Poems

The Virtue of Perseverance in the Lore

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It is one of the major themes of my blog that the lore should be made operative and used in modern heathen poetry. Such poetry can be put to a number of uses. In one kind of usage, it can inspire and instruct, and it should relate the lore to our modern needs. Today I present a poem that should help illustrate at least some aspects of what is meant by that.

Most American Asatruar are at least familiar with the Nine Noble Virtues, regardless of what they may think of them. (An earlier poem on this blog gives a complete list in poetic form.) It is common to say that the NNV were originally gleaned from a reading of the lore, primarily the Hávamál. At one point, I took a closer look into one of the nine, Perseverance, with the aim to discover if it was displayed in other parts of the lore, particularly the rest of the Poetic and Prose Eddas and the Rune Poems. Here is a poem I wrote based on what I found.

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A Special Sumbel Toast to Odin

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It’s been nearly three months since I last posted sumbel toasts to this blog. The previous ones were short, two stanza toasts. This time, I present a longer, more formal toast in honor of Odin. It is the sort of thing that I write for the more elaborate sumbels that take place at large Asatru gatherings. It is written as a seven stanza ljóðaháttr drápa, with the final stanza ending in a galdralag couplet; the refrain is italicized. To make it more friendly to my readers, I have completely anglicized the spelling of the Norse names and words. I originally wrote it as part of a three round sequence of toasts; I may post the other two toasts at some point in the future. This is also a likely future audio recording.

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Audio for Vetrartímadrápa

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Winter is still very much here in the northern hemisphere, and in honor of it, I present an audio recording of my poem Vetrartímadrápa. Last week’s audio, The Six Treasures, was in the ljóðaháttr style. This one, however, is in the fornyrðislag style, so you’ll probably be able to notice a distinct difference in the rhythm between the two poems when recited out loud.

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The Mead Quest

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Here is one of my favorite early poems, based on the tale of Odin’s winning of the poetic mead from Snorri’s Edda. A version of the tale exists in the Havamal, but it clearly has some differences. I have written it as a lore poem in eight stanzas of ljóðaháttr. In this one, the spelling has been completely anglicized. Since mead is strongly identified with poetry in the Old Norse tradition, this tale allowed for a tight interweaving of the two concepts, especially in the first and last stanzas. (As a change, I have now put the first stanza prior to the break.)

The poem is called “The Mead Quest.”

Honor I Odin
by eagerly pouring
that precious and potent mead.
How he won
that wynnful draught:
that spell I speak in verse.

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Iðunn’s Abduction, Part 1

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Several weeks ago, I mentioned that the types of poems I write include short ritual dramas that could potentially be performed in front of an audience. Now it’s time for an example of one of those. Here I present the abduction of Iðunn, based on the version of the tale in Snorri’s Edda. There are a total of nine parts in various meters. The narrator’s part is in fornyrðislag. The parts of the eight other characters are in ljóðaháttr, with some pieces in galdralag where appropriate. Only the words to be spoken are included; matters of costume, stage directions, sets, and so on have been left to those more talented at such things than I am. I present it here in three parts. Part one is below, and parts two and three will follow in the next two weeks.

The various roles and their stanza lengths are as follows:

Narrator: 15 stanzas
Óðinn: 5 stanzas
Þjazi: 3 stanzas
Loki: 6.5 stanzas
Hœnir: 1.5 stanzas
Iðunn: 1.5 stanzas
Skaði: 2 stanzas
Njörðr: 0.5 stanzas
Freyja: 1 stanza

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Some Poetic Calls to the Gods and Others

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In an Asatru blót, blessing, or faining, it is usual to include calls to the gods, goddesses, or other wights being honored. I’ve written quite a number of these as two-stanza calls in ljóðaháttr. Where possible, the calls will make use of the available lore on their subject. Today I’m presenting calls to Óðinn, Freyja, Bragi, the Dwarves, and the Landvættir.

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A Selection of Poetic Hallowings

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This week, I have a some poetic hallowings to share. Unlike other types of poetry that I write, the reciting of the hallowings is specifically meant to be accompanied by actions for a specific purpose: the hallowing of what is ordinarily profane space in preparation for Asatru ritual. In the case of the hammer hallowing which is the first example, one would usually make the sign of the hammer (most simply, an upside-down “T” shape) in the direction indicated in the stanza while one is reciting that stanza. This can be done with one’s hand or fist, whether empty or holding an actual hammer. As is typical for a hammer hallowing, mine includes the four cardinal directions, plus above and below.

However, one can hallow with something other than the hammer. In writing other sorts of hallowings, one can make use of the lore to create hallowings that are more connected to Asatru than generic hallowings might be, making them more effective in my opinion. These might include hallowing with fire & ice, with dwarves, with water, or with the power of poetry itself — and I have an example of each.

But before I get to the more creative hallowings, here is a version of the hammer hallowing in ljóðaháttr that specifically calls on the power of Thor’s hammer.

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