The Rational Heathen

Some Things to Think About Before Dedicating Oneself to a God

April 2, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 1 comment

I ran into this post on Happily Heathen about dedicating oneself to a god or goddess. It left me

feeling a bit hinky, but I understand why someone would want to dedicate themselves to a god or goddess. I won’t lie when I say that I’m dedicated to Tyr, but it’s not the same type of dedication I’ve seen with other people. Or maybe it is, I just don’t look at it the same way.

My Experience with the Gods or Your Mileage May Vary

I’m taking a big breath as I write this as I try to put into words what kind of relationship I have with the god. There was no contract and no ceremony. I guess seeing the Deity Dedication Contract on that page on Happily Heathen made me concerned. You see, Tyr is all about oaths and contracts. You fuck it up and you’re screwed in a big way. He gets that we as humans make mistakes, but formalizing an oath is even stricter than a marriage vow. You can get a divorce from a marriage vow, and it may be messy or in some warped cases, even deadly. You fuck up with a god, and you’re screwed. Big time.

Oath Takers and Oath Breakers

It has to do with oaths. Oathbreakers are considered the lowest of the low in ancient Norse culture, which I imagine we got from our gods. Those who break oaths — even gods like Tyr — pay heavy prices. This is why I look on oaths very solemnly.

Whether you believe in Nastrond, where Nidhoggr chews on oathbreakers, adulterers, and murderers, is immaterial. The Eddas have a type of morality play where oathbreakers are indeed punished through fate or karma. To make an oath to a god is a very serious obligation and any promises you make to them, you need to keep. These aren’t the Christian god who probably would forgive you if you promised something under duress. No, these are our primal gods who will take your promise seriously.

This is why as a person who follows Tyr, I am cautious about any oaths, or even everyday agreeing to things. This shit takes control real fast and you’ll soon find yourself overextended and over-pledged. And taking oaths you can’t keep.

That being said, it’s good to understand the limits of what you’ll allow versus what you won’t if you dedicate yourself to a god. Some gods are more respectful of limits than others. Others will ride roughshod over you, even if you say no. Just because you say you don’t want X doesn’t mean they’ll respect it. I know there are other bloggers who will say so-and-so will respect any boundaries you set. Some gods/goddesses will. Others won’t.

These are gods, and they are not your whiny-ass bitches. (Whoa! Where did that come from? Did I just hear someone say that to me?) Harsh, but very, very true. You are dealing with something far more powerful, and more elemental in this Universe than you’ve ever imagined. Don’t pretend there’s a safe word that will make everything all right.

A Great Big Bull’s-Eye

Once you’re of interest to one god, it’s like grabbing the attention of the entire family, so to speak. When Tyr and Thor entered my life, I didn’t expect attention from Loki, Odin, Freyja, or Freyr, but I’ve got it. It’s weird to have an occasional god pop in and see what I’m up to. Why do they do that? Who in the Hel knows?

It can be annoying at times, and even disconcerting because, let’s face it, I’m a skeptic, and in fact, I’m still trying to keep the agnostic part. But it’s hard to remain agnostic when the gods decide you’re worth paying attention to, for whatever fucking reason. It’s weird, really. I understand why, but it still surprises me that I’d attract attention.

No Skinriding, Please

I’ve heard the term skinriding as a type of possession some folks go through. It’s a weird experience

where you lose control as the god or goddess takes over. This can happen when bears and wolves take over warriors as well, called beserkers and ulfhednar. I’m not even sure I believe in it. That being said, there was a time when someone asked me for advice, and I swear Tyr was talking through me. I don’t now remember what I said exactly, but I do remember the feeling. It was exhilarating and at the same time, disconcerting. What he said I basically agreed with, but seriously?

I think it really depends on you and your personality and how it meshes with the god/goddess. For all I know, we all might be suffering from multiple personality disorders, which makes us in serious need of therapy. If there’s one thing that will have me check myself into the loony bin, it’ll be not being in control of myself. So, absolutely no skinriding. I know Tyr knows my rules and is okay with it.

If you go down the path of skinriding, be sure you can handle it. And be sure it’s a god whom you trust.

So, Should You Dedicate Yourself to a God?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? I don’t have an answer for you on that. Only you and your god(s) can tell you what is right for you. All I can do is provide advice when it comes to what to think about. You want to make oaths? That’s your call. You want to allow possession? Again, that’s your call. You want to formalize your oath with a contract? Okey dokey.

Maybe I might be closer to Tyr if I did do those things, but that’s really not my nature, and he understands. I don’t think I’d be any closer to him. The fact that I’m even writing about this is a stretch for me because I don’t like to really blab about these things in real life. I’d keep it to myself in most cases, but I’ve heard from others who seem to confirm what I know from my interactions with the god. These folk have encouraged me to write about it. So, here it is.

If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to draw a god’s attention, chances are you know what I’m talking about. And maybe if you find yourself in this position, my words might actually make sense. Do what you think is right, but also be cautious. Don’t agree to things you might regret later. And once you do go down that rabbit hole, there’s no turning back.

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” — Morpheus, The Matrix

Icelandic Archaeologist Discovers Frost Giant Under Ice Melt

April 1, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Þórhallur Hárlaugsson

Ægissiða 15
610 Grenivík

354 475 9456

Icelandic Archaeologist Discovers Frost Giant Under Ice Melt

Scientists Trying to Determine if Blue-Skinned jötnar is missing link

1 April 2016 — Reykjavík, Iceland. Icelandic Archaeologist Þórhallur Hárlaugsson PhD discovered the body of a 20,000 year old, 5 meter tall, blue-skinned man that Dr. Hárlaugsson claims must be a jötnar or giant as mentioned extensively in the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, and Norse mythology.

