Old Gods and New Pagans
"Old Gods & New Pagans" is a welcoming space for new and curious pagans, heathens, and animists to explore the basics of paganism. Rooted in an Animist perspective, this podcast takes an inclusive approach, covering topics relevant to a variety of pagan paths. Each episode breaks down complex ideas into simple, easy-to-understand language, with guest discussions, stories, and insights. Whether you're just starting your pagan journey or looking to learn more, join us as we dive into the wisdom of the old gods and the practices of modern pagans.
Old Gods and New Pagans
Ep: 3 Exploring Norse Paganism: Creation, Deities, and Nature
Embark with me, Matt, on an auditory voyage to the frostbitten realms of Nordic antiquity where fire meets ice in a saga of creation and cosmology. This episode of Old Gods and New Pagans is not merely a podcast; it's an intricate tapestry, weaving the ethereal threads of Norse Paganism, its deities, and its deep-seated connection with nature. From the primal forces that shaped the universe to the spirit residing in every rock and river, we'll traverse the ancient beliefs that continue to echo through time, beckoning modern seekers to explore their resonance.
Prepare to be immersed in a narrative where giants roam and gods reign, as we explore the nuanced relationships between the Jotun, Aesir, and Vanir. With every tale spun and deity dissected, you'll gain a profound comprehension of the forces that illustrate the human experience and the natural world. So adjust your earbuds and let your imagination roam free; this is where myth meets the spirit, and the echoes of the Old Gods still rumble beneath our feet.
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Hello everyone, my name is Matt and you're listening to Old Gods and New Pagans, A show that takes a jump into topics for New Pagans, animus or anyone that just wants to build a stronger connection to nature in the Old Gods. Welcome to Episode 3, and this week we're diving into the world of Norse Paganism. Be sure to check the show notes for information that we talk about, including any notes I may take or relevant links, including a basic transcript of this episode. If you haven't subscribed, please do so to follow along with us from week to week. Alright, let's get started.
Speaker 1:So Norse Paganism is a belief system that has its roots and a pre-Christian belief systems of the Germanic people of Northern Europe, specifically in the areas that are now known as Scandinavia. I'll be sharing my knowledge and my personal perspective on this really fascinating belief system, including some of its origins, key beliefs and practices. So what does it mean to say Norse Paganism? Well, norse Paganism again refers to the pre-Christian belief systems of the Germanic people of Northern Europe, specifically Scandinavia, the Norse people, often commonly known as Vikings. I won't get into the problems associated with that particular topic today, but that's how they're generally described, because mostly that's because of the modern view, and that's really the view we know of the Norse people or Viking culture, where they started expanding out and started exploring other areas, other countries. Well, they spread through Germania up into the Scandinavian countries and kind of brought their belief systems with them as they explored and settled the other parts of Europe and even beyond. So those beliefs and practices kind of evolved. So you may hear the term Germanic Paganism, celtic Paganism, norse Paganism, etc. A lot of those kind of had the same roots as the people migrated north and west. But then things changed as they really the cultures evolved as well.
Speaker 1:Basic belief structure of Norse Paganism is animus based, meaning that they believe that everything in nature has some sort of a spirit or consciousness. This goes to include the people, the gods, animals, plants and even inanimate objects like rocks, mountains, rivers, things like that. So the basic belief structure again is centered around the worship of the gods and the goddesses of the Norse Pantheon. These represent different aspects of nature, human nature, civilization and community. These gods and goddesses are divided into three main pantheons the Jotun, the Aesir and the Vanir. This also kind of includes dwarves, elves and other entities like the Dessir. I'll go into the specifics of this pantheon in a little bit.
Speaker 1:First I want to kind of tell a little bit of the creation story. This is the myth of how the Jotun, the Aesir, humans, the world kind of came into being. So the Norse creation story, as it's told in the ancient sagas and myths, is a tale of how the world and all its inhabitants came to be. This will not be a detailed account. I may do an episode on that in the future where I go into a lot more in depth of the creation stories and tell all the side stories that kind of go along with that. But it's a story of struggle and triumph. It's kind of a fire and ice saga and ultimately the triumph of order over chaos.
