Angrboða Ritual

ANGRBOÐA RITUAL

written by DISTRESSED JÁRNVIÐR

-ritual best set at night, and if possible in the woods-

INTRODUCTION

We gather here tonight under the light of the moon to pay reverence to an understated but significant goddess, Angrboða.

The protector of the protectors, cultivator of the powerful, and devoted mother to her children. Fostering strength and guardianship for those who safeguard the realms, defining what it is to shield and defend. Angrboða is the very essence of strength itself.

In contrast to the ordered and predictable world of the Aesir gods, Angrboða embodies the untamed aspects of the world and reminds us of the wild and often dangerous nature of existence, and in that we find perspective and solace.
ODE

Angrboða, mother of night,
from the darkest of shadows, you shine so bright.
Your nature is chaotic, fierce and wild,
Resembling endearing qualities of a child.

Simple and pure, without morals guiding course
Enigmatic and potent, nature's vital force
You and your children, they say are untamed
Yet throughout all the stories, they still whisper your name.

You gave us the serpent, protectively circling the earth
A symbol of life, of death and rebirth
You created the wolf: loyal, fettered, and bound
Zeal so strong, they tied to the ground
In a desire to change what is already done;
Do they not know he is his mothers son?

You gave us Hel, where spirits find eternal night
She safely guides all on their final flight
We find you represented, expressed in your kin
And in their enigmatic natures, understanding begins
With your name we find courage to stand against all odds
In your presence we find power, emboldened by gods

They say you bring darkness, grief, and despair
Yet the reality is we are just made aware
of the power and balance that you give to us
Unbridled, unpredictable, chaotic, and thus
A reminder to all, both gods and man
You are the maker of the cosmos’s grand plan.

OPENING OF RITUAL

Let us hallow this space, and banish all ill wights from among us, led by our Fender of the Temple.

Gods above me, earth below me, fire inside me.

May welcomed spirits above, behind and beside us grace our presence,
as we offer our devotion, our prayers and our heartfelt intentions.
Gather with us and sanctify these grounds
- light central fire -

Today we celebrate Angrboða,

Let us begin by acknowledging Angrboða’s presence in the world, in everything around us that gives us life and death, from the mouths of the oceans crashing into the shores, charging us to push forward no matter the obstacles, to the unyielding arms of the mountains enveloping us in their protective embrace.

You go by many names, some we know, and yet many more lost to time, but you remain the same

Gullveig - the old one, first born of the yawning chasm before creation, the first mother, and subject of the very first war, feared by gods, you were stabbed and burned, and yet you lived.

First-born and first burnt, your death created the world serpent, Jormungandr.

Hail Gullveig, the first mother

Heiðr - the shining one, you brought magic to the people of Midgard, also known as Hljoð, daughter of Hrimnir, invited to Åsgård by Odin, maid to Frigg and giver of children to kings. Shapeshifter (crow, wolf) and mother to Gerdr, your importance is so understated, but I see you.

Second-born and second burnt, your death created the Great Wolf, Fenrisúlfr.

Hail Heiðr, the bringer of magic

Aurboða - the cold one partner to Gýmir, Keeper of Gambanteinn and maid, friend, and sister to Freyja, it was you who brought seiðr to the gods.

Third-born and third burnt, your death created the goddess of the afterlife, our ancestors' protector, Hel.

Hail Aurboða, companion to Freyja

Angrboða - mother to all wolves, dweller of jarvinðr.
You gifted us dusk and dawn with those who chase the sun and moon, your kin protect our most valued ancestors.
Despite the gods' attempts to consume you in flames once more, you remain unwavering, steadfast and enduring.

Hail Angrboða inaldna (old age), Hail Angrboða in Vitra (wise)

DEDICATION

Weaver of destiny
We owe you our trust.
Mother of the forces of nature
We owe you our respect.
Protector of the protectors
We owe you our reverence.

We come to you for wisdom, seer of the gods

Hail to you maðir úlfs - wolf's mother
Hail to you, goddess of life and death

Offerings to Angrboða may be given:
for each person {

(Offerings placed in the fire or other offering vessel)

*optional mark with bind rune ()

BLESSING

May Angrboða bring you wisdom in times of judgement
May Angrboða bring you peace when the world is too noisy
May Angrboða bring you warmth when the world seems so cold

} end loop

Hail Gullveig
Hail Heiðr
Hail Aurboða
HAIL Angrboða

CLOSING


And may the Fender of the Temple close out our ritual.

From the unspoken divine, to the earth, to our humble hands,
From our hearts, through the earth and to the sacred lands,
May our gift in this sacred space be welcomed and find favour in your embrace

And now the Gods depart. Blot is ended. Let us celebrate together in peace.


Popular posts from this blog

The Edda's - From the Desk of Snorri Sturluson

Image
The Edda's, a Heathens primary source of mythic information. Most of what we know today of the Gods, their worlds and their adventures is found in the Edda's, and lets be real we wouldn't have the works of J.R.R. Tolkien if not for them and that alone should raise the importance of this work 10 fold. I'll start by saying what this isn't. This isn't a biography on the very interesting life of famed lawmaker Snorri Sturluson (read 'Songs of the Vikings' by Nancy Marie Brown for that, it's excellent). This isn't an examination of translations we read today, the Christian influence or detailing and examining the contents of the poems themselves. It's merely an overview of  where  and  when they came from, mainly for a couple of reasons; I think there is already a healthy discussion out there about the politics of the myths and detailing all that nuance is one hell of a job, and I'm not getting paid to do this, and there seems to be a confusio...
Read more

Jotun Worship - Historical or Modern?

Image
This one might be seen as a little bit of a spicy one although its not intended to be, just some people have opinions about worshipping the big bad giants because they are evil and inviting that into your praxis and lives will somehow bring on the end of the world as we know it. Little bit dramatic but it’s rhetoric I see time and time again. One of the cornerstones of this argument is that it is not historical. Well lets see if we can shed some light on that and see if that statement is true, or perhaps * clutches pearls * people of ye olden days were not that much different to us and worship was as diverse as it is today. I came across this paper written in ancient times, when phones were hard wired and used for talking, American Ninja was peak cinema and watching it involved riding your BMX to the local blockbuster and hoping someone hadn't already rented it, mixed tapes consisting of UB40, Eurythmics and Phil Collins and were the best way to win a love interests heart. The year...
Read more

Angrboða - Gullveig Part 4

Image
Angrboða / Angrboda  distress bringer Previous post in this series:  Aurboða - Gullveig Part 3 I think the relationship between Angrboda and Gullveig is the easiest to demonstrate, and has most solid evidence to support it. In this entry, we will tie Angrboda to the growing list of connections to Gullveig. Now, for someone so important in the myths - parent of the World Serpent, the Wolf that is said to destroy Odin, and the Ruler of the Underworld - we don't really hear a lot about Angrboda. I went over this in the intro post, but I believe that this is at least in part due to the time these poems were transcribed, and witchcraft being generally taboo... much more taboo than just a changing religion. Let's start out with what we do know about Angrboda: Voluspa in skamma 11 & 12 [ 11 ] The wolf did Loki | with Angrbotha win, And Sleipnir bore he | to Svathilfari; The worst of marvels | seemed the one That sprang from the brother | of Byleist then. [ 12 ] A heart ate Loki,...
Read more