Incredible Find Near Eyjafjallajökull Glacier

“I was looking for Huldufólk near the Eyjafjallajökull glacier and tripped over a boot,” Dr. Hárlaugsson says. “I didn’t expect to see a jötnar this far up the side of a volcano, but there it is.” Dr. Hárlaugsson then called his team to the site and they began carefully excavating the find. So far, the archaeological team has uncovered the head and shoulders of the jötnar as well as one foot. “It’s remarkably well preserved. I’m guessing that it died from the blow to the side of its head. It looks like it was hit with a hammer or something.”

Dr. Hárlaugsson speculates that the hammer strike might have been done by a great warrior, who may have given rise to the myth of Thor, the thunder god. “It was probably a great warrior in Iceland. Maybe an Inuit,” he postulates. “There’s no way it could be Thor. Nobody believes in those old myths about gods. Those people you hear following pagan gods, well that’s just silly. They’re doing it for tax exempt status. There aren’t really gods.”

“Don’t be Dissing the Huldufólk“

When asked about his belief in Huldufólk and jötnar, Dr. Hárlaugsson became emphatic. “Don’t be dissing the Huldufólk. My grandmother saw one once out of the corner of her eye. You saying my gramps is a liar?”

When asked about the jötnar, Dr. Hárlaugsson’s interns put down their pipes and swear that the jötnar is real, even when asked why the photo looks remarkably like a Marvel jotun.

“This is simply amazing,” said Kolbrún Birgisdóttir, an intern with Dr. Hárlaugsson, who asked that she remain anonymous. “I never thought that Marvel was right, but I guess this proves they’re ‘jotun.’ It’s like they were psychic or something.“

A Missing Link?

Dr. Hárlaugsson believes that the jötnar may be one of modern day’s ancestors. “I can totally see them having sex with Denisovians,” he said. When pointed out that Denisovians have only been found in Asia, Dr. Hárlaugsson waved his hands. “Denisovians! Neanderthals! They’re all the same. Next you’ll be telling me that Adam and Eve really didn’t exist!”

For more information about this fantastic find, contact Dr. Þórhallur Hárlaugsson.

Round Up of Things on My Mind: The Hat Trick — Or Why Learning Dead Languages is Cool, more Doctor Who, and Why Loki does a Terrible Job at Matchmaking

March 26, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

From Doctor Who. Damn, I saw horns.

Some days I get a wild hair and start looking for way cool things. It just so happened that I came across this site that had the song, Blue Monday, played on obsolete 1930s instruments. Now, even though Blue Monday is technically from my era (oh gods, did I admit how old I actually am?), I never was fond of the original, but I do like this version. Anyway, the site is a listing of tons of free stuff, including free courses. Now, in my copious amounts of spare time, I actually have more shit to do. Yay me!

Norse, Of Course

One of the things they do have is an Old Norse course. Ooooh, I can hear your mouths watering on the link to the class on Old Norse. They also have Icelandic, but you’re going to have to look for that. Unfortunately I don’t see anything for Elfdalian, which makes me sad.

Of course I have to take Old Norse class. This to me is a hat trick for dead languages because I was crazy enough to take Latin in high school and college, and Anglo-Saxon in college. Working with languages, whether Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Japanese, Italian, or computer languages is really enjoyable. So, Old Norse makes sense. Here is the link for it again. You’re welcome.

If you want to really be a literary snob, learning dead languages are the way to go. Yeah, they’re cool. If you want to become a writer, I highly recommend learning Latin, Anglo Saxon, and probably Ancient Greek to understand English better. Old Norse is just my way of learning something that works with our gods, and of course, reading Eddas.

I will possibly be talking about the classes I’m taking for fun as well as my thoughts about heathenism in future posts. Oh, and the occasional snide scientific comments.

No, No Horns!


I know “disapproval” is misspelled. I didn’t make the meme, I just use it.

Well, I just saw The Girl Who Died which was Season 9, Episode 5 of Doctor Who and all I could think about were those damn horns on those helmets. No, no, no! The Norse didn’t wear horns on their helmets. This silly idea came about in the 1800s when Wagner’s Ring Cycle came into play (Get it? Get it?) and the costumer designer put horns on the Viking helmets. And the image stuck. Rather silly, really. If you’ve ever sparred with swords (yes, I have) you’d know that helmets are damn heavy. And if you want to have your head whacked silly, try putting horns on helmets. While they might catch the enemy’s sword, chances are they’re more of a nice hand hold for your enemy so that they can toss you in the dirt and use a misericorde to put you out of their misery for wearing such a stupid thing. (Yes, I’m very punny today!)

It’s stuff like this that drives me apoplectic. I really considered the notion of not continuing to watch the rest of the season because of the huge gaff, and because I’m not too fond of the new Doctor. He’s getting better, but I really miss. David Tennant. Even then, the Brits have no clue how firearms should be handled and it’s obvious throughout the shows. So I am mentally correcting them throughout. But that’s for another day.

Loki’s Hand at Matchmaking

This goes under: sometimes you can’t make this shit up. I want to share an experience I had with an old friend who isn’t much of a friend any longer. (Long story that, in and of itself.)

This friend was a geek and really cool until got married and became “Born Again” because of his wife. His mom, for whatever reason, became Wiccan. I don’t know all the background behind this. At one point, his mom was remarrying and she invited her son and his wife to her wedding.

Now, can you see the mess this is leading up to?

I’m not Wiccan, but I understand that Wiccan can encompass the goddess and god, and a number of other deities. I don’t know what was said as an invocation, but the daughter-in-law thought she heard the name of a demon mentioned. (Look, I have no fucking idea — I heard this from the son.) So the son and daughter-in-law turned with their backs toward the mom on her wedding day. No, they didn’t just leave. No, they didn’t try to understand what was going on.

