Lewis Stead

The Ravenbook

have been made to them rather than

shared with them as was the case with the Vanir and Aesir. It would

be inappropriate to embrace them as friends and brothers in the way we

embrace our Gods. One doesnt embrace the hurricane or the wildfire;

it is insanity to do so.

As Ive suggested earlier, the Jotnar arent grouped so much by their

commonalities, but by their non-membership in the Aesir. Thus, some

of them are benign, while others are apparently evil to the core.

Aegir, Skadi, and several of the wives or mates of the Aesir are from

Jotnar stock. Others, such as those appearing at Ragnarok, seem to

have no redeeming characteristics and are entirely hostile.

ELVES & OTHER SPIRITS

The world of ancient Paganism was hardly limited to the worship of the

Gods. There are various other beings who were honored, and Elf

worship was often the hardest part of Paganism for Christians to

destroy. It was easy enough to substitute one God for another, but it

was quite another to tell the common people that the elves which

brought fertility to the land were not real!

In the various folktales and sagas we find very little which would

lead us to a concrete system of what spirit was responsible for

exactly what. Today, we call these various figures, who are neither

mortal nor God, Wights. We are sure of the place of the Valkyries,

who were responsible for bringing the slain to Valhalla, and also for

choosing who in battle would die. They seem, judging by their

actions, to be supernatural beings of some type. However, Valkyries

appear in various places as very human figures and their exact nature

is difficult to determine. Sigrdrifa was a Valkyrie who was cursed by

Odin because she refused to bring victory in battle to those whom he

had chosen. Her punishment was to be married to a mortal, and the

implication is clear that this would end her days as a Valkyrie. Its

equally clear that she has great knowledge of the runes as she tutors

Sigurd after he awakens her. In most respects she seems to be a

normal human woman, although a very wise and independent one with

great powers. Elsewhere, Voland and his brothers are said to have

found three Valkyries sunning themselves without their swan-coats.

When the brothers steal their feather-coats and hide them, the

Valkyries again appear as otherwise normal women. This does not seem

entirely in keeping with a supernatural origin, and its possible that

some kind of magickal order of Priestesses has become confused over

time with the supernatural beings we know as Valkyries or that mortal

women may somehow ascend to the position. The swan-coat seems very

similar in description to Freyas falcon-coat and the entire issue may

be something related to the practice of seidhr. As far as we know,

the Valkyrie were not worshipped as such, but were considered more the

messengers of Odin. They also serve the mead at Valhalla, and because

of this whoever pours the mead into the Horn at Blot or Sumbel is

today known as the Valkyrie (no matter what sex).

The other spirits whose place seems fairly clear are the Disir. These

are spirits who are intimately linked with a family. There is also

some indication that they are linked with the land, but this would be

in keeping with the old ways. We forget sometimes that many

landowners in Europe have been living in the same place since before

this continent was discovered. The land becomes an intimate part of

the family and its identity, so it is natural that family spirits

would also oversee the family land. Disir are seen as women who

appear at times of great trouble or change. They are somehow linked

to the family bloodline, and seem most closely linked to the

clanchief. There is one scene in one saga where a spirit, apparently

a Dis, is passed on from one person to another who are not blood

relations. However, these two friends are closer than brothers, so

while the link is apparently not genetic, it is definitely familial.

We know the family Disir were honored with blots at the Winter Nights

and that they have great power to aid their family. As far as their

origin, its possible that they are ancestral in origin. They may be

ancestors whose power was so great that they were able to continue to