spirit although the Germanic interpretation is more complex than this, [See my article Death and Afterlife in Germanic Mythology published on my Celto-Germanic Culture, Myth and History blog on 30/1/10!]
is freed from the physical body to return to All-Father Woden. The life force of the individual fully individuated awakened Einherjar is returned to his previous God-like state in Walhall, the abode of those who are awakened and faithful to Woden. Those of us who have sworn sacred oaths of allegiance to Him have the Valknut carved upon our flesh as a sign that we belong to Him and He will take as when He chooses.

"The burning was carried out in very splendid wise. It was then believed that the higher the smoke rose in the air, the loftier would his position be in heaven whose burning it was; and the more possessions were burned with him, the richer he would be."[Ynglinga Saga]

 We cannot enter Walhall in our physical body. Our spiritual essence must be released in order that we may enter a spiritual realm. The existence of our decaying body in the earth delays our transition to this spiritual state and causes us to remain Midgarth bound. This may be the reason for some hauntings. Cremation frees us from ties to this realm of existence. In the Icelandic Sagas we have many curious incidents of the dead walking freely among the living as draugar-vampires in other words and it is only via burning that the dead can be sure to be left at peace from the activities of the malevolent dead.

Cremation both frees the dead so that they can begin the journey to the next realm of existence and protects the living from malevolent spirits. Furthermore it is a mark of reverence to the Aryan Sky or Sun God as Dr Davidson points out:

"The evidence for linking cremation with the burnt offering on the one hand, and with the cult of the sun god on the other, is perhaps the most suggestive."[The Road to Hel]

From the Prose Edda we have a detailed desciption of Baldur`s funeral which was of course a cremation on a pyre. Likewise there is a description of the cremation of both Sigurd and Brynhildr in the Poetic Edda.
There is no shortage of literary evidence from Germanic saga, legend or myth is support of the very Germanic practice of cremation. By committing ourselves to this final act, this final rite we are demonstrating our total loyalty to Woden and our ancestral Gods.

Irmin and Krodo, Saxon Gods

In previous articles I have discussed the Saxon God Irmin and His cognates to be found in other Aryan mythologies, ie Aryaman[Indo-Aryan], Airyaman[Iranian], Eremon[Irish] and Ariomanus[Gallic] and how an original Aryan God is postulated, called *aryomn. I have demonstrated that there is a further link with the Germanic Mannus, the Indo-Aryan Manu and a Celtic `Mon`. I have also discussed the connection between Irmin and the Herminones.

Whilst some scholars such as Rudolf Simek question the existence of Irmin as a deity[Dictionary of Northern Mythology] there are others such as Jaan Puhvel[Comparative Mythology] that do not and have identified that Irmin and His other cognates hark back to a Proto-Indo-European God who was the very essence of Aryanness.

I have recently also discussed my intial research regarding the more obscure Saxon God Krodo. Very few have heard of this deity and yet His memory lives on in my ancestral Harz mountains, not only in the form of place names and myths but also He has now become almost a `mascot` or tourist attraction! Whatever way He is remembered it is important that He is remembered and honoured by those of us who follow the Northern Gods. Like Irmin, I discovered that He is not only a Saxon deity but that He has cognates in other Indo-European mythologies: Sativrat and Kirt[Slavic], Saturn[Roman] and Satyavrata[Indo-Aryan]. Like Irmin, Krodo is a solar deity who is associated with the solar wheel[Kolovrat].

I started to ponder what connection there could be between Irmin and Krodo. Obviously they are both Saxon deities and some would say that their existence was disputed. I believe that I have presented enough evidence on my blogs to substantiate the existence of Irmin and there is also sufficient evidence to accept Krodo`s existence. My recent article about Krodo sets out all the available evidence that I have collected thus far.

Apart from being Saxon both Gods were subject to acts of sacrilege by Charlemagne. In 772CE Charlemagne or Karl der Grosse as he is known in Germany  destroyed the Irminsul, a sacred pillar erected for the worship of this God. Shortly after in 780 Karl also destroyed the temple and idol of Krodo. There is evidence for more than one Irminsul but they all appear to have been located in the Saxon lands.

I have to ask myself why was Karl`s hatred towards Irmin and Krodo so intense? We know that the continental Saxons were amongst the last of the West Germanic peoples to accept xtianity. They did so only after appalling persecution and the extermination of their bravest nobles. 4,500 Saxons were beheaded by this monster in Verden after they were caught worshiping the old Saxon Gods. The Saxon Wars from 772 to 804 were in reality religious wars where our Saxon ancestors fought against the forced imposition of xtianity upon their people. They resisted the xtian invader to the very last drop of their blood. For this reason we should be proud of them and remember their holy sacrifice.

Irmin and Krodo must therefore have symbolised to Karl the stubbornness of the Saxon people. For this reason he tried to eradicate all memory of these Gods from our ancestors` memory. He did not succeed!
Whether it be xtianity[now a spent force] or islam we will never bow the knee to an alien and brutal, semitic, psychotic desert tribal `god` who delights in and whose supporters delight in[see recent events in Syria] the torture and beheading of those who think differently to them.

Jacob Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology Volume 1 refers to lingering traces of the worship of Irmin in Lower Saxony. He cites an old rhyme which was still in existence at the time of writing[1882] and he says:

"Here there seems unconcealed a slight longing for the mild rule of the old heathen god, in contrast to the strictly judging and punishing christian God."

"Hermen, sla dermen,

sla pipen, sla trummen,

de kaiser wil kummen

met hamer un stangen,

wil Hermen uphangen."

 

Krodo, a Lost Saxon God Traceable to Aryan Times

Recently whilst reading Legends and Tales of the Harz Mountains, North Germany by Maria Elise Turner Lauder[1885] I encountered a tale called The Steinkirche and the Hermit which refers to both Ostera and a God called Krodo:

"In the grey days long ago, when paganism ruled the land, there stood on the hills near the cave called the Steinkirche-altars to the gods.

Bright were the fires to Krodo in the darkness of the night, and on the opposite cliffs rose the fire pillar in honour of the goddess Ostera.

The crackling flames illuminated the country and the mountains, and invited the inhabitants of the nearlying vales and heights to the wild customs, the bloody sacrifices, and the raving dance of heathenism."

Poetically Lauder goes on to tell us how a xtian holy man converted the heathen Saxons by a supposed miracle and:

"And the hearts of the wild Sassen were opened.....

"They vowed to a man henceforth to forsake the worship of Krodo, to remain true to the new faith....."

Despite having a mother who came from the Harz mountains I had never heard or read this story before and neither had I heard of this God called Krodo. After carrying out some research I have found that He is one of the Saxons` ancestral Gods and thus my ancestral God.

Jacob Grimm refers to Krodo in his Teutonic Mythology Volume 1 and relates Him to the Roman God Saturn.

"But that AS. Saeteresbyrig from the middle of the 11th century irresistibly reveals the `burg` on the Harz mts, built (according to our hitherto despised accounts of the 15th century in Bothe`s Sachsenchronik) to the idol Saturn, which Saturn, it is added, the common people called Krodo; to this we may add the name touched upon in p. 206 (Hrethe, Hrethemonath), for which an older Hruodo, Chrodo was conjectured. We are told of an image of this Saturn or Krodo, which represented the idol as a man standing on a great fish, holding a pot of flowers in his right hand, and a wheel erect in his left; the Roman Saturn was furnished with the sickle, not a wheel."

Grimm tells us that Hrodo may be related to Baldag/Balder and he derives from this that the seventh day of the week[Saturday] may have been called Roydag and thus sacred to Krodo[see supplement 3 on page 248]. Hrethemonath, the Anglo-Saxon month of March is the month heathens normally associate with the Goddess Hrethe.

Grimm draws further connections to the Slavic Gods Sitivrat and Kirt:

"...but beside Sitivrat we have learnt another name for Saturn, namely Kirt, which certainly seems to be our Krodo and Hrudo."

Interestingly he interprets Sitivrat as being:

 "sieve-turner" and that this "would be almost the same as kolo-vrat, wheel-turner, and afford a solution of that wheel in Krodo`s hand; both wheel (kolo) and sieve (sito) move round, and an ancient spell rested on sieve-turning. Slav mythologists have identified Sitivrat with the Hindu Satyavrata, who in a great deluge is saved by Vishnu in the form of a fish. Krodo stands on a fish; and Vishnu is represented wearing wreaths of flowers about his neck, and holding a wheel (chakra) in his fourth hand. All these coincidences are still meagre and insecure; but they suffice to establish the high antiquity of a Slavo-Teutonic myth, which starts up thus from one quarter."

