The Pagan Heart
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July-August 2005 Issue
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Odin's Ordeal
By Nokomis Dream & Anne S.
I know an ash tree, named Yggdrasil:
Voluspa: The Song of the Sybil
The month of August is a wonderful time - after the spring rains, but before the biting cold of fall. Time to sit back and watch the kids play in the sprinkler, pool, or creek, and also time to take time to enjoy the waning days of summer. It's also a time for holidays and special days of observation - many of which are celebrated in this month. Some well known, some relatively obscure. For instance, did you know the 4th is National Coast Guard day, the 8th Senior Citizen's Day, the 11th is Son and Daughter Day, and the 13th is "Blame Someone Else Day". Sounds like a day that my children might have helped found! At any rate, there many reasons to celebrate in August, and even a website to refer to to find a day just for you and yours. But, all jocularity aside, August is also a month of power. The first Harvest month, it is a time of beginnings and endings, of thinning veils. A time to gather wisdom. In light of that, we are going to look at not just one holy day, but rather an observance spread out over nine of them. Odin's Ordeal. Odin - also known as Woten, Othinn, Wodan and by over 230 other names and titles - is a god of many roles - guardian of souls, bringer of death, gifter of wisdom...yet, despite his power, Odin is often portrayed as an old man with a long beard, wearing a blue hat and blue cloak, carrying a staff and missing one eye. Deceptive image, really, for one of the highest of gods. He choses to be seen as a harmless wanderer for he is also a shape shifter, able to be anything or anyone. Even his staff is not what it seems. In reality the spear, Gungir, made by the dwarves, it potentially represents many things. It is a guide and way-pointer in the journey, a symbol of the world-tree connecting the nine realms, and a conduit of power. Odin's shifting, hard-to-pin-down nature leads to many comparisons with other gods in other religions - the Egyptian god Anubis, the Roman Mercury, the Greek Hermes, for example, all have roles as psychopomps, or guides to the souls of the dead, similar that that of Odin as Volkjosandi, Chooser of the Slain. However what should be remembered is that these are counterparts to Odin in only one of his roles. Unlike Thoth or Hermes or Mercury, Odin is also the Allfather, father of all the gods and ruler of the heavens. In this role, his counterparts are Ra, Jupiter, and Zeus. As a god of wisdom and poetry, he bears a strong similarity to the Grecian Athena and Apollo. But how limiting to simply link Odin to one foreign god - and an insult to him as well. Indeed it is Odin's sheer breadth and diversity that makes him such an incredible and demanding god to follow. And this also creates a certain degree of inhumanity to him. Being a god, naturally he is inhuman. However where other gods are approachable through those aspects of their personalities that seem human in nature, Odin is too mercurial for many. Too hard to pin down, and too impersonal. He is also too amoral by many standards. Odin has an agenda - the gathering of knowledge to thwart the outcome of Ragna Rok, the final battle. To meet that agenda he will use any means possible - regardless of human ideas of good and evil - as for him the end justifies the means. Within the very individualistic paths of the Northern Traditions, a personal relationship with one's Patron god is expected. The strong moral and ethical codes (as defined by the Nine Noble Virtues, for example) that Northern Trad people strive to live by make having a close relationship with Odin tricky. Add to that his powerful and uncompromising nature wherein he places the achievement of his ultimate goal before everything, including his personal comfort - and the expectation that those who follow him behave similarly - and it can be downright impossible at times. If Odin interests you as a Patron, and the path of sacrifice and ordeal calls you, do so with understanding and full acknowledgement of Odin as himself, however mysterious or difficult that self may be at times. So what is it that that makes Odin so special? Why might we want to know about him? What is this Ordeal and its purpose? What can we learn from him, and what, if anything, have we learned because of him, whether we know it or not? In the Prose Edda can be found much of the story of Odin. We meet him as the shaper of the world from the corpse of Ymir, the primeval giant. Along with his brother-mirror selves, Lodur and Haenir, Alfadir (Allfather) Odin next created life - and in this action we see the ultimate duality that is Odin. He gave us first breath and, as Volkjosandi (Chooser of the Slain), he takes our last. Odin is the chief god of the Aesir, the Norse gods and goddesses. One big happy family (well, most the time) they live in Asgard. In Asgard can be found Odin's two halls, Valhalla and Valaskjalf ("shelf of the slain"). Valhalla is where half the souls of those slain warriors picked by the valkyries as most valient and honorable are brought. Here they spend their time battling and feasting as they await the coming of Ragna Rok when they will join Odin and the Aesir in the battle against the Frost Giants. The other half go to Freyja's hall, Folkvangar. Freyja is a goddess with warlike attributes as well as a strong sexual nature (Nordic gods don't take kindly to the 'job description' appelations used with many pantheons - don't call Freyja a Fertility Goddess, or Odin a Death God) who will lead these warriors into battle alongside Odin and his heroes. On a side note, it is interesting to note the mirroring and interrelating of Odin and Freyja in Norse mythology. Returning to Odin - from his throne, Hlidskialf, in Valaskjalf, he is able to see over all that happens, gathering knowledge. The collecting of knowledge is what drives Odin. This search to know is not an idle thing - it is a burning need. Ragna Rok comes - and with it the destruction of almost all life. Odin is destined to be one of those who fall in the final struggle against the Frost Giants, killed by Fenrir the wolf. Although Ragna Rok is inescapable, Odin still strives to do so - and with his escape may come that of everyone else. For this purpose he seeks knowledge both common and secret - as knowledge brings with it power. Power to change the future. To gain knowledge, he sits on Hlidskialf and watches. He travels the earth questioning all sorts - seers, prophets, elves, and dwarves. He sends his ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory) out to observe the world and bring back news to him. And he undergoes ordeals that demanded personal, mental, and spiritual sacrifices of him. The