spaebook Swain Wodening

7/27/2019 spaebook Swain Wodening

1/33

The Witegungseld Sp andOracular Seir Manual

This manual presents Swain Wodening's method of sp working,and is intended for use with it. Other methods do exist, such as theHrafnar method, and some of the lessons presented herein may behelpful with it as well. However, as the lessons are designed specifi-cally for this method, they will work best with it. Please note thatmany in Witegungseld also use other methods including Hrafnarsor variations of it.

Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

BREATHINGANDRELAXATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

BEGINNINGTRANCEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

WARDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

HLSUNG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

COMMUNINGWITHWIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

THESPRITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26


2/33

IntroductionSp (ON) is most often mistakenly calledseiR (ON) in modernAsatru. The reason for this confusion is due to the use of the word

seiR inErik the Red's Saga, the only good secondary source of aspcrft ritual. The wordsp its self means literally "spying" but inthe sense of "seeing with second sight." Its relationship to Old

Norsespeja is roughly as seer is to "to see." Both are related toOld Englishspyrian "to investigate." Its primary characteristic wasthe active obtaining of information, knowledge, and wisdomwhether about the past, present, or possible future. Spcrft was apart of seiR, but not all spcrft was seiR or vice versa. TheIcelandic lawspeakers performed sp by "going under the hide orhood," yet this was not seen as seiR, nor was the "mound sitting"of kings, or the taking of omens. Yet all of these bear resem-blances to sp. Other references to seiR in the lore on the otherhand would seem to indicate much more than mere spcrft. SeiRappeared to have involved manipulation of the human mind andsoul (Eric Wodening, Chanting around the High Seat: An Explora-tion of SeidhR, pages 10 see also Kveldulf Gundarsson, Spcrft,SeidhR, and Shamanism, IDUNNA volume 7 issues 1 & 2).

Sp is one of the earliest crafts attested to by the Roman authorswith references to the abilities of Veleda and others. (EricWodening, pages 4-5). Later references are made throughout thelore by the Germanic peoples themselves with the tale of the volvainErik the Red's Saga actually being one of the last.

Modern Sp RitesThere is not much to indicate the modern sp ritual as innovated byHrafnar in Asatru is performed now as it was in ancient times. Weknow sp rituals were performed, but not precisely how. This doesnot invalidate the ritual, but only indicates that there is room forother ways of performing spcrft. Modern spcrft sometimesseems to have more to do with "pop shamanism," the movementstarted by Michael Harner with his bookThe Way of the Shaman.

The"journey to Hel," use of animal guides, and power dances allowe their origin in Hrafnar style sp in part to Harner's book. Italso owes this in large part to parts of the lore as well, but of theseelements only the spirit journey is seen in use in conjunction withsp, if indeed it can be called sp and not necromancy. In theVolusp, BaldersdraumR, and Vlusp hin skamma, inn is seen


3/33

to journey to Hel to question a dead volva. This is where Hrafnardraws its methods of doing sp or "oracular seidh."

However, these instances of inn traveling to Hel to wake a deadvolva are paralleled in the other Eddic poems and in the sagas. InH.R. Ellis' The Road to Hel, the scholar carefully documents theseaccounts and concludes they are a form of necromancy. With theexception of inn 's journey to Hel its self, there is little differencein the Eddic accounts of inn waking the dead volva, and those ofmortals in other Eddic poems and Saxo's works performing necro-mancy. Within theElder Edda its self there are several examples of

such necromancy. In the poem Gragaldr, Svipdagr goes to hismother's grave and summons her to learn galdors to help him on ajourney to the underworld. In the Sigdrfuml, Ellis notes that thepoem resembles very closely the Gragaldr and the inn poemswith the volva, and believes Sigurr woke not a mortal woman in asleep, but a dead one. This form of necromancy appears again inSaxo'sHistory of the Danes, when Hadingus' mother Harthgrepamakes a dead man talk. All of this evidence points to inn'sjourney to Hel being coincidental, and indeed perhaps unneeded inthe poem (all the mortal versions of a dead volva speaking takeplace on Middangeard (Midgard). There are other examples, andupon comparing those with he Volusp, BaldersdraumR, andVlusp hin skamma accounts, it becomes clear this is not the sameritual as portrayed inErik the Red's Saga.None the less, the use ofchanting, the High Platform, and perhaps the trance work all derivefrom the lore in Hrafnar style sp. Otherwise Hrafnar style sp mayowe more to necromancy than sp.

It is more likely that the sp worker inErik the Red's Saga sum-moned the spirits to her (and not in the way a necromancer wouldat the grave of a dead volva). The text of the saga as seen belowseems to indicate this, and words in Old English equate sp workwith the invitation of spirits. Old English halsian means "to adjure"as well as "to convoke" and also "to augur." Old English halsigend,which derives from it means "a soothsayer" or "an augur." Some-how, in the mind of the ancient Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, theylinked the summoning of spirits to augury or divination.This beingso, there is no reason that folks cannot experiment with othermethods of sp involving the invitation of spirits to them. InErikthe Red's Saga, no journeying to other planes appears to have been


4/33

done. The audience seems to have stayed firmly in this plane, andonly the volva communicated with the spirits. In the Saga,Thorbjorg after the song Varlokkurwas chanted even stated that"many spirits were drawn there" (Gwyn Jones translation). Thisstatement and linguistic evidence show that the invitation of spirits,

and not the spirit journey may have been the standard way ofperforming sp in ancient times.


5/33

Breathing and RelaxationIntroduction

Often in a magical setting it is necessary to know how to relax.Things happen that will upset you, or freak you out. Too, thetechniques used in relaxing are also needful to be able to meditateor go into trance. Rynemen or Runesters learn this when they learnrunic meditation while learning the runes. It is very basic to them.Other practitioners of Germanic Heathen magic with the exceptionof sp workers (who need to know these techniques to go intotrance) rarely have a chance to learn proper relaxation and medita-

tion techniques.

Wiccans refer to all of this as grounding and centering. They do thisby first centering. "Centering" for them is merely "proper posture"as is fundamental to all forms of meditation. To "ground" theyvisualize all negative energies flowing into the Earth, and feelpositive energy flowing back to them from the Earth (some merely

get rid of the negative energy and do not bother drawing energyfrom the Earth). This practice ultimately comes from orientalmartial arts such as Tai Chi and Aikido. Anyone that has studiedmeditation and the martial arts though, and in our own religion,.Rynemen, know that there is far more to "grounding" than merelysending negative energy into the earth. In most martial arts,"grounding" involves making an energy connection to the Earth,followed by "centering" or focusing one's self on one's self, as well

as proper breathing exercises. The process which I will refer to hereas breathing involves a three step process that goes beyond merevisualization, and involves the intake of em as well as miht andmgen from the Earth.

