How Tough Are The Scandinavians Really?

[Jinglepup]

Well, these odd angry people who wear animal skins and growl their way to groupies and millions of dollars come from pussy countries. Scandinavian government have passed hate crime laws that put people in jail if speech is inflammatory or "incites racial hatred". The singers from these bands cash in on Viking imagery, but how many of them are pagans, and have actually read any of the Icelandic Sagas? They just seem like a band of guys that would rather live for nihilism while they preach about Nordic heroic warriors. Sounds very hypocritical to me. How many of these people are real believers in the customs of the past and are not just a bunch of guys playing dress up and playing pretend?

Don't say Varg was real, because if you have read his messages they are so convoluted and wrapped in more imagery than meaning just to justify the killing Euronymus. With him aside, how many other musicians (that aren't criminals like Varg) have a true Scandinavian lifestyle or message?

[Blarg!]

Well, these odd angry people who wear animal skins and growl their way to groupies and millions of dollars come from pussy countries. Scandinavian government have passed hate crime laws that put people in jail if speech is inflammatory or "incites racial hatred". The singers from these bands cash in on Viking imagery, but how many of them are pagans, and have actually read any of the Icelandic Sagas? They just seem like a band of guys that would rather live for nihilism while they preach about Nordic heroic warriors. Sounds very hypocritical to me. How many of these people are real believers in the customs of the past and are not just a bunch of guys playing dress up and playing pretend?

Don't say Varg was real, because if you have read his messages they are so convoluted and wrapped in more imagery than meaning just to justify the killing Euronymus. With him aside, how many other musicians (that aren't criminals like Varg) have a true Scandinavian lifestyle or message?

Many of the bands you speak of really are just "posers", but not really posers, seeing as how the norse blood flows through them too.
But I'd say that Varg has a good understanding of the old values and traditions, His killing of euronymous seems like something he just had to do, no matter what reasons. Many people just pass people like Varg and others off as some stupid criminals, who killed someone and has a "fuck yeah" attitude, but it should be obvious who is true and who is fake.
Of course killing and battle is laced throughout the norse myths, and the burning of christian churches is an ancient practice. You're right about the Scandinavian countries having a very christian and forced-moral government, but that all just goes along with the christianization of Europe and the whole modern mindset of man. Things like multiculturalism and the punishing of individual thinkers/people who are proud of their heritage are widely accepted in modern times.
As history will tell, the immigration of other races into the father lands of a certain race has commonly been the downfall of that society. And it seems it's been happening today, whether it be the christianization/mass acceptance (and) encouraging of racial mixing and racial pollution, even in Scandinavia and Germany. But to answer your first question... as eugenics and evolution will tell you, Scandinavians, and the whole nothern european-white race are, scientifically, historically, physically, and mentally tough.
When they aren't entranced by modern morals and false value/security and or dumbed down by mass religion/jewish control.

[ScreamBloodyGore]

For that matter, how many rappers are actually chronic smoking, convenience-store-owner-shooting criminals?


Oh, all of them? My bad.

[Jinglepup]

Many of the bands you speak of really are just "posers", but not really posers, seeing as how the norse blood flows through them too.
But I'd say that Varg has a good understanding of the old values and traditions, His killing of euronymous seems like something he just had to do, no matter what reasons. Many people just pass people like Varg and others off as some stupid criminals, who killed someone and has a "fuck yeah" attitude, but it should be obvious who is true and who is fake.
Of course killing and battle is laced throughout the norse myths, and the burning of christian churches is an ancient practice. You're right about the Scandinavian countries having a very christian and forced-moral government, but that all just goes along with the christianization of Europe and the whole modern mindset of man. Things like multiculturalism and the punishing of individual thinkers/people who are proud of their heritage are widely accepted in modern times.
As history will tell, the immigration of other races into the father lands of a certain race has commonly been the downfall of that society. And it seems it's been happening today, whether it be the christianization/mass acceptance (and) encouraging of racial mixing and racial pollution, even in Scandinavia and Germany. But to answer your first question... as eugenics and evolution will tell you, Scandinavians, and the whole nothern european-white race are, scientifically, historically, physically, and mentally tough.
When they aren't entranced by modern morals and false value/security and or dumbed down by mass religion/jewish control.