Classic. Christian. Arrogance. And. Intolerance.

Sometimes karma is a bitch. What warped god came up with slamming those two together? I’m thinking Loki — it has all his earmarks on this. It is funny in a warped sense, and it is tragic at the same time. Loki tries hard, but even he loves mischief. So, I really should do a blot to him just for the bizarre humor of it all.

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So, what in the hel is this post about? Nothing really. Sometimes I just write about shit that’s on my mind. I also wanted to share with you a cool site I thought you’d like. I also had a chance for a Doctor Who reference.

Eostre — Was Easter Appropriated?

March 19, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

As the Rational Heathen, I’ve been called out occasionally on agreeing with the beliefs that Christianity appropriated the trappings and dates of pagan festivals and gave them a shiny new coat of paint and something for the masses to celebrate instead of their old customs. While I agree that in some cases, particularly Eostre/Ostara, we don’t have the proof, my gut tells me that the trappings surrounding Easter has more to do with pagan origins than Christian ones. Let me explain.

Easter Bunnies Do Not Make Sense from a Christian Standpoint

While growing up, I had a tough time swallowing the whole rabbit/egg/chicks thing when it came to the resurrection of Christ. Don’t get me wrong–I love chocolate and eggs and the whole idea of renewal, BUT…nowhere in the Christian bible is there a rabbit handing out eggs and candy. Nor is a rabbit or an egg linked as a symbol of resurrection in the bible. I suppose we could look at these as symbols of resurrection, but that sounds remarkably like a rite of spring and not Christ rising from the dead. Yes, yes, we could point to spring as the earth resurrecting from winter, but given that Christ’s crucifixion was only during spring because of Passover (Jesus went to Jerusalem during the feast of Passover), there’s no real bunny-earth-chocolate connection there. The bible doesn’t make that connection, so why do we? More likely we’ve had something that pointed to rabbits and birds as symbols of springtime as a time of renewal. I suspect it is the way we celebrated the return of fertility and birth of animals and plants. Being the clever Christians, they quickly pointed to the rabbits and baby birds and said they’re symbols of the Christian Easter. Easter, which existed for Christians, needed a shiny paint job to get everyone on board with it. Why not go with the fluffy and cute, which probably was already there in the pagan world?

The Easter Bunny

Even History.com admits the ubiquitous Easter bunny most likely has pagan roots because rabbits are prolific little buggers. What better way to show fertility and new life than something that breeds…er, like rabbits? The Germans who showed up in the United States in the early 1700s are said to have brought their stories of “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws,” an egg-laying rabbit. (Incidentally, this isn’t the only occasion Germanic peoples have brought holiday customs to the United States–Christmas is a biggie too.) It’s interesting to note that Osterhase has a similar root to Ostara. A coincidence? Unlikely.

Other candidates for passing out eggs included foxes, storks, and other birds. Let’s continue.

Eggs

I’m pretty sure Christ wasn’t hatched, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that the colored egg thing isn’t really a Christian thing. A nice stretch the History Channel made–and to be honest, I’ve heard this too–is that the egg symbolizes Christ’s resurrection from the tomb. Okay, then. The custom of painting eggs goes back to the 1200s. Why? Well, they think that maybe eggs weren’t allowed to be eaten during Lent and painting the eggs for Easter made them extra special. I can see that…maybe. In which case, it was a way to make nasty old eggs look yummy. (The fasting in Lent generally lasts 40 days–you’d have a lot of eggs by then.) I grew up Roman Catholic, but not eating eggs wasn’t part of Lent when I was growing up. In fact, the Catholic Bishops say eggs are okay, even if you go with the traditional fast. Maybe this is something pre-Vatican II?

But then we still have the Osterhase who lays colored eggs. Who knows? Maybe both contributed to it. One German site I found says that the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Persians looked at eggs as the symbol for rebirth and fertility. I’m not relying on this site, but it does make sense that a Middle East death cult would take on the trappings of pagan symbols.

Candy

I’d love to claim candy as a pagan/heathen tradition, but really the Easter candy started with chocolate eggs in the early 1800s. Probably a nice little marketing idea. I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t give out chocolate eggs at the crucifixion or at the resurrection.

But What About Eostre/Ostara?

Eostre/Ostara isn’t a goddess we know much about. But I suspect we’ve lost much since the rise of Christianity. It’s interesting that St. Bede is the reason we even know about Eostre. He wrote in the 8th century about Eostre who had the month of April bearing her name. There are some folk who even dispute whether or not Eostre was a goddess, but I think it is likely she was. Given the general fertility rites of spring, we can guess that Eostre was a dawn and fertility goddess, akin in some ways to Freyja. Wikipedia states:

“As the Germanic languages descend from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), historical linguists have traced the name to a Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn *H₂ewsṓs (→ *Ausṓs), from which descends the Common Germanic divinity from whom Ēostre and Ostara are held to descend…”

I suspect that Eostre and Ostara are names for the Greek goddess of the dawn, Aurora, but this is conjecture on my part. Still the names have basically the same roots, which means that the goddess was worshiped well before our ancestors separated. It also gives me credence when I say that Eostre/Ostara was a goddess and not just a name for opening or new things.

When we talk about Eostre existing or not, this is all more or less by guess and by golly. Yes, there has been at least one person who has put forth some very convincing arguments that she didn’t exist. No, I’m not convinced, but with good reason. We just don’t know. The problem with his arguments is no one has a time machine (yet) that allows us to go back and see what really happened. Where is the Doctor when you need him? (Did you REALLY think I was going to write a post without a Doctor Who reference? Oh, ye of little faith!)