Step 1Relaxing the Lich

In order for breathing to work, one must first relax the body'sposture. Try to keep the spine straight and try to relax one's mus-cles. Start with the one's in the shoulders, and continue down theback, relaxing the muscles. If you still feel tense, do not worry, thisis what the breathing is for.


6/33

Step 2Calling up Miht and MgenMany places in the lore refer to calling on miht and mgen from theEarth. This makes sense, as Earth or Eore (Jorr) is the mother ofthe God unor (Thunor or Thor), god of physical might. unor is

also known as "the hallower", and the creation of sacred space isvery related to this exercise in that one is trying to keep negativeenergies out. This step is two fold. One should first, mentally callon the Earth for miht and mgen. This is important as it is oftenseen in the ancient Anglo-Saxon charms as a crucial step. Remem-ber, you are calling on a Goddess, so be respectful. Next one mustvisualize the miht and mgen flowing into them from the Earth.Any negative energy you have should be pushed out. If it is not,

visualize it melting back into the Earth, where she will deal with itfor you.

Step 3Breathing in emOnce one has relaxed their body, and drawn in energy from theGoddess Earth, they need to begin proper breathing. Proper breath-ing is a central part of most forms of meditation for good reason.Breathing is the one instinctive bodily function the human mind cancontrol at will. As the body's parts are all in some way linked viathe nervous system, the soul's parts are as well. One of the gifts ofWoden, Willi and Weoh (Odin, Villi, and Ve) was Ond, the OldNorse word for "divine breath."

By using proper breathing, one can slow a rapid heart beat, relaxthe muscles, and calm the mind. Most schools of meditation teachthis is best done by breathing in deeply from the gut (thediaphragm) and exhaling very slowly in a very regular and steadyway. Breathing is connected to em or the "breathe of life" givento Man by Woden (Odin). It is compared by such Heathen scholarsas Kveldulf Gundarsson to the silver cord of other traditions, and is

related to the Hindu concept of prana. In Hinduism, prana is the"divine breath," and considered the life force of all living things.The ancient Germanic concept is basically the same as that of prana,and therefore breathing exercises similar to some of those practicedin Yoga will work in a Germanic context. As stated above, onemust breathe in deeply from the gut (the diaphragm) and exhalevery slowly in a very regular and steady way. As one is doing this,


7/33

they should envision breathing in not ordinary air, but em, thedivine breathe of life (just as Yoga practitioners visualize pranabeing breathed in). It is em that ties the body to the soul, andprevents any unexpected out of body experiences. By breathing inmore em, one can further relax the body and ease the mind. In

fact breathing exercises alone can induce a light trance.

Why are Relaxation Techniques Needed?Relaxation techniques are needed simply because many of ourpractices are different, and people react differently to odd and newthings. Many folks will attend an "oracular siedh" or sp with little

knowledge of what to expect, and wind up startled, scared, orworse from the experience. It is very necessary then that anyonethat attends such a rite or similar rites (be they galdorcraft,witchcraft, or sp craft) be given, in the very least, instruction in thetechniques above. Finally, breathing is fundamental to the work ofrynemen sp workers, and thyles as well, albeit in different ways.most rynemen learn the runes by meditating upon them, whichrequires they relax, perhaps even go into a light trance. Spworkers regardless of what techniques they use, must go into adeep trance to communicate with the spirits they journey to orinvite to them. Finally, thyles must use these techniques to achievedeep trances to connect with the ancestors or Gods. GermanicHeathenry has long been biased against "grounding," as it is a"Wiccan thing." However, its roots are firmly based in Hinduism, areligion whose practices are related to our own, and who even nowhave concepts greatly resembling our own. In truth, Heathen spwork may owe more to Indo-European trance work from which

Yoga may derive than any borrowings from the Sammi.


8/33

Beginning Trancework

Trancework and MeditationThe Three Forms of Meditation

Key to being able to perform a sp rite is the ability to go intotrance. No one method works for everyone, but most folks canachieve a light trance by learning how to meditate. Winifred Hodgedefines meditation as covering "a wide spectrum of mental,psychological and spiritual activity, both religiously-oriented andnot necessarily religiously-oriented." It differs from concentration inthat when one concentrates they are focusing their mental facilitieson one specific goal. It differs from contemplation in Winifred'swords in that contemplation "is generally used to describe the stateof mind and mode of awareness that is pursued in advanced,religiously-oriented exercises, where one contemplates the Divine,without any other purpose or goal than awareness and experienceof the Divine itself " These three forms however blend into eachother and can mixed for the purpose of oracular seir however.

When most folks think of meditation they think of Buddhism,Hinduism, or one of the other great Far Eastern religions. Butnearly every part of the world has a people that practice some formof meditation. Coming from the stand point of the Far Easternreligions there are several forms of meditation. For Heathens or

those wishing to learn the magical arts, the most important arerepetitive meditation, immersion meditation, and empty mindmeditation. Repetitive meditation utilizes the repetition of a shortverse or sound. The use of the rune names by some runesters in"runic meditation" is a perfect example of this. The purpose ofrepetitive meditation is to achieve the goal of keeping thethought/sound of the verse in the mind without meditating. ThusChristian monks recite verses such as "Mary, mother of God;"Hindus use various mantras; and even Native American tribes usevarious verses and sounds. Beyond achieving the goal of keepingsomething sacred in the forefront of the mind even when notmeditating, repetitive meditation can also be used to go into trance.The use of the shaman's drum, while not authentic from a Heathenstandpoint is used by many modern spa workers for that veryreason (ancient drums in Germanic culture were used to mimic


9/33

thunder and this is the only use recorded for them before the HighMiddle Ages. Thunder drums though are not a very good trancingdevice). Drumming is not the only repetitive thing that shamans ofthe various cultures have used to go into trance. Songs, even someactions such as dancing, or yoga can be used to achieve trance.

Within my own reconstruction of the sp rite, the songs and chantsare used as an aid to go into trance, and thus are a type of repetitivetechnique.

