On sex, gender, the Gods and metaphor

The reflection is not the tree, the map is not the territory, the metaphor is not the reality. Yet nor are these things unrelated. Photo by Redd F on Unsplash

Over the years I’ve spent in inclusive Heathen spaces online, I’ve seen many people ask questions about which Gods might be seen as trans, non-binary, genderfluid, etc. I’ve been part of many discussions on this, on how different ideas of gender relate to the Gods, and I have more thoughts on this than I can fit into a short message on Discord. This essay is an attempt to lay those thoughts out in a more thorough and systematic way.

Snotor (Snotra)

Devotional art by me. Available to buy on Redbubble.

The Old English counterpart of Snotra. In the Prose Edda, Snotra is listed as a Goddess who is wise and courteous [1].

Snotra, an Old Norse word meaning clever or wise, has a relative in OE: snotor, meaning “prudent, wise, sagacious” [2]. This was a natural choice for an OE theonym.

On ritual, the sacred past, and changing the future

Different ways of thinking about time, and particularly the past, have been one of the most profound changes in approaches for me as I deepen my understanding of heathenry and animism. Photo by Alexey Savchenko on Unsplash

Key to the heathen worldview is the cosmology centred on the World Tree and the Well of Wyrd which feeds it. As elucidated by Paul Bauschatz [1], the Well represents the sacred past – as they occur, all deeds pass into the Well, laying down layers or strata of wyrd which become the unchangeable orlæg all wights must live within. But the past is not “dead”, it is not “over” – it is ever-growing, it waters the World Tree.

Wearn, or Syn (Syn)

Icon art by me. Available to buy on Redbubble.

The Old English counterpart of Syn. Syn is attested in the Prose Edda, where it is said that She guards the door to the hall (implied to be Frigg’s hall Fensalir) and shuts it to prevent anyone who should not enter from getting in [1]. It is also said that She is appointed at the Þing or at trials to act as the defence in legal cases She wishes to refute [1].

Lofen & Siofen (Lofn & Sjöfn)

Icon art by myself. Available on Redbubble. Get in touch if you would like a version with a different pride flag background.

*Lofen and *Siofen are the Old English counterparts to Lofn and Sjöfn, Who I have grouped together as I see Them as so closely linked. They are both attested in the Prose Edda [1]. Lofn is described as gentle and good, and that She has permission from Odin and Frigga to arrange marriages between couples where their union has been forbidden. The Prose Edda tells us that Sjöfn is concerned with directing people’s hearts and minds towards love.

Lofn comes from the ON word lof, meaning “praise”, or in verb form, “to permit” [2]. This word also exists in OE [3], to which I added the feminine -en ending to give Lofen. I really struggled with a name for my Old English counterpart to Sjöfn. The name I settled on is a feminine form of siofa, a variant spelling of sefa, meaning “heart, mind, understanding”.

Oaths made, and other April reflections

The cherry blossoms have been out near me, not quite yet beginning to fall. Photo by Altınay Dinç on Unsplash

Last week I officially took vows of devotion to Wōden and to the Wild Hunt — specifically, a group of Wild Hunt spirits I call the Brotherhood of the Hanged who I see as Wōden’s honour guard, His warband. I vowed to Them my service and devotion, my love and my righteous wrath, to honour Their holy days and uphold Their virtues and values.

Saga

Icon art for Saga by myself. Available to buy on Redbubble.

Sāga is cited in the Grímnismál [1] and in the Prose Edda [2] as living in Sökkvabekk. In the Grímnismál it is said that She drinks there happily with Óðin from golden cups.

Sāga’s Old Norse name may be related to the verb sja, to see, or simply to saga [3]. Saga is another ON word that translates directly into Old English, meaning a story or a saying [4].

Some personal reflections on my devotional relationships

Prepare for the word “devotion” to stop looking like a word. You have been warned. Photo by Ilse on Unsplash

From the start, heathenry was for me about devotion. In the summer of 2012, deciding to take steps away from generic neo-Wicca and toward polytheism, I began making offerings to Óðinn. One of these very early rituals became an ecstatic hierophanic experience that catapulted me into a close, passionate devotional relationship with Him that would characterise the next six-and-a-half years of my life.

On Frīg and Her position in my cosmology

The quiet contemplation of an armchair by the fire: quintessentially the All-Mother. Photo by Bjarne Postma on Unsplash

As I develop and publish aspects of my cultus to the Twelve, I feel it would be helpful to also lay out how I see Frīg and the role She has come to play in my cosmology and worldview. The Twelve are Her court, Her confidantes and Handmaidens, and Their roles and importance to me are interlinked with Hers.

Geofen (Gefjon)

Geofen icon art by myself. Available to buy on Redbubble.

Geofen is the Old English counterpart of Gefjon. Gefjon is the most widely attested of the Twelve. In the Lokasenna [1], She challenges Loki as to why He is causing arguments between the Gods. Loki retaliates by relating an incident when a youth gave Gefjon a necklace and She slept with him in return; Odin then says Loki is mad to make Her angry, as She sees the wyrd of all as well as Odin does. In the Prose Edda [2], it is stated that She is a virgin and is attended by all those who die as virgins.