edderkopper:

wolf-of-tyr:

Send me a bunch of books on Norse Mythology to ask for for Christmas

Reply to/reblog this, send me an ask, send me a message, whatever. If you can provide a link to where it can be ordered from or a store (American) it can be found at, that’s even better!

Modern Retellings and Scholarship

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

  • This isn’t actually as entertaining as I’d hoped it would be. It’s like, middle school reading level. But hey, it’s actually really faithful to the original texts. Plus, as always, Gaiman gets Odin’s characterization down pat, and treats Loki as the morally ambiguous figure he is rather than straight up evil.

The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

  • For anyone who’s not a Lokean or Odinsperson, I actually think this one might be a better read than Gaiman’s. I definitely find the writing style more tolerable. 

Norse Mythology by John Lindow

  • A somewhat more academic intro that might be preferable if you already know the basics and want better citations.

Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson

  • Another more academic intro to the topic. For me, one of its strengths was that it really drove home why the topic is still relevant in modern times. Really, anything by this author could easily be on this list.

Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek

  • This book is amazing for reference purposes, and I’ve definitely reached for it the most out of anything in this category over the years.

Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend by Reimund Kvideland

  • It’s good to get a grasp on the various folk beliefs that informed and were informed by the stories of the gods found in the Eddas. You don’t really get that from Snorri, since preserving that wasn’t his purpose.

Iron Age Myth and Materiality by Lotte Hedeager

  • If you’re interested in a more archaeological approach, this is a good place to start.

Primary Sources

The Poetic Edda trans. by Carolyne Larrington

  • Probably the best reasonably-priced English translation for someone looking to actually study the text deeply. Others are either outdated, tend to dumb stuff down, or…are not reasonably priced. Make sure to get the revised edition and not the older one.

The Prose Edda trans. by Anthony Faulkes

  • Byock’s translation is fine too, but Faulkes’ translation is more complete. Also, I prefer Faulkes’ prose.

The Sagas of Icelanders

  • Definitely the best bang for your buck in terms of sagas. It doesn’t have all of the well-known ones–notably, Njal’s saga is ommited for length–but it’s an excellent starting point.

The Saga of the Volsungs trans. by Jesse L. Byock

  • Volsunga saga, while maybe not as historically relevant or useful as a lot of texts, is one of the most fun reads.

Njal’s Saga trans. by Robert Cook

  • It’s kind of the definitive work in the art form and full of insight into Icelandic culture, so it’s good to read eventually. Even if it’s long and full of legal stuff.

Fiction

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

  • No, it’s not just Norse mythology. It’s not even written by a Heathen. But even the pop culture-hating Heathen community is almost universally on board with Gaiman’s characterization of Odin, and that really says something.

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris

  • I’ll be honest: I hated this book for stylistic reasons. Loki’s narrative voice made me want to stab my eye out with a red pen. But I know a bunch of Lokeans who adore it, so onto the list it goes. Just maybe read a couple pages to see if you can stand it before you buy.

Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt

  • Beautifully written. AND THE FEELS.

mulberry-moons:

I have always experienced doubt when it comes to personal beliefs. I was raised Catholic and I used to pray for faith in God. Sometimes that act would strengthen my belief in Christianity, but if you know me, you know it wasn’t a permanent solution. I just don’t believe in deities and I couldn’t force myself to, even when I really wanted to. Sometimes, it’s the same with witchcraft. It’s hard to believe that a mixture of herbs and focused intent can really change anything. Some days I don’t believe it at all. 

I also get the feeling that I’m not the only one.

Fortunately, you can still keep in touch with some aspects of your practice, and keep a feeling of magic in your life, even when you are unsure about what you believe in. It just takes a shift in perspective, and most importantly, to believe in yourself. 

I’m going to be posting a series of magical acts that you can still practice, even when you are spiritually drained or are experiencing doubts. 

Today’s topic: Spell Jars OR Association Jars

Spell jars are a pretty basic tool in modern witchcraft. Get a bunch of ingredients whose correspondences line up with your intent and throw them together. About as easy as it gets.

