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Movie Review: Mortal
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While decompressing over 2020 winter holidays, we stumbled upon a fantastic movie. It’s a real unexpected find. It’s an American-Norwegian production called “Mortal” and it’s all about a young man who discovers he is the inheritor of Thor’s power. It’s a beautiful movie. I don’t like the narrative that it’s post Ragnarok and the Gods have died, but I just ignored that part. The rest of it is just lovely. It’s a welcome change from all the Marvel garbage.
Thursday’s Devotion
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Prayer to Þórr Véþormr
Hail Thor, protector of the shrine,
preserver of the lore and sacred rites,
friend of the priest, and defender of the poet
- for you know how important these things
are to the health, longevity and well-being
of the people and without them how
vulnerable we are to the nothing
that seeks the annihilation of all existence,
a greater threat than ever Ragnarök could be.
(Prayer by H. Jeremiah Lewis, reprinted with
Permission from Hymns and Prayers of a
Polytheistic Household, Sanngetall Press, 2019).
(<—illustration of Thor from D’aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths).
Quote of the Day
The Gods and spirits are always looking for ways to speak to us. They are master choreographers and curators, but improvisors also. They use what is needed in the moment to produce the needed result, and sometimes in the unlikeliest of places. Anyone you meet could be a God in disguise; any moment could reveal Their wisdom. Be ready. —LO
Meditation
Thor is one of the kindest of Gods. He stands between us and the forces of wickedness, entropy, and chaos, that would destroy the work our Gods have made. He is our strength, our preservation from evil, our defender. His hammer, a symbol that is almost universally worn across all denominations of Heathenry, represents His deep care for humanity and His ongoing work in girding the worlds against destruction.
Despite this work of cosmic and eschatological significance, He is also one of the most easy-going and approachable of Gods. I have always found Him to be very low protocol and very willing to step up in our care. One of the things that stands out in how He is described in the Prose Edda is that so many of His bynames presented to us in the Skaldskaparmalhave to do with His family. His parents, wife, and children, even His foster children are all noted, and this is really important to Him. He is incredibly family oriented. We even have an Eddic lay, the Alvissmal, where He goes toe to toe in a battle of wits with one of the duergar to save His daughter Thruðr from an unwanted marriage. Thor cares deeply about those in His care and as Protector of Midgard, I think that includes humanity. He truly is an incredibly great-hearted God.
Recommended Book
Because it is one of the few books I’ve seen on Thor, I am going to recommend How Thor Lost His Thunder by Declan Taggart.
I have to admit, that I have only read part of this book, but it’s one of the few scholarly books that I’ve seen on Thor. It’s also quite accessible for the non-academic, which is always a blessing. The weakness of this book, and it is a big one, is that it pays too much attention to popular culture impressions of Thor and doesn’t really discuss contemporary Heathenry. I’m not sure why academics, especially those in Religious Studies are so unwilling to admit that the contemporary communities exist and are growing, but there you go. It’s a troubling lacuna in modern scholarship and one for which, given our digital age and the accessibility of information, there is no excuse. Take from it what useful information you can. It’s an inspiration to write our own explicitely devotional works for Thor.
(Thor’s Fight with the Giants by Martin Winge)
Daily Passage for Lectio Divina:
What figures should be employed to paraphrase the name of Thor? Thus: one should call him Son of Odin and of Jörd, Father of Magni and Módi and Thrúdr, Husband of Sif, Stepfather of Ullr, Wielder and Possessor of Mjöllnir and of the Girdle of Strength, and of Bilskirnir; Defender of Ásgard and of Midgard, Adversary and Slaver of Giants and Troll-Women, Smiter of Hrungnir, of Geirrödr and of Thrívaldi, Master of Thjálfi and Röskva, Foe of the Midgard Serpent. Foster-father of Vingnir and Hlóra.
Hvernig skal kenna Þór? Svá, at kalla hann son Óðins ok Jarðar, faðir Magna ok Móða ok Þrúðar, verr Sifjar, stjúpfaðir Ullar, stýrandi ok eigandi Mjöllnis ok megingjarða, Bilskirrnis, verjandi Ásgarðs, Miðgarðs, dólgr ok bani jötna ok trollkvinna, vegandi Hrungnis, Geirröðar, Þrívalda, dróttinn Þjálfa ok Rösku, dólgr Miðgarðsorms, fóstri Vingnis ok Hlóru.
(Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal 11. All text taken from this site. )
Hero/Heroine/Sancta/e of the day
Radbod, King of Frisia (648 C.E. – 719 C.E.): Heathen King of Frisia from 680-719 C.E. Radbod defeated Charles Martel, preserving Frisian liberty. He also attempted to expunge Christianity which had been accepted by the previous king, He was nearly baptized but at the last moment, asked if, upon death, he’d join his ancestors. The foolish priest attempting to convert him said no, that his ancestors (being Heathen) were in hell. So Radbod refused baptism and rightly pronounced that he’d ‘rather spend eternity in Hell with his ancestors than in heaven with a passel of beggars.’ He is honored as a hero in contemporary Heathenry both for his efforts to rid his land of Christianity and for his adherence to the Heathen Gods. For me, Radbod reflects Thor’s actions as Protector of the shrine, of sacred spaces, and of tradition which is why I chose Him for Thor’s Day.
In Praise of Thor – a Stream of Consciousness, Meandering Meditation
“Thor’s Fight with the Giants” by Marten Eskil Winge
As I write this, it’s nearing dawn – I have been up reading and working most of the night. It’s quiet and cold and Ms. Elena the cat is curled up next to me on the sofa, ever alert to what’s happening in her world. Everyone else in the house is, I believe, asleep. I plan to stay up until I can do the morning augury at first light and then go to bed. I am unsettled. There is evil and there is miasma and some days we all just feel run ragged with it. It grinds us down. Having to stay vigilant, having to step into the dark places and hold it back as some of us must is exhausting on every possible level. Tonight, I feel it moving outside the protective space of our home and it angers me.
I talk about spiritual combat sometime, but never to the degree it deserves. It’s hard to find the language and really, I’d rather spend my time writing about the Gods. That’s what’s important and it is to Them that our attention should be given. Also, let’s be honest, there is nothing stronger and more potent than our Gods and They are that which holds our world, our reality together. Evil is there, it lurks, it lingers, it attempts to poison all that is good, to bring us into despair, desolation, bitterness, and hatred (and we as a species make poor choices that allow it purchase in our world). In the end though, it is trifling, and, in its insignificance, it screams and rages at us, we who rest so securely in our Gods’ protection. It tries to set us against each other and cause us to stumble. Our Gods though will always help us up though and we have at our disposal the gift of prayer, a weapon and force more potent than anything else I know. I know these things and as I sit surrounded by darkness, I think on them again.
There is a prayer that devout Catholics sometimes pray (and I’ve been known to say it myself, though I’m not Catholic. It’s a good prayer, and I like ST. Michael). It’s a prayer to Michael the Archangel to protect us from evil and drive it back to hell. I mention this because it’s the translation, the meaning of Michael’s name that I have been pondering just now: Who is like God? That’s what His name means and for years and years I thought that it was a simple question and probably referred to the nature of this Being. It wasn’t until I found myself under intense spiritual attack and called upon our Gods, and saw malignant spirits, driven back that I realized: it’s not a question. It’s a challenge to anything malignant or evil that would dare to challenge the order the Gods have made, and those who serve Them. Who dares to think it is the equal of a God? Who dares attack that which the Gods ordained as good? No evil spirit, no matter how terrible it may seem is as big, as powerful, as mighty as our Gods, and those Gods are there, every willing to stand between us and the evil powers that haunt and stalk about the world seeking to destroy. We need to know that to our core, and I can think of no better God to really manifest that reality than our good God Thor.
When it seems darkest and the most hopeless, I call upon Thor and He comes. I ask Him for protection — that He or one of His retinue (I rather think all Gods must have Their retinues) come and drive back whatever evil spirit is molesting us, drive back and banish whatever malignancy or miasma is at hand, and shows us the way to renewal. Thor answers and His presence lightens the heart. I am grateful to be able to entrust myself to Him.
I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have the capacity, the knowledge to call upon this God. I am glad that I know His name. I am glad that Odin led me to developing a devotional relationship – and just in the past two years too—with His Son. I never expected that but every damned day I give thanks that I have Thor at my back. He lightens the load we have to carry. He is restorative in His presence and sometimes I feel like He holds us all under His protection. I pray sometimes, like tonight, that we have a breather, a moment, to catch up, to rest, to restore and I know that He will grant it.
