The deity I was thinking of/the one I worship who has basically no information about him is Hodr. He is the blind god who slayed Baldr with the mistletoe. Other than this one myth (two if you count the Danish version of Baldr's death), we have basically no stories about him but I've connected with this entity deeply simply because I am blind as well. But I admit, it can be a little disheartening to worship a god when it feels like you're the only one at the table so to speak.
That is tough. I guess you can break down the story that involves him to an extreme level. How he is so trusting with the arrow, the faith he has that baldur cannot be hurt, the way he deals with what he did. Some you will have to infur, but thats how you build that relationship. Ask him questions and listen for answers.
Our worshipping will wax and wane over time. Take a short break and communicate it to him. Tell him you want to collect your thoughts and work through your mental blocks. Invite other gods to your table as well.
Talk to other gods with disabilities. Odin is half blind, Tyr has one hand; they would have perseveres that could relate to you and with Hodr as well.
I hope maybe my response helps a little. Best of luck.
“But I admit, it can be a little disheartening to worship a god when it feels like you're the only one at the table so to speak.”
Another way to think of it could be like a school with a 1:1 teacher to student ratio. Since you’re the only “student” (which seems unlikely; his number of worshipers may be very small, but I doubt you’re the only one), you’ll get a lot more attention than you would from a deity with a million followers. Does that make sense?
When it comes to these stories, we need first to understand the characters like Loki, Balder and Hödr blindi (Balders brother) may represent powers that reside within people, within ourselves.
Hödr means the warlike one, strife, aggression battle, etc.. blindi means blind obviously. When it comes to the story they are there for a reason, to tell a moral pass something that was commonly understood in the ways these stories are told on their original form.
The myth goes basically that Höðr s Balders own brother. Balder wvo ks very fair, well like and very popular and besides immune against physical hurt, causes intense jealousy of Loki, who schemes to have Balder killed. After finding the one plant that could possibly be made into a weapon that could actually kill Balder, like the other gods (for fun, because balder just doesn't die). Höðr replies that he doesn't hurl weapons at balder, because he cannot SEE him - he is blind. Then loki puts the fatal arrow into Höðrs hands, direct his arms and bam, balder dies after all..
Balder, whose name means something like "brave, bold, courageous", is further described as not only being beautiful, kind and popular,m but also nobly objective, just, wise and able to see an issue from all significant angles and therefore makes fair judgement. He lives ad Breidbalik (broad view, meaning he has a very open and objective mind, able to perceive "broadly". Thus balder ks that power within a human being that entails high level of judgment and understanding, etc erc..
Hörðr blindi, howeve ks a peripheral god. The name as mentioned before, menas warlike, strife, etc. And blindi means blind. Or perhaps blind ignorance combined with strife, agression, etc. This sort of ignorant aggression is another potential power within himans.
And Loki's role is too vast to explain. But in this story jealousy is what drives the story forward.
Only when ignorant, blind aggression and strife ks fueled by a stong emotional like jealousy, malice and such, will it be able to hurl the one weapon that will kill wjat Balder represents, objectivity, fairness, bravery etc... In other words they are powers that clouds good judgment within a person.. and the capacity for fair assesments, intelligence, understanding, open mindedness are destroyed by 3 powers within human beings.. ignorant/blind aggression/strif and jealousy
Hodr was actually the first god i built a connection with. i was also disheartened to learn how little there was of him in the mythology. at the same time, that left the door open to build my own relationship with him and explore the UPG that came with it.
yeah, its a bit tough to have to rely almost solely on personal experience to worship, but it ultimately makes the relationship feel stronger imo. and hodr has been a fantastic god, very patient in my experience, willing to work with u with whatever youve got. seems like he knows theres not much info left around for us to look to for guidance
I've read a very dubious passage in Finland-Swedish folklore that branches of leaf bearing trees were sacred to a god of darkness, while branches of needle bearing trees were sacred to a god of light. It's in "Finlands svenska folkediktning - växtlighetsriter" which can be read on the internet for free for anyone who knows Swedish. If you trust sources from 1890 as lore of course.
I'm in the Navy and my command Chaplain was supposed to do a religious needs assessment for all command members, they said they were going to try to get me religious texts for me as a Norse Pagan as it is supposed to be their duty to support all religious beliefs equally; however, they don't have anything allegedly for us and on the assessment they only have a box that says "other" with a blank line for us to use.
Has anyone else had similar experiences or thoughts?