I agree with your assessment of Varg, he isn't just a random sport murderer like many in this country. He thought that Euronymus was a threat and he found it unavoidable, but it was in no stretch of the imagination "self defense". He did burn the Stave churches down like Fantoft, but his movement of creating a turn the clock back to 1033 Norwegian Pagan revolution didn't happen. The masses did not go with a revitalization and reexploration of old values and myths. That is a byproduct of being locked in the European Union. It makes the once great individual cultural, racial, and national identities all get the EU rubber stamp. They have lax immigration policies where under a single passport anyone in the EU can go anywhere; that means that any culture can go anywhere. Yet if you think about the White European cultures are infested with rabid pornography, reality shows, and capitalism, when these people move elsewhere what do they take with them? While if you think for a minority group that think more tribal as their group is an extended family, they would have more ideals that they grew up with. So the EU is more benefical to those groups spreading their religion, race and culture throughout places that wouldn't normally spread without an army.

The Norse blood may flow through them, but if all the means is that they are angry and they talk about where they come from, while their audience accept diversity, vote democratic/socialist (or Republican) and watch their countries deterrorate due to immigrants and foreigners how much does it matter? They need to accept that they are being forced to a minority status in the world to be proud of their heritage and race of Norse adventurers and glory. Yet then again, I think it's bigger than just Nords and Europe. How many people in America really talk about their European heritage? I didn't. I only really knew the people that my parents and their parents knew and that is the casualty of being in a country for too long and the natives in the end they take for granted their original homeland. People usually and inevitably take their pride from race to national pride, (which in these terms) in this country is quite ridiculous.

If the Nordic heritage was about fighting, killing and war, how does that really translate to the modern era is the resounding question? Yet, one thing I can say is at least some of the bands (like Bathory, Amon Amarth and maybe Black Messiah) haven't forgotten where they have come from. Ironically, I would prefer a Nord posing and singing about Viking lore than a white American posing and rapping as Dr. Dre.

[MikeLindgren]

Dude, being a modern Viking isn't about burning down a church, rapine or slaughter.

Quaff some beer, set free the beard, and praise Odin.

I, myself, am more of a Thor kinda dude, but it is what it is.

[kamal]

If the Nordic heritage was about fighting, killing and war, how does that really translate to the modern era is the resounding question?

Thank you. This is the question on the table, not if these bands go around raping and plundering.

I agree with the OP that they should be in touch with their roots and read things like the Eddas and the Kalevala and truly become students of their heritage. Tolkien did this, even though he wasn't Nordic. He took the stories he loved and applied them to the way he saw the world and, using them as inspiration, created his own stories in kind. This brings the question full circle: what does it mean to be of Viking heritage in the 21st century?

I don't know.

What I do know is that music is music. I could start a 'viking' metal band today, just as quickly as I could start a blues or gangster rap group and I could be pretty damned good at it. Would that call into question the authenticity of the music? I don't think so. It might, however, call into question the authenticity of the image. But do we really question the image we have of Corpsegrinder even though we know he's never killed anyone, much less smashed someones face with a hammer? He plays WoW, watches football, and hangs out with his kids but it doesn't hinder my enjoyment of his band's music.

So it shouldn't either with these Viking bands. Why is Amon Amarth named after a mountain in Middle-earth if they're so Viking? Who really cares: I like the way the music sounds and I like the fantastical image they present. And so many of the Norwegian bands get wrapped up in the whole black metal/satanism thing which is very un-Viking to me.[/i]

[MikeLindgren]

The whole Satanism/Viking thing is like oil and water.

The Æsir are the real gods. Embracing "Satanism" as a Viking is the same thing as embracing Christianity.

Written by yours truly, about five years ago or so:

"Building a bridge from the past to the present, Asatru is a step back to the religion of our ancestors. The pre-Christian religion of the Scandinavians and Germanic tribes. During the middle ages, the crusades of Christiandom spread far and wide, and nearly eradicated that which the Norse held dear.

Asatru is a means of connecting with both our ancestors and the Gods they lived by. By forsaking this connection, we forsake them, and we forsake the Aesir and the Vanir, the Gods, leaving them, and our connection to the divine, severed.

By establishing a path to our ancestry, unspoiled and uncorrupted by Christianity, we take the reigns to a way of spirituality that has been lying dormant for over 700 years. The Swedish vikings were the last to fully accept Christianity, which finally converted the remaining tribes through trickery and subversion.

