asatru

A Sumbel Toast to the Einherjar

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In January, I posted a special longer sumbel toast to Odin and said that it was part of a three round sequence of more-elaborate-than-usual sumbel toasts. Today I present the second toast from that sequence, intended for the second round of a typical sumbel, wherein one gives toasts to heroes and ancestors. Like that Odin toast, it is written as a seven stanza ljóðaháttr drápa, with the final stanza ending in a galdralag couplet; the refrain is italicized. As with the other toast, I have completely anglicized the spelling of the Norse names and words.

Now I turn
my needful praise
to the heroes in Odin’s hall;
With mead I toast
those mighty dead
who eternally fight and feast.

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Audio for Calls to the Gods

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Some may have wondered if there is a particular way in which the poetic calls to the gods should be recited. Of course, anyone trying these in their rituals is free to develop their own style. I prefer a style with a strong rhythm and forceful recitation. For those curious as to how I envision them, I present today an audio recording of five of my calls.

The audio contains calls to Odin, Tyr, Thor, Freyja, and Freyr. All have been featured in previous posts as text: here for Odin and Freyja, here for Thor, and here for Tyr and Freyr. Yes, I chose these particular calls because I was in a Dumezilian trifunctional mood. 🙂

Here is the downloadable file of me reciting the calls:
Eirik Westcoat – Calls to the Gods

And here is the inline player:

Enjoy! Feel free to share the file. For details, see the Creative Commons link below.

This post is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
All rights reserved.

The linked audio file of Calls to the Gods is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License.

Further Calls to Gods and Others

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It has been over six months since I last presented some poetic calls to gods and others designed for ritual use. Today I present five more: calls to Freyr, Tyr, Heimdall, Jord, and Aegir. Like the previous calls, these are also two stanzas of ljóðaháttr each (with the stanza break removed as before). Continue reading →

Toasts to Freyr and Other Beings

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Today I present four more short sumbel toasts, one each to Freyr, the elves, the dwarves, and the landwights. All are in ljóðaháttr.

A Toast to Freyr

Hail Freyr,
a friend to all,
and lord of light and elves.
The bane of Beli
is a bringer of frith
we honor for excellent harvest.

Gerð’s husband
is gracious and kind,
that celebrated son of Njörð.
For peace and pleasure,
and prosperous seasons,
Hail to fruitful Freyr!

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Audio for Valhalla

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I’ve been in quite a mood for audio recording lately, and this is now the third week in a row for a recorded recitation. This time it’s for Valhalla, the text of which I posted back in late February.

Here is the downloadable file of me reciting the poem:
Eirik Westcoat – Valhalla

And here is the inline player:

Enjoy! Feel free to share the file. For details, see the Creative Commons link below.

This post is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
All rights reserved.

The linked audio file of Valhalla is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License.

Audio for Sumartímadrápa

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Here in Pennsylvania, summer has very much arrived in force, and in honor of that, I present an audio recording of my poem Sumartímadrápa.

Here is the downloadable file of me reciting the poem:
Eirik Westcoat – Sumartímadrápa

And here is the inline player:

Enjoy! Feel free to share the file. For details, see the Creative Commons link below.

This post is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
All rights reserved.

The linked audio file of Sumartímadrápa is:
Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License.

In Praise of Summertime

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Now that warmer days have finally arrived in earnest in the Northern Hemisphere (or at least the tiny part of it known as Pennsylvania), I present a poem in honor of Summertime. Like my previous poem in honor of Wintertime, it is a drápa of ten stanzas in fornyrðislag.

The poem is called “Sumartímadrápa.” (The name is in Old Norse, and simply means “Summertime drápa.)

This song I brewed
with sweetest honey
to celebrate summer
and sun’s bright light.
I made this mead
with mirth today,
to fill the folk
with frolic and joy.

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Staves for Daily Use, Part 2

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Continuing from last week, here are four more staves. Each is one stanza of ljóðaháttr as before. The Moon Stave deserves a few remarks, however. The beginning of it, like last week’s Sun Stave, is actually based on lines from the Eddic poem Alvíssmál. There, in stanza 16, Alvíss says that the sun is called Sól among men and Sunna among the gods. Those two names are well-known among Asatruar. However, in the parallel line from stanza 14, Alvíss says that the moon is called Máni among men and Mylinn among the gods. The name Máni is well-known among Asatruar, but Mylinn does not have much currency, and will probably strike many as odd, at least at first. The pattern in both staves, of course, is that of honoring the divine being named in the first line through the physical manifestation named in the second line.

Food Stave

For the might and main
through this meal I gain,
my thanks I give to the gods.
Let their blessings bring
to my being the strength
that enables worthy works.

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Staves for Daily Use, Part 1

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Poetry in elder times was sometimes referred to as “staves.” (As in, “I recite these staves.”) This week, I present three staves that Asatruar may find useful for reciting at need as a way to incorporate more ritual into their lives. Actually, many polytheists might find them useful as is, and I suppose any monotheists reading my blog could probably figure out how to modify certain lines if they wanted to. However, they are written from an Asatru perspective. Each is one stanza of ljóðaháttr. I’ll present a few more next week.

Waking Stave

This dawning day
brings deeds of might
for us the bold and brave.
For gifts from the gods,
I give my thanks,
may I wield them well today!

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Building Asgard’s Wall

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Today I present the tale of the building of Asgard’s wall in a lore poem of eleven stanzas of fornyrðislag with completely anglicized spelling. It is based on the story as found in the Gylfaginning of Snorri Sturluson’s Edda. It tells how Asgard got a defensive wall and of the origin of the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. The opening stanza in my poem includes a feature that is found in many skaldic poems — a reference to poetry through one of the many kennings for it. The poem’s title is simply “Building Asgard’s Wall.”

Silence I seek
for saying my tale
of the master mason
who meant to build
for the garth of gods
the greatest of walls;
with Ygg’s ale now
I utter my words.

Midgard was made
and mighty Valhalla;
for proof against
the passage of etins
the Aesir sought
a solid defense;
a builder offered
the best of walls.

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