Holda

By Thorsigurd AOR I decided to devote some study to one of the Goddesses connected to this time of year, more specifically one who was worshipped mainly among the tribes of nowadays Germany, and part of whose memory is preserved until present day in the folklore of Germany, Switzerland and my native Austria: Holda.

Gods & Goddesses of Odinism

An introduction into the Gods, Goddesses, wights and beings of Odinic Mythology

Fylgie

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Our Odinic ancestors taught that each of us has a guardian who cares for us and gives us warning of danger and help in times of distress. They called this spirit the Fylgie.

Elves

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Our people have always had a close interest in elves and it is true that these spiritual beings are reported to have had frequent contact with humans.

Nature Spirits

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Our pagan ancestors and the pagan peoples of every race believed that all things upon the Earth led life. Trees and plants, crystals and rocks, streams and springs of water, mountains, islands, animals and human beings, all were seen as live and conscious individuals, capable of thought and movement and of interaction with each other.

Yggdrasil - The Tree of Life and Death

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The multiversal concept of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, has been touched on many times elsewhere. The material presented here is a drawing together of these threads, weaving them into a composite picture.

Vidar

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We see, in the old myths, that Vidar appears at the time of the last battle. He is a son of Odin and avenges his father's death by slaying Fenris Wolf.

Loki

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It is incorrect, although a prevalent concept among Odinists, to equate Loki with the Judeo-Christian devil, that odd concept of a totally evil force that yet does the dirty work for a supposedly total good force. Loki is not the devil.

Eira

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Eira is the goddess of healing, the force behind the power to heal and the giver of bountiful health.

Tyr

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Tyr is the god to whom we turn when we wage just war and exact just vengeance. In Odinic ritual it is stated "there is a great wrong yet to right" and in the righting of that wrong, that great evil that has set out first to enslave and then to destroy our people Tyr is the generator of our righteous hatred and thirst for revenge.

Heimdal

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The Van, Heimdal, is a god of peculiar significance for our folk. He, it is said, stands sentinel at Bifrost Bridge and guards the realm of Asgarth from invasion by evil. With his armour of silver, his golden helmet and his great gleaming sword he is a shining figure in our mythology.

Frey

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Frey, whose name means "lord", was seen by our pagan ancestors as the "the Lord of the Elves". He is pre-eminently a nature god, a spiritual being concerned with procreation and fertility.