Immersion meditation is not nearly as useful for going into trancefor a spa rite. Never the less, it is a good learning tool, and is used

during the rite its self. Immersion meditation is very similar torepetitive meditation in that one is focusing on a subject. However,instead of focusing on a single sound, song, phrase, drum beat; oneenvelops their thoughts around an entire situation, thoughtconstruct, perhaps even the universe its self. The whole idea behindimmersion meditation is not to pick out part of an object orsituation, but to try and contemplate it as a whole, and thusimmerse one's entire being in it. Sometimes, esp. in the Far Easternreligions, the goal is to "become one with" whatever one iscontemplating. The classic example, being of course, "becomingone with a tree." Of the three forms of meditation, immersion canbe the most difficult for some folks. People have a tendency eitherto concentrate on one thing at a time, or to allow their mind towander, and neither is good when one is doing immersionmeditation.

The final form of meditation is empty mind meditation. Most peopleare familiar with this as it is commonly taught by New Agers as away to relaxation. Empty mind meditation is exactly that, anattempt by one to empty their mind of all emotions, moods, andthoughts. Its purpose is to silence the mind, and shut out alldistractions so that one will notice thoughts and events theynormally would not. In marital arts, it is used as a way to heighten

one's awareness of one's surroundings. It is a way of avoidingbecoming so preoccupied with one's own thoughts, that they do notpay attention to the environment.


10/33

Using these Meditation Forms in Trance

Repetitive meditation:

Repetitive meditation is the best and easiest form of meditation to

use to go into light or heavy trance. For the sp worker, the bestway to use repetitive meditation is to focus on the chants. For thisreason both of the chants for warding the area and inviting thewights should be somewhat repetitive, rhythmic, and simple. Thesp worker will want to focus on the chants, and allow his or herself to slip slowly into trance.

Immersion meditation:

Immersion meditation is used during the question and answersection as a way to contemplate the question. The purpose of thisimmersion is to help the wight formulate an answer by getting asmuch information out of the question as possible, and thusovercome any translation areas between wight and seer. By usingthe immersion technique, one is avoiding focusing on only one part

of the question, and by doing so, avoiding getting a wrong answer.

Empty mind meditation:

Empty is used to clear one's mind for communication with wights.By clearing the mind of all intrusive thoughts, the sp worker alsoheightens their senses in order to hear the spirits. It is vital that they

shut out the outside world and clear their minds of any thoughts.


11/33

WardingIt is unlikely an ancient Heathen sp worker would have referred towhat they did to protect themselves as "warding." There were

indeed spells and charms of protection, but what they would havedone to protect the area they were in was to "hallow" it or "make itsacred." We are not told how this was done for sp rites, but we doknow how ritual space was established for religious rites, and inaddition we know from some of the Anglo-Saxon charms in the

Lacnunga that herbs were used to fumigate areas. Using what weknow of hallowing an area, and from the use of herbs to fumigate,we can figure out what we need to do to make an area safe from

any ill boding wights that may try to wreck havoc on a sp rite.

The Use of Herbs as Fumigates

Fumigation or smudging with such herbs as sage is commonthroughout the world, and used by many peoples. The Norse andAnglo-Saxons were no different, and we can find evidence of

fumigation in the Anglo-Saxon charms. Whether smudging formeda part of the sp rites we do not know. But we do know that thesmokes from "need fire" was used to drive away disease. JacobGrimm describes its use in Teutonic Mythology:

If at any time a grievous murrain have broke outamong cattle great or small, and they have sufferedmuch harm thereby; the husbandmen with oneconsent make a nothfr or nothfeuer. On a dayappointed there must in no house be any flame lefton the hearth. From every house shall be some strawand water and bushwood brought; then is a stoutoaken stake driven fast into the ground, and a holebored through the same, to the which a woodenroller well smeared with pitch and tar is let in, and so

winded about, until by reason of the great heat andstress (nothzwang) it give out fire. This isstraightway catched on shavings, and by straw,heath and bushwood enlarged, till it grow to a fullnothfeuer, yet must it stretch a little way alongbetwixt two walls or hedges, and the cattle andthereto the horses be with sticks and whips driven


12/33

through it three times or two.

Need fire was also used for people, and was formed solely by

friction like that of a fire drill or bow. Fire started by other meanswas not thought holy. That the cattle or folk had to walk throughthe smoke of the need fire though points to the idea that it was thesmoke that had the ability to drive away illness. Anglo-SaxonCharm #24 uses smudging to cure pigs and a portion of it is quotedbelow:

First you boil glide (glidan) and give it to the pigs toeat. Then take the 6 herbs and sing 4 masses overthem, drive the pigs to the fold, hang the herbs onthe 4 sides and on the door, burn them, addingincense, and let the smoke go over them. (Stormstranslation)

The herbs used in this admittedly Christianized charm were: lupine,betony and hassock, buckthorn, cleavers, viper's buglos. As thischarm was used to cleanse pigs, it is highly probable other herbsmay have been used however. In fact, betony is said to shieldagainst visions and dreams, and would not be a good herb for a spworker to use. Modern practitioners are fond of using mugwort, aswell as vervain, or valerian, all known for their abilities to enablesecond sight. Other herbs known for their cleansing abilities should

be used such as angelica, flax, sage, and plantain. One should workwith burning these herbs (or some of them), until they get a mixthat is pleasing to them. Do not use any of these herbs if you areallergic to their smoke. When you smudge the area, make sure youcircle it in a clockwise manner, and make sure you cover as muchof the area as possible.

The Use of Fire for HallowingIt is very probable that the ancient Heathens did not have toestablish temporary sacred space. They had at their disposal regularpublic places of worship that had long been established as sacred. Itis therefore not surprising that we rarely see rites for establishingsacred space in the lore. They do exist however. InEyrbyggja


13/33

Saga, Thorolf used fire to prepare his land for construction of atemple.

Eftir a fr rlfur eldi um landnm sitt, utan frStaf og inn til eirrar r er hann kallai rs, ogbyggi ar skipverjum snum.

Hann setti b mikinn vi Hofsvog er hann kallai Hofsstum. ar lt hann reisa hof og var a mikihs.

Thereafter Thorolf fared with fire through his landout from Staff-river in the west, and east to thatriver which is now called Thors-river, and settled hisshipmates there.