Thor, Thunar, Donner, (Wikipedia even gives Thunaraz… proto-indo-european for “thunder” as one of His by-names), the Deep minded One, Son of Fjorgyn, Husband of Sif, Lover of Jarnsaxa, Father of Thruðr, Magni, and Modi, Foster Father to Uller, Friend of Loki, Son of Odin, Protector of Midgard—He is a God with such a huge, wonderful heart. It inspires me to want to live up to that example. Whether our struggles are physical or spiritual, we cannot allow ourselves to be torn apart, rendered, run down by them. We cannot yield the territory of our heart, no matter how hopeless a situation seems. That’s the time to reach out to our Gods, and with Thor, it’s as though I have lifted up a hand and he has gripped it strong in a warrior’s grasp. Thor is capable of driving back wicked spirits of all kinds. He’s capable of realigning us after such engagement too.
He is such a tremendously generous God too, yet I have never experienced Him wanting elaborate offerings. Sometimes even I will offer larger, more elaborate things (usually meals) and the answer I get via discernment, prayer, sometimes divination is “no, simple things are fine” and so I put a beer on His shrine and call all parties content. I sometimes feel badly that He doesn’t want the more elaborate fare but this too is a grace and a blessing. I wish I had the generosity and largeness of heart that He has with the people in my world, the people I care about, the people I work with every day who have their own stories and hurt hidden spaces to bear. I do not and often find myself reaching out to Him for guidance. Mostly, I pray that He hallow the space in which I work, that I might do my work clean, serving my Gods ‘in peace and liberty’ as I was once taught to say. I pray that He drive back the sludge, uplift my heart that I may be a better servant of my Gods. I pray even more often just in thanks, because He is a wonderful God and words do not do Him justice. The more I learn about Thor, the more devoted I become to Him, the prouder I am to wear a Mjolnir in His name. He girds not only the worlds, but our hearts too against dissolution by all that would unmake what the Gods have wrought.
I’ll end with some of Thor’s heiti, or by-names. I encourage readers, if you know more than what I have listed here, please post in the comments. My own is just a cursory list (minus accents – I’m just too tired to fiddle with keyboards and languages, so I have anglicized) and He has many more names than what I’ve listed here. I also want to note, before I finish up, that while evil is something to be vigilant against lest it try to root itself in our hearts, it’s not something to fear. We have a powerful curative at hand, namely prayer and calling on our Gods for aid. The more we pray, the better human beings I think we become. Now here are some of Thor’s names:
Asabragr – lord of the Aesir
Asa-Thorr – God Thor
Atli – the Terrible
Bjorn: Bear
Eindriði – the One Who rides alone
Ennilangr – the One with the wide forehead
Harðhugaðr-Brave heart/fierce Soul
Harðveurr – The Strong archer (does this refer to his accuracy with His hammer???)
Hloriði-Loud Rider
Oku-Thor – Driving Thor
Rymr – Noise
Sonnungr – the True One
Vethormr – protector of the shrine
Veurr – guardian/hallower of the shrine
Vingthorr – battle Thor
I am grateful for the opportunity to honor Him. Hail to You, Protector of Midgard, Great hearted Son of Odin, Friend of humanity, Hail to You, Thor.
Honoring Thor on Thursday
Happy Thor’s Day! I love this God, Son of Odin, Mighty Warder of Midgard, Husband of Sif, Father of Thruðr, Magni, and Modi. He has been a very strong presence in my own devotion of late, and we call upon Him in our rites to protect our space before the beginning of every ritual and divination session. I never used to have any particular connection to Him or to Sif, but that’s all changed the past few years and I am so grateful for that.
So, it is a joy today, on Thor’s Day, to honor Him. I’m finding that every chance I have to give honor, offerings, and adoration to my Gods is a privilege for which I am so immensely grateful.
Here is a prayer for today for Thor:
(written by me)
Today, I want to call You by Your English Name:
Thunor, God of Thunder, Mighty Hammer Wielder,
Friend of Humanity, and Protector of all the worlds.
You protect our sacred places, our groves and sanctuaries
and most of all the shrines and holy spaces of our hearts
that we may lay ourselves down before our Gods
in adoration, in love, in deepest gratitude without fear,
without hesitation knowing that You,
Great-Hearted Husband of Sif,
Generous beyond measure,
will always guard our comings and goings.
You are a loving Father to three joyful children
and just as You would no more allow Them to come to harm,
so we too may rest securely in Your watchful care.
