To Main Page
2801 knoweth your names. I know your names among the gods, the lords of Khert-Neter. I am one among you. Grant ye that I may see the gods who are the Guides of the Tuat. Grant ye to me a seat in Khert-Neter, near the Lords of Amentet. Assign to me a habitation in the land of Tchesert. Receive ye me in the presence of the Lords of Eternity. Let my soul come forth in whatsoever place it pleaseth. Let it not be rejected in the presence of the Great Company of the Gods. TURNING INTO THE GOD WHO LIGHTENETH DARKNESS [THE CHAPTER OF] MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO THE GOD WHO LIGHTENETH THE DARKNESS. The Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- I am the girdle of the garment of the god Nu, which giveth light, and shineth, and belongeth to his breast, the illuminer of the darkness, the uniter of the two Rehti deities, the dweller in my body, through the great spell of the words of my mouth. I rise up, but he who was coming after me hath fallen. He who was with him in the Valley of Abtu hath fallen. I rest. I remember him. The god Hu hath taken possession of me in my town. I found him there. I have carried away the darkness by my strength, I have filled the Eye [of Ra] when it was helpless, and when it came not on the festival of the fifteenth day. I have weighed Sut in the celestial houses against the Aged One who was with him. I have equipped Thoth in the House of the Moon-god, when the fifteenth day of the festival come not. I have taken possession of the Urrt Crown. Truth is in my body; turquoise and crystal are its months. My homestead is there among the lapis-lazuli, among the furrows thereof. I am Hem-Nu, the lightener of the darkness. I have come to lighten the darkness; it is light. I have lightened the darkness. I have overthrown the ashmiu-fiends. I have sung hymns to those who dwell in the darkness. I have made to stand up the weeping ones, whose faces were covered over; they were in a helpless state of misery. Look ye then upon me. I am Hem-Nu. I will not let you hear concerning it. [I have fought. I am Hem-Nu. I have lightened the darkness. I have come. I have made an end to the darkness which hath become light indeed.] NOT DYING A SECOND TIME THE CHAPTER OF NOT DYING A SECOND TIME. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Hail, Thoth! What is it that hath happened to the children of Nut? They have waged war, they have upheld strife, they have done evil, they have created the fiends, they have made slaughter, they have caused trouble; in truth, in all their doings the strong have worked against the weak. Grant, O might of Thoth, that that which the god Tem hath decreed [may be done!] And thou regardest not evil, nor art thou provoked to anger when they bring their years to confusion, and throng in and push in to disturb their months. For in all that they have done unto thee they have worked iniquity in secret. I am they writing-palette, O Thoth, and I have brought unto thee thine ink-jar. I am not of those who work iniquity in their secret places; let not evil happen unto me. The Osiris, the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Hail, Temu! What manner of land is this unto which I have come? It hath not water, it hath not air; it is depth unfathomable, it is black as the blackest night, and men wander helplessly therein. In it a man cannot live in quietness of heart; nor may the longings of love be satisfied therein. 2802 But let the state of the Spirit-souls be given unto me instead of water and air, and the satisfying of the longings of love, and let quietness of heart be given unto me instead of cakes and ale. The god Tem hath decreed that I shall see thy face, and that I shall not suffer from the things which pain thee. May every god transmit unto thee his throne for millions of years. Thy throne hath descended unto thy son Horus, and the god Tem hath decreed that thy course shall be among the holy princes. In truth he shall rule from thy throne, and he shall be heir to the throne of the Dweller in the fiery Lake [Neserser]. In truth it hath been decreed that in me he shall see his likeness, and that my face shall look upon the face of the Lord Tem. How long then have I to live? It is decreed that thou shalt live for millions of years, a life of millions of years. Let it be granted to me to pass on to the holy princes, for indeed, I have done away all the evil which I committed, from the time when this earth came into being from Nu, when it sprang from the watery abyss even as it was in the days of old. I am Fate and Osiris, I have made my transformations into the likeness of divers serpents. Man knoweth not, and the gods cannot behold the two-fold beauty which I have made for Osiris, the greatest of the gods. I have given unto him the region of the dead. And, verily, his son Horus is seated upon the throne of the Dweller in the fiery Lake [of Neserser], as his heir. I have made him to have his throne in the Boat of Millions of Years. Horus is stablished upon his throne [among his] kinsmen, and he hath all that is with him. Verily, the Soul of Set, which is greater than all the gods, hath departed. Let it be granted to me to bind his soul in fetter in the Boat of the God, when I please, and let him hold the Body of the God in fear. O my father Osiris, thou hast done for me that which thy father Ra did for thee. Let me abide upon the earth permanently. Let me keep possession of my throne. Let my heir be strong. Let my tomb, and my friends who are upon the earth, flourish. Let my enemies be given over to destruction, and to the shackles of the goddess Serq. I am thy son. Ra is my father. On me likewise thou hast conferred life, strength, and health. Horus is established upon his tomb. Grant thou that the days of my life may come unto worship and honour. APPENDIX (From the Leyden Papyrus of Ra) RUBRIC: This Chapter shall be recited over a figure of Horus, made of lapis-lazuli, which shall be placed on the neck of the deceased. It is a protection upon earth, and it will secure for the deceased the affection of men, gods, and the Spirit-souls which are perfect. Moreover it acteth as a spell in Khert-Neter, but it must be recited by thee on behalf of the Osiris Ra, regularly and continually millions of times. ENTERING THE HALL OF MAAT [THE CHAPTER OF] ENTERING INTO THE HALL OF MAATI TO PRAISE OSIRIS KHENTI-AMENTI. The Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- I have come unto thee. I have drawn nigh to behold thy beauties (thy beneficient goodness). My hands are [extended] in adoration of thy name of "Maat." I have come. I have drawn nigh unto [the place where] the cedar-tree existeth not, where the acacia tree doth not put forth shoots, and where the ground produceth neither grass nor 2803 herbs. Now I have entered into the habitation which is hidden, and I hold converse with Set. My protector advanced to me, covered was his face.... on the hidden things. He entered into the house of Osiris, he saw the hidden things which were therein. The Tchatchau Chiefs of the Pylons were in the form of Spirits. The god Anpu spake unto those about him with the words of a man who cometh from Ta-mera, saying, "He knoweth our roads and our towns. I am reconciled unto him. When I smell his odour it is even as the odour of one of you." And I say unto him: I the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, in peace, whose word is truth, have come. I have drawn nigh to behold the Great Gods. I would live upon the propitiatory offerings [made] to their Doubles. I would live on the borders [of the territory of] the Soul, the Lord of Tetu. He shall make me to come forth in the form of a Benu bird, and to hold converse [with him.] I have been in the stream [to purify myself]. I have made offerings of incense. I betook myself to the Acacia Tree of the [divine] Children. I lived in Abu in the House of the goddess Satet. I made to sink in the water the boat of the enemies. I sailed over the lake [in the temple] in the Neshmet Boat. I have looked upon the Sahu of Kamur. I have been in Tetu. I have held my peace. I have made the god to be master of his legs. I have been in the House of Teptuf. I have seen him, that is the Governor of the Hall of the God. I have entered into the House of Osiris and I have removed the head-coverings of him that is therein. I have entered into Rasta, and I have seen the Hidden One who is therein. I was hidden, but I found the boundary. I journeyed to Nerutef, and he who was therein covered me with a garment. I have myrrh of women, together with the shenu powder of living folk. Verily he (Osiris) told me the things which concerned himself. I said: Let thy weighing of me be even as we desire. And the Majesty of Anpu shall say unto me, "Knowest thou the name of this door, and canst thou tell it?" And the Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, in peace, whose word is truth, shall say, "Khersek-Shu" is the name of this door. And the Majesty of the god Anpu shall say unto me, "Knowest thou the name of the upper leaf, and the name of the lower leaf?" [And the Osiris the scribe Ani] shall say: "Neb-Maat-heri-retiu-f" is the name of the upper leaf and "Neb-pehti-thesu-menment" [is the name of the lower leaf. And the Majesty of the god Anpu shall say], "Pass on, for thou hast knowledge, O Osiris the scribe, the assessor of the holy offerings of all the gods of Thebes Ani, whose word is truth, the lord of loyal service [to Osiris]." APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nu, Brit. Mus. No. 10477, Sheet 22) [THE FOLLOWING] WORDS SHALL BE SAID BY THE STEWARD OF THE KEEPER OF THE SEAL, NU, WHOSE WORD IS TRUTH, WHEN HE COMETH FORTH TO THE HALL OF MAATI, SO THAT HE MAY BE SEPARATED FROM EVERY SIN WHICH HE HATH COMMITTED, AND MAY BEHOLD THE FACES OF THE GODS. The Osiris Nu, whose word is truth, saith: Homage to thee, O great God, Lord of Maati! I have come unto thee, O my Lord, and I have brought myself hither that I may behold thy beauties. I know thee, I know thy name, I know the names of the Forty-two Gods who live with thee in this Hall of Maati, who live by keeping ward over sinners, and who feed upon their blood on the day when the consciences of men are reckoned up 2804 in the presence of the god Un-Nefer. In truth thy name is "Rehti-Merti-Nebti-Maati." In truth I have come unto thee, I have brought Maati (Truth) to thee. I have done away sin for thee. I have not committed sins against men. I have not opposed my family and kinsfolk. I have not acted fraudulently in the Seat of Truth. I have not known men who were of no account. I have not wrought evil. I have not made it to be the first [consideration daily that unnecessary] work should be done for me. I have not brought forward my name for dignities. I have not [attempted] to direct servants [I have not belittled God]. I have not defrauded the humble man of his property. I have not done what the gods abominate. I have not vilified a slave to his master. I have not inflicted pain. I have not caused anyone to go hungry. I have not made any man to weep. I have not committed murder. I have not given the order for murder to be committed. I have not caused calamities to befall men and women. I have not plundered the offerings in the temples. I have not defrauded the gods of their cake-offerings. I have not carried off the fenkhu cakes [offered to] the Spirits. I have not committed fornication. I have not masturbated [in the sanctuaries of the god of my city]. I have not diminished from the bushel. I have not filched [land from my neighbour's estate and] added it to my own acre. I have not encroached upon the fields [of others]. I have not added to the weights of the scales. I have not depressed the pointer of the balance. I have not carried away the milk from the mouths of children. I have not driven the cattle away from their pastures. I have not snared the geese in the goose-pens of the gods. I have not caught fish with bait made of the bodies of the same kind of fish. I have not stopped water when it should flow. I have not made a cutting in a canal of running water. I have not extinguished a fire when it should burn. I have not violated the times [of offering] the chosen meat offerings. I have not driven away the cattle on the estates of the gods. I have not turned back the god at his appearances. I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. My pure offerings are the pure offerings of that great Benu which dwelleth in Hensu. For behold, I am the nose of Neb-nefu (the lord of the air), who giveth sustenance unto all mankind, on the day of the filling of the Utchat in Anu, in the second month of the season Pert, on the last of the month, [in the presence of the Lord of this earth]. I have seen the filling of the Utchat in Anu, therefore let not calamity befall me in this land, or in this Hall of Maati, because I know the names of the gods who are therein, [and who are the followers of the Great God]. THE NEGATIVE CONFESSION Hail, Usekh-nemmt, who comest forth from Anu, I have not committed sin. Hail, Hept-khet, who comest forth from Kher-aha, I have not committed robbery with violence. Hail, Fenti, who comest forth from Khemenu, I have not stolen. Hail, Am-khaibit, who comest forth from Qernet, I have not slain men and women. Hail, Neha-her, who comest forth from Rasta, I have not stolen grain. 2805 Hail, Ruruti, who comest forth from heaven, I have not purloined offerings. Hail, Arfi-em-khet, who comest forth from Suat, I have not stolen the property of God. Hail, Neba, who comest and goest, I have not uttered lies. Hail, Set-qesu, who comest forth from Hensu, I have not carried away food. Hail, Utu-nesert, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not uttered curses. Hail, Qerrti, who comest forth from Amentet, I have not committed adultery, I have not lain with men. Hail, Her-f-ha-f, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have made none to weep. Hail, Basti, who comest forth from Bast, I have not eaten the heart. Hail, Ta-retiu, who comest forth from the night, I have not attacked any man. Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I am not a man of deceit. Hail, Unem-besek, who comest forth from Mabit, I have not stolen cultivated land. Hail, Neb-Maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not been an eavesdropper. Hail, Tenemiu, who comest forth from Bast, I have not slandered [no man]. Hail, Sertiu, who comest forth from Anu, I have not been angry without just cause. Hail, Tutu, who comest forth from Ati (the Busirite Nome), I have not debauched the wife of any man. Hail, Uamenti, who comest forth from the Khebt chamber, I have not debauched the wife of [any] man. Hail, Maa-antuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I have not polluted myself. Hail, Her-uru, who comest forth from Nehatu, I have terrorized none. Hail, Khemiu, who comest forth from Kaui, I have not transgressed [the law]. Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Urit, I have not been wroth. Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth. 2806 Hail, Kenemti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have not blasphemed. Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I am not a man of violence. Hail, Sera-kheru, who comest forth from Unaset, I have not been a stirrer up of strife. Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Netchfet, I have not acted with undue haste. Hail, Sekhriu, who comest forth from Uten, I have not pried into matters. Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my words in speaking. Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have wronged none, I have done no evil. Hail, Tem-Sepu, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not worked witchcraft against the king. Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebu, I have never stopped [the flow of] water. Hail, Ahi, who comest forth from Nu, I have never raised my voice. Hail, Uatch-rekhit, who comest forth from Sau, I have not cursed God. Hail, Neheb-ka, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not acted with arrogance. Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not stolen the bread of the gods. Hail, Tcheser-tep, who comest forth from the shrine, I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the Spirits of the dead. Hail, An-af, who comest forth from Maati, I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city. Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest forth from Ta-she (the Fayyum), I have not slain the cattle belonging to the god. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nebseni) Hail, Usekh-nemmt, who comest forth from Anu, I have not committed sin. Hail, Hept-Shet, who comest forth from Kher-aha, I have not robbed with violence. Hail, Fenti, who comest forth from Khemenu, I have done no violence. 2807 Hail, Am-khaibitu, who comest forth from Qerrt, I have not stolen. Hail, Neha-hau, who comest forth from Rasta, I have not slain men. Hail, Ruruti, who comest forth from heaven, I have not made light the bushel. Hail, Arti-f-em-tes, who comest forth from Sekhem, I have not acted deceitfully. Hail, Neba, who comest and goest, I have not stolen the property of the god. Hail, Set-qesu, who comest forth from Hensu, I have not told lies. Hail, Uatch-nesert, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not carried away food. Hail, Qerti, who comest forth from Amenti, I have not uttered evil words. Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest from Ta-she, I have attacked no man. Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I have not salin a bull which was the property of the god. Hail, Unem-besku, who comest [forth from the Mabet chamber], I have not acted deceitfully. Hail, Neb-maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not pillaged the lands which have been ploughed. Hail, Thenemi, who comest forth from Bast, I have never pried into matters [to make mischief]. Hail, Aati, who comest forth from Anu, I have not set my mouth in motion. Hail, Tutuf, who comest from from A, I have not been wroth except with reason. Hail, Uamemti, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I have not debauched the wife of a man. Hail, Maa-anuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I ahve not polluted myself. Hail, Heri-uru, who comest forth from [Nehatu], I have terrorized no man. Hail, Khemi, who comest forth from Ahaui, I have not made attacks. Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Uri, I have not been a man of anger. Hail, Nekhem, who comest forth from Heq-at, I have not turned a deaf ear to the words of truth. 2808 Hail, Ser-Kheru, who comest forth from Unes, I have not stirred up strife. Hail, Basti, who comest forth from Shetait, I have made none to weep. Hail, Her-f-ha-f, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not committed acts of sexual impurity, or lain with men. Hail, Ta-ret, who comest forth from Akhkhu, I have not eaten my heart. Hail, Kenmti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have cursed no man. Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I have not acted in a violent or oppressive manner. Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Tchefet, I have not acted [or judged] hastily. Hail, Serekhi, who comest forth from Unth, I have not.... my hair, I have not harmed the god. Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my speech overmuch. Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not acted with deciet, I have not worked wickedness. Hail, Tem-Sep, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not done things to effect the cursing of [the king]. Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebti, I have not stopped the flow of water. Hail, Ahi-mu, who comest forth from Nu, I have not raised my voice. Hail, Utu-rekhit, who comest forth from thy house, I have not curse God. Hail, Neheb-Nefert, who comest forth from the Lake of Nefer, I have not acted with insufferable insolence. Hail, Neheb-kau, who comest forth from [thy] city, I have not sought to make myself unduly distinguished. Hail, Tcheser-tep, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not increased my wealth except through such things are [justly] my own possessions. Hail, An-a-f, who comest forth from Auker, I have not scorned [or treated with contempt] the god of my town. ADDRESS TO THE GODS OF THE TUAT (From the Papyrus of Nu, Brit. Mus. No. 10477, Sheet 24) THE FOLLOWING ARE THE WORDS WHICH THE HEART OF TRUTH THAT IS SINLESS SHALL SAY WHEN HE COMETH WITH THE WORD OF TRUTH INTO THE HALL OF 2809 MAATI; THEY SHALL BE SAID WHEN HE COMETH TO THE GODS WHO DWELL IN THE TUAT; AND THEY ARE THE WORDS WHICH ARE [TO BE SAID] AFTER [HE COMETH FORTH FROM] THE HALL OF MAATI. Nu, the steward of the keeper of the seal, whose word is truth, saith:- Homage to you, O ye gods who dwell in your Hall of Maati! I know you, I know your names. Let me not fall under your knives of slaughter, and bring ye not forward my wickedness to this god in whose following ye are. Let not evil hap come upon me through you. Speak ye the truth concerning me in the presence of Neb-er-tcher, for I have done what is right and just in Ta-Mera. I have not cursed the god, and my evil hap did not come upon him that was king in his day. Homage to you, O ye who dwell in your Hall of Maati, who have nothing false in your bodies, who live upon Truth, who feed yourselves upon Truth in the presence of Horus who dwelleth in his Disk, deliver ye me from Beba, who feedeth upon the livers of the great ones on the day of the Great Judgment. Grant ye that I may come before you, for I have not committed sin, I have done no act of deceit, I have done no evil thing, and I have not borne [false] witness; therefore let nothing [evil] be done to me. I have lived upon truth, I have fed upon truth, I have performed the ordinances of men, and the things which gratify the gods. I have propitiated the god by doing his will, I have given bread to the hungry man, and water to him that was athirst, and apparel to the naked man, and a ferry-boat to him that had no boat. I have made propitiatory offerings and given cakes to the gods, and the "things which appear at the word" to the Spirits. Deliver then ye me, protect then ye me, and make ye no report against me in the presence [of the Great God]. I am pure in respect of my mouth, and I am clean in respect of my hands, therefore let it be said unto me by those who shall behold me: "Come in peace, Come in peace." For I have heard that great word which the Sahu spake to the CAT, in the House of Hapt-ra. I have borne witness to Her-f-ha-f, and he hath given a decision [concerning me]. I have seen the things over which the Persea tree which is in Rasta, spreadeth its branches. I have made petitions to the gods, [and I] know the things [which appertain to] their bodies. I have come, travelling a long road, to bear righteous testimony, and to set the Balance upon its supports within Aukert. Hail, thou who art exalted high upon thy standard, thou Lord of the Atef Crown, who dost make thy name to be "Lord of the Winds," deliver thou me from thy divine Envoys who punish and afflict according to [thy] decrees, and who make calamities to arise, and whose faces are without coverings, for I have done what is right and true for the Lord of Truth. I am pure. My breast is purified by libations, and my hinder parts are made clean with the things which make clean, and my inner parts have been dipped in the Lake of Truth. There is no single member of mine which lacketh truth. I have washed myself clean in the Lake of the South. I have rested myself in the City of the North, which is in Sekhet Sanhemu (the Field of the Grasshoppers), where the mariners of Ra wash themselves clean at the second hour of the night, and at the third hour of the day. The hearts of the gods are gratified when they have passed over it, whether it be by night or whether it be by day, and they say unto me, "Let thyself advance." They say unto me, "Who art thou?" And they say unto me, "What is thy name?" [And I reply], "Sept-kheri-nehait-ammi-beq-f" is 2810 my name. Then they say unto me, "Advance straightway on the city which is to the North of the Olive Tree. What dost thou see there?" The Leg and the Thigh. What dost thou say unto them? Let me see rejoicings in these lands of the Fenkhu. What do they give unto thee? A flame of fire and a sceptre-amulet [made] of crystal. What dost thou do with them? I bury them on the furrow of M'naat, as things for the night. What dost thou find on the furrow of Maat? A sceptre of flint, the name of which is "Giver of winds." What now didst thou do with the flame of fire and the sceptre-amulet [made] of crystal, after thou didst bury them? I said a spell over them, and I dug them up. I quenched the flame of fire and I broke the sceptre-amulet, and I made a lake of water. [Then shall the Two and forty gods say unto me]: "Come now, pass in over the threshold of this door of the Hall of Maati, for thou hast knowledge of us." "We will not allow thee to enter in over us," say the bars of this door, "unless thou tellest us our names." [And