The Old Norse Goddess of Initiation

From Stone Age shamanism through Bronze Age Sun worship and Sacred Marriage, the Great Goddess Freyia evolved into the great Regeneratrix of the Vikings who sought initiation and resurrection through a deadly journey through the Underworld that would lead to union with the Origin of All Souls, goddess of the cosmic ocean from which the universe was birthed. Based on my book "The Maiden with the Mead - a Goddess of Initiation in Old Norse Myths".
My thesis is available at the University of Oslo library and as an ebook: @Germania7 My thesis is available at the University of Oslo (2004) where it was accepted and my theories said to have been proven correct by my examinators, it may be read as an e-book here: http://www.duo.uio.no/sok/work.html?WORKID=18497.
All drawn art in this movie is copied from Scandinavian Stone Age, Bronze Age and Viking Age rock art, engravings and sculpture (by me).
Music by Ehwaz, a group that is (sadly) dissolved. Thanks to the musicians of late Ehwaz for attempting to revive Old Norse musical styles: Embla Maria Franz (voice, violin, flutes and percussions), Gustav Holberg (Voice, violin, flutes and percussions), Thomas Kvilhaug (voice, bass, guitar and percussions), John Gunnar Brynjulvsrud (voice, jews harp, kantele, Lótar and percussions), Kjell Øyvind Braaten (voice, ballafon, gambri, bass, guitar and percussions). The songs are: Skumringsdrøm, Vi Riden Så, Gwerin, Vinda, from the albums "Den siste Ulvejakta" and "Ehwaz".

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• Pagan
• paganism
• goddess
• sun goddess
• sol
• bronze age
• rock carvings
• scandinavia
• old norse
• freya
• odin
• viking age
• iron age
• shaman
• sacrifice
• human sacrifice
• shamanism
• great goddess
• mythology
• initiation

[CelticValdyr]

So much is lost to us due to time, malice and fire that we may never know the true way of our ancestors. I know though that Odinn is a late-comer, Goth in origin, spreading North to an already established religion. Since he is the first mortal to achieve initiation, and such a central theme in your thesis attached to Freyja, it does not explain beliefs prior to the 9th century. Which hero in those days had begun the journey? Why did Sunna become sister to Manni, if indeed she is Freyja?

[LadyoftheLabyrinth]

@CelticValdyr I happen to think that mythology, like language, changes over time.Family relations among deities are not set "facts" but reflect the associations/connections between them made by people. Mythology is made by people.That is why they always change and that is why the source material is so varied. All gods and goddesses mean different things to different people and cultures across time and space. Pantheism was an essential concept to initiation mysteries, names of gods are metaphors.

[LadyoftheLabyrinth]

@LadyoftheLabyrinth The metaphorical nature of myth is essential to understanding the Poetic Edda. The Edda poems are parables. Gods and goddesses that were worshipped among the people were used to convey spiritual messages by the poets. It is the nature of Norse mythology and poetry to be metaphorical, hiding truths behind words. The Poetic Edda does not describe the entire Norse religion, it is the testimony of the initiated, and the tradition behind is age-old. Odinn is older than the goths..

[UnoRaza]

Is it possible @ 05:33 the 'fake death' ritual for a trance was designed to trigger an 'enlightenment' experience while still alive?

It's more like a re-birth and seeing a "warrior" go through that transformation will always be interesting.

Do you happen to know if they made a connection with bravery to 'visits' by the Goddess? Thanks again!

[LadyoftheLabyrinth]

@UnoRaza Indeed it was technique to achieve enlightenment, and yes, having no fear was crucial to those who wished to be received by the kind maiden aspect of the Goddess. I talk about those things in my "Hidden Knowledge in old Norse Myths series", especially in the last seven videos in that series!

[LadyoftheLabyrinth]

@Germania7 My thesis is available at the University of Oslo (2004) where it was accepted and my theories said to have been proven correct by my examinators, it may be borrowed or read as an ebook through the UIO.no library. I blocked you by the way because of the vagina comment, I shall only have continued disputes with people who are able to come up with intelligent arguments, obviously you just get personally frantic by the idea of a female on the top shelf in any community.

[sln1987]

I love the music you use in these videos. I have even tried to find the EhwaZ CD's or MP3's with no luck. It is a shame, the music is beautiful.

[angelaura1226]

beautiful...thank you

BB

[BlueAquaMarina]

How amazing!! Thank you my dear!!

[TheOdinMysteries]

@CelticValdyr I see! :) Her name Freya just means "Lady Sovereign" and is a title, like the Indian Mahadevi. A goddess was worshipped by that title during the Viking Age.Before that I think earlier Iron Age candidates for the pantheist great goddess may have been Nehallennia and Nerthus in some parts of Northern Europe, and during the Bronze Age Sól had that position in Scandinavia In a polytheist religion with pantheist sub-religions the deity representing the Supreme Being may vary over time.

[CelticValdyr]

@LadyoftheLabyrinth I agree that religion and myths that support them evolve. It may seem that I am arguing over surface details like family relations or names, but I am actually arguing over the core concepts expressed by the wisest of the people at the time, in whichever century and location they roamed. The family associations and other details are vital and reflections of those underlying concepts, which have evolved. What I am trying to see clearly is when your version of Freyja emerged.

[CelticValdyr]

The Sun is indeed central to religion, and is truly the source of almost all things in this solar system, but she is not the only child of light. The ancients knew this just as they knew mother night, brother moon, father sky, mother earth and the sacred blood in paleolithic times. Duality, opposition, triple-aspects and the eternal flow are ancient. The one Goddess in command of wisdom, ecstasy and death is not quite as ancient. She may know the secrets, but she was born of older forces.

[CelticValdyr]

It is very difficult to argue against, but some ideas are not ringing true. For example, the symbol of the snake, associated with the goddess of death, may be associated with wisdom in so far as it is a foe that must be conquered in order to claim a draught of the well. However, I do not ever see humankind viewing the snake, on its own, as a positive symbol especially from our earliest times when we left the forest to travel the plains. I know, it seems trivial, but many streams feed a river.