Trying to Reconstruct from the Ashes

Doctor Who aside, we Heathens are basically left with the smoldering remnants of what used to be a rich and detailed belief system. We can only gain glimpses of what our ancestors believed and try our best to reconstruct and fill in the blanks. Some of us hear the gods and goddesses and can write about our UPGs, but there’s really no way we can find out scientifically what actually existed without some new artifacts, or someone somehow going back in time and bringing us the information.

Our neolithic ancestors were very sophisticated people who were unlucky enough to not have invented a written language. Even the Norse and Germanic tribes, while they did have the runes, they were used for ceremonies and inscriptions. Looking at the stone age construction we’ve discovered in recent times, shows that our ancestors were quite capable of building impressive temples, stone homes such as those in Skara Brae, and stone monuments. But much of what they created did not survive. Statues made of wood rotted or were burned. Metal statues of gods were most likely melted down and reused. Without identifiable written language and without much art of gods or goddesses available (and knowing that’s what the art depicted), it’s questionable that we can ever truly reconstruct what happened in our past.

Whether you believe Eostre is a construct of Bede or not, the point is that Christians took on pagan trappings to ease the masses into their religion. After all, if your god accepts bunnies, chicks, and colored eggs–which is something you did to celebrate your former god–it probably doesn’t matter much to you that the names changed. It’s the same thing, just a slightly different flavor if you keep the basics intact.

How I feel today

March 13, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Are the Gods People?

March 12, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 2 comments

Heh. This one is sure to get me in trouble with some folk.

A lot of people are pretty convinced that the gods look like something out of Marvel, Wagner’s Opera, or <name your preference here>. Some followers of northern paganism, including Asatru, Heathenry, and even Odinism, are constantly insisting that the gods are at least human looking and have physical forms that look like…well, like white people. I’m going to drive a truck right over that belief.

Why the Gods Appear Human — Warning UPG Ahead!

It’s laughable to think that the gods are human. They can take human-like forms, but they certainly aren’t human any more than the natural elements being human. Because they’re Norse and Germanic gods, it’s not surprising that to most people they look, well…, like something out of Lord of the Rings. This, I suspect, is more because of cultural biases rather than actually what the gods look like or are. They relate to us in ways we can easily accept. If that means looking like an old guy like Gandalf the Grey with an eyepatch and two ravens on his shoulders, then that’s what Odin will look like. We have a cultural understanding what Odin is going to look like through our stories. Odin may look differently to another culture. In fact, unless he had a specific reason to look like Gandalf, he would look like whatever was appropriate to the culture of whom he spoke to. If that means that he needs to show up as Christ, an African American, or a fruit cake to tell us something, that’s probably what he’d do. At least, that has been my experience with Odin. As usual, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), and if you actually deal with the gods, you may have different experiences.

What are the Gods, Exactly?

I tend to think of the gods as natural entities and metaphors for what we see in nature. Their power is over certain natural phenomena. I’m not quite pantheistic, but I think I can make a case for it. But that’s another subject for another time. When we look at all the gods, they all have natural phenomena associated with them. Thor with thunder springs to mind, but there are certainly others. Sif with the earth and harvest. Freyr with male sexuality, fertility, and agriculture. Tyr with laws and the heavens. Odin with creation. Some, like Frigg, goddess of marriage and the household, are aimed more toward human constructs, but given they are universal, we can think of them as natural.

So, are the gods their elements? I suspect they are, or at least strongly linked. I know they’re not human or in human form, but I suspect they can manifest themselves in whatever manner they need to be.

Where are the Gods?

There’s been some debate as to whether a particular god is only in Northern Europe, or whether Northern Paganism extends beyond the lands whence they came. If we look at the actual roots of Norse Paganism, we can see it actually evolved from Proto-Indo-European Paganism. And that evolved from nostratic paganism.

I’ve shown this evolutionary tree of religion before, but I want to talk about nostratic paganism for a moment. As far as I know — and people can certainly point me in better directions — there isn’t really a lot of evidence concerning what people actually believed some 17,000 years ago. We know people believed in an afterlife and certainly gods to worship and sacrifice to, but given our ancestors didn’t have a written language then, we really don’t know exactly what tribe worshiped what. And while we know that our ancestors made the jump from animism to paganism, we don’t really know when exactly or how. We do know that our ancestors probably worshiped a set of gods because later iterations seem to suggest they came from one root. So, we’re looking at the same gods being worshiped (or similar gods being worshiped) across various cultures. Yes, the names change, and some of the roles change, but we see similarity between gods of various pantheons.

It seems unlikely that if we discovered our gods during the nostratic paganism times that our gods would be rooted in just one geographic location. And if they were in one location, we’d probably be looking more south than north. But this doesn’t make sense. Natural phenomena doesn’t change simply because it’s in another region. Hence, I think it’s unlikely we’re dealing with different gods.

Making the Case with Thor

Let’s take Thor and lightning (and thunder). I use Thor as an example because he’s easily understood and thunder gods exist damn near everywhere. Thor as a thunder god is one of our most powerful and revered gods, and yet, he has names throughout different cultures. But lightning is lightning, and thunder is thunder. While lightning may come in various shapes, it’s pretty much the same thing. I suppose you could argue that there is ball lightning, volcanic lightning, more violent thunderstorms with lightning, and even sprites, but I’d argue that it’s the same thing, just behaving differently according to its environments. Look at lightning and you’ll see pretty much the same phenomena.

If we argue that the thunder gods are different in the Western hemisphere than the Eastern hemisphere, then we should see marked differences in the thunder and lightning in the United States than in Asia or Europe or Africa. But we don’t. We see that the behavior is the same. The thunder and lightning follow the same behaviors as put forth by natural laws (physics aka Tyr). So, Thor is Thor, whether he is called Perun, Zeus, or the Thunderbird. It does, however, make me wonder if Thor is an Earth phenomena or whether he governs all lightning. No, I haven’t a UPG on that yet, but I suspect Thor isn’t tied to just our little rock.

