Norse Paganism - Tumblr Posts
Top Recommendations for Norse Pagans that aren’t Problematic.
There is a lot of books by people who are racist and part of far right side of Heathenry and I’m going to try my best and list the books I have that helped me on my path that isn’t problematic and have questionable intentions. Books and YouTube channels.
Anglo Saxon Socerery and Magic by Alaric Albertson. He is very knowledgeable in his work and path especially on runes which includes the rune poem to make your own interpretation and witchcraft side of things. He even talks about the Elves which I appreciate because not a lot of Norse authors talk about them. It’s more Germanic than Norse but I can’t see any problem adopting certain aspects since they are very similar. I will say he does take himself a bit serious at times but his information is so good and worthwhile. I have not read his first book on Travels through middle earth but it focus on more the pagan side.
Poetic Edda and Prose Edda: it’s what every Norse pagan needs. It’s the foundation of Norse paganism not bibles but myths and tales that can help along our journey. There is tons of translations, but my favorites are Dr. Jackson Crawford Poetic Edda and Anthony Fawkes Prose Edda. But look into other sagas as well like Volsung which Dr Jackson Crawford also wrote about.
Beowulf. More of a Germanic tale but again includes it has roots of Germanic sorcery, traditions, religion like the concept of Wyrd (Fate), the runes, and values within his society like loyalty and mythical creatures. Again there is many translations even Jrr Tolkien did a incompleted version of Beowulf but I think Tom Shippey finished that version I could be wrong. Nonetheless explore more than one, the oneI have is by Seamus Heaney.
Grimm Fairy Tales this mostly German Folklore but it’s still quite important to learn about in German folk magic, creatures and entities in German folklore tends to be very real to the practitioner in their spellwork.
The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith a very progressive outlook in Norse paganism, he talks about creating communities in Norse paganism and calling out and denouncing Nazis in the community how Norse Paganism is inclusive and how to be open to all types of people. But he has a beginner approach to the deities, beliefs, values within Norse paganism.
Look into a lot of academic sources that’s where you will find a lot of information on Norse paganism and religions.
Tacitus Germania - A Roman historian talking about the Germanic tribes their culture and customs.
Saxo Grammaticus history of the Danes
The Viking Way by Neil Price it goes good in depths about magic in Scandinavia like Seidh
Dictionary of Norse Mythology a quick guide to northern myths, if you are trying to find a specific god and you don’t have time to look up in a book it’s in there with great information to each one.
Children of Ask and Elm: History of Vikings by Neil Price on Scandinavian culture during the Viking age
Some YouTube Channels
The Norse Witch: Bente lives in Germany and their channel encompasses all of Norse paganism more around magic. They do interviews with other Norse witches of folk magic like Icelandic and Danish. Even gives good book recommendations and advice on general spellwork as well!.
Dr Jackson Crawford he is an author but he also has a YouTube channel. He was a professor in Colorado on Norse culture, mythology, and language and now is a full time YouTuber. He did a series of videos on the runes which are more historically accurate. Discusses the myths and the language and what do they mean. Jackson Crawford isn’t a Norse pagan nor he doesn’t care if you are one but just letting you know he isn’t coming from a pagan perspective.
The Welsh Viking also like Jackson Crawford but still has really great knowledge on Viking culture.
De Spökenkyker who is a channel that focus on German Folk magic living in Germany who is a practicing German Folk Witch.
Please feel free to add on any recommendations that are helpful and useful to the Norse pagan Community!
💐 Subtle Freyja Worship 💕
Honor passed ancestors/loved ones; learn about your family history
Keep a self-care/self-love journal
Show yourself the same kindness you give to others
Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)
Keep a picture of her in your wallet
Wear jewelry that reminds you of her
Wear perfumes/colognes that remind you of her
Have a stuffed animal boar, cat, or falcon/bird of prey
Practice standing up for yourself and others; stand up for what you believe in
Have imagery of love, wings, or cats around
If you have a cat (or any pet), play with them
Assert your personal boundaries; learn what your boundaries are
Volunteer at an animal shelter, especially a cat shelter
Drink herbal tea, and add honey to it; drink something comforting
Feed neighborhood cats or birds (or dogs)
Support women's rights or SA survivor organizations
Practice discreet witchcraft or learn non-obvious divination methods (cartomancy, pyromancy, carromancy, etc.)
Express yourself in little ways, if you can't be open; a bracelet to represent your gender, pride flag colored shoelaces, etc.
Take a self-care/self-love bath, especially with flower petals (ensure they're safe first!!!)
Buy a bouquet of flowers, for yourself or a loved one
If you have a partner, do something nice or romantic for them; a date somewhere they like, surprise gifts, spending time with them, etc.
