Norse Goddess Magic (17 page)

I see a strong woman. She is the goddess of women who are
alone. She works hard, and plays hard. A woman in her thirties, in her prime,
she has much strength and vigor, with a strong face and a tall, large-boned
body. Her hair is reddish blond, or ash blond, and she wears it tied carelessly
back, with wisps escaping from the scarf she ties around it. Her arms are bare
and her sleeves are rolled up high, above the shoulders. Her arms are sunburned
and bronze. She is a farm woman. She is fond of heavy drinking in the “old
mead-hall, where warriors sit blithely together” (from the OE rune poem
mentioned below). Excelling in merrymaking, she is the life of the party, one of
the guys. She is very proud of her four giant sons and, like Queen Boadicea of
the Celts, might also exclaim of them, “These are my jewels!”

She is a goddess of agriculture and work and takes special
care of working women and men. Her symbol is the plow. She can handle the
elements of chaos and subdue them with her strong arms; she is not afraid of
“dirty work.” They call her goddess of maidens, though she is not one, because
she cares for women. She teaches them to know how to deal with men, to know
themselves, to take care of themselves, and to become women, not girls.

The picture of Gefjon I saw in my trances was pretty much the
same as that obtained from research. Her outstanding characteristics are
strength, hardiness, and overwhelming vigor or life force, the strength and
energy palpably emanating from her body. One can picture her picking up oxen
with her bare hands, arm-wrestling warriors in the mead hall, and generally
overcoming all obstacles with ease. Although she seems strongly interested in
women and their work, she also appears at ease with men in a man's environment.
She not only can compete with men, but she genuinely seems to like them and
enjoy their company and amusements. The mead-hall scenes and vigorous carousing
caused me to think of the Old English rune
perþro,
whose rune poem
conjures up the image of warriors drinking together in the hall.

I find it interesting that Gefjon has been thought of as the patron of
maidens and the one to whom they would go after they died. If the historical
evidence were not enough to convince me that Gefjon herself is no virgin, the
trances did the job, because a less maidenly character cannot be imagined.
However, it seems much more sensible to put a bunch of inexperienced young girls
in the care of a woman of the world, rather than sending them to an equally
inexperienced maiden goddess. One could also apply the old classical concept of
a virgin as simply an unmarried or unattached woman, with chastity not
necessarily being a part of her character.

Gefjon, in her independence and confidence, seems like an excellent image for
women working and living on their own. Especially today, when so many more women
live alone, struggle with single parenthood, or work at various occupations,
Gefjon is a noble example. Not only did she do her work well, she negotiated a
premium wage for it. Although historically connected with farming, she can also
be invoked for help in any kind of honest work by people of either sex. For
women, she is especially ready to lend her strength and cunning. She would
perhaps be a good deity to call on when looking for a job or when seeking decent
wages or a raise. And although fewer of us today do our own farming, we all
still eat, so Gefjon's role as goddess of agriculture is still important to all
of us. Rites to her during key points in the growing season, especially just
before plowing time, would be appropriate. Gefjon would also be good to call on
in rituals involving young women, such as rites of passage at puberty. She might
also be involved in workings to protect women and girls from premature or
unwanted involvement with men.
⁹

Ritual

An altar for Gefjon could be covered with a cloth of grain-yellow
or any color indicative of crops or growing things. Grains, fruits, breads, and
other gifts of the earth are useful decorations. Farming implements, such as
scythes and trowels, could also be used as ornaments. The plow, of course, is
her main symbol, but unless you're lucky enough to be doing your ritual in a
barn or in a real field, that's a little cumbersome for the average altar. If
your ritual involves your work, you might include symbols of your career or
occupation, or any particular project with which you might want help. Because
Gefjon is such a hardworking goddess, be prepared to pledge what steps you plan
to take to ensure your success in the work you're asking help with, and then be
prepared to work your hardest to carry out your goals, with the aid of luck
added by the goddess.