Physics, Ethics of Reciprocity, and Tyr

We also see that the natural laws extend well past the borders of northern Europe. If Tyr’s laws didn’t

exist everywhere in our Universe, we’d be in a terrible mess. Imagine if gravity existed only in some parts of the world and not in others. That alone would be a scary thought because there wouldn’t be attraction between masses that would hold them together. Or energy isn’t what we understand it is. Or anything that we have come to learn about the universe suddenly disappears. There would be places on Earth where everything and anything goes. Or maybe gigantic rifts in space time because there are pockets of things that don’t follow Tyr’s laws.

On the human side, I suppose one could argue that Tyr doesn’t exist in all places as the embodiment of humankind’s laws. And you might have a case. And yet, we see at a basic level other religions point to codes of conduct that they approve of. “Golden Rules” if you want to take the Christian term, or Ethics of Reciprocity.

Do all cultures have Ethics of Reciprocity? I suspect so in some form. Whether they’re followed is iffy — humans aren’t exactly the best when it comes to doing the right thing.

So, there you have it, my take on the gods.

Ragnarok — Real or a Christian Fable?

March 5, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 1 comment

I thought since I made the comment about Ragnarok, I should probably delve into the story of Ragnarok. As a rational heathen, I thought Ragnarok was a load of crap added by Christianity to provide a “changing of the guard” from pagan to Christian. After all, it’s easier to worship the white Christ if your gods are dead. Naturally, Tyr had something to say about that.

What is the Twilight of the Gods?

But before I get into that, let’s look at Ragnarok in brief. Ragnarok, or the Twilight of the Gods, speaks of an apocalyptic scenario where the Aesir and Vanir go to the final battle against the forces of chaos. We will suffer three winters in a row without summer called Fimbulvetr, Sunna and Mani (the sun and moon) will be swallowed by the wolves that follow them, the stars will disappear, and the earth will shake. The gods along with warriors from Asgard, and I presume from any hall in Asgard, will fight the Jotun and Loki’s children in one last battle. Odin dies, Thor dies, Tyr dies, Freyr dies; everyone gets wiped out except Víðarr, Váli, Móði and Magni. The fire giants set the nine worlds ablaze. Two humans, Líf and Lífþrasir, will survive somehow encased in Yggdrasil. Beyond that, we’re left to start again.

Some of the things that struck me with this apocalypse is the relative similarity to Revelations and other apocryphal texts (see what I did there?). It’s so close to the Christian teachings that I was sure it was just something borrowed. That was before I had the UPG.

Ragnarok, Seriously?

Yeah, Tyr actually interjected into my meditation and told me Ragnarok will happen. Seriously, bro? You mean Fenrir is eating Odin and everything? Yep. But the story as written is tainted with Christian and metaphorical trappings. Ragnarok is a cycle and not just the end of the world. For those who have proposed this or been inspired through UPGs to propose this, you’ll be glad to hear I actually concur with you. Ragnarok has happened and will happen again. Same players throughout time. It’s how the Wyrd spins the universe. Our universe is part of the multiverse and the final fight comes down to the destruction of Midgard, whether it is Earth or the universe we inhabit. Is Sutri’s fire from the sun as it expands? Or is it a tear in the fabric of the universe that causes other universes to leak into ours? I have no clue. But I do understand that it is a metaphor for things to come. Or things that have come before.

When is Ragnarok?

Then, there’s the question of actually when is Ragnarok? The stories I’ve read seem to imply that it has already occurred. If it has, it has happened in the ancient past, and I’m not talking millions, but billions of years ago. Try before our universe came into existence some 13.82 billion years ago. Give or take a few years. Either that, or it’s the Christians trying to bring closure to our stories so that we accept that our gods are dead through Ragnarok. If it’s something in our future, then Ragnarok may also be something in our past, but I doubt strongly that any of us alive to read this blog will experience it within our current lifetimes. If for some weird reason that does happen while you’re reading this post, well, good luck. I am probably long dead by then. Unless there’s some sort of bizarre timey wimey stuff going on that my feeble brain isn’t getting right now because I haven’t had my tea yet. Then again, the theory about a block universe may be right, time is an illusion, and everything exists somewhere in spacetime.

The End of All Things

Those who are of the Christian and Muslim faiths believe in apocalypse, albeit with different endings. Even the origin of Ragnarok is debatable, whether it comes from beliefs of the Proto–Indo-European peoples before they finally separated and made the story their own, or whether it was somehow taken from the poem, Muspille.

My guess is that people embellish what Ragnarok looks like in order to put into understandable terms how bad this could go. Without a decent frame of reference, talking scientific theories to our ancestors would be talking gibberish. Our ancestors from ten thousand years ago were not stupid. They had the same brains we have. But they didn’t have the technology we do, nor did they have the knowledge to comprehend what we understand now. Assuming humans survive ten thousand years from now and continue to progress at the rate we are progressing, my guess is that our technology might be as baffling to us as it would be to our ancestors. Unless our ancestors were educated to how our world works most of the things we use daily would seem like magic.

End of the Universe

What does science have to say about this? Well, obviously humans have a fair number of hurdles to survive before we reach the end of the Universe, assuming it does end. Putting those aside for another blog, physicists point to the Universe doing one of four things: the Big Freeze, the Big Crunch, the Big Rip, or the Big Bounce. None of these theories are proven, but all seem to have their proponents and detractors.