Oh God of the oak, God of holy places,
God of the mound, I shall never for sake You.
Please, I pray, watch over my ancestors,
those of blood and those of spirit.
Grant that our dead may rest in peace,
strengthened by Your care,
the vitality only You, son of Odin bring.
That is my prayer for today.
I am so grateful for the chance to honor You,
so grateful for the chance to pay You homage.
Hail Thunor, Thor, Thunder-riding God of Asgard.
Image by G. Palmer
Happy Thor’s Day, folks!
Happy Thor’s Day – July 29, 2021
I’ve been trying to deepen my prayer practice lately. I feel like somewhere in the rush of grad school, I fell away from some of my regular practices and that’s not where I’d like to be. I plan on writing more about how and when I pray, sharing prayers, quotes, and other ideas that have helped me and maybe might help my readers.
I don’t think there’s anything more important than prayer. It’s one of *the* most basic, most foundational practices we have in building a solid, personally sustainable spiritual life. It can be difficult to know where to begin, especially if one wasn’t raised in a devout household (I realize more and more that I was so incredibly lucky to have good devotional models growing up). There are formal, “set” prayers, extempore praying, and quiet contemplation, the type of daily engagement that roots one deeply in awareness that we are surrounded by Gods and spirits and this is good and holy. We move through a world graced with the sacred. Having grown up praying (which doesn’t mean I have a good prayer practice. I don’t think I do.), I never thought of this as a potential problem, but more and more, folks have been asking me about prayer, how to do it, and what is right or wrong in the process. I’m happy to answer questions to the best of my ability to send your questions along and I’ll do my best. In the meantime, I’m going to talk about my Thursday routine.
Firstly, the moment I open my eyes, I usually try to mutter out Sigdrifa’s prayer (from the Sigdrifumal, the translation I use reads: Hail to the Day, and Day’s sons; Hail to Night and Her daughters. With loving eyes look upon us here and bring victory. Hail to the Gods! Hail to the Goddesses! Hail to the mighty fecund earth! Eloquence and native wit bestow upon us here, and healing hands while we live.). Because this prayer really sort of reifies our entire cosmology (I read “Hail to the mighty fecund earth” as including our ancestors, whose bones rest in the earth. Also, we are formed in part from the minerals our parents and their parents, and so forth back generation by generation have eaten courtesy of the food and water taken from the land) I usually say it multiple times a day as the mood strikes.
I’m not a morning person, but once I’m mobile, I start the Mundilfari adorations, which you can find here. These are brief prayers for waking, noon, sundown, midnight. I usually manage them all and what I miss, my assistant catches.
I have a huge set of prayer beads that I use and I often find myself going through these when I exercise. I don’t use the beads themselves at the gym, but keep count in my head – I try to get to the gym a couple times a week. Often I will dedicate the workout to Hermes, Thor, or one of our Healing Deities.
I try to pray before meals. This is the one I forget quite often because with my work schedule, I tend to graze rather than have sit-down meals at a set time. I’m working on this one though, to be more mindful. I think it’s important and I’ve gotten into a bad habit of not being mindful about this here that’s proving harder than I’d like to break.
I also offer a prayer to various Gods (usually Odin, Mani, Loki, et Al) before I begin my work. Sometimes I’ll pray to other Deities (Hermes, Apollo) if I’m feeling more pulled to the Roman part of m practice that day. It depends on what I’m doing, what I’m teaching, etc. I also read quite a bit of early Christian material for (academic) work and there is quite a bit of good information there, so I parse that out when I find it and tuck it away. Why reinvent the wheel? So I’ll try to also read something polytheistic to cleanse my mind just in case, and center myself in our Gods. When I find a good piece of Christian writing though, I will add it to the florilegia I typically keep. Likewise any other writing including secular. If it helps, it helps. I try to read or meditate on something like this a little each day. I ask myself what this can teach me about my own practice. What can I learn? How will this deepen my relationship devotionally to my Gods? Lately, also, I’ve been spending a great deal of time contemplating our [Norse] creation story. I think this is maybe the most important part of our lore and every time I meditate on it, I go more deeply into it and come up with greater insight. It refreshes my practice and it’s this that taught me that when we do ritual or prayer, we’re reifying the moment the Gods came together and set the architecture of the worlds in motion. It taught me the deep need to align our wills and our hearts and our souls with our Gods too in every possible way (even if we have to keep plugging away at it for the rest of our lives to get it right).