Here’s the thing:

I want you to throw out the correspondence lists because too often we have simply attempted to internalize what other people have told us those correspondences are. If you aren’t in your witchiest mindset, those correspondences mean so little. All you can do is try to believe that these ingredients have some inherent power and you really can’t force that belief. 

Instead, I want you to think about your intent. What is the purpose of this jar? 

In the jar pictured above, I wanted something to help me be mindful of my disorder. I did not make a spell jar thinking it would alleviate symptoms of bipolar disorder. I did not think magic was going to cure my disability. I wanted something that encapsulated everything I already know about my disorder and how to handle it. 

I remade my own correspondences. I took things that reminded me of other things. I did not write them down because if it’s something I don’t already have internalized, it’s not going to work. I took pepper and red pepper flakes because they are hot, they remind me of fire, they remind me of passion, they remind me that sometimes I get overexcited about something and lose the ability to think logically about that something. I included salt because it is used to cure meats and prevent spoilage. It reminds me that I have what it takes to keep my disorder in check, keep it from spoiling my life. I included sea shells because they remind me of the tides and the ebb and flow of so many things: energy, self control, moods. Everything is cyclic. If I am in the midst of a depressive episode, I look at those shells and remember that with my disorder, I know a depressive episode will pass. When I have a lot of energy, I look at those shells and remember that my energy is fleeting and I should do something while I’m motivated. 

I look at this little jar and suddenly I am better at examining myself through metacognition. I am more aware of the way I think and react and feel because I am being prompted to and I analyze those things so I can do a better job of telling my doctor how I’m doing and how I’m responding to medication. 

That, to me, is a concrete fact and I don’t have to believe in anything else for that to be effective. Whether or not it is magic is debatable. 

It’s an exercise is all. You don’t need to be a witch to do this. You don’t need to believe in magic. If you are a witch or do believe in magic, then maybe it’ll be that much more effective. 

Are most polytheists okay with Galina being our self-appointed spokesperson?

lokispriestess:

glegrumbles:

lady-feral:

systlin:

honorthegods:

mizstorge:

themodernsouthernpolytheist:

lordognar:

answersfromvanaheim:

honorthegods:

Does anyone else see the irony in Galina’s outrage about the Troth’s statement strongly condemning racism, homophobia, and similar forms of discrimination?

How does she expect anyone to take her seriously when complains about “polytheists attacking another group of polytheists – and not just verbally but with real world consequences”,  while her blog is a record of the many times she’s done that herself?  Yet she has the audacity to accuse a group who assures its members it stands against racism, homophobia, and transphobia  of demonizing other polytheist groups and forcing them to “confirm ideologically.” (I think she meant “conform”, but who even knows with her anymore?)

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. Those who refuse such treatment to certain groups based on bigotry can expect to be treated with wariness and suspicion.

My favourite part about this whole tirade is how she acts like groups like the AFA and some Dianic Wiccans are “just trying to practice their traditions” (or something like that) like no GK they’re not just innocent victims just trying to do their things in peace, they’re talking about excluding and discriminating against minority groups, using language that can and has gotten people killed. Me and my friends disagreeing over whether black forest cake is delicious it’s not and it deserves to rot in Hell is a difference of opinion, but when these groups call trans women “tr*nsies” and the AFA talks about gender and protecting “beautiful white children” there’s….kind of an issue?

About to show how new I am…but who is Galina? I know of the statements issued by the AFA but I keep seeing things about this Galina person pop up and have no idea to whom they refer.

She’s a BNP (Big Name Pagan) author who has proven herself time and time again to be unnecessarily hostile, rude, and defends bigots in the name of “tolerance.” Granted, this is akin to your racist Uncle Bob who says things like “run em over” in reference to BlackLivesMatter and then says you’re oppressing him when you tell him he’s an asshole. What sucks is she’s done some great research in the past and is genuinely academic in a lot of ways, somethin I often find to be missing, but I just can’t ignore her complicity in bigotry.

Galina Krasskova has written Devotional Polytheism: An Introduction, Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner, Runes: Theory and Practice, The Whisperings of Odin, Honoring Sigyn, and has contributed to a number of Neos Alexandria’s devotional volumes. 