The Big Freeze

The first would be that it could simply expand and continue toward its low energy state. In other words, entropy takes over and the universe cools to the point where everything is at an equilibrium because it continues its progression toward infinity. This is called “the Big Freeze” in physics, and makes Fimbulvetr look toasty warm. There is no energy to sustain life and everything goes somewhere near absolute zero. Sounds pretty bleak, doesn’t it? This assumes an infinite Universe.

The Big Crunch

Then, there’s the Big Crunch. Based on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the Big Crunch is the answer to the Big Bang that created our universe. It also assumes a finite Universe. If the universe reaches a critical density, gravitation attraction will pull everything back to where it started, create a massive black hole, and swallow up everything. Hence the name “Big Crunch.” But we don’t know if that will really happen because we know that the Universe is actually increasing its rate of expansion in places that are furthest from us. Hence we’re dealing with “dark energy”which is constant in our Universe. This fact leads to…

The Big Rip

The theory of the Big Rip takes the Big Freeze one step further. Dark energy is to blame for this one where the expansion continues to the point where nothing we know is recognizable. The Universe never disappears, it just becomes scattered even more than in the Big Freeze. Everything breaks down, even at the atomic level. There is no energy to hold anything together and atoms fall apart and scatter into quarks. Depending on which camp of scientists you talk to, it may or may not happen. Latest I’ve read is that in 22 billion years the Universe will undergo the Big Rip. Researchers in Vanderbilt University have pretty much said this, but given the fact that our understanding of the Universe changes with each discovery, it’s hard to decide if this is just the flavor of the day for the ending of the Universe, or whether it will stick.

At the moment, think of it as a really bad Fimbulvetr if this is a new concept for you. Everything is cold and nothing can ever be put back together. Think Humpty Dumpty.

The Big Bounce

The Big Bounce is probably the most interesting, but at this point, data doesn’t seem to support it. It’s like a Big Crunch, only with the potential of expanding outward again in another inflationary period similar to the Big Bang. The problem is that it requires dark energy to halt its repulsive effects on matter and gravity to take effect (like the Big Crunch). It goes one step further in that when the Big Crunch occurs, spacetime will warp and become chaotic near the singularity, causing an “explosion” and a creation of a new universe. Of all the theories proposed, I think it’s the closest thing to Ragnarok, but science doesn’t currently support the theory that well.

So, Where Does that Leave Us?

So, where does that leave us with Ragnarok? Fuck if I know. Seriously. I only have Tyr’s word that Ragnarok is real, but what it is, I haven’t a clue. I don’t doubt that he’s telling me the truth, but I don’t know what that truth means necessarily. Maybe it’s about the fate of the Universe. Maybe it’s the fate of the Earth. Maybe it’s not about any of it. Maybe I’m delusional and only think it might happen. Or maybe we don’t know enough through science yet.

Science, as I’ve said in earlier posts, isn’t a belief system. It deals with explaining the Universe around us. It is not dogmatic like religion. It changes as we learn new information. Religion, on the other hand, deals with faith and belief. You either think it’s right or you don’t. There aren’t any wishy-washy maybes in explanation, but explanations are often metaphorical. I’m sure you have your own beliefs about the end of the universe.

What I believe in terms of Ragnarok doesn’t change anything. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I don’t believe anything I can do will change that. And 22 billion years is an exceedingly long time to wait to find out if I’m right or wrong. Besides, the sun will consume the Earth in about 7 billion years, but we realistically only have a couple billion years to get off this rock before the sun cooks the planet. That’s assuming we don’t wipe ourselves out, an asteroid doesn’t create a mass extinction event similar to the dinosaurs, we get a lovely blast of gamma rays from a dying star, or the earth decides to shake us off with massive volcanic eruptions similar to the Siberian Traps. To quote Q from Star Trek:

“It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it’s not for the timid.”

What I Think About Loki

February 27, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 1 comment

I’m not a Lokean. So, when I talk about Loki, I’m probably talking bullshit. Loki, to me, is the chaos god, pure and simple. He and his children bring disorder from order. He’s also the god of fire. If you look at his parents, Laufey (Leaves) and Farbauti (Evil Striker), he’s fire from a Jotun who causes wildfires. So, we’re looking at an untamed, natural force. Also chaos.

Where I’m Coming From on This

Tyr is my main god. He brings order. He sacrificed his right hand to contain the ultimate destructive chaos: Fenrir. Even though Fenrir slays Odin in Ragnarok, Garm, slays Tyr. (For those who need UPG warning, here it is) Garm is really just another form of Fenrir. Technically Chaos will overcome Law, which is why I believe Garm=Fenrir. Tyr, incidentally, concurs.

But Back to Loki

I have heard Loki occasionally. He’s sort of a pest when he wants to be. Other times, I get the feeling he’s been a misunderstood trickster. I can see his appeal. I love the stories about Thor and Loki traveling to Jotunheim. Loki is very fun in these stories. In fact, until he tricks Hodur to kill Baldur, he’s just a trickster with some very attractive but dangerous aspects.

Of course, Tom Hiddleston of the Marvel Thor movies, probably adds to the allure as a bad boy and creates some Lokeans. That being said, I don’t see Loki as the Marvel Loki. Maybe that’s because I recognize him when he shows up to pester me no matter what form he takes? He is not a god I particularly want to antagonize, but he isn’t one I turn to for help as a rule. If I have problems with Loki getting wild, I can turn to Tyr and Thor for help. Beyond that, I really don’t have much interaction with him, except when Tyr sent him to me. (Long story, that).

Is Loki the Enemy?