I reply], "Tekh-bu-maa" is your name. The right lintel of this door saith: "I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my name." [And I reply], "Henku-en-fat-maat" is thy name. The left lintel of this door saith: "I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my name." [And I reply], "Henku-en-arp" is thy name. The ground of this door saith: "I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my name." [And I reply], "Aua-en-Keb" is thy name. And the bolt of this door saith: "I will not open the door to thee unless thou tellest me my name." [And I reply], "Saah-en-mut-f" is thy name. The socket of the fastening of this door saith: "I will not open unto thee unless thou tellest my name." [And I reply], "The Living Eye of Sebek, the Lord of Bakhau," is thy name. The Doorkeeper of this door saith: "I will not open to thee, and I will not let thee enter by me unless thou tellest my name." [And I reply], "Elbow of the god Shu who placeth himself to protect Osiris" is thy name. The posts of this door say: "We will not let thee pass in by us unless thou tellest our name." [And I reply], "Children of the uraei-goddesses" is your name. The Doorkeeper of this door saith: "I will not open to thee, and I will not let thee enter in by me unless thou tellest my name. [And I reply], "Ox of Keb" is thy name. [And they reply], "Thou knowest us, pass in therefore by us." The ground of this Hall of Maati saith: "I will not let thee tread upon me [unless thou tellest me my name], for I am silent. I am holy because I know the names of two feet wherewith thou wouldst walk upon me. Declare, then, them to me." [And I reply], "Besu-Ahu" is the name of my right foot, and "Unpet-ent-Het-Heru" is the name of my left foot. [The ground replieth]: "Thou knowest us, enter in therefore over us." The Doorkeeper of this Hall of Maati saith: "I will not announce thee unless thou tellest my name." [And I reply], "Discerner of hearts, searcher of bellies" is thy name. [The Doorkeeper saith]: "Thou shalt be announced." [He saith]: "Who is the god who dwelleth in his hour? Speak it" [And I reply], "Au-taui." [He saith]: "Explain who he is." [And I reply], "Au-taui" is Thoth. "Come now," saith Thoth, "for what purpose hast thou come?" [And I reply]: "I have come, and have journeyed hither that my name may be announced [to the god]." [Thoth saith]: "In what condition art thou?" [And I reply], "I, even I, am purified from evil defects, and I am wholly free from the curses of those who live in their days, and I am not one of their number." [Thoth saith]: "Therefore shall [thy name] be announced to the god." [Thoth saith]: "Tell me, who is he whose heaven is of fire, whose 2811 walls are living serpents, and whose ground is a stream of water? Who is he?" [And I reply], "He is Osiris." [Thoth saith]: "Advance now, [thy name] shall be announced to him. Thy cakes shall come from the Utchat (Eye of Horus or Ra), thy ale shall come from the Utchat, and the offerings which shall appear to thee at the word upon earth [shall proceed] from the Utchat." This is what Osiris hath decreed for the steward of the overseer of the seal, Nu, whose word is truth. RUBRIC: THE MAKING OF THE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT SHALL HAPPEN IN THIS HALL OF MAATI. This Chapter shall be said by the deceased when he is cleansed and purified, and is arrayed in linen apparel, and is shod with sandals of white leather, and his eyes are painted with antimony, and his body is anointed with unguent made of myrrh. And he shall present as offerings oxen, and feathered fowl, and incense, and cakes and ale, and garden herbs. And behold, thou shalt draw a representation of this in colour upon a new tile moulded from earth upon which neither a pig nor any other animal hath trodden. And if this book be done [in writing, the deceased] shall flourish, and his children shall flourish, and [his name] shall never fall into oblivion, and he shall be as one who filleth the heart of the king and of his princes. And bread, and cakes, and sweetmeats, and wine, and pieces of flesh shall be given unto him [from among those which are] upon the altar of the Great God. And he shall not be driven back from any door in Amentet, and he shall be led along with the kings of the South and the kings of the North, and he shall be among the bodyguard of Osiris, continually and regularly for ever. [And he shall come forth in every form he pleaseth as a living soul for ever, and ever, and ever.] DEIFICATION OF THE MEMBERS THE CHAPTER OF THE DEIFICATION OF THE MEMBERS The hair of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the hair of Nu. The face of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the face of Ra. The eyes of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the eyes of Hathor. The ears of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the ears of Up-uatu. The lips of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the lips of Anpu. The teeth of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the teeth of Serqet. The cheeks of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the cheeks of Isis. The arms of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the arms of Ba-neb-Tetu. The neck of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the neck of Uatchit. 2812 The throat of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the throat of Mert. The breast of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the breast of the Lady of Sais. The backbone of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the backbone of Set. The trunk of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the trunk of the Lords of Kher-aha. The flesh of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the flesh of Aa-shefit. The belly of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the belly of Sekhmet. The buttocks of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the buttocks of the Eye of Horus. The phallus of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is the phallus of Osiris. The thighs of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the thighs of Nut. The feet of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the feet of Ptah. The fingers of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the fingers of Saah. The toes of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the toes of the Living Uraei. APPENDIX (From the Pyramid of Pepi I, ll. 565ff.) The head of this Meri-Ra is the head of Horus; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The skull of this Pepi is the Dekan star of the god; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The brow of this Meri-Ra is the brow of..... and Nu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The face of this Pepi is the face of Up-uatu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The eyes of this Meri-Ra are the eyes of the Great Lady, the first of the Souls of Anu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. 2813 The nose of this Pepi is the nose of Thoth; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The mouth of this Meri-Ra is the mouth of Khens-ur; he cometh forth therefore, and ascendeth therefore, and ascendeth therefore into heaven. The tongue of this Pepi is the tongue of Maaa (Truth) in the Maat Boat; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The teeth of this Pepi are the teeth of the Souls of [Anu]; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The lips of this Meri-Ra are the lips of........; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The chin of this Pepi is the chin of Nest-khent-Sekhem (the throne of the First Lady of Sekhem); he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The thes bone of this Pepi is the thes bone of the Bull Sma; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The soulders of this Pepi are the shoulders of Set; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [The...... of this Pepi].........; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [The......of this Pepi] ........of Baabu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The breast of this Meri-Ra is the breast of Bast; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The belly of this Meri-Ra is the belly of Nut; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [The........of this Pepi] ........; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [The........of this Pepi] .......of the two Companies of the gods; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The two thighs of this Pepi are the two thighs of Heqet; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The buttocks of this Meri-Ra are like the Semktet Boat and the Mantchet Boat; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The phallus of this Pepi is the phallus of the Hep Bull; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The legs of this Meri-Ra are the legs of Net (Neith) and Serqet; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The knees of this Meri-Ra are the knees of the twin Souls who are at the head of the Sekhet-Tcher; he cometh forth therefore and 2814 ascendeth into heaven. The soles of this Meri-Ra are like the Maati Boat; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. The toes of this Pepi are the toes of the Souls of Anu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Now this Pepi is a god, the son of a god; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. This Pepi is the son of Ra, who loveth him; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Ra hath sent forth Meri-Ra; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Ra hath begotten [this] Pepi; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Ra hath given birth to Pepi; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. This spell therefore is in the body of Meri-Ra; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. This Meri-Ra is the Power, the Great Power, among the Great Council of Chiefs in Anu; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. He worketh the boat; Pepi cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [Pepi is] Horus, the nursling, the child; Meri-Ra cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Pepi hath not had union with Nut, she hath not given her hands to him; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Keb hath not removed the obstacles in his path; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. No god hath smitten the steps of this Meri-Ra; he come forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. [Though] Pepi is not censed is not mourned, hath not washed himself in the vessel, hath not smelt the haunch, hath not carried the meat-offering, hath not ploughed the earth, hath not dedicated an offering, he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Behold, it is not this Pepi who hath said these things to you, O ye gods, it is Heka who hath said these things to you, O ye gods, and this Meri-Ra is the support which is under Heka; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Every god smiteth the feet of Pepi; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. He plougheth the earth, he dedicateth an offering, he bringeth the 2815 vessel of [blood], he smelleth the haunch, and he bringeth the meat offering; he cometh forth therefore and ascendeth into heaven. Every god graspeth the hand of Meri-Ra in heaven, He conducteth him to the House of Horus in the sky. The word of his Double is truth before Keb. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ 2816 THE CHAPTER OF REPULSING SLAUGHTER IN HENSU (From the Papyrus of Nu, Sheet 6) THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE SLAUGHTERS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN HENSU. The Osiris Nu, whose word is truth, saith:- O thou land of the Sceptre! O thou White Crown of the divine form! O thou rest of the ferry-boat! I am the Child. (Repeat four times). Hail, Abu-ur! Thou sayest daily: "The slaughter-block is made ready as thou knowest, and thou hast come to destruction." I am Ra, who stablisheth those who praise him. I am the Knot of the god in the Aser tree, the twice beautiful one, who is more splendid to-day than yesterday. (Repeat four times). I am Ra, who stablisheth those who praise him. I am the Knot of the god within the Aser tree, and my appearance is the appearance [of Ra] on this day. My hair is the hair of Nu. My face is the face of the Disk. My eyes are the eyes of Hathor. My ears are the ears of Up-uat. My nose is the nose of Khenti-Khabas. My lips are the lips of Anpu. My teeth are the teeth of Serqet. My cheeks are the cheeks of the goddess Isis. My hands are the hands of Ba-neb-Tet. My forearms are the forearms of Neith, the Lady of Sais. My backbone is the backbone of Suti. My phallus is the phallus of Beba. My reins are the reins of the Lords of Kher-aha. My chest is the chest of Aa-shefit. My belly and back are the belly and back of Sekhmet. My buttocks are the buttocks of the Eye of Horus. My hips and legs are the hips and legs of Nut. My feet are the feet of Ptah. [My fingers] and my toes are the [fingers and] toes of the Living gods. There is no member of my body which is not the member of a god. Thoth protecteth my body altogether, and I am Ra day by day. I shall not be dragged back by my arms, and none shall lay violent hold upon my hands. And shall do me hurt neither men, nor gods, nor the Spirit-souls, nor the dead, nor any man, nor any pat-spirit, nor any rekhit-spirit, nor any hememet-spirit. I am he who cometh forth advancing, whose name is unknown. I am Yesterday. "Seer of Millions of Years" is my name. I pass along, I pass along the paths of the divine celestial judges. I am the Lord of Eternity: I decree and I judge like Khepera. I am the Lord of the Urrt Crown. I am he who dwelleth in the Utchat and in the Egg, and it is granted unto me to live therein. I am he who dwelleth in the Utchat when it closeth, and I exist by the strength thereof. I come forth and I shine; I enter in and I come to life. I am in the Utchat, my seat is upon my throne, and I sit in the tent chamber before it. I am Horus. [I] traverse millions of years. I have decreed [the stablishing] of my throne, and I am the ruler thereof; and in very truth my mouth keepeth an even balance both in speech and in silence. In very truth my forms are inverted. I am Un-Nefer, from one period even unto another, and what I have is within me. I am the only One, who proceedeth from an only One, who goeth round about in his course. I am he who dwelleth in the Utchat. No evil thing of any shape or kind shall spring up against me, and no baleful object, and no harmful thing, and no disastrous thing shall happen unto me. I open the door in heaven. I rule my throne. I open the way for the births which take place on this day. I am the child who traverseth the road of Yesterday. I am To-day for untold nations and peoples. I am he who protecteth you for millions of years. Whether ye be denizens of heaven, or of the earth, or of the South, or of the North, or of the East, or of the West, the fear of me is in your 2817 bodies. I am he whose being hath been wrought in his eye. I shall not die again. My moment is in your bodies, but my forms are in my place of habitation. I am "He who cannot be known." The Red Fiends have their faces directed against me. I am the unveiled one. The period when the heavens were created for me and were enlarged the bounds of earth, and multiplied the progeny thereof, cannot be found out. They shall fail and not be united again. By reason of the speech which I address to you, my name setteth itself apart from all things evil which are in the mouths of men. I am he who riseth and shineth, a wall which cometh out of a wall, an only One who proceedeth from an only One. There is never a day that passeth without the things which appertain unto him being therein; passing, passing, passing, passing. Verily I say unto thee, I am the Plant which cometh forth from Nu, and my mother is Nut. Hail, my creator, I am he who hath no power to walk, the Great Knot who dwelleth in Yesterday. The might of my strength is within my hand, I am not known [by thee], but I am he who knoweth thee. I cannot be held in the hand, but I am he who can hold thee in his hand. Hail, O Egg! Hail, O Egg! I am Horus who liveth for millions of years, whose flame shineth upon you, and bringeth your hearts unto me. I am master of my throne. I advance at this season. I have opened a path. I have delivered myself from all evil things. I am the golden dog-headed ape, three palms and two fingers [high], which hath neither arms nor legs, and which dwelleth in Het-ka-Ptah. I go forth as goeth forth the dog-headed ape who dwelleth in Het-ka-Ptah. RUBRIC: Behold the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, arrayed in fine linen, and shod with sandals of white [leather], and anointed with the very finest myrrh unguent. There are offered unto him a fine bull, and incense, and ra geese, and flowers, and ale, and cakes, and garden herbs. And behold, thou shalt draw a representation of a table of offerings on a clean tile with pure colours, and thou shalt bury it in a field whereon no swine hath trodden. And if a copy of this book be written upon it, he shall rise [again], and his children's children shall flourish and prosper, like unto Ra, without cessation. He shall be in high favour with the king, and with the shenit nobles of his court, and there shall be given unto him cakes and cups of drink, and portions of flesh, upon the altar-table of the Great God. He shall not thrust aside at any door in Amentet; he shall travel in the train of the Kings of the South and the Kings of the North, and he shall abide with the followers of Osiris near Un-Nefer, for ever, and for ever, and for ever. Vignette (From the Papyrus of Nu, Sheet 24) The steward of the overseer of the seal, Nu, whose word is truth, begotten of the steward of the overseer of the seal, Amen-hetep, whose word is truth, saith:- Hail, ye Four Apes who sit in the bows of the Boat of Ra, who convey truth to Nebertcher, who sit in judgment on the oppressed man and on [his] oppressor, who make the gods to be contented by means of the flame of your mouths, who offer holy offerings to the gods, and sepulchral meals to the Spirit-souls, who live upon truth, and who feed upon truth of heart, who are without deceit and fraud, and to whom wickedness is an abomination, do ye away with my evil deeds, and put ye away my sins [which deserved stripes 2818 upon earth, and destroy ye every evil thing which appertaineth to me], and let there be no obstacle whatsoever on my part towards you. O grant ye that I may make my way through the Amehet, let me enter into Rasta, let me pass through the hidden pylons of Ament. O grant that there may be given unto me shens cakes, and ale, and persen cakes, even as to the living Spirit-souls, and grant that I may enter into and come forth from Rasta. [The Four Apes make answer, saying]: Come thou, for we have done away with thy wickedness, and we have put away thy sin, along with thy sins upon earth which deserved stripes, and we have destroyed every evil thing which appertained to thee upon earth. Enter, therefore, unto Rasta, and pass through the hidden pylons of Amentet, and there shall be given unto thee shens cakes, and ale, and persen cakes, and thou shalt come forth and shalt enter in at thy desire, even as do those who are favoured [of the God], and thou shalt be called [to partake of offerings] each day in the horizon. THE TET OF GOLD THE CHAPTER OF A TET OF GOLD. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Thou risest up for thyself, O Still-heart! Thou shinest for thyself, O Still-heart! Place thou thyself on thy base, I come, I bring unto thee a Tet of gold, thou shalt rejoice therein. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nebseni and the Papyrus of Nu) Rise up thou, O Osiris, thou hast thy backbaone, O Still-heart, thou hast thy neck vertebrae and thy back, O Still-heart! Place thou thyself on thy base. I put water beneath thee, and I bring unto thee a Tet of god that thou mayest rejoice therein. RUBRIC (From the Papyrus of Nu): [This Chapter] shall be recited over a Tet of gold set in a stand made of sycamore wood which hath been steeped in a tincture of ankhamu flowers, and it shall be placed on the neck of the deceased on the day of the funeral. If this amulet be placed on his neck he shall become a perfect Khu in Khert-Neter, and at the festivals of the New Year he shall be like unto the Followers of Osiris continually and for ever. RUBRIC (From the Turin Papyrus): [This Chapter] shall be said over a Tet of gold fashioned out of the trunk of a sycamore tree, and it shall be placed on the neck of the deceased. Then shall he enter in through the doors of the Tuat. His words whall be silenced. He shall place himself on the ground on New Year's Day among the Followers of Osiris. If this Chapter be known by the deceased he shall live like a perfect Khu in Khert-Neter. He shall not be sent back from the doors of Amentet. There shall be given to him the shens cake, and a cup of wine, and the persen cake, and slices of meat on the altars of Ra, or as some read, Osiris Un-Nefer. And his word shall be truth before his enemies in Khert-Neter continually, and for ever and for ever. THE TET OF RED STONE 2819 THE CHAPTER OF A TET OF CARNELIAN. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- The blood of Isis, the spells of Isis, the magical powers of Isis, shall make this great one strong, and shall be an amulet of protection [against him] that would do to him the things which he abominateth. APPENDIX RUBRIC (From the Papyrus of Nu): [This Chapter] shall be said over a Tet of carnelian, which hath been washed in a tincture of ankhamu flowers, and is fashioned out of the trunk of a sycamore tree. It shall be placed on the neck of the deceased on the day of the funeral. If this be done for him the magical powers of Isis will protect his members. Horus, the son of Isis, shall rejoice when he seeth him. [No] road shall be blocked to him. His hand shall be to heaven, his hand shall be to earth, for ever. Do not let anyone see him. Verily.... RUBRIC (From the Saite Recension): [This Chapter] shall be said over a Tet of carnelian, anointed with a tincture of ankhamu flowers, made from the trunk of a sycamore tree. It shall be placed on the neck of the Khu. If this book be done for him, the magical spells of Isis shall protect him, and Horus the son of Isis shall rejoice [when] he seeth him. No road shall be blocked to him. His hand shall be to heaven, his hand shall be to earth....... If this book be known by him he shall be in the following of Osiris Un-Nefer, and his word shall be truth in Khert-Neter. The doors in Khert-Neter shall be opened to him. Wheat and barley shall be given to him in Sekhet-Aanru. His name shall be like [the names of] the gods who are there, the Followers of Horus who reap. HEART OF SEHERT STONE THE CHAPTER OF A HEART OF SEHERT STONE. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- I am the Benu bird, the Heart-soul of Ra, the guide of the gods to the Tuat. Their Heart-souls come forth upon earth to do what their KAU wish to do, and the Heart-soul of the Osiris Ani shall come forth to do what his Ka wisheth to do. THE HEAD REST THE CHAPTER OF THE HEAD-REST, which is to be placed under the head of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth. Awake out of thy sufferings, O thou who liest prostrate! Awake thou! Thy head is in the horizon. I lift thee up, O thou whose word is truth. Ptah hath overthrown thine enemies for thee. Thine enemies have fallen, and they shall never more exist, O Osiris. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nebseni, Sheet 21) THE CHAPTER OF THE HEAD-REST [OR PILLOW]. Awake out of thy sufferings, O thou who liest prostrate. They (the gods) keep watch over thy head in the horizon. Thou art lifted up, thy word is truth in respect of the things which have been done by thee. Ptah hath cast down headlong thine enemies. This work was ordered to be done for thee. Thou art Horus, the son of Hathor, Nesert, Nesertet, who giveth back the head after it hath been cut off. Thy head shall not be carried away from thee, after [it hath been cut off]; thy head shall 2820 be carried away from thee, never, never! THE TEXTS IN THE FUNERAL CHAMBER SPEECH OF ISIS. Isis saith:- I have come to be a protector unto thee. I waft unto thee air for thy nostrils, and the north wind which cometh forth from the god Tem unto thy nose. I have made whole for thee thy windpipe. I make thee to live like a god. Thine enemies have fallen under thy feet. I have made thy word to be true before Nut, and thou art mighty before the gods. SPEECH OF NEPHTHYS. Nephthys saith unto the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth:- I go round about thee to protect thee, O brother Osiris. I have come to be a protector unto thee. [My strength shall be near thee, my strength shall be near thee, for ever. Ra hath heard thy cry, and the gods have made thy word to be truth. Thou art raised up. Thy word is truth in respect of what hath been done unto thee. Ptah hath overthrown thy foes, and thou art Horus, the son of Hathor.] SPEECH OF THE TET. I have come quickly, and I have driven back the footsteps of th god whose face is hidden. I have illumined his sanctuary. I stand near the god Tet on the day of repelling disaster. I watch to protect thee, O Osiris. SPEECH OF KESTA (Mesta). I am Kesta, thy son, O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth. I come to protect thee. I will make thy house to flourish, permanently, even as Ptah hath commanded me, and as Ra himself hath commanded. SPEECH OF HAPI. I am Hapi, thy son, O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth. I come to protect thee. I bind together thy head and the members of thy body. I smite down for thee thine enemies under thee. I give unto thee thy head for ever and for ever, O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, whose word is truth in peace. SPEECH OF TUAMUTEF. Tuamutef saith:- I am thy son Horus, who loveth thee. I come to avenge thee, O my father Osiris, upon him that did evil unto thee. I have set him under thy feet for ever and for ever, permanently, permanently, O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, whose word is truth. SPEECH OF QEBHSENUF. Qebsenuf saith:- I am thy son, O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth. I come to protect thee. I have collected thy bones and I have gathered together thy members. [I have brought thy heart, and I have placed it upon its throne within thy body. I make thy house to flourish after thee, O thou who livest for ever.] SPEECH OF THE FLAME. I protect thee with this flame. I drive him [the foe] away from the valley of the tomb. I cast the sand about [thy feet]. I embrace the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, in peace. SPEECH OF THE FLAME. I come to hew in pieces. I have not been hewn in pieces, and I will not permit thee to be hewn in pieces. I come to do violence [to thy foe], but I will not permit violence to be done unto thee. I protect thee. A SOUL SAITH:- The Osiris Ani, whose is truth, praiseth Ra when he rolleth up into the sky in the eastern horizon of heaven. 2821 A SOUL SAITH:- The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, in peace in Khert-Neter, praiseth Ra when he setteth in the western horizon of heaven, [and saith], "I am a perfect soul." SPEECH OF ANI. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- I am a perfect soul dwelling in the divine egg of the Abtu Fish. I am the Great Cat which dwelleth in the Seat of Truth, wherein the god Shu riseth. SPEECH OF THE USHABTI FIGURE [THE CHAPTER OF NOT DOING WORK IN KHERT-NETER]. Illumine the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth. Hail, Shabti Figure! If the Osiris Ani be decreed to do any of the work which is to be done in Khert-Neter, let everything which standeth in the way be removed from him- whether it be to plough the fields, or to fill the channels with water, or to carry sand from [the East to the West]. The Shabti Figure replieth: I will do it, verily I am here [when] thou callest. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nu and the Papyrus of Nebseni) The Speech of Anpu: Anubis the dweller in the mummy chamber, Governor of the Divine House, layeth his hands upon the lord of life, the scribe, the draughtsman of Ptah, Nebseni, the lord of fealty, begotten of the scribe and mason Thena, born of the lady of the house Mut-rest, whose word is truth, and devoting himself to him as his guardian, saith:- Homage to thee, thou happy one, lord! Thou seest the Utchat. Ptah-Seker hath bound thee up. Anpu hath exalted thee. Shu hath raised thee up, O Beautiful Face, thou governor of eternity. Thou hast thine eye, O scribe Nebseni, lord of fealty, and it is beautiful. Thy right eye is like the Sektet Boat, thy left eye is like the Atet Boat. Thine eyebrows are fair to see in the presence of the Company of the Gods. Thy brow is under the protection of Anpu, and thy head and face, O beautiful one, are before the holy Hawk. Thy fingers have been stablished by thy scribe's craft in the presence of the Lord of Khemenu, Thoth, who hath bestowed upon thee the knowledge of the speech of the holy books. Thy beard is beautiful in the sight of Ptah-Seker, and thou, O scribe Nebseni, thou lord of fealty, art beautiful before the Great Company of the Gods. The Great God looketh upon thee, and he leadeth thee along the path of happiness. Sepulchral meals are bestowed upon thee, and he overthroweth for thee thine enemies, setting them under thy feet in the presence of the Great Company of the Gods who dwell in the House of the Great Aged One which is in Anu. SEKHET HETEPET [HERE] BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF SEKHET-HETEPET, AND THE CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY, OF ENTERING INTO AND COMING FORTH FROM KHERT-NETER, OF ARRIVING IN SEKHET-AANRU, AND OF LIVING IN PEACE IN THE GREAT CITY, THE LADY OF WINDS. [The Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, saith:-] Let me be master there. Let me be a khu there. Let me plough there. Let me reap there. Let me eat there. Let me drink there. [Let me beget there]. Let me do there all the things which one doeth upon earth. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Horus vanquished Set when [he] looked at the building of Sekhet-Hetepet. [He] spread air over the Divine Soul in its Egg, in 2822 its day. He delivered the interior of the body of Horus [from the Akeru Gods]. I have crowned him in the House of Shu. His house is the stars. Behold, I take up my place in its nomes. He hath guided the hearts of the Company of the Firstborn Gods. He hath reconciled the Two Fighters (Horus and Set), the guardians of life. He hath done what is fair, bringing an offering. He hath reconciled the Two Fighters with him that belongeth to them. He hath cut off the hairy scalp of the Two Fighters. He hath destroyed the revolts of [their] children. I have done away all the evil which attacked their souls. I am master in [Sekhet-Hetepet]. I know it. I have sailed over its lakes that I might arrive at the cities thereof. I have made strong my mouth. The Spirit-souls are ready [to fight], but they shall not gain the mastery over me. I am equipped in thy Fields, O god Hetep. What thou wishest thou shalt do, [saith this god]. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nebseni, Sheet 17) HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF SEKHET-HETEPET, AND THE CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY; OF GOING INTO AND OF COMING FORTH FROM KHERT-NETER; OF ARRIVAL IN SEKHET-AARU; OF LIVING IN SEKHET-HETEPET, THE MIGHTY CITY, THE LADY OF WINDS; OF HAVING POWER THEREIN; OF BECOMING A SPIRIT-SOUL THERE; OF PLOUGHING THERE; OF REAPING THERE; OF EATING THERE; OF DRINKING THERE; OF MAKING LOVE THERE; AND OF DOING EVERYTHING THERE EVEN AS A MAN DOETH UPON EARTH. NEBSENI, THE SCRIBE AND DRAUGHTSMAN OF PTAH, SAITH:- Set vanguished Horus, who was looking at the building in Sekhet-Hetepet. I set free Horus from Set. Set opened the paths of the Two Eyes (the Sun and Moon) in the sky. Set ejected water with air upon the soul of his Eye, which dwelt in the town of Mert; he delivered the interior of the body of Horus from the hands of the Akeru Gods. Behold me! I paddle this great boat over the Lake of the god Hetep; I seized upon it in the mansion of Shu. The mansion of his stars reneweth youth, reneweth youth. I paddle over the Lakes thereof so that I may arrive at the towns thereof. I sail up to the town of the god Hetep.... Behold, I am at peace with his times, and with his guidance, and with his will, and with the Company of the Gods, who are his firstborn. He maketh the Two Fighters (Horus and Set) to be at peace [with each other], and to keep ward over the living whom he hath created in fair form, and he bringeth peace; he maketh the Two Fighters to be at peace with those who watch over them. He cutteth off the hair from their divine fighters, he driveth away storm from the children. He guardeth from attack the Spirits. I have gained power therein. I know it. I have sailed over its Lakes so that I might arrive at its towns. My mouth is strong. I am equipped against the Spirits. They shall not gain the mastery over me. I am rewarded [with] these thy Fields, O god Hetep. What thou wishest that do thou, O lord of the winds. I shall be a spirit therein. I shall eat therein. I shall drink therein. I shall plough therein. I shall reap the grain therein. I shall be strong therein. I shall make love therein. My words shall be strong therein. I shall not be in subjection therein. I shall be a man of might therein. Thou hast made strong the mouth and throat. Hetep Qettbu is its name. [It is] stablished upon the pillars of Shu, and is linked with the pleasant things of Ra. He is the divider of years, the hidden of mouth; silent is his mouth, hidden is what he uttereth, he fulfilleth eternity, he taketh possession of everlastingness of 2823 existence as Hetep, Neb-Hetep. Horus maketh himself strong like unto a hawk which is one thousand cubits in length, and two thousand cubits in life. He that equipments with him, he journeyeth on, he cometh to the place where his heart would be, among the Lakes which are in its towns. He begetteth in the birth-chamber of the god of the town, he is satisfied with the food of the god of the town; he doeth what ought to be done there, in the Field of Smas-er-Khet..... everything of the birth-chamber of the god of the town. Now [when he] setteth in the [land of] life like crystal he performeth everything therein, [which things are] like unto the things done in the Lake Neserser, wherein there is none that rejoiceth, and wherein are evil things of all kinds. The god Hetep goeth in and cometh out, and marcheth hither and thither in the Field of Smas-er-Khet, the Lady of the birth-chamber of the god of the town. [Let me] live with the god Hetep, clothed, and not despoiled by the Lords of the North, and may the Lord of things bring food unto me. May he make me to go forward. May I come forth. May he bring to me my Power there, may I receive it, and may I be rewarded by the god Hetep. May I be master of the great and mighty word in my body in this my place. Make me to remember it. Let me [not] forget it. Let me go forward, let me plough. I am at peace with the god of the town. I know the water, the towns, the nomes, and the lakes which are in Sekhet-Hetepet. I live therein. I am strong therein. I shine therein. I eat therein. I..... therein. I reap the harvest therein. I plough therein. I beget children therein. I am at peace therein with the god Hetep. Behold I sow seed therein. I sail about on the lakes thereof, and I arrive at its towns, O god Hetep. Behold my mouth is equipped, it possesseth horns . Give unto me the abundance of the KAU (Doubles) and Spirit-souls. He who counteth me is Shu. I know him not. I come to its towns. I sail over its lakes. I walk about in Sekhet-Hetepet. Behold, it is Ra who is in heaven. Behold, it is Hetep [who is] its double offering of peace. I have advanced to its territory. I have put on my apparel. I have come forth. I have given what it was upon me to give. I have made glad in [my] heart. I have conquered. I am strong. I have given directions to Hetep. [Hail], Unen-em-hetep, I have come to thee. My soul followeth me. The god Hu is on my hands. [Hail], Nebt-taui, in whom I remember and forget, I have become alive. I have attacked none, let none attack me. I have given, give thou to me gladness. Make thou me to be at peace, bind thou up my veins, let [me] receive air. [Hail], Unen-em-hetep, the Lord of Winds. I have come there. I have opened my head. Ra sleepeth. I watch not, [for] the goddess Hetemet is at the door of heaven by night. Obstacles have been put before, but I have collected his emissions. I am in my city. O Nut-urt (Great City), I have come into thee. I have counted up my abundant stores. I advance on my way to Uakh. I am the Bull which is tied with a rope of lapis-lazuli, the lord of the Field of the Bull, the lord of the words of the god, the goddess Septet (Sothis) at her hours. O Uakh, I have come into thee. I have eaten my food. I am master of choice pieces of the flesh of oxen and of feathered fowl, and the birds of Shu have been given unto me. I follow the gods, and I come [after the Doubles]. O Tcheft, I have come into thee. I array myself in apparel, and I gird about myself the sat garment of Ra. Behold the Court of the sky, and the followers of Ra who dwell in heaven. O Un-em-hetep, the lord of the Two Lands, I have come into thee. I have plunged into the Lakes of Tchesert; behold, impurity of every 2824 kind hath removed from me. The divine Great One flourisheth therein. Behold, I have found [him]. I have netted geese, and have fed full upon the finest of them. O Qenqentet, I have come into thee. I have seen the Osiris [my father]. I have saluted my mother. I have begotten children. I have snared the serpents, and I am delivered. I know the name of the god who is with the goddess Tchesert, and who hath straight hair, and is equipped with horns [ready to gore]. He reapeth, and I both plough and reap. O Hetemet, I have entered into thee. I have approached the lapis-lazuli. I have followed the winds of the Company of the Gods. The Great God hath given my head unto me. He who hath bound my head on my body for me is the Mighty One, with eyes of lapis-lazuli, namely, Ari-en-ab-f ("He doeth as he pleaseth"). O Usert, I have come into thee, to the house wherein food is brought unto me. O Smam, I have come into thee. My heart watcheth, my head is equipped with the White Crown. I act as the guide of the celestial beings. I make to flourish terrestrial beings. There is joy of heart for the Bull, and for the celestial beings, and for the Company of the Gods. I am the god, the Bull, the Lord of the gods, who maketh his way over the turquoise. O wheat and barley of the nome of the god, I have come into thee. I have come forward. I have lifted [you] up, following the best offerings of the Company of the Gods. I have moored my boat to the tying-up post in the lakes of the celestial beings. I have pulled up the typing-up post. I have recited words, and I have ascribed praises unto the gods who dwell in Sekhet-Hetepet. PROVIDING THE DECEASED WITH MEAT MILK ETC. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Homage to thee, O Ra, the Lord of Truth, the Only One, the Lord of Eternity and Maker of Everlastingness. I have come before thee, O my Lord Ra. I would make to flourish the Seven Cows and their Bull. O ye who give cakes and ale to the Spirit-souls, grant ye that my soul may be with you. Let him be born on your thighs. Let him be like unto one of you for ever and for ever. Let the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, have glorious power in the Beautiful Amentet. The Names of the Seven Holy Cows and their Bull: 1. Het-Kau Nebtertcher. 2. Akertkhentetasts. 3. Khebitetsahneter. 4. Urmertusteshertshenti. 5. Khnemtemankhanuit. 6. Sekhmetrensemabats. 7. Shenatpetuthestneter. Bull: Kathaihemt. ADDRESSES TO THE FOUR RUDDERS OF HEAVEN Hail, thou Beautiful Power, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Northern 2825 Heaven. Hail, thou who circlest, Guide of the Two Lands, Beautiful Rudder of the Western Heaven. Hail, Splendour, Dweller in the temple of the Ashemu gods, Beautiful Rudder of the Eastern Heaven. Hail, Dweller in the temple of the Red gods, Beautiful Rudder of the Southern Heaven. ADDRESSES TO THE FOUR COMAPNIES OF THE GODS Hail, ye gods who are above the earth, ye Guides of the Tuat. Hail, ye Mother-goddesses, who are above the earth in Khert-Neter, in the House of Osiris. Hail, ye gods who guide Ta-tchesert, who are above the earth and are guides of the Tuat. Hail, ye Followers of Ra, who follow in the train of Osiris. APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nu) RUBRIC: [These words] shall be said when Ra appeareth over [figures] of these gods written in colour upon a tablet, and thou shalt place offerings of tchefau food before them, cakes, ale, flesh, geese, and incense. They shall cause the deceased to enjoy the "offerings which come forth at the word [of command]" before Ra; and they shall give the deceased an abundance of food in Khert-Neter, and shall deliver him from every evil thing whatsoever. And thou shalt not recite this Book of Un-Nefer in the presence of anyone except thine own self. If this be done for the deceased Ra shall be a rudder for him, and shall be to him a strong protecting power, and he shall destroy all his enemies for him in Khert-Neter, and in heaven, and upon earth, and in every place whereinsoever he may enter, and he shall enjoy celestial food regularly and continually for ever. (From the Saite Recension) THE BOOK OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU in the heart of Ra, of making him to have the mastery before Tem, of magnifying him before Osiris, of making him mighty before Khent-Amentet, and of setting awe of him before the Company of the Gods. It shall be recited on the day of the New Moon, on the sixth day festival, on the fifteenth day festival, on the festival of Uak, on the festival of Thoth, on the Birthday of Osiris, on the festival of Menu, on the night of Heker, [during] the Mysteries of the Tuat, during the celebration of the Mysteries in Akertet, at the smiting of the emissions, at the passage of the Funerary Valley, [and] the Mysteries...... [The recital thereof] will make the heart of the Khu to flourish and will make long his strides, and will make him to advance, and will make his face bright, and will make it to penetrate to the God. Let no man witness [the recital] except the king and the Kherheb priest, but the servant who cometh to minister outside shall not see it. Of the Khu 2826 for whom this Book shall be recited, his soul shall come forth by day with the living, he shall have power among the gods, and it will make him irresisitible for ever and ever. These gods shall go round about him, and shall acknowledge him. He shall be one of them. [This Book] shall make him to know how he came into being in the beginning. This Book is indeed a veritable mystery. Let no stranger anywhere have knowledge of it. Do not speak about it to any man. Do not repeat it. Let no [other] eye see it. Let no [other] ear hear it. Let no one see it except [thyself] and him who taught [it to thee]. Let not the multitude [know of it] except thyself and the beloved friend of thy heart. Thou shalt do this book in the seh chamber on a cloth painted with the stars in colour all over it. It is indeed a mystery. The dwellers in the swamps of the Delta nad everywhere there shall not know it. It shall provided the Khu with celestial food upon in Khert-Neter. It shall supply his Heart-soul with food upon earth. It shall make him to live for ever. No [evil] thing shall have the master over him. THE ADDRESSES OF THE FOUR RUDDERS Hail, Power of Heaven, Opener of the Disk, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Northern Heaven. Hail, Ra, Guide of the Two Lands, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Western Heaven. Hail, Khu, Dweller in the House of the Akhemu gods, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Eastern Heaven. Hail, Governor, Dweller in the House of the Tesheru Gods, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Southern Heaven. Grant ye cakes, and ale and tchefau food to the Osiris Auf-ankh, whose word is truth. Hail, Father of the Gods! Hail, Mother of the Gods in Khert-Neter! Deliver ye the Osiris from every evil thing, from every evil obstruction, from every dire attack of an enemy, and from that deadly snarer with knife-like words, and from men, and gods, and Spirit-souls, and the damned, on this day, on this night, on this present festival of the fifteenth day, and in this year, and from the things of evil thereof. HYMN TO OSIRIS KHENTI-AMENTI UN-NEFER The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, praiseth Osiris Khenti-Amenti Un-Nefer, and saith:- Hail, my Lord, who dost hasten through eternity, whose existence is for ever, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Sovereign, God of the Gods, who live in their shrines,.... gods.... men. Make thou for me a seat with those who are in Khert-Neter, who adore the forms of thy KA, and who traverse millions of millions of years....... May no delay arise for thee in Ta-mera. Let them come to thee, all of them, great as well as small. May this god give the power to enterin and to come forth from Khert-Neter, without repulse, at any door of the Tuat, to the KA of the Osiris Ani. 2827 APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Sutimes) SUTIMES, THE LIBATIONER AND PRESIDENT OF THE ALTAR CHAMBER OF THE APTS, DIRECTOR OF THE SCRIBES OF AMEN, WHOSE WORD IS TRUTH, PRAISETH OSIRIS, AND DOETH HOMAGE TO THE LORD OF ETERNITY, AND SATISFIETH THE WILL OF THE GOD, AND SPEAKETH TRUTH, THE LORD OF WHICH IS UNKNOWN, AND SAITH:- Homage to thee, O thou Holy God, thou mighty and beneficent being, thou Prince of Eternity, who dwellest in thy abode in the Sektet Boat, whose risings are manifold in the Atet Boat, unto whom praises are rendered in heaven and upon earth. Peoples and nations exalt thee, and the awe of thy terror is in the hearts of men, and Spirt-souls, and the dead. Thy soul dwelleth in Tetu, and the awe of thee is in Hensu. Thou settest the visible emblems of thyself in Anu, and the majesty of thy transformations in the holy place. I have come unto thee. Truth is in my heart, and in my breast there is neither craft nor guile. Grant thou that I may have my being among the living, and that I may sail up and down the river among those who are in thy following. PRAISE TO HATHOR LADY OF AMENTET THE CHAPTER OF THE PRAISE OF HATHOR, LADY OF AMENTET Hathor, Lady of Amentet, the Dweller in the Great Land, the Lady of Ta-Tchesert, the Eye of Ra, the Dweller in his breast, the Beautiful Face in the Boat of Millions of Years, the Seat of Peace of the doer of truth, Dweller in the Boat of the favoured ones..... APPENDIX THE CHAPTER OF THE FOUR TORCHES (From the Papyrus of Nu, Sheets 26 and 27) THE CHAPTER OF THE FOUR LIGHTED LAMPS WHICH ARE MADE FOR THE SPIRIT-SOUL. Behold, thou shalt make four rectangular troughs of clay wherein thou shalt scatter incense, and thou shalt fill them with the milk of a white cow, and by means of these thou shalt extinguish the lamps. The Osiris Nu, the steward of the overseer of the seal, whose word is truth, saith:- The fire cometh to thy KA, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti! The fire cometh to thy KA, O Osiris Nu, whose word is truth. The ordering of the night cometh after the day. [The fire cometh to thy KA, O Osiris, Governor of those who are in Amenti], and the two sisters of Ra come likewise. Behold it (the fire) riseth in Abtu, and it cometh; I cause it to come, the Eye of Horus. It is set in order upon thy brow, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti; it is set in thy shrine and riseth on thy brow; it is set on thy brow, O Osiris Nu, it is set on thy brow. The Eye of Horus protecteth thee, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti, and it keepeth thee in safety; it casteth down headlong all thine enemies for thee, and all thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it casteth down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy KA, O 2829 Osiris Khenti-Amenti. The Eye of Ra protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it hath cast down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy KA, O Osiris Nu, whose word is truth. The Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, it hath cast down headlong for thee all thine enemies, and thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. The Eye of Horus cometh. It is sound and well, it sendeth forth light even as doth Ra in the horizon. It covereth the powers of Suti with darkness, it mastereth him, and it bringeth its flame against him by its own command. The Eye of Horus is sound and well, thou eatest the flesh thereof, thy body possesseth it. Thou acclaimest it. The Four Fires enter into thy KA, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti, the Four Fires enter into thy KA, O Osiris Nu, the steward of the overseer of the seal, whose word is truth. Hail, ye sons of Horus, Kesta, Hapi, Tuamutef, and Qebhsenuf, ye have given your protection to your divine Father Osiris Khenti-Amenti, give ye your protection to the Osiris Nu, whose word is truth. Now therefore, inasmuch as ye have destroyed the Opponent of Osiris Khenti-Amenti, who liveth with the gods, having smitten Suti with his right hand and arm when dawn came upon the earth, and Horus hath become master [of Suti], and hath avenged his divine Father himself; and inasmuch as your divine Father hath been made to flourish through the union of the KA of Osiris Khenti-Amenti, whch ye effected, and the Eye of Horus hath avenged him, and hath protected him, and hath cast down headlong for him all his enemies, and all his enemies have fallen down before him, even so do ye destroy the Opponent of the Osiris Nu, the steward of the overseer of the seal, whose word is truth. Let him live with the gods, let him smite his enemy, let him destroy him, when light dawneth on the earth. Let Horus be master and avenge the Osiris Nu, and let the Osiris Nu flourish through his union with his KA which ye have effected. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus hath avenged thee. It hath cast down headlong all thine enemies for thee, and all thine enemies have been cast down headlong before thee. Hail, Osiris Khenti-Amenti, grant thou light and fire to the perfect Heart-soul which is in Hensu. And [O ye Sons of Horus], grant ye power unto the living heart-soul of the Osiris Nu by means of his fire. Let him not be repulsed, and let him not be driven back at the doors of Amentet! Let his offerings of bread and of linen garments be brought unto him among the lords of funeral oblations. O offer ye praises, as unto a god to the Osiris Nu, the destroyer of his Opponent in his form of Truth, and in his attributes of a god of truth. RUBRIC: [This Chapter] shall be recited over four torches of atma cloth, which hath been anointed with the finest Thehennu unguent, and the torches shall be placed in the hands of four men who shall have the names of the pillars of Horus written upon their shoulders, and they shall burn the torches in the beautiful light of Ra, and this shall confer power and might upon the Spirit-soul of the deceased among the stars which never set. If this Chapter be recited for him he shall never, never perish, and he shall become a living soul for ever. These torches shall make the Spirit-soul to flourish like Osiris Khenti-Amenti, regularly and continually for ever. It is a struggle. Thou shalt not perform this ceremony before any human being except thine own self, or thy father, or thy son, because it is an 2830 exceedingly great mystery of the Amentet, and it is a type of the hidden things of the Tuat. When this ceremony hath been performed for the deceased, the gods, and the Spirit-souls, and the dead shall see him in the form of Khenti-Amenti, and he shall have power and dominion like this god. If thou shalt undertake to perform for the deceased that which is ordered in this "Chapter of the four blazing torches," each day, thou shalt cause the form of the deceased to come forth from every hall [in the Tuat], and from the Seven Halls of Osiris. And he shall live in the form of the God. He shall have power and dominion corresponding to those of the gods and the Spirit-souls for ever and ever. He shall enter in through the secret pylons and shall not be turned back in the presence of Osiris. And it shall come to pass, provided that the following things be done for him, that he shall enter in and come forth. He shall not be turned back. No boundary shall be set to his goings, and the sentence of the doom shall not be passed upon him on the Day of the Weighing of Words before Osiris- never, never. And thou shalt perform whatsoever [is written in] this book on behalf of the deceased, who shall thereby become perfect and pure. And thou shalt "open his mouth" with the instrument of iron. And thou shalt write down these things in accordance with the instructions which are found in the books of Prince Herutataf, who discovered them in a secret coffer (now they were in the handwriting of the god [Thoth] himself and had been deposited in the Temple of the goddess Unnut, the Lady of Unu) during a journey which he was making in order to inspect the temples, and the temple-estates, and the sanctuaries of the gods. And thou shalt perform these ceremonies secretly in the Tuat-chamber of the tomb, for they are mysteries of the Tuat, and they are symbolic of the things which are done in Khert-Neter. And thou shalt say: I have come, I have advanced hastily. I cast light upon his (the deceased's) footsteps. I am hidden, but I cast light upon his hidden place. I stand up close to the Tet. I stand up close to the Tet of Ra, I turn back the slaughter. I am protecting thee, O Osiris. RUBRIC: This Chapter shall be recited over a Tet of crystal, which shall be set upon a brick made of crude mud, whereupon this Chapter hath been inscribed. Thou shalt make a cavity in the west wall [of the tomb], and having turned the front of the Tet towards the east, thou shalt wall up the cavity with mud which hath been mixed with extract of cedar. This Tet shall drive away the enemies of Osiris who would set themselves at the east wall [of the tomb]. And thou shalt say: I have driven back thy foes. I keep watch over thee. He that is upon his mountain (Anpu) keepeth watch over thee ready for the moment when thy foes shall attack thee, and he shall repulse them for thee. I will drive back the Crocodile at the moment when it attacketh thee, and I will protect thee, O Osiris Nu. RUBRIC: This Chapter shall be recited over a figure of Anpu made of crude mud mixed with incense. And the figure shall be set upon a brick made of crude mud, whereupon this Chapter hath been inscribed. Thou shalt make a cavity in the east wall, and having turned the 2831 face of the figure of Anpu towards the west wall [therein] thou shalt wall up the cavity. This figure shall repulse the enemies of Osiris, who would set themselves at the south wall. And thou shalt say; I am the belt of sand round about the hidden coffer. I turn back the force of the blazing fire of the funerary mountain. I traverse the roads, and I protect the Osiris Nu, the steward of the overseer of the seal, whose word is truth. RUBRIC: This Chapter shall be recited over a brick made of crude mud whereon a copy of this Chapter hath been inscribed. And thou shalt place a reed in the middle thereof, and thou shalt smear it with pitch, and set light thereto. Then thou shalt make a cavity in the south wall, and, having turned the front of the brick towards the north, thou shalt wall the brick up inside it. [It shall repulse the enemies of the Osiris Nu] who would assemble at the north wall. And thou shalt say: O thou who comest to set fire [to the tomb or mummy], I will not let thee do it. O thou who comest to cast fire [herein], I will not let thee do it. I will burn thee, and I will cast fire upon thee. I protect the Osiris Nu, the steward of the overseer of the seal, whose word is truth. RUBRIC: This Chapter shall be recited over a brick of crude mud, whereon a copy of this Chapter hath been inscribed. [And thou shalt set upon it] a figure of the deceased made of palm wood, seven fingers in height. And thou shalt perform on it the ceremony of "Opening the Mouth." Then thou shalt make a cavity in the north wall, and having [placed the brick and the figure inside it], and turned the face of the figure towards the south, thou shalt wall up the cavity. [It shall repulse the enemies of the Osiris Nu], who would assemble at the south wall. And behold, these things shall be done by a man who is washed clean, and is ceremonially pure, and who hath eaten neither meat nor fish, and who hath not [recently] had intercourse with women. And behold, thou shalt make offerings of cakes and ale to these gods, and shalt burn incense on their fires. Every Spirit-soul for whom these things shall be done shall become like a holy god in Khert-Neter, and he shall not be turned back at any gate in Amentet, and he shall be in the following of Osiris, whithersoever he goeth, regularly and continually. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ 2832 The Raven Kindred Ritual Book By Lewis Stead and The Raven Kindreds, Northern & Southern Hearths The Raven Kindred Ritual Book is Copyright(c)1991,1992,1993 by Lewis Stead, All Rights Reserved. Copies of this book are available from the Raven Kindred; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175 at a cost of $5/booklet or may be downloaded free of charge from the Moonrise BBS at (301) 593-9609 or obtained by sending e-mail to lstead@access.digex.net. Non-commercial free of charge electronic distribution of this document is permitted provided that the document remains whole and contains the above copyright statement. Introduction Less than a thousand years ago the elders of Iceland made a fateful decision. Under political pressure from Christian Europe and faced with the need for trade, the Allthing or national assembly declared Iceland to be an officially Christian country. Within a few centuries the last remnants of Nordic Paganism, which once stretched through all of Northern Europe were thought dead. However, Iceland was a tolerant country and the myths, stories, and legends of Pagan times were left unburnt to kindle the fires of belief in later generations. In 1972 Iceland once again recognized Nordic Paganism as a legitimate and legal religion. Iceland and Sweden were the last two bastions of the Pagan religion originally practiced by the people of the various Germanic tribes. Today Nordic Paganism also known as Odinism, Heathenism, Northern Tradition, or Asatru (an Old-Norse term meaning Òloyalty to the GodsÓ) is practiced in virtually all the countries where it originally flourished as well as America and Australia. It is one of a body of religions calling themselves Neo-Paganism which include Druidism, the revival of ancient Celtic Paganism, and Wicca or Witchcraft. However Asatru remains largely unknown even within the community of Neo-Pagan believers. This book is intended as a basic manual to the beliefs and practices of the Raven Kindred of Asatru. We do not pretend to be experts and wonÕt act as if we were. Rather we are simply believers in the Old Gods seeking to share our practice and research with others who are true to the Aesir. Our aim is to present a simple guide which will allow easy understanding of the principles behind Asatru and to give hints for further study and exploration. While we attempt to be historically accurate to our religion's roots, itÕs important to note that there are many things that we simply donÕt know or which arenÕt written in stone. While we occasionally need to flesh out our systems where we donÕt have direct evidence of our ancestors ways, we are not likely to simply make up things. It is very important to us to stay as true to the ways of the old Pagans as is possible. In those places where the various myths, legends, and folklore are not clear we have tried to indicate this. We do not present our way as the ÒtrueÓ Asatru, but we do feel that all Asatru should be solidly connected to its roots in ancient Norse practice. Where we do not know the certain answer to a quesation, there is room for exploration, but not for simply making something up out of whole cloth. While inspiration from the Gods is an important part of our movement, this is not make believe and any additions to the historical 2833 system should be made with respect to our ancient roots. The most important thing for modern people to remember about Asatru is that it is a religion. It is not a system of magick or spirituality or ÒNew Age PracticeÓ which can be grafted onto something else or onto which other ÒsystemsÓ can be grafted wholesale. Asatru is a word derived from ÒAsÓ a God of the Aesir family and ÒtruÓ meaning troth. To be Asatru is to be bound by loyalty and troth to the Old Gods of the North. While we may believe in the deities of other religions and peoples, and even respect them, these are not our Gods. While we may take part in rituals dedicated to other Gods at ecumenical Pagan festivals or gatherings which encompass many other religions, we must not forget that Asatru is our religion and our primary concern. One simply does not collect membership in Asatru (or any other religion) as if one were collecting stamps. Our Gods are real and worthy of our respect. Today many people ÒpracticeÓ a number of different religions feeling that this is the best way to avoid intolerance, we have a completely different view of the world. Asatru is not a universal religion. We do not see ourselves as a path for everyone. We are true polytheists and see the world as encompassing many religions which worship many Gods. While we do not deny the beliefs of others, we also do not confuse them with our own. The idea that Òit is all oneÓ is anathema to the true Heathen. To claim that Odin is the same God as Zeus is madness. Would one claim that green and red are the same merely because they are both colors? If one disagrees with this perspective or finds it limiting so be it. Our belief is also that Asatru is not a path for everyone and it is better to find ones own way rather than bend the religions of others to fit ourselves. In accordance with this non-universalist conception, as much as we have been able to, we have not adopted the practices of other Pagan religions or magickal systems. Those familiar with Wicca will note that most modern Neo-Pagan systems are derived from it. This is not the case with Asatru. Our religion began with reconstruction based on written sources dating from the Pagan period. This has been followed by 20 years of innovation and practice within the Heathen community. While we make no pretensions that this has resulted in a system that is identical with that of our spiritual ancestors, it is at least a system that is our own. In saying this I would reiterate that we do not put down any religion for itÕs beliefs. We merely ask for the integrity of our own. We are not rejecting other systems because they are wrong or because we think ill of them, we are rather choosing Asatru because of our love and devotion to it. The Rituals of Asatru The Blot The Blot is the most common ritual within Asatru. In its simplest form a blot is making a sacrifice to the Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting on an animal consecrated to the Gods and then slaughtered. As we are no longer farmers and our needs are simpler today, the most common blot is an offering of mead or other alcoholic beverage to the deities. 2834 Many modern folk will be suspicious of a ritual such as this. Rituals which are deemed sacrifices, such as the blot, have been falsely interpreted by post-Pagan sources in order to denigrate the ritual or trivialize them. The most common myth about ritual sacrifice is that one is buying off a deity e.g. one throws a virgin into the Volcano so it wonÕt erupt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Asatru it is believed that we are not only the worshippers of the Gods but that we are physically related to them. The Eddas tell of a God, Rig, who went to various farmsteads and fathered the human race so we are physically kin to the Gods. On a more esoteric level, humankind is gifted with ÒondÓ or the gift of ecstasy. Ond is a force that is of the Gods. It is everything that makes humans different from the other creatures of the world. As creatures with this gift, we are immediately connected to the Gods, we are part of their tribe, their kin. Thus we are not simply buying off the Gods by offering them something that they want, but we are sharing with the Gods something that we all take joy in. Sharing and gift giving was an important part of most ancient cultures and had magical significance. Giving a gift was a sign of friendship, kinship, and connection. By sharing a blot with the Gods we reaffirm our connection to them and thus reawaken their powers within us and their watchfulness over our world. A blot can be a simple affair where a horn of mead is consecrated to the Gods and then poured as a libation, or it can be a part of a larger ritual. A good comparison is the Catholic Mass which may be part of a regular service or special event such as a wedding or funeral, or it may be done as a purely magical-religious practice without any sermon, hymns, or other trappings. The blot consists of three parts, the hallowing or consecrating of the offering, the sharing of the offering, and the libation. Each of these is equally important. The only tools required are mead, beer or juice, a horn or chalice, a sprig of evergreen used to sprinkle the mead, and a ceremonial bowl known as a Hlautbowl into which the initial libation will be made. The blot begins with the consecration of the offering. The Gothi (Priest) or Gythia (Priestess) officiating at the blot invokes the God or Goddess being honored. This is usually accomplished by a spoken declaration with ones arms being held above ones head in a Y shape, in imitation of the rune elhaz. This posture is used for most invocations and prayers throughout Asatru. After the spoken invocation an appropriate rune or other symbol of the God or Goddess may be drawn in the air with the finger or with the staff. Once the God is invoked, the Gothi takes up the horn. His assistant pours mead from the bottle into the horn. The Gothi then traces the hammer sign (an upside down T) over the horn as a blessing and holds it above his head offering it to the Gods. He then speaks a request that the God or Goddess bless the offering and accept it as a sacrifice. At the least one will feel the presence of the deity; at best one will be able to feel in some inner way the God taking of the mead and drinking it. The mead is now not only blessed with divine power but has passed the lips of the God or Goddess. The Gothi then takes a drink of the horn and it is passed around the gathered folk. Although it sounds like a very simple thing, it can be a very powerful experience. At this point the mead is no longer simply a drink but is imbued with the 2835 blessing and power of the God or Goddess being honored. When one drinks, one is taking that power into oneself. This is the essence of the rune Gebo. After the horn has made the rounds once, the Gothi again drinks from the horn and then empties the remainder into the hlautbowl. The Gothi then takes up the evergreen sprig and his assistant the Hlautbowl and the Gothi sprinkles the mead around the circle or temple or onto the altar. If there are a great number of the folk gathered, one may wish to drop the drinking and merely sprinkle the various folk with the mead as a way of sharing it. In a small group one might merely drink as the blessing. When this is done the Hlautbowl is taken by the Gothi and poured out onto the ground. This is done as an offering not only to the God invoked at the blot, but it is also traditional to remember the Earth Mother at this time, since it is being poured onto her ground. Many invocations mention the God, Goddess, or spirit being sacrificed to, and then Mother Earth, as in the Sigrdrifa Prayer ÒHail to the Gods and to the Goddesses as well; Hail Earth that gives to all men.Ó (Sigrdrifumal 3) With this action, the blot is ended. Obviously this is a very sparse ritual and if performed alone could be completed in only a few minutes. This is as it should be, for blots are often poured not because it is a time of gathering or festivity for the folk, but because the blot must be poured in honor or petition of a God or Goddess on their holiday or some other important occasion. For example, a father tending his sick child might pour a blot to Eir the Goddess of healing. Obviously he doesnÕt have time to waste on the ÒtrappingsÓ of ritual. The intent is to make an offering to the Goddess as quickly as possible. At some times a full celebration might not be made of a holiday because of a persons hectic schedule, but at the least a blot should be made to mark the occasion. However, in most cases a blot will at least be accompanied by a statement of intent at the beginning and some sort of conclusion at the end. It might also be interspersed with or done at the conclusion of ritual theater or magic. The Sumbel One of the most common celebrations noted in tales of our ancestors is the Sumbel or ritual drinking celebration. This was a more mundane and social sort of ritual than the blot, but of no less importance. When Beowulf came to Hrothgar, the first thing they did was to drink at a ritual sumbel. This was a way of establishing BeowulfÕs identity and what his intent was, and doing so in a sacred and traditional manner. At the sumbel toasts are drunk to the Gods, as well as to a persons ancestors or personal heroes. Rather than a toast, a person might also offer a brag or some story, song, or poem that has significance. The importance is that at the end of the toast, story, or whatever, the person offering it drinks from the horn, and in doing so Òdrinks inÓ what he spoke. The sumbel is also an important time for the folk to get to know each other in a more intimate way than most people are willing to share. Modern society is at two extremes. At one end are the emotionless beings who have been robbed of their soul by modern industrial secular culture. On the other side are those pathetic Òsensitive New-Age guysÓ who spend their lives consciously attempting to stir their emotions and who force an unnatural level of intimacy between 2836 themselves and others. There are some levels of emotional intimacy which are not meant to be openly shared with strangers. Doing so reduces their meaning to the mundane. At sumbel, barriers can be lowered in a place which is sacred to the Gods and the Folk. Thoughts can be shared among companions and friends without embarrassment or forced intimacy. One format for the sumbel with a history in tradition is to drink three rounds. The first is dedicated to the Gods, the second to great heroes of the folk such as historical figures or heroes from the sagas, and the third to personal ancestors, heroes, or friends which have passed from this world. Another theme for a sumbel is past, present, and future. This type of sumbel is more of a magical ritual than one of celebration. The idea is to make toasts which bring up some aspect of your past, and present situation, and a third toast or brag which represents your wishes for the future. One might make a toast to the first Asatru ritual one attended as the past, a second to the companions and kindred then gathered, and for his third toast might state that he intends to be initiated as a Gothi in the coming year. The purpose would be to link the coming event of his initiation with the two already accomplished events of pledging Asatru and finding a kindred Ñ two other important rites of passage. In this case initiation as a Gothi then becomes something which is linked to a chain of events that have already occurred, rather than an isolated action which might occur. Thus magically, this moves the person towards his initiation. A third and everpopular type of sumbel is a free-for-all where stories are told, toasts are made, and bragging is done until all the gathered Odinists are under the table. Perhaps this is not quite so esoteric or purposeful as the previous ideas, but itÕs certainly in keeping with the examples of our Gods and ancestors! Joy is better than guilt! These are only ideas. The sumbel is a very open ended type of thing and the framework is very simple to adapt. One thing important to note about any Asatru ritual is that ours is a holistic religion. We do not limit our Gods or spirituality to a certain time and place. While the sacrament of the blot is usually poured as part of a ceremony, the feast afterwards, singing of sacred songs, reciting of poetry, Morris Dancing, etc are all part of our religion. A truly traditional celebration might begin with a rather informal greeting of the dawn, involve May Dancing and Òmystery plays,Ó then move on to a more structured Blot, and finally to a feast capped by a sumbel. On the other side of things, thereÕs no reason why at a family feast one might not simply pour a bottle of beer or mead as an offering without the other trappings of a blot. Profession Profession is one of the most important ceremonies in Asatru. To Profess oneÕs belief in and kinship to the Gods should be an important turning point in ones life and the beginning of a new understanding of the self. Profession is, however, a very simple and rather short ceremony. In our kindred we usually profess people after beginning the ritual, but before we offer the formal blot. 2837 Profession is not an occult or initiatory ceremony. It is nothing less than itÕs name: one professes (declares, affirms) his wish to become one of the Asafolk. This oath is usually taken by the Kindred-Gothi on the oath ring or some other Holy object as follows: The Gothi stands in front of the altar and says ÒWill [insert name here] please come forward.Ó After he or she does so ÒAre you here of your own free will? Is it your intention to solemnly swear allegiance and kinship to the Gods of Asgard, the Aesir and Vanir?Ó If the answer to both these questions is in the affirmative the Gothi takes up the oath ring and holds it out to the person professing and says ÒRepeat after me. I swear to ever uphold the Raven Banner of Asgard, to follow the way of the North, to always act with honor and bravery, and to be ever true to the Aesir and Vanir and to Asatru. By the Gods I so swear. By my honor I so swear. On this Holy Ring I do swear. Hail the Gods.Ó The kindred then replies ÒHail the Gods!Ó and the Gothi finishes ÒThen be welcome to the service of Asgard and the Folk of the Asatru.