Hearthside

I have been thinking a lot about Freyr this year, in association with the summer season, as well as with the Ar year and its connection with Fertility. Also, as part of the Aun/Unn cycle of renewal and the focus that many Heathens are taking on the resetting of things to do with our Environment. May is the perfect time to discuss Freyr. In the Nordic Animist Year by Rune Rasmussen, St Eric’s Day in May is equated with Freyr and a ritual similar to the Procession of Nerthus, in which a statue of St Eric (Freyr) is carted around the land in order to bring fertility to it. It mentions that Freyr is the patron god of the Ynglings, but who is Freyr and who are the Ynglings? Freyr is a complicated figure in the Lore. He is described as a Vanir god, living among the Aesir, and at times he is also called Alfar or King of the Alfs. It is even suggested that Freyr is actually a man. Freyr has many names. He is known as Freyr or Frey, but also as Ing or Yngve. Sometimes as Yngvi-Freyr. (And this ...

I have had a worry in the back of my mind now for several weeks. You see, I am out walking and hiking as much as I am able. About 3 weeks ago I was following a path along the river to a small dock where I often like to sit and look out to the water. I could see the water level was low as I walked along the bank at one spot on this trail. I did not realize how low, until I got to the dock, which had no water under it at all. Now, I might expect this to be possible in July or August, at the hottest and driest point of the year, but this is early spring. The snow had just melted. I mentioned my concern to my mother on the phone and she said it was okay. The snow probably hadn’t melted in the north yet and the river had not reached full saturation. It was then that I reminded her that unlike most rivers, ours runs south to north, meaning it had reached its saturation point already.  No one was saying anything in the news about drought; they were all too preoccupied with the pandemic. T...