I’ve taken a break from the videos to work on editing my upcoming “Trúnaðarbók: The Loyalty Writings” and the Anglo-Saxon calendar work, but new videos are soon to come. I have several lined up to work on.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

The Sacred Bear And Germanic Motifs Of Magic, Rites Of Passage and Rebirth

“The bear has always played an important part of the world for our folk. Its skins were used to show authority and rank, used for magical acts of traveling and controlling certain aspects of nature. It was seen as a mode of migrating the soul to different places and reincarnating dead warriors to join Odin at the Battle of Ragnarok. And although we may lack a lot of information about rituals surrounding the bear, it still holds a great power over the world, as its sinews are used as part of Gleipnir to restrain the destruction of Fenrir, the spawn of Loki. The bear offers protection to the folk and in this wolf age that we now live in, calling back the spirit of the bear in our traditions can give us strength, fertility and power against the forces of destruction.”

https://pnwkindreds.com/the-sacred-bear-and-germanic-motifs-of-magic-rites-of-passage-and-rebirth/

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

"Tacitus noted in the 1st century that Germanic Celtic priests considered horses to understand the will of the gods more clearly than man and so could reveal divine secrets. The legendary horse was available for travel to other realms (e.g. the horse of Mannan MacLir could travel over land and water and between realms with equal ease)." (2)
“Horses are vehicles of journeying between worlds and hence communication with the dead." (1)
“Remember the cats, ravens, and other familiar spirits who are often the companions of witches in European folktales? These are fylgjur (pronounced “FILG-yur”) in the plural and fylgja (pronounced “FILG-ya”) in the singular. The fylgja is generally perceived in an animal form by those with second sight, although human fylgjur aren’t unheard-of. It’s an attendant spirit whose well-being is intimately tied to that of its owner – for example, if the fylgja dies, its owner dies, too. Its character and form are closely connected to the character of its owner; a person of noble birth might have a bear fylgja, a savage and violent person, a wolf, or a gluttonous person, a pig. In a sense, this helping spirit can be seen as the totem of a single person rather than of a group.
Fylgja literally translates as 'follower' but, as often as not, it’s depicted as traveling ahead of its owner, arriving at the intended destination before its owner or appearing in the dreams of someone who will meet the owner the following day. Intriguingly, the term is also applied to the afterbirth,but the connection is mysterious and unclear." (3)
"There are also hints that animals could be integral to the nature of the social person during life, and were thus particularly important at the time of death. Horses and other domestic animals could have been regarded as guardians, external souls of individuals and shaman's familiars. The term 'fylgja' found in Scandanavian tradition relates the concept that animals could be the fetches or 'souls' of individuals, equivalent to animal guardians. They are often seen in dreams and omens, and could include a wide variety of animals depending upon the personality of the deceased." (1)
"These ideas are taken to extremes with the idea that individuals could shape-shift into an animal form that represents an extension of the social person. Thus the bear heros of Scandinavian tradition not only have the attributes of bears, but in some stories can go into a trance in order to emerge in their bear form to fight in battle." (1)
(1)The Archaeology of Shamanism
edited by Neil Price; pg 204
(2)"The Horse in Myth and Legend – Selected Snipppets"
http://www.symbolic-horse.info/myth.htm
(3). Dan McCoy (author of the book, "The Love of Destiny, The Sacred and the Profane in Germanic Polytheism) from his blog: Norse Mythology for Smart People;
THE PARTS OF THE SELF; http://norse-mythology.org/concepts/the-parts-of-the-self/
Photo source: noticiero:
Where is hedgehog? by corephoto1 via
http://arodean.tumblr.com/.../noticiero-where-is-hedgehog...

“The Old English word Ælfâdl contains the elements Ælf meaning elf and âdl meaning disease, infirmity or sickness and meant 'nightmare'. Did the elves bring nightmares in the same way Mares are thought to have? They are certainly thought to bring stitches and cramps and other sudden attacks of pain (Ælfsogoða) through their use of Ælfshot (Elf-shot) which were inviable arrows they shot at people and animals. Ælfsiden was a form of Elf Seidr which they used to hold influence over folk. The plant Nightshade with its poisonous red berries were also attributed to Elfish magic, earning the plant the name Ælfðone or Elf twine”
~ AEHTEMEN

Æhtemen’s post reminds me of the fickle nature of the Ylfas (Landwihtu & Húswihtu). Offending easily & oftentimes prefer solitude. The great nature artists. When offering, it’s best to not neglect. Notable Ylfas: Sibb, Wuldor, Edunne, Sól, Sunne, and Móna, but perhaps the most famous is Wéland,the greatest smith.
~ The Frithstead

Creating Culture One Day at a Time

Like, Subscribe, Share!

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Be encouraged. Be empowered. Be strong. Stand up and hail the Doers. We are building culture one day at a time.