Call to Gefjon

Greetings Gefjon, goddess of maidens;
The doom laid down for all you see,
Even as Odin the wise.

Gefjon in gladness drew from Gylfi
Dark earth to add to Denmark.
The stout oxen steamed with sweat;
Eight eyes like moons beamed out
From four fearless beasts of the furrow.
Off they hauled the handsome island,
Picked as prize from Sweden.
¹⁰

Hail, laughing one, joy of the men of the mead hall!
Hail, Gefjon of the white leg,
Whose favor wins fine-fashioned gold
    and fair fruitful fields!
Hail the giant's four sons, bearers of the plow!

Hail, goddess of lone women,
    Lady of cunning and courage and sweat.
The jewel you wear is your own strong heart.
Grant us equal courage and strength and joy.
Bless our plows as we break the green bones of Jord
    and call forth shining fruits.

Bless our sea and our land, fair Mistress of Sjælland
    and Maker of Malar.

Hail, Gefjon! Come!

13

Snotra

The Prudent One

Lore

Snotra (ON Snotra) is one of those goddesses who seems to have
been chiefly the personification of a moral idea, a mere shadow of her mistress,
Frigg. Listed by Snorri as the thirteenth Aesir goddess (Gylfaginning, ch. 35),
she is said to be wise and prudent. Her name comes from the ON word
snotr
(“wise, prudent”), which can be used to describe any man or woman who is wise,
sensible, and temperate.

The meanings attached to the word
snotr
and the qualities of the
goddess Snotra are all in the same vein. She is a goddess of virtue, a worthy
woman, prudent and of gentle bearing, wise, well behaved, neat, clever,
judicious, moderate in manner, and a pillar of self-discipline. One of the few
places in the old literature where her name turns up is in the Rígsþula of the
Elder Edda
(st. 25). In this story, which tells of how the god Rig sired the
different classes of people, one of the daughters of the yeoman Karl is named
Snot. Snotra, then, does not represent the ruler, the hero, the skald, or the
shaman but rather embodies the ideal traits of the average person.

Exemplifying Ethical Guidelines

The virtues that Snotra exemplifies should not be confused with
later Christianized concepts of meekness, chastity, and piety, the hallmarks of
the pallid sort of heroine who reached her peak in the Victorian novel. The
virtues held in high regard by the Heathen Norse were qualities like honor,
courage, loyalty, truth, hospitality, self-reliance, industriousness,
perseverance, and discipline. If these traits sound familiar, it's because they
continued to be held as desirable personal attributes by the Germanic people
even after the Christianization of Europe and have been passed down to our own
society, even though they're not much practiced of late. Many of the ethical
qualities assumed to have grown out of the Christian religion were actually
already honored centuries earlier among the Heathen Europeans and were simply
co-opted by the church as a means of easing the integration into the new faith.

Honor is more than a virtue; it is an intrinsic part of a person's being. It
is an inner consciousness of nobility, the knowledge that you are what you
should be and that your actions are true and right. Honor is based not only on
acts in the present but also includes everything a person did in the past. Honor
encompasses all the other virtues, and they, in turn, are necessary to preserve
honor from harm. A person whose honor is failing usually demonstrates this by
starting to slip in other areas, such as becoming cowardly or stingy. Along with
honor comes luck. Luck means more than a favorable turn of the dice; it means an
inner power that extends itself into the physical world so that all your
endeavors are successful. Luck is the outer manifestation of honor; when your
inner self is true and right, you prosper in everything you do.

In order to maintain your honor, you need courage. Courage was one of the
most highly admired qualities among early Heathens and is still important today
in our complex and confusing world. It means not only physical bravery but also
the willingness to stand up for what you believe is right, even when you risk
trouble and unpleasantness in doing so. Lack of fear is not necessarily the key
to courage but rather the ability to pursue your goals. Courage may also include
being able to withstand physical hardships and discomfort.