Thus far we have established that not only is Krodo a Saxon and thus a Teutonic deity but His antiquity goes right back to Aryan times with his association with similar Slavic, Hindu and Roman deities. Indeed Krodo`s name is so ancient that Grimm states that it "is rather too ancient, and I can find no support for it in the Saxon speech." Clearly this deity was still remembered by the Saxons and other Aryan peoples long after their dispersion out of the Ur-heimat.

Elsewhere in Teutonic Mythology Grimm states:

"Bothe`s Sassenchronik relates under the year 780, that King Charles, during his conquest of the East Saxons, overthrew on the Hartesburg an idol similar to Saturn, which the people called Krodo."

One is reminded of Charlemagne`s[King Charles/Karl der Grosse] similar overthrow of the Irminsul also in the land of the Saxons in 772 CE.

In Goslar Cathedral there was stored the bronze Krodo Altar, dating back to the year 1040 CE, which is an indication that this God was still remembered with affection several hundred years after Karl`s sacrilege. It can now be found in Goslar`s town museum. A rebuilt statue of Krodo now stands at Harzburg Castle.

Even today there are a number of locations in the Harz that bear His name such as Crodenbeke [Krodo Valley]- now called Kroedlippen, Krotenpful, Crodenleide, Crothensee and Goetzenthal [Valley of the idols]. Ground Ivy is also called Crodokraut which affords protection against witches.

After Karl destroyed Krodo`s temple he erected in its place a chapel and the site of this today is Harzburg Castle. Tradition has it that when Karl asked the East Saxons who was the God they worshipped they replied: "Krodo is our god", to which the emperor replied "Krodo is all the same as kroten-duevel!" Thus "toad-devil" became a German curse. Such curses often involve the names of our ancient deities.

 

Further Reflections on the `Two Hammers of Thunor` and Hercules

This article should be read in conjunction with my earlier one "Two Hammers of Thor" posted here on 17/1/10 and the more recent The Two Hammers of Thunor-Evidence from the Eddas on 2/6/13.

My previous article revealed that Thunor according to our mythological texts did in fact possess two hammers, initially a stone one followed by one made from iron.

Viktor Rydberg writing in Teutonic Mythology Volume 1, Chapter 31 states:

"The hammer is Thor`s most sacred weapon. Before Sindre forged one for him of iron[Gylfaginning], he wielded a hammer of stone. This is evident from the very name hamarr, a rock, a stone. The club is, as we have seen, the weapon of  the Teutonic patriarch, and is wielded side by side with Thor`s hammer in the conflict with the powers of frost."

In Chapter 111 he also states:

"In the Teutonic mythology, Thor`s hammer was not originally of metal, but of stone."

A reference to Thor possessing a club is to be found in Saxo Grammaticus` The History of the Danes, Book 3:

"But Thor shattered all their shield-defences  with the terrific swings of his club.....

"Shields, helmets, everything he drove at with his oak cudgel was crushed on impact..."

The handle of the club was lopped off and the Gods fled. His weapon now became useless. This club or cudgel is clearly separate from his hammer for not only is it obviously different in form but it is made of oak not stone or iron. Oak is sacred of course to the Thunder God for its excellent ability to attract His lightning.

"Brass (bronze?)  idols of the god would be placed under oak trees, as well as on the mountain tops, and also under oak trees. Perpetual fires to the god were made with oak, similar to the custom of the Old Prussians. Perkunas and the oak tree were considered one being. The place where there was a large oak which had an idol of Perkunas under it was called Perkunija; this word also means `thunderstorm`.[The Divine Thunderbolt. Missile of the Gods, J.T. Sibley, 2009]

The Baltic and Slavic Thunder Gods were also known to carry a club as did the Roman Hercules. In Southern Germany followers of Donar wore club amulets, very much like the ones worn by the followers of Hercules. These are known as Donarkeule. There are references in Tacitus` Germania to Hercules being worshipped in Germany:

"Hercules and Mars they appease with lawful animals."[Germania 9.1]

No doubt the reference to Hercules and Mars in this specific context relates to Thunor and Tiw. However in another passage Tacitus refers to a hero of the same name:

"They relate that Hercules also lived among them, and on their way into battle they sing of him as the first of all heroes." [Germania 3.1]

Also:

"For rumour has spread the report that pillars of Hercules still stand untried: perhaps Hercules really did go there,.....[Germania 34.2]

It is difficult to discern to what extent  Hercules the hero is to be identified with Hercules the God as a potential equivalent to Thunor and whether the Teutons referred to him by his classical name.
Writing in his Annals Tacitus states further that the enemies of Germanicus met in "a grove sacred to Hercules" in order to make plans against the Romans. In Lower Germania there are some dedications to a God called Hercules Magusanus. The dedicators had Germanic not Roman names. Magusanus may be connected to the Old High German word magan, meaning `power, strength` and is cognate with the Old English maegan.

J.B. Rives in his commentary to Germania states:

"The identity of this Germanic Hercules is uncertain. Many scholars assume that he was *Thunaraz, i.e. Old High German Donar and Old Norse Thor."

He points out that "the hammer of Thor corresponds to the club of Hercules." He also states that both Hercules and Thunor were killers of monsters. However if Thunor was to be equated entirely with Hercules then we have a problem for at the same time he was equated with Jupiter! In other parts of his commentary Rives distinguishes between Hercules the hero and Hercules the God. It is more than likely that Hercules the hero is to be equated with the Germanic dragon slayers: Beowulf and Sigurd/Siegfried.

As far as the hammer is concerned it is obvious to me that it was orginally made of stone and not iron as my initial quotation makes clear. Rydberg further states:

"Thor`s oldest weapon is made of stone. The name itself says so, hamarr, and this is confirmed by the folk-idea of the lightning bolt as a stone wedge. Likewise, Indra`s oldest weapon was made of stone; it is called the `celestial stone`(Rigv. II 30,5) and is said to be `four-edged`{Rigv. IV, 22,1,2. This `four-edged` weapon has its symbol in the swastika, a figure that is rediscovered in the realm of Germanic memory and therefore must have derived from the Proto-Indo-European era." [Teutonic Mythology Volume 2, Part 1, Chapter 29].

The concept of the two hammers, the original one being made of stone is accepted in The Asatru Edda:

"Thorr was brought up in Jotunheimr by a giant named Vingnir, and when he was ten years old, he received the stone hammer, Vingnir`s Mjollnir.[Page 27]

The iron hammer was made by the dwarf Sindre, no doubt to replace either a lost or not as effective stone hammer. The concept of a stone hammer makes it clear that the cult of the Thunder God goes right back to Neolithic times when the hammer was originally an axe, from which the hammer developed.
The replacement of the stone ax/hammer by an iron hammer shows the progression of Thunor from the Neolithic to the Bronze and then the Iron Age.

It is possible that the original stone hammer may have survived or rather will survive Ragnarok as there is a reference to Vingnir`s hammer being inherited by Thor`s sons, Magni and Mothi:

"And in the poem, verse 51, it is said that Thor`s sons shall possess Vingnir`s hammer after the battle of Ragnarok-doubtlessly referred to as such, because Thor received his first hammer either from Vingnir or in a battle with him."[Teutonic Mythology volume 2, part 1]

 

 

Loki, Logi and Utgard-Loki-Three Different Aspects of the Same God?

The Eddas know three different versions of the God Loki: Loki, Logi and Utgard-Loki. Whilst these are portrayed as three different personalities all three do overlap to a significant extent and demonstrate characteristics which may be derived from a single common source.

Frequently we find written that Wagner "incorrectly" portrayed Loki as a God of fire. Rudolf Simek in his Dictionary of Northern Mythology states:

"(Loge). A half-god created by R. Wagner in his opera Das Rheingold (tenor) who is the lord of fire. Loge probably is the result of Wagner`s confusion of the god Loki with the great Logi. In Snorri Logi is the personification of fire whereas the god Loki of Germanic mythology has nothing to do with fire."

I don`t accept that Wagner was "confused" about anything. He researched Germanic mythology thoroughly as part of his necessary preparation for his four part Der Ring des Nibelungen. It is clear that Wagner did conflate similar characters together-I do not deny this. After all this is a necessary device which film makers use when converting a novel to a screen play. However there is more to this than simple conflation.
I believe that Wagner realised that there was a link between Loki and Logi and he deliberately exploited this link to reunite a character or personality that had become split off into two separate individuals.

"Logi. (ON, `flame, fire`). A giant who is the impersonation of fire."

Logi appears in Gylfaginning in the tale of Utgard-Loki and the great magical contest waged by him against Thor, Loki and Thjalfi. He beats Loki in an eating contest because he is the personification of fire. However Loki doesn`t do a bad job of consuming the meal either!

Some scholars such as Wilhelm Waegner do see a link between Loki and the element of fire:

"At first Loki was held in high honour as the giver of warmth and god of the domestic hearth, and was looked upon as the brother of Odin and Honir, for the elements air, water and fire are intimately connected.