first sacrificial ordeal involved the Mimisbrunnar (Well of Mimir). There are three wells to be found by the three roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. By the root leading to the world of the Frost Giants can be found Mimisbrunnar, named for Mimr who guarded it. Drinking from this well brought knowledge - at a price. Odin gave up one of his eyes for a draught. Mind you, this brought benefits beside the knowledge gained. Mimir kept Odin's eye and used it to see far ahead (even into the future), and the knowledge he gained from this he was able to pass onto Odin. A lesson that by sacrificing what we are holding onto we may find we still possess it and more besides? Later Mimir was beheaded by the Vanir and his head returned to the Aesir. Odin preserved this in herbs so that Mimir's wisdom is not lost - periodically Odin takes counsel from the Head of Mimir (and, methinks, his own eye!) Meanwhile Kvasir - one of the Vanir initially swapped with Mimir in a hostage exchange to stop the ongoing battles between the two tribes - was killed by a couple of dwarves (who'd grown weary of his babbling, regardless of his wisdom). They drained his blood and made a magical mead - which Odin (through trickery) managed to drink. This mead gave wisdom to the drinker, as well as poetic ability. But all the knowledge gained through these means still did not satisfy Odin. He had gained the advice and wisdom belonging to others, but as yet had not tapped into his own power and understanding. And so Odin embarked upon his greatest trial in search of knowledge. A trial that took him deep into his own psyche. The Ordeal of Odin, as it is known, lasted nine days. I know that I hung
Making a choice, Odin stabbed himself with Gungir, hung himself upon Yggdrasil for nine days, and drowned himself (as he peered downward into the roots wher lie the wells of Yggdrasil). This triple death allowed him to enter into a deep shamanic trance. The world about him ceased to have meaning. Fasting, enduring physical tribulation, he meditated and tranced for nine days. And then he returned - triumphant in his quest - and "fell back from there" (his trance state) to the physical place he was (hanging upon Yggdrasil). Ordeals of the flesh are a common theme in religion and philosophy - such trials help hone the focus and take the individual into an altered state of consciousness. In Odin's Ordeal we see a strongly orchestrated trial - one that Odin directed until it took him. And at that point, when he surrended to the vision, knowledge became his. In this is a message for the follower of Odin's path - knowledge can be yours at a price. But the price is a self-applied one. No one tortured Odin. No one forced him to stab himself. No one hung him up and starved him. He made the choice. And he found the knowledge he sought within himself - along an internal journey fueled by the price he paid. We each face our own ultimate Ordeal from which we can gain ultimate knowledge. Knowledge that we can use to determine our path into the future. Knowledge we may be able to apply to change the future. Mind you, I am not advising we got out and mimic the Ordeal. We are not gods, afterall. But fasting, meditation, trance work - these are all tools at our disposal to help us walk Odin's path. The other message is that regardless of how much you know, you should never be satisfied - the quest for knowledge should be a lifelong one. This is true for humanity as much as it is for Odin. They cheered me with a loaf
Odin's trial won him the Runic Magic he sought - the crafting and using of runes in magic and prophesy. With them he could foresee what was coming and work spells to change the outcome. This knowledge was passed down to us. We don't know for certain how many runes there were initially - although the twenty-four of the Elder Futhark is a good guess. Divided into three aettir (sets of 8 runes), the Elder Futhark have been in use since at least 200 BCE and were still in use a thousand years later. This matches up with dating for the Havamal. The first written version of the Havamal is from the Codex Regius (dated 1270s CE). However, Eyvind the Plagarist referenced it circa 960 CE. Whether there were twenty-four or some other number is impossible to prove today. And not significant either - the importance lies in the lessons Odin has for us as to crafting and using the runes. You can find runes
Othinn among the gods,
Do you know how you must cut?
From The Havamal, stanzas 142-44 For the modern day followers of those Northern Traditions that venerate the Nordic gods, Odin's Ordeal is observed in August. Lasting from the seventeenth to the twenty-fourth, this is a time to pay homage to the Alfadir and his sacrifice, and to seek within ourselves. Modern reconstructionist groups, such as Asatru, hold blots in his honour. A blot forges and strengthens the link between humanity and the gods, reestablishes the bonds of kin and contract, and pays homage. How each group or individual holds their blot varies, although it usually follows the basic format of dedicating food and/or drink to Odin, making a libation for him, and partaking of the rest. For followers of Odin this nine day period marks the ideal time to engage in a personal Ordeal of self-mastery and discovery. On the ninth day, when Odin fell from the tree, the Festival of the Discovery of the Runes may be held. Again - in keeping with the highly individual nature of Northern Trads, whether this festival is observed and how varies. Regardless, it is a very appropriate day to offer blot to Odin - he has passed through the shaman's trials and is remade with his new inner understanding. This day he has gained the wisdom of the runes, shared with us. This makes this a very good day to consecrate runes, perform runic magic and meditation, and complete voyages of personal investigation and change. For non-Northern Trad people interested in honouring Odin and maybe learning something of what he has to offer, consider holding a festival today. Cast the runes, drink honey mead, and a picnic with those close to you, under a great tree - preferably ash. For me, over the nine day period, my children and I will be spelling out our names and the names of those close to us in runes. It will probably take nine days, as there are so many of us. A fun activity it also creates an opportunity for us to explore the meanings of those runes associated with our names - discover some of the runic magic in our own lives. Why not look at the history of some of the various runic alphabets - maybe even use it for a homeschooling lesson. |
Primary Article - The Opening of the Mundus Cereris
Secondary Article - Holy Day: Lughnasadh
Secondary Article - Holy Day: Rugiu Svente
Secondary Article - Holy Day: Norse Midsummer
Return to the Index of articles for Seasonal Festivals