Loyalty is the visible manifestation of honor in action. It means being true
to yourself, your kin, your friends, and your gods. Loyalty includes being open,
honest, and reliable, and being willing to cheer your fellows in good times and
to defend them in times of trouble. Those with no ties of honor or loyalty to
anyone have forfeited their humanity; they exist beyond the boundaries of
society in the realms of chaos.

Closely tied to loyalty is the virtue of truth.
Truth
here refers to
personal honesty and to keeping your word. It means essential truth and
rightness, rather than unrelenting literal truth. Indeed, sometimes truth is
better served with subtlety and cunning instead of dogged bluntness,
particularly when dealing with your enemies. To your friends and kin, though,
you should open your heart and mind and say and do what you really feel. Above
all, you should present yourself truthfully in deeds, both past and future,
indulging in neither unfounded bragging nor exaggerated modesty.

Hospitality was a necessity in earlier times, when a traveler had no recourse
to motels or restaurants. But more than that, it is the glue that holds human
society together and as such is even more important today when society is so
fragmented and alienated. Generosity is also a reflection of honor; stinginess
is a sure sign of failing luck and will. The act of giving forms a bond between
giver and receiver, so hospitality fulfills spiritual and emotional needs as
well as physical ones. To be miserly sends a message to the universe and
yourself that you are lacking in power and unable to provide for yourself or
others. Generosity proclaims that you are strong and honorable, that you trust
enough in your future luck and prosperity to distribute what you have now to
others. In addition to giving material gifts, hospitality means treating both
guests and hosts with thoughtfulness, courtesy, and respect and, most important
of all, keeping peace between all parties during any visit or festivity.

Self-Reliance and Industriousness

Closely tied to hospitality is the virtue of self-reliance.
Hospitality only works if all participants are honorable people who are
generally capable of supporting themselves; to use the virtue of generosity to
induce others to support your own laziness is as bad as being stingy.

Self-reliance also implies taking responsibility for your own actions and
choices and not always looking for someone or something to blame. With these
responsibilities comes the boon of freedom, of being your own master and
pursuing your own goals and desires.

Industriousness grows out of self-reliance: you can't take care of yourself
if you don't do any work. This does not mean cheerless drudgery but rather
taking joy in doing and striving. It means aiming for excellence instead of
mediocrity. Excellence does not happen by itself; we have to work hard to
achieve worthy goals, but the joy of success is greater when you know you have
earned it. Work is also tied to freedom, oddly enough. To be able to do things,
make things, achieve things, rather than depending on someone else to provide
them for you, gives you a sense of pride and independence that few things can
shake. It brings the realization that you can exercise control over your
environment and your life.

Perseverance is a matter of self-reliance and industriousness maintained over
the long haul. It means being able to work for a long-term goal through hard
times, trouble, and inconvenience. It means being able to delay immediate
gratification to achieve a worthy goal and not getting bored every time a new
endeavor loses the first flush of excitement and becomes routine. Endurance is
part of this virtue—being able to live through failure, hardship, and bad luck
and continue on your path without giving in to despair or self-pity.

Self-Discipline

Self-discipline means demanding excellence from yourself first,
and then from others. It is part of the process of self-actualization, which has
become so popular in modern psychology. It means constantly striving to improve
and perfect yourself. Discipline involves living life actively instead of
letting fate control you.