Sometimes in the morning there is a small ritual I do as a spirit worker, but that is a simple greeting to all the Powers with some minor offerings. I also tend our household Lararium and make offerings (usually candles, water, coffee, or liquor) to our ancestors.
In the evening, on most days (we miss here and there), we gather as a household and pray. There’s no set time for this: we pray as long as we feel like praying and often conclude with prayers for those in our families and household who are sick or struggling, or the well-being of those we love. There are also certain prayers of protection we do regularly.
Lately, and I’ve just gone back to this after a fairly long absence, I’ve been trying to make special offerings and prayers to whatever Deity rules the day. For Heathens, Monday is Mani’s Day, Tuesday Tyr’s, Wednesday Woden’s, Thursday Thor’s, Friday Freya or Frigga’s (we honor Them both), Saturday a day for cleansing. Originally in Latin it was Saturn’s day. Personally, I tend to give special offerings to Loki and Sigyn on this day, and then Sunday of course, is Sunna’s.
Thor is just amazing. I’ve written about Him before here here.
Because today is His day, I intend to pay special focus to Him all day, turning my mind to His stories, His nature, the feel of His presence when He is invoked, and the incredible way that He cleanses away pollution and evil as though it were nothing at all. He truly is the great Protector of humankind. I want to center my day, each day, around gratitude to the Powers remembering always how deeply blessed I have been in my life. It changes the way we move in the world to think of these things, to consciously choose devotion, faith, and gratitude, to choose to cultivate that which most benefits our devotion to cultivate. I pray to this God of strength and fortitude, that I shall always have the strength to make the appropriate choices in these things, especially when it is most difficult. Here is a prayer that I have written for Him today:
Today, I want to call You by Your English Name: Thunor, God of Thunder, Mighty Hammer Wielder, Friend of Humanity, and Protector of all the worlds. You protect our sacred places, our groves and sanctuaries and most of all the shrines and holy spaces of our hearts that we may lay ourselves down before our Gods in adoration, in love, in deepest gratitude without fear, without hesitation knowing that You, Great-Hearted Husband of Sif, Generous beyond measure, will always guard our comings and goings. You are a loving Father to three joyful children and just as You would no more allow Them to come to harm, so we too may rest securely in Your watchful care. Oh God of the oak, God of holy places, God of the mound, I shall never for sake You. Please, I pray, watch over my ancestors, those of blood and those of spirit. Grant that our dead may rest in peace, strengthened by Your care, the vitality only You, son of Odin bring. That is my prayer for today. I am so grateful for the chance to honor You, so grateful for the chance to pay You homage. Hail Thunor, Thor, Thunder-riding God of Asgard.
Charming of the Plough Prayer to Thor and Sif
I offer this prayer to Thor and to the Goddess Sif.
Hail to You, Holy Ones.
Hail to You, Protectors of Midgard,
Hail to You, Son of Odin and Hail to You,
His gleaming Bride.
You hallow and drive out all pollution.
You are mighty. There is no malignant force
that You cannot banish. There is no threat,
You cannot overcome.
You are magnificent and Your grace
protects me in the face of evil.
Mighty Thor, wise, compassionate Friend of humanity,
look upon us and wield Your hammer for our protection.
Gracious Sif, You Whose gentle touch causes the grain to grow,
please nourish us, restore us, and grant us the fortitude
to walk in alignment with the Holy Powers always.
Through Your blessings, may we grow strong in faith.
through Your blessings may we grow strong in devotion.
Through Your blessings, may we always resist impiety,
may we be nourished as the grain is nourished
under Your caring hands.
In times of peril, come to our aid, I pray.
In times of desperation, I place myself under Your care.
Hail Thor, Son of Odin.
Hail Sif, His Gracious Bride.
Why I Wear My Thor’s Hammer Proudly
This is the hammer of Thor, Mjolnir. It is a sacred symbol across all denominations of Heathenry. It represents this God’s love and care for humankind, His willingness to protect us against chaos and evil, His ability to gird the world against dissolution and destruction. It means one venerates Gods Whose cultic practices predate Christianity by thousands of years.
