The Pagan Heart
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May 2005 Issue
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Frigga Blot - Sacrifice for Frigga
By Anne S.
May is the month of Merry Moon in the Nordic calendar. Merry Moon is devoted to two of the great Nordic Goddesses - Freya at the start (May Day is also known as Freya's Blot) and Frigga who is honored with Frigga's Blot which is celebrated on the 15th, 17th or 27th of Merry Moon (the date varies depending upon which Nordic group's calendar you use). Celebrating Frigga's Blot is appropriate for us all - as the All-Mother, she is an archtypal mother figure honored this month - just as we honor our own mothers with Mother's day. Frigga is one of the great Mother Goddesses, patron of the home and married woman. She is Odin's wife, powerful and wise (often his match or better). Frigga is also known as Hlin - the Protectoress - and is called upon to protect and ward home, hearth, and kin. She helps maintain social order and watches over women's magics and tasks. Known as the All-Mother, Queen of the Heaves, and the Well-Loved Lady, Frigga can be called upon to help in matters concerning foresight, fertility, protection, health, marriage, wisdom, sexuality, magic, child-bearing and birth, household matters, and clairvoyance - to name a few. She is closely associated with sex and love - her name is related to the root word for love, and variations of her name (Frigg and Frick) are still used as euphemisms for the "F-word". Yet Frigga is a beloved and venerated deity - obviously the association with sex is a positive one. When we consider her history, we can see this - not only is she unconcerned with Odin's sexual wanderings, she herself has some (notably with his brothers). and this is not only accepted, but almost unremarked upon. Frigga is an elemental earth god, tied to nature and the cycle of life and death. She is in tune with her own sexuality, empowered by it, and respected. In Frigga women can connect to their own elemental nature and men can reconnect to it (Frigga) through women. However, Frigga is more a deity for women than men. Her very nature is powerfully rooted in the feminine and in the traditional roles of women - which were not always so devalued. For this reason, Frigga is the perfect deity to help women rediscover themselves and their feminine power. By feminine, I am refering to the female nature, not frilly dresses. Magics of the home, Kitchen Witchery especially, are strengthened when Frigga is invoked. So too magics related to the family and relationships. While the sexual freedom of Frigga may not appeal to all, the openness and trust she and Odin share is definately worthwhile investing in. Their relationship is founded upon mutual respect and honesty - elements any relationship needs. For self knowledge, think about calling to Frigga the Spinner - spinning and weaving have long been tied to fate and knowledge of the past, present, and future. In this guise, Frigga can guide you along the path to knowing and understanding your own fate. The Frigga Blot is specifically a festival to celebrate the warmth and wonder of Spring. This is a time to honor and thank the All-Mother for the health and well-being she has gifted the family and Kindred with, remembering that while individuals may be nearing the completion of their time, death is a natural, healthy conclusion to life, and overall the Tribe is flourishing. This should be a joyful celebration, filled with love, laughter, and life. A Blot (pronounced bloat) is a ritual sacrifice to the gods - traditionally a feast held where an animal is consecrated and sacrificed to the gods and then eaten by the tribe. In modern times, Nordic-path followers use mead, beer, and wine to offer sacrifice instead of the ritual killing of an animal. The Blot is beyond a simple offering to the gods, however. It is also a ritual feast of family - for the gods are a part of the tribe's kith and kin. Through the Blot, the tribe honor the gods and renew ties of loyalty and friendship. There are three parts - the hallowing (consecration of the sacrifice), the offering and partaking of the sacrifice, and the libation. The Blot commences with the Gothi (priest) or Gythia (priestess) hallowing the sacrifice and invoking the god/s for whom the Blot is held. This part of the ritual involves the god/s partaking of the sacrifice - thus blessing it. The sacrifice is then shared amongst the gathered folk, who in partaking also take into themselves the god/s's blessing. Finally, the remnants of the sacrifice (remembering that modern followers use alcoholic beverages) are emptied into the Hlautbowl and a libation is poured out - an offering to both the honored god/s and the Earth Mother who thus partakes of the sacrifice. To honor Frigga, gather together as a family (or more) and have a celebration outside. Where possible, decorate with Mistletoe, Linden berries and branches, and also greenery taken from thron burshes - these are sacred to Frigga. Quaff the finest ale and mead, or even apple cider, and feast with great abandon. Grain products, breads, and apples are feature foods for this feast, along with the requisite spit-boar or ox if you can obtain one. Produce of the earth is always a good choice too. Diana Paxton, in her online article Beloved, provides a wonderful guide to holding a Blot for Frigga. She also offers this beautiful prayer to Frigga:
A Prayer to Honor Frigga From the darkness of earth you arise,
Rams with white fleeces roam free round your dwelling:
You sit at the head of the hearth, twelve maidens blaze around you, sparks spun from your brightness.
Giver of Law are you, and High Seat of Sovereignty.
Golden the god you gave birth to, but Laufey's child betrayed him.
All-mother, around your altar now we are gathered, women together, wanting your wisdom.
These are the faces of the goddess - candles lit from her hearthfire, water flowing from her well: Saga ... who knows the names of the ancestors and all the old tales;
A Purification, Boundary Setting, and Balancing Ritual from Paxton's article Beloved
A Prayer to Frigga found at Owlsdottir's Website
To bring Frigga's blessings into your home, light a candle to her each night with this invocation. Offerings of grained bread and beer or mead are also suitable. |
Secondary Article - Beltaine
Secondary Article - Sheela na gig
Return to the Index of articles for Seasonal Festivals