"The name Loki has been derived from the old word `liuhan`, to enlighten. It therefore has the same origin as the Latin lux, light. Thus he was also related to Lucifer (light-bringer), a title of honour which was given to the Prince of Darkness. In like manner as the northern tempter was chained to a sharp rock, Lucifer was believed in the middle ages to be chained down in hell. Saxo Grammaticus describes Utgarthlocus (Utgard-Loki) as laden with chains in Helheim, which proves that the myth of Loki and his punishment was believed long after the Christian era." [Asgard and the Gods].

This demonstrates a clear link not only between Loki and Loge but also between Loki and Utgard-Loki. The fact that Snorri portrays them as three separate entities does not disprove that originally they may very well have been one and the same person which over the process of time has split into three. This is not unheard of in mythology. 

In the commentary to Saxo Grammaticus` The History of the Danes Books I-IX  Dr Hilda Ellis Davidson states:

"In Snorri`s tale, Utgartha-Loki, whose name means the Loki of the Outer Regions (perhaps of foreign lands, or of the Other World) is represented by an enormous giant whom Thor and his comrades meet in the forest; he calls himself Skrymir, and it is some time before they realise that he is really Utgartha-Loki himself. 

Saxo refers to a character called Gorm who sacrifices to Utgartha-Loki, indicating that He is indeed a God:

"Gorm solicited Utgartha-Loki with combined vows and propitiations and thus obtained the beneficial spell of weather they desired."

As mentioned above Utgard-Loki meets a similar fate to Loki:

"From here the visitors could see a murky, repulsive chamber, inside which they descried Utgartha-Loki, his hands and feet laden with a huge weight of fetters."

 Further on in Saxo Utgard-Loki is specifically referred to as being a "god":

"He was unable to bear hearing this ugly and invidious report of Utgartha-Loki and was so grief-stricken about the god`s vile state that he gave up the ghost at the unendurable words , even while Thorkil was in the middle of his tale."

Loki and Utgard-Loki are both described as being Gods and both[like the other Gods] have giant heritage. The giants of Germanic mythology were, like the Titans of Classical mythology an earlier race of divine beings generically connected to the divine race that replaced them.

I contend therefore that if we are to learn more about Loki who is the Prometheus and Lucifer of the Teutonic world then we do need to research the characters of Logi and Utgard-Loki. Loki has quite rightly been compared to Prometheus and both meet the same punishment for betraying the other Gods. Prometheus is known for His gift of fire to men and Lucifer of course is a deity of light. The connections with Loki suggest an original common Aryan inheritance which would be of merit to explore further.

George W. Cox in The Mythology of the Aryans Nations, Volume II states:

 "The name Loki, like that of the Latin Vulcanus, denotes the light or blaze of fire, and in such phrases as Locke dricker vand, Loki drinks water, described the phenomena of the sun drinking when its light streams in shafts from the cloud rifts to the earth or the waters beneath. The word thus carries us to the old verb liuhan, the Latin lucere, to shine, and to Logi as its earlier form, the modern German lohe, glow; but as the Greek tradition referred the name Oidipous......., to know and to swell, so a supposed connexion with the verb lukan, to shut or lock, substituted the name Loki for Logi, and modified his character accordingly."

In closing I feel that I have demonstrated quite clearly that Loki was indeed a deity of fire/light but I accept that at the same time like the other deities He is a multifaceted God.

Further Reflections on the Goddess Isa

I have already discussed on this blog the existence of the Germanic Goddess Isa. [See Zisa/Isa/Ista/Isis/Ischtar/Isais published on 20/1/13 and The Germanic Ethnicity of Isolde, the Goddess Isa and Iceland published on 25/8/12.] What I wish to do now is bring together material from two previous articles to clarify my thoughts about this rather now obscure German Goddess.

It is a vital part of our task that we bring to light that which has been lost through both exoteric and esoteric means. However this blog unlike Die Armanenschaft der Ario-Germanen is more concerned with the exoteric so I will confine myself to what scholars actually know about Her.

Wilhelm Waegner in his Asgard and the Gods[1886] compares Isa with the Celto-Germanic Goddess Nehalennia who was primarily worshipped in the Netherlands:

"Nehalennia, the protectress of ships and trade, was worshipped by the Keltic and Teutonic races in a sacred grove on the island of Walcheren; she had also altars and holy places dedicated to her at Nivelles. The worship of Isa or Eisen, who was identical with Nehalennia, was even older and more wide-spread throughout Germany. St. Gertrude took her place in Christian times, and her name[Geer, ie spear, and Trude, daughter of Thor] betrays its heathen origin."

In Chapter V of Legends of the Wagner Drama[1900] which was reprinted as Legends of the Wagner Trilogy, part of The Volsunga Saga[1907]  by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris, Jessie L. Weston states:

"This dwelling of Brynhild`s is either in or near Bertangaland, which is generally identified as Britain. With this closely agrees the Nibelungenlied, which represents the princess as ruling over Island and dwelling in the castle of Isenstein on the sea-shore. [Rassmann identifies Island as derived from Isa, a goddess of the under-world, probably the same as Holda, and not as Iceland.]"

Miss Weston goes on to state:

 "In the folk-songs current in Denmark and the Faroe Isles, Brynhild is represented as dwelling on the Glasberg, up the glittering sides of which none but Sigurd can ride.

"Now the Glasberg is well known to students of German folk-lore as the abode of departed spirits,ie the other-world, and, as such, connected with the mountain in which Holda, who is goddess of the dead, lives. It is no abode of terror, but of rest and bliss; though the dwellers in it would often gladly return to this world, but are unable of themselves to do so. Rassmann identifies the  Glasberg alike with the Gnita-heide, as mentioned above, and with the island Glid, mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles as the abode of departed spirits, the original root signifying glanz, freude, wonne."

Miss Weston goes on to compare the Glasberg and Glid with the Arthurian and Celtic belief in an island in the Western seas which is the abode of the blessed dead-Avalon or Tir na nog. She notes that "Avalon became identified with Glastonbury,"

It is interesting that Isa has thus far been compared with Nehalennia, Holda, Gertrude and Brynhild. There is a further connection-Isolde.

Again in Legends of the Wagner Drama whilst discussing Wagner`s Tristan und Isolde Miss Weston makes the case for Isolde being of Germanic and not Irish origin. She points out that in the 9th and 10th centuries Ireland was overrun by Vikings who held court at Dublin. Thus a princess from Dublin must logically be of Danish and not of Irish origin.

"That a princess of Dublin should bear a Germanic name is not merely probable, but natural, and consequently we find that German scholars give as the derivation of the name Isolde, Iswalt, or Iswalda[Eis-walterin=ruler of the ice], which explains the fact that the early German form seems to be Isalde, as in Wolfram, and not Isolde. The heroine then is no Celtic maiden, but a child of the North, a Viking`s daughter; hence the legends always represent her as fair and golden-haired-she is `die lichte` in the Northern versions, as distinguished from `die schwarze`, the rival Isolde.

 

Donar, Arminius, Teut and Divine Intervention in the Teutoburgerwaldschlacht

Arminius or Hermann as my ancestors called him is considered to be the one who unified the continental Germanic peoples in the face of a common enemy: Rome.

Of noble blood and of the tribe of the Cherusci he was sent as a hostage to Rome at an early age and trained as a Roman commander but he never forgot his Germanic blood and when Germania was in peril in 9CE from Roman invasion into her heartland Hermann secretly forged alliances with neighbouring tribes to mount an effective resistance to the Romans. He succeeded in slaughtering in the region of 22,000 men. Rome`s armies were literally decimated-their overall strength reduced by over 10%. Never again did Rome seriously entertain invasion of our sacred soil.

One factor which I did not fully appreciate until a few days ago that helped Hermann was the weather.
Many history books refer to stormy weather around the time of the battles in passing as if it was not a determining factor. However after watching an excellent documentary this week, Weather That Changed the World-Lost Legions of  the Rome I have now begun to appreciate that there is an extra dimension to this battle.

The commentator stressed how violent storms occurred prior to and during the battle which caused the Romans to become literally `bogged` down and become easy pickings for the Germanic tribesmen. They had to abandon their heavy artillery during the march. The storms were attributed to Thor or more properly Donar who acted not only as the German God of Thunder but also as a God of War. Our primary deities-Thunor, Woden, Tiw, Saxnot and Frey all had their own specific spheres of influence but all could be called upon in the midst of battle to give favour to their followers and this is what happened in the Varusschlact or Teutoburgerwaldschlacht.

The documentary was both informative and very rousing. Thunor/Donar/Thor was certainly worshipped as a primary deity in that part of the world. There is place name evidence for this, eg Dornberg-the hill or mountain of Thor in the Teutoburg district.