The valued personality traits of moderation, self-control, and evenness of
temper are also part of this virtue. Throughout the Hávamál, that collection of
wise counsels in the
Elder Edda,
the wise person is warned to eat and
drink moderately, hold her tongue, and keep her temper in trying situations.
This kind of self-discipline is exemplified by Queen Sigrid of Sweden, who was
courted by the Christian king Olaf Tryggvason. When she refused to convert but
rather suggested that each should worship as he or she felt best, Olaf struck
her in the face with his glove and called her a bitch. Although they were in her
own hall at the time and she could have called on all her men to avenge her
honor, she merely said, with great control, “That may well be your death.” And
indeed, Olaf did eventually meet his death due to an alliance forged by Sigrid,
who waited until the time was right to restore her honor.
¹

The Norse scorned uncontrolled outbursts of temper; expressions of anger were
appropriate only if they were the product of will and decision. Though Vikings
are popularly presented as being somewhat similar to a rowdy group of
undergraduates, only more bloodthirsty, in reality the Norse people fully
appreciated the horror of a blood feud and sought to avoid such quarrels as best
they could. It is still important today to avoid needless and unproductive
conflict. You are not responsible for your emotions, but you are for your
actions. A goddess who can inspire people to keep control of themselves and
weigh events with objectivity before acting is definitely an asset.

Practical Skills

Snotra is also called wise because she is said to have mastered
every kind of knowledge. To modern people, knowledge and study refer to
activities like doing algebra or writing a thesis. But in Viking times the kinds
of things an accomplished person was expected to know were, for the most part,
practical skills. Because Snotra is a goddess and not a god, she presumably
originally presided over those studies appropriate to a woman. Here Snotra
echoes the housewifely skills of Frigg and the German goddesses associated with
her.

In early Germanic society a woman was responsible for pretty much everything
that went on within the house and its immediate vicinity. This included
cleaning, which was related to the health of the household, since so much
disease in early times arose from dirty living conditions. Cooking was another
necessary skill, especially in a time when everything had to be prepared from
scratch. For a Viking housewife, being in charge of the kitchen also meant being
responsible for all the stores of grain, salted meat, and other foodstuffs. This
was a fairly critical responsibility at a time when one's budgeting abilities
determined whether the winter food supplies would last until the new crops came
in. Its importance is reflected in the use of the keys of the house as the
symbol for the authority of the mistress of the farmstead. Cooking also
encompassed the semi-spiritual activities of baking and brewing.

Besides preparing food, women also obtained much of it. Although men usually
tended the large fields of crops, women typically managed the smaller but vital
kitchen gardens of vegetables and herbs necessary to a healthy and enjoyable
diet. Women and children also were the ones who gathered foodstuffs such as
nuts, berries, and mushrooms. Domestic animals as well as the products obtained
from them were under the control of the women. These included the cattle, sheep,
and goats, in particular, but also poultry, pigs, and bees.

A skilled housewife had to know how to preserve food once she got it. Milk
was churned into butter and turned into cheese; meat and fish were dried or
salted; fruit was made into preserves, jelly, and cider; grain was used to make
bread and ale; and honey was brewed into mead. Storing food to last through the
winter was vital to the survival of the family, as was ensuring that the house
had adequate supplies of water and fuel.

Clothmaking was the major occupation of women and cloth contributed not only
to the family's comfort and survival but was also a big market item for many a
household's economy. Preparing flax and wool, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and
sewing were all skills every girl and woman were expected to know. These textile
products were not only functional but also offered an outlet for artistic
expression in the form of woven wall hangings and dyed and embroidered fabrics.

Child care was another major responsibility and included both physical care
and schooling. Knowledge of medicine and midwifery was another needed skill. A
wife had to be a good supervisor, because it was her job to keep all the girls
and women of the household busy and productive. Women would also be involved in
arranging marriages for their family members, especially in the preliminary
stages.

During the summer, when the women, children, and old men were often left
alone on the farm, the wife became the head of the household. She had to know
how to barter with visiting traders; to protect the crops from predators and
disease; and to hide the people, cattle, and treasures if raiders attacked the
farmstead. A skilled woman might know something about runes, because many a
runestone was erected for the dead by wives, mothers, and sisters, and there are
at least a couple of runic inscriptions indicating that they were made by female
rune carvers.
²
All adults—both women and men—were also expected to be
able to sing, dance, and tell a tale or make a verse to be considered really
accomplished.