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The Assembly of The Elder Troth would like to welcome you to our website. Please click on the links to the left to enter the relevant area of our site. Just as with many organisations and faiths, the Assembly of The Elder Troth too has special days and events which are celebrated by many Asatruar. The links below provide a list of months and the events that you will find occur during those months. We hope you find the information both informative and useful. Other Beings of the Troth Askr "Ash-Tree"; the first human male, made out of an ash-log by Odin, Hoenir, and Lodurr. Husband of Embla, the first human female. Audhumla The primal cow, born at the same time as Ymir (see below), whose licking brought the first god, Odin's grandfather Bor, out of the ice of Niflheim. Austri, Sudri, Vestri, Nordri The
four dwarves who hold up the four corners of the sky (Ymir's skull): East,
South, West, and North. Sometimes also thought to be the four who forged
Freya's necklace Brisingamen. Beyla Servant of Frey, wife of Byggvir. Her name is thought to be related to a word for "cow", and she the protectress of dairy work; the alternate suggestion is that "Beyla" is related to "bee", so that Beyla and Byggvir might be the givers of mead and ale. Byggvir "Barley";
servant of Frey, husband of Beyla. Perhaps related to the English "John
Barleycorn" of the folk-song. Disir Ancestral female spirits who look after their descendants, worshipped especially at the festival of Winternights. The word "dis" can also mean "goddess" or "kinswoman"; for instance, Freya is called "Vanadis" (dis of the Vanir). old Norse disir (singular dis), Anglo-Saxon ides, old High German idis (pl. idisi), Modern English idis (pl. idises). Probably the same as the Romano-Germanic Matronae, or Mothers, who were worshipped along the Rhine in the first part of the Common Era and appear in votive carvings as triads of women with beehive hairdresses and baskets of fruit. Durin Second of the Dwarves created by the gods as listed in Voluspa. Dwarves (Old Norse Dvergar. Also called Swart Alfs (old Norse Svartalfar), Nibelungen (Wagner).
The great smiths of the Germanic world, the dwarves were formed from the
maggots crawling in the body of the proto-giant Ymir. Note that in Voluspa
they are said to have been formed from the giants blood and bones. They
dwell beneath the earth; they forged, among other things, most of the
great treasures of the gods. Many dwarf-names suggest that they were originally
thought of as the dead or as demons of death. Though sometimes surly,
if approached with fitting respect, they can be friendly to humankind,
and several of our heroes (such as Sigurd/Siegfried and, according to
Thidreks saga, Wayland) were fostered by dwarves. If offended or forced
to work against their will, they take nasty revenge. The names of the
dwarves as listed in Voluspa are, Mötsognir, Durin, Nýi, Nidi,
Nordri, Sudri, Asutri, Vestri, Easter (Anglo-Saxon Eostre; old High German Ostara) The English name of an continental Germanic Heathen goddess of spring, whose memory proved so enduring in Saxon England that the christian springtime feast was eventually called by her name. The hare may have been her holy beast. Elves (They are divided into Light Elves (often seen as wights of sun and air), Dark Elves (the dead in the mound), and Swart Elves (see "dwarves"). Old Norse Alfar (singular alfr); Anglo-Saxon AElf; Modern English Alf.)
Usually called "alfs" in the Troth to avoid confusion with the
elves of Shakespeare or Tolkien. The Elves sometimes appear to be the
ghosts of dead ancestors still dwelling in mounds or hills; sometimes
they are more similar to land-wights (earth spirits). The Elves are worshipped
together with the Disir (see above) and often with Frey. Sometimes they
are kindly, as names like Alfred (Elf-Counsel) show; when offended, they
shoot humans or animals with elf-shot, causing stroke and other forms
of sickness. Embla First human female. The name is oflen translated "elm", though it could also refer to a sort of vine. See "Askr". Gersemi One of Freyja's and Od's two daughters. Gna (Liod) A servant of Frigga who acted as the great goddesses's messenger. Perhaps her most significant mission was to bring the apple of fertility to the mortal Rerir. Hnoss One of Freyja's and Od's two daughters. Kvasir After the war of the Aesir and Vanir, the two godly tribes sealed peace by spitting into a bowl and creating Kvasir from the mingled spittle. He was said to be the wisest of all creatures. He was slain by two dwarves, who brewed the mead of poetry (Odroerir) from his blood. The name derives from kvase (Norwegian), kvas (Russian), a kind of fermented berry juice traditionally prepared by communal chewing of the berries and spitting into a bowl. Land-wights (Old Norse landvaettir) The beings who dwell in rocks, springs, and so forth. They are shy and easily driven away (especially by noise or strife); when they have fled, the land will not prosper. In Heathen Iceland, it was illegal to come within sight of the shore with a dragon-prow raised, as that frightened them. The land-wights are friendly towards humans who treat them well. Gifts of food and drink were often left by their dwelling places; in America, tobacco is often added, as they have grown used to it from the practices of the Native Americans. Lif (Old Norse Lif, Lifthrasir) "Life", the human woman who survives Ragnarok by hiding beneath the bark of the World-Tree (or one of its shoots) and, with her husband Lifthrasir ("the one striving after life"), reproduces humankind after the last battle. Lofn One of Frigga's women, who gets permission for folk to marry when it had been forbidden before. Especially the patroness of those whose love is criticised by outsiders. Midgard Serpent Child of Loki and Angrboda, this great Wyrm circles Midgard, lying in the depths of the ocean. Some think that he holds the world together while the age lasts. Thor caught him once while fishing and struck him on the head, but Thor's companion, the