Youtube: Creation of First Witch (Freya)

[JuniperBerry]

This woman has some interesting interpretations of the Eddas.

Noteworthy point: Seidr (pronounced seethe) means to roil the well of Urd (fate). It's the inspiration behind the Shakespeare's Weird sisters and their cauldron.

BURNING THE WITCH! The Initiation of Freya and the loss of Wisdom in Old Norse Myths

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tji2NJved4

[Lost_Demise]

That was interesting. Now I know a little more about Norse mythology I suppose.

[JuniperBerry]

It's something, alright.

I'm not sure how much faith I put into her interpretation, though I do respect and admire her commitment to understanding and solving the riddles in the Eddas. She also has a series in which she breaks down the creation myth and finds it relevant to soundwaves.

I talk a lot about the philosophy of heathenism here, and I thought providing an example of germanic witchcraft in heathenry would help me better connect with the posters here who are really more interested in that all around, rather than the religious aspects.

[Lost_Demise]

That makes sense.

And yes it is something. All the women I have known are quite strong people, so for women to play such a role in a mythology rather then much if any roles at all I quite prefer.

[Y0m]

The end caught my attention the most.
It was said:

"Only Odinm though a trial of initiation,
could bring the Mead back to the shrine of Earth."

"But Odin blinded by selfish greed just like the dwarves,
betrayed the goddess and left her behind in the Underworld."

"Not understanding that she WAS the Mead of Wisdom."

"Forever after, those who wished to incorporate divine
wisdom would have to seek it in the underworld, facing death."

"He or she would have to wake up the sleeping Goddess
within the realms of Oblivion."

"This was the beginning of a spiritual path towards total
freedom and divine existence for men and god's alike."


IS that why we incarnate in this world of death and rebirth?

[JuniperBerry]

That's an interesting question.

The text of the video you posted isn't part of the lore, really....just the posters interp, so I couldn't give you a yes or no answer. I think that she has a Universal viewpoint, that all religions hold to One great truth. There is a story about the Mead, but it doesn't imply that the woman is the mead or anything. She sort of mashed a few sagas together to create that storyline. The mead is a mead of poetry and divine wisdom that Odin steals from the giant's daughter and gives to the Aesir, but as he's pouring it out, he spills some on all types of creation and that's how poets (human ones) were born. From my understanding at least, and I'm not really into the Advanced studies of the myths yet.

There's some debate on whether or not there is a belief in reincarnation with the Heathens. I have seen some accounts in it in the Eddas, but the general belief seems to be that death is death and there isn't a rebirth back into Midgard. I found myself more interested in the Volva that was awoken, who claimed to be burned three times ( this is lore). It's also never implied in the myths that that is Freya, and I was working on an idea that any volva that dies gains an all-knowing wisdom of things before her time...I don't know quite yet. The burning is supposed to represent the intitiation process..that particular volva was of gold...so it could all be very Alchemical. Transformation, ritual death, etc etc.

The interesting thing is what poetry means to the Norse. To us it implies flowery sonnets you know, but poems were used in a different way back then. The alliteration, the beat of the stanzas, the rhymes were all memorization tools. The most important messages were put into poem form for easy memorization and recitation. There was a very specific way poems had to be constructed....kind of like a secret code. It's one of the reasons the Eddas survived from generation to generation orally, and also how we know that certain stanzas or lays actually came from the era and not a corruption during a later date.

So knowing that, and knowing that Odin drank the Divine Wisdom that spilled unto the poets, and that poetry is how they passed on their knowledge and wisdom in riddles, it gives a whole new meaning to the stories. And that's why people (including myself) try to interpret them and decipher the meaning. Sometimes it's metaphor, sometimes it's cut and dry. It's always interesting. (To me at least. )

Ok, I'm done rambling!