In its wake, Chritianity has left us with a spiritual void, that few ever find a means of filling. The Africans, Native-Americans, and even many in Asia, are our brethren, in that, they too were robbed of their unique cultures and indigenous spiritual paths through the cultural clear-cutting that is Christianity. Virulent, it has swept through the globe today through America and its Imperialism much like the Roman Empire. I encourage all who are of African descent, all Native Americans, Asians: seek out the religious beliefs of your people, do not allow for the sacrification of your rich heritage. By submitting to Christianity, we deny that which made our respective cultures unique. In America it is taught that the "melting pot" mentality is a good thing. It is, in essence, an outstretching of Christianity, in that, it seeks to eradicate the native beliefs and lifestyles of a particular culture and replace it with the values which it sees fit.

Western societal values are a facade, and the entire system is currently hand-in-hand with a unification process that demonises that which is contrary to its own world view, and destroys it through the process of assimilation. Thusly, when a culture cedes to Christianity or Westerndom, it is, in every sense of the phrase, selling its very soul.

The Viking society, with its emphasis on gender-equality, actually began to take a turn for the worse, as, once Christianity was embraced, women were no longer held as equals. This is indicative of the way that fear and guilt can lead people astray from righteousness into absurdity. Once fully converted, the formerly self-governing tribes were forced to pay taxes to the King and the church. Previously, the tribes were governed by a tribal leader, with whom they had intimate contact, and were able to effect change simply by removing him from his leadership position, by force if neccessary. By being in small tribes, the bureaucracy we now endure wasn't even capable of existing. There was a direct link to he or she whom governed. Now the people remain so disconnected from the leaders, it is absurd to assume that the same goals are sought or that one can even relate to those who govern.

In short, by connecting with our forefathers and Asatru, we not only form a bridge from the past, when Asatru flourished, but we create for successive generations a means of revolutionising both their worlds and their spirits, as through self-governance and reliance on the Aesir and the Vanir."

And another:

Concerning the context of modern society as a precursor to the corporate super-state, one can begin to see the blossoming of a new era of global dominance, detatched from national alligience, and headed by a consortium of global-industrial superpowers. Multi-national corporations now hold more of our fate than any governmental body, and no amount of "regulation" can quell the influx of campaign sponsorships and dirty money. With this as a foundation, the evolution of the corporo-global superstate, or "New World Order" can manifest itself as an extention of the former Roman Empire. In such, one must, in turn, consider that eventually non-renewable resources will be fully taxed, as nations such as China, India, and others not formerly thought of as "Industrialised", will be vying for the limited remains of the Earth's resources.

In this vein, one can reflect with a bewilderment at modern society, wherein technology has been the path leading to this world we are the current participants in, and ask what good we have done? Have we done any? In the quest for "breaking down barriers" and uniting under one flag, what we have done is flush out any inherent individuality our respective native cultures have brought to the table, and set them aside in order to participate in the bread and circuses, and all the trappings that come along with it. In the sacrification of the way of life that those who came before us espoused, we have become serfs in the Neo-Empire.

The argument that I make, is, the further we "progress" (through technological means), the greater the price we pay of that which makes us who we are on the spiritual level, or at our "cores". The very essence of what binds us to this world.

Thusly, my path, nor the path of Asatru, is for everyone. It is ancestral in nature, and in such, holds the forebears from which it stems in high esteem. To endeavor in Asatru is to return to the tribal; to return, and actively seek a way of life in contrast to the society piloted by the machines. Figuratively and quite literally, modern society has yielded way to an age when the machine holds higher regard than man, and science has become the religion of the times. If science is the religion, then technology is the messiah, as through the application thereof (science), society marvels at the manifestation of the new magic. The creation of matter on a molecular level. Traversing the heavens. The destruction of primordial matter (atomic weaponry). LASERS, MASERS, SCUBA, transistors, Television, ultra-realistic Virtual Reality games (which quite literally are parallel universes), airplanes, automobiles, microwave ovens, and personal digital assistants. Mankind existed for millenia before, with a notable absense of the aforementioned items which bring "salvation" to modern man by "making life easier". Which in and of itself is circular logic, for, in order to make life easier, man must endeavor to work dilligently in order to acquire the items, only to realise that nothing is revolutionised, and with the possession thereof, such an individual is no closer to self-actualisation nor spiritual fulfillment. In the incessant quest for the consumerist high, modern man turns the hamster wheel until becoming a vegetable who is "enjoying" life in his physical decay. Time to enjoy what you have now that you are no longer capable of functioning. Onward the hamster wheels spin as the ants meander down to the nest for eight hours. Under the false ideal that somehow by participating "we are making the world a better place". Not to undermine anyone's beliefs, but it is a matter of simple opinion, whether you are making the world a better place for anyone. The real question is whether you are making it better for someone else, or yourself. The secret question that burns inside of your mind, whose answer you are too afraid to admit to.