This is what I know from reading her posts at krasskova.wordpress.com:

– She abhors Tumblr and those polytheists she calls "tumblr types" to the point that she demands anyone who takes her classes not only refrains from using Tumblr for the duration, but must also delete their Tumblr blog(s). 

– She derides pop-culture pagans, and any polytheists who happen to have fandom hobbies and interests.  

– She opposes Declaration 127 and defends the right of polytheist groups to be racist, homophobic, transphobic, and and misogynist, especially if she agrees with their theology. She has called efforts to eradicate racism from Heathen religion “This is the worst kind of slacktivism that I’ve seen in awhile and I’m sure these people entertain notions that they are equivalent to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X…” (her)

– She opposes Muslim immigration to Europe and has supported other bloggers’ anti-Muslim rhetoric. 

– She’s okay with human sacrifice, and favors animal sacrifice to the extent that she condemns even those who oppose it on ethical or historical grounds.

I feel strongly about this, because she calls herself a “lineage carrier”, and because people who purchase the devotional prayer cards and booklets she sells at her Etsy store and her Heathen 101 books probably are not aware of her biases.

tl;dr – Galina Krasskova writes and teaches about Heathenism. She refuses to condemn racist, homophobic, transphobic and misogynistic behavior of any group or individual, as long as she agrees with their politics and theology. She criticizes pop-culture pagans, polytheists who have lives beyond religion, Liberals, Socialists, vegans and vegetarians, and people who think human sacrifice has no place in any religion.

Having a Tumblr doesn’t make you a bad Heathen. Having a fandom doesn’t make you a bad pagan. Being a Democrat or supporting animal rights doesn’t make you a bad polytheist. 

Supporting racism, sexism, transphobia, or homophobia?  Those beliefs certainly don’t make someone a good person. Galina Krasskova doesn’t represent my polytheism.

Galina is on my list of “Fight on sight” people, incidentally. Right alongside at least half the entire government and Hernando De Soto (I know he’s dead I will still fight him.) 

She’s garbage.

Extra garbage, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t even have the energy to go into everything. Wants to strip away human rights from all non-polytheists. Likes violent Hindu superiority/nationalists and publishes in places that publish them, or publishes in support of them. Ironically encouraged pop culture paganism worship of a symbol of colonialism. Is good buddies with a now violently transphobic alt-right dude who used to make money being the white person publishing books for white people about ATRs. Is on record for bringing back life-or-death coming of age rituals for kids like dropping them into the wilderness to see if they survive, and on record saying she’d make her kids homeless if they ever converted away from hard polytheism if she had kids. (She doesn’t, thankfully.) The list just keeps going.

She is a garbage person and tried really really hard to be a cult leader for a while (possibly still does).

Any baby pagans, heathens, Odin, or Loki devotees steer far far away from her.

She is racist, violent, and abusive.

STAY AWAY

Witch tips without warnings just keep popping up . . .

spellsandwitchtips:

stsathyre:

witchypookie:

stsathyre:

Hey kids,

Before you rub an unknown thing on your skin, ingest an unfamiliar thing, light a random recommendation from the internet on fire, or otherwise come in contact with something that you are not personally knowledgeable about, take 2 seconds and google it.

For example:

  • St. Johns Wort, if ingested, has negative interactions with anti-depressants, and interferes with birth control because it speeds up the metabolism of certain substances.
  • Continuous exposure to fluorite causes a painful bone disease. Fluorite dust can be absorbed through the lungs, skin, and is soluble in water.
  • There are parts of  yew that should not be burned.
  • Mugwort is related to ragweed and can cause allergic reactions. Also, it can cause and enhance anxiety.
  •  Essential oils, man …

No, really. 2 seconds. Google. You’re at an internet connected device anyway. Save yourself the trouble of a bad time.

Chamomile is also related to ragweed I believe. I am super allergic, just smelling it gives me a migraine.

Oh! I didn’t know that.

Just goes to show that even commonly used items can cause issues.

Do! Your! Own! Research! It! Takes! Two! Seconds!