Ó There may be other celebrations connected to a Profession, just as other religions hold Bar Mitzvah or Confirmation parties. When someone joins our kindred, we hold a Sumbel of nine rounds, each dedicated to one of the values of Asatru (see below) and toast those values to the new kinsman. The Holidays The ancient Norse knew four major holidays the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes which we call Summer and Winter Finding, and the two solstices which we call Midsummer and Yule. However, there were many other minor festivals and modern Asatru have added even more. A calendar of our kindredÕs rituals is provided in an appendix and I also encourage anyone to find as many as one is willing to meet for. We meet monthly, but some groups meet 8 times a year and also celebrate the cross-quarter days of May Day/Walpurgis, Halloween/Samhain, February eve or The Charming of the Plow, and Lammastide or Freyfaxi, Most of our rituals also honor only one or a few Gods or Goddesses at any one time. However, there is no reason why the entire pantheon should not be offered prayers and thanks at any occasion. This would be particularly appropriate at the major holidays. Unlike most other groups in the Neo-Pagan movement, we do not necessarily honor Gods in male/female pairs. The boy/girl notion is one taken from the Pagan fertility religion of Wicca and isnÕt necessarily appropriate to our Gods, who often represent things other than fertility. So while a Spring ritual held in honor of Freya and Frey as fertility deities might wish to honor them together, there is no reason to include Frigg in a ritual dedicated to Odin as the God of War. Yule Yule is the most important holiday of the year. Everyone is familiar with the shortness of the deep winter days, but in the Scandinavian countries this is of even greater importance. At the Yuletide there is almost no sunlight at all, and the climate would have people bound in their homes waiting for the return of Spring. 2838 Yule is a long festival, traditionally held to be 12 days or more. After Yule the days began to get longer and the festival represented the breaking of the heart of winter and the beginning of the new year. Yule was the holiday of either Thor or Frey, although there is no reason not to honor both Gods in modern practice. Frey is the God of fertility and farming and was honored at Yule in the hopes that his time would soon return. Thor was the sworn enemy of the Frost Giants and Jotunn who ruled the winter months, and as such was honored as the God whoÕs actions fought off these creatures and brought back the spring. Sunna, the Goddess of the Sun, should also be honored at Yule, although she is held at more important during the summer months when she is at her strongest. The most important symbols of Yule are still with us today. Most of the supposedly secular customs of Christmas are actually Pagan in origin. Evergreen trees and holly which remained green throughout the long nights and cold were a promise that spring would once again return to the land. These symbols may also have been a connection to the nature spirits who have sway over the return of the warm days. The modern conception of Santa Claus as an elf, for whom offerings of milk and cookies are left, is probably a modern continuation of leaving offerings for the Alvar and other nature spirits. The idea of children staying up all night in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Santa Claus may be a remnant of people staying awake to mark the long night and remind the sun to return. (In the latter case itÕs considered an adequate substitution to leave a candle going all night to light the way for the returning sun.) Yule is a weeks long festival, not just a single holiday. The Yule season begins on the solstice, which is the Mother Night of Yule, and ends with Twelfth Night on January sixth. As a point of interest, January seventh is St. DistaffÕs day, which Nigel Pennic has suggested may have been a day sacred to Frigg, whose symbol is the distaff. While one might expect a rather dour theme to a holiday held in the darkness and cold, Yule is a time of feasting and gladness. In various places different Gods were held to be the most important at Yule. Thor was honored because it is he who fights and kills the Jotunn, who surely are the ones responsible for the loss of warmth in the world. Yule was when Thor broke the back of winter and allowed the warmth to slowly return to the world. Frey was also honored because it was he who married Gerd and warmed her heart, returning fertility to the world. There are simply so many different Yule customs, both ancient and modern, that one has almost limitless possibilities even when staying within Scandanavian and Germanic customs. In modern practice one might honor Sunna on the Mother Night, then hold a blot a few days later to Thor, a feast for New Years day which is shared with the house and land spirits, and then finish on Twelfth Night with a ritual to Frey, whose time is then officially beginning. Summer Finding Summer Finding is also known to many groups as Ostara, the holiday sacred to the Goddess for whom the modern Easter is named. She is a 2839 fertility Goddess and her symbols are the hare and the egg. She was an important Goddess of spring to the ancient Saxons, but we know little else of her other than this. Some have suggested that Ostara is merely an alternate name for Frigg or Freya, but neither of these Goddesses seem to have quite the same fertility function as Ostara does. Frigg seems too high class to be associated with such an earthy festival and FreyaÕs form of fertility is more based on eroticism than reproduction. The obvious folk tradition at this time of year involves eggs. These were colored as they are today, but then they were buried, or more appropriately, planted in the earth. Some have suggested that the act was purely magical, the fertility of the eggs would then be transferred from the animal realm to the plant realm and would increase the prosperity of the harvest. ItÕs also possible that they were left as an offering to the alvar and the spirits of the plants. In any case a blot should be prepared to the Goddess of Spring, however one wishes to honor her, and also to the spirits of the land. Midsummer Day The summer solstice was second only to Yule in importance to the ancient Northmen. Some groups mark this day as sacred to Balder, but we disagree with this. While Balder can be seen as a dying and resurrected Sun God, in the mythology we are most familiar with, he does not return to life until Ragnarok and it seems like Òbad karmaÓ to symbolically kill the sun when you know he doesnÕt come back until the end of the world. Instead, we mark this day as sacred to the Goddess Sunna, who is literally the sun. One idea for midsummer is to remain awake all night and mark the shortest night of the year, then at sunrise to perform a ÒGreeting of SunnaÓ and a blot to her. Another midsummer custom is the rolling of a flaming wagon wheel down a hill to mark the turning of the wheel of the year. If fire would otherwise be a hazard, one could parade a wheel covered with candles for similar effect. It is also a time for general merriment and in the Scandinavian countries many of what we know as the traditional May Day rituals such as May Poles and Morris Dances were instead celebrated at Midsummer. Winter Finding I have not come across a great deal of traditional lore about the Autumn Equinox which we know as Winter Finding. It seems to have been overshadowed to some extent by the Winter Nights which we celebrate at the equinox rather than at the more traditional time of mid-November. If one wishes not to do this, the Winter Finding would be a festival of harvest. One should hold a Blot to whichever Gods of fertility seem most appropriate and then hold a large feast, concerntrating on vegetables that are currently in season. Winter Nights The Winter Nights are the traditional festival honoring the Disir or 2840 family spirits. It is a time to remember your family, the dead, and your ancestors. (For more information on the Disir see the chapter ÒElves and other Spirits.Ó) A Freyablot may be performed at this time as Freya is known as the Vanadis (i.e. the Dis of the Vanir) or the Great Dis, and she seems to be the Goddess of the Disir themselves. This is probably connected to FreyaÕs position as recipient of half the battle-slain. One might also simply want to honor the Disir as a whole, or attempt to summon and pour offering to your own familyÕs Dis. A sumbel which toasts ones ancestors and passed on friends would also be in order. If a feast is held, it should be quiet and respectful of the character of the season. Another idea is a silent Òmum feast,Ó a custom which is found the world over. The various Halloween customs such as dressing in costume or celebrating this time as a time where the worlds of the living and the dead connect are more Celtic in origin than Nordic and probably should not be part of an Asatru celebration. The Gods of Asgard The Old Norse reckoned that there were three races of Gods: the Aesir, the Vanir, and the Jotunn. The Aesir are those beings most often referred to in the ancient literature simply as Òthe Gods.Ó They are the Gods of society, representing things such as Kingship, Craft, etc. The Vanir are more closely connected to the earth and represent the fecundity of the land and the natural forces which help mankind. Once there was a great war between the Aesir and the Vanir, but this was eventually settled and Frey, Freya, and Njord came to live with the Aesir to seal the peace. The Jotunn are a third race of Gods and at constant war with the Aesir, but there is and never will be peace in this battle. The Jotunn are never called Gods, but rather referred to as giants. They represent the natural forces of chaos and destruction as the Aesir represent forces of order and society. Just as fire and ice mix to form the world, this creative interaction of chaos and order maintains the balance of the world. In the end the two sides will meet in the great battle of Ragnarok and the world will be destroyed, only to be reborn. The Norse Gods were not held to be all powerful or immortal. Their youth was maintained very precariously by the magickal apples of the Goddess Idunna. More importantly at the end of the world a good number of the Gods will die in battle. The Northern view of the world was a practical one with little assurance for the future and little perfection and the Gods are no exception. The Gods in the Temple: Odin, Thor, and Frey The three most important Gods were held to be Odin, Thor, and Frey. These were the deities whose statutes stood at the altar of the temple at Upsalla. They are considered the most important because of what they represent. Mythologer Georges Dumezil has linked these three deities with the three classes of Indo-European culture: the Kings, the Warriors, and the Farmers. Although the fit is not an exact one, it is probably true that these three deities most concretely symbolized the various aspects of life and culture and most people 2841 would have found a God who represented their life-experience in one of these three deities. Odin is the Allfather, remembered today best as a God of war and of the berserk rage of the Vikings. However, he has other aspects which are just as strong or stronger. In the Eddas, he is the King of the Gods, but this is a position which most of the Germanic peoples attributed to Tyr. ItÕs likely that Odin only became King during the Viking Age. Being the Allfather, his original position of leadership was probably familial rather than legislative. Most importantly he is a God of transcendent wisdom and in relation to that a God of magick. He is the God of the Runes, the magical alphabet which holds the mysteries of the universe within it. In most of the non-Viking countries, OdinÕs warrior aspect was played down. In England, where he is known as Woden, he is a gray cloaked wanderer (the inspiration for TolkienÕs Gandalf) who travels the country, usually alone, surveying his land. Here again we see him in the position of a father figure, a warder of the land but not necessarily a King. Odin is also a God of the dead. Half of the slain in battles go to him to prepare for the Ragnarok. (The remaining half go to Freya.) He also has associations with the dead as a practitioner of Seidhr, a form of shamanic magick which he learned from Freya and used on various occasions to travel to Hel and seek the knowledge of those who have passed from this world. ItÕs difficult to classify Odin simply because he was such a popular God during the last stages of Norse Paganism and thus absorbed many traits of other Gods. Thor is probably the best known of the Norse Gods. He is a simple God, the patron of farmers and other folk who are Òwise, but not too wiseÓ as the Eddas advise us to be. Thor is best known for wandering the world in search of adventure; usually found in the form of giants or other monsters to kill. He possesses tremendous strength and the hammer Mjolnir, which was made for him by the Dwarfs. Mjolnir is considered to be the Gods greatest treasure because it is sure protection from the forces of chaos. Using Mjolnir, Thor is a warrior figure, but he is less a professional warrior than a common man called upon to defend his land. He loves battle not for itself as do the berserkers of Odin, nor does he have a strong code of honor such as that of TyrÑin fact he chronically breaks with honor and kills giants whether they have the protection of ÒhospitalityÓ or not. Thor is associated with thunder, and is also the God of rain and storms, but itÕs important to note that he is not the God of destructive storms. Thor is nature as a benefit to man. The Jotunn are held to be the source of the destruction found in nature. Thor was the God of Òeveryman.Ó He was simple in purpose, strong, and free. He was most beloved of the freemen farmers who populated the Germanic lands. Frey is a God of peace and fertility. If Thor is the God of the farmer, then Frey is the God of the crops themselves. His symbol is the priapus and his blessings were sought at planting and other important agricultural festivals. The word ÒfreyÓ means ÒLordÓ and itÕs unsure if this is the Gods name or his title. He is also known as Ing. We do not known a great deal more about Frey as few myths have survived which give us any insight into his character. As much as he is a God of fertility, he is also a God of peace and Ing was said to have brought a Golden Age of peace and prosperity to old Denmark. Horses are held to be sacred to Frey, probably because of fertility connections. 2842 Goddesses In general we know much less about how our ancestors worshipped the Goddesses than the Gods. Later Norse culture was very bound up with the vikings and it is likely that the Goddesses were deemphasized at this point. More importantly, virtually all the mythology we have today was recorded during the Christian period and Christian culture had little respect for women, least of all independent and strong women like those of Nordic society. Freya is the most important of the Goddesses or at least that Goddess about which we known the most. She was the sister of Frey and along with him was sent to live with the Aesir in order to seal a peace agreement. Freya is a Goddess with two distinct sides to her. First, she is the Goddess of love and beauty and second a Goddess of war who shares the battle-slain with Odin. Unlike our modern culture, the ancients saw no contradiction in this. She was also a sorceress who practiced the shamanic magick known as Seidhr, which she taught to Odin. Freya is the Goddess most often invoked by independent women. While she is a Goddess of beauty, she is not dependent on men as is the stereotype of so many love Goddesses, but is strong and fiercely independent. She is also known as the Great Dis and probably has connections to the family spirits known as the Disir. In many ways she is like Odin in that she is a Goddess of many functions which are not always obviously related. In modern Asatru, many groups have replaced Frey with Freya to stand with Odin and Thor on the altar. Frigg is a most misunderstood Goddess. She is the wife of Odin and many people are too willing to let her be known simply as that. However, the old Norse had a much different idea of the place of women and of marriage in general. While marriages for love were certainly known, marriage was also a business and social arrangement and there were important duties for a wife. These were symbolized by a set of keys which hung at the belt of all Ògoodwives.Ó This symbolized that the home was under the control of the woman of the house, who was equal to her husband. Today we think these duties as very minor, but a thousand years ago they were far from trivial. Up until this century most of Europe lived in extended families. A house, especially a hall of a warrior, was not merely a small building with a nuclear family, but an entire settlement with outbuildings, servants, slaves, and an entire clan. The wife of the house was in charge of stores and trading with other clans. It was she that saw to the upkeep of the farm, the balancing of the books, and even to the farming itself if her husband was away trading or making war. It was as much a job of managing a business as it was being a Òwife.Ó For these reasons Frigg is still very important and can easily be invoked beyond the home. She would, for example, be a natural patron for someone who owned a business. Frigg also shares a lot of characteristics with her husband. She is the only other God who is allowed to sit in OdinÕs seat from which can be seen all that goes on in the nine worlds. It is said that she knows the future, but remains silent, which is entirely in keeping with the way women of the time exercised their power: namely indirectly. While in a better world this might not be necessary, it is still an important tool for women who must exist in a world where men are sometimes threatened by them. While Freya is a Goddess who acts independent of ÒtraditionalÓ roles, Frigg is a Goddess who works within those roles, but still maintains her power and independence. 2843 Other Gods There are of course many other Gods and Goddesses. Some of these have important places in the myths, while some others are mentioned only once along with their function. Loki The most perplexing God of Asgard is Loki. He was probably originally a fire God, but he is best known as the troublemaker of Asgard. In various minor scrapes Loki arranges to get the Gods into trouble, usually by giving away their treasures and then arranging to return them. This is very much in the traditional role of a trickster, who keeps things interesting by causing trouble. However, itÕs sometimes difficult to see Loki merely as a trickster because his actions are sometimes simply too evil to be ignored. Balder was the most beautiful and beloved of the Gods and a pledge was extracted from all the things in the world that they would not harm him. The sole exception to this was the mistletoe which was deemed too tiny to be a threat. Amused by his invulnerability, the Gods took turns throwing objects at Balder, which of course had no effect on him. Loki took the blind God Hod and put a spring of mistletoe in his hands and guided him to throw it. The dart pierced BalderÕs breast and he died. Later a deal was arranged wherein Balder would be allowed to return to life if all the creatures of the world would weep for him. Only one refused, an ogress who said she cared not a whit for Balder when he was alive and thought him just as well off dead. The ogress is believed to have been Loki in disguise. For these actions Loki was chained beneath the earth and it was arranged that venom would drip upon him in punishment that would last until the end of the world. With the death of Balder, Loki goes beyond the level of trickster and becomes a truly evil figure. It is known that when Ragnarok comes, Loki will lead the legions of chaos against the Aesir and bring about the end of the world. Indeed LokiÕs actions certainly do seem harsh, but they are entirely in keeping with the Norse way of looking at things. One of the functions of a trickster God is to keep things going. The trickster causes trouble so that people may evolve, for nothing brings about ingenuity like need. The Norse did not believe anything was eternal. The Gods were mortal and only maintained their youth through the magick of IdunnaÕs apples. In the end they would die in the battle of Ragnarok which would destroy the world. BalderÕs invulnerability was not natural. As the Edda says ÒCattle die, and men die, and you too shall die...Ó It was deemed much more wise and valiant by the Norse to live up to oneÕs fate than to try to avoid it. Likewise to return from the dead would be equally wrong. ItÕs against nature for something to be impervious to harm or for the dead to return to life. Loki was merely acting as the agent of nature to return things to their normal and correct course. It was not an act of evil, but an intervention to stop an evil against the natural order. Likewise Ragnarok must come. It is in the nature of the world to be destroyed and then be reborn. Loki is merely acting as an agent of fate: exactly the function which a trickster is supposed to perform. On the other hand, as far as we know Loki was not worshipped, at least not in the same way as the other Gods were. Recognition of his action and his place in the universe is essential, but Gods of this type are 2844 seldom welcome. It is ÒfashionableÓ today to laugh at trickster Gods and see them as a sort of jester figure, but we must not forget that their nature is much darker than this even when it does serve a purpose. Change is important, but nothing changes the world faster and more thoroughly than war. Tyr While seldom reckoned today among the most popular of the Gods, Tyr is extremely important. He is the God of battle, of justice, and (secondary to Odin) of Kingship. The most important myth concerning Tyr shows both his bravery and honor. He gave his hand as surety to the Fenris Wolf that no trickery was involved in the Gods binding of him. When the fetter in fact did bind the wolf, Tyr lost his hand. The honor and reliance on ones word is often overlooked in this myth in favor of an interpretation of self sacrifice. However, throughout the myths various deals are made and the Aesir easily get out of them. ItÕs likely that Tyr could have escaped his fate as well, but oneÕs word is oneÕs word and thus Tyr lost his hand. Tyr was held to be the God of the Thing or assembly. While the ancient Norse were not truly democratic and in fact held slaves, within the noble class all were reckoned to be roughly equal. The Thing was a place where the landholders would meet for trade and to iron out disputes among them, in the hope of avoiding feuds. Tyr was originally the chieftain of the Aesir and the God of Kingship, but he has been gradually supplanted by Odin, especially during the Viking Age. It is likely this was because of TyrÕs strong sense of honor and justice. For raiding and pillaging, Odin, the God of the berserker rage, was a much better patron than Tyr, the God of honorable battle. This is an important thing to note about Northern religion: it is extremely adaptable. There are not hard and fast rules about who is what and while the nature of the Gods cannot be changed they are more than happy to have the aspects most important to their worshippers emphasized. Just as a person uses different skills and Òbecomes a different personÓ when they move or change jobs, so the Gods too have adapted to new climates and needs. Baldr While we only know the myth of BalderÕs death, it is clear that he was a God of some importance. Unfortunately, modern writers, coming from a Christian background, have tried to turn Balder into a Christ figure. Balder was a God of beauty and goodness, but his name also translates as Òwarrior.Ó It is a mistake to turn him into a ÓNorse Jesus.