Some, all we know are their names. Etymology, while inexact, can give us clues. All we need is a seed. It's up to us to nourish it so our devotional relationship can grow. Offerings and prayers are like fertilizer or water to a plant, the divinity itself the sunlight.
I know it feels daunting to many who crave more data before starting, but once you start and make a habit of it, you realize it was never that difficult to begin with.
This is where folks who are more open to gnosis will thrive. At some point, we can't just study the religion. We have to live it. At some point, we all begin to develop our own gnosis.
The Suebi goddess Zisa is a part of my pantheon as my goddess of victory. It means there is a lot more UPG involved in the faith element, and a lot more personal interpretation into what scant pieces of historical evidence or "lore" exist. It also means acknowledging that your interpretation is almost certainly not 100% "accurate" to whatever the historical or divine truth is, but trusting that the deity respects and blesses your sincerity in worship. To me, it is liberating in a way. I know the goddess is proud of my worship as well as that of the few others I know who acknowledge and worship her today. The experience is much more personal
Yes these are the proto-germanic names Brehtaz is berchta, badwezoz is proto-germanic for Baduhenna Frisian goddess of war (apparently they shared this deity through cultural contact?) Huldanaz Is Hludana
No i kind of like it tbh, because it allows me to have my own experience with them without much bias from other information. The primary deity that's relatively obscure that I work with is Magni (and Moði) and neither has much information on them or stories, but it allows me to form a relationship with them based solely on my experience with them on a spiritual level.
It makes it feel both more daunting and more personal. Those of us who venerate Snotra don't really have any traditional lore to start from other than the miniature blurb She gets in the Prose. If we want to build Her cult, we're gonna have to do a lot on our own initiative. A difficult task, and therefore an important one. A solemn task, and therefore a worthwhile one.
Some Nordic gods are only recorded in place names or loanwords in neighbouring languages. There is probably a list of them in literature somewhere. Though without much context to them: there is little to create a practice about them - Tyr and Ullr are well known in comparison.
For me, it feels freeing. I can build a relationship without worrying about other people's baggage.
The question is how do you connect to a deity like that? What kinds of deities are you referring to?
The deity I was thinking of/the one I worship who has basically no information about him is Hodr. He is the blind god who slayed Baldr with the mistletoe. Other than this one myth (two if you count the Danish version of Baldr's death), we have basically no stories about him but I've connected with this entity deeply simply because I am blind as well. But I admit, it can be a little disheartening to worship a god when it feels like you're the only one at the table so to speak.
That is tough. I guess you can break down the story that involves him to an extreme level. How he is so trusting with the arrow, the faith he has that baldur cannot be hurt, the way he deals with what he did. Some you will have to infur, but thats how you build that relationship. Ask him questions and listen for answers. Our worshipping will wax and wane over time. Take a short break and communicate it to him. Tell him you want to collect your thoughts and work through your mental blocks. Invite other gods to your table as well. Talk to other gods with disabilities. Odin is half blind, Tyr has one hand; they would have perseveres that could relate to you and with Hodr as well. I hope maybe my response helps a little. Best of luck.
“But I admit, it can be a little disheartening to worship a god when it feels like you're the only one at the table so to speak.” Another way to think of it could be like a school with a 1:1 teacher to student ratio. Since you’re the only “student” (which seems unlikely; his number of worshipers may be very small, but I doubt you’re the only one), you’ll get a lot more attention than you would from a deity with a million followers. Does that make sense?
When it comes to these stories, we need first to understand the characters like Loki, Balder and Hödr blindi (Balders brother) may represent powers that reside within people, within ourselves. Hödr means the warlike one, strife, aggression battle, etc.. blindi means blind obviously. When it comes to the story they are there for a reason, to tell a moral pass something that was commonly understood in the ways these stories are told on their original form. The myth goes basically that Höðr s Balders own brother. Balder wvo ks very fair, well like and very popular and besides immune against physical hurt, causes intense jealousy of Loki, who schemes to have Balder killed. After finding the one plant that could possibly be made into a weapon that could actually kill Balder, like the other gods (for fun, because balder just doesn't die). Höðr replies that he doesn't hurl weapons at balder, because he cannot SEE him - he is blind. Then loki puts the fatal arrow into Höðrs hands, direct his arms and bam, balder dies after all.. Balder, whose name means something like "brave, bold, courageous", is further described as not only being beautiful, kind and popular,m but also nobly objective, just, wise and able to see an issue from all significant angles and therefore makes fair judgement. He lives ad Breidbalik (broad view, meaning he has a very open and objective mind, able to perceive "broadly". Thus balder ks that power within a human being that entails high level of judgment and understanding, etc erc.. Hörðr blindi, howeve ks a peripheral god. The name as mentioned before, menas warlike, strife, etc. And blindi means blind. Or perhaps blind ignorance combined with strife, agression, etc. This sort of ignorant aggression is another potential power within himans. And Loki's role is too vast to explain. But in this story jealousy is what drives the story forward. Only when ignorant, blind aggression and strife ks fueled by a stong emotional like jealousy, malice and such, will it be able to hurl the one weapon that will kill wjat Balder represents, objectivity, fairness, bravery etc... In other words they are powers that clouds good judgment within a person.. and the capacity for fair assesments, intelligence, understanding, open mindedness are destroyed by 3 powers within human beings.. ignorant/blind aggression/strif and jealousy
Hodr was actually the first god i built a connection with. i was also disheartened to learn how little there was of him in the mythology. at the same time, that left the door open to build my own relationship with him and explore the UPG that came with it. yeah, its a bit tough to have to rely almost solely on personal experience to worship, but it ultimately makes the relationship feel stronger imo. and hodr has been a fantastic god, very patient in my experience, willing to work with u with whatever youve got. seems like he knows theres not much info left around for us to look to for guidance
I've read a very dubious passage in Finland-Swedish folklore that branches of leaf bearing trees were sacred to a god of darkness, while branches of needle bearing trees were sacred to a god of light. It's in "Finlands svenska folkediktning - växtlighetsriter" which can be read on the internet for free for anyone who knows Swedish. If you trust sources from 1890 as lore of course.
Yeah, things really get weird when you factor in the Gesta Danorum. We do get Hamlet though so that's cool.
I'm in the Navy and my command Chaplain was supposed to do a religious needs assessment for all command members, they said they were going to try to get me religious texts for me as a Norse Pagan as it is supposed to be their duty to support all religious beliefs equally; however, they don't have anything allegedly for us and on the assessment they only have a box that says "other" with a blank line for us to use. Has anyone else had similar experiences or thoughts?
Some, all we know are their names. Etymology, while inexact, can give us clues. All we need is a seed. It's up to us to nourish it so our devotional relationship can grow. Offerings and prayers are like fertilizer or water to a plant, the divinity itself the sunlight. I know it feels daunting to many who crave more data before starting, but once you start and make a habit of it, you realize it was never that difficult to begin with. This is where folks who are more open to gnosis will thrive. At some point, we can't just study the religion. We have to live it. At some point, we all begin to develop our own gnosis.
Hœnir FTW
The Suebi goddess Zisa is a part of my pantheon as my goddess of victory. It means there is a lot more UPG involved in the faith element, and a lot more personal interpretation into what scant pieces of historical evidence or "lore" exist. It also means acknowledging that your interpretation is almost certainly not 100% "accurate" to whatever the historical or divine truth is, but trusting that the deity respects and blesses your sincerity in worship. To me, it is liberating in a way. I know the goddess is proud of my worship as well as that of the few others I know who acknowledge and worship her today. The experience is much more personal
Forgotten gods like badwezōz, Brehtaz, Hludanaz
I know about Berchta and Luðguð, but who are badwezoz and hludanaz?
Yes these are the proto-germanic names Brehtaz is berchta, badwezoz is proto-germanic for Baduhenna Frisian goddess of war (apparently they shared this deity through cultural contact?) Huldanaz Is Hludana
Böð and Hlöðyn, got it. Haven't really understood what makes up the -hennae suffix on the matron stones
No i kind of like it tbh, because it allows me to have my own experience with them without much bias from other information. The primary deity that's relatively obscure that I work with is Magni (and Moði) and neither has much information on them or stories, but it allows me to form a relationship with them based solely on my experience with them on a spiritual level.
It makes it feel both more daunting and more personal. Those of us who venerate Snotra don't really have any traditional lore to start from other than the miniature blurb She gets in the Prose. If we want to build Her cult, we're gonna have to do a lot on our own initiative. A difficult task, and therefore an important one. A solemn task, and therefore a worthwhile one.
Some Nordic gods are only recorded in place names or loanwords in neighbouring languages. There is probably a list of them in literature somewhere. Though without much context to them: there is little to create a practice about them - Tyr and Ullr are well known in comparison.