The quest to attain standing and adoration from our peers is a motivational force, indeed. Few admit they desire it, but it is the underlying cause driving modern man. It is his lifeblood. Without the covetous want for status, modern man is left bereft of his purpose in the corporo-globo sphere: to consume.

The call to the Asatruar is simple. Return to simplicity. Exist on less. In Swedish there is a word with no English equivalent. "Lagom", pronounced, "Lah-Gohm". Lagom means "just right", or "bereft of excess". It is in this mentality that a utilitarian, community-oriented society functions best. What use is an electric razor to someone searching for food? The various mental disorders afflicting millions the world over; the neurotic behaviour, the stress, the absurd cultural awareness (consumer culture), are all bound to this world inhabited by us. We are bombarded with an influx of imagery, and sold the notion that in some insane way, the products we own somehow state something about us. Metrosexuals? Obesity? Lexus, Audi, Cheverolet? Boot-cut or straight leg? Fries or apple pies? The thought of it is enough to send one over the edge, because it all beggars belief. Show me the relevence!

"Actions will resound forever in eternity".

By forsaking greater society, and reestablishing a connection to both our lineage and spirituality, we reform the lines that have been severed from the destruction of our culture by Middle Eastern-influence via Christianity, and the Technological Era; we begin to disembark from the sinking ship of the Neo-Empire.

To make anew our tribal bonds. To form close-knit communities and families. We create a sustainable way of life. By demanding less, and needing more. By bringing function back into life. The advent of the Technological Era has brought so many time-saving devices into our lives, that we are robbed of actually living. By slaving away in the office to make that mortgage you are forsaking your actual life. Remember, people were raising children before "jobs" existed. And on top of that, they actually provided for their progeny, literally! We argue it, but life is designed to be perilous. We are not supposed to drive cars, sit down all day, process documents, or write prescriptions. I am certainly not an advocate for eugenics, but in modern society it is ensured that the weakest links not only endure, they are catered to.

Without further entrenching myself in an argument concerning the ills of modern society, I am merely bringing forth a call to form bonds anew. To recreate the tribal, the intimacy of interpersonal reliance, not in some far-fetched idealogical economic models, but in the reality of day-to-day life. In the help-me-help-you-survive and push on to tomorrow. It is my belief that the denizens of Midgard are at their best when the conditions are at their worst. By taking up a lateral formation of tribes, and becoming united with those to which we seek fellowship we can once again espouse the nature of human existence. The problem in such a model, is that never before has such a cultural homogenisation effort been mounted. From New York to Nepal, Nikes are always the rage. If not Nike, New Balance. The only way to escape society's megalithic oppression is to form small kindreds and take heart in the unification of ideals. Work in opposition to the structural underpinnings of the consumerist-driven world we dwell upon by reuniting with those whom flows a resonant spirit.

I invite all those of Scandinavian, and Germanic descent, who seek to bridge the past to the present, and hold to the ideals aforementioned in this piece to join this kindred. To celebrate a contrasted view of the greater world through the spirituality of our kinsmen. To not allow our culture to be stamped out in the ashes of "unification". Unification is only a ruse to dupe the denizens of Neo-Empirica into accepting the lowest common denomonator. To accept and display the behaviour that it deems acceptable, as like a parasite, its very existence is reliant upon the unwitting simultaneous cohabitation of harmonic thought.

[MikeLindgren]

"One can assert that to judge the quality of anything, you look at its actions. This, generally, is true. So let us take into account modern society. Civilisation peddles itself as being "the culmination of all that has come before; a beacon of human achievement".

Human achievement is being squandered away. Humankind, and his "advanced" technology has been used, not to create and explore, but to destroy. This leads me to believe the mankind will always choose destruction over creation if given a choice between the two. This has to do with monotheistic, dogmatic, religions and the residual grip they hold upon those who believe in them.

