Some photos I took at the Avebury stone circle. The circle is huge, being 1.3km in circumference, the village of Avebury being partly built inside the circle. Christians not only built a chapel inside the circle but smashed up many of the standing stones to construct it. One of the main roads that runs through the circle is the Herepath, from the OE here-pæð or military path. These paths were used by English soldiers as paths between burh's in the wars against the Danes.
As you can see from the photos above, some of the stone are tall and slender whilst others are rounder. The taller stones are referred to as 'male' stones and the rounder ones as 'female' stones.
Another example of where christianity attempted to assert their religion. The Knowlton church, Wimborne in Dorset sits inside a Neolithic ritual henge earthwork which likely remained in use until the conversion of the local population. It now lies in ruin, a symbol of christianity's decline. Ironically the number of folk who follow paganism is once again on the rise.
Forwarded from Stiðen Āc Heorð
Two 12th century murals from the Schleswig cathedral, Germany. The first figure has characteristics we associate with Frīg who can be seen flying on her broom (or distaff). The second figure riding a cat and blowing a horn could depict the goddess Freya.
The Norse word vǫlva is connected to the vǫlr, the staff used by the seeress. The English word was Hellruna / Helleruna or one who counsels (rūna) with the underworld. In English lore the staff of the Hellruna was often made of Hawthorn, hence a connection between words such as hægðorn (hawthorn) and hægtesse (witch).
Forwarded from Stiðen Āc Heorð
Hymn to Woden
- William Lisle Bowles (24 September 1762 – 7 April 1850).
God of the battle, hear our prayer!
By the lifted falchion's glare;
By the uncouth fane sublime,
Marked with many a Runic rhyme;
By the 'weird sisters' dread,
That, posting through the battle red,
Choose the slain, and with them go
To Valhalla's halls below,
Where the phantom-chiefs prolong
Their echoing feast, a giant throng,
And their dreadful beverage drain
From the skulls of warriors slain:
God of the battle, hear our prayer;
And may we thy banquet share!
Save us, god, from slow disease;
From pains that the brave spirit freeze;
From the burning fever's rage;
From wailings of unhonoured age,
Drawing painful his last breath;
Give us in the battle death!
Let us lift our glittering shield,
And perish, perish in the field!
Now o'er Cumri's hills of snow
To death, or victory, we go;
Hark! the chiefs their cars prepare;
See! they bind their yellow hair;
Frenzy flashes from their eye,
They fly--our foes before them fly!
Woden, in thy empire drear,
Thou the groans of death dost hear,
And welcome to thy dusky hall
Those that for their country fall!
Hail, all hail the godlike train,
That with thee the goblet drain;
Or with many a huge compeer,
Lift, as erst, the shadowy spear!
Whilst Hela's inmost caverns dread
Echo to their giant tread,
And ten thousand thousand shields
Flash lightning o'er the glimmering fields!
Hark! the battle-shouts begin--
Louder sounds the glorious din:
Louder than the ice's roar,
Bursting on the thawing shore;
Or crashing pines that strew the plain,
When the whirlwinds hurl the main!
Riding through the death-field red,
And singling fast the destined dead,
See the fatal sisters fly!
Now my throbbing breast beats high--
Now I urge my panting steed,
Where the foemen thickest bleed.
Soon exulting I shall go,
Woden, to thy halls below;
Or o'er the victims, as they die,
Chant the song of Victory!
- William Lisle Bowles (24 September 1762 – 7 April 1850).
God of the battle, hear our prayer!
By the lifted falchion's glare;
By the uncouth fane sublime,
Marked with many a Runic rhyme;
By the 'weird sisters' dread,
That, posting through the battle red,
Choose the slain, and with them go
To Valhalla's halls below,
Where the phantom-chiefs prolong
Their echoing feast, a giant throng,
And their dreadful beverage drain
From the skulls of warriors slain:
God of the battle, hear our prayer;
And may we thy banquet share!
Save us, god, from slow disease;
From pains that the brave spirit freeze;
From the burning fever's rage;
From wailings of unhonoured age,
Drawing painful his last breath;
Give us in the battle death!
Let us lift our glittering shield,
And perish, perish in the field!
Now o'er Cumri's hills of snow
To death, or victory, we go;
Hark! the chiefs their cars prepare;
See! they bind their yellow hair;
Frenzy flashes from their eye,
They fly--our foes before them fly!
Woden, in thy empire drear,
Thou the groans of death dost hear,
And welcome to thy dusky hall
Those that for their country fall!
Hail, all hail the godlike train,
That with thee the goblet drain;
Or with many a huge compeer,
Lift, as erst, the shadowy spear!
Whilst Hela's inmost caverns dread
Echo to their giant tread,
And ten thousand thousand shields
Flash lightning o'er the glimmering fields!
Hark! the battle-shouts begin--
Louder sounds the glorious din:
Louder than the ice's roar,
Bursting on the thawing shore;
Or crashing pines that strew the plain,
When the whirlwinds hurl the main!
Riding through the death-field red,
And singling fast the destined dead,
See the fatal sisters fly!
Now my throbbing breast beats high--
Now I urge my panting steed,
Where the foemen thickest bleed.
Soon exulting I shall go,
Woden, to thy halls below;
Or o'er the victims, as they die,
Chant the song of Victory!
Ēostre the dawn goddess has the suffix ‘stre’ in her name which denotes she holds sway over the dawn (indicted by the prefix ‘eost’ or east). This is likely the dawning of spring, the coming new year of greenery and regeneration. We can attribute the daily dawn to Dellingr. ‘Delling’s door’, which appears in the Hávamál and Hervarar’s saga seems to be a kenning for the rising sun, but this shouldn’t be a surprise as Dellingr is the father of Day.
Wessex Nomad mentions in his post here how Sunne is represented as a sun god and not as a goddess. The sculptor of both the Thunor and Sunne statues (housed at the V&A museum) was John Michael Rysbrack. Thunor and Sunne where part of a series of seven statues representing the Anglo Saxon gods who gave their names to the days of the week. Mona, Tiw, Woden, Frig and Sætere sculptures can still be found at Stowe Gardens, Buckinghamshire.
Rysbrack took his inspiration from artist Richard Verstegan (1550-1640) who in 1605 produced an etched engraving of the Saxon gods. It was his work that was used as the bases for much of the imagery associated with the gods throughout the Georgian era, including his impression of the largely unknown god Krodo. Not only was his art the inspiration for Rysbrack’s sculptures but William Burges’ stained glass windows (each of the same gods) which can be seen at Cardiff castle in Wales.
Rysbrack took his inspiration from artist Richard Verstegan (1550-1640) who in 1605 produced an etched engraving of the Saxon gods. It was his work that was used as the bases for much of the imagery associated with the gods throughout the Georgian era, including his impression of the largely unknown god Krodo. Not only was his art the inspiration for Rysbrack’s sculptures but William Burges’ stained glass windows (each of the same gods) which can be seen at Cardiff castle in Wales.
Forwarded from ᛉ Sagnamaðr Stark ᛉ
A tiny early Anglo Saxon gilt bronze mount, with a spiral swastika surrounded by four Salin I-style animal legs. Found in Suffolk, 5-7th Century. 𖥹