Wearing this hammer is a sign that the wearer has aligned him or herself with the holy order of the Gods, that we live our lives in a way that cultivates reverence and piety, respect, and veneration. We honor the Gods Who made our world, we honor our ancestors – all of our ancestors regardless of ethnicity or race—because we are, quite literally, our ancestral lines walking. We are here because of them. We honor the land, because it is alive with spirits, because it nourishes us, because it is right and good to do so. We honor our families, striving to live ethically, sustainably, and in a way that pours riches and wisdom into the hands of the next generation and beyond. We work hard to build community and to contribute to the communities in which we live, cultivating civic awareness, engagement, and patriotism because that it what it means to be a pious, right-living adult.
Thor is a God Who protects the world. He is the God of everyman, everywoman. He hallows. That is His blessing: He hallows all He touches driving out that which is evil, wicked, or polluted. He is a God that nourishes and with the Goddess Sif, brings abundance to our world. How could we not praise Him? It is an honor, no, a privilege to wear His hammer. It is an honor to root oneself in reverence for this Holy Power and all His kin.
Charming of the Plough
Yule is over and the chilly expanse of January spreads before us with nary a holy day in sight. Well, there may be a very minor feast day here and there depending upon one’s denomination, but there’s nothing approaching the festivity of Yule. Everything feels different now that we’ve exited the ember time into a new (though sadly, equally tumultuous) year. At first I was melancholy as usual at the inevitable shift in seasonal energy but then, given how full the Yule time is, part me went “thank the Gods. We can rest and recoup!” That has its benefits too.
We were discussing it the other day in my home and my housemate was asking me what the next big holiday was and I had to think for a moment, because it’s not one that I’ve ever really kept with any commitment. Our next serious holy tide occurs sometime in February: charming of the Plough. This confused her because in no way, shape, or form, is the land ready to be worked in February. We *might* be getting seed starters ready in the greenhouse but there isn’t any ploughing going on, nor working the soil or anything else. (Hell, Acerbot doesn’t even happen until the spring equinox!) I started to respond, “Yeah, I know…” when the whole purpose of the ritual opened up in my mind, a moment of divinely inspired insight.
Charming of the Plough is a ritual wherein our tools are blessed and readied for the work that awaits them in the spring. Usually that is the plough, the outdoor, gardening or farming tools, etc. We often expand that today to include laptops, pens, writing tools, sewing tools, our sacred tools and divination tools, hell, I might even bless the kitchen and its tools. It could easily turn into or at least encompass an entire house blessing. When I thought about including sacred and divinatory tools, well, that’s when the light really went on. I realized there’s a real beauty to the ritual cycle. Yule is terrifying and beautiful and powerful and often toward its end, frenetic. January is calm, then there is a moment’s breath, a moment of preparation for the spring madness (trust me, planting and gardening, farming, and tending the land alone turns spring into a terribly busy time), a time where we make sure all our tools are in good working order, wherein we consecrate those tools to the Gods so that all the work done with them is likewise rendered holy. It’s a gentle way of turning our mind to the Gods and spirits, cycles and seasonal shifts, and requirements of the spring liturgical season. It’s a rite and ritual of transition. I think that’s just lovely.
For our Charming of the Plough, we usually aim for mid-February. There’s no real set date. For Celtic polytheists, there’s a festival of Brigid on the 2nd. In my tradition, there’s the feast day of a sancta on the 3rd, and Sigyn has a feast day mid-month too. We always offer to Mani on the full moon. So, I usually aim for about the 20th for Charming of the Plough. This is a holy tide wherein we usually honor Thor and Sif and ask the Friend of Midgard and His wife to bless our work. This year, we may also be honoring Andvari and other duergar, since They’ve been showing up in dreams.
This has never been a holy tide with which I’ve particularly connected, but after a springtime and summer of working the land, that has completely changed.
Yuletide Shopping Guide – Books
Today is the last and final installment of my Yuletide Shopping Guide. I created the Yuletide Shopping Guide in part because Yule is one of my favorite times of year. The guide features items polytheists might enjoy seeing in their homes or under their tree this yuletide. All with the hope of spreading some holiday cheer in a difficult year by finding items that can help feed our devotions within our polytheistic traditions, but also to hopefully along the way lift up some of the artisans in our midst too.
So far I’ve included resources for crafters, makers, and DIYers: cookie cutters, crafting molds, fabric (Mesoamerican, Egyptian, Greek, Northern Europe), machine embroidery designs, cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, as well as knitting and crochet patterns. I’ve also highlighted some items on a Krampus theme. I’ve spotlighted items you can use to deck the halls & trim the tree.
