Origins of the Norse

Welcome to Abbott’s Inn Norse Tradition 9! We’re so glad you could make it! Do check out the other Abbott’s Inn Norse Tradition groups on other networks. Sorry to have been gone so long, but for some months we had computer issues. Now we both have computers, and our cell phones go on the Internet. Tegwedd prefers to use her computer to go on the Internet. Easier to read. She also thinks going on the Internet may cost extra, and she pays enough for her cell as it is.

Norse mythology is the overall term for the myths, legends, and beliefs about supernatural beings by the Norse people. During the early middle ages and continuing down to the Norse Viking renaissance of the present day, the Norse myths continue to be enjoyed. Norse mythology is the study of the stories told in the Scandinavian countries; Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands during the pre-Christian period. The Germanic peoples which gave rise to the Scandinavian people was but one wave of Indo-European peoples who left Iran between 35 and 40 centuries ago. They also came from Scythia on the steppes. They taught the rest of the world horsemanship. Tegwedd looked up the map of the IE migrations and traced their routes from Iran and Scythia,and saw how they went to Italia, thence to Germania, and Scandinavia.

Most of the existing records of Norse mythology date from the 11th through the 18th centuries. In the 18th to early to mid 19th centuries there was a widespread romantic movement all over Europe, where people explored their cultural heritages. The Germanic and Scandinavian countries were no exception. Research was done into the old sagas, as well as the Eddas. This reminds Tegwedd of a Robert Larson (Terlach) story. A couple of missionaries came to the door. Terlach disappeared into his room and came out in full Viking gear. He thundered in his full baritone voice: “Have you read your Eddas today?” The missionaries fled. Isaac and Stephen nearly hurt themselves laughing.

Most of the existing records on Norse mythology date from the 11th to 18th centuries, having gone through more than 12 centuries of oral transmission in what was then an officially Pagan society. At this point, scholars started to record it, particularly the Eddas and the Heimskringla, by Snorri Sturlson, who believed that the Pagan deities retraced real historical people. Danorium Sax--Grammite where are the Norse gods more euphemized. The Prose or Younger Edda was written in the early 13th century by Snorri Snurlson, who was a leading skald, chieftain, and diplomat in Iceland. It may be thought of primarily as a handbook for aspiring skalds. It contains prose kennings, or compressed metaphors found in poetry. These prose retellings of the Norse gods make the various tales systematic and coherent. The poetic or Elder Edda about 50 years later was committed to writing about 50 years later consists of 29 long poems about gods and Germanic heroes like Sigurd de Volsung or Siegfried Nibelungenlied. Although scholars call it the Edlder Edda, they believe that it was transcribed later than the Younger Edda.

The Germanic peoples wandered all over Europe, even in Italy, where they derived the Runes from the Etruscan alphabet. Finally hey settled in Germania, and some wandered into Scandinavia to become the Norse. The Germanic peoples, with the large scale population growth they were experiencing, went up into what is now Scandinavia in the 7th century BCE. They had trade with the Roman Empire; trading in slaves, gold, salt, and hides. In the 5th century CE, with the slow collapse of the formerly powerful western Roman empire, they took advantage of the ensuing chaos by starting to raid settlements. This is the true start of the Viking era.

Although it was thought to have been composed earlier, the Prose or Younger Edda is thought by the style of the poetry to have been transcribed later than the Poetic or Elder Edda. Besides the these sources, there were surviving sources legends in Norse folklore which can be corelated with other Germanic literature, eg the tale related in Finsburgh and the many allusions to tales in Deur. When several popular references and tales survive, scholars can deduce the tale. Additionally, there are hundreds of Nordic place names named after the gods. A few Runic inscriptions and the Rork Kvinnab amulet, make references to the mythology. There are also several runestones and image stones that depict scenes from Norse mythology such as Thor’r fishing trip. Scenes depicting Sigurd the Dragonslayer, Odin and Sleipnir, Odin being devoured by Firler, and one of the surviving stones from the Hunnestad monument appears to show Hyrrokken riding to Baldir’s funeral. In Denmark, one image stone depicts Loki sporting a dandy-like mustache and his mouth sewn together. Then the British Gorsedd Floss shows several mythological characters.