The name Teutoburg could be interpreted as the fortress of Teut. Now Teut is cognate with the Old English theod [Proto-Germanic *theudo] and the Irish Tuatha[Proto-Celtic *touta] demonstrating an early Celto-Germanic shared word but it has an even earlier Proto-Indo-European root: *teuta. However Teut was also the eponymous deity of the Teutonic peoples. Teut may  be derived from Tuisco referred to in Tacitus` Germania, the father of Mannus and the grandfather of the Ingvaeones, Herminones and Istaevones. He is the ancestral God of the Germanic or Teutonic peoples and He is thus honoured in the place name Teutoburg. How fitting that the Teutoburg should be the scene of Germania`s triumph and Rome`s defeat!   
From Teut we derive the name by which we call ourselves-Teutons which is cognate with Deutsch. So Deutschland is the land of the Teutons. The Tuatha De Danann, a mysterious and divine Nordic race who according to the Lebor Gabala Errren[The Book of the Taking of Ireland] are the Aesir of Germanic mythology in a different cultural setting and many of the Irish deities have direct counterparts in Germanic mythology.

A bronze statue of Hermann, the Hermannsdenkmal was erected in 1875 near Detmold in the southern edge of the Teutoburgerwald. A similar statue was also erected in 1897 in New Ulm, Minnesota by the Sons of Hermann and named the Hermann Heights Monument. This one is made of iron and sheeted with copper. There are other statues of Hermann to be found in the USA and I may discuss and show these in a future article dedicated specifically to this subject.

Arminius or Hermann as I have pointed out before in Irmin, Arminius and the Herminones published on this blog on 28/9/12 is a variant of the Germanic God name Irmin and the Celtic Eremon and Ariomannus, the Indo-Aryan Aryaman and the Iranian Airyaman. Hermann is thus the human incarnation of THE Aryan God to be found amongst the divided Aryan peoples. See also `Ar` as a Prefix in Aryan God/Goddess Names published on my Aryan Myth and Metahistory blog on 4/8/12 and Aryaman/Airyaman/Ariomanus/Eremon/Irmin-the Divine Concept of Aryanness published on 17/8/12 on Die Armanenschaft der Ario-Germanen blog!

Donar thus assisted His Volk in their time of greatest need just as He can assist us today when we are facing a similar threat extinction as a people. Call upon Him today and seek the protection of His hammer!

The Germanic Gods in Charms, Poems, Folklore and Germanic Literature

In addition to the Elder and Younger Eddas[Poetic and Prose Eddas] faithfully preserved in that Germanic holy isle of Iceland we also have information concerning our Gods from other sources, some containing overt references to the deities, others more covert ones, no doubt out of fear from persecution by the xtian church.
These other sources include folk tales, popularly known as fairy tales and survivng verse charms, spells and references in ecclesiastical writings, histories and classical sources. Also by studying various laws enacted by xtian monarchs and prohibitions issued by the church we find a mine of useful information.

Many of these sources have not even been translated into English never mind researched. This is made clear in Philippe Walter`s Christianity. The Origins of a Pagan Religion, 2006, published by Inner Traditions[an excellent source for Indo-European and traditionalist literature]. The book focuses on Celtic, particularly French material but also includes Germanic references as well and makes the case for the survival of Indo-European religious and spiritual traditions in European xtianity. This work should in my opinion be read in conjunction with The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious Transformation by James C. Russell, 1996. The first part of the latter book is a bit heavy going. Readers may wish to skip this part and go immediately to what is for us the most relevant second part of the book.

Now let us turn to some of the Germanic sources that refer to our Gods! The Nine Wort Spell or Nine Herbs Charm for snakebite, contained in the Lacnunga. This is quite a long Old English spell which about half way through refers to Woden so I will only quote the most relevant part:

"Those nine are mighty against nine venoms. A worm came slithering, but nothing he slayed. For Woden took up nine wondrous twigs, he struck the adder so that it flew into nine pieces. Now these nine worts have might against nine wonder-wights. Against nine venoms and against nine flying shots."

My readers should note that in Old English as in Old Norse a worm is meant to be a snake or serpent like creature such as a dragon.The nine wondrous twigs or glory twigs may very well have contained the names of the herbs written in runes.

Woden is also referred to but in a disparaging manner in Maxims I, part B, verse 60 of the Exeter Book:

"Woden wrought idols, the Almighty glory,...."

H.R. Ellis Davidson in her Gods and Myths of Northern Europe[1964] refers to a surviving magical incantation from Lancashire:

"Thrice I smites with Holy Crock, With this mell[hammer] I thrice do knock, One for God, and one for Wod, And one for Lok."

Lok is no doubt intended to refer to Loki.

Woden or more correctly Wodan appears with other deities; Phol, Balder, Sinthgunt, Sunna, Frija[Frigga] and Volla in The Second Merseburg Charm from early 10th century CE Germany:

"Phol and Wodan were riding to the woods,

and the foot of Balder's foal was sprained

So Sinthgunt, Sunna's sister, conjured it.

and Frija, Volla's sister, conjured it.

and Wodan conjured it, as well he could:

Like bone-sprain, so blood-sprain,

so joint-sprain:

Bone to bone, blood to blood,

joints to joints, so may they be glued."

It should be noted that in both the Old English Nine Herbs Charm and the Old High German Second Merseburg Charm Woden/Wodan is presented as having healing abilities above that of other deities.
Dr Stephen E. Flowers in The Galdrabok. An Icelandic Book of Magic refers to an ancient Scottish formula, recorded in 1842, no doubt xtianised but recogniseable to be a variant of The Second Merseburg Charm:

"The Lord rade, and the foal slade; he lighted, and he righted, set joint to joint, bone to bone, and sinew to sinew, Heal in the Holy Ghost`s name!"

We should recall that the Lowland Scots are of Germanic not Gaelic origin and this is reflected in their Lowland Scots dialect which is Germanic and probably more authentically so than Modern English! There is a corresponding passage in the Atharva Veda which no doubt suggests that this healing formula is extremely ancient and traceable to Aryan times:

"Let thy marrow come together with marrow, thy joint together with joint; together let what of thy flesh has fallen apart, together let thy bone grow over."[IV 12]

Saxnot alongside Woden and Thunor appear in the 9th century CE Old Saxon Baptismal Vow:

" I renounce all the deeds and words of the devil, Thunaer, Wōden and Saxnōt, and all those fiends that are their companions."

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles make reference to Woden as being an ancestor of various royal dynasties. Bede also in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People refers to the semi-legendary and semi-historical Hengist and Horsa as being great grandsons of Woden.

The First Merseburg Charm which is rarely referred to in books on Germanic mythology also contains an interesting reference to female divinities:

"Once there was sitting lofty ladies sitting here and there some bound bonds, some hemmed the warrior bands, some picked at the fetters, so that the hasp-bonds break, and the warriors escape."

The term "lofty ladies"[Dr Stephen E. Flowers` translation] is a translation of idisi which may be cognate with the Old Norse dis and the plural disir who are of course Mother-Goddesses or protective deities. The context of the charm as well as the terminology is certainly suggestive of this.

Thunor also is referred to in the ancient surviving Anglo-Saxon literature. The Old English poem The Dialogue of Solomon and Saturn states:

"Se thunor hit thryscedh mid thaere fyrenan aecxe."

Traslated into Modern English:

 "Thunor threshes with his fiery axe".

John Mitchell Kemble in his The Saxons in England identifies in addition to this a further reference to the Thunder God in the Exeter Book:

"and I am inclined to see a similar allusion in the Exeter Book, where the lightning is called rynegiestes waepn, the weapon of Avkv Thorr, the car-borne god, Thunder."

This article is meant to present only the most accessible material. I intend to expand further on the evidence in future articles.

The Germanic Caste System Reflected in the Hair Colours of the Sons of Rig

I have written before on my blogs about the Germanic caste system:

The Rigsthula or Germanic Caste System[16/10/06, Aryan Myth and Metahistory].
Tacitus, Germania and the Armanenschaft[4//3/07, Aryan Myth and Metahistory]
Jarl the Wotan Caste[2/6/07, Aryan Myth and Metahistory].
The Rigsthula Revisited[31/7/11, Aryan Myth and Metahistory and Celto-Germanic Culture, Myth and History].
The Significance of Red, White and Blue/Black in Aryan Society and Cosmology[8/4/13, Aryan Myth and Metahistory]

Rather than go over old ground I would encourage my readers to study the aforementioned articles. What I would like to focus on here is the fact that the 3 sons sired by Rig-Heimdall display the Aryan caste colours or varna in their physical characteristics.

The first child sired upon Edda[Great Grandmother] was named Thrall and he is described as "dark as flax" according to the Larrington translation of Rigsthula[Poetic Edda] although .in the Thorpe translation he is described as "swarthy". 

