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inn Goðs - by Dirk Schmitt

Heilsan Allir,

The nature of our Gods and Goddesses is a very interesting concept, and to be honest, is one which could fill volumes of comparitive study with other Folkways, however, it is my intention here to only refer directly to the information that we have currently to hand in our own Folkway, else this will end up a book, as opposed to an article.

We shall look first at the word Goð itself, with reference to Cleasby Vigfusson:

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GOÐ, n. pl. [all the Teutonic languages have this word in common; Ulf. guþa, o. pl., Gal. iv. 8; guda, id., John x. 34, 35; and Guþ, m.; A. S. godu, n. pl., and God, m.; O. H. G. Got: in mod. languages masc.; Engl. God; Germ. Gott; Dan. -Swed. Gud] .

A. HISTORICAL REMARKS. -- In heathen times this word was neuter, and was used almost exclusively in plur., as were also other words denoting Godhead, e. g. regin or rögn = numina, q. v.; and bönd, höpt, prop. = bonds, and metaph. gods :-- this plur. usage seems not to refer to a plurality of gods, but rather, as the Hebrew אלהים, to the majesty and mystery of the Godhead; it points to an earlier and purer faith than that which was current in the later ages of the Scandinavian heathendom; thus the old religious poem Völuspá distinguishes a twofold order of gods, -- the heavenly powers (regin or ginn-heilög goð) who had no special names or attributes, and who ruled the world, like the Μοίρα or Αίσα of Gr mythology; -- and the common gods who were divided into two tribes, Æsir (^îs e s) and Vanir, whose conflict and league are recorded in Vsp. 27, 28, and Edda 47.

II. after the introduction of Christianity, the masculine gender (as in Greek and Latin) superseded the neuter in all Teutonic languages, first in Gothic, then in Old High German and Anglo-Saxon, and lastly in the Scandinavian languages; but neither in Gothic nor in Icel. did the word ever take the masc. intlexivc r or s, so that it remains almost unique in form.

2. in Scandinavian the root vowel was altered from o to u (goð to guð), [Swed. -Dan. gud], yet in old poems of the Christian age it is still made to rhyme with o, Gods, boðnum; Goð, roðnar, Sighvat; as also in the oldest MSS. of the 12th century; sometimes however it is written gþ, in which case the root vowel cannot be discerned.

3. in Icel. the pronunciation also underwent a change, and the g in Guð (God) is now pronounced gw (Gwuð), both in the single word and in those proper names which have become Christian, e. g. Gudmundr pronounced Gwuðmundr, whence the abbreviated form Gvendr or Gvöndr. The old form with o is still retained in obsolete words, as goði, goðorð, vide below, and in local names from the heathen age, as goð-dalir; so also Gormr (q. v.), which is contracted from Goð-ormr not Guð-ormr. On the other hand, the Saxon and German have kept the root vowel o.

III. in old poems of heathen times it was almost always used without the article; gremdu eigi goð at þór, Ls.; áðr vér heilög goð blótim, Fas. i. (in a verse); ginnheilüg Goð, Vsp. passim; goðum ek þat þakka, Am. 53; með goðum, Aim.; in prose, en goð hefna eigi alls þegar, Nj. 132. 2. with the article goð-in, Vsp. 27: freq. in prose, um hvat reiddusk goðin þá er her brann hraunit er mi stöndu ver a, Bs. i. (Kr. S.) 22; eigi eru undr at goðin rciðisk tölum slíkum, id.; Hallfreðr lastaði eigi goðin, þó aðrir menn hallmælti þeim, Fms. ii. 52; allmikin hug leggr þú á goðin, Fs. 94; eigi munu goðin bessu valda, Nj. 132, passim.

3. very seldom in sing., and only if applied to a single goddess or the like, as Öndor-goðs (gen.), Haustl. 7; Vana-goð, of Freyia, Edda; enu skírleita goði, of the Sun, urn. 39.

IV. after the introduction of Christianity, the neut. was only used of false gods in sing, as well as in pl., Sólar-goð -- Apollo, Orrostu-goð = Mars, Drauma-goð -- Morpheus, Bret. (Verel.); and was held up for execration by the missionaries; gör þik eigi svá djarfa, at þú kallir goð hinn hæsta konung er ek trúi á, Fb. i. 371. Yet so strongly did the neut. gender cleave to the popular mind that it remains (Grág. Kb. i. 192) in the oath formula, goð gramt = Goð gramr; and Icel. still say, í Guðanna (pl.) bænum

2. guðír, masc. pl., as in A. S. gudas, is freq. in eccl. writers, but borrowed from the eccl. Lat.