Once again, you can judge something by what it produces. Good companies do not make bad products, good trees do not bear bad fruit. Good religions do not produce what we have before us. The adherants of monotheistic religions have always been the most hateful, wicked, self-righteous, judgemental, and evil people I have ever met. Through "divine" allegience, they spew venom in their words and deeds. The world lies in ashes, as the powers of monotheism hold the west in a vice-grip.

Our technology and our science could be use to explore the stars. We could venture to new worlds, and overcome new challenges. Instead we build bigger, faster, "smarter" bombs. We use space, not for exploration, but to build an offensive grid over the Earth for war. This is the pinnacle of human potential? If that is true, then we are deserving to be smote from existence. We now possess the capability to destroy EVERYTHING, several times over. What mankind, on a whole, really is in possession of is a coupling of extreme technological advancement and an immense spiritual immaturity.

How the "good" are easily fallen to corruption. Christianity, Islam, Judaism; these are the bane of our world. The Middle-East has given us vengeful, wicked religions, that justify the negative as "God's Will". No, I do not believe in releasing our course to the hands of fate. The Aesir give to us virtues to aspire towards. They do not command obediance, rather, they offer assistance. They are role-models, and guides. Free will is given to choose what traits to take into oneself, and the pantheon is available for us to choose a "patron" whom we find personal resonance with.

No demands are made. Destinies are not controlled: Our destiny is manifest by our own two hands. Odin doth not guide my actions, I guide my own. Responsibility is taken for the circumstances that have led up to "this" solitary point in space-time. When I fall, I shall fall, by the culmination of everything before that point. "God" did not decree my passing. It is not predetermined, short of the fact that I shall perish in under 150 years of total living.

Any religion that claims to have all the answers is lying. The claims of Asatru being a "racist" religion, are absurd. Many are just returning to the source of the ancestry and returning to the faith of their forefathers. I can think of nothing more racist than a religion who declares its creators "God's chosen people". No, as long as a mindset of "divinely chosen" people exist, the world will remain a dark place. Through their faith, the followers of monotheism can justify any actions of wickedness through a varying rhetoric of religious psychobabble. "God's Will". "I will be forgiven". "God will guide me". All of these statements undermining free will itself, which is undeniable. Freedom is the very nature of mankind. We are born with an unlimited pallete of choices in which the deviate to our own choosing. It is the homogenisation of our minds, hearts, and spirits that will be, and has been, our undoing.

"Authority is derived through the submission of will" -Mike Lindgren

Without us ceding our lives over to an "outside" force, we can be free beings borne of this world and masters of our destinies. Otherwise those who believe in the outside guiding within will have us to believe that every defeat is preordained, every victory "God's grace".

Take the reigns of your own life; abandon the desire for salvation, and begin your steps to personal reliance and liberation."

Another entry:

"Always rise
to an early meal,
but eat your fill before a feast.
If you're hungry
you have no time
to talk at the table.

- The Havamal

Never walk
away from home
ahead of your axe and sword.
You can't feel a battle
in your bones
or foresee a fight.

- The Havamal

Moderately wise
a man should be
not too crafty or clever.
A learned man's heart
whose learning is deep
seldom sings with joy.

- The Havamal

The unwise man
is awake all night
worries over and again.
When morning rises
he is restless still,
his burden as before.

- The Havamal

It is fortunate
to be favored
with praise and popularity.
It is dire luck
to be dependent
on the feelings of your fellow man.

- The Havamal

Wake early
if you want
another man's life or land.
No lamb
for the lazy wolf.
No battle's won in bed.

- The Havamal

Go you must.
No guest shall stay
in one place for ever.
Love will be lost
if you sit too long
at a friend's fire.

- The Havamal

Be your friend's
true friend.
Return gift for gift.
Repay laughter
with laughter again
but betrayal with treachery.

- The Havamal

Cattle die
kinsmen die
all men are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.

- The Havamal"

Another:

"From Phil Hine:
"This essay is an account of my magical exploration of the Norse deity Thor, as a result of a prolonged retirement which began as an exercise in Ego-Magic within the group I was involved with at the time. Participants discussed their perceptions of each other and themselves, and then the group chose a deity for each individual to work with, and I was assigned Thor. Initially, I was somewhat dismayed by this choice, as I had formed an opinion of Thor as little more than a Nordic lager-lout. To my own surprise, through research and magical exploration, I have found a much more complex and interesting figure than I had first imagined Thor to be.

