Lokadottir - Tumblr Posts

Ah, so I'm not the only one making this oil! 😁

How to make dandelion oil & it’s uses: 

Pick dandelions

Dry them for 2 weeks

Place them in a carrier oil such as almond oil

Store it in a cool dark place for 2+ weeks to steep

Medicinal uses: 

Achy muscles

Skincare

Hair growth

Reduces inflammation

Candle anointing

Magickal uses: 

Sun magick

Psychic abilites

Breaking bad habits

Wishes

Creativity

Abundance

Inspiration

Courage

Dispels negativity

Banishment

Growth & Transformation

@solostinmysea you're the sweetest! 🖤

This really hits a note as, besides Loki, Thor was basically the first Nordic Deity I met "in person" in my practice. I haven't been called by him or whatever, but I know he's there, and tend to call upon him when I need extra protection.

I feel close to the Jötnar and honor them in my practice, yet I understand the delicate balance Thor is part of when he fights them. Hard to explain, just like Nature, but there is a balance.

Hear ye, hear ye, let me tell you how the mighty God Thor came to be.

It was at a time when the remnants of Ymir were scattered and formed the realm known as Midgard. The Trees were growing, the rivers flowing.

Three brothers even formed the first humans out of two types of wood they found in the sand.

And then there was Jörd. Her Hair was like reed, her body full and fertile. Her personality rich and and wild like the landscape around her.

Jörd gave birth to her first and only son and she gave him the name of Thor. Soon he'd join the oldest of the three brothers into Asgard, but until that, he was raised by his mother.

Thor grew up in relative proximity to the humans, who he always observed, trying to understand them.

He saw, that they were plagued by devastating storms, high waves and tides, rock slides and other catastrophies.

Reason for these catastrophies were the Giants, forceful and uncontrollable at that time, sweeping over the land of men.

Young Thor had pity for the mortals, seeing them suffer from the endless amounts of water raining down and mudding and drowning the seed, the waves taking the fishers and amber collectors with them.

It was not long, when he challenged one of them, the Giant named Rigna. For a moment, he was not occupied with letting it rain on the people and the sky cleared and humankind had some relief.

This motivated Thor. In his youthful openness to risk, he charged and tackled Rigna, both falling to the ground, creating an earthquake strong enough to make mountains shiver of fear of breaking apart.

But Thor knew that rain was important to the people and their crops so he withdrew and weakened, the Rain-Giant only gave moderate amounts of the precious drops to the earth.

Thor understood. To bring a balance to the rain and other weathers, he'd have to fight the responsible Giant again and again, weakening them in consequence.

Young Thor did not knew yet, that this could also mean that the Giants could also overwhelm him, still inflicting damage to the lives and possessions of men.

But for the moment the chaotic nature of the Giants was contained. And the young God had found his main task: protecting humankind and regulating the natural forces to make them blessings instead of catastrophies.

So he'd do it not only with the rain, but also with the sea, the air, the soil and the fire. As best as he was able.

Amen to that.

And from a pagan point of view, I do believe anyone who really had the chance to practice with both Loki and Sigyn can tell you how strong their bond is. So it still amazes me that so many people simply won't listen, for the sake of what, narrative? Even in the pagan community from what I hear, which makes it all the worst.

Defender of Sigyn

So we often talk how Sigyn defended and protected Loki. It's in the official sources of Norse mythology, after all.

However, @roruna pointed out to me today the Guttenberg project of Norse mythology; or, The religion of our forefathers, containing all the myths of the Eddas, systematized and interpreted, by Professor R. B. Anderson.

In his work, this scholar ennumerates several of Loki's names and kennings. One of them I had not seen yet, but it warmed my heart to find out about it, and how it totally confirms Loki's GOOD relationship and love for Sigyn (if anyone dared to doubt it *looking at you Marvel, Marvel fans, Joanne Harris, Rick Riordan, Neil Gaiman, Melvin Burgess and the others...*)

That kenning is: "Defender of Sigyn"

In other words, Sigyn protects Loki, and Loki defends Sigyn.

They are a team and they have each other's backs.

Yes, Sigyn is Loki's ride or die, but FOR REASONS. Because he loves her and will defend her if anyone dares to attack her.

