Tag: mythology

Myths are like dreams; they fascinate us but their ultimate meaning eludes us.  Different theories and interpretations can shed light on parts of a myth, or even cast a diffuse, faint glow over it all but a myth can never be fully illumined.  It always retains some of its mystery, a mystery that is not lessened by examination but rather makes it the more intriguing by seeing the depth and complexity of its spiritual, psychological and cultural facets.  Let us look at one of the most important of the Norse myths; Othinn’s taking of the Mead of Inspiration.

The knowledge-wisdom contained in the mead undergoes three births: firstly, when Kvasir arises from the cauldron into which all the gods have spat; he then dies, at the hands of the dwarves Fjalar and Galar and the knowledge is reborn as the mead. … Read more

One of the most awesome and terrifying images in Germanic legend is the Wild Hunt. Known throughout Germany, England, Switzerland and in Scandinavia, where they were known as Oskoreia or Juleskreia, this troop of riders, galloping through the night sky, is traditionally led by Wodan or Woden (although some Hunts are led by ancient heroes and even by female entities such as Frau Hulda and Perchta). The Hunt is usually seen at the time of important festivals, most noticeably Yule, where the Hunt is conflated with the wild winter winds. I think that part of the enduring, and now legendary, power of the Wild Hunt lies in it originally being enacted at festivals like Yule by troops of masked young men riding through the country lanes to villages, where they would race down the streets.… Read more

In Heathen Germanic culture, are elves and dwarves one and the same race of beings? They are clearly closely associated. Many dwarves have an ‘elf’ element to their names; Voluspa’s verse 12 lists Gandalfr (Wand-elf) and Vindalfr (Wind-elf) and in verse 16, one dwarf is simply named Alfr. Elves and dwarves are also seen together as the bearers of illness, as evidenced by the third and seventh Anglo-Saxon verse charms, ‘Against a Dwarf’ and ‘For the Water-elf Disease’ (as to what a ‘water-elf’ actually was, I will return to this later). – Anglo-Saxon Verse Charms, Maxims and Heroic Legends, Louis J.… Read more