Ó The mere fact that he died and will return after Ragnarok is not enough for this equation. Another interpretation of Balder is that of the dying and resurrected God of the Sun. This also seems a mistake, as Balder does not return from the land of death. It makes a poor symbol to honor Balder on solar holidays, lest the sun not return! The remaining major interpretation of Balder is as a God of mystic initiation. While this fits to some extent, we unfortunately no longer know. The equation with Christ has wiped out a great deal of lore about Balder and we are left to rediscover his place in our modern practice. Minor Gods Of the other important Gods, Heimdall is the guardian of Asgard. He, 2845 as Rig, is also one of the Gods who fathered mankind. Njord is the God of sailing and sailors. Unless one travels on the sea, he is probably of little importance to you, but if one does sail, he is your natural patron. If Njord is the God of sailing and of manÕs use of the sea, then Aegir is the God of the sea itself. He is married to Ran who takes drowned sailors to her home after their death. Aegir is considered to be the greatest of brewers, and our kindred honors him in a special holiday due to the importance of mead in our modern religion. Bragi is a much overlooked God who is the patron of taletellers and bards. Other Gods more or less overlooked in the myths include Forseti, who renders the best judgments, Ull, a God of hunting who is the male counter to Skadi, Vithar, the son of Thor who is as strong as his father, Vali, OdinÕs son who will avenge his fathers death at Ragnarok, and Hod, the blind God who was led to slay Balder. While we might say that certain Gods are more important than others, this is in many ways not accurate. We would be better served to say that some are more popular. The Norse concept of the relationship between men and Gods was one of friendship. A man would honor all the Gods as worthy and existent, but would usually find one as his special patron. It is not surprising, considering this, that Thor is the most popular of Gods. If the average person was searching for a God very much like himself, Thor would be the obvious choice. Likewise, a God such as Njord would have been extremely important to sailors and fishermen, but would have been almost completely unimportant as a patron to inlanders. The less well known Gods are just as powerful as their more well known contemporaries, they merely have power over a less well known aspect of life. There are also many Goddesses other than Frigg and Freya, but we know very little of them. Eir was said to be the greatest of healers, and is for this reason very important. There is no healer God as the ancients held that medicine was a craft for women and not for men, but modern male healers should certainly invoke her. While Skadi has a very small part in the myths, many modern Asafolk find her a compelling figure. She is the snow-shoe Goddess, who travels in the isolated mountains hunting with her bow. She is married to Njord, but they are separated as Njord canÕt abide the mountains, and Skadi canÕt sleep in NjordÕs hall where she is kept awake by the pounding of the sea. She is an excellent role model for women who work alone and who are independently minded. Oaths are sworn to the Goddess Var, but little else is known of her. Lofn might some day be of importance to you, she is known to bring together lovers who are kept apart by circumstance. I have merely touched upon the Gods here. It is important for everyone who would practice the religion of the North to get to know the myths and the Gods. An appendix is included which outlines various sources for more information. Elves & Other Spirits The world of ancient Paganism was hardly limited to the worship of the Gods. There are various other beings who were honored, and ÒElf worshipÓ was often the hardest part of Paganism for Christians to destroy. It was easy enough to substitute one God for another, but it 2846 was quite another to tell the common people that the elves which brought fertility to the land were not real! In the various folktales and sagas we find very little which would lead us to a concrete system of what spirit was responsible for exactly what. We are sure of the place of the Valkyries, who were responsible for bringing the slain to Valhalla, and also for choosing who in battle would die. They seem, judging by their actions, to be supernatural beings of some type. However, Valkyries appear in various places as very human figures and their exact nature is difficult to determine. Sigrdrifa was a Valkyrie who was cursed by Odin because she refused to bring victory in battle to those whom he had chosen. Her punishment was to be married to a mortal, and the implication is clear that this would end her days as a Valkyrie. ItÕs equally clear that she has great knowledge of the runes as she tutors Sigurd after he awakens her. In most respects she seems to be a normal human woman, although a very wise and independent one with great powers. Elsewhere, Voland and his brothers are said to have found three Valkyries sunning themselves without their swan-coats. When the brothers steal their feather-coats and hide them, the Valkyries again appear as otherwise normal women. This does not seem entirely in keeping with a supernatural origin, and itÕs possible that some kind of magickal order of Priestesses has become confused over time with the supernatural beings we know as Valkyries. The swan-coat seems very similar in description to FreyaÕs falcon-coat and the entire issue may be something related to the practice of seidhr. As far as we know, the Valkyrie were not worshipped as such, but were considered more the messengers of Odin. They also serve the mead at Valhalla, and because of this whoever pours the mead into the Horn at Blot or Sumbel is today known as Òthe Valkyrie.Ó The other spirits whose place seems fairly clear are the Disir. These are spirits who are intimately linked with a family. There is also some indication that they are linked with the land, but this would be in keeping with the old ways. We forget sometimes that many landowners in Europe have been living in the same place since before this continent was discovered. The land becomes an intimate part of the family and its identity, so it is natural that family spirits would also oversee the family land. Disir inevitably are seen as women who appear at times of great trouble or change. They are somehow linked to the family bloodline, and seem most closely linked to the clanchief. There is one scene in one saga where a spirit, apparently a Dis, is passed on from one person to another who are not blood relations. However, these two friends are closer than brothers, so while the link is apparently not genetic, it is definitely familial. We know the family Disir were honored with blots at the Winter Nights and that they have great power to aid their family. As far as their origin, itÕs possible that they are ancestral in origin. They may be ancestors whose power was so great that they were able to continue to see to their clan. Or itÕs possible that the Disir are the collective spirit of the family ancestors. Freya is called the great Dis and there may be some linkage here to her position as a seidhrwoman. We know from the sagas that Seidhr was involved with talking to various spirits (including the dead) and its possible that this is the source of FreyaÕs name. It is also possible that she performed much the same function as a Dis to her tribe the Vanir. Closely linked to the idea of the Disir is the Fylgia. These spirits 2847 are attached to an individual person in much the same way that the Disir are associated with a family. Fylgia usually appear either as animals or as beautiful women. They correspond to the Òfetch,Ó Òtotem,Ó or Òpower-animalÓ in other cultures. Most of the time the fylgia remains hidden and absent, it is only with truly great or powerful persons that the fylgia becomes known. They may have something to do with Seidhr as well, because many sagas offer evidence of spirit travel in the shape of animals. This corresponds exactly to notions of shamanism found in other cultures. The remaining spirits include Alvar or elves, Dokkalvar or dark elves or Dwarfs, kobolds, and landvaettir. While some have defined one being as doing one thing and another serving a different function, IÕm not inclined to draw very sharp distinctions between these various creatures. They all seem ÒelfishÓ in origin, and there seems to me to be no pattern of associating one name with a specific function. We know that various landvaettir or land spirits were honored with blots. We also know that Frey is the lord of Alfheim, one of the nine worlds where the alvar are said to live. Of all the remaining spirits, the dwarfs are the most consistent in description. We know that the dwarfs are cunning and misanthropic in character and incredible smiths, capable of creating magickal objects so valuable they are considered the greatest treasures of Asgard. ThorÕs hammer Mjolnir, FreyaÕs necklace Brisingamen, and SifÕs golden hair are all creations of the dwarfs. They live beneath the earth and have little to do with mankind or the Gods unless one seeks them out. What place they had in the religion we no longer know. It would seem wise to invoke them as spirits of the forge, but I can think of little other reason to disturb them. Elves are the most difficult magickal race to pin down. Mythological sources tell us that the Alvar or light elves live in Alfheim where Frey is their Lord. However, we also have the enduring belief in folklore of the elves as faery-folk: beings associated with the natural world. These two conceptions of elves might still be linked, however, as Alfheim is known to be a place of incredible natural beauty, and Frey, their leader, is an agricultural deity. To further confuse this issue, Norse folklore has a strong belief in the Landvaettir, or land spirits who may fit into either or both of these categories. IÕm inclined to lump them all together as similar beings that we simply donÕt know enough about to tell apart. What is important is that Asatru, like all Pagan religions, honors the natural world and the earth very deeply. Whether one calls the spirits of the land as the elves, the faeries, or the landvaettir, or uses all of these terms interchangably, respect is all important. Asatru is known for being one of the most politically ÒconservativeÓ of the modern Pagan religions, but youÕll find few of us who arenÕt staunch environmentalists. One of the most important spirits to honor is the house-spirit. Folklore is also filled with stories of various spirits variously called faeries, elves, kobolds, brownies, tom-tin, etc who inhabit a house and see to its proper conduct. In the usual form of the tale, they offer to perform some housekeeping functions, but eventually turn on the owners of the house when they are insulted by overpayment. We donÕt have any concrete evidence for how our ancestors honored these beings, but this is not surprising because such a thing would not be a 2848 public observance and itÕs unlikely it would be recorded in the sagas or Eddas. Folklore indicates that such beings should be honored with a simple bowl of milk or perhaps beer, but no more. In general folklore does not paint the various elves and spirits as particularly benevolent figures. With the exception of house spirits, who as spirits of a manmade object are bound to us on some level, they seem most interested in staying out of the dealings of mankind. There are numerous stories of people who spy upon elf women and force them to become their brides. Inevitably the women are unhappy and eventually escape, leaving their husbands devastated. There are also numerous stories of spirits who haunt the woods and who will drag wayward travelers into rivers to drown or to some other untimely death. When people do have dealings with the elves these beings seem to operate on an entirely different set of expectations than we do. Most of us would be gratified by the gift of a ÒbonusÓ from our employer, yet time and time again in folklore this is the easiest way to anger a house spirit. We know that elves were honored with blots, but itÕs just as possible that these ceremonies were made in propitiation to them rather than in kinship as are our blots made with the Gods. We suggest caution in dealing with beings with a set of values so foreign from our own. They should be approached in the same way one would approach a person from a country whose ways are very different. In general, weÕre also very reticent to make decisions about classifying the various Òother peoples.Ó It would be very easy to draw lines and place certain spirits into little boxes which label their function, but that seems overly mechanical and of little utility. Elves and other ÒwightsÓ are not human, and it might be too much to try to classify them in other than subjective terms. ItÕs probably best to simply make your intent clear, experiment, and use the terms which work for you, remembering only to be true to the sources. Demi-Gods There are a whole classification of Gods which are not truly part of the Aesir, Vanir, or even the Jotunn. Wayland the Smith is the best example of this that we can offer. Wayland, called Volund in the Norse version, is the greatest of smiths, but itÕs clear in the mythology that he was more or less a human man. The myth tells of how he lost his wife and was enslaved by a human King. While his powers allow him to outwit and take vengeance on the king, itÕs clear throughout that heÕs not on the level of a Thor or an Odin. What one does about these demi-Gods or local Gods is a good question. I see nothing wrong with pouring a blot in their honor and dealing with them as you would any other God or Goddess. On the other hand, they are not part of the Aesir and I think it might be disrespectful to honor them with the Aesir or as part of a ceremony dedicated to the Aesir as they seem of a different nature. Ancestor Worship: Honoring ones ancestors was one of the most sacred duties of the Norsemen. One of the most important parts of greeting new people was the exchanging of personal lineages at sumbel. The worship of the Disir is closely linked to ancestor worship. However, it is difficult for modern day Pagans to seriously engage in ancestor worship. We are 2849 for the most part without a strong connection to our heritage, and even if we feel motivated we would probably need to skip at least a thousand years back to find ancestors who would not have been appalled by our Heathen beliefs. One substitution for ancestor worship in the modern Asatru movement has been the veneration of heros from the Sagas and legends of our people. The manner of how we honor ancestors is also somewhat troubling. I reserve the blot ritual to Gods and other powers, and IÕm not sure if itÕs appropriate to pour a blot to an ancestor, no matter how important he was. ItÕs touchy when you are honoring someone that you knew was a mortal. I think the most important part of ancestor worship is remembering, and the sumbel seems the most important part of that. While we discuss ancestry, I must mention that some modern Asatru groups, in part because of holdovers from 19th century cultural movements, have placed a great deal of emphasis on ancestry in terms of race. Many have held that Asatru was a religion for whites or Northern Europeans only. In my not particularly humble opinion, this is pure idiocy. The basic argument for this is that people of other cultures do not share the same background and values. This is certainly true, but the key word in my opinion is culture, and all Americans by definition share a culture. Also, while I admit I would think it doubtful that people from outside of our own cultural heritage would be attracted greatly to Asatru, if they are it is for a reason and they should be welcomed and not shunned. It proves the worth of our religion and way of life that it is so strong that one would leave his own cultural path behind to take up ours. As far as culture is concerned, the ancestry of the ancient North is alive and well in modern America. A thousand years ago settlers sailed to Iceland to avoid the growing influence of powerful kings and centralized government. This centralization of power was one of the things which Roman Christianity brought with it. Two hundred years ago we in America rebelled against our king for much the same reasons. Our culture is much more profoundly influenced by the Vikings than most would care to admit. Our law is based on English common law, which in turn has roots in Norman and Saxon law. (Both the Saxons and Normans were descended from Germanic tribes.) Our culture is based on many of the same ideas which the Northmen held dear: the importance of the individual and the belief that individual rights outweighed collective rights. Thus, it is my assertion that we are all descended, at least in part, spiritually from the ancient Norse. The Jotunn The Jotunn or giants are the sworn enemies of the Gods. While the Aesir represent order and the Vanir represent the supportive powers of nature, the Jotunn represent chaos and the power of nature to destroy man and act independent of humankind. In the end, it is the Jotunn who will fight the Gods at Ragnarok and bring about the destruction of the world. In essence despite being called Giants or Ogres, the Jotunn are Gods just as much as the Aesir or Vanir. In many cases they correspond very closely to the Fomoire in Celtic mythology. Most simply put, the Jotunn are the Gods of all those things which man has no control over. 2850 The Vanir are the Gods of the growing crops, the Jotunn are the Gods of the river which floods and washes away those crops or the tornado which destroys your entire farm. This is why they are frightening and this is why we hold them to be evil. The Jotunn are not worshipped in modern Asatru, but there is some evidence that sacrifices were made to them in olden times. In this case, sacrifices were probably made Òto themÓ rather than shared Òwith themÓ as was the case with the Vanir and Aesir. It would be inappropriate to embrace them as friends and brothers in the way we embrace our Gods. One doesnÕt embrace the hurricane or the wildfire; it is insanity to do so. However, we must also remember that fact that we see their actions as bad, they are not inherently evil. The storm destroys the crops, but it also brings cleansing and renewal. We humans are only one species on this planet and in the end we are both expendable and irrelevant to nature. This is the manner in which the Jotunn act, and it is not surprising that we see this as evil. However, one must also take into account the premonitions of Ragnarok recorded in the eddas. If the Jotunn are merely amoral, why are they the sworn enemy of the Aesir and why will they bring about the end of the world? ItÕs possible that Jotunn was more of a catch-all term for dangerous Gods rather than a reference to a specific family. (It is the case in many languages that there is one word for people that speak the language, usually translating as Òpeople,Ó and another term for those persons of other cultures and tribes.) The dangerous forces of nature are ÒJotunnÓ because we cannot control them, but there are other forces, principally those of chaos, that are considered ÒJotunnÓ as well. There is abundant evidence for this in the Eddas. Various Jotunn are seen to marry into the Aesir without a great deal of trouble from the Gods, but at other times the mere sight of one throws Thor into a rage. The obvious conclusion is that they are more than one specific race of deities. The destructive powers of nature were tolerated to some extent, and often married into the Aesir bringing them more under control. However, other ÒoutlanderÓ Gods were completely destructive to the Aesir (and thus mankind) and the Gods only thought for them was death. The Religious Structure of Asatru The ancients, for the most part, did not have an organized system of Temples or churches in the way that our society does today. Religion was a very personal affair, mostly between the Gods and their worshippers. If there was a formalized temple or perhaps a grove that was dedicated to the Gods and tended as a temple it was most likely built by a wealthy landowner and dedicated to his or her patron God. Such a person would then, usually, become the Gothi (Priest) or Gythia (Priestess) of the temple. Such temples were generally maintained by the family after the builders death, the title being more or less inherited by whomever was lord over the land. Today most Asatru groups are similarly unstructured. This has been a problem because there is little in the way of religious education other than in books such as this one and personal research. While this sort of learning is fine, there are always some things left out 2851 and IÕm sure that mine will be no exception. There are a few groups who are attempting to initiate training programs and present sets of standards for people who would declare themselves to be Gothi or Gythia, but these groups have unfortunately been somewhat inflexible and dogmatic, seeming more interested in creating hierarchies than with service to the Folk or Gods. Gothi is a honorary title only. It does not mark any administrative power or rank within Asatru. One would probably not call oneself Gothi unless one had some experience of deity and had led many rituals, but as it entails power over no one and it is up to no one to comment on ones qualifications or abilities. Similarly there is no need for someone to be a Gothi or to have access to one in order to practice our faith. While the more experienced might get more things ÒrightÓ in the ritual, this is purely subjective and if your heart is true to the Gods this is enough. Most persons who were given the title Gothi in the old days were dedicated to a single God. The title most often formed their last name: Thorolf Thorsgothi for example. This dedication to a God or Goddess was usually part of oneÕs family heritage and was passed down to your children. While there is no compelling reason why one cannot act as Priest to the entire community of Gods and Goddesses, it is most common for one to be dedicated to a single deity. A kindred may have persons who are each dedicated to a different deity, or it may orient itself towards a single deity as did families in the Sagas. The most basic unit of Asatru religious worship is the hearth or homestead. This is nothing more than it sounds like: a household of Asafolk who worship the old Gods and Goddesses. Several individuals or hearths may group themselves into a Òkindred,Ó which is a term that has many meanings to many different groups. Some kindreds have many members and function like mainstream churches, others are more familylike and attempt to hold to their privacy. The place of a kindred is more or less analogous to a clan or small tribal group. A kindred is made up of people you are familiar with and with whom you meet in person and in itÕs best sense itÕs an organic grouping, however itÕs not the same sort of bonding that one would find in a single family or even in an extremely close knit group of friends. In a true Pagan society, the kindred would be found on the level of a farmstead or small village. The ritual blots are most commonly done on the level of the kindred, or in meetings where more than one kindred comes together. The rituals of a Hearth might be less formalized and more ÒhomeyÓ in atmosphere. The blot ritual is based on a religious observance that was part of the official public aspect of ancient Asatru, and its likely that there were many other private rituals that would not necessarily be appropriate for a kindred to take part in together. For example, a kindred might not honor the individual family Dis or the house-spirits unless all members of the kindred lived together or were tied by blood as well as companionship. Most persons will want to join or found a kindred in their area, however, before one runs out and begins to solicit people, you should think about what you are doing. The very name of our groupings, Òkindred,Ó implies a great deal more than does membership in a church. Today we are accustomed to religious institutions that are more or 2852 less anonymous and sterile. A kindred should not be this way. While we must be open to all, we need not act as if we were a public facility with no more intimacy than a department store. It is best to start small and gather people as they come to you. Once you are established, get involved in the local Pagan community if you are not already. Attend a few events of the local Leif Erikson society or the Sons of Norway. Open one of your blots to the public and take note of people who are attracted to Asatru. A kindred is something which should form organically and cannot be pushed. On the other hand, Asatru is not a secret religion or one open only to ÒinitiatesÓ as many Neo-Pagan faiths are. We must be open to outsiders who are truly interested. I am just cautioning against throwing people into a kindred because they are available or it is the only group around or they are too polite to say no. A roommate of mine related to me a conversation he had with another person at an Asatru gathering. The person remarked that Òthis is all very nice, but when do you think Joe will get tired of this stuff.