But he set up for himself a great house atTemplewick which he called Templestead. There helet build a temple, and a mighty house it was.(Eyrbyggja Saga, Morris & Magnusson translation)

This action is also see in the Landnmabk:

ar er n heitir Svertingsstum. Hann reisti arhof mikit.....at land fr Jrundr eldi ok lagi til

hofs."There he called it Svertingsstum. He there builda temple.... That land, Jrundr carried fire aroundwhere he later laid his temple."(Landnmabk)

Fire was not the only method used in the landtakings of Iceland, but it is the only method seen inconnection to prospective temple sites. Othermethods did exist for establishing sacred space thancircling the area with fire. Symbols were sometimesestablished around the area.


14/33

Two brothers, Vestmann and Vemund, though Christian fell backon pagan principles when taking land.

eir fru til slands ok sigldu fyrir noran landit okvestr um Slttu fjrinn. eir settu xi Reistargnp ok klluu v xarfjr. eir settu rnupp fyrir vestan ok klluu ar Arnarfu. En rija sta settu eir kross. ar nefndu eir Krosss.Sv helguu eir sr allan xarfjr.

"They set an ax on Reistargnp and called itxarfjr. They set an eagle up in the west andcalled it Arnarfu. And the third they set a cross.They named it Krosss. So they hallowed all ofxarfjr. (Landnmabk)

This type of land claiming and hallowing is also seen in the Anglo-Saxon Aecer-bot:

Genim onne on niht, r hyt dagige, feower tyrf onfeower healfa s landes, and gemearca hu hy rstodon.... Nim onne a turf and sete r ufon onand cwee onne nigon sion as word, Crescite,and swa oft Pater Noster

"At night, before dawn, take four turfs from the fourquarters of your lands, and note how they previouslystood..... take the turfs and set them down there, andsay these words nine times, Crescite as before, andthe Lord's Prayer as often "(Gavin Chappel translation)

Finally, temporary sacred space could apparently be made using

vbond, ropes tied to hazel poles. Such a space was described inEgil's Saga:

The place where the court sat was a level plain and hazel poleswere set in a circle on the plain linked by ropes. These were calledthe sanctuary ropes. (Egil's Saga Fell translation)


15/33

In addition to these methods Thor or Thunor is invoked on severalrune stones with the phrase "orr uiki," or "Thor make sacred(these runes)." It is known from the Eddas that Thor's hammer wasused to hallow brides, and inHakon the Good's Saga, we see thesign of the hammer used to sacralize meat for a feast. One therefore

could invoke Thor to help make an area sacred. For the purpose ofa sp rite, carrying fire around the area is perhaps the easiest.Words should be said, such as the Wonde Song used in theexample of the rite.

Bibliography

Benediktsson, J. (ed.), Landnamabok, Hidh islenzka fornritafelag,Reykjavik, 1936).

Chappel, Gavin, Anglo-Saxon Charms

Fell, Christine (tr.), Egil's Saga, University of Toronto Press,Tornoto, 1975.

Frazer, James George, Sir, The Golden Bough, The Macmillan Co.,New York,1922.

Grimm, Jacob, Stallybrass, J. S. (tr.), Teutonic Mythology, PeterSmith, Gloucester, Mass. 1976

Hallakarva, Gunnora, Sacred Space in Viking Law and Religion

Hastrup, K. Culture and History in Medieval Iceland, Clarendon

Press, Oxford, 1985Morris, W. & Magnusson, E. (tr.) The Saga Library, Vol. II: TheStory of the Ere-Dwellers, Bernard Quaritch, London, 1892.

Storm, G. Anglo-Saxon Magic, The Hague


16/33

HlsungThe Basis for Hlsung

Hlsung is an Old English word meaning "exorcism; augury;divination; entreaty." It is related to other words such as the verbhlsian "to adjure; take oath, swear; call upon, convoke; implore,entreat; augur; exorcise," and hlsigend "exorcist, soothsayer,augur." Despite the mention of exorcism, it is fairly apparent thisword once had to do with soothsaying and perhaps communicationwith spirits. Hlsung therefore has become the term we modernAnglo-Saxon Heathens use for inviting wights or spirits to come

communicate with us. Part of the purpose of the song VarlokkurinEiriks SagaRaua (Erik the Red's Saga) seems to have been tosummon spirits to the seer or volva. rbjorg's remarks afterGuriR, the young ladysings the song, that "many spirits weredrawn there."

orkell herir n a Guri en hn kvest mundu gera semhann vildi. Slgu konur hring umhverfis en orbjrg satuppi seihjallinum. Kva Gurur kvi svo fagurt og

vel a engi ttist fyrr heyrt hafa me fegri raust kvei s erar var.

Spkona akkar henni kvi. Hn hafi margar nttrurhinga a stt og tti fagurt a heyra a er kvei var "erur vildu fr oss snast og oss ngva hlni veita.

Thorkel now pressed Gudrid hard, till she said she would do

as he wished. The women now formed a circle all round,while Thorbjorg took her seat up on the spell-platform.Gudrid recited the chant so beautifully and well that no onepresent could say he had ever heard the chant recited by alovelier voice.

The seeress thanked her for the chant, saying that she hadattracted many spirits there who thought it lovely to lend earto the chant-- spirits 'who before wished to hold aloof fromus, and pay us no heed. And now many things stand revealedto me which earlier were hidden from me as from others.

rbjorg's rite inEiriks SagaRaua is not the only place in thelore where we are told spirits are called to a spot. In the


17/33

Freyingasga, rand calls up the spirits of three men that had diedat sea to learn what had become of them. The passage is presentedbelow:

Thrand had made a big fire place in the fire house (hall) and

had four gates with four nooks (corners?) made. He carvednine carvings all the way out from the doors and he set astool between the fireplace and the doors. Thrand did notwait to speak with his (folk) and so it was. Thrand sat for awhile and when an hour had passed a man walked into thehall and he was soaking wet. He walked over to the fire andstretched out his hand for a little while and went back outafter that. When an hour had passed, a man walked into the

fire hall. He walked over to the fire, stretched out his handand walked out afterwards. They knew that was Thorir. Soonafter a third man walked into the fire hall. This was a hugeand blood-soaked man. He had a head in his hand. They allknew this was Sigmund Bretisson; he took a certain place foran hour on the floor and then left. (Strombeck translation)

rand's rite clearly is not the same as rbjorg's. It had much morein common with necromancy. However it does show that theGermanic peoples knew how to invite spirits to a place and havethem attend. It is also possible that rbjorg's platform had symbolslike those rand carved, carved on it as well to help in inviting thespirits to attend.