The second child sired upon Grandmother was named Karl and he is described as having a "ruddy redhead".

The third child sired upon Mother was named Jarl and he is described as having "light" hair. Interestingly his eyes are describes as being "piercing as a young serpent`s"[Thorpe translation] or "like a young snake`s"[Larrington translation]. One is reminded of the serpent eyes of the Volsung clan who were descendants of Woden Himself. It may very well be that the Rig who fathered these children was not Heimdall as popularly believed but Woden who is renown as being the sire of kings. Rig itself is borrowed from the Irish word ri, meaning `king`.

Jarl goes onto father a number of offspring but it is his youngest, Kon who receives special attention and learning from Rig in the runes. Again this points to Rig being Woden rather than Heimdall. For it is Woden who is lord of the runes. The Larrington version calls the child Kin, rather than Kon but both names have a similar meaning. In Old English for instance cyn has the meaning of both `kin` and `king` via cyning. Thus there is the sense of the king being of the same racial stock as his people, a part of the folk, not separate or distant from it as began to happen in Norman England when the structure of Anglo-Saxon society was replaced by a repressive feudal system.

Having established that the 3 Germanic castes were represented by the colours black, red and white we can trace this back to an earlier Aryan system which has its variations amongst the various Aryan peoples. Germanic society had no separate priestly caste. The priestly and warrior/noble castes were one and the same unlike other Aryan peoples such as Indo-Iranians and Celts. This would help to explain why Caesar wrote that:

" The customs of the Germans are very different from those of the Gauls. They have no druids to preside over religious matters, nor do they concern themselves with sacrifices."[The Gallic Wars, 6.21]

That is not to be interpreted that they had no priests for they certainly did and we have evidence of this from the writings of other contemporary classical writers. However the priests did not appear to have formed a separate cast in Germanic society. However with the coming of xtianity to the North this changed and the age old struggle between priestly and royal authority began all over again. The Germanic fusion of the royal and sacral roles are fused together in the chieftain or king:

"That we have here an `updated` Germanic version of the birth of the social classes is clear from colour symbolism: Jarl is white-blonde in hair and complexion, Karl is ruddy, and Thrall is black. The Indo-European priestly white, military red, and third-estate blue/green[further subdivided in India into yellow for the vaisya and black for the sudra] have slipped along with the substitute, so that white now marks the warriors, red the peasants, and black the slaves. Jarl`s youngest son Konr Ungr `young noble` ended up as a magician-king, thus symbolising the fusion of the remnants of the priestly function into the warrior aristocracy[cf. Old Norse konungr `king`konungaz

or *koningaz, preserved as a borrowed petrifact in Finnish and Estonian kuningas `king`, Russian knjaz` `prince`].[Comparative Mythology, Jaan Puhvel, 1987].

Finnish and Estonian Thunder Gods Traceable to *Perkunos, North-West Aryan Thunder God

Much can be learned about the beliefs of our ancient Germanic ancestors by exploring the mythology and folklore of closely related peoples such as the Balts, Celts and Slavs. Much also can be learned from the Finns and Estonians who shared a common Nordic living space with Germanic and Indo-European peoples.
The similarities in their mythologies is due to cultural borrowing and also to a common inheritance once shared between the Aryans and Finno-Ugric peoples.

One particular example of a shared inheritance is how the northern Thunder God is viewed. In Finland one of the names of the Thunder God is Tuuri who is probably the same deity as the better known axe and hammer wielding Ukko. Ukko is derived from the Finnish word for thunder Ukkonen. In this way they followed the example of the Germanic peoples who named their deity from thunder; Thunor/Thunaer and the Celtic Thunder God Taranis whose name is derived from the Proto-Celtic word for thunder, *Toranos. So both Thunor, Taranis and Ukko are personifications of thunder. 

Tuuri is rarely referred to in the mythology of the Finns and appears to have been relegated to a `minor` role as a God of the harvest, luck and success. In modern Finnish tuuri does mean `luck`. There is a village, Tuuri in Alavus, Western Finland which appears to have been named after Him. His name is cognate with the Estonian Taara who is likewise a Finno-Ugric Thunder deity. Furthermore Tuuri appears to be also cognate with the Irish Tuireann whose name again points to a Proto-Indo-European root for `thunder`. Also related to the Germanic Thor is Horagalles, the Sami Thunder God.

"There were significant cross-cultural exchanges between the Sami and the Swedes/Norwegians: the Sami thunder god, once named Tirmes, Turms, or Dierbmes, was to some extent repatterned after Thor. He gained the name Horagelles from `Thor karl` or `Thor kalle`[`Thor-fellow`]."[The Divine Thunderbolt. Missile of the Gods by J.T. Sibley, 2009]

The Finnish mythological epic The Kalevala which was recovered and published by Elias Lonnrot in 1849 is a collection of Finnish and Karelian oral myths and songs which Lonnrot collected and wrote down to form a cohesive epic. Similar activities of course occurred in 19th century Germany with the Grimm brothers who also committed to paper old German nursery rhymes, folklore and myths.

"Steady old Vainamoinen he hastened to ask: `Where did the fires go from there where did the sparks dash after Thor`s field edge-to the forest or to sea?"[Rune 47]

Ukko is equated with Perkele and it is believed by some scholars that this was Ukko`s original name. This is obviously related to the Proto-Indo-European *Perkunos or *Perkwunos.The similarity to the Lithuanian Perkunas and the Latvian Perkons is obvious. The Estonian version is Peko or Pekolaso. The Indo-European origins of Ukko and Tuuri thus established it is a reasonable strategy for us to examine Finnish and Estonian mythology for other traces of Indo-European concepts and in so doing we recover some of our own lost Aryan heritage.

Odin Stones and the Odin Stone

Yesterday by chance I found and purchased from a shop in Whitby what may be called a Holey Stone, Witch Stone, Hag Stone, Wishing Stone, Seeing Stone or Odin Stone. This particular stone is a Pholas Dactylus. These stones have a naturally occurring hole or holes that are so smooth that they appear to have been bored through. 

Such stones, became known as Holey Stones for this reason and according to surviving folklore if you peer through the hole you can gain a glimpse of the Otherworld, hence the term Seeing Stone. By writing a wish down on paper and pushing it through the hole and being left overnight the wish become granted, hence the name Wishing Stone. Alternatively one may rub the stone round the hole in a clockwise direction[not widdershins]and the wish is said to come true. Hanging the stone from your bedpost overnight will protect you from nightmares. My readers may be aware that our ancestors commonly believed that the Nightmare was not just a bad dream but  an evil entity which sits on people`s chests and is said to ride the victim, hence the term mare.

The roots of the word may be traced back to Proto-Germanic *maron down to Old English maere and its cognates are to be found in other Germanic languages. The mare is also called a Hag, identical in type to the maere; hence the term Hag Stone or Witch Stone.

The Holey Stone also contains properties that protect one from thunder.

"Among the peasantry, there were other amulets or images referencing the thunder god and his divine rhunderbolt/thunderweapon. These include fossils, certain stones, manufactured amulets, plants, and ceraunia. Ammonites, belemnites, and sea urchins were especially prized as thunderbolts or thunderstones. Belemnites were also called wernaegel[`warding nails`], and were used in folk medicine to cure humans and cattle. Fossilised sharks` teeth, as well as flint arrowheads, were believed to be fairy arrows.

 "Flint, as both raw nodules and worked ceraunia, was a primary thunderstone in Anglo-Saxon Britain. Naturally holed flints[`hag stones`] were hung on nails in barns and on cattle pens in order to protect both the animals and the dairy."[The Divine Thunderbolt. Missile of the Gods, J.T. Sibley, 2009]

In connection with this general concept of Holey Stones there was of course the Odin Stone which stood near the Stanness Standing Stones on Orkney until it was destroyed by an incoming stranger called Capt. W. Maackay[may his name be accursed!] in 1814.Our ancestors in post-conversion times often showed little respect for these sacred stones and either destroyed them in a calculated act of sacrilege or used them for building materials. In at least one respect we live in more enlightened times where our physical[but not biological] heritage is valued and protected.

It is said that the Odin`s Stone was used to bless marriages in not just heathen but in xtian times as well.

"The parties agreed stole from the rest of their companions, and went to the Temple of the Moon, where the woman, in presence of the man, fell down on her knees and prayed the god Wodden (for such was the name of the god they addressed upon this occasion) that he would enable her to perform all the promises and obligations she had and was to make to the young man present, after which they both went to the Temple of the Sun, where the man prayed in like manner before the woman, then they repaired from this to the stone [known as Wodden's or Odin's Stone], and the man being on one side and the woman on the other, they took hold of each other's right hand through the hole, and there swore to be constant and faithful to each other. This ceremony was held so very sacred in those times that the person who dared to break the engagement made here was counted infamous, and excluded all society ."[Rev. George Low, 1774].