Ó My roommate being a seriously committed Heathen straightened him out. The person in question was just a friend of JoeÕs who went to Pagan events because of JoeÕs interest. He assumed that the rest of the group was Òhumoring JoeÓ just as he was. The moral of this story is that if people are not interested, thereÕs nothing you can do about it. WeÕre not the Christians who want anybody and everybody to join our faith, and we should pay just as much attention to dissuading the dabblers and the kooks as we do to attracting those who truly do have the love of the Old Gods in their hearts. As to what makes one a Gothi, the requirements would vary from group to group. Some might have written criteria, while others might leave it up to the persons heart. Certainly a Gothi is one who has a long term relationship with the Gods and Goddesses. One does not, for example, simply read this book and then proclaim oneself Gothi! (I am writing this book and donÕt consider myself to be a Gothi.) A competent Gothi should have studied the Eddas and Sagas and know the history of our religion. He or she should also know a bit about the runes, and the other mysteries of our tradition. One should also note that this is a public office and the Gothi of old had responsibilities as leaders of the community. Most importantly one must be sincerely dedicated. ThereÕs no push to move to a ÒhigherÓ level of the Priesthood as there are in religions or magickal orders with Òdegree systemsÓ and if you do not feel compelled to take on the responsibilities of being a Gothi or Gythia, there is no need for you to and much to say that you should not. The Values of Asatru One of the basic functions of a religion is to offer a set of values on which mankind is to base it's actions. This, sadly, is one area where Paganism has often failed. The cult of anti-values has held sway, taking moral relativism to extremes perhaps even farther from common sense than fundamentalist moral legalism, even to the point where I have heard rape, murder, and genocide defended on the basis of "cultural differences." However, values remain important. All one needs to do is look at the morning paper to see the results of a society that has in many ways embraced the cult of anti-values. Thievery, murder, and plunder exist 2853 in our cities to extents which would have appalled our ancestorsÑno matter how many times they went a' Viking. While this is hardly what the Pagans who have embraced the cult of anti-values had in mind, it is to my belief a natural outgrowth of the same basic philosophical concept. The chaos in our country is the dark shadow of the modern rejection of moral legalism. What should have been an evolution from a legalistic moral/religious culture to one of flexible honor based values and self-responsibility has instead become a morass of chaos and immorality. The lesson we should all learn is that while there is no definitive list of sins; right and wrong still exist. As usual Asatru offers a sensible solution. Our faith deals not in legalisms and rules nor in unchecked chaos and relativism. We instead acknowledge the existence of right and wrong, good and evil, but we deal with actions according to basic philosophical concepts that are applied by the keen intellect of Odin, the simple common sense of Thor, and the solid honor of TyrÑthe gifts of the Gods to us. Asatru posits that the basic place of moral judgment is within the human heart and mind. We as human beings with the gift of intelligence are sensible and responsible enough to determine right from wrong and act accordingly. The Gods teach us through the examples of their lives, as chronicled in the Eddas, and through various pieces such as the Havamal which directly offer us advice. In the modern history of our faith, various Asatru organizations have outlined simple sets of values which they hold up as simple guidelines on how to live ones life. The Odinic Rite (the major Asatru group in England) has one of the most cohesive and sensible of all those we've seen and this set has been adopted by the Raven Kindred as an "official" statement of our beliefs. We do this not only as a moral guide for our members, but also to say to the world what it is that we stand forÑour good name in the community being important to us. Finally, this list is used when someone formally joins the Raven Kindred and we hold a sumble and toast the 9 virtues to the new member in the hope that they will apply them to their life. The Odinic Rite lists the 9 Noble Virtues as Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, and Perseverance. It would be hard to get much argument on any of these values from anyone. They simply and briefly encapsulate the broad wisdom of our Gods and ancestors. Courage In virtually every statement of values applied to Asatru, Courage is listed first. As Stephen McNallen has said, courage and bravery are perhaps the values which the Vikings are best known for. However, despite our history, few of us face such turmoil as a literal battle for ones life. In fact, I believe it might be easier to manifest courage in such a situation than to do so in the many smaller day to day occurrences in which courage is called for. The most common of these occurrences for modern Pagans, is the courage to acknowledge and live ones beliefs. It is also, sadly, the one that 2854 we most often fail at. While we may often be full of the type of courage that would lead us to face a shield wall, many of us quake at the thought of the topic of religion coming up at the office or a friend asking what church we attend. We won't offer easy answers, but we ask this: if you toast the courage of your ancestors to fight and die for what they believed in, can you trade away your religious identity for a higher salary or social acceptance? In an essay on values there is also the question of moral courage. The way of Tyr is difficultÑto lose ones hand for ones beliefsÑbut, Tyr thought the price worth paying. In a million ways modern society challenges our values, not just as Asatruar who are estranged from mainstream religious practice, but for religious people in an increasingly not just secular, but anti-religious culture. Values are also not in favor in modern society. Breaking or getting around the rules is encouraged to get ahead. Living honorably is simply too inconvenient. I think most people, Asatru or otherwise, find this repugnant, but the only way to change it is to have the courage to refuse to take part in it. Truth The second virtue, that of Truth, is the one that most led our kindred to embrace the Odinic Rite's statement of values as our own. Early in our discussions, we decided that no matter what values we chose to hold out as our own, truth must be among them. It is a word that holds so much in its definition, and includes such a wide variety of moral and philosophical beliefs that we were all drawn to it as a simple statement of what we stood for. At least one of the reasons we wanted to adopt it was the simple issue of honesty. As Bill Dwinnels said at a recent sumbel while toasting truth and honesty: if you don't want people to know about something, don't do it. Truth, in the sense of honesty, is essential to personal honor and also to any system or morality that is not based on rigid legalism. If one is to uphold an honor code, one must be brutally honest with oneself and with others. Truth is also the Truth that comes with a capital TÑthe kind of Truth that one talks about in terms of religion or morality. It's common to talk of different peoples having different "truths," but it's equally important to remember that while we acknowledge that each person or people has their own belief as to what Truth is or where to find it, there finally is a single Truth. This is not the Truth as we believe it, but ultimate Truth. While we may respect other people's ÒtruthsÓ and seek our own, we must never forget our search for The Truth. Like the Holy Grail of Christian legend, it may never be ours to reach, but when we cease to search we perish. Honor Honor is the basis for the entire Asatru moral rationale. If anything comes out in the Eddas and Sagas it is that without honor we are nothing. We remember two types of peoples from ancient times: those whose honor was so clean that they shine as examples to us and those who were so without honor that their names are cursed a thousand years after they lived. Good Asatruar should always strive to be among the former. 2855 However, honor is not mere reputation. Honor is an internal force whose outward manifestation is reputation. Internal honor is the sacred moral compass that each Asatruar and God should hold dear. It is the inner dwelling at peace which comes from living in accordance with ones beliefs and with ones knowledge of the Truth of what one is doing. It is something deeply personal and heartfelt, almost akin to an emotion. It's a ÒknowingÓ that what one is doing is right and decent and correct. In many ways while the most important of all the virtues it is also the most ephemeral in terms of description. It is all the other virtues rolled together and then still more. The best way I have found to describe honor is that if you are truly living with honor, you will have no regrets about what you have done with your life. Fidelity Fidelity is a word that is far too often defined by it's narrow use in terms of marital fidelity. By the dictionary it simply means being faithful to someone or something. In marriage this means being true to ones vows and partner, and this has been narrowly defined as limiting ones sexual experience to ones spouse. While I have found this to be great practical advice, many treat fidelity as if there were no other ways in which one could be faithful or unfaithful. For we Asatruar fidelity is most important in terms of our faith and troth to the Gods. We must remain true to the Aesir and Vanir and to our kinsmen. Like marriage, Profession (the rite in which one enters the Asatru faith, similar to Christian confirmation or Wiccan initiation) is a sacred bond between two parties; in this case an Asatruar and the Gods. In order for such a relationship to work, both must be honest and faithful to each other. Asatru, although currently being reborn, is at its roots a folk religion and we also uphold the value of fidelity to the ways of our ancestors. This is why historical research is so important to the Asatru-folk: it is the rediscovering of our ancient ways and our readoption of them. Discipline In any discussion of the values of Asatru, discipline is best described as self-discipline. It is the exercise of personal will that upholds honor and the other virtues and translates impulse into action. If one is to be able to reject moral legalism for a system of internal honor, one must be willing to exercise the self-discipline necessary to make it work. Going back to my earlier criticism of society, if one rejects legalism, one must be willing to control ones own actions. Without self-discipline, we have the mess we currently see in our culture. Looking at discipline in terms of fidelity, we see a close connection. Many Pagans go from faith to faith, system to system, path to path. Asatruar are much less likely to do this. The discipline of keeping faith with our Gods and the ways of our ancestors is part of our modern practice. In this way, we limit ourselves in some ways, but we gain much more in others. 2856 Hospitality Hospitality is simply one of the strongest core values at the heart of virtually every ancient human civilization. In a community/folk religion such as our own, it is the virtue that upholds our social fabric. In ancient times it was essential that when a traveler went into the world he could find some sort of shelter and welcome for the night. In modern times it is just as essential that a traveler find friendship and safety. In our modern Asatru community, we need to treat each other with respect and act together for the good of our community as a whole. This functions most solidly on the level of the kindred or hearth where nonfamilial members become extremely close and look out for each other. It can mean hospitality in the old sense of taking in people, which we've done, but in modern times it's more likely to mean loaning someone a car or a bit of money when they need it (that's need, not want). Part of hospitality is treating other people with respect and dignity. Many of our Gods are known to wander the world and stop in at people's houses, testing their hospitality and generosity. The virtue of hospitality means seeing people as if they were all individuals with self-respect and importance. Or perhaps from time to time, they are literally the Gods in human form. This has profound implications for social action in our religion. Our response to societal problems such as poverty (that's poverty folks, not laziness) is in many ways our modern reaction to this ancient virtue. In terms of our modern community as a whole, I see hospitality in terms of frontier "barn raisings" where a whole community would come together and pool their resources. This doesn't mean we have to forget differences, but we must put them aside for those who are of our Folk, and work for our common good. Industriousness Modern Asatruar must be industrious in their actions. We need to work hard if we are going to achieve our goals. There is so much for us to do. We've set ourselves the task of restoring Asatru to it's former place as a mainstream faith and by doing so reinvigorating our society and culture. We can't do this by sitting on our virtues, we need to make them an active part of our behavior. Industry also refers to simple hard work in our daily vocations, done with care and pride. Here's a few concrete examples. If you are reading this and don't have a kindred, why not? Stop reading now. Go and place ads in the appropriate local stores, get your name on the Ring of Troth, Wyrd Network, or Asatru Alliance networking lists, and with other Pagan groups. Put on a workshop. Ok, now you're back to reading and you don't agree with what I'm saying here? Well, be industrious! Write your own articles and arguments. Write a letter to the editor and suggest this material be bannedÑbetter that than passivity. Get the blood moving and go out and do it. That's how it gets done. The Gods do not favor the lazy. The same holds true for our non-religious lives. As Asatruar we should offer a good example as industrious people who add to whatever 2857 we're involved in rather than take from it. We should be the ones the business we work in can't do without and the ones who always seem to be able to get things done. When people think of Asatru, they should think of people who are competent and who offer something to the world. This doesnÕt just apply to vocational work, but to the entire way we live our lives. It is just as much a mentality. The Vikings were vital people. They lived each day to its fullest and didnÕt wring their hands in doubt or hesitation. We should put the same attitude forward in all that we do whether it is our usual vocation, devotion to the Gods, or leisure time. Self Reliance Industry brings us directly to the virtue of Self-Reliance, which is important both in practical and traditional terms. Going back to the general notion of this article, we are dealing with a form of morality that is largely self-imposed and thus requires self-reliance. We rely on ourselves to administer our own morality. Traditionally, our folkways have always honored the ability of a man or woman to make their own way in the world and not to lean on others for their physical needs. This is one of the ways in which several virtues reinforce and support each other. Hospitality cannot function if people are not responsible enough to exercise discipline and take care of themselves. It's for those that strive and fail or need assistance that hospitality is intended, not for the idle who simply won't take care of themselves. In terms of our relationships with the Gods, self-reliance is also very important. If we wish the Gods to offer us their blessings and gifts, we must make ourselves worthy of themÑand the Gods are most pleased with someone who stands on their own two feet. This is one of the reasons for the Asatru ÒruleÓ that we do not kneel to the Gods during our ceremonies. By standing we acknowledge our relationship as striving and fulfilled people looking for comradeship and a relationship, rather than acting as scraelings looking for a handout from on high. It takes very little for a God to attract a follower, if worship simply means getting on the gravy train. We, as Asatruar, are people who can make our own way in the world, but who choose to seek a relationship with the Gods. In mundane terms being self-reliant is a simple way to allow ourselves the ability to live as we wish to. In simple economic terms, if one has enough money in the bank one doesn't need to worry as much about being fired due to religious discrimination. We can look a bigot in the face and tell him just where he can put it. It's also nice to have something in the bank to lay down as a retainer on a good lawyer so we can take appropriate action. On the other side of this is self-reliance in the sense of Henry David Thoreau, who advocated a simple lifestyle that freed one from the temptations of materialism. Again, here we are able to live as we wish with those things that are truly important. Religious people from all faiths have found that adjusting ones material desires to match one's ability to meet them leaves one open for a closer relationship with deity and a more fulfilling life. While our 2858 ancestors were great collectors of gold goodies, they didnÕt lust for possessions in and of themselves, but for what they stood for and could do for them. In fact, the greatest thing that could be said of a Lord was that he was a good ÒRing Giver.Ó Being self-reliant also means taking responsibility for ones life. It's not just about refusing a welfare check or not lobbying for a tax exemption, but also refusing to blame ones failures on religious intolerance, the patriarchy, or an unfair system. The system may, in fact, be unfair, but it's our own responsibility to deal with it. In societal terms, we have become much too dependent on other people for our own good. As individuals we look to the government or to others to solve our problems and as a society we borrow billions from our descendants to pay for today's excesses. Most problems in this world could be solved if people just paid their own way as they went. Perseverance The final virtue is Perseverance which I think most appropriate because it is the one that we most need to keep in mind in our living of the other values. Our religion teaches us that the world is an imperfect place, and nothing comes easy. We need to continue to seek after that which we desire. In this imperfect world there are no free lunches or easy accomplishmentsÑespecially in the subjects we have set before ourselves. If we truly wish to build an Asatru community that people will hold up as an example of what committed people can do, then we must persevere through the hardships that building our religion is going to entail. We must be willing to continue on when we are pushed back. If one loses a job for ones religion, the answer is not to go back and hide, but to continue until one finds a vocation where one can more forward and live as an Asatruar should. Finally we must persevere when we simply fail. If one's kindred falls apart because of internal strife, one should go back and start over. Pick up the pieces and continue on. If nobody had done this after the disintegration of the Asatru Free Assembly, this would probably never have been written. We must be willing to continue in the hard work of making our religion strongÑnot just when it is convenient and easy to do so, but when it gets hard, inconvenient, or just plain boring. To accomplish without striving is to do little, but to persevere and finally accomplish a hard fought goal brings great honor. Appendices: Essays, Raven Kindred Information, Sample Rituals & Networking Information Hailing the Sun: A Sample Blot to honor Sunna at the Summer Solstice This ritual would be ideally performed at sunrise on the day of the summer Solstice. If possible the folk should gather while it is still dark or even better, remain awake throughout the night in vigil. A secondary time would be at noon on the Solstice. This ritual should not be performed at night. At any point in this ritual, within the realm of logic and dramatic flow, the parts marked as Gothi and Gythia may be shared among the 2859 folk. In addition, the parts are not necessarily sex specific, but the terminology is used as a convenience. Set Up: An altar should be placed in the center and the folk should form a circle around it, leaving space in the center for the ÒactionÓ to take place. For this ritual you will need some sort of mead or beer, a horn or chalice, an offering bowl, a hammer for consecrations, and a wheel of some sort, preferably a wagon wheel to symbolize the turning of the wheel of the year. Any reasonable tools may be substituted. The Wheel is placed on the ground near the altar or on the altar with candles around the rim (unlit). Consecration of space The Gothi goes to the center of the folk and forms the invocational position of the elhaz rune, both hands in the air at a rough 45Õ angle. Gothi: We gather here to honor our sacred lady Sunna, who on this Solstice Morning, reaches her height of power. All hail Sunna! All: Hail Sunna! The Gythia takes the hammer and walks to each of the four corners and consecrates the space. Gythia: Hammer, hallow and hold this holy stead, that it will be a fitting place for our worship of our sacred lady Sunna! Hammar, Helga ve thetta ok hindra alla illska! Gythia returns hammer to altar and faces the altar. Gythia: I consecrate and hallow this altar to the work of our sacred lady Sunna! Here on this Solstice morning may the might of the Gods be brought to our holy stead. May the warm light of Sunna heat our hearts and hold our spirits. Gothi: Our holy lady watches and waits for the blot in her honor. Hail Sunna! All: Hail Sunna! (At this point it would be most appropriate for a song or reading to be performed. It should obviously be about Sunna or the sun or something appropriate to the day.) Invocation Gythia: Our lady Sunna is the light of knowledge, the warmth of love, and the heat of our passion. Let us spend a moment in silence, contemplating those things which she brings us. Leave a few moments for silent prayers and meditation. Gothi: Holy Sunna. Lady of the Sun. Light of the heavens. Ever pursued and ever free. We gather to greet and welcome you and offer you gifts on this day. We offer to you our prayers and love, our devotion and strength, our kinship and honor. 2960 All face the sun and form the elhaz posture. All: Hail to thee Sunna, light of Har newly risen. She whose holy light shone upon our ancestors of old and she whoÕs light will shine upon our children. We give you hail and welcome. Fill our hearts on this Solstice morning with your warm rays that your fires may burn in our hearts throughout the year. Hail Sunna! A few moments of silence are appropriate here. Blot Gothi: Now it is time to offer sacrifice to our holy lady. Gythia takes horn and Gothi fills it with mead. Gythia holds horn above her head, in the direction of the sun. Gythia: Here is our sacrifice, the essence of our love and spirit. We offer it to you as a token of our kinship and our love. As you drink of it, may your power fill this holy hlaut and feed our spirits. Gythia drinks from the horn and it is then passed around the folk, each taking a drink, with the horn returning to the Gythia. Gythia: Hail to thee Sunna! Gythia pours remainder of horn into the offering bowl. Gythia and Gothi take the bowl and evergreen sprig and walk around the folk, sprinkling the mead to the four corners and on the folk. Finally they return to the center and sprinkle the wheel. Gothi: Hail the sacred wheel of the sun. Now it is the longest day of the year and the sun is triumphant, but all changes and the wheel turns. Gythia lights candles on the wheel and members of the folk take it up and parade it around the grounds. A song or chant would be appropriate at this time. ÒThe sun burns, the wheel turns!