Speaker 1:The story begins in the void known as Ganunga Gap and the vast emptiness. Two primal forces lay dormant the force of fire and the force of ice. On one side of Ganunga Gap the fire of Muspelheim blazed, while the other, the glaciers of Niflheim stretched endlessly. As the two forces met in the void, the ice began to melt and the two forces began to mix and clash, creating sparks that would eventually form into Ymir, the first of the giants. Ymir, being the first giant, was the father of all giants and the gods. While he slept and as the frost continued to melt, a cow Odd Humla and please forgive me for my pronunciations and some of this emerged from it. She nourished Ymir with her milk and she in turn was nourished by the salt and the ice. Her looking slowly uncovered Buri, the first of the Aesir tribe of gods. Buri had a son, bohr, who married Besla, the daughter of the giant Balthorn. The half-god, half-children, half-giant children of Bohr and Besla were Odin, who became the chief of the Aesir gods, and his two brothers, vili and Ve.
Speaker 1:Eventually, the Aesir gods, led by Odin, killed Ymir and created the world mid-guard. From his body, his blood formed the oceans and the rivers, his bones formed the mountains, and from his skull the sky was formed, and from his brain the clouds. Odin then, with his brothers, created the first humans, asc and Imbla, from two trunks that had washed ashore. The Aesir gods then built Asgard, their home in the heavens, and mid-guard, the world of humans, on the body of Ymir. They also created the nine realms and appointed the dwarves to be the craftsmen of the gods and assigned the other realms for entities like the elves. With the creation of the world and the Aesir gods, the giants and the gods were an internal struggle for power and dominance, but ultimately the Aesir gods were able to maintain order and balance in the world, ensuring that it would be a place of beauty, wonder and prosperity for all its inhabitants. So that was the creation myth for the Norse pantheon.
Speaker 1:I really like the idea of the triumph of order over chaos, the fire and ice. Really. I know it's quite poetic and that's the thing. A lot of the sources we have for the Norse gods and the Norse paganism, pantheon and stuff comes from the culture that told stories a lot in poem and they embellished and they told these stories in such a way that they were very interesting because it was an oral culture, that a lot of these stories were passed down in the most interesting way possible One, I would imagine, just so it could be memorized a lot better.
Speaker 1:So let's get into the pantheons of gods First. Pantheon that we know of, kind of where it all started, were the Yotun or the giants or believed to existed before the other gods and goddesses, and they're kind of the source of the Norse pantheon. They are associated with natural elements such as the earth, mountains and winter. Notable members of the Yotun pantheon include Yard, the personification of earth, which is like the Norse version of Mother Earth, is Yard, and where we get the term like our back yard, we take care of our yard kind of came from. Also Skadi, the goddess of mountains and winter, and Engroboda, the maid of Loki and the mother of Fenrir, jormagander, and hell, the goddess of the dead.
Speaker 1:The Aesir pantheon is made up of gods of war and power and community and civilization, such as Odin, also known as the Allfather, and is associated with wisdom, war and death. Thor, associated with thunder, the sky, strength and agriculture, and there's also Baldur, who's associated with light, wisdom and courage. These are considered the more powerful gods in the pantheon, and there are others as well. Then we have the Vanir pantheon, which is made up of gods of nature and fertility, such as Njord, who is associated with wind, sea and its riches. Freyr, who is associated with fertility, harvest, prosperity and peace, and is also known for his association with virility and sexuality. Fonny's also commonly called the god of the erection, mainly because most of his totem statues and everything that's done in his honor show him with an erection, which is kind of putting into the idea of the fertility, sexuality and virility that he's associated with, and we also have a sister, freyja, who's associated with fertility as well. But whereas Freyr is associated with the seed of fertility, freyja is associated with the womb of fertility. She's also the goddess of beauty, war, strategy and magic. She is often considered the mother of saith magic and she is the leader of the Valkyrie female warriors who fly into battle and choose who will live and die.
Speaker 1:Some of the Norse paganism practices include certain practices like rituals, ceremonies and different offerings to the gods and goddesses, and this will go into more detail in a future podcast. But these practices were performed to honor the gods, gain their favor and also as well as just thank them for their blessings and protection. A lot of these practices were done during seasonal things, such as harvesting, planting a Topical flower that we have tried and zumatized in our Hopi Monument of Providence. Time to travel. So it'd be like rating times or times to make war, because a lot of these, these cultures, these people, would not make war in the winter time, so during the summer they would use this time to. They would say have like a big bloat or like a sacrificial feast offering to to start off these times.