Hlsung as it Applies to the Sp Rite

Hlsung is essentially an invitation, not much different from whenwe invite gods and goddesses to visit us during religious ritualssuch as blt (the Germanic Heathens way of communing with andsacrificing to the Gods). The way this invitation was done wasjudging by rbjorg's rite in the form of a song. We do not knowwhat form these songs took in ancient times, so we can only assumethey were not much different from the bedes or prayers of the time,or galdras (Old English for "charms, magic spells"). Even with thesacralizing of the space to protect one's self and their audience, onemust be careful on who they call on in the song. The Idesa (Dsir or"ancestral women"), gods, and even land wights are fairly safebeings to invite. Others such as Loki, the giant races, and evensome of the dead may best be avoided. While no evil should be ableto enter the frigeard (Old English for an area sacrilized for


18/33

worship and therefore warded), it is always best to be safe thansorry.

In the lore, we are never really given information on what thewords of a hlsung song were. We know that the title of the song

performed inEiriks SagaRaua for rbjorg the volva wasVarlokkur, which may mean "guardian locks" or "guardianenclosure." What "guardian locks" may refer to is perhaps anyone'sguess. However, another interpretation is that it means "spiritallurer." Old Icelandic var the first element in the title Varlokkurmeant simply "one that watches" and was used of the fetch (familiaror animal guide), and guardian spirits, although it was sometimesused of any spirit. The second element has commonly been taken to

be the plural of Old Norse lokka "a lock or enclosure." However,there is an Old Icelandic verb, lokka meaning "to allure, entice."The name of the song may therefore mean "spirit allurer" or "spiritenticer." This interpretation makes sense in the context ofrbjorg's remark "many spirits were drawn there."

In other accounts of the rite, in other sagas, the songs were

performed by a chorus, and not a single person. In rvar-OddsSaga a seeress named Heir had a chorus of fifteen boys and fifteengirls that traveled with her. But as rbjorg was one of the last ofher kind, such a chorus of people may have no longer beenavailable. The song may have been chanted and not sung. EricWodening in his word, Chanting Around the High Seat, notes thatthe word used of the song is Old Norse lj in some of the sagas,which was commonly used of poems and magic charms; but the

most common terms seem to have been Old Norse kvi "chant" orfri "knowledge." (Eric Wodening, Chanting Around the HighSeat,p. 25). In Saxo's Gesta Danorum, Saxo uses the Latin wordcarminum "incantations; or religious or legal formulas. " The songwas therefore magical or religious in nature and had some effectupon the rite. However, the Old Norse wordfor magic charm,galdris never used of the songs. The difference between agaldrand the songs of the sp rite may have been only in the

performance, or it may have been in structure. Both Old Englishgaldorand Old Norsegaldrcome from words meaning "to sing"(Old Englishgalan and Old Norsegala), while the verb used of thekvi is kva "to speak or recite." If sung then, the song or chantmust have been rather limited in range. Other than this, it is hard totell what the differences between a kvi (the seir chant) andgaldrwould be. One possibility is that the kvi resembled more a


19/33

prayer than a magic charm. This would explain Saxo's use of theLatin carminum which can be used of a religious formula as muchas it can an incantation. It would also explain the use oflj whichwas also used of the poetic lays in theElder Edda. What GermanicHeathen prayers have survived have references to deeds of the

Gods and Goddesses. It could be therefore, that the kvi of thesp rite as seen inEiriks SagaRaua merelyinvited or enticed thespirits to attend the rite by a recitation of tales belonging to them.

The Use of Song in the Hlsung

What all this means to the modern sp worker is that they shouldprobably use songs that deliberately entice or invite the spirits theywish to commune with. These songs may be worded in the forms ofprayers or perhaps speak of the spirit(s) great deeds. In additionthose songs should perhaps be chanted by a choir, and not sung byonly one or two people. It is best that the seer or seeress does notperform the song themselves regardless. There are two reasons whyand they are: 1) The performance of the galdor can interfere withone going into a trance state. And 2) the wights will arrive rather

quickly, some even as the galdor is being performed, and thereforethe seer must be undistracted and available to communicate withthem immediately. When performing the song, it is best one doesnot use drums or other instruments that may scare the wights away.In many cultures, drums, wind chimes, and cymbals are used toscare off wights, and these may scare off friendly ones that mayhave answers to the questions at hand. Too, while the singer orchanter is chanting or singing the hlsung song, the seer or seeress

will be going into trance. Performance of the song or chanttherefore should be of a sort that will aid the seer or seeress in this,and not one that is loud with much vibrato.

Composing a Hlsung Song

One can easily adapt modern methods to write Germanic Heathen

prayers to the composition of a Hlsung Song. In my article, Howto "Compose a Good Prayer in English or Old English" (which canbe seen at: http://haligwaerstow.ealdriht.org/prayr.html) Idetermined that ancient Heathen prayers probably consisted of: 1)A greeting to the god or gods. 2) A boast of the god or gods' greatdeeds, or other mythological references.3) A petition or request. Inaddition forms of flattery may have been involved. For example, in


20/33

the Anglo-Saxon charm Wi Ymbe (Against a Swarm of Bees), thebees are flattered by being called "victory wives." A Hlsung Songcan follow this same pattern and use many of the techniques of

prayer composition. The spirits should first be greeted in the song,and then some of their attributes elaborated on and boasted of,

finally they should be petitioned to attend the rite, and help the spworker answer questions. A shortened version of such a song isbelow:

Idesa ic hls Hlees ic ceall,Ieldran gela londwihtas ealswa.Wyrda Web Wist ca,Sihes daga Sian ond giet weore.

Wsdomes goda Wstnesmannes,Byrda ond daas Bearnas ond dmasWynn ond w Wte ond lan.Geca hit eall Geca ingas eall.

Disir I entreat Heros I callAncestors I invite Land wights as well.Wyrd's web Being reveal,Visions of days Sinceand yet wove.Wisdom of gods Desolation of Man,Births and deaths Children and orlays,Joy and woe Punishment and reward.Reveal it all Reveal things all.

Such a song should be of moderate length and easily chanted orsung. All means possible should be put on making the performance

beautiful, as part of what attracted the spirits inEiriks SagaRauawas the beauty of the performance.

Bibliography

Benediktsson, J. (ed.), Landnamabok, Hidh islenzka fornritafelag,Reykjavik, 1936).