The use of the Odin Stone to perform marital promises reminds me of the sacred Oath Ring to be found in Woden`s and Thunor`s temples. Our ancestors also used holes in ash trees for the purpose of healing sick children:

"These trees, when young and flexible, were severed and held open by wedges, while ruptured children, stripped naked, were pushed through the apertures, under a persuasion that by such a process the poor babies would be cured of their infirmity.

 "This custom, and that of passing children and cattle through perforated earth or rocks, or through natural or artificial openings in trees, especially the ash and the oak, is common to most European countries."[Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-lore, Walter Keating Kelly, 1863]

Mr Kelly goes on to conclude that this practice is symbolises healing through a new birth and is probably traceable back to Proto-Indo-European times:

"It appears indeed to be a close copy of a Hindu religious useage, and probably had its origin, like the latter, in times previous to the dispersion of the Aryans."

The association of Woden or Odin with the Odin Stone may be a remembrance of the Eddic myth of Odin having a hole bored through the mountain in order that he may gain access to the sacred mead.

The Fusion of the Aryan Battle Ax and Northern Megalithic Peoples

It is my contention that the megaliths of northern Europe were constructed by the forefathers of the Germanic peoples who are themselves a fusion of the Northern European Megalithic culture and the Corded Ware/Single Burial/Battle Ax Culture.

The controversy of where to locate the historic Urheimat of the Aryan peoples may never be conclusively decided. Using different scientific disciplines such as comparative linguistics, archaeology, comparative mythology and more recently DNA studies we can at least throw some light upon the subject.
One thing is more or less certain and that the Out of Asia theory is no longer popular and indeed even in the 19th century was not universally accepted. My personal view is that the undivided Aryan people, what scholars would call the Proto-Indo-Europeans originally lived as one people somewhere in Northern Europe. Apart from my own biased sentiments this location best fits the known available evidence. There will be many people who will read this and fervently disagree with me but they are welcome to do so.

The Proto-Indo-Europeans-I shall now instead use the shorter and more convenient term of Aryans are associated with three material cultures which are usually closely linked by scholars: the Corded Ware, Single Grave Burial and Battle Ax cultures. For convenience sake and out of personal preference I will use the term `Battle Ax people` as a collective noun.

We must be careful and not make the simple equation that language = race. Sometimes it does but more often than not it is not a reliable indicator of ethnic and racial origins. Prior to the arrival of the Battle Axe people there already dwellt a Nordic population in northern Europe.

"The arrival in the North of people of the Corded Ware-Single Grave culture made very little change in the physical characteristics of the inhabitants, since the bearers of this culture were Nordic, as were those of the Megalithic culture in the North. Chemical analysis of the preserved hair of the Bronze Age tree-trunk burials show depigmented, that is, blond hair." [The Germanic People. Their Origin Expansion & Culture, Francis Owen, 1960]. 

What therefore changed were not the racial characteristics of Northern Europe but their physical cultures.
Not only were the speakers of Germanic Nordic but so were the bearers of Proto-Indo-European.

"The original speakers of Indo-European must have been Nordic."[Owen]

 "At the same time the fact that the first Aryans were Nordics was not without importance. The physical qualities of that stock did enable them by the bare fact of superior strength to conquer even more advanced peoples and so to impose their language on areas from which the bodily type has almost completely vanished. This is the truth underlying the panegyrics of the Germanists: the Nordics` superiority in physique fitted them to be the vehicles of a superior language."[The Aryans, V. Gordon Childe,

The dominant physical type in Europe has always been Nordic and even today scholars are not in disagreement with this fact. The only physical culture that can be associated  with the Aryans in Northern Europe has its location in Saxony and Thuringia.

"This leaves only the Corded Ware culture of Upper Saxony and Thuringia to be associated with the original Indo-Europeans."[Owen]

 "On the basis of the archaeological and anthropological evidence the conclusion must be that the people of the Single Grave-Corded Ware-Battle Ax culture were the original Indo-Europeans."[Owen]

The bearers of this original Aryan culture expanded from the area of Saxony further north and towards the east into Russia. Many today speculate that the Aryan homeland is to be located in Russia but I contend that this is where the Aryans expanded into on their way to India, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan etc. The direction of movement was always to the east-Der Drang nach Osten!

"It is difficult to see how the bearers of this culture could have originated in Southern Russia. It is true that the kurgans in that region were Single Graves and certain examples of the Corded Ware pottery, but many of them belong to the Bronze and even to the Iron Age. The older graves would be the result of the expansion of the Single Grave-Corded Ware people into Southern Russia from the West as part of the general expansion described above."[Owen]

Professor Owen points out that in the Central Asiatic steppes "There is no evidence of the use of such a device as the Corded Ware technique, nor is there any indication of the presence of anything like the Single Grave, the facetted battle-ax or the boat-ax. This explanation is a survival of the traditional belief ex oriente lux."

The dogma of ex oriente lux or light comes from the east survives to the present day and there is a prejudice amongst many scholars against any idea of civilisation coming from the north or the west. Thankfully these blind book worms are being proved wrong every day as new evidence continues to emerge of the northern origins of civilisation-an Aryan civilisation at that!

This Aryan culture of Single Grave burial can be traced right back to the Mesollithic and even the Upper Paleolithic and may have influenced the development of the Northern Megalithic culture.

"That the people of the Single Grave-Corded Ware culture in their original home in Upper Saxony and Thuringia were physically of the Nordic type can scarcely be disputed, and this is equally true of all the areas into which these colonizers carried this culture, either by peaceful expansion or military conquest."[Owen]

The Aryan Nordic Battle Ax people emerging from the Saxon heartlands merged with the Nordic Northern Megalithic people to create what we now know today as the Germanic or Teutonic peoples. This actual prehistoric event is reflected in Germanic mythology in the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, the Aesir being the Battle Ax people who worshipped the Sky God whose symbol is the ax, later to become the hammer of Thunor, and the earth deities of the Vanir of which Nerthus is an early example.

"The amalgamation of the peoples and cultures of the Northern Megalithic and the Single Grave-Corded Ware-Battle Ax cultures which resulted in the formation of the Germanic people, was followed by a relatively long period of internal development before the first phase of Germanic expansion began."[Owen]

"The religion of the Sky God was introduced into Northern Europe by the Indo-European bearers of the Corded Ware culture."[Owens]

The union of the Aesir and Vanir reflects the intermarrying that took place between these two Nordic peoples to create the Germanic peoples.

"Thus Othin[Woden], who in the early developments of Teutonic religion probably was a Sky-god, was the husband of Jord, the Earth-goddess and mother of Thor, the thunder-god."[The Rites of Old Europe 12,000-3,500 BC, E.O. James]   

Founding wars between two opposing pantheons of Gods may of course be found amongst other Indo-European peoples of course, reflecting similar prehistorical events but it is in the Eddas that we gain valuable literary primary evidence for the origins of the Germanic peoples which is supported by archaeology and other disciplines. The supreme meeting between the Battle Ax and Northern Megalithic cultures is best represented in England`s Stonehenge with its numerous Bronze Age axe carvings in the sarcens. Thus these two symbols: the ax and the megalith are sacred to the Aryan Germanic peoples today just as they were thousands of years ago.

"The new Temple of the God of the Sky stands where the festivals of the Great Goddess used to be held before the warriors with their battle-axes came across the sea from the east with their new god whom we could see was more to be feared."[Stonehenge of the Kings, Patrick Crampton, 1967]

 "And these battle-axe users seem to have played a powerful role in the fusion of cultures which led to the extraordinary upsurge at the time of the final building of Stonehenge."[Crampton]

Horned Helmeted Northern Warriors and Priests-a Reality

Frequently one reads in modern history books that the Vikings `never wore horned helmets`. This is emphasised time and time again, so much so that this has made me suspicious of why this is reiterated.
Depending on how you define a Viking they may in a narrow sense be correct. For instance if one is referring to that limited period of Scandinavian and European history known as the Viking era then there is probably no evidence for their use.

However the Viking era is a limited period of history from the 8th to the 11th centuries CE and in my opinion too much emphasis is placed on this period of Germanic history. This is something that those of us who are part of the Germanic heathen reawakening need to reflect upon.

There is however abundant evidence that Germanic warriors and probably priests DID wear such headgear. Similar evidence also exists amongst the Celtic peoples. There is first of all written evidence by classical writers such as Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch that make reference to northern European warriors such as Celts and Teutons wearing horned and even winged helmets. The common argument that it was not `practical` is not evidence at all, merely an opinion. In the Middle Ages, in the Age of Chivalry that is, knights were often portrayed wearing similar headgear and clearly these helmets did not impair their battle prowess! The Order of the Teutonic Knights in particular were very fond of this kind of headgear.

