Hearthside

I have not forgotten about this blog. I want to write in it frequently, but I am currently upgrading for work and don’t have much free time. That said, I want to talk about this because it is relevant in my life this past year and has been resurfacing again in the past month.  How do we grieve as Heathens, and how does that differ from the over-culture? Do our beliefs alienate us from the community at large, or actually help in the grieving process? Let’s start with the basics though. What do Heathens believe about death, dying, and the afterlife? Wow, so that is a tough one! Heathens often don’t have the same ideas about things, especially something as big as this topic. It can differ between Kindreds or even individuals within Heathenry as to what they believe about death.  What most Heathens can agree on is the importance of family, which can be biological, adoptive, or chosen family (kin). So when it comes to death Heathens focus on family and the well-being of family as w...

I was rabbit-holing a bit lately on what deities are associated with Yule, and Winter, and the Dark Time. Holda, Ska ð i, Ullr, Odin, Frigg, Thor… perhaps Freyr? Sol? Baldr? … Hel?! We right away stumble across the same issue I addressed with Skaði, is Hel worshipful? Hel does not seem to be named among the Asynjur, although many modern heathens seem to place her among them anyways. This doesn’t necessarily mean she was not worshipped or at least appeased by the elder heathens.  In the Lore, Odin does not let Hel remain among the Æsir, but the gods are not afraid of her in the same way as her brothers. She is given Helheim as her own realm to rule over, so it seems the gods respected her even if they considered her “other.” They even try to negotiate with her for the return of Baldr, and she makes them a deal, even if it is not one they are able to collect on.  Some scholars think she is more of a personification of the grave, than a deity, much in the same way that Sol and Ma...