Check out the Greco-Roman themed products relevant to devotees of Cultus Deorum and Hellenismos, the Egyptian themed products ( Part 1 & Part 2 ) relevant to devotees of Kemetism, Northern European themed products ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5) relevant to Northern Tradition polytheists (Heathens, Asatruar, etc.), as well as some Miscellaneous ( Part 1 & Part 2 ) spotlights featuring artists and artisans who offered a range of product across pantheons, or whose work focused on a tradition that I didn’t have enough items to spotlight on its own. Peruse with care and you will find items related to deities from the Norse, Slavic, Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Hindu, Polynesian, Mesoamerican, Minoan, Assyrian, Sumerian, Welsh, Asian, Native American/Inuit, and more!
Today I’ll be spotlighting books.
Affiliate Advertising Disclosure
I am an avid reader and quite the bibliophile. If I really wanted to do this section justice, I could be writing for over a year on suggested books. So I decided to approach this list primarily from the point of view of more recently published works I have either personally read and therefore recommend, or for texts that are on my to read list. I’ve also sprinkled in a few classics, and some books I felt kids could enjoy too so we can pass our traditions to the next generations.
Academic Reading
Unfortunately, I will warn you that some of the academic books are part of small academic print runs and can be prohibitively priced as a result.
- Triin Laidoner’s Ancestor Worship and the Elite in Late Iron Age Scandinavia: A Grave Matter
- Declan Taggart’s How Thor Lost His Thunder: The Changing Faces of an Old Norse God
- Anders Andren, John Lindow, Jens Peter Schjodt’s The Pre-Christian Religions of the North: History and Structures
- Maria Dahvana’s translation of Beowulf
- Barbette Stanley Spaeth’s The Roman Goddess Ceres
- Rudolf Simek’s Dictionary of Northern Mythology
Books for Polytheists
The Illustrated Havamal and Illustrated Voluspa takes the old Bellows translation of those eponymous texts but is released with illustrations by artist Sam Flegal. The Man Who Spoke Snakish is a fictional work with strong themes that should resonate with polytheists. The remaining texts were all written by polytheists for polytheists.
- The Illustrated Havamal (art by Sam Flegal)
- The Illustrated Voluspa (art by Sam Flegal)
- Andrus Kivirahk’s The Man Who Spoke Snakish (trans. Christopher Moseley)
- Dagulf Loptson’s Pagan Portals – Loki: Trickster and Transformer
- Susannah Ravenswing’s The Duergarbok: The Dwarves of the Northern Tradition
- Dan Coultas’ The Gods’ Own County: A Heathen Prayer Book
Mythology Books
Many of these texts are geared towards children and young adults, so content tends to be adapted for that audience.
- Chris Pinard’s Celtic Mythology for Kids: Tales of Selkies, Giants, and the Sea
- Mathias Nordvig’s Norse Mythology for Kids: Tales of Gods, Creatures, and Quests
- Morgan Moroney’s Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt: Egyptian Mythology for Kids
- Yung in Chae’s Goddess Power: A Kid’s Book of Greek and Roman Mythology
- Donna Jo Napoli’s Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters
- Donna Jo Napoli’s Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals
- Donna Jo Napoli’s Treasury of Norse Mythology: Stories of Intrigue, Trickery, Love and Revenge
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths
- Johan Egerkrans’ Norse Gods
- Morgan Daimler’s A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies
- Caroline Hickey’s Classic Stories – Greek Myths
- Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Greek Myths: A Wonderful Book for Girls and Boys
- Geraldine McCaughrean’s Ancient Myths Collection 16 Books Box Set
Coloring Books
Coloring books for both kids and adults.
- John Green’s Greek Gods and Goddesses Coloring Book
- Jeff Menges’ Norse Gods and Goddesses Coloring Book
- Selina Fenech’s Goddess and Mythology Coloring Book
- Jade Summer’s Greek Mythology Coloring Book
- Jim Barrow’s Greek Mythology Coloring Book for Adults
- Johan Egerkrans’ Sketches from Norse Gods Coloring Book
My Books
In case you missed it since last December I have released 9 books. A Modern Guide to Heathenry is a significantly revised and expanded book built on the foundation of Exploring the Northern Tradition with over 70,000 words of additional, new content. Sigyn: Our Lady of the Staying Power is a re-release after a change in publishers. The other books are all new releases.