There is also archaeological and artistic evidence that certainly in the Bronze Age and early Iron Age such headgear was worn by northern warriors.For example in 1942 two Bronze Age horned helmets were discovered in Vekso in Denmark. On the Arch of Constantine from 315CE there are Germanic warriors called Cornuti depicted wearing horned helmets in the Battle of Verona in 312CE. Interestingly the etymology of Cornuti does suggest `horn`. Decorative plates on the Sutton Hoo helmet depict dancing men wearing horned helmets but this no doubt was connected to ritualistic activity. The Finglesham belt buckle portrays a similar figure which many consider could be an image of Woden or His priest. This motif is repeated in the chalk image of the Long Man of Wilmington although the figure does not have a horned helmet there is speculation that he once did. However we do not necessarily have exactly the original figure. More than likely it was changed over the centuries either by accident or by design. Horned helmets were not the preserve of just the warriors but clearly also part of the priestly regalia. Again this should give us food for thought when we as practicing Germanic heathens consider our own regalia. The Gundestrup cauldron from Denmark also shows numerous horned helmeted figures-again engaged in ritualistic activity. Bronze statuettes, possibly votive offerings have been recovered such as the horned helmeted and torc wearing figurine from Grevensvaenge in Zealand, Denmark. The right arm is missing but it is speculated that he carried an axe or a hammer and thus could be considered to be a representation of the Thunder God.

A very spectacular horned helmet found in 1868 in the river Thames, known as the Waterloo Helmet dates back to 150-50 BCE. The fragile construction of the helmet suggests that it was for ceremonial rather than battle use.

There is simply too much evidence for us to say that the Germanic and Celtic peoples did not wear horned helmets for either ceremonial, ritualistic or warfare purposes. It is likely that such practices continued into the Viking era but used only for ritualistic or ceremonial purposes-until of course the Age of Chivalry when warriors once again adopted them!

What we now must ask ourselves is why did our ancestors wear them and I believe that the answer can be found in the mythology and religious practices of our Neolithic and Bronze Age forefathers. The Horned God is a very common archetype and existed in many forms throughout northern Europe.There is a whole chapter contained within Pagan Celtic Britain[Anne Ross, 1967] which discusses this archetype but within a British context. She states that "The cult of the horned god is perhaps second only in importance to the cult of the head." The prehistoric nature of this deity is emphasised: "the Celts drew to a large extent upon concepts derived from beliefs and symbols current in northern Europe and elsewhere in the proto-Celtic and Bronze Age phases of pre-history." She makes reference to the "ancestry of the Celtic cult of horned gods in Europe" being "furnished by the series of figures from prehistoric Denmark, depicted on rock or bronze."

The most famous horned deity in northern Europe is of course the Celtic Cernnunos or the Anglo-Saxon Herne, both names derived from `horn`.  No doubt warriors adopted horned helmets for the same reason that Berserkers wore bear shirts and Ulfhednar[Wolfheads] worse wolf pelts-in order to be empowered by the ferocity of these creatures. They also became impervious to wounds and injuries incurred in battle.
The horns no doubt conferred feelings of force and power upon their wearers. Berserkers were not just confined to the Germanic world but there is mythological evidence that the Celts were acquainted with this idea also, such as the semi-divine Cu Chulainn who entered a rage called the `warp spasm`!

How far these horn helmeted northern warriors traveled is indicated by Juergen Spanuth in his excellent although out of print Atlantis of the North:

"Here the ancient Egyptian artists, in their typical naturalistic style, have preserved the likenesses of many hundreds of North Sea warriors, with the horned helmets, rayed crowns, flange-hilted swords, types of ship and racial characteristics typical of the people who inhabited northern Europe at that time."[1979]

Sol, the Ancient Germanic Sun Goddess

The Germanic Sun Goddess Sol is probably one of our oldest deities and yet little is spoken of Her in the Eddas. She was certainly counted as being one of the Aesir or more correctly Asynjur[feminine plural].
She is referred to as the sister of the moon who is masculine and the daughter of Mundilfaeri.

"Sol and Bil are reckoned among the Asyniur."[Gylfaginning, Younger Edda].

Sol is again listed amongst the Asynjur in Skaldskaparmal in the Younger Edda.

"Mundilfaeri he is called, the father of Moon and likewise of Sun; they must pass through the sky, every day to count the years of men"[Vafthrudnismal 23, Elder Edda]

However I do not think that the passages in the Eddas correctly report the origins of the Goddess Herself. We need to remember that both the Elder and Younger Eddas were set down to paper long after the xtianisation of the Germanic world and changes of belief occurred in the transition from the Bronze to the Iron Age. The elder deities, eg Tyr/Tiw were relegated to minor positions as `sons` of the All-Father Woden or at least that is how the xtian scribes presented it. Sol is far more ancient than the Eddas but let us see what else is recorded about Her:

"High said: `There was a person whose name was Mundilfaeri who had two children. They were so fair and beautiful that he called the one Moon and his daughter Sol[Sun], and gave her in marriage to a person called Glen. But the gods got angry at this arrogance and took the brother and sister and set them up in the sky; they made Sol drive the horses that drew the chariot of the sun which the gods had created, to illuminate the worlds, out of the molten particle that had flown out of the world of Muspell. The names of these horses are Arvak and Alsvinn. Under the shoulders of the horses the gods put two bellows to cool them, and in some sources it is called ironblast. Moon guides the course of the moon and controls its waxing and waning. He took two children from the earth called Bil and Hiuki as they were leaving a well called Byrgir, carrying between them on their shoulders a tub called Saeg; their carrying pole was called Simul. Their father`s name is Vidfinn. These children go with Moon, as can be seen from earth.`"[Gylfaginning, Younger Edda]

I have quoted the above passage in full because of it being the original source for our Jack and Jill English fairytale and this is a clear example of how ancient heathen lore has been preserved in our fairytales. Nothing is forever completely lost-most things can at least in part be recovered. The passage makes it clear that the personalities called Moon and Sol in the Eddas are not necessarily the deities themselves but their servants or representatives who have been named after them. Here we are also introduced to the myth of the Divine Twins, a common theme in Indo-European mythology which I hope to explore in a future article. It should be noted that the Divine Twins in Germanic and Indo-European mythology are usually in some way associated with horses and the horse is of course a solar symbol.

The fate of Sol is also alluded to in the passage from Gylfaginning:

"Then spoke Gangleri: `The sun moves fast, almost as if she was afraid, and she would not be able to go any faster if she was in terror of her death.` Then High replied: `It is not surprising that she goes at great speed, he comes close who is after her. And she has no escape except to run away.`Then spoke Gangleri: `Who is it that inflicts this unpleasantness on her?` High said: `It is two wolves, and the one that is going after her is called Skoll. She is afraid of him and he will catch her, and the one that is running ahead of her is called Hati Hrodvitnisson, and he is trying to catch the moon, and that will happen." 

A similar fate of course awaits Woden at Ragnarok but His spirit will be reborn in Widar the Avenger just as Sol will be reborn  in Her daughter. Interestingly later on in Gylfaginning the name of Her pursuing wolf is Fenrir, the very same one who will swallow Woden!

Contained in some translations of the Elder Edda is the Solarljoth or The Song of the Sun. It can certainly be found in Benjamin Thorpe`s translation. What makes this work so interesting is that it was clearly composed or set down by a xtian but in the transitional phase when xtianity was beginning to replace the old religion. It contains many heathen references and refers to Sol as being a Goddess. Clearly Her worship which was so ancient could not be easily eradicated. Also she was in the north a benign Goddess. How could even zealous xtians take a hard line with Her?

"The sun I saw, and it seemed to me as if I saw a glorious god: I bowed before her, for the last time, in the world of men."

What a glorious way to end one`s days on Midgarth!

There is a single reference to an alternative name of Sunna for this Goddess in Alvismal 17 in the Elder Edda[Thorpe`s translation]:

"Sol among men `tis called, but with the gods sunna...."

Correctly translating this name is important for there is a reference to Sunna in the Old High German Second Merseburg Charm:

"Phol and Wodan rode into the wood; the foreleg of Baldr`s horse was dislocated; then Sinthgunt and Sunna her sister, sang over it, then Friia and Volla, her sister, sang over it, then Wodan sang over it, for he could do that well: be it dislocation of bone, be it an ailment of blood, be it dislocation of the limbs: bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb, as if they were glued."

This charm dates back to the 10th century but the content is certainly older[see Rudolf Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology].

Of course we have the Rune Sol, which is the 11th in the Younger Futhork:

"Sol is the light of the lands; I bow to the doom of holiness."[Old Norwegian Rune Poem]

 "Sol is the shield of the clouds and shining glory and the life-long sorrow of ice."[Old Icelandic Rune Poem]

The Old English Rune Poem is heavily xtianised but I will include the relevant portion here for completeness:

"Sigel is by sea-men always hoped for when they fare away over the fishes bath until the brine-stallion they bring to land."