Give compliments to strangers; give compliments to yourself
Practice self-acceptance
Make a list of positive traits you have as well as points of pride
Take a hike/walk out in nature
Try to see the beauty in the world around you; notice the beauty in the little things
Spend time with your loved ones
Cook a good meal for yourself or loved ones
Take care of yourself physically and emotionally
Start a skin/body care routine
Start a flower garden; tend to plants
Eat your favorite candy
Be gentle with yourself when you're having a difficult time
Meditate to the sounds of nature or flowing water; be comfortable with your own presence
-
May add more later on! This is my list of discreet ways to worship Freyja. Take care, everyone, and I hope this helps! 🩷
Link to my Subtle Worship Master list
Pagan Holiday Ritual Template (Simple)
What is a ritual?
According to my definition and understanding, a ritual is simply a religious/spiritual celebration or the fancy word for a spiritual work. What makes it special is its structure and mixture of verbal and physical acts.
1.) Preparing the space
Both physical and spiritual cleaning should be done before a ritual. We are supposed to feel safe and relaxed in the place where we are going to perform a ritual. I believe it is pretty obvious how physical cleaning is performed (vacuuming the floor, wiping dust etc.). However, spiritual cleaning, that is cleansing is usually done by sprinkling some salt, or (salty) water or it is done by going around with an incense a.k.a smoke cleansing - my favourite. There are some other ways too, but these are the most common ones. The goal of cleansing is to remove any unwanted energies from the space. When it comes to my experience, since I perform my rituals at my home, I actually do not have a problem with negative energies but I still do the spiritual cleansing because it sets me in the mood for a ritual. If I am outdoors, however, then I usually leave some small offering for the natural world instead of cleansing, because I believe that the nature is actually pure in that sense.
2.) Self-cleansing
As we prepare our space, we also have to prepare ourselves for the ritual. This can be done by taking a shower or a bath, smoke cleansing, short meditation, short walk in nature etc. After this, we are supposed to be mentally and physically ready for what is to come.
3.) Drawing a sacred circle
Although this practice comes from Ceremonial Magic and Wicca, I like to use it as a part of my ritual structure. A sacred circle is supposed to be an energetic barrier, a ward that blocks unwanted energies and a place where wanted energies easily stay. From my point of view, a sacred circle is simply a border of my sacred space - as churches, mosques etc. have walls which determine a holy and special place in them, I have the sacred circle. The circle also reminds me on Stonehenge or a forest grove, so that is one reason more why I like to use it in my spiritual practice.
4.) Invocation
The word invocation comes from the Latin verb invocare, which means "to call on", "to beg for", "to cite". In this part deities, ancestors and the other beings could be invited to join the ritual. When I say "invite", I must say that so far I have never experienced anything supernatural (nor I have such expectations - at least not anymore) but this step is important for me because I believe that deities and ancestors are going to pay much more attention to me and to what I am going to say. I also like the gest of acknowledging that they are welcome in my sacred and special place.
5.) Celebration
This part of a ritual is what could be called a classic religious celebration. At this stage I usually firstly pray to the deities and my ancestors, then I put on some appropriate music, I contemplate about things that are related to the holiday I am celebrating, I do some divination etc. It is my favourite part of a ritual because it is the most informal - I can freely enjoy in all the beauty of my pagan path and practice.
6.) Feast
The Feast is a part of the ritual where food and drink is being consumed in deities' or someone else's honor. This is the time for the offerings.
7.) Closing
This is the end of a ritual. A farewell is bid to the deities, ancestors and the other beings, if they were called, and the sacred circle is being closed.
Note: This template is how I do my rituals. Not everyone's rituals must or should look like this - that is mostly why I wrote a lot of my thoughts and experiences, to maintain the subjectivity of this template. I hope some of you will find it useful for your spiritual/religious practice.
I’m so FUCKING sick of how Marvel’s dumb ass version of Thor is accepted as an undeniable truth when Marvel does such a poor job showcasing Thor accurately. Marvel Thor and Thor From Norse Polytheism are so different.
My English teacher had us watch Marvel’s Thor that way we could compare and contrast Thor and Beowulf. I did that. She wanted us to compare and contrast Marvel Thor with Beowulf. I compared and contrasted Norse God Thor with Beowulf instead. I’ll probably be in trouble for not following directions, but I don’t care. I will not spread misinformation on Thor by writing how Marvel portrays him.
Someone asked a good question yesterday that got me thinking: why are some mythologies more “mainstream” than others? Where I’m from, everyone knows at least a couple things about the Egyptian, Norse, and Greek (and sometimes Roman) pantheons, but no one’s ever discussed those of East Asia, or South America, for example.