Now, I would be SO NICE for the modern writers to stop spreading Marvel's lies, and depict Loki & Sigyn as they are supposed to be : a LOVING pair, who would do anything for each other, and whose bound was much stronger than Gleipnir itself.

Faðir. 🔥

Couldn't forget Loki lol. The center photo was changed after the Ancient Toddler got upset over the "ugly portrait" I was gonna use. SO HE chose this one.

Inn Slægi Ass, sketch

While I believe heathens are free to worship and acknowledge whichever gods and spirits feel right to them within the pantheon, choosing not to worship Loki because you “don’t want to invite chaos” is the height of hubris.

Remember that even Frigg and Odin could not prevent chaos, and remember what happened when they tried.

Chaos, like many things in life, will find you whether you invite it or not, so maybe show it some respect every once in a while x0x

T H I S

"there is no clear evidence of Loki's worship in ancient times"

But stories were told of him - yes?

And did they make people laugh?

Did they make them squirm?

But a hearth stone was carved of him, yes?

Someone's love and time emptied into little mouth stitches and a curly mustache

They imagined him, right?

And someone looked at the sky

Saw Thiazi's eyes

And the old dwarf's toe

And saw the red one, burning bright

And named it Loki -

Right?

Does a lack of worship mean

A lack of love?

What about a million scintillating threads tying the web of stories, great and small?

What about kindling the imagination

Like wildfire

Like dandelion seeds

Blowing across a northern sky

Why does worship not mean

Deeply Beloved?

I am with Them - They are with me

Everyone who once heard a story who heard a story of a god called Loki

And told it to someone who told it someone

Until it got to me. To you. To us. That's worship. That's love to me.

Hello hello hello!

I truly love everything about this. Always nice to find more historical info about our beloved Trickster.

Loki illustration from 17th century Iceland

Huhu... Let's not look at where his hand is... and more at the inscription below...

Yeah. Sigyn is mentionned!!! :p

I don't know what it means though... Anyone has an idea?

Hello hello HELLO

My friend here is on FIRE 🔥

Lokean teachings indeed, as far as my experience goes as well.

As much as freedom can feel lonely sometimes, it's nothing compared to the true, harsh isolation of being caged.

Whoopsie

Know the feeling

But hey, you know... Loki 🔥

As much as freedom can feel lonely sometimes, it's nothing compared to the true, harsh isolation of being caged.

We compare Loki to fire because watching a flame, you witness how truly free it is. Fire is unpredictable, it’s constantly in motion. You never know what it’ll do, where it’s going to go, or where it’s going to stop. You can never know if it’ll grow tall enough to make a building collapse, or if it’ll die down by itself when you press the trigger of a lighter. And still, fire is dancing: it’s bouncy and bright, it feels so alive and joyous. Fire is an enemy, a pest and a troublemaker, but it’s also a friend, especially when you’re freezing to your bones in the cold.

Y'all, Thor is so great. If you need just a solid buddy, he's your guy. We just shot the shit for a while tonight, and it was just lovely. He really gives a shit about us, about humanity. (I mean, protecting us is kinda his Thing™️, after all.) Having spent a little more time with him, I see why he and Loki share so many stories with one another. Neither of them is dumb or weak, but their respective strength and cunning pair really nicely when you wanna get up to some shit. Even if your partner in crime has a slightly different agenda than your own. Add Odin into the mix and you've truly got a sitcom on your hands. Earlier this week I was talking with Thor and Loki together, and Odin just showed up like, "Who the fuck was gonna tell me y'all were hanging out?" What a kooky fucking bunch. I love these dorks. 10/10, would hang out again. ❤️

When I say Loki loves Tom's character, I mean it.

Hail my beloved Faðir 🔥

Hail to you Loki Revealer of Corruption, Speaker of Hard Truths May your presence drain the festering wound Remove the infection from flesh And grant it godly hue once again Sly One, Protector of Those Brave Enough to Speak Out May we speak with unfettered tongues And reveal the hard won truth We hold your torch in our hands

Always love me a feathered Loki - Loptr indeed ✨

Apparently I never posted this Loki piece on here and that is a C R I M E😭 I am so sorry pls forgive me lol

Anyway here’s Loki with Freyja’s falcon cloak

Hail Loki 🌋

Volcanic Eruption l Iceland 2024 (x)

Loki, beloved Faðir

Volcanic Eruption l Iceland l May 2024 (x)

This is so true, based on my personal experience with Seth. And being a Daughter of Loki, I must say it perfectly describes him as well (solar barque aside of course, but you know).