It was Sor. A-K.47 of the I.O.T. who first described Thor to me as a "Working-Class Hero" - which I have subsequently found to be a very appropriate term. In the myths as presented by Snorri, Thor is the champion of the Aesir and defender of Asgard. Thor appears as a massive, red-bearded figure, armed with hammer, his iron gloves and his girdle of strength. Thor is outspoken, indomitable, filled with vigour and gusto, placing his reliance on his strong right arm and simple weapons. He impresses even the giants with his capacity for eating and drinking, (i.e.: Hall of Thrym, giant Hymir & the hall of Utgard-Loki.)

Thor's progress is marked by the continual overcoming of adversaries and obstacles, and there is some evidence to suggest that he was in continual conflict with giants and trolls. Without recourse to the deviousness of Loki or Odin, he simply shattered the skulls of his foes by hurling his hammer at them. The shattering of rocks and stones is a frequent theme in legends of Thor.

Thor's cult was not that of the aristocracy, and a taunt made against him in one of the Edda poems is that while Odin received Kings, Thor got the Thralls. But his power extended far - he was supreme god not only over the stormy sky, but also over the life of the community in all its aspects. He maintained the order of the Universe, defending Midgrard and Asgard against the chaotic giants and giantesses, dwelling in Jotunheim, in the east. His weapon was the hammer, Mjollnir, with which he held the forces of the giants in check. As sky god, he granted favourable winds and weather. He battled the monsters that threatened the security of men, and kept the goddesses of plenty safe so that they could grant their benefits to mankind. It should be noted that Thor's wife, Sif, is undoubtedly a fertility goddess - her golden hair representative of ripe corn, reinforcing Thor's own role as an agent of fertility. In fact, Thor could be said to embody the classical IAO formula insofar as he was considered a god of fertility, destruction, and resurrection.

Order out of Chaos
The relationship between order and stability, as represented by Thor, and the chaotic forces represented by the giants and giantesses, is not so clear-cut as dualists might initially think. Whilst Thor battles many giants, he also has a number of giantess mistresses, and it should not be forgotten that his belt of strength and his iron gloves were a gift from the giantess Grid.

Thor lived in Thrudheim (the world of might) or Thrudvangar (Fields of Might), where his house, Bilskirnir was as splendid as Vallhöl. Every day, Thor waded rivers to sit in judgement beneath the world tree, Yggdrasill.

Thor's battles
Thor's adversaries tend to be the frost-giants and giantesses. At times he is lured into their realms unarmed, but he mostly deliberately seeks them and kills them without too much difficulty. His most terrible enemy is the Midgard Serpent. H.R. Ellis Davidson, in Gods and Myths of Northern Europe notes that the conquest of a World-Monster by a Sky-God is a recognised pattern in world mythologies. In the most common form of this tale, the Serpent Jormungand survives its encounter with Thor, although in an earlier version of the myth, Thor strikes off the head of the serpent. It is possible here, as in many other accounts of Norse myth, that dualistic concepts of good and evil, encroaching into Norse belief from Christianity, demanded that the symbol of ultimate evil should survive until the Ragnarok.

Thor and the Giants
Giants and giantesses were Thor's enemies. Hrungnir and Geirrod were particularly vehement. His battle with Hrungnir, as described by Thjodolf of Hvin, ended with one half of the giant's whetstone lodged in Thor's skull, until a woman loosened it with a magic song. According to Snorri, the witch Groa, forgot her charms, and so the stone remained in Thor's skull.

Thor's Hammer
Snorri tells us that the Aesir proclaimed that the Hammer, Mjollnir, was the greatest treasure that they possessed, since it enabled them to hold Asgard secure against the giants. A hammer was used in weddings to hallow the bride. It is also known that hammer was used to hallow the newly-born child, and also at funerals - at Balder's death, Mjollnir was used to hallow the funeral ship before this was set alight. When Thor feasted upon his goats, he made the sign of the hammer over the skin and bones in order to restore them to life. Thus the sign of the hammer was both a protection and blessing, and the verb vigja (to hallow, consecrate) is often used in descriptions of Mjollnir.