Folcsidishman

He follows the Wodenic path, seeking knowledge of the gods, understanding of the holy law, & wisdom. He places high thew upon belief, honors bloodkin, & edifies his folk. We are the descendants of the gods & what we do today we leave to our children. He controls his emotions, steadies his thoughts, speaks carefully, & doesn’t offend easily. He should represent the gods & seek a life of uprightness, be truthful & true, value wisdom & godliness, be mettlesome when afraid, maintain selfdom without neglecting folkmindedness, be guestly & kind, unless given reason. He is forbearing & still, but ready to speak & do. A Folcsidishman is he who embraces his heritage & seeks to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors & stand upon the shoulders of those who’ve come before him. Our Fylġestran are watching. Be aware. When mistakes are made, learn from them & move on. Yesterday is gone & tomorrow is not guaranteed. We only have today. Rise up & seek greatness.

thefrithstead.com

Today we find ourselves in a precarious era. While many of the technological advancements we enjoy make our lives easier and more convenient, we have also sacrificed our relationship with many of the natural processes that must occur in order for us to not only survive, but to flourish. It could be argued that these advances have allowed us more time to enjoy life, since most of us no longer have to toil in forest and field to earn a day’s meal or a winter’s warmth, and we have free time to spend in any way that we choose. However studies repeatedly show that Western peoples are exceedingly unhappy with our existence and sense a great longing for something ‘else’, some unknown ‘other’ that cannot easily be articulated. A portion of our very souls has been lost, something that was at one time a tremendous part of our core being.
…
In many ways, the grasp that Christianity once held on the Western mind is sloughing off, but in its place we see the dispiriting materialism which has taken root, a profane humanist rationalism which negates all that cannot be scientifically or physically quantified. Our ability to view traditional folklore from an “insider’s perspective” has been grossly impeded, and myth even more so. We’ve placed limitations on our own abilities to truly imagine - to be awed completely and totally by the greater mysteries of our world. The results of this compromise are plain for all to see. In sacrificing this part of ourselves to the gods of an industrial age we have lost a once profound and intimate relationship we shared with the natural - and supernatural - world.

Cody Dickerson, The Language of the Corpse: The Power of the Cadaver in Germanic and Icelandic Sorcery

Hariwulfaz from The Sun Riders channel has potentially identified an ALU bindrune/cypher rune on the Karlino Ring. It's a sound conclusion in my opinion.

As some of you may know, I've done quite a bit of work on the ALU:ULA runic formula myself, basing my most recent Wolcensmen album and book largely on the principles I believe inherent to this runic sequence.

A re-post, but with an upcoming Béowulf video approaching, I thought it’s be good to give this a re-listen or if you haven’t heard this yet, enjoy!

https://youtu.be/SPyGQrO_ljI

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Tréow (Loyalty)

With the foundation of the nine virtues secured within ourselves, we can stand proud; strong in the paths we walk. Although each step may not hit its mark and a misstep is likely to occur, we trust that when we make decisions, with proper morals and values rooted within us, our choices are drawn from the spring of wisdom with good motives. As we grow, experiencing the joys and travails of life’s orlæġ, we form relationships. Some will fail, others will stand strong, but each will be placed on the judicial scales before the gods. The pride of knowing that the Gods look favorably upon you, is the reward unto itself that comes from the understanding of, and walking in, tréow. Tréow is the many threads that keep everything together; like the orlæġþrǽdas of Wyrdebrune, as they’re weaved into Wyrd’s web.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Tréow (Loyalty)

Love, without limits, cannot form Tréow. Without discrimination, there is no actual love and one becomes untréowfæst (untrustworthy). Establishing Tréow is how we grow as a folk. This act of extending our trust, begins in infancy and continues until we cannot extend ourselves further, as the human psyche can only love, and therefore remain true, to a finite number of people (before love downgrades to care about and denigrates into indifference and tréow downgrades to hope they’ll be ok to the denigration of not my problem. The further someone gets from your inner circles of tréow, the less they exist within your actual concentric circles. It’s through the trusting of others that we build relationships, which in turn create traditions, and it’s our traditions that hold us together. May we remain steadfast in our tréow, always aware of the concentric circles and how they fit into your life.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Veteran’s Day - Remembrance Day

Ne mára bróðor beadwa.

We must remember & not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our only way forward is unity.

Our ancestors may not have known what they were truly fighting against, but they did the best they could with what they had. I believe their intentions were honorable and pure. Now, as they grace Hell’s Hall, they surely give nothing but their blessings upon us, their descendants, as we seek to better this world.

Belief • Kin • Folk

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Pretty

Prættiġ was a negative word, meaning cunning or crafty; evolving to mean clever, skillful.
By the 1400s, pretty started to mean pleasing in appearance

In the 1500s, it took meaning of: to a large extent

In the 1600s, it meant nice. Pepys, in his diary, references Dr. Clarke, whom he described as a “pretty man”. Samuel Johnson included the word in his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), he stated that “it is used in a kind of diminutive contempt in poetry, and in conversation; as ‘a pretty fellow indeed.’”

In the 1700s, it was used as a negative, as in John Arbuthnot’s John Bull: “There goes the prettiest Fellow in the World ... for managing a Jury.”

Today, pretty means “physically attractive” or in the sense of “very”.

It’s interesting how a word can go from a negatively viewed cunning and crafty to a positively viewed attractive.

It’s interesting to see how views change over time

thefrithstead.com

To pray, the Old English bedu, bed, & ġebed, meaning “a request or prayer”. Because beads were kept on what we today call a rosary, bedu, bed, & ġebed came to be applied to the the balls themselves; hence, why in Modern English, this has evolved into the word bead, coming to mean a “small, round object”, such as found on jewelry or other crafts. In Middle English, a bedeman referred to someone who prayed for others. In the early 1400s, we see the word recorded to refer to a small perforated round object made of materials such as amber, glass and wood used in jewelry. By the end of the 1500s, bead could refer to less poetic round objects, such as a “bead of sweat,” as Shakespeare, in Henry IV, Part One, spoke of how “Beds of sweat haue stood vpon thy brow.” Words change as folks change and associations slide meanings from one to another. From religious to secular, a once sacred word becomes the mundane. In keeping the old ways alive, do you bead?

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Belief • Kin • Folk

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead