Book of Shadows

Festival of Ostara (Eostre), the Spring Goddess. This is a festival of renewal, rejoicing and fertility, although for most of the Northern People, the forces of Winter are still at full sway. In ancient times, the gift of colored eggs to one's friends and loved ones was a way of wishing them well for the coming season; a magical ritual of prosperity and fecundity. The rabbit was the symbol of this festival as well because of it's re-emergence during this season, and for its reproductive ability. These two rituals have survived into the modern holiday of Easter (which derives its name from Eostre) as Easter eggs and the Easter bunny. Like most ancient heathen rituals, they are relegated into the world of children; held for naught among adults; but the race memory lingers on. Walpurgis/

The irminsul is a common symbol of the Asatru faith. The irminsul was a solar-phallic pillar used in religious worship practices by early Anglo-Saxons, and destroyed by Charlemagne in 772 AD It's exact meaning is unknown, although it may be connected with the Anglo-saxon deity Irmin, who is possibly related to the Norse God Tyr (a theory supported by the shape of the runeletter tyr). The Irminsul was likely related to the World Tree Yggdrasil, a symbol of the axis mundi (world axis), a symbol of man and the cosmos.

Modern Irminsuls usually consist of an upright pole or cross, representing the union of earth with the heavens, and are often surmounted or hung with a solar wheel or sun cross.

The Triple Horn of Odin is a stylized emblem of the Norse God Odin. This symbol consists of three interlocked drinking horns, and is commonly worn or displayed as a sign of commitment to the Asatru faith.

The horns figure in the mythological stories of Odin and are recalled in traditional Norse toasting rituals. Most satories involve the God's quest for the Odhroerir, a magical mead brewed from the blood of the wise god Kvasir. The tales vary, but typically, Odin uses his wits and magic to procure the the brew over three days; the three horns reflect the three draughts of the magical mead.

This symbol found on old Norse stonecarvings is called "Hrungnir's heart," after the legendary giant of the Eddas. It is best known as the Valknut, or "knot of the slain," and it has been found on stone carvings with funerary motifs, where it signified the afterlife. The valknut can be drawn unicursally (in one stroke), making it a popular talisman of protection against spirits. The Valknut's three interlocking shapes and nine points suggest rebirth, pregnancy, and cycles of reincarnation. The nine points are also suggestive of the Nine Worlds (and the nine fates) of Norse mythology. Their interwoven shape suggests the belief of the interelatedness of the three realms of earth, hel, and the heavens, and the nine domains they encompass.

The Valknut is also an important symbol to many follwers of the Asatru faith, who often wear it as a symbol of the faith.  A variation called an "open" valknut, due to the looser design:

Another, less common version of the Valknut, called a triceps, resembles a cut-away triangle, or a triangle formed of three diamonds (three 'othala' runes interwoven):  Triceps.  The triceps was used into the middle ages as a magical sign of protection.

Mjolnir, or Thor's Hammer, is an ancient Norse symbol, a stylized representation of the legendary magical weapon of the Norse God Thor. "Mjolnir" means "lightning," and symbolized the God's power over Thunder and Lightning. The Hammer Mjolnir was said to always return after it had been thrown.

The Thor's Hammer amulet was worn frequently by believers as a symbol of protection- a practice so popular it continued even after most of the Norse population had converted to Christianity. In modern times, is often used as an emblem of recognition for members of the Asatru faith, or as a symbol of Norse heritage.

A graphic depiction of the Nine Worlds in Norse cosmology, which is divided into three realms. These are:

In the Upper Realm:

Asgard, the abode of the Aesir, ruled by Odin, the chief of the Norse Gods.

Vanaheim, the abode of the Vanir.

Alfheim, the world of elves, ruled by Freyr.

Below, connected to the upper realm by Bifrost, the rainbow bridge:

Midgard, meaning "middle earth," this is the abode of humanity, the physical plane. Midgard is surrounded by the Ocean, the abode of the world serpent Jormungand.

Jotunheim, the home of the Jotuns, or giants.

Svartalfheim, the world of the dark elves, an underground kingdom.

The lowest level, the Land of the Dead, also has three realms:

Niflheim, a frozen wasteland, eternal darkness, ruled by the Goddess Hel.

Muspelheim, the realm of the fire giants.

Hel, the abode of the dead.

