Sif

Posted on April 16, 2009 by mohnkern

 

                      Sif

 

Then Sif went forward and poured out mead for Loki into a crystal cup and said:

Welcome now, Loki, and take the crystal cup
full of ancient mead,
you should admit, that of the children of the Æsir,
that I alone am blameless.

He took the horn and drank it down:

That indeed you would be, if you were so,
if you were shy and fierce towards men;
I alone know, as I think I do know,
your love beside Thor,
and that was the wicked Loki.

 

— The Lokasenna

About Sif

Sif may be one least “recognized” goddess’ of the Norse pantheon.  While much attention is paid to Freyja and Frigga, Sif seems to rarely be mentioned, even by those who are well versed in the Norse gods.

 

However the Eddas have brief mentions about Sif throughout.   We know that she was the wife of Thor.  and mother to the archer Ull.  Ull’s father is unknown, but we do know that is isn’t Thor, indicating that at some point in time, Sif had another Husband.

 

Sif is described as perhaps the most beautiful of the Norse Goddess’, with long blonde hair that are the “source” of her power of magic and enchantment..  She has the gift of prophecy, and is a swan maiden.  She was once married to Orvandil, making her one of the “elder” gods in the pantheon.  She signifies fertility and corn. 

 

Perhaps the most famous tale of Sif is the tale of Loki sneaking into her bedroom and cutting off her hair.  This so angered thor that he “convinced” Loki to have make a deal with dwarves to have the most beautiful hair of gold made to replace Sif’s hair.   Some have said that Loki’s removal of her hair may be representative of the burning of crops at some point in time.

 

Also worthy of note is the fact that both Loki and Odin (in the name of Harbard in Hárbarðsljóð) accused Sif of having a “lover at home” while Thor was away.     There is some speculation that Loki may have in fact been the lover Odin was speaking of, as its the only way that Loki could have gotten close enough to Sif while she was sleeping.  However, the evidence of this is speculative at best.

 

It’s interesting that Sif seems to embodied elements of both Freyja and Frigg.  She clearly has the beauty and sexuality of Freyja, but also has the fertility and concept of holder of the keys that emodies Frigg.  

 

 

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Tyr

Posted on April 16, 2009 by mohnkern

                                  Tyr

Tyr is the Norse god of courage, oaths, justice, and single combat.  He is typically portrayed as a one handed man carrying a spear.  The loss of his hand is a result of his agreement with the wolf Fenrir.  Historically he may have been one of the most commonly worshipped gods, however, we see very little of him in the classic literature. The Prose Edda indicates that he is the sone of Odin, while the Poetic Edda indicates that he’s the son of Hymir.  At one time, he was considered to be the “leader of the gods”.

The day Tuesday is named for him.

 

Tyr in the classic literature

Tyr doesn’t appear very many times in the classic literature, probably because during the time that Tyr was most popular stories were handed down orally, rather than written form.  However, we do have a few stories in which Tyr appears:

 

The Voluspa — The Voluspa, or the wise woman’s prophecy, is told in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.  The tale is a story of Odin calling upon a Volva (wise women) to give him advice.  She gives him the tale of the creation of the universe, and ultimately tells him the tale of Ragnarok.  It is in this tale where we learn of the tale of Tyr loosing his hand to the Fenris wolf.

 

The gods decided to shackle the wolf Fenrisulfr (Fenrir), but the beast broke every chain they put upon him. Eventually they had the dwarves make them a magical ribbon called Gleipnir from the noise a cat makes when it moves, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, the spittle of a bird, the beard of a woman, and the roots of a mountain. The gods took those items from the world and that is why they do not exist today. Fenrir refused to be bound with it unless one of the gods put his hand in the wolf’s mouth.

Tyr agreed, and the other gods bound the wolf. After Fenrir had been bound by the gods, he struggled to try and break the rope. When the gods saw that Fenrir was bound they all laughed, except Tyr, who had his right hand bitten off by Fenrisulfr.