giant Hymir, became afraid and cut the line. At Ragnarok, the Midgard Serpent and Thor will slay each other. The Wyrm is also called Jormungandr (the Great Wand or the Great Magic-Beast). Mötsognir Greatest of all the Dwarves. Norns The three Norns, Urd (Wyrd), Verdandi, and Skuld, are etin-maidens who guard the Well of Urd from which the World-Tree springs. They reach into the Well's waters (the past) and sprinkle the Tree to shape that which shall happen. They are also said to do their shaping by cutting runes and/or by spinning and weaving. They are possibly related to the three Continental Matronae (see "disir"); Snorri, and the Eddic poem Fafnismal, also describe clan--disir as "norns". Ratatosk (Old Norse Ratatoskr) The squirrel that runs up and down the World-Tree, bearing nasty messages between the dragon at its roots and the eagle at its crown. Skirnir "The Shining one"; Frey's servant and messenger. Skuld One of the Norns Sleipnir Odin's gray, eight-legged horse, borne by Loki (in mare-shape) to the giant-stallion Svadilfari. Thjalfi Servant of Thor. When Thor stayed overnight at the house of a man (race unclear; sources hint variously at human, giant, or elf) named Egill, there was little to eat, so Thor slew his goats and served them up. He warned the family not to harm any of the bones, but Thjalfi cracked one and sucked the marrow. The next morning, Thor put the hides back over the bones and swung his Hammer over them; the goats jumped up alive and well, but one was lamed. To pay for the harm, Egill gave Thor his son Thjalfi and his daughter Roskva as servants. Thjalfi was best known as a remarkably swift runner. The name (old Norse Thjalfi) has been interpreted as "serving-elf", but also appears as a personal name. His sister's name (Old Norse Roskva) is related to the verb "to grow, to mature", and may hint at an original role as fertility goddess, fitting to both Thor's role as a god of fruitfulness and to the character of his wife Sif. Thrud (Old Norse Truthr; English Trude) "Strength";
Thor's daughter. Perhaps abducted by the giant Hrungnir, whom Thor slew;
also desired by the dwarf Alviss, whom Thor outwitted. Her name is sometimes
listed among the valkyries; it is a common element in women's names (such
as Gertrude - "spear-Thrud" or "spear-strength"). Troll Originally, perhaps, simply meaning "magic", though it has also been connected with "to roll". Today it is normally used for a being from Icelandic and Norwegian folklore which seems to be a cross between a land-wight, a giant, and the Undead. Trolls of this sort are magical beings which kill (and perhaps eat) travellers in the mountains and are turned to stone by daylight. Valkyries "Choosers of the Slain", these maidens were originally seen as frightful battle-spirits accompanying Odin in his work of marking men for death in war. They appear in a more pleasant aspect in Valhall, where they carry out the traditional womanly duty of bearing drink. The idea of the valkyrie as the hero's supernatural lover is probably a product of romanticization by the thirteenth -century scribes who recorded the earlier poems of the heroes Helgi and Wayland (Volundr) and filled in gaps with their own prose; the poems themselves do not recognise these spirit-wives as valkyries. The most famous of the valkyries, known chiefly through Wagner's Ring Cycle, is Brunnhilde, demoted from her position for defending a hero against Odin's will and punished by being forced to fall in love with Siegfried the Dragon-Slayer (Sigurd). Voluspa lists their names as: Skuld, Skögul, Gunn, Hild, Göndul, and Geirskögul. Vanir A tribe of deities which we only know about through their relationship with the Aesir. After a war which ended in a truce between equally matched forces, the two tribes were reconciled, and the Vanic Njord and Frey came to live with the Aesir. Since Frey and Njord are often called on for peace and good harvest, the Vanir are often seen as peaceful fertility deities. They are contrasted to the warlike Aesir in this respect, but since Frey is one of the doughtiest warriors and called "leader of the hosts of the gods", and his twin Freya is well known as a patron goddess of warriors and stirrer of strife, this can hardly be the wholeness of their being. The Vanir are especially known for their wisdom and ability to see into the mists of what shall become; the ecstatic divinatory technique called seidhr is originally attributed to them. The rock carvings of the Bronze Age seem to show a great deal of Vanic symbolism, though Aesic images (the god with the spear, the god with the double-headed Hammer or axe) are also often present. In modern speech, Wans or Wanes. Vor "The Careful one", one of Frigga's women. Walpurga "Wald-burga" (Wood-Protection), a christian saint whose name was given to the holy night May Eve ("Walpurgisnacht"). No Heathen name for this feast survives. However, for the sake of custom in the Teutonic tradition, the Troth has taken to calling the festival "Waluburg's Night", after the second-century Heathen Germanic seeress Waluburg. Yggdrasill The World-Tree. The name Yggdrasill means "Ygg's steed"; Ygg is one of Odin's many names. The title probably refers to the nine nights Odin spent hanging from it to win the runes, as a gallows is often called "the steed of the hanged". All the Nine Worlds lie within the span of the World-Tree. It is usually called an ash, but some think that it may be a yew, since it is also said to be evergreen. At its roots gnaw the dragon Niddhogg and many snakes; an eagle nests at its crown with a falcon between his eyes, and the squirrel Ratatosk runs up and down between them. Four stags also gnaw on the World-Tree's bark; but the Norns' sprinkling of the waters from the Well of Wyrd heal it each day. Images and Contents Copyright © Assembly of The Elder Troth 2002 - 2007 or as specified. For communications regarding this website please e-mail webmaster@aetaustralia.org Page maintained by Schmitt Services Last Update: Saturday, June 5, 2004
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