Clearly in the Viking Age this Goddess was still highly thought of but she reached her zenith of importance in the Bronze Age as can been seen from Scandinavian rock carvings from this period and the famous Trundholm Sun Chariot from Denmark.

"The association of the sun with a wheel is ancient in Scandinavia, and sun/wheel imagery is ubiquitous in the Nordic Bronze Age."[Long Branches Runes of the Younger Futhark, Ann Groa Sheffield]

Ann Groa Sheffield then goes on to relate to how high status women in the Bronze Age were buried with large bronze belt-discs. I highly recommend her book. It is one of the best on the Runes and one of the few to focus on the Younger Futhork.

Sol`s symbol apart from the Sol Rune is the four spoked Sunwheel and its many variants. It is of course closely associated with the Fylfot and it is likely that the curved Fylfot derived from this. Although there are other explanations for its origin-a subject I will elaborate on in a future article.

Sol or Sunna is remembered in the first day of the week-Sunday and in the Anglo-Saxon month of Solmonath.
Julius Ceasar in his De Bello Gallico makes reference to the ancient Germans worshipping the sun and moon:

"The customs of the Germans are very different from those of the Gauls. They have no druids to preside over religious matters, nor do they concern themselves with sacrifices. The only things which they count as gods are things they can see and which clearly benefit them, for example, the Sun, Vulcan[ie fire-my note], and the Moon. They have not even heard rumours of any others."[6.21]

This is of course a gross oversimplification and in many respects plain wrong! However it is interesting that certainly in the mid 1st century BCE the Sun was still acknowledged as a primary deity amongst the continental Germanic peoples.

Sheena McGrath makes an excellent job of exploring Indo-European Sun Goddesses including Sol in The Sun Goddess Myth Legend and History[1997] and also Sol is frequently discussed in her Asyniur Womens` Mysteries in the Northern Tradition[1997], both of which I recommend.
 

 

Frey, the Ar-God

This article should be read in conjunction with previous ones on a similar theme such as `Ar` as a Prefix in Aryan God/Goddess Names[4/8/12] and Aryanman/Airyaman/Ariomanus/Eremon/Irmin-the Divine Concept of Aryanness[17/8/12].
I have identified further evidence of the Aryan connection specifically in the Norse Sagas, Eddas and Rune Poems that repeats this same recurring theme.
The 10th Rune of the Younger Futhark and the Armanen Futhork is called Ar. This is cognate with the Elder/Common Germanic Futhark Jera which appears as the 12 Rune in that row. The Anglo-Saxon equivalent is Ger. It should be noted that the form of the Rune stave is different in all four Rune rows. The Younger and Armanen Runes show the closest affinity in form and Rune name. It should be born in mind that the Armanen is not an historical Rune row unlike the other three of course and it is historical rather than esoteric evidence that we are primarily but not exclusively examining here.
Ar and its Old English[Anglo-Saxon] equivalent of Ger are broadly cognate with the modern English `year` but it has the additional sense of meaning a fruitful year in relation to the harvest which our ancestors were deeply dependent upon. The term is very ancient and predates the Germanic, being traced right back to the Proto-Indo-European[PIE] *yer.

"[Ar] is the profit of all men and a good summer and a ripened field".[Icelandic Rune Poem].

 "[Ar] is the profit of men; I say that Frothi was generous."[Norwegian Rune Poem].

 "[Ger] is the hope of men, when god lets, holy king of heaven, the Earth give her bright fruits to the nobles and the needy."[Old English Rune Poem].

My readers must be aware that the Old English Rune Poem is heavily xtianised, much more so than the Icelandic and Norwegian so it must always be read in conjunction with the more archaic material. However it does give more detailed information and there are of course additional Runes contained within it so it is immensely valuable to us. The Abecedarium Nordmannicum also refers to this rune as `Ar`.

The prefix `Ar` readers will recall from the earlier articles has many different values and interpretations but they are all linked to the Aryan concept. Professor L. Austine Waddell in A Sumer Aryan Dictionary[1927] relates this prefix to the plough and the earth;  hence its association with agriculture.

Guido von List directly linked the Aryan concept with this Rune:

"ar, sun, primal fire, ar-yans, nobles, etc."

 "The `ar`, the `urfyr`[primal fire, god], the `sun`, the `light` will destroy spiritual as well as physical darkness, doubt, and uncertainty. In the sign of the Ar the Aryans-the sons of the sun-founded their law[Rita], the primal law of the Aryans, of which the earn, or eagle[Aar], is the hieroglyph."[The Secret of the Runes].

In Skaldskaparmal 75 Snorri Sturluson refers to the Vana God Frey as the `arguth`[ar-god]. He is the Aryan God!No wonder that this God was so well loved and honoured as the people`s very existence was dependent upon him. He was the God of the people, of the Arya, the God of the plough, the Ar.

Euhemerism, the Aesir and the Aryan Urheimat

Snorri Sturluson in his Prose/Younger Edda seeks in the Prologue to euhemerise the Germanic Gods. Euhemerism is named after a 4th century BCE Greek mythographer who sought to explain classical mythology by attributing mythological personalities and events to actual historical figures and events, thus explaining away or rationalising them. To be fair to Snorri he only does this within the Prologue and does not allow his theorising to interfere with his composition of the rest of the text which often gives important details not to be found in the Poetic/Elder Edda.

Saxo Grammaticus in  The History of the Danes Books 1-IX also carries out the same practice of euhemerism and presents the Gods as mortal heroes and kings as does Snorri. It is often remarked by scholars that this is due to either the desire to xtianise what to them is heathen and thus distasteful or they may have felt that this was the only safe way to present the myths to avoid unwanted attention from the church. However one should bear in mind that both Snorri and Saxo would have been classically educated, familiar with classical mythology and the practice of euhemerism which they applied to the northern world.

Professor L. Austine Waddell also carries forward this practice in his works. He was responsible for a very contentious translation of the Eddas which he called the British Edda. His theory was that the language of the Eddas was not Icelandic or Old Norse but rather `British-Gothic` and that the epic which is a mish mash of Norse, Arthurian and Sumerian myth is the property of the Aryans who populated Britain from ancient Troy. The concept of a colonisation from Troy can be traced back to Geoffrey of Monmouth and other mediaeval chroniclers. For those who are used to the Icelandic Eddas the British Edda will hit you like one of Thunor`s thunderbolts! It is a shock to the system and it will take many readings for you to to begin to make sense of the epic so I would recommend that you read this work last and not make the mistake that I did and read it first because this will lead to utter confusion!

Waddell draws a link between Thor, Arthur[=Ar-Thor] and the Aryan pre-xtian Holy Grail. This all fits in with his wider theme of an ancient pan-Aryan civilisation that linked Sumeria, Egypt, India and northern Europe. This is why his writings are so valuable to us today.

Snorri has his Aesir originate from Troy which he places in Asia[more strictly Asia Minor]. One must remember that prior to 1871 when Heinrich Schliemann excavated Troy the city was generally regarded as a purely mythical rather than an historical place. Of course the ancient Greeks and Romans took it for granted that this was an historical place and the Trojan War was an historical event. Geoffrey of Monmouth lived from about 1100-1155 CE and wrote his Historia Regnum Britanniae [History of the Kings of Britain] in about 1136. In addition to the works of Bede, Nennius, Gildas and William of Malmesbury these writings are collectively termed the British Chronicles by Professor Waddell and deserve closer scrutiny by us. My belief is that they preserve ancient Aryan history from these islands. The fact that scholars pay little attention to Geoffrey`s writings these days may be more to do with political correctness than objective scholarship. Snorris lived from 1179-1241 CE. To what extent he was familiar with Geoffrey`s writings I do not know. If he wasn`t then perhaps we need to pay more attention to his Prologue as this could represent a portion of ancient Aryan history from a source common to both writers but now lost.

In the 19th century it was still fashionable for scholars of Indo-European studies to posit Asia as the Urheimat of the undivided ancient Aryans. These days the general consensus is that the homeland is to be located in eastern Europe but still today theories abound and they just do not know. Troy is located in Anatolia and Anatolia is yet another speculated location for the Urheimat.

"After that Odin went north to what is now Sweden. There was a king whose name was Gylfi, and when he learned of the arrival of the men of Asia[who were called Aesir], he went to meet them and offered Odin as much power in his realm es he wished himself."[Prologue, Prose/Younger Edda][My emphasis].

Also in the commentary to Saxo`s work by Hilda Ellis Davidson she states:

"The idea that Odin ruled in Byzantium was one of the learned theories concerning the origin of the pagan gods held by Icelandic scholars in Saxo`s time. The Aesir were said to have come to Scandinavia from Asia[Asia Minor],....."