 

If we turn to the Prose Edda, and Gylfaginning we see the same story retold:

 

Of great importance these asas seem to me to be, and it is not wonderful that you have great power, since you have such excellent knowledge of the gods, and know to which of them to address you prayers on each occasion. But what other gods are there? Har answered: There is yet an asa, whose name is Tyr. He is very daring and stout-hearted. He sways victory in war, wherefore warriors should call on him. There is a saw, that he who surpasses others in bravery, and never yields, is Tyr-strong. He is also so wise, that it is said of anyone who is specially intelligent, that he is Tyr-learned. A proof of his daring is, that when the asas induced the wolf Fenrer to let himself be bound with the chain Gleipner, he would not believe that they would loose him again until Tyr put his hand in his mouth as a pledge. But when the asas would not loos the Fenris-wolf, he bit Tyr’s hand off at the place of the wolf’s joint (the wrist; Icel. úlfliðr). From that time Tyr is one-handed, and he is now called a peacemaker among men.

We also see reference to Tyr in the Lokasenna .  The Lokasenna, also known as Loki’s Wrangling is a story regarding a contest of taunts.  This type of contest was extremely common with the Norse.  Unfortunately, we don’t know who the author of this tale is, however, they do appear to be well versed in the mythology, and the norse society.

 

Thor’s wife, was there, and Brag, with Ithun, his wife. Tyr, who had but one hand, was there; the wolf Fenrir had bitten off his other hand when they had bound him. There were Njorth and Skathi his wife, Freyr and Freyja, and Vithar, the son of Othin. Loki was there, and Freyr’s servants Byggvir and Beyla. Many were there of the gods and elves.

Here we see an acknoledgement of the events surrounding Tyr and the loss of his hand.

 

Loki spake:
34. “Be silent, Njorth; | thou wast eastward sent,
To the gods as a hostage given;
And the daughters of Hymir | their privy had
When use did they make of thy mouth.”

Njorth spake:
35. “Great was my gain, | though long was I gone,
To the gods as a hostage given;
The son did I have | whom no man hates,
And foremost of gods is found.”

Loki spake:
36. “Give heed now, Njorth, | nor boast too high,
No longer I hold it hid;
With thy sister hadst thou | so fair a son,
Thus hadst thou no worse a hope.”

Tyr spake:
37. “Of the heroes brave | is Freyr the best
Here in the home of the gods;He harms not maids | nor the wives of men,
And the bound from their fetters he frees.”

Loki spake:
38. “Be silent, Tyr! | for between two men
Friendship thou ne’er couldst fashion;
Fain would I tell | how Fenrir once
Thy right hand rent from thee.”

Tyr spake:
39. “My hand do I lack, | but Hrothvitnir thou,
And the loss brings longing to both;
Ill fares the wolf | who shall ever await
In fetters the fall of the gods.”

Loki spake:
40. “Be silent, Tyr! | for a son with me
Thy wife once chanced to win;
Not a penny, methinks, | wast thou paid for the wrong,
Nor wast righted an inch, poor wretch.”

It’s interesting here that while Tyr had a reputation of being the god of courage, he deferred to Freyr with respect to his courage.  Here we also see that Loki is insulting Tyr as being incompetent as a peacemaker.  We also see reference to Tyr having a wife, and a son.  Unfortunately, we don’t know who they are.

Summarizing Tyr

Of all the gods and goddesses in the Norse Pantheon, Tyr is perhaps the most “straight arrow” of the bunch (with perhaps the exception of Heimdall).   His courage in dealing with the binding of Fenrir is a solid sign that he is god the that is willing to face the hardships for the betterment of society. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to understand how Tyr could be the god oaths.  After all, he lost his and as a result of his bargain with Fenrir.   However it’s important to look at it from what the bargain actually was.  Tyr essentially said “let us chain you up, and if you can’t get free, you can have my hand.”  That’s exactly what happened, the gods chained Fenrir up, and Tyr lost his hand as a result.   Tyr, as the god of oaths, demonstrates in this tale that one must live up to ones’ oaths, despite the cost. 

Turning to the concept of Tyr being the god of justice, when one might perceive the loss of his hand being unjust, and there are no other tales of him acting in a “just” way, one might wonder why he is deemed the god of justice.  This requires an understanding of “what was just” in that society.  In the societies where Tyr was revered oaths and bargains were probably one of the most important things in society.  Since the Vikings were merchants, relying upon the promises made in a contract were extremely important.  Just as Tyr lost his hand as a result of his promise to Fenrir, it was important to the viking merchants that even though one might lose money (or worse, ones life) as a result of a contract, it was important to fulfill ones obligations.  Ultimately, in this period, keeping ones promises was what was perceived as just.