B. IN COMPDS:

I. with nouns, goða-blót, n. sacrifice to the gods, Fb. i. 35. goða-gremi, f. a term in the heathen oath, wrath of the gods, Eg. 352. goða-h. eill, í. favour of the gods, Jjorst. Síðu H. 9. goða-tiús, n. a house of gods, temple, Dropl. II, Nj. 131, F''- '• 337- goða-stallar, m. pl. the altar in temples, Fas. i. 454. goða-stúka, u, f. the sanctuary in heathen temples, answering to the choir or sanctuary in churches, Landn. 335 (App.) goða-tala, u, f. in the phrase, í goðatölu, in the tale (list) of gods, 625. 41. goð-borirm, part. Sioftvys, god-born, Hkv. 29. goð-brúðr, f. bride of the gods (the goddess Skaði), Edda (in a verse). Goð-dalir, m. pl. a local name, hence Goð-dælir, m. pl. a family, Landn. goð-gá, f. blasphemy against the gods, Nj. 163, Ld. í So. goð-lieimr, m. the home of the gods, Stor. 20, cp. Ýt. goð-konungr, m. (cp. Gr. oio-ytvfjs /SaaiXevs), a king, -- kings being deemed the offspring of gods, Yt. goð-kunnigr and goð-kyndr, adj. of the kith of gods, Edda 6; 11, 13. goð-lauss, adj. godless, a nickname, Landn. goð-lax, m. a kind of salmon, Edda (Gl.) goð-leiðr, adj. loathed by the gods, Korm. goð-máligr, adj. skilled in the lore of the gods, Hy'm. 38. goð-mögn, n. pl. divine powers, deities, Edda I; biðja til pinna goðmagna, Bret. (Verel.) goð-reið, f. 'a ride of gods' through the air, a meteor, thought to forebode great events, Glum, (in a verse), cp. the Swed. åska. goð-rifi, n. scorn of the gods, Sks. 435. goð-rækr, adj. 'god-forsaken, ' wicked, 623. 30. goðum-leiðr, adj. = goðleiðr, Landn. (in a verse). goð-vargr, m. a 'god-worrier, ' sacrilegus, ' lupus in sanctis, ' Bs. i. 13 (in a verse). goð-vefr, vide guðvefr. goð-vegr, m. the way of the gods, the heaven, the sky, Hdl. 5. Goð-þjóð, f. the abode of the gods, Vsp. :-- but Goth. Gut-pjuda -- the land of the Goths, by assimilation Goð-þjóð, passim in old poems and the Sagas.

II. with pr. names, originally Goð-, later and mod. Guð-; of men, Guð-brandr, Guð-laugr, Guð-leifr, Guð-mundr, Guð-röðr, Guð-ormr or Gutt-ormr, etc.; of women, Guð-björg, Guð-finna, Guð-laug, Guð-leif, Guð-ny, Guð-ríðr, Guð-rún, etc.; cp. the interesting statement in Eb. (App.) 126 new Ed. (from the Hauks-bók), that men of the olden time used to call their sons and daughters after the gods (Goð-, fjór-, Frey-, Ås-); and it was thought that a double (i. c. a compound) name gave luck and long life, esp. those compounded with the names of gods; menn höfðu injök þá tvau nöfn, þótti þat likast til langlífis ok heilla, þótt nokkurir fyrirmælti þeim við goðin, þá mundi þat ekki saka, ef þeir ætti eitt nafn, though any one cursed them by the gods it would not hurt if they bad ' one' name, i. e. if they were the namesakes of the gods, Eb. I. e.; -- we read 'eitt nafn' for ' eitt annat nafn' of the Ed. and MS. In Fb. i. 23, the mythical king Raum is said to have had three sons, Alf, Björn, and Brand; the first was reared by the Finns, and called P'inn-Alf; Björn by his mother (a giantess), and called Jötun-Björn; and Brand was given to the gods, and called Goð-Brand (Guð-brandr, whence Guðbrands-dalir, a county in Norway); cp. also Eb. ch. 7. ^ía" For the Christian sense of Go d and its compds vide s. v.

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It would appear, from the definitions that we have from Cleasby Vigfusson, extracted from the Icelandic works, that the Gods, at least amongst the Icelanders, were specifically referring to the higher deities of our ancestral tradition, as opposed to localised entities. If we are to limit our investigation to the Gods and Goddesses, then, and their particular characteristics and nature, as evidenced via this information, we will be able to gain an insight into the nature of the Gods and Goddesses, primarily as viewed by the Nordic Folk. It needs to be clearly understood that this is only one group of Germanic Folk, around a time when conversion was taking place, and that their views invariably may differ with other Folk from other places, and in other times. Certainly there are some commonalities with descriptions to be found by earlier commentators, such as Tacitus, but for the purposes of this study, we'll keep to the Nordic Folkview.