Set As a Champion of Mental Wellness

One of Set’s most prominent domains is that of a Storm God. Ancient Egypt was the most far-reaching civilization known to history, to the point that less time has passed between the life of Cleopatra and the present day than the construction of the Great Pyramid. Ancient Egyptians had archaeologists and engineers to study and repair structures that were already millennia old. For much of its history, life along the Nile was homeostatic and predictable, so much so that Set came to embody all that was disorderly and unexpected.

Think about the scene in the Book of Coming Forth by Day where Set plunges His spear into the throat of Apep. Set is fighting for Ra when He is incapable of defending Himself. During a time of mental crisis, we are not unlike the linen-bound Sokar, our greatest nature suppressed during the nadir of drastic, catalytic transformation. And Who is there for us in our darkest hour but the very Eye of the Storm?

I recently drew a connection between storms and the release of stress hormones during traumatic moments. When we are in a dangerous or intense situation our adrenal glands release a chemical called cortisol which is essentially the “fight-or-flight” hormone. The release of cortisol is meant to ensure our survival until such time that the danger we’re facing passes, much like the role performed by Set on the Solar Barque.

Here’s the funny thing about that: danger always passes and, in that moment, a new kind of self-care is required. There comes a time when our bodies no longer need those stress hormones. Even though they once helped us survive during hardship they inevitably become armor that is otherwise detrimental and must be set aside. Consider that maybe the parts of you that are making life so hard are the remnants of those survival habits and that, even now, they are doing everything they can to keep you safe. They have no awareness that they’re making things worse. The key to healing, then, is loving the parts of you that are trying to kill you.

Set is a many-faced Netjer. The aspect of His nature I’m proposing is but one of many both within and beyond us. Set is simultaneously the tempest, the ship, and the very heart of the sailor. Were He much less than that He would not have been worshiped since before the dawn of the written word. That’s the funny thing about the perception of value: it is most prone to change depending on where we’re standing.

Mental illness is a multifaceted battle fought every single day. Some days offer ceasefires. On others, a violent storm can bring a reprieve. Many days can simply blend into one long continuum. Imagine this as a mountain, if you will, or the long hours of night mentioned in Ancient Egyptian papyri. Regardless of the imagery you choose, the implication remains the same.

This too shall pass.

I write this as I struggle with my own hours of night, from a place where it is easy to feel my prayers go unheard. Set is a bastion of the greatest form of strength – that which is self-begotten. Set is the one Netjer I do not have to pray to during hardship or crisis for one very simple reason: He is already and always there. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in the existence of Set or the Netjeru. What I offer you to take away from this is that no matter who you are or where you find yourself, you possess exactly what you require to take just one more step. That is what recovery and healing are, essentially, just taking one step at a time.

I offer you this lesson much as I offer my experience of it to Set. May it serve you well, my friends.

Dua Set!

Image is credited to Joan Lansberry.

Loki: Child of the Wind and the Witch

Finding aspects of Loki in Finno-Ugric myth

(This is from an article I wrote on my blog in 2022, I have more thoughts on this now that I may write about later such as Loki's connection with traps, rivers and fishing!)

I noticed in the poem Haustlöng that Loki is both referred to as “Fárbauta mög”, son of Fárbauti, and as “barn Öglis”, child of the eagle in stanza 12. We know that he is the son of Fárbauti, a giant who many see as connected to lightning, but let’s look at Hræsvelgur for a bit. Hræsvelgur is “a giant in the shape of an eagle”, the source of all wind and, according to Snorri, is located at the northernmost point of the world. His wing beats send winds over mankind.

Then said Hárr: "That I am well able to tell thee. At the northward end of heaven sits the giant called Hræsvelgr: he has the plumes of an eagle, and when he stretches his wings for flight, then the wind rises from under his wings, as is here said:

Hræsvelgr hight he | who sits at heaven's ending,

Giant in eagle's coat;

From his wings, they say, | the wind cometh

All men-folk over."