Many of those in Asatru tend to think Loki is evil and an enemy. In fact, many heathens argue that Loki isn’t a god at all since he came from giant blood. But that really doesn’t make much sense. If it did, then we’d have to discount Thor, Skadi, and Tyr as gods because of their frost giant blood. I don’t think of Loki as evil and I actually do consider him a god, but he’s not my god, either. I see Loki as a necessity for the universe to work, but he can be dangerous without controls. I look at Loki as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. If you don’t recall it from high school or college physics class, it states that energy states go toward the lowest point of energy. Basically things progress toward entropy. As a teacher once said in physics class: “Things fall apart and break, homes get messy, and students fall asleep.”

Those who dedicate themselves to Loki (who aren’t the Marvel fan girls/boys who are just worshiping an actor) need to have an understanding of what exactly they’re pledging themselves to. Loki isn’t evil, but he isn’t good either. He simply is. Misunderstood? Perhaps. Troublesome? Often. I look at Loki as a god who probably takes the name Murphy occasionally. At the same time, he can bring about tremendous good as well. It’s unexpected, but that’s his nature.

Lokeans — Or Loki’s Fan Girls/Boys

I’m friends with people who are Lokeans. Even though most Lokeans seem to be nice folk, Lokeans are sort of the peeps whom many in Asatru wish would just go away. To be honest with you, I think many of them are a lot more interesting and fun than many who follow Odin. I certainly like them better than the Odinists who pervert Heathenry into Neo-Nazism. Most of Loki’s fans are neat, creative people. Some of them claim to be Loki’s wives. As puzzling as it might be, who am I to say what that trickster is up to? Not my circus; not my monkeys. Do I believe in these things? Eh, not so much. But this is my belief and I really haven’t explored the subject. So, if you’re a Loki wife and you’re pissed, don’t be. I’m willing to at least consider it happens, but I don’t know to whom or why.

Rokkatru and Fenrir Fans

Now, whether you think that the whole Rokkatru sect is crazy for embracing Fenrir and Loki, think about why they might. I suspect it’s along the lines of what seems unfair in the writings we have. I, too, have problems with the binding of Fenrir because the wolf didn’t do anything. But maybe it’s more of a symbol how chaos must be kept in check or we lose the universe. After all, without physics, we’d be dealing with–well, something that looks remarkably like Ragnarok. So, the wolf had to be bound, but at a cost. Hence we talk about Tyr losing his right hand. What does that symbolize? Obviously a loss of power to control chaos to keep this universe from shaking apart.

My Feelings about Rokkatru

I honestly don’t care if you follow Rokkatru. We may be opposites in some ways because of your beliefs, but that doesn’t make you my enemy in this lifetime. Your words, actions, and deeds make me decide whether you’re my friend or foe. You aren’t someone I have a quarrel with unless you do something that violates my ethics. That being said, I do have some advice: be aware whose side you’ll be on whenever Ragnarok comes. In that case, you and I may be on opposite sides. I don’t have a problem with this because no matter how many lives we all have, we’re pretty much bound by the Wyrd. Just don’t cross me in this lifetime and I’m sure we’ll be okay.

Intelligent Design and the Heathen

February 20, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Now it’s time to me go after the Intelligent Design folk. Because basically, it annoys me.

The Set Up — Or Why I’ve Gone Off on a Rant Today…

A friend of mine on Facebook actually posted the gravity waves from two black holes swallowing each other up some billion years ago were translated into sound as C major was proof of the Christian god and also proof of intelligent design. I almost made some sort of snide comment such as “Odin did an okay job, but if he really wanted to get our attention it should’ve belted out Beethoven’s 5th…” But I didn’t, mainly because I still value the friendship enough to not be my normally snide self. But I probably dinged the relationship a bit by calling bullshit. Yeah, that just happens if you know me.

Proof of Intelligent Design? Seriously?

Uh, does anyone really think that gravity waves making a “sound” is proof of a god, let alone the Christian god? I guess being an engineer too long has jaded me to the thought that there is some intelligent design going on here.
Apart from the great scientific discovery of gravity waves that were theorized by Albert Einstein, which lends credence to a whole bunch of scientific theories, it doesn’t do anything to prove or disprove a god. You and I could argue the case of who created the cosmos and what portion at what time, but the simple translation of gravity waves to sound waves isn’t really much proof. It proves that some electrical engineer, rightly or wrongly, when they hooked their machines up to the detector and decided to have it make a noise, came up with a scale for it to blip at. C major was just the note it was programmed to chirp. If it came up with a D or an A major, would it have been any less than a miracle?

This is what happens when you throw an engineer to look at what actually happened. I don’t pretend to be a physics geek (I have plenty of friends who are), but I do know that gravity waves and sound waves are different animals. And you can’t hear sound in space because it’s a vacuum. At some point, somebody has to map what the gravity wave means in a way that people can understand them. That would be like having a human look at the sun and call it “sun,” and then claim because the word “sun” means the bright thing up in the sky it means that a god created it. Yes, you can believe Sunna is the sun, but to state that something humans used to define it means that there is a god is ludicrous at best. Incidentally, my friend changed her post when I called her on it.

Faith Isn’t Facts

Sorry, kids, but just because you believe something that someone wrote down some umpty-ump years ago doesn’t make it fact. If we had long ago figured out that our sun was actually a star, we might have named her Stella. But the name is a human construct. Sunna, Sol, or Stella or whatever you want to call our closest star doesn’t matter–because it’s a human construct designed for us to have a reference for that big bright thing up in the sky that causes it to be daytime here. We needed a name so that we didn’t keep calling it “that big bright thing up in the sky that causes it to be daytime here.” Now, if you actually had a meeting with Sunna (and didn’t get burnt to a crisp) and had a UPG, assuming I didn’t think you’re psychotic, chances are you might actually have something that might be worth believing. But it still isn’t facts. You can choose to accept that the sun is a goddess (lots of people worship her, so why not?), but that’s faith and not science. Don’t expect me to take your word for it.