Jormundgandr is the son of the mischievous God Loki and the Frost Goddess Angrboda. He is a monstrous serpent, destined to die by Thor's hand at the battle of Ragnarok.  Three headed Jormungand: According to legend, Odin, in an attempt to forstall the inevitable, captured the great snake and threw him into the ocean, where he grew so large, he encircled the earth. He is also known as the Midgard Serpent. Jormungandr is sometimes pictured with three heads, symbolic of his existence in all three realms of Norse Cosmology.  Also known as: Iormungand, Jormungand

Hugin and Munin (Norse, thought and memory) are the twin ravens of Norse mythology. They are the servants of the Norse All-Father, Odin. According to legend, they are sent out each morning and report back to Odin each evening on the reports of the happenings of the world.

The Norse Runeletter Gar, which symbolizes the legendary weapon of Odin, Gungnir. Gungnir was a Dwarven magical weapon given to Odin by Loki, which never misses its mark, and always returns to Odin's hand..

Sleipnir is the legendary eight-legged horse belonging to Odin, the Father-God of the Norse pantheon. Sleipnir carries Odin between the world of the Gods and the world of matter. The eight legs symbolize the directions of the compass, and Sleipnir's ability to travel through land and air.

According to legend, Sleipnir is the offspring of the God Loki and the horse of the Giants, Svaldifari.

Nidstang means, literally, "curse pole." The nidstang (sometimes called a "Nithing Pole," or "niding pole") is an ancient Scandinavian custom of formal cursing or hexing someone. A wooden pole or stake was inscribed with the intended consequence and erected with a ceremony. A horse's head or carcass was placed atop the pole in the facing in the direction one wished to send the curse.

A stylized image of Yggdrasil, the Norse World Ash, the giant mythological Tree that holds together the

Nine Worlds or realms of existence. This image appears on the famous Överhogdal Tapestry, which dates to the year 1066 and depicts the events of Ragnarok, the apocalyptic tale of Pre-Christian Norse legend.

It encompasses the Nine Worlds, and is guarded by the serpent Jormungandr. Yggdrasil is one of many variations of the Cosmic Axis or Universal World Tree known to all human cultures. Yggdrasil is home to many creatures, most notably the serpent or Dragon Nidhogg, lurks in the base, The Rooster Gullinkambi (golden comb), who lives at the tree's peak, and the squirrel, Ratatosk, who carries messges between them. These animals can be viewed as metaphors for the human body.

According to Norse legend, Yggdrasil is where the god Odin hung upside-down for nine nights in order to obtain the Rune Alphabet. Beneath the roots of the World Ash lies the spring, Mimir, to which Odin sacrificed an eye to gain wisdom.

In Norse Pagan (Asatru) mythology, the Einherjar are the "heroic dead" culled by the Valkyries from the battle field, and divided amongst Odin and Freyja.  These warrior spirits live with the Aesir in Valhallah, where they practice for the final battle of Ragnarok, where they will fight alongside Odin and the Aesir. The Einherjar were often depicted in Norse funerary artifacts as armed helpers of the god Odin, and are holdovers from Neolithic times.

The Mistress of animals, as she is sometimes referred to, is a fourth century stonecarving of an unknown Norse Goddess. She usually appears with serpents in each hand, possibly linking her to the ancient Babylonian Goddess Ishtar, or to the Cretan Bee Goddess. She is probably a creator goddess, as she is shown in a birthing position.  The triskele above her head most likely symbolizes the Goddess as creatrix. It is made up of the three animals emblematic of the Celtic domains of existence: the boar, representing the earth; the snake, an emblem of water; the bird, representing the sky.

A modern representation of the Web of Wyrd, the matrix of fate (wyrd) as woven by the Nornir, the fates of Norse legend. The emblem, nine staves arranged in an angular grid, contains all of the shapes of the runes and therefore all of the past, present, and future possibilites they represent.  The web serves as a reminder that the actions of the past affect the present and that present actions affect the future; all timelines are inextricably interconnected- in a sense, it is a representation of the tree of life.

The Julbock or Yule-goat is a ubiquitous symbol of the winter holidays in Scandinavian countries. A throwback to Pre-Christian times, the Julbock is a Pagan Yule symbol that was gradually absorbed into Christian holiday customs. In the Norse pagan religion, the goat was the conveyence of the gods- early images of Odin in a goat-drawn cart are eerily similar to modern depictions of Santa Claus. As Christianity became the norm, the Yule-goat remained popular as a trickster figure, a stand-in for the devil who accompanied the elf Tomten, and later, St Nick, on gift-giving missions. It became customary for men of the villages to dress up as the julbock and play pranks on the unsuspecting.  Today, the Julbock is most often represented in modern times by a straw figurine of a goat, traditionally made from the last grain of the harvest, bundled in red ribbons and kept as a token of hope for the New Year.

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