Speaker 1:Some of these practices were different types of sacrifices, as I mentioned before, and some kind of a another ritual ceremony, additionally the, additionally the use of runes my dog is under my desk wanting to mess with me right now. Some of these practices included the bloats, the, some, and different sacrifices, and again these were done more on a seasonal basis. That wasn't something that was done daily, but it was again like before. A farmer would plant, he may provide an offering to Thor or Sif. In that way a family wanting to conceive a child would probably provide an offering to Freya or Freyr. And then also the use of runes as a form of divination or spell work was also an aspect of Norse paganism.
Speaker 1:There's very little we know about this, but there are some sources that do claim that, particularly the Hava mall, where Odin sacrificed himself on the tree for nine days, the tree Iggressel, and he, and in some of those texts he talked about the magic and power of the runes, some of the things that specifically about Norse paganism that make it different. Most pagan practices are similar across the world and most have an emphasis on animism, and Norse paganism is no different from that and that's just again believing that everything in nature kind of has a spirit or a level of consciousness. Norse pagans also believed in ancestor worship. Because of their belief in reincarnation, this kind of came as a veneration of ancestors, mainly because they believe that your ancestors would be reincarnated into grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc. So they, you know, kind of worship and honor their ancestors who came before them and the knowledge and everything that they provided coming down. And additionally, you know the pantheon of gods and goddesses and Norse paganism is a little bit unique and complex just because there's multiple pantheons of gods that were like considered different tribes. You don't get that with other pagan belief systems and you know they have in different aspects of nature, human nature, civilization and community. There's also an emphasis on the warrior culture that was common in the north and the, both fear and respect for things like mountains, snow and ice, just because that was a big aspect of their civilization and their culture and so that kind of had a big part into the belief systems.
Speaker 1:So you may ask, is there some kind of a bible or other source materials for Norse paganism? And the truth is there is no bible. Paganism really is just a collection of culture and practices and really customs that were passed down. So the primary source of materials for Norse paganism are in the Norse sagas and eddas from the Norse, from the Scandinavian countries, iceland, etc. And it's just kind of a collection of stories, myths, poems that were passed down orally for generations before eventually being written down by travelers who came up to those areas and wanted to document what they found, what they heard, what they saw, and so these texts provide insight into the beliefs, the values and the practices of the Norse people and are considered to be the most comprehensive source of information about Norse paganism. Again, additionally, like archeological, archaeological evidence such as different artifacts, inscriptions, rune stones, also provide some information about the belief system.
Speaker 1:So, in conclusion, norse paganism is a fascinating and rich belief system, has roots in the pre-Christian belief systems of the Germanic people of Northern Europe and into the Scandinavian countries. It is animist in nature, with a pantheon of gods and goddesses, with multiple pantheons of gods and goddesses representing different aspects of nature, human nature, civilization, and these practices and rituals were performed, usually in honor, to gain the favor of the gods and goddesses, thank them for their blessings and protection, and to just pass down different customs and cultures to generations. A lot of these beliefs and practices were not simply spiritual, as if they were also to teach life lessons on how to work with other people, how to get along with other people, practices to how to treat travelers or how to treat a host or a guest in your home. So a lot of these practices and stuff kind of go beyond the spirituality and get into the community aspect of it all. I hope this episode has helped provide a deeper understanding and appreciation for Norse paganism and if you're interested in following Norse paganism or interested in more information about it, I highly encourage you to join our community.
Speaker 1:Old Gods, new Pagans we have a small group in there, but these are really respectful, good people who follow not only Norse paganism but Celtic paganism, wicca and a few other pagan paths. You do not discriminate against any other paths. We try to set a foundation of what paganism is and allow, give you the tools and allow you to find your own path as you see fit. I thank you all for listening. If you haven't subscribed to this show, please do so. More episodes will be coming. We'll be diving into more about Norse paganism, specifically going into the specifics of the different gods, goddesses and creation myths and stories, but we're also going to start branching out into other pagan paths, such as Celtic paganism, slavic paganism, semitic paganism, which was the origin for a lot of your Abrahamic faiths, as well as even going into some Native American or African Asian belief systems. So again, thank you for listening. If you have any questions, definitely reach out to us and yeah,