Odin Creating the World

So what about the Norse creation stories? I personally believe that these are metaphors for how our ancestors explained the world. Some people might quibble that our creation stories are more accurate than bible stories. Okay, they might be. They might not be. But I doubt seriously there was a gigantic cow licking the brine off a giant. I doubt Odin and his brothers slew Ymir and created the world with Ymir’s body. But I can kind of look at how things get recycled over time and wonder if there’s a metaphor there. We know our sun is at least a second or third generation star because of the heavier elements within it. We also know that the earth coalesced from debris that got pulled in due to the sun’s gravity but didn’t go into making the sun. So, is this Ymir’s “bones?” Yeah, it has to leave you wondering. More likely, we’re looking at these stories with the knowledge we have now and we’re trying to fit them all in the paradigm science created. Still, if you’re going to believe ancient writings, the Norse creation myths are certainly much more fun.

Did Odin create the Universe as we know it? We already know that in myth the constructs of the universe, the backbone, if you care to use that term, was already in existence, called the World Tree. While our own home may have been created by Odin, there’s a big question mark when it comes to nine worlds. Then, there’s the issue of the Norns and the Wyrd. We know according to myth that there is a very cold, cloudy realm and a fire realm, from which Odin and his bros created the world. Who created that? Why was it always in existence? Where did the cow come from?

So What Exactly IS the Rational Heathen?

So, now the fun part: trying to explain my beliefs and how the gods fit in. I’ve already explained I think that the gods are more metaphors than physical beings. That they are constructs we use to wrap our brains around what the universe is doing. They are part of the universe as much as we are. I suspect Odin encompasses creative energy, whether it’s the formation of the solar system and the earth, or whether it’s a book you just finished. He’s good and bad creative energy. Tyr is laws, whether it is physical laws or laws created by humans. Thor is the god of thunder, but also the protector of humans. He is the one who keeps the frost giants in check. Freyr and Freyja are more “personal” yet, with life, growth, and yes, sexuality. Frigga is the goddess of the home. Skadi and Ullr, the goddess and god of winter and the hunt. The frost giants are the embodiment of those things that harm humans. Loki is the god of chaos, including creative chaos. I look at him as a god that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but often causes trouble, whether intended or not.

My point is that it’s okay to believe in the gods as long as you have a firm understanding what science

is, and that science doesn’t prove faith. Science proves facts. Faith is a belief in something which often cannot be proven. Science cannot prove a negative, although it can point out the probability of the thing not happening. That’s why many scientists are at least agnostic, if not atheists. It’s hard to believe in a god or gods when you just can’t measure them or use the scientific method to study them. That’s why I often call myself an agnostic heathen, or even a heathen deist, although I’m pretty sure that Tyr and a number of the other gods do indeed exist. But their forms often aren’t forms we normally consider gods, but everyday things. How often have you looked and saw ravens and thought about Odin? How often have you seen lightning and thought about Thor? These are how the gods relate to us day-to-day. And that, my friends, is the magic.

So, when we look at scientific discoveries, no matter what faith we are, it’s great to marvel at the universe and even think about the god or gods that made it happen. But don’t point at the natural phenomena as proof your god exists. Or my gods exist. That’s just silly, and you need to step back and think about what you believe and whether you’re comfortable with your belief, even if you have no scientific proof that your belief is fact.

Rune Casting

February 13, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 1 comment

I’m a rune caster. I’ve given some pretty amazing castings that were spot on, which is why I’m going to talk to you about them. Everything within my scientific brain says they shouldn’t work. And yet, everything I’ve experienced seems to point in the direction that the runes do work. I once asked a friend who was getting his degree in Physics why it seemed to work. He shrugged and told me that it was probably just the ambiguity of the runes.

He might be right. What’s more, it’s likely that subconsciously my brain keeps track of the rune stones and how they feel. So, when I do a reading, I’m actually tapping into my subconsciousness.

Why I Suspect a (Jedi) Mind Trick

The runes I use are usually made of some semi-precious gemstone. In most cases, I’ve found myself most comfortable with my hematite set of runes. This set is made up of 25 hematite stones, of which 24 have rune letters engraved on them. Each stone is shaped differently. Each stone is different in size. I do not use the blank rune as this is not a standard rune. Nor do I do merkstave readings. That comes from Tarot cards and I don’t think there is anything within early rune readings to support them.

At this point, I have to look at them and wonder how much my subconscious knows about these stones when I reach into the bag and pull them out. My mind is preoccupied with the problem, but my subconscious is always there. It’s been working out the problem by itself while the conscious self frets over it. So, when I pull out some stones, it’s usually my subconscious talking to me.

I Hate Cards and I’m Not Sure the Tarot is Effective

One of the things I did at one point was purchase some rune cards. I hated them immediately, and after trying to do some readings with them, I tossed them aside. I had no link to them. They were just pieces of paper without life.

I doubt seriously that tarot works. I know a lot of people who swear by them, but I don’t see the link. Maybe if your mind does recognize little imperfections in the cards, but that would be at a level I couldn’t imagine.

How I Read the Runes

I usually do a three rune reading. Foundation of the problem. obstacles to success, best possible outcome. Sometimes the obstacles can actually be facilitators. Go figure. If I’m stumped, I’ll pull a fourth override rune. No, there’s nothing about that in reading anywhere. It’s something I do.

I’ve done the Teiwas Shoat and other readings, but most just get too complex. There are a gazillion ways to read these runes and you can find them on the Internet, but I’m happy to suggest the books here to add to your library. I also am suggesting you get nice stone or wooden runes and start playing with them. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be better at this than I am.