Understanding and Relating to Tyr

If Tyr becomes a part of your life, it’s important to understand him, and how to relate to who and what he represents.  First, if Tyr has entered your life, it’s likely related to oaths, contracts, or bargains you have made.   He may be reminding you of the promises you have made, or may there to remind you of promises others have made to you.  It’s important to keep this in mind when dealing with him.

Second, unlike many of the gods, Tyr is completely straight forward.  He’s not likely to couch his language in a fashion so you don’t understand him.  When he says something, the meaning is “plain on its face.”  If you’re finding confusing concepts or language that appears to be structured to hide the true meaning, it may not be Tyr that you’re dealing with.

Tyr can be “harsh,” particularly when considering modern sensibilities regarding things.  Tyr doesn’t have any problem at all at extracting huge prices for things.  (again, the hand being the classic example).  

Also, while other gods may have a sense of humor about things, Tyr does not.  Tyr has never been portrayed as having any sense of humor at all.  While one can acting jokingly with refer to Thor, and perhaps even Odin or Freya, Tyr has no sense of humor.

Ultimately, if Tyr has entered your life, he’s important to listen to, while he doesn’t have the wisdom of Odin, he has the advantage that he doesn’t obscure his intentions.  He’ll almost always be helpful.

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Correspondence Tables for Runes and Motion Pictures

Posted on April 16, 2009 by mohnkern

Runic correspondences for motion pictures.

 

Rune Correspondence Discussion
Fehu Wall Street We must always be cognizant of the fact that money can cause problems between men.  For this reason, the movie Wall Street, which is a condemnation of the greed of corporate greed in the 1980’s is an excellent representation of the negative side of Fehu.
Uruz Urban Cowboy Uruz has an aspect to it about what happens when raw physical strength goes out of control.  The motion picture “Urban Cowboy” is an excellent example of how when getting all-ingulfed by the masculine macho strength, it can be destructive in nature.
Ansuz Field of Dreams When we think of Inspiration, it has an aspect to it that once we acquire the knowledge, we just “know” that it’s true.  This idea of acquiring knowledge “out of nowhere” and knowing that its true is  represented by the movie Field of Dreams.
Thurisaz Glengary, Glen Ross and Disaster films Thurisaz has a distinct feature about it in that it can represent difficulty in life.  It can be about bad things happening that are outside of your control.  Glengary, Glen Ross represents bad things happening in your life that are destructive.  Also, the broad theme of Natural Disaster Films represents the concepts of Thurisaz.
Raidho Gumball Rally Raidho represents a trip, and where you end up is less important than how you get there.  While the movie covers this aspect about “how you get there” the objective is simply getting there any way you can.  So for Raidho, the movie Gumball Rally is a good example.
Kenaz Documentaries When we think of Kenaz, we think of knowledge, and the gift of knowledge.  For that reason, rather than pointing a specific movie in this case, I’m going to point to Documentaries as this idea of the torch of knowledge that we carry with us.
Gebo It’s a Wonderful Life Gebo, the gift, and the obligations that come with it.  Its a Wonderful Life  reminds us of the gifts that have been given us, and how we should cherish them.

 