The hammer also represented the thunderbolt. Amongst the early Germanic peoples, the god Donar (Thor's predeccesor) was armed with a club and battled against mighty monsters. The hammer was also a throwing weapon, and Mjollnir had the power to always return to it's owners' hand. Snorri & Saxo both tell us that Mjollnir was short in the handle & it is likely that it had a ring through the handle, in the manner of the hammer thrown at the Highland games. A hammer with a loop fitted through the handle is shown on a Swedish rune-stone from Stenqvista, where it was used as a sign of Thor's protection over a grave. Thor was generally remembered as the protector and hallower of the dead. The god's protection is invoked by the picture of a hammer on headstones, whilst others placed miniature hammers of silver or other metals in graves.

An object similar to a hammer or double-axe is depicted among the magical symbols on the drums of Lappish shamans. The drums themselves were also struck with an implement which resembled a hammer. So there is possibly a link here to the metal hammers that were said to be used in Thor's temples to imitate the noise of thunder. The name of the Lappish thunder-god was Horagalles. Sometimes on the drums, a male figure with a hammer-like object in either hand is shown. It seems likely that the Swastika or fire-wheel was linked to Thor.

The Anglo-Saxons worshipped the thunder-god under the name of Thunor. Both the hammer-sign & swastika are found on funerary memorials in Sweden and Norway. The swastika is also found on weapons and sword scabbards.

It would appear, then, that the power of Thor, symbolised by the Hammer, covered birth, death, marriage, burial, weapons and feasting, travel, land-taking and the making of oaths between men. Mjollnir was not only representative of the destructive power of storms, but also a protection against evil and violence. Men relied upon it to give security and uphold the rule of law. Thor can be regarded as a warrior in the defensive sense, rather than an aggressor who deliberately went 'looking for trouble.'

The worship of Thor
The figure of the god with his hammer is said to have stood in many temples at the close of the heathen period. Sacrifices of meat and bread are said to have been made to him in his temples in Norway, and his worshippers would look for guidance from Thor when the time came to make some difficult decision.

Snorri tells how, when the gods were in distress, they called out the name of Thor and he would come to their aid at once, even though he might be far away. Runemasters of the 10th Century inscribed Thor's name on stone, asking his protection, and Icelandic poets of the end of the pagan period composed poems of praise. Unlike the Skaldic & Eddaic poetry, the god is addressed in the second person, praised for his victories over giants and giantesses:

You smashed the limbs of Leiku,
You bashed Thrivaldi
You knocked down Starkad
You trod Gjalp dead under foot
- from Vetrlidi Summarlidason, murdered by Christian Missionaries in AD999.

Your Hammer rang on Keila's skull,
you crushed the body of Kjallandi,
you had killed Lut and Leidi
you made blood flow from Buseyra
you finished Hengjankapta
Hyrrokin died before that
earlier the dusky Svivor
was robbed of her life.
- from Thorbjorn Disarskald


The predominance of the worship of Thor among the settlers of Iceland can be discerned in both names of settlers and place-names. Veneration of Thor seems to have increased in various parts of Scandinavia as the encroachments of Christianity grew apace. In the same way that the gods relied upon Thor to save Asgard from the giants, so Thor was deemed the most fitted to defend heathendom against the aggression of Christianity.

The mother of Thor is said to be the Earth herself, and Thor is described in Skaldic verse as the 'son of earth'. There is a strong link between Thor and the fertility of the earth, on which lightning strikes and the rain falls, causing increase There is some evidence that the first Icelandic settlers hallowed the land they took for themselves in the name of the god before building upon it or sowing their crops.

Thor was also regarded as a sure guide for those who travelled over the sea, due to his power over storms and wind. He was the god to invoked for journeying. He could call down storms against his adversaries - according to Njals Saga, Thor stirred up the storms which shattered the ship of the Christian Missionary Thangbrand. Thor is also said to have stranded a whale upon the shores of vineland in response to the prayers of Thorhall, one of the explorers.

Davidson suggests that Thor's red beard denotes lightning - presaged by the red sky which foretells a storm.

There is also a link between Thor and oak-groves. The Oak pillar was sacred to Thor - representative of pillar which formed support of the hall or temple, and also the 'lucky' tree on whose well-being the luck of the house depended. It is possible that pillars, hallowed by the name of Thor would protect the dwelling they supported from the storm's anger. Also, like sacred trees in the forest, they marked the holy place where the worshipper might approach the thunder-god and learn his will.