Cosmology: In Norse mythology there are nine world or Heimar, each joined to the other via Yggdrasil the world ash tree. Asgard the home of the Aesir, Vanaheim world of the Vanir, Midgard the middle world the world of men, Alfheim the world of elves or Alfar. Jotunheim world of giants or Jotun, Svalrtarheim, world of the dwarves, Nifelheim primordial world of ice, Muspelheim primordial world of fire, and Helheim, world of the dead, overseen by the Goddess Hel. Each world also had significant places within it. Odin’s hall was called Walheim or Valhalla where einhaejar who were the souls of the greatest warriors who were chosen by the Valkyrie. These warriors would help to defend the gods during Ragnarok. .

We’re still searching for a house mate. Now if you are willing, able, and ready to to do some hard physical labor like Stephen is doing to get the house and yard in shape, $100 will be taken off your rent until the work is completed, then the rent will go back up to $400. So you will be paying only $300 until the work is completed. .

Our friend Caitlin ni Manannan has people bringing her wood from when they prune their trees in their yards. And we are shortly going to be making rune Rune and Ogham sets. So if you’re local, bring us your branches. They should be at least the thickness of your thumb.

The 75,000 Verizon workers are on strike, and we stand with them. Solidarnosc! as the Poles would say. Verizon management, all Republicans, have made 100 unreasonable demands, and refuse to negotiate, but are paying scabs to cross the picket lines, and work for them. All the workers want, is to keep what they have, a small cost of living increase in wages, their health care, and their pensions. Management wants them to pay $100 per month for health care, while they get it free. If you were thinking of getting a Verizon phone and account, don’t, and do tell them why you aren’t, that you are boycotting them. If you have a Verizon account, close it, and go to another carrier, and tell Verizon why. If you want to piss off Stephen, abuse or oppress the workers. Tell Verizon that you refuse to do business with an employer who oppresses its workers.

Soon we may be selling pendants of the lady and the tiger worked in silver. If you reading this are a silversmith please call our toll free number 1-888-611-7982, and we’ll do business. Coming soon--prints of the Lady and the Tiger by Lizet. Rune and Ogham sets worked by Stephen. Tegwedd has started to crochet cellphone holsters of her own design. They are of acrylic yarn, in assorted colors. She is obsessed right now with making holsters for the Pagan Pride Harvest Festival, but she will make you one to order for a reasonable price. She has some right now in assorted colors for just $9.95+S&H. She is working with yarn she has on hand, so a custom one will cost more because she has to obtain the yarn to make yours. It will cost $14.95 + S&H The smallest container for US priority mail is $4.95.

We are offering a new service. For just $19.95, you can have spell-coaching. We will take you through the construction and performance of a spell. It’s very simple. If you want to perform a spell but you don’t think you know what you’re doing, hire us to coach you through it. The fee is payable to our PayPal accounts, to either abbotts_inn@yahoo.com or tezra.reitan@gmail.com .
We will coach you using strong ethics. Tegwedd has a couplet she will teach you which you can add to your spell that will ensure that it is ethical. Abbott’s Inn International School of Magick is over 40 years old, having been founded in 1970 in Berkeley, CA. It went cybernetic almost 9 years ago. Lizet has been helping us put the school on a more commercial footing, and with her inspiration, Tegwedd has started packaging the classes into manageable packets. Ms. Freeman did a 3rd website for us almost a month ago at http://abbottsinn.wordpress.com. From there, by clicking on two of the graphics, you can go to either of the other two sites: http://abbottsinninternational.com/ and http://abbottsinn.com/ . You can also get to our network http://abbottsinn.ning.com/ . With her help, we also salvaged some things from his old website, including the mission statement: The Abbott’s Inn International School of Magick aims to provide a gentle nurturing environment that promotes education in both the atmosphere and the specific tools of magick. Our research arm is called the Magickal Research Institute or MRI, not to be confused with the medical MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Image, which Tegwedd had on her right ankle about 10 months ago. Stephen and Lizet came up with the name almost 9 years ago. The three of us have become a very effective working team. Stephen has his cell phone, and we are both enjoying learning how to use our cell phones. His cell phone number is 916-467-6393. He’ll have access to the Internet on that phone. He says “I’m not very good at texting because of my glaucoma, so please be gentle with me.” Don’t forget to call 888-611-7982 for all your divination, learning class, and research needs.