 
Wunjo Groundhog Day When we consider movies and the concept of joy, we encounter a problem, because a movie solely about joy isn’t a movie at all.  However, when we consider that Wunjo has an aspect to it where if we become satisfied with joy, we don’t progress, we then come to the movie Groundhog Day.  This is a movie where a man repeats the same day over and over.  He starts of by being really unhappy about repeating, but ultimately becomes happy that he’s living the same day over and over again.  It’s not until he realizes that he needs to move forward that he can break out of the cycle.
Hagalaz V for Vendetta Hagalaz is the classic rune of destruction.  We normally think of this rune with extremely negative consequences.  However, it is possible that we destroy something just because its “bad” or needs to be destroyed.  The movie V for Vendetta is about the destruction of the existing government structure purely because its evil, without there being anything in the movie about what remains afterwards.
Nauthiz A Streetcar Named Desire What do we need to survive day to day?  What can’t we survive without? A Streetcar Named Desire is about Blanche Dubois’ exploration of what she truly needs in life.
Isa Shawshank Redemptions Isa represents the ice, or the inability to move, it can represent the issue of being stuck in a set of circumstances that we cannot get out of.  However there’s also a lesson to be learned with Isa in making the most of what we have at the time. The Shawshank Redemption reminds us to have patience, and make change when it’s appropriate.
Jera National Treasure When we think of Jera, we think of the year, and the concept of cycles, we think about the hard work we’ve done, and how we’ll reap the rewards for it.  Its about suddenly reaping that reward that we’ve strived for for so long.  National Treasure is a representation of this concept of a family, for generation, trying to reap the rewards for their work, and finally accomplishing it.
Eihwaz Casablanca Eiwhaz represents personal strength, and the tree Yggdrasil.  It represents that stoicness that holds “things together.”    It’s about being there, despite how tough it gets.  So I turn to Rick from the film Casablanca, who, despite how bad things got, was always there.
Perthro Blade Runner Perthro represents mysteries, fate, and things we cannot understand.  Blade Runner, where characters in the film are destined to die, just because of who they are, and for no other reason, represents this idea of fate.  However, we’re reminded that fate can be changed, as one of the characters we assumed was going to die, gets a second chance.
Algiz Die Hard and Schindler’s List Algiz is the shield, it’s about protection.  When I began to think of Algiz in terms of movies, I concluded that it had to be a movie about law enforcement or firemen, and how they protect us.  This concept of Algiz also seems to relate to protection from those we might not normally expect to protect us.  With that in mind, Die Hard is a perfect example of someone who protects others, without even knowing who they are.  One could also look to Schindler’s List as an excellent example of the concept of Algiz.
Sowilo Pride of the Yankees Recognition, honorifics, the idea of being rewarded in a non-monetary fashion for your accomplishments.  These are all concepts that surround Sowilo.  While a historical figure, Lou Gherig, from the Pride of the Yankees represents to us that financial compensation is not the only way to be recognized for what you do.
Tiwaz Twelve Angry Men While traditionally Tiwaz represents agreements and promises, there is a strong justice component about it.  When we think of the concept of Justice, and the efforts it takes to get justice, the film Twelve Angry Men comes to mind, and how twelve men, after significant effort, realize that our individual perceptions of justice are colored by our past.
Berkano Tootsie New Directions, new skills, taking on new tasks, this is what Berkano represents. However it’s building on what was, without destroying it.  With that Tootsie is an example where someone who is stuck, takes a completely new direction without destroying what was in the past.
Ehaz The Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of OZ Ehwaz represents the journey, and the fact that what happens along our trip is more important than where we end up.  The Lord of the Rings (all three films as a whole) is an excellent representation of this.  The Wizard of Oz is another excellent example.
Mannaz Philadelphia Relationships, not amongst our family members, but within our community, our reputation, and how others perceive us.  These are all representations of Mannaz.  Philadelphia, A story of a man who has an excellent reputation that is destroyed because of secrets that come out about him, reminds us that our reputations are a combination of what we build inside of us, but how others perceive us.  The latter is something we cannot control.
Laguz On Golden Pond We normally think of Laguz, and the lake as the concept of healing in a physical sense, however, the power of Laguz also represents spiritual healing.  It also represents things that are beneficial to us physically and spiritually.  On Golden Pond represents the idea of a place being able to heal us, in this case, spiritually.
Inguz The Godfather When we think of movies that are about family, and our obligations to family, one movie always comes to mind, and that’s The Godfather.  This gives us an excellent example of family, our obligation to it, and how a family must bind together.
Dagaz The Sound of Music When we think of Dagaz, we think of a rebirth, the ending of something old, and the beginnig of something new.  While the movie concludes at the beginning of “something new” The Sound of Music is about the destruction of that which we have become comfortable with, because we do so for our own good, and the following of a new path.
Othala Gone with the Wind There are many many movies which can represent the concept of family, and hearth.  However, Gone With the Wind represents this so well, with the concept of the Southern Plantation, and the willingness to do anything to protect it.

 

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