Clearly one can gather, from reading most sources, that the Gods and Goddesses received sacrifices. One of the most well known descriptions is that in the Heimskringla, specifically in the Saga of Hakon the Good (16), where-in it speaks of the Sacrifices made. There are a great number of sacrificial descriptions, as well as archaeological finds of both persons, and objects which appear to have been sacrificial offerings. Now, these offerings seem to have been made in a great many places, and either we have specific offerings to large scale deities, or we also have offerings to localised deities or vaettir. In the case of archaeological findings, it can often be difficult to make the assessment, unless the specific location can be tied in with contemporary events, or if the context of the finds provides additional insight, which it can, but many findings are older which are no longer in situ. The presupposition is that most offerings are in fact made to the more primary deities when found.

We know from descriptions that the Gods and Goddesses were worshipped in specific places, and indeed, it is known that they had temples, especially in the primary Scandinavian countries which were large enough, and important enough to rate a mention. Furthermore, we know that at least one of the Stave Churches in Scandinavia had the elder gods graven into the main supports (http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=AQQ4enCd338). Other Stave churches use motifs from the Sagas engraved into their exteriors. Certainly this shows that temples were a known concept, and, it is quite likely, that the Stave Churches were constructed on the site of Heiðen holy sites.

We see that the Gods have influence over the lives of people, being able to bestow favour, or their ire, depending on the situation. No greater example do we have of this than the tale of Starkhad, where-in the hero Starkhad is granted boons by Odhinn, but cursed by Thor. For each benefit that Odhinn provides to Starkhad, Thor, disliking Starkhads' Jotun origin, provides a curse which takes the sweetness out of the boon granted, and Starkhad ends up living a life which although greatly gifted, has hardships which in the end make his life unbearable. Many are the tales of heroes being granted boon, but also being blighted by the Gods, with the desires of the Gods, or others coming into play and their lives end up less enjoyable than they might have been.

And yet, we still haven't gotten a real grasp on what the Gods are, or are not for that matter. Clearly they are entities which command at least a certain level of respect, having specific locations built to honour them. They can provide both benefits as well as negatives to the lives of people, but such seem to be the exception, rather than the rule. Furthermore, they take gifts in the form of sacrifice, with the presupposition that one will either gain something from said sacrifice, or at least, ensure that the Gods stay out of ones business, or look kindly upon oneself or ones community. Invariably we need to consider the concept that we are dealing with entities which have some degree of influence in Midgarðr. Certainly from the perspective of many, such concepts of other worldly entities, and their having power in Midgardr seems foreign. However, it should be understood that the worldview that the Gods had capability within Midgarðr was very much a part of our ancestors worldview, and indeed was a part of the Kristin worldview, as often their missionaries belaboured the point where their God was better than our ancestral Gods. Whether or not this was actually the case, is immaterial, as the Kristin worldview strategically caters to having weasel-room, where-in if nothing happens, then one isn't pious enough, and if something does happen, then it's a sign that God is all powerful. For our own ancestral Gods, it was rare for them to deal directly with people, and as such, there isn't any weasel-room, as one is expected to behave in a certain way, and there is little direct influence from the Gods when one does, or doesn't. It is far more common for the community to be responsible for the control of behaviours than some external deity.

Clearly from our ancestral lore the Gods are less than omnipotent or omniscient, which is claimed of the Kristin God, albeit the Kristin God also is neither of these, as careful reading of their texts will demonstrate, but we are here to investigate our own Folkways, rather than alien cultures. The search for knowledge is a prime facet of the Chieftain of the Gods, Odhinn, and it can be shown that the Gods certainly know of things, but are certainly outside the concept of being all-knowing. This very fact, brings them closer to us, however, it also needs to be understood that their knowledge and experience far exceed our own, having been around a fair bit longer than we. So, just what are these entities whom we name Gods? Clearly their exact nature is hard to pin down, enve those whom deal with them, often are at a loss to know specifically whom or what they are, but then think of a person that you know, it takes time to get to know them, and you can be friends for years, and still find out new things about them, so then what of an entity which has existed for thousands of years, or even more? Would you learn everything about them in one lifetime? I think that the answer is certainly clear in this case.

And what do I think that the Gods are? Well, it is my considered opinion that they are entities which have been around for a very long time, whom have taken on certain personas through interaction via the peoples they have associated with. Just as we change through those whom we meet and have dealings with, so to do I believe that the Gods have slowly changed, as one must over time, to become those whom we know today. They are knowledgable, capable, and in many regards mysterious, but in another sense, they are very much like us on a grander scale, or how else would we ever come to be interested in them.

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