- Prose Edda, chapter 18

In stanza 50 of the Völuspá there is mentioned a tawny eagle who screeches and tears up corpses, "...ari hlakkar; slítr nái niðfölur...". To me this sounds like Hræsvelgr, it fits one interpretation of his name at least (corpse-gobbler) .

Let’s now think about the name Fárbauti. Fár means danger or destruction, and in Icelandic a common use of the word is in “Fárviðri” meaning dangerous weather. “Bauti” comes from “bauta”, which means to strike/hit and has the same origin as the word “beat”. As said before, many people interpret his name to mean “dangerous striker” and connect him to lightning, but what if these “dangerous beats” were wing beats that sent forth dangerous weather? If Fárbauti is a kenning for Hræsvelgur, this would explain why Loki is referred to as “the child of the eagle”.

But what about Loki’s mother? Laufey is often translated as “leafy island”, but the Icelandic etymological dictionary suggests a connection to the Finnish underworld goddess Louhi, sometimes conflated with Loviatar.

Her name Nál is also translated as “needle” but the Icelandic Etymological Dictionary suggests it may also be related to the obscure goddess Nehalennia, as well as being connected to the latin word necāre which means "to kill", especially by methods such as poisoning or starvation. The dictionary also makes a suggests a connection to the dwarven names Náli, Náinn and Nár which are likely related to the word nár meaning "corpse" or "dead". If Laufey is related to Loviatar then this origin would definitely be very fitting.

In Finnish mythology Loviatar is impregnated by the wind, which would tie her to Laufey if Fárbauti is indeed Hræsvelgur, the source of wind/stormy weather.

On the fields of sin and sorrow;

Turned her back upon the East-wind,

To the source of stormy weather,

To the chilling winds of morning.

— Kalevala, Rune XLV, from the translation by John Martin Crawford

I also read in this article that a part of Mari (a Finno-Ugric people in Russia) spiritual practices is a ritual where young women make love to the wind. This is all I know and haven't yet found more information on it but it is interesting to see making love to the wind as a positive thing in one Finno-Ugric culture but further West it is something that an "evil underworld witch" does.

Loviatar is also referred to as the mistress of Pohjola, which is “the extreme north”, a dark, terrible place. In Mythologia Fennica she is referred to as the emuu or “ancestor spirit” of wolves, connecting her to Loki’s association with wolves as the father of Fenrir. Impregnated by the wind, Loviatar gives birth to nine children, associated with diseases but one son stood out:

One remained without getting a name, a boy at the bottom of the batch, a mouthless, eyeless brat; afterwards she ordered him away, to the tremendous Rutja rapids, into the fiery foaming surge. From him sharp frosts were bred, from him arose the Syöjätärs, from him the other destroying ones, he begat the sorcerers on lakes, the wizards in every dell, the jealous persons in every place, in the tremendous Rutja rapids, in the fiery foaming surge. - John Abercromby, The pre-and proto-historic Finns : both Eastern and Western, with the magic songs of the West Finns

Syöjätärs are kind of Baba Yaga-like troll women.This myth has a resemblance to the last part of the 12th stanza in Völuspá hin Skamma, where it is said that Loki is the origin of all monsters or “troll women”.

Varð Loftr kviðugr

af konu illri;

þaðan er á foldu

flagð hvert komit.

Translation:

(With child from the woman | Lopt soon was,

There hence on earth | came the monsters all.)

Flagð here is translated as “monsters” but it is more commonly used as a word for witches or troll women.

Norse mythology is a shamble of many different tales and myths from different cultures, it wouldn't surprise me if aspects of Loki can be found in Finnish myths and folklore.

I want to preface this next part by saying that I have not studied etymology on an academic level, but I do know that Norse and Finnic people borrowed words from each other (f.x. the Norther-Sámi word siedi, which means "sacred offering site/offering stone" is borrowed from Norse seiðr).

If Loki is actually Lóðurr, and there is some evidence he is (Haukur Þorgeirsson of the University of Iceland writes about it here), then Loki is also responsible for the creation of man according to Norse myth. The Finnish luoda (“to create”, from Proto-Finnic *loodak which means "to create" or "cast/throw") sounds like it could be connected to Lóður, however Lóður is thought possiby derive from Icelandic lóð meaning "growth or product/yield". I still find it interesting that another Icelandic verb, afkasta ("profit, yield") has connections to throwing, clearly throwing and creating are sometimes linked concepts.

I also found out that from *loodak comes the word luopa "renounce/abandone" and luopio which means “traitor”. These words are likely derived from the "casting" definition of *loodak and to me sound eerily like Loptur but could be a bit of a stretch as well.

The word I find most interesting though is the Finnish word loukko. The general consensus regarding the name Loki is that it is most likely from "loka" which means to shut or open, also “lok” which is "ending" (same root as the english word “lock”). However, loukko (hole, hollow, inside corner, pit) from Proto-Uralic *lowkke (“hole, opening, cavity, hollow”) attracts my attention because of the aforementioned meaning of Loviatar's name which is made up of lovi ("cleft" or "hole") and -tar (feminine suffix). The Finnish way of saying "falling into a trance" is "langeta loveen, literally "falling into lovi, falling into a cleft".

This phrase, falling into a cleft, refers to cracks in stone being gateways to the underworld in Finnish-Karerlian shamanistic folklore. Antti Lahelma writes about cracks in painted/carved rock faces being gateways to the Underworld as a phenomenon attested cross-culturally. On the rocks by the lake Onega in northwestern Russia there are images of swans entering or emerging from cracks in the rock, Lehman writes that this could represent the soul of a shaman or dead person passing between this world and the Underworld. In their article Liminality, Rock Art and the Sami Sacred Landscape, Inga-Maria Mulk and Tim Bayliss-Smith suggest that Badjelánnda rock art site in northern Sweden should be seen as a Sámi gateway to the Underworld. They also write that water seeping out of cracks in these smooth, south-facing black rocks represented new souls returning to the Middle World. According to Russian scholar Vladimir Napolskikh's constructed ‘map’ of Proto-Uralic cosmology (see image below), the Underworld or Lower World is associated with North, the river mouth, cold sea and subterranea.

(Vladimir Napolskikh 1992)

Photo of a plaster cast of a swan carving in Besov Nos.

Migratory water-birds such as swans, geese and ducks were birds of the Upper World, but the birds of the Lower World were loons. These birds often feature in Earth-Diver myths and Napolskikh writes that in some versions it is the loon (or someone who transforms into a loon) that dives to the bottom of the sea and fetches the earth that land shall be made of. However, in some myths the loon is the unsuccessful rival of another creature (often a duck) which does manage to fetch earth, sometimes the loon is even a form of the Devil.

An interesting theme that can be found in some versions is the Devil/loon/second bird using part of the earth to create the land as well. This is sometimes a team effort between the two creators but sometimes the Devil/loon/second bird deceitfully conceals a part of the earth in it's beak/hands and either deliberately or accidentally creates it's own parts of the world. One myth I find particularly interesting features the Devil demanding a small piece of earth and from the resulting hole emerge all kinds of vermin. Here we see some familiar concepts; A creator, a hole or gap, a traitor, an originator of undesirable creatures. Lóðurr, Loki, Loptur?

Probably the most compelling evidence that suggests that Loki is connected to loons can be found in An Account of the Sámi by Johan Turi. He writes about the loon being a noaidi bird (i.e. associated with Sámi shamanic workers) and being able to foretell changes in the weather. Most remarkable however, is that the beaks of the red-throated loon were used "in the olden times" to make weapons like arrows and it was believed that such weapons are the only things that can kill people that have been enchanted to resist arrows. This reminds me of the mistletoe that kills Baldur as well as Loki’s weapon Lævateinn/Hævateinn which is the only weapon that can kill the rooster Viðófnir.

Thinking of all of his names and these words fills my head with repeating sounds, Lou Lo Ló Low Loo. This reminds me of the sound of the Sámi joik or luohti, a kind of singing which is sometimes done in a shamanic context. Not necessarily related, I just wanted to add this in.

This whole thing might be me just grasping for straws, but I strongly believe that the myth of Loki is tied to something deep. Is Loki the howling sound of the wind passing through cracks and clefts in stone? A being that dives into the Underworld? A cunning magician with loon-beak arrows?

Ghost Riders in the Sky...

two fellows going places where they probably shouldnt go on a horse with too many legs