This captivating book takes you deep into the infamous legacy of Loki and his wife Sigyn. As a controversial and misunderstood figure in Heathenry, Loki is often approached with trepidation. But this book introduces you to his true self: a trickster, but a devoted husband and creative problem-solver, too. You'll also learn about Sigyn, the often forgotten goddess of loyalty and compassion.Join Heathen author Lea Svendsen on a rich exploration of these two Norse deities, together and separate. Discover their adventures in parenthood, their complicated relationships with other gods, and the entertaining exploits that only a trickster can accomplish. Learn how to set up an altar to each of them, what offerings they like, and how to perform rituals. You'll also find insights on Loki and Sigyn from Pagan and Heathen leaders.

Odin's Chosen: A Handbook of Asatru was written for Odinist/Asatruar seeking to expand their knowledge of the Old ways and for individuals who are seeking a comprehensive guide that encompasses the essentials of our religion. Within this text you will find: The History of Asatru; The Norse Creation Myth; Ragnaroek; Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds; The Soul and Afterlife Concepts; Runes of the Elder Furhark; A Calendar of Our Holy Days; How to Conduct a Blot, Feast, and Sumble; Burial Customs, Kindred Structure; and much more...

The idea of 'north' suggests much more than wintry cold, ice and snow. To many, it hints at something magical, enchanting and mysterious. This book explores the spiritual aspect of this attraction through a survey of ancient history, Norse mythology and contemporary studies of earth mysteries and sacred sites. From her detailed research, Margaret Jonas traces the birth of Celtic Christianity in the British Isles, Ireland, Scandinavia and Germany, revealing a time when ancient prophecies relating to the sun and divine beings came to fulfilment. A new spiritual wisdom gradually spread across Europe - not only from the south northwards, but also from west eastwards. The author describes how a paradisiacal element from the earliest stages of earth evolution was preserved and nurtured in hidden places associated with the northern mysteries. This fascinating work of accessible scholarship features chapters on Hyperborea, Thule and Apollo; the Druids and Odinic Mysteries; Norway and the Celtic Christian Legacy; the Number Five and the Etheric Body; the Externsteine and the God Vidar, and Finland. The book concludes with hints of a future time when northern magic will be transformed, and '...new clairvoyant faculties will be within the reach of all humanity'.

Thor is an immensely popular God but also one of contradictions, whose complexity is sometimes underrated. Often depicted as oafish, he was clever enough to outwit the dwarf Alviss (All-wise). A god of storms and thunder, he brought fertility and blessed brides at weddings and although a defender of civilization and order, he usually travelled with a trickster deity. Pagan Portals - Thor is an introductory book that examines both history and mythology, untangling older beliefs from modern pop-culture.

Egill Skallagrimsson was the most original, imaginative and technically brilliant of the Old Norse skalds, poets whose orally composed and performed verses were as much revered in ninth- to thirteenth-century Scandinavia as heroism in battle. Egill's saga details his life-story as well as those of his immediate predecessors, from whom he inherited his massive build, his early baldness (Skalla in his name means 'bald') and his exceptional ugliness. An arch enemy of Erikr Bloodax, he was a notoriously difficult man and, as many of the poems demonstrate, was lethal when crossed. But he also made poems which show he was capable of concern for others, as well as romantic love. Physical, direct, inventive, even transformative, Egill's poetry conjures up a territory far beyond the normal scope of language, something that only the finest poets achieve.

Exciting stories, extraordinary creatures, and compelling gods, goddesses, and heroes come together in this compendium of Norse myths - first told long ago by the Vikings.

Read about Thor, the god of thunder and how he once disguised himself as a bride to seek revenge on a giant and retrieve his powerful hammer -Mjölnir, and how Sif, the goddess of fertility had her long golden hair cut off by Loki, the trickster god. Each myth is told with thrilling immediacy, in language that is easy for children to understand, while retaining the awe, majesty and intrigue of the original tales. Stunning illustrations by multi-award winning artist Katie Ponder breathe new life into each story.

The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology is a detailed study of the Scandinavian myth on the end of the world, the Ragnaroek, and its comparative background. The Old Norse texts on Ragnaroek, in the first place the 'Prophecy of the Seeress' and the Prose Edda of the Icelander Snorri Sturluson, are well known and much discussed. However, Anders Hultgard suggests that it is worthwhile to reconsider the Ragnaroek myth and shed new light on it using new comparative evidence, and presenting texts in translation that otherwise are available only to specialists. The intricate question of Christian influence on Ragnaroek is addressed in detail, with the author arriving at the conclusion of an independent pre-Christian myth with the closest analogies in ancient Iran. People in modern society are concerned with the future of our world, and we can see these same fears and hopes expressed in many ancient religions, transformed into myths of the future including both cosmic destruction and cosmic renewal. The Ragnaroek myth can be said to be the classical instance of such myths, making it more relevant today than ever before.

The archipelagic kingdoms of Man and the Isles that flourished from the last quarter of the eleventh century down to the middle of the thirteenth century represent two forgotten kingdoms of the medieval British Isles. They were ruled by powerful individuals, with unquestionably regnal status, who interacted in a variety of ways with rulers of surrounding lands and who left their footprint on a wide range of written documents and upon the very landscapes and seascapes of the islands they ruled. Yet British history has tended to overlook these Late Norse maritime empires, which thrived for two centuries on the Atlantic frontiers of Britain. This book represents the first ever overview of both Manx and Hebridean dynasties that dominated Man and the Isles from the late eleventh to the mid-thirteenth centuries. Coverage is broad and is not restricted to politics and warfare. An introductory chapter examines the maritime context of the kingdoms in light of recent work in the field of maritime history, while subsequent chronological and narrative chapters trace the history of the kingdoms from their origins through their maturity to their demise in the thirteenth century. Separate chapters examine the economy and society, church and religion, power and architecture.

The author’s Eagle’s Mead is a complex and weighty tome, a world full of magic and mysteries. Now, a small and friendly window into that world and the poetic possibilities of the path of Runic Initiation has been opened with this collection of poems from it.

A sample of each of his great themes will be found within: Mead, Runes, and Grails. These thirty-one poems include his translation of the Rúnatal, several rune poems, A Skaldic Eagle Takes Flight, Óðinsdrápa, Rúnagaldraljóð, Seek Rûna, Runes for the Grails, and Three Draughts from the Vine. Eirik Westcoat is a runic initiate who has presented his award-winning poetry at several regional Asatru gatherings in the American Northeast.

In addition to being a poet, he is also a scholar with a degree in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies who specializes in Old Norse mythology, poets, and poetry, with published articles on the galdralag meter, the meaning of the valknut, and the authority of poets in Old Norse literature.