Chappel, Gavin, Anglo-Saxon Charms

Fell, Christine (tr.), Egil's Saga, University of Toronto Press,Tornoto, 1975.

Frazer, James George, Sir, The Golden Bough, The Macmillan Co.,New York,1922.


21/33

Grimm, Jacob, Stallybrass, J. S. (tr.), Teutonic Mythology, PeterSmith, Gloucester, Mass. 1976

Gundarsson, Gundarson "Spcrft, SeidhR, and Shamanism,"IDUNNA volume 7 issues 1 & 2

Hallakarva, Gunnora, Sacred Space in Viking Law and Religion

Hastrup, K. Culture and History in Medieval Iceland, ClarendonPress, Oxford, 1985

Jones, Gwyn Eirik the Red and Other Sagas, Oxford UniversityPress, Oxford

Morris, W. & Magnusson, E. (tr.) The Saga Library, Vol. II: TheStory of the Ere-Dwellers, Bernard Quaritch, London, 1892.

Wodening, Eric, Chanting Around the High Seat, Theod,Watertown, NY 1996.


22/33

Communing with WightsWhile the Hlsung Song is being performed, the seer or seeress willslip into trance. Once in trance, the seer or seeress will want to try

to sense whether any wights are present. Sensing whether wightsare present is an acquired skill for most. Those gifted with secondsight will find they can do so almost immediately (sometimes theyfind they can do so the first time in trance). Those not so gifted willhave to learn how to sense their presence, and it is not somethingeasily taught. Never the less, there are methods which if used thatcan increase your ability. First, you must learn empty mindmeditation as presented in the articles on trancework. Unless you

can clear their mind, speaking with wights will be like trying tolisten to a conversation one table over in a busy restaurant, wordswill be missed, and things taken out of context. Once, you caneasily accomplish empty mind meditation though, and can clearyour thoughts with ease however, you are ready to try to communewith wights.

Communication or speaking with wights is difficult to describe. Itcannot be called properly, channeling, as the wight is speaking toyou, not through you, nor can it be called possession as at no timedoes the wight enter into your body and share it with your soul(there being some exception with the greater Gods doing this, but itis rare). It is perhaps best described by the phrase telepathy or thephrase, thought transference (used by some mediums to describehow they communicate with spirits). You are communicating from

mind to mind directly without need of any physical work (such asspeaking through your mouth). You are not using your eyes tosense the wights, nor will you need your ears to see them. Allcommunication takes place within the mind, or rather mind to mind.

Learning to Speak with Wights

In order to learn how to sense whether wights are present, and thento communicate with them; one will want to perform the followingexercise. 1) Find an area you can work in and not be interrupted. Itis vital you are not interrupted while doing this exercise. 2) Set upyour area just as if you were going to perform the sp rite. 3)Smudge and hallow the area. 4) Sit down and begin to meditate,and then allow yourself to slip into trance. 5) Try to sense those


23/33

around you, whether it be the neighbor across the street, or yourcats in the next room. It really does not matter, as long as you cansense their life force. Continue to do this exercise until you caneffectively sense the living beings around you. You can then moveonto another exercise, the aim of which is not just to sense their

presence, but to read their thoughts. For this you will need a willingpartner, and a deck of cards (playing cards work fine, although youcould use most any type of cards). Your partner to his or her selfreads the card from across the room being careful not to allow youto see the card. They then verbally ask you, "what card am Iholding?" Continue to practice this exercise until you can tell whatcard your partner is holding 3/4 of the time. Once you can do thiswhile in a conscious state, you can practice the exercise while in

trance. Go into a light trance while your partner remains conscious,once you are in trance, have your partner go through the deck ofcards, asking which card they are holding. Again, do this exerciseuntil you are right 3/4 of the time. Both these exercises teach you tocommunicate through telepathy.

Once you can sense the living beings around you while in trance(which means not actually having to see or hear them), and cansuccessfully guess the cards your partner is holding most of thetime, you are ready to begin the sp rite proper, and start speakingwith wights. It is best if you do your first few sessions with onlyone or two friends present to act as audience and or warders.Whomever you have present should be training with you, and orhave more than a passing understanding of what is going on. Donot expect to be able to speak to the wights that come to you right

off the bat. You are performing the rite merely to learn how tocommunicate with the wights, not to have meaningful questionsanswered. Even if you have successfully completed the exercises,telepathy with a wight is not exactly the same as that with anotherhuman being. In order to speak to the wights you will have to learnwhat exactly communicating with them entails.

Speaking with Wights

Once you can sense the presence of a wight or spirit, you will findthat you can see them as well, and with practice hear them, andfinally be able to speak with them. When you are finally able torelay messages to them, and they back to you, then you have the


24/33

skills to be a sp worker. As a sp worker performing the rite, youwill be serving as a go between, between the inquirer and the wightanswering their question. In a typical sp rite, the wights generallyshow up, and hang out, waiting to answer any questions asked.Occasionally, if there is a very important message they will relay it

through you unasked. Typically, though the procedure works asfollows once the wights have responded to the invitation: 1)Someone asks you a question. 2) You relay the question to thewights. 3) A wight or wights will step up to answer the question. 4)You relay the answer back to the inquirer. For each question this isthe process that is followed until there are no more questions, oryou are too tired to go on. You will need to remember a few thingshowever, wights do not communicate in English, it is your brain

that translates their thoughts into English. As with any translation,some of the meaning will be lost. Because of the language problemsome wights like to use visions to communicate. If a wight comesto answer a question for you and communicates with visions,simply tell the inquirer literally what you say, do not interpret it. Ifyou have a bad link with a wight, and are communicating in literalwords, you may want to tell it to "speak louder" or "I do notunderstand what you are saying." If the wight is using visions, then

it is best to be quiet.


25/33

The Sp RiteOriginally titled An Alternative Spae Rite and published on the EaldrihtWebsite

Spcrft: A Brief Explanation

Sp (ON) is most often mistakenly calledseiR (ON) in modernAsatru. The reason for this confusion is due to the use of the wordseiR inErik the Red's Saga, the only good secondary source of aspcrft ritual. The wordsp its self means literally "spying" but inthe sense of "seeing with second sight." Its relationship to Old

Norsespeja is roughly as to seer is to "to see." Both are related toOld Englishspyrian"to investigate." Its primary characteristic wasthe active obtaining of information, knowledge, and wisdomwhether about the past, present, or possible future. Spcrft was apart of seiR, but not all spcrft was seiR or vice versa. TheIcelandic lawspeakers performed sp by "going under the hide orhood," yet this was not seen as seiR, nor was the "mound sitting"of kings, or the taking of omens. Yet all of these bearresemblances to sp. Other references to seiR in the lore on theother hand would seem to indicate much more than mere spcrft.SeiR appeared to have involved manipulation of the human mindand soul (Eric Wodening, Chanting around the High Seat: AnExploration of SeidhR, pages 10 see also , Spcrft, SeidhR, andShamanism,IDUNNA volume 7 issues 1 & 2 ).