My theory: Eurocentrism and colonialism.
Egypt, Greece, and Rome all have some relevant proximity to the history of Christianity. Egypt features prominently in the Exodus, and Greece and Rome were important cultural shapers in the time of Jesus and Paul. When Christianity spread and gained the force of empire through Constantine and others and spread up through Europe, it dominated nearly all the local traditions in its wake. This domination continued through the European colonization of the Americas, Africa, India, and others -- history is written by the colonizers, so it makes sense that the prominent revival pantheons among European-descended pagans aren’t those of the conquered people but those of their own people (Norse) and those that are “necessary” to provide historical weight to Christianity.
Completely conjecture, but this was interesting to think about today.
That’s really interesting and something I hadn’t thought of; pagan traditions based on the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Norse pantheons really are solely revival traditions. It seems strange to me that those traditions that are still in practice would be the ones to be overlooked. I mean, there are LIVING PEOPLE that we can learn from and we (by we I mean a lot of European-descended people, myself included) choose the religions that have been in dormancy for centuries... it’s like we needed one more way to assert colonial dominance: not letting people of color be the experts or owners of any of our religions....
That went a little into rant territory, but your point is very well taken.
Someone asked a good question yesterday that got me thinking: why are some mythologies more “mainstream” than others? Where I’m from, everyone knows at least a couple things about the Egyptian, Norse, and Greek (and sometimes Roman) pantheons, but no one’s ever discussed those of East Asia, or South America, for example.
My theory: Eurocentrism and colonialism.
Egypt, Greece, and Rome all have some relevant proximity to the history of Christianity. Egypt features prominently in the Exodus, and Greece and Rome were important cultural shapers in the time of Jesus and Paul. When Christianity spread and gained the force of empire through Constantine and others and spread up through Europe, it dominated nearly all the local traditions in its wake. This domination continued through the European colonization of the Americas, Africa, India, and others – history is written by the colonizers, so it makes sense that the prominent revival pantheons among European-descended pagans aren’t those of the conquered people but those of their own people (Norse) and those that are “necessary” to provide historical weight to Christianity.
Completely conjecture, but this was interesting to think about today.
Hey, I was @Skolllovesy but I got my shit deactivated somehow :/
Just like the post states, Disney has NO RIGHT to trademark these names that DO NOT belong to them. MORE SO as they only have interest in making MONEY from doing so. I am not a religious person, but I have enough respect and understanding to know when a culture is being DISGRACED for, what? Money?
So FUCK DISNEY.
YES, they have been a part of most peoples childhoods. YES, they are a part of history itself, BUT what they are doing now is unacceptable and inconsiderate of those before us and those who still believe in this religion that’s been around WAY BEFORE Disney.
Disney has trademarked the names of a bunch of Norse gods.
This is not okay.
These gods do not belong to Disney. They do not belong to Marvel. They belong to themselves and themselves alone, along with all those who worship them as the deities they are.
Thor, Loki, Odin, etc., these gods were not thought up by anyone at Disney or Marvel.
Stan Lee knew how sacred these gods are to those who follow many different Pagan traditions, how sacred they are to Scandinavian cultures to whom they are so important.
My best friend follows the Norse gods. She will be so bloody offended when she finds out about this. These are her gods, this is her religion. These are the deities she worships, the gods she prays to, the traditions she follows. She enjoys the Marvel portrayals of these characters, but they are separate from the gods she believes in.
Disney is stepping on her religion in an effort to gain more and more money.
Stan Lee did not trademark these names. He understood their importance and their sacred meaning. He was respectful enough not to do this.
These names are not the intellectual property of anyone. Neither the original names in runes nor the anglicised names that are used in Marvel's works.
They were around well before us (a whole ass millennium before us), and they will be around well after the greedy bastards who have decided to trademark religious symbols are dust.
It should be common sense and common courtesy not to trademark the names of religious figures, which all of these gods and goddesses are, even if you do not believe in them.
mod is not christian but you would never see me trademark jesus ffs it crosses a Line
If you agree, please sign and share the petition. If you can, please chip in to get this petition everywhere it can possibly go.
It is f**king disgusting that Disney is doing this.
It needs to stop.
Oh, and one more thing.