- A Modern Guide to Heathenry
- Walking the Rainbow Bridge: A Collection of Heathen Poetry
- Heart on Fire: A Novena for Loki
- Sigyn: Our Lady of the Staying Power
- Of Bow, Lyre, and Prophetic Fire: Nine Days of Prayer to the God Apollo
- The Ecstasy and the Fury: 9 Nights with Odin – A Novena
- In Love’s Winged Harbor: A Novena for Anteros
- Seven for Sekhmet: A Pocket Book of Prayer
- Seeking Valhalla: A Pocket Book of Heathen Prayers
Walking the Worlds
After several years and 12 volumes, Walking the Worlds, a peer-reviewed journal of polytheism and spiritwork has concluded its run. In commemoration, here are the links to each release of the journal in case you missed any.
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
- Volume 3
- Volume 4
- Volume 5
- Volume 6
- Volume 7
- Volume 8
- Volume 9
- Volume 10
- Volume 11
- Volume 12
What books are on your to read list? What books would you recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Yuletide Shopping Guide – Northern Europe Products – Part 5
I created the Yuletide Shopping Guide in part because Yule is one of my favorite times of year. The guide features items polytheists would enjoy seeing in their homes or under their tree this yuletide. All with the hope of spreading some holiday cheer in a difficult year by finding items that can help feed our devotions within our polytheistic traditions, but also to hopefully along the way lift up some of the artisans in our midst too.
So far I’ve included resources for crafters, makers, and DIYers: cookie cutters, crafting molds, fabric (Mesoamerican, Egyptian, Greek, Northern Europe), machine embroidery designs, cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, as well as knitting and crochet patterns. I’ve also highlighted some items on a Krampus theme. I’ve spotlighted items you can use to deck the halls and trim the tree.
Check out the Greco-Roman themed products relevant to devotees of Cultus Deorum and Hellenismos, the Egyptian themed products ( Part 1 & Part 2 ) relevant to devotees of Kemetism, and Northern Europe themed products ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 ) relevant to Northern Tradition polytheists. Primarily these items are Norse-centric, but there’s a small scattering of Celtic and Slavic goods too in the mix.
There were some artists and artisans who offered a range of product across pantheons, or whose work focuses on a tradition that I didn’t have enough items to spotlight on its own. So I highly recommend that you carefully peruse the spotlighted artists and artisans in my miscellaneous ( Part 1 & Part 2 ). You will find offerings encompassing a vast array of traditions: Norse, Slavic, Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Hindu, Polynesian, Mesoamerican, Minoan, Assyrian, Sumerian, Welsh, Asian, Native American/Inuit, and more!
Today is the fifth installment of Northern Europe themed products relevant for fellow Northern Tradition polytheists.
PantheonSkulptur
PantheonSkulptur based in Sweden, features the artistic gold or silver gilded statues of Norse or Celtic Gods and Goddesses by Stina Jarenskog. Since ever piece is handmade, sometimes there’s nothing in the shop as she’s sold out. Just be sure to bookmark the shop and revisit.
FatefulSigns
FatefulSigns is the online storefront for illustrator Sam Flegal, who has done work for gaming companies and concept art for movies. He has some truly stunning images of our Gods and Goddesses, and offers the original for sale, as well as prints. He’s also decided to do his own illustrations for sections of the lore, which you can find in his two books: the Illustrated Havamal, and the Illustrated Voluspa.
Grimfrost
Grimfrost is a Swedish based company that specializes in items inspired by and related to Viking Age culture. They have some replica statuary and jewelry, but also some truly unique things based on the familiar. Some highlighted items are the Sleipnir Post Earrings, a Freya Drum, a replica of a ritual procession, and replicas from the archaeological record of our Gods.
Norsies
SummitCollection’s Norsies features painted cold cast resin figures of Norse Gods & Goddesses.
Miscellaneous
- Poster of Travis Bowman’s prayer to Odin
- Norhalla’s Sleipnir Plush Toy
- ArcanicaArt painted Frigg
- MailoniKat’s Fox Cloth
- DeBaunFineCeramics Valknut Pendant
- HeathenTreeCreations – Vanic Deities Statues
- Dharmalus – Valknut wall shelves
- SevenOaksGrove Rune Cloth
- ShirePost Ullr and vegvisir zipper pull
- The National Museum of Denmark’s Gift Shop has a wide range of products too!
Gangleri's Grove 