Angrboða Ritual 2
Introduction
We gather here 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 mother’s 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
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.
Today we celebrate Angrboða.
Let us begin by acknowledging her 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 we 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
Angrboða, Gullveig, Heiðr, Hyrrokkin, Aurboða, the Seeress - there are many faces that may have been worn by one being throughout the ages; some old, some new. Gullveig was the first; the others followed, and exist in that same-but-different way that only gods can exist.
She is a goddess of dark spaces, of bright magic, of liminal places, of in-betweens; she is a dark mirror through which we see ourselves as we are, not as how the world says we *should* be.
Angrboða
Many-named, many-faced
Bearer of monsters
She who watches from the forest’s edge
Spear-struck, thrice-burned
Weaver in the woods
Outcast, forgotten, overlooked -
We honor you now in this place, in the darkness where the wilderness meets civilization, where the unknown meets the predictable and comfortable. It is here that we show respect to you and your ability to stand up after you’ve been beaten down, for your mastery in changing the darkest, most hidden parts of the soul into strength and power. We honor you, Angrboða, for you show us that the grief, sadness, pain, and anger we carry is not something that controls us, defines us, or makes us monsters - but tools among many which we can use to become stronger, better, more capable.
Take a few moments and think of a time in your life when you felt the most outcast - the most alone, the most afraid, the most angry, the most devalued. Don’t let it consume you, but remember that pain and self-doubt and how it shaped your life, just for a moment.
Angrboða, war-starter, mother of wolves -
Remind us that our strengths often lie in what others see as weaknesses,
And help us to learn them and grow through them.
Aid us in our battles,
Give us the courage and fortitude to stand up after we’ve been beaten down by the world and cast aside.
Help us see our own worth when we feel we have none left,
And to find the willpower to rise again and not just carry on, but thrive.
You have been killed and still live; you have been burned three times, and still your heart beats, charred and ember-glowing. You are transformation caused by pain and loneliness. You are healing that comes from accepting the darkest parts of yourself, the power in declaring your worthiness, capability, and gravity to all who would see you crumble and fail.
Angrboða, we offer to you in hopes of growing those traits within ourselves, for we are worthy of our wants, we are not driven by our deepest fears and hurts, and we are so much more than the world tells us we are.
Hail to you, Seer who seeks to know.
Hail to you, mother of Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr.
Hail to you, jotun of the East Wind.
Hail to you, Lady of the Ironwood.
May you hear our prayers and accept our gifts.
[burn offerings, whatever they are; save a moment for people to give individual offerings as well if they have them]
Blessing
May you reclaim the power that has been taken from you.
May you embrace your whole self and your many faces.
May you find courage in the dark.
Gifts have been given for gifts received.
Closing of 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
Ritual has ended. Find comfort in your strength.