FUCK DISNEY.
i want to throw up ive included a bunch of tags trying to get the norse pagans attention bc im sure they'll want in on this if u have an in with the norse paganism community on tumblr pls do tag everyone u can
im wondering now if they've done this to the greek gods too ughh that would show even more of a disregard for other people's religious views and past people's religious views ughhhh ok imma go look at the toilet bowl for a bit 😅pls sign it'd mean the world to me
Things that have helped me feel closer to my deities:
Praying before their altars (bonus points if you write your own)
Read books other than their myths (books you think they’d enjoy themselves)
Meditating with them
Learn about magickal subjects related to them
Dedicate a journal for notes and document experiences you have with that deity (including moments where they’ve assisted you and any divination conversations you’ve had with them)
Listen to their messages and follow through with them
Light incense that reminds you of them
Find artwork that feels like that deity and hang, print or save them
Divination Methods (Runes, Tarot, Pendulums, Bone Throwing, etc.)
Watch content on different subjects they’re related to (documentaries on death, relationships, crime, etc.)
Dedicate, care, and/or name pets, plants, plushies, etc to them
Learn not just their pantheon and myths but the culture that influenced them
Wear jewelry dedicated to them (bonus if you have that deity enchant them with protection)
Share meals with them
Thinking of them in passing (like “hey that thing reminds me of *insert deity*”)
Talk casually at their altars and give them an itinerary of your day
Define your relationship with that deity and refer to them accordingly (if its a more formal/in reverence, use a formal title. if it’s warm/personal, use an affectionate name.)
I feel like when people get into deity work, deity worship or anything deity related we all kinda think that we NEED to communicate with them, we NEED to do tarot cards with them, we NEED to reach out and actively work with them. But I feel like that's not it. Yes, you can communicate with them if you and them want to. Yes, you can do tarot cards with them. Yes, you can actively work with them, but you don't HAVE to. I think you can also just light their candle, give them an offering and just spend 20 minutes or however long you want listening to music with them and just chatting to them about whatever is on your mind and they won't mind it. Because you are putting in the effort and your time to be with them even if it's not doing any of the things you see a lot of pagans and witches do on tiktok.
Being so afraid of being wrong that you can’t move is actually the worst thing you could do for your practice.
You aren’t imposing on anyone.
You aren’t insulting the Gods. Arguably, you don’t actually know what would be considered insulting unless you’ve actually asked Them.
You’re not going to be beaten up and told you are the worst devotee ever.
You aren’t going to be told by any Deity you are morally imbalanced or impure.
The only thing the Gods are actually concerned with is the ability to get you to listen to Them which means peeling away layers and layers of trauma, biases, and patterns that take you away from Them. They would not forcibly remove you from Their attentions just because you wanted to try something new or do something that no one else is doing.
The ultimate goal of any Divine relationship for either side should always be to draw nearer to Them, not be pushed away because your discernment is inaccurate while you are learning.
had already sent this to a mutual of mine but i thought this might be helpful for anyone else who may need it
it’s a tarot spread on how to know what deities are trying to reach out with you and why, works like a charm i swear
have a good night everyone!
-star <3
I just appreciate my deities so much. I have been so exhausted recently, and they are so gentle and understanding with me. It's interesting, as someone who grew up feeling intensely lonely, and now realizing as I am older that I am never alone when my deities are with me. They are ever-loving, unconditionally caring. I don't need to worry about upsetting them, or losing them, or being abandoned by them; they are forces and presences that I can always look up to and know that they are there for me. I am protected, loved, and I am so grateful for my deities in my life for reaching out to me and guiding me. Their lessons mean so much to me and I'm so happy to be able to spread their love and stories through my own writing.
Got a big ask for the Lokeans
what do you guys do for altars? i’m pretty new to all of this, but i would like to do some kind of altar to Loki. what do you guys use for that? then what do you do with the offerings? do you keep them there indefinitely, or do you burn them as they did years ago? as i said, i’m pretty new. i’m just trying to figure it out right now
this morning my mind kept wandering with my imagination, and I swear I kept feeling Loki mentally poking me, basically saying “hey, I’m still here too” poke “hey” poke. I started getting annoyed and I’m pretty sure he was amused at my annoyance because I kept of my getting drawn back into reality
guys i did a tiny bit of shopping today and i got three candles to burn whenever i pray to Loki.
i am honestly so excited because i haven’t gotten into a store for weeks and i’ve been wanting to get into one for candles
edit: i just remembered that the number 3 is often associated with Loki. the fact that it worked out that well is just perfect
I’ve seen a bunch of random posts saying “your offerings to Loki don’t have to be big or fancy, they can be small and simple he knows and understands😊”
Well uh, that’s cool and all, but here’s the thing… Before I even had an altar for him, my first offering/sacrifice to Loki was ah… my soul. I swore an oath to serve him, to pledge my life and soul to him, even for when I enter the afterlife(wherever the heck I’m going)
I have yet to truly regret my oath
Moodboard offering for Gerd 🏔️💙🫶🏼🦋
Moodboard altar for Loki 🐍♥️