Sp is one of the earliest crafts attested to by the Roman authorswith references to the abilities of Veleda and others. (EricWodening, pages 4-5). Later references are made throughout thelore by the Germanic peoples themselves with the tale of the volvainErik the Red's Saga actually being one of the last.

Modern Sp Rites

There is not much to indicate the modern sp ritual as innovated byHrafnar in Asatru is performed now as it was in ancient times. Weknow sp rituals were performed, but not precisely how. This doesnot invalidate the ritual, but only indicates that there is room forother ways of performing spcrft. Modern spcrft sometimes


26/33

seems to have more to do with "pop shamanism," the movementstarted by Michael Harner with his bookThe Way of the Shaman.The"journey to Hel," use of animal guides, and power dances allowe their origin in Hrafnar style sp in part to Harner's book. Italso owes this in large part to parts of the lore as well, but of these

elements only the spirit journey is seen in use in conjunction withsp, if indeed it can be called sp and not necromancy. In theVolusp, BaldersdraumR, and Vlusp hin skamma, inn is seento journey to Hel to question a dead volva. This is where Hrafnardraws its methods of doing sp or "oracular seidh."

However, these instances of inn traveling to Hel to wake a deadvolva are paralleled in the other Eddic poems and in the sagas. InH.R. Ellis' The Road to Hel, the scholar carefully documents theseaccounts and concludes they are a form of necromancy. With theexception of inn 's journey to Hel its self, there is littledifference in the Eddic accounts of inn waking the dead volva,and those of mortals in other Eddic poems and Saxo's worksperforming necromancy. Within theElder Edda its self there areseveral examples of such necromancy. In the poem Gragaldr,Svipdagr goes to his mother's grave and summons her to learngaldors to help him on a journey to the underworld. In theSigdrfuml, Ellis notes that the poem resembles very closely theGragaldr and the inn poems with the volva, and believesSigurr woke not a mortal woman in a sleep, but a dead one. Thisform of necromancy appears again in Saxo'sHistory of the Danes,when Hadingus' mother Harthgrepa makes a dead man talk. All ofthis evidence points to inn's journey to Hel being coincidental,

and indeed perhaps unneeded in the poem (all the mortal versionsof a dead volva speaking take place on Middangeard (Midgard).There are other examples, and upon comparing those with heVolusp, BaldersdraumR, and Vlusp hin skamma accounts, itbecomes clear this is not the same ritual as portrayed inErik theRed's Saga.None the less, the use of chanting, the High Platform,and perhaps the trance work all derive from the lore in Hrafnar stylesp. Otherwise Hrafnar style sp may owe more to necromancy

than sp.

It is more likely that the sp worker inErik the Red's Sagasummoned the spirits to her (and not in the way a necromancerwould at the grave of a dead volva). The text of the saga as seen


27/33

below seems to indicate this, and words in Old English equate spwork with the invitation of spirits. Old English halsian means "toadjure" as well as "to convoke" and also "to augur." Old Englishhalsigend, which derives from it means "a soothsayer" or "anaugur." Somehow, in the mind of the ancient Angles, Saxons, and

Jutes, they linked the summoning of spirits to augury or divination.This being so, there is no reason that folks cannot experiment withother methods of sp involving the invitation of spirits to them. InErik the Red's Saga, no journeying to other planes appears to havebeen done. The audience seems to have stayed firmly in this plane,and only the volva communicated with the spirits. In the Saga,Thorbjorg after the song Varlokkurwas chanted even stated that"many spirits were drawn there" (Gwyn Jones translation). This

statement and linguistic evidence show that the invitation of spirits,and not the spirit journey may have been the standard way ofperforming sp in ancient times.

An Alternative Sp Ritual

While the modern Hrafnar style sp ritual seems to put muchimportance on the use of animal guides and power dances, theancient ritual as shown inErik the Red's Saga seems ratherstreamlined. We are told of no journey to Hel, in fact we are toldexplicitly that the wights are called to the volva. Instead of sitting infront of the High Platform, the women circled around it, and theonly chanting done is that ofVarlokkur"Ward locks." Finally, theuse of talismans seem to be of some importance. The followingelements, judging on the description inErik the Red's Saga, seem

to be of importance:

a. The High Platformb. women forming a circle about the volvac. chantingd. talismans.

Of these, the chant seems of utmost importance. The volvarbjorg inErik the Red's Saga remarks of the performance ofVarlokkur,"that many things were revealed that were not before."

The High Platform


28/33

SeiR in general seems to have used a High Platform. This mayhave been in imitation of the burial mounds upon which Kings oncesat to gain ancestral wisdom or may have been simply to give thespkonaa place of prominence. Eric Wodening in his bookChanting Around the High Seatcites several examples where there

was no audience, yet a High Platform was still erected (Wodening,p. 24). Gundarsson states that sitting on a High Platform wouldmake it easier to go into trance (Gundarsson). Whatever itspurpose, it seemed necessary to the performance of seiR.

Position Around the High Platform

We are not told where the wermen were situated in accordance tothe High Platform. We are told that the women were circledaround it. This may be in keeping with beliefs that women ingeneral were gifted in areas such as second sight while men werenot.

The ChantThe chant seems to be the most important element mentioned in theOld Icelandic account ofErik the Red's Saga. The name of thechant Varlokkurwould seem to mean "ward locks," but the volvaindicates it helps her see things she could not otherwise. In modernspcrft, chants and songs are commonly used to put the spworker into trance, as well as set a sense of otherness in theaudience. In modern spcrft, separate songs are used to ward thearea and summon animal guides. However, in the ancient texts weare shown only this one chant, and even then we only know thetitle, and that its performance somehow aided the volva's abilities.Based on modern ideas around music and meditation, we can befairly certain that the song may have helped the volva enter intotrance. Guided meditation and the use of certain tones to placepeople in trance have been shown to work and been used forcenturies. The song also would appear from what is said in the

saga to have been used to invite* spirits to communicate with thevolva. Therefore any reconstruction of an alternative rite wouldhave to take these things into account.