Also there is evidence of the existence of the "Ring of Thor" which was made of gold or silver and upon which oaths were sworn, and was kept in temples where Thor was worshipped. Descriptions indicate that it was an arm-ring. In the Eyrbyggja Saga, Snorri the priest is said to have worn it on his arm, where it protected him from the blow of a sword. In this saga, the ring is stated to weigh 20 ounces. The formula of the oath mentions Freyr and Njord and the 'Almighty God' (usually assumed to be Thor).

The God-Nails
The myth of the duel between Thor and Hrungnir ends with small piece of whetstone embedded in the god's head. This may be linked to Lapp practice of driving an iron or steel nail into the head of an image of the Thunder God, in order to use it as a source of fire.... The whetstone of the giant, encountering the iron hammer of the god, could be equivalent to kindling of fire with flint and steel. Thor's temple is also associated with fire in the Kjalnesinga Saga, in that altar said to be be made of iron on top - the place for the fire, which was never allowed to go out. Link to Thor's power over lightning - the fire from heaven.

Similarities between Thor and other Deities
Thor may also have been equated with the Roman Hercules. There is also the suggestion that Thor was compared to Jupiter - both deities had Thursday sacred to them. Saxo alludes to Jupiter's Hammers. However, many scholars, including Dumézil and Grimm, have indicated the similarities between Thor and Indra. Like Thor, Indra is a warrior-god, slaying many demons; his weapon, the vajra, is interpreted as the lightning or thunderbolt. The vajra was fashioned by Tvastr, a craftsman who made treasures for the gods. Like Thor, Indra is bold and brave, and has a tremendous appetite. In one myth, Indra turns into a woman, as Thor did in order to recover his hammer. These striking similarities, and others, have contributed to the argument that both deities spring from a common Indo-European heritage.

Magical Work with Thor
The first point which I wish to stress at this juncture is that I believe that Invocation-to-possession is inappropriate to Thor. My reasoning is that this type of operation, from the Norse point of view, would be an act of Seidr, and thus not appropriate to the worship of Thor. Thor, as has been indicated, was very much a god of the common people, whereas Seidr appears to have been the domain of wandering shamans or sorcerers.

Edred Thorrson's "Hammer Rite" (see The Well of Wyrd) is a very appropriate way of calling upon the power of Thor. What I have been doing , almost on a daily basis, is 'placing' Mjollnir upon my breast and invoking various qualities which seem appropriate to Thor, including resolution, protection, resistance (to external agencies & diversions), steadiness of Will, clear-thinking, and relaxed awareness. Mjollnir represents the direction of the Will - it being loosed upon a target, and returning to a state of equilibrium. Thor is by no means an intellectual, but in magical terms, this means that, free of doubt or internal dialogue, he acts as he sees fit. While he may, at times, be fooled by illusion and cunning, his responses are genuine.

Following traditional forms of worship of Thor, incorporating the sign or gesture of the hammer, thus 'hallowing' where appropriate in one's everyday life, seems also to be appropriate.

As noted above, Thor is a god of the common people, and of everyday order. By the same token, the magical acts I associate with him are of a similar nature. Thor can be called (secretly or openly) to hallow all rites of exchange and passage - births, deaths, marriages, contracts and bondings. Appeal to Thor may be appropriate also when settling in a new home, travelling (especially sea-travel), or fishing.

Behaviour in a manner that is likely to please or win the approval of the god is always a key part of any long-term invocation. Thor is direct, straight-forwards, and goes directly to the "point" of any issues (in the north of England, he would be considered 'blunt' - a virtue in many northern climes). It is clear from the sagas that Thor likes his meat and ale - possibly reflecting a Nordic cultural more that it was complimentary to a host to eat and drink with gusto. Refusal of hospitality extended may have been as much an offence as the reluctance to extend hospitality. Awareness of the complex shades of hospitality and how to act therefore, seems to me to be part and parcel of behaviour likely to please the god."

[kamal]

Not very Viking...

And Mike, I'm sure your little essay is illuminating. I fully intend to read it once I've got some time.

[Metalfreak]

Not very Viking...

And Mike, I'm sure your little essay is illuminating. I fully intend to read it once I've got some time.

at the dance band!

yeah I haven't read it either...it seems like I only read that much if it's for school or something like that!