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The Power of Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Viking Magic
By Gwynhala
Across Bifrost bridge I go to commune with the Gods of Asgard.
I will sit beside the Well of Urd for instruction by the Norns.
Freely I go. Freely I return. - Norse Meditation
The
Norse legends say that the gods made the first man, Askr, and the first
woman, Embla, from an ash tree and an elm tree growing on the sea shore.
The earth and heavens were made from the flesh and bones of a slain giant,
Ymir. Dwarves sprang from maggots infesting Ymir’s decaying body. The
Norse giants and gods are in constant strife, so much so that in the end
times their struggles will cause a three-year winter that will kill all
of mankind except for one man and one woman, who will hide in the World Tree,
Yggdrasil. Then the apocalypse, Ragnarok, will come. The earth
made from Ymir will sink into the sea, and a new earth will rise from
it. The new Askr and Embla will climb down from Yggdrasil and repopulate
the earth.
Norse
deities are not immortal, just super-human. Many of them die in battle
during the Ragnarok. The Vikings related easily to these deities, and
the Norse deities also related to and watched over mankind.
The
Vikings were not barbarians. Their weapons and ships were the best in
all of Europe; they had great appreciation for artwork, poetry, and wit.
They also believed in, and practiced, magic.
The
Norse magical tradition is tied to the familiar magical elements: earth,
air, fire, and water. There is also a fifth magical element: spirit. Norse
magic calls upon the essence or spirit of the gods, the dwarves, and the
elves, a well as ancestors. |
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| Runemaster
by Lissanne Lake, from the cover of "Norse Magic" by D.J. Conway. |
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Magic
took several forms among the Vikings. Diviners (runemasters and volvas),
magicians (vitki), and magical warriors (berserkers) all had their
place in the Viking world.
The
form of Viking magic most familiar today is divination using rune stones.
These are small stones, or deer-antler slices, or bits of wood, with one
of 24 ancient symbols carved on each. These symbols, the runes, are said
to have been revealed to Odin by the goddess Freya after he hung himself
on Yggdrasil for nine days.
When
divining using the runes, a number of stones are drawn at random from
a bag, and laid out in a pattern representing the past, present, and future.
The pattern of symbols is then interpreted to provide insight and help
with decision making. The Vikings had great respect for accomplished runemasters,
considering them to be blood relatives to Odin. The traditional costume
of a runemaster was a blue cloak and a brass-tipped wooden staff, reminiscent
of Odin’s cloak and blackthorne wood staff.
Volvas
are priestesses of Freya, the Norse goddess of love and leader of the
Valkyries. Volvas have the gift of speaking prophecy without the
need for rune stones.
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While
the runemasters and volvas practiced divination, the vitki
practiced active spellwork. Using tools as simple as a stone altar, a two-edged
dagger, and a cauldron, along with herbs and candles, a skilled vitki
could prophecy, heal the sick, banish evil, or bless people, places, and
things. For example, wax dripped into a cauldron of water could be “read”
much like tea leaves are read by gypsies.
The berserkers were fierce warriors who would continue fighting until killed.
It’s reported that berserkers were initiates of the Cult of Odin, and that
they engaged in elaborate dance rituals before battle. Some sources believe
they used either herbal potions or self-hypnosis to induce a trance-like
state for battle. Initiation into the Cult of Odin involved receiving sacred
knowledge, kissing the blade of a sword proven in battle, and drinking mead
from a human skull. Many berserkers were shape-shifters; for example, it
is said that the berserker Bothuar Bjarki fought in the shape of a bear. |
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The
Old Norse word vikingr (raider) refers to a profession, not to
a race. Indeed, there were Finnic Vikings – the Ascomanni - as
well as Norse Vikings, and these sometimes traveled together. For example,
in Leif Erickson’s party was a Finnic Viking named Thorfinn.
As accomplished as the Norse were with magic, evidently their skills paled
when compared to those of the Finns. In Old Norse, the word for sorcery
is finngerd – “the work of a Finn”. Finns were especialy prized
by the Norse Vikings for their skills in wind magic. One finngerd
involved binding the wind into a cord with three knots. Undoing the first
knot produced a steady wind. Undoing the second produced a gale. Undoing
the third, unleashed a hurricaine.
Traditional
Finnic magic is highly shamanistic and based on the concept of sisu,
or “indomitable will”. The warrior ethic of the ancient Finns was to avoid
conflict, but to enter into unavoidable conflict with ones whole being.
The idea of sisu seems almost Eastern. Not surprising, then, that
some scholars believe the Finns to be an Asiatic people who migrated northwest
in roughly 2000 BC.
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| Finnic
Love Charm, as drawn in "Finnish Magic" by Robert Nelson. |
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Another
important principle of Finnic magic is that all places and things have a
haltija, or ingrained spirit which is to be recognized and treated
with respect. Knowing the haltija – understanding the true nature
of a thing – is a primary source of magical knowledge and power for the
Finnic mage.
A lot of Finnic Viking magic was done in a trance state induced by dancing,
chanting, singing, smoking mushrooms, or even taking a nice sauna. Here’s
an example from a contemporary book of Finnic magic, on how to shape-shift
from within the trance state:
1.
Relax
2.
Step out of your body and turn around
3.
Decide to change your form, and visualize the change
4.
Step back into your body and be changed
5.
Feel the changes
6.
Return by the same method
The principle of sisu is evident in this spell: to the Finnic mage, shapeshifting is almost entirely an act of will in which the new shape is visualized and then manifested.
The Finnic mages also used runes for divination and to give objects specific
magical powers. Each rune is associated with specific gods, events, colors,
etc. By carving that rune onto an object, its power could be invoked. Runes
varied from region to region, but there were many similarities. At above
right, an example of a Finnic symbol drawn on objects as a love charm is
shown.
In
many ways the ritual dancing, trance, and indomitable will of Norse berserkers
seems inspired by Finnic magic, rather than Norse magic. The truth of
the matter is, of course, lost to antiquity.
If you’d like to know more about Viking magic, here are some sources:
Norse Magic, D.J. Conway, 1997
Finnish Magic, Robert Nelson, 1999
Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, H.R. Ellis Davidson, 1964
The Book of Runes, Ralph Blum, 1982 |
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