*I use the word invite instead of summon, as summon is a bad word to use. In


29/33

its literal sense it means to coerce spirits to appear and no coercion should beused.

TalismansAmongst the grave goods of Anglo-Saxon women were oftenfound small trinkets or charms. These could easily have beentalismans of some sort. Earlier Bronze Age graves reveal skin

pouches exactly as those described inErik the Red's Saga,containing trinkets, herbs, and other odd items. It is not knownwhat the volva held in her skin bag, just that they were talismans orcharms.

The Ritual

The following ritual is offered as an alternative to the often drawnout modern sp rites, it contains all of the elements directly relatedto the rite its self as portrayed inErik the Red's Saga. It is

suggested that you experiment with the ritual, and check yourresults against other methods such as omen taking and runereadings.

1) The High Platform is erected.

2) The folk gather around the High Platform. The wermen shouldremain in front of it while the women circle it. Once everyone is inplace, it is suggested the area be smudged with mugwort with the

following words or something similar:Smoc, smoc, smoc ond smic,recels wasc rymet,fre, fre, fs fcnu,bringe fri ond frofre.

Smoke, smoke, smoke and fumigate,recels purify the room,

fire, fire, drive away evil,bring frith and comfort.

3) The Chants

I have here broken the chants into two parts as it is not clear whatpurpose Varlokkurserved. It could have been a warding galdor, a


30/33

summoning song, or simply to put the volva into trance. It may wellhave played a role in all three.

a. Warding and Hallowing. I have used the Wonde Songof theAngelseaxisce Ealdriht for this purpose. The purpose of

the Wonde or "sacralizing" is to separate the ritual area from theordinary, mundane world and make it closer to that of theGods. In ancient times, this could be done through fire (the ancientIcelanders used to carry a torch around their farms to wardthem),or thru a ritual formula like the Old Norse "orr uiki " "Thormake sacred." By performing this song one ensures only helpfulwights will be in attendance to communicate with the volva. Thisshould be done by one of the volva's helpers or warders.

Fyr ic bere ymb frigearde,Ond bode men fri fremman,Leg ic bere t belcan,Bode lwihta flogan aweg.unor woh, unor woh, unor wohisne ealh.

Fyr ic bere ymb frigearde,Ond bode men fri fremman,

Leg ic bere t belcan,Bode utlaga fran aweg.unor woh, unor woh, unor wohisne ealh.unor woh, unor woh, unor wohisne ealh.

Translation:Fire I bear around this sacred site,And bid all men make peace,

Flame I bear to enclose,And bid evil spirits to fleeThor make sacred, Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred this holysite

Fire I bear around this sacred site,And bid all men make peace,Flame I bear to enclose,And bid outlaws fare away.Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred this holysite.Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred this holysite.)

b. Hlsende or Invitation The following chant called the HlsendeSong or Halsing Song was written with the intent of inviting helpful


31/33

wights. The purpose ofVarlokkurseems to have been to placethe volva into trance as well as summon spirits to her. Although noone can be certain of this, it seems a fairly good assumption.Placing the volva into trance is crucial. No trance, nocommunication with the spirits, no sp. Ideally, a chorus would

chant this much in the way of a Gregorian chant. However, it islikely that at most two or three helpers or warders will know thechant. The chant should be maintained for at least a repetition ofnine time (in Old English or English either one) or at least until it iscertain the volva is in a light trance. Any spirits summoned shouldbe bloted to following the ritual. "Aye a gift always calls for again." You cannot expect wights whether land wights, ancestors,or even Gods to give information away for free.

Idesa ic hls Hlees ic ceall,Ieldran gela londwihtas ealswa.Wyrda Web Wist ca,Sihes daga Sian ond giet weore.Wsdomes goda Wstnesmannes,Byrda ond daas Bearnas ond dmasWynn ond w Wte ond lan.

Geca hit eall Geca ingas eall.(repeat)

Translation:Disir I entreat Heros I callAncestors I invite Land wights as well.Wyrd's web Being reveal,Visions of days Sinceand yet wove.Wisdom of gods Desolation of Man,

Births and deaths Children and orlays,Joy and woe Punishment and reward.Reveal it all Reveal things all.

4) The volva goes into trance to communicate with the summonedwights. This trance can vary to light to heavy and depends largelyon what the volva is comfortable with. In many ways, it is no

different than the trance one goes into doing transcendentalmeditation. Most folks find it easiest to go into trance by siting in acomfortable position and then inhaling and exhaling in evenbreathes.

Breathe in through the nose, and slowly out through the lips.However, do not force your breathing to conform to a way that is


32/33

not natural. Hindus and Buddhist have for years used mantras,sounds or words used to aid breathing and slipping into trance. Ifyou find this helps, you may wish to use a rune name or a wordwith some meaning related to the work at hand.

From what I can read inErik the Red's Saga, no possession of thevolva took place. The communication seemed to have been merelyon a telepathic or empathic level. One will also need to train insenses the presence of wights and communicating with them.Unfortunately, this is not easily taught and may be an inborn skill.

5) The audience asks questions. The warders should be careful toinstruct the audience before hand not to ask frivolous questionssuch as what are the winning lotto numbers. Querants should alsobe careful not to call the seer or seeress by name, but refer to themas seer or seeress. Calling a seer or seeress by name can pull themout of trance.

6) The volva comes out of trance and the rite is adjourned.

The volva should eat well the night before and get a full night'srest. We are told inErik the Red's Saga that a feast was served thenight before, and that the volva requested a good nights rest. Ifpossible he or she should carry with them talismans to help themgoing into trance, and communicating with spirits. These talismansor charms could be runic items specially made for the purpose oreven simple trinkets that hold some spiritual meaning.

There is, of course no reason modern sp rites should not continueas they have been pioneered by Diana Paxson and others.However, there is room for more than one way of doing things, andperhaps this alternative will help find new insights into our religionand culture.

Bibliography

Ellis, The Road to Hel, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

Gundarsson, Kveldulf, Spae-Craft, Seir, and Shamanism

Hallaharva, Gunnora, Women and Magic in the Sagas

Jones, GwynEirik the Red and Other Sagas, Oxford UniversityPress, Oxford


33/33

Wodening, Eric, Chanting Around the High Seat, THEOD,Watertown, NY

Documents

spaebook Swain Wodening