Ó for example. Once the procession is done (this decision should be based on the subjective feelings of those involved and not planned out) the wheel should be returned to the altar. Gothi & Gythia assume the invocation position Gothi: Sacred Lady Sunna, Summer Sun now strongest. We thank you for your blessings of warmth and light. May you reign long. All: Hail Sunna! Hail Sunna! Hail Sunna! Libation Gothi takes up the hlaut bowl. Gothi: Now our rite is ended and the sacrifice is made. The wheel turns. To Sunna, to the Gods, to the Goddesses, and to Earth, mother of us all, we offer this holy mead, from the Gods to the Earth To us. From ourselves to the Earth to the Gods. Hail! 2861 Gothi pours contents of the hlaut bowl on the ground, possibly in the center of the wheel. If this ritual is done indoors, the libation should be poured outside afterwards. We usually trek outside immediately even if the ritual is an apartment. The physical action of pouring the libation is an important psychological trigger to both Gods and men that the ritual is over. What Is The Raven Kindred? The Raven Kindred is a non-incorporated religious organization dedicated to the worship and veneration of the ancient Nordic Gods and Goddesses and to the religion of Asatru. We are centered around the Worcester county area of Massachusetts and Southern Maryland/suburban D.C. areas, but have members in Western Massachusetts, the Boston area, and Connecticut. We welcome members from other areas, including contacts through correspondence. The focus of the Raven Kindred is specifically the religion of Asatru. While we honor our Pagan relations in the Wiccan community, we are following a much different tradition. Our rituals are the blot or offering and the sumble. Also while we are primarily involved as a kindred in exoteric forms of worship, we have members who are interested in seidhr, rune magic, and other esoteric pursuits within the Nordic Tradition. We practice a fairly conservative version of Asatru trying to keep close to our roots in the Asatru Free Assembly and Asatru Alliance including a tribalist sense of who we are as a Folk. However, we are also much more progressive in our social beliefs and politics and we welcome all persons regardless of ethnic origin, sexual preference, or political view. We hope to be a link between the Old and the New, holding to our dear values of Faith, Folk, and Family while discarding the prejudices that have held our religion back. Our goals for the future are quite far-reaching. We support the movement to bring Asatru out of the shadows and to spread the Troth of the Gods to all who are their natural children. More immediately we intend to network with existing Asatru organizations, both local and national, while also setting up other chapters of the Raven Kindred and doing some networking on our own behalf. Attendence at Raven Kindred rituals is essentially open, although we reserve the right to eject anyone who is disruptive as well as the right to hold observances that are open only to Professed Asatru or to Kindred Members. Full membership is available only to those who have Professed Asatru and place their membership in the Raven Kindred above other religious commitments. Decisions about the Raven Kindred are made by a majority vote by Full Members. Currently the Raven Kindred holds a Blot on the first Saturday of each month in Sturbridge Massachusetts and Wheaton Maryland. We also gather at other seasonally appropriate times for Blots and other activities. For more information on the Raven Kindred, Asatru, or our services please contact us at the following addresses: 2862 Raven Kindred Maryland/DC; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton MD 20902 Raven Kindred Massachusetts; P.O. Box 1137; Sturbridge MA 01566 Electronic mail may be sent via the internet to lstead@access.digex.net Raven Kindred Ritual Outline The Raven Kindred has developed a slightly different form of the Blot ritual which we use. This has come to pass because of a desire for more personal involvement as well as a smaller group of people than would be appropriate for a major blot. The major change, outside of a few cosmetic differences, is that we have added a Òmini sumbelÓ to the blot ritual in place of the sprinkling in which we offer three rounds of toasts: the first dedicated to the God or Goddess being honored and the remaining two to anything the participants deem appropriate which is not inimical to the purpose of the blot. (i.e. donÕt toast the Jotnar during a ritual to Thor.) Setting the mood: Chant to Odin, Vili, Ve To begin each ritual we offer a three round chant of ÒOdin, Vili, Ve.Ó This serves two purposes. First we are linking ourselves to the Gods of creation and thus to the connections between Midgard and the Gods. Second and perhaps more appropriately it allows people to get themselves mentally prepared for the service. Hammer Rite We offer an invocation to Fire and Ice which are the central elements of the creation of the world. We ask that the place we are meeting be blessed and Holy for the coming of the Gods. Statement of purpose We far too often ignore this, but itÕs a good idea to have the Gothi or Gythia who is presiding greet the participants and state something general about the purpose of the ritual. It need not be complicated ÒWe gather together today to celebrate the Winter Nights as our ancestors did. To honor our ancestors, the Disir, and Freya the Great Dis and to renew our bonds as a family [kindred].Ó General Prayer At this point one of our members usually offers up a prayer to the Aesir and Vanir collectively to thank them for their bounty since the last time we met and to ask their blessings upon the kindred and its members. Personal invocations We reserve a time between the opening of the ritual and the blot ceremony for people to offer any prayers or other invocations they feel necessary. This is the time when we Profess new members of Asatru. Other activities done at this time have included a kindred member thanking Saga, the Goddess of wisdom, for her recent graduation 2863 from college. Invoke deity of occasion At this point we make a point to specifically invoke and honor the deity that we are bloting. We attempt to list as many names and or functions of the God as possible and this serves a dual purpose in reminding the attendees of who the God is and why we are honoring Him. This is, however, separate from the offering. Meditation At this point we like to remind ourselves why we are here and what the Gods mean to us. We sit and someone either offers a spoken meditation or more often reads a story from the mythology. While most of us enjoy the poetic edda, we usually use a modern prose version of the myth as it is easier to follow. Offer/sanctify mead The Gothi takes up the horn and his assistant (often called ÒThe ValkyrieÓ by Asafolk) fills it with mead. The Gothi then steps to the altar and holds the horn aloft and asks the God to partake of it and charge it with his power. Toast to the deity of occasion This is when we begin to deviate substantially from the standard Asatru blot ritual. Beginning with the Gothi the horn is raised and a toast drunk to the God. The horn is then passed around to the Folk and a personal toast repeated. The only rule here is that the round is dedicated to the God invoked. Many times the toasts are personal thanksgiving or requests for aid or wisdom. At the end of the round the remains of the horn (and there should be some) are poured into the blotbowl. Remaining toasts We then take two more rounds to toast whatever Gods, ancestors, and beings each person wishes. There is not necessarily any continuity from one person to the next. Brags or oaths are also appropriate at this time. Professions, other major oaths, and major works of thanksgiving or praise are usually done before the blot. The second and third toasts are usually reserved for small things. Thank deity Finally we always remember to thank the deity and ask for his continued blessings on the Folk present. Oath Ring ceremony Our kindred has a ceremony that affirms our dedication to each other, to the kindred, and to the Gods. Each full Professed and accepted Kindred member comes forward and takes hold of the oath ring. (We are blessed in having a 6Ó diameter brass oath ring made for us by a kindred member.) One person then recites a rede concerning itself with 2864 the symbol of a ring and something which connects us to the Gods, the Earth, and to each other. I should repeat, only kindred Members participate in this. If you havenÕt sworn on the oath ring, you donÕt take part in the ceremony. We have enlarged this at public events to all Professed persons, but change the rede to remove references to the kindred. Pour libation Finally we leave the Hof and pour a libation on the physical earth, adjourning outside to do so if we are indoors. The blot hitting the ground signals that the ritual is truly over. When we are working indoors in a living room or other non-dedicated space I always make sure I am the first to return and extinguish candles, turn on electric lights, etc. This provides a good hint to peopleÕs minds that the ritual is, in fact, over. If we had a dedicated space, the procession outside to pour the blot would also empty the Hof and we would adjourn to the feast rather than returning to the temple. Raven Kindred Calendar The Raven Kindred meets on the first weekend of each month and for the four major Norse holidays: Summer and Winter Finding (Spring & Fall Equinox), Summer Solstice, and Yule. Traditional festivals which have been moved to fit our monthly schedule have their traditional date in parenthesis. Festivals marked with a Ò*Ó are particular to the Raven Kindred. There are other holidays which our kindred does not meet to celebrate, but which are recognized by Asatru and celebrated on an individual or family basis. Snowmoon/January 1st weekend Ñ FrigÕs Distaff Ñ Celebration of Frigga and the home (Trad.1/2) Horning/February 1st weekend Ñ Disting Ñ Celebration of Freya and the Disir (Trad. 2/14 ) Lenting/March 1st weekend Ñ Founding of the World. Celebration of Odin, Vili, and Ve* 3/21 Ñ Summer Finding - Celebration of the Goddess Ostara. Also a celebration of the Raven KindredÕs founding, Spring Equinox 1991. Ostara/April 1st weekend Ñ Alfarblot. Sacrifice to the elves and nature spirits (traditionally celebrated as part of Disting) Merry-Moon/May 1st weekend Ñ May Day/Walpurgis. Celebration of spring which we 2865 dedicate to Njord and Nerthus. (Trad. 5/1) Fallow/June 1st weekend Ñ Festival of Mead dedicated to Aegir and also to Bygvir and Beyla* 3/21 Summer Solstice Ñ Dedicated to Sunna, Goddess of the Sun Haymoon/July 1st weekend Ñ Blot in honor of Baldr* Harvest/August 1st weekend Ñ Freyfaxi, first harvest and celebration of Frey and his horse (Trad. 8/1) Shedding/September 1st weekend Ñ Discovery of the Runes, celebration of Odin as the God of Wisdom (Odinic Rite holiday celebrated 8/25) 9/21 Winter Finding Ñ Disirblot (Disirblot traditionally 10/13-10/15) Hunting/October 1st weekend Ñ Tyrblot, celebration of Justice and Honor. (Supreme Court session begins 1st Monday in October)* Fogmoon/November 1st weekend Ñ Einjerhar, celebration of war-dead and Ragnarok Dedicated to Odin and Freya (Trad. 11/11 Ñ Armistice Day) Wolfmoon/December 1st weekend Ñ Winterblot, dedicated to Skadi and/or Ullr* 12/21 Ñ Yule, multiday festival dedicated to Thor et al (Traditionally a festival lasting from the Mother Night 12/21 to New Years Day) The Bylaws of The Raven Kindred of Asatru I. Purpose The Raven Kindred of Asatru is an unincorporated non-profit religious association dedicated to the worship of the Old Norse and Germanic Gods and the practice of the ancestral religion of Asatru. II. Membership A. Associate Membership in the Raven Kindred is open to all practitioners of Asatru. No benefits are implied or guaranteed by Associate Membership. B. Full Membership (aka Voting Membership) is obtained by a 2866 majority vote of the current full members then present. Each member may vote yes, no, or to table the motion for 3 months. Candidates for Full Membership shall have fulfilled the following qualifications before being considered: 1) The candidate must have pledged troth to the Aesir and Vanir. 2) The candidate must be willing to place priority on his loyalties to Asatru and the Raven Kindred over other spiritual commitments. 3) The Candidate must be willing to swear an oath of membership to the Raven Kindred. C. Membership of any type will not be denied on the basis of race, sex, or sexual preference. D. Full or Associate Membership may be revoked by a vote of two thirds of the Full Members then present. E. Membership in the Raven Kindred of Asatru, either Associate or Full, may be resigned by serving verbal notice at any function of the Kindred or by written notice. III Governance A. Governance shall be by majority vote. Each Full Member shall have one vote. Only Full Members shall vote, but any interested parties shall be given reasonable access to address the Kindred. Full Members may hold proxy for other Full Members. B. Such officers as needed shall be appointed for whatever terms and functions the Kindred deems necessary. C. Meetings, during which the Kindred may conduct business, may be scheduled by the Kindred as needed, but the Kindred shall meet not less than once every six months. Any time that 50% of the KindredÕs Full Members are met together, either physically or through other interactive means, a meeting may be declared for the purpose of conducting business. IV Alliances Subject to the restrictions in section V, the Raven Kindred of Asatru shall seek out alliances with other groups of similar nature and purpose for the betterment of our faith as a whole. V Independence The Raven Kindred of Asatru shall not sign any treaty or affiliate with any group that would deny its independence as an entity or control its internal affairs. In any alliances, affiliations, or treaties, these By-Laws shall have precedence over any other instruments signed by the Kindred. VI. Amendments These by-laws may be amended by a vote of 2/3 of all Full Members. Any proposed amendments must be circulated to all Full Members in writing 30 days before such amendments may be voted on. Sources and Resources for Asatru 2867 Please note: This resource list is provided as is and is intended to be comprehensive. The Raven Kindred doesnÕt necessarily endorse any of the following organizations, publications, etc. Organizations: The Ring of Troth P.O. Box 25637; Tempe, AZ 85285-5637 The Ring of Troth was founded by Edred Thorsson. He resigned in Spring of 2242 (Runic Reckoning Ñ 1992 C.E.) and has been replaced by Prudence Priest, most well known as the editor of Yggdrasil. The Ring is governed by an appointed High Rede of 9 persons who guide the national affairs of the Ring. They offer a number of programs include an Elder training program for prospective clergy, The Rune Ring for study of the magical properties of the Runes from within a Germanic Pagan context, and recognition for local Kindreds. The Ring of Troth requires that Òits members affiliate for cultural and religious reasons rather than for racial and political reasons. The use of the Ring of Troth as a platform for any type of political or racial propoganda will not be toleratedÓ The Troth provides a quarterly magazine and a networking list. There are also regional gatherings put on by individual Kindreds. Work is currently underway on a book of rituals. Dues are $24 and include a subscription to Idunna. If one does not wish to join, Friends of the Troth may receive Idunna for $24 as well. The Asatru Alliance of Independent Kindreds P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 The Alliance is the linear descendent of the Asatru Free Assembly. They are a democratically run national confederation of independent kindreds who meet once a year in an Allthing to conduct business. It is essentially conservative and libertarian. ÒThe Alliance is based upon the ancient model of tribal democracy known as the Thing, and member kindreds support a code of laws we feel necessary to preserve and protect Asatru from those who would dilute, subvert, or in any way harm our religion. Membership in the Alliance is encouraged for those who actively promote and believe in the Aesir and Vanir and our collective Heathen Heritage. Anyone interested in joining the Alliance should contact the kindred of choice for acceptance. There is no membership in the Alliance except through a kindred. Applicants must subscribe to the membership requirements of the kindred of choice and uphold the bylaws of the Asatru Alliance.Ó This group has recently adopted a declaration stating that Asatru is an ethnic religion, so membership now seems to be limited on the basis of race. The Odinic Rite BM Edda; London, WCN 3XX The Odinic Rite BM Runic: London WCN 3XX These two organizations are each claiming to be the ÒtrueÓ Odinic Rite. The BM Runic address is the older one, but the BM Edda address seems to be producing more publications. IÕd suggest writing to both and figuring it out on your own. The Odinic Rite is an organization for the revival of Odinism in England. If one sends a few postal reply 2868 coupons I believe each will send you information. Both publish magazines. Eagles Reaches P.O. Box 382; Deer Park TX 77536-0382 Eagles Reaches is now doing national organizing and correspondence connections. The Raven Kindred 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton MD 20902 The Raven Kindred offers correspondence connections, regional coordination, booklets and pamphlets. They also operate the Wyrd Network, a correspondence network for Wiccans to discuss the compability with and conversion to Asatru. Magazines: Vor Tru Ñ $12/year. The Journal of the Asatru Alliance (see above address). Concentrates on community issues within the Alliance, news of kindreds, letters, etc. Sometimes contains racist material. Idunna Ñ $24/year. The journal of the Ring of Troth. Idunna concentrates on fairly heavy academic subjects, runelore, translations etc within a religious framework. Mountain Thunder Ñ $18/year, 1630 30th St #266; Boulder CO 80301. Glossy covered and well put together. Usually excellent articles on relgious issues of Heathenry, scholarly stuff, reviews, and opinion. Has devoted a lot of commentary to the Asatru community and where itÕs going. Uncle ThorrÕs Newsletter Ñ $12/year, P.O. Box 080437; Staten Island NY 10308-0005. Simple newsletter with ranting and raving from Uncle Thorr and company, news from NY, and articles on lifestyle, runes, and other topics. Ask & Embla Ñ $12/year; P.O. Box 271; Carrollton OH 44615. Small amateur production with commentary on Asatru and nothern lore. RavenÕs Cry Ñ Write for rates & sample; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton MD 20902. Small iregular kindred newsletter Wyrd Network Newsletter Ñ Write for rates & sample; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton MD 20902. Newsletter/letter exchange for Wiccans interested in Asatru. The Runestone Ñ $10/year; P.O. Box 445; Nevada City CA 95959. Published by Stephen McNallen & Maddy Hutter, this is the reincarnation of the AFAÕs seminal journal on Asatru. Interesting commentary, interested in heroic viking past. On Wings of Eagles Ñ$25/year; Eagles Reaches; P.O. Box 382; Deer Park, TX 77536-0382 Odinism Today Ñ £8.50 (overseas) BM Edda; London; WC1N 3XX; England/United Kingdom. A nice little quarterly with articles on mythology, reviews, etc. 2869 ORBriefing Ñ $20 (overseas) BM Runic; London; WC1N 3XX; England/UK. A small newsletter of happenings and opinion. Kindreds: American Church of Teutonic Life; 107 Court St, Suite 131; Watertown NY 13601 Arizona Kindred; P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 (Asatru Alliance) Asatru Fellowship; P.O. Box 271; Carrollton OH 44615 Asatru Fellowship; 858 W Armitage Ste. 139; Chicago, IL 60614 Barnstokker Hearth; P.O. Box 1972; Seattle WA 98111-1972 Bond of the Grae Wolf; 119 Waipapa Rd; Hataitai; Wellington 3, New Zealand CrowÕs Nest Kindred; P.O. Box 3392; Galveston, TX 77552 Eagle Kindred; P.O. Box 1942; McCall, ID 83638 Eagles Reaches; P.O. Box 382; Deer Park TX 77536 (Ring of Troth) FreyaÕs Folk; 537 Jones St #165; San Francisco, CA 94102 Gering Hall; 720 Huntington St; Watertown, NY 13601 Hammer Oak Kindred; 2626 35th Ave; Oakland, CA 94619 Hammerstead Kindred; P.O. Box 22379; Lexington, KY 40522-2379 Helga Ve Kindred; P.O Box 531; Bouse, AZ 85325 Heritage and Tradition; CP 244, Succ. P.A.T.; Montreal Quevec, H1B 5K3 Canada Hlidhskjalf Kindred; 1513 Thurlow St; Orleans, Ontario K4A-1D8; Canada Hrafnaheimr; 7162 Melrose Ave; Los Angeles, CA 90046 Irmunsul Hearth; P.O. Box 18812; Auston, TX 78760 (Ring of Troth) Midgard Kindred; P.O. Box 4071; Toledo, OH 43609 Mountain Moot; P.O. Box 328; Elizabeth CO 80107 Nerthus Heart; 27 Gap Rd; Black Hawk CO 80422 Niumd Baqra Kindred; P.O. Box 4371; Sunland, CA 91041 North Carolina Kindred; Rt 3 Box 113; Laqwndale, NC 28090 Northern California Kindred; P.O. Box 445; Nevada City CA 95959 N. Ancestral Runic Fellowship; P.O. Box 199045; Indianapolis, IN 46219 Norvegr Kindred; 219 Lewis St; Wash Court House OH 43160 Ocean Kindred; P.O. Box 09007; Staten Island, NY 10309 Raven Kindred North; P.O. Box 1137; Sturbridge MA 01566 Raven Kindred South; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton, MD 20902 Saehrimner Kindred; 1861 County Rd 1114; Cullman, AL 35055 Skelland Kindred; P.O. Box 7608; Clearwater FL 34618 ThorrÕs Hammer Kindred; 9461 Bella Vista Rd; Apple Valley CA 92308 Torwald Kindred; 1630 30th St #266; Boulder CO 80301 Ullsbekk Kindred; P.O. Box 1156; Denver, CO 80201 Vinland Kindred; P.O. Box 15431 PSS; Stamford CT 06901 (Asatru Alliance) Vlissinger Hearth; 3016 154th St; Flushing, NY 11354 Wotan Kindred; 8117 NE 32nd St; Vancouver, WA 948662 Wulfing Kindred; P.O. Box 18237; Chicago IL 60618 (Asatru Alliance) Yggdrasil Kindred; 1709 West Midvale Village Dr; Tucson AZ 85476 Recommended Books: The Poetic Edda, Lee Hollander translation (basic mythology in an excellently translated poetic version.) The Prose Edda, Jean Young translation (basic mythology) The Norse Myths, Kevin Crossley Holland (basic mythology in modern language and retelling, excellent for readings or meditation) A Book of Troth by Edred Thorsson (Not my favorite author and not a book without many imperfections, but the only mass market book of the basic rituals of Asatru) Teutonic Religion by Kveldulfr Gundarsson (basic text on modern Germanic Paganism. I also recommend his book on runes Teutonic Magic.) 2870 The Raven Kindred Ritual Book (basic text on Asatru ritual and beliefs, $5 from the Raven Kindred South, checks made out to Lewis Stead, available for free download from online services or the Moonrise BBS at (301)Ê5939609 or by e-mail from lstead@access.digex.net The AFA Rituals, three volumes available from World Tree Books ($18 from World Tree) The original ritual volumes from the Asatru Free Assembly. Introduction to Ritual and Invocation Tape ($7 from World Tree Books) A basic cassette tape that goes through a ritual step by step, the other side is a variety of invocations and prayers. The last two are from World Tree Publications; P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 (checks payable to the O.F. of Arizona). World Tree is a service of the Asatru Alliance and carries a number of tapes and booklets as well as ThorÕs Hammers and statuary. Computer Network Resources: There is a Runes & Asatru conference on the Pagan/Occult Distribution System (PODSnet). This network has nodes around the world and BBSes drop in and out of the network. The following are long term stable boards: The Mountain Oracle, Colorado: 719-380-7886, Baphonet, New York: 718-499-0513, Mysteria, California: 818-353-8891, Sacred Grove, Washington State: 206-634-1980, Moonrise, Maryland/DC: 301-593-9609, PandoraÕs Box, Ottawa Canada: 613-829-1209, PODS, Sydney Australia: 61-2-833-1848, PODS Melbourne Australia: 61-3-796-2180 The Troth Line is an internet mailing list for Asatru and The Ring of Troth. For subscription information send an E-Mail message to mimir@u.washington.edu. The list itself is at troth-l@seanews.akita.com. The internet is accessable through America Online, CompuServe, Delphi, and tens of thousands of other locations. Please send additions and corrections to Lewis Stead; 11160 Veirs Mill Rd L15-175; Wheaton MD 20902 or through e-mail to lstead@access.digex.net. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ 2871 Bulb Planting Earth Chant By: Eileen breath of the stone is strange to me i know it lives as i can't see force of the earth is strong and free sustenance and beauty be born of the stars and sprang from the ground Mother, Goddess all around Wheel must turn as the seasons show what lies dead shall surely grow RITUAL FOR WOMEN RECLAIMING THE GOD The session begins with everyone telling how the figure of the God had been "spoiled" for them -- ie, by patriarchal and/or sexually repressive religions, by the destructive aspects of male energy (war, domination), etc. The altar is decorated with symbols of the God -- ours had antlers, a crystal phallus, grain & grapes, a plastic goat from a Celebrato Doppelbock beer bottle, an abstract figure of Baron Samedi (a T shape made of dowels and dressed in a black frock coat with a top hat, a red scarf, and a cane), a couple of statues of Chinese sages or bod- hisattvas. I. Quarters: E - Myrddin, S - Weyland, W - Taliesin, N - Freyr (sorry this is so sketchy; I just improvised them on the spot. Check out their respective mythologies for ideas on how to invoke them) II. Guided Meditation GROUND AND CENTER. SINK INTO THE EARTH. ALL AROUND YOU, THE BREATHING OF SISTERS BECOMES THE BREATHING OF THE WORLDS' WINDS. THE HEAT OF OTHER BODIES BECOMES THE FIRE OF ALL LIFE. THE RUSH OF BLOOD IN YOUR EARS BECOMES THE MURMURING OF THE SEA. THE FLOOR BECOMES A RICH, LOAMY FIELD, FRESH PLOUGHED. FEEL THE SOIL. RUB IT BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS. SEE IT AND SMELL IT. IT IS DARK, ALMOST BLACK. IT SMELLS OF COMPOST,SOMEHOW SMOKY. IT IS SMOOTH, CRUMBLY, FREE OF ROCKS, FIRM TO SUPPORT ROOTS BUT LOOSE TO LET THEM SPREAD. THIS IS MOTHER. LIE DOWN UPON HER BODY AND EMBRACE HER; FEEL HER WARMTH, WARMTH FROM THE SUN, SEEPING INTO YOU, COMFORTING YOU. RISE UP. AT YOUR SIDE, HANGING FROM YOUR SHOULDER, IS A BAG. WHEN YOU REACH INTO IT, YOUR HAND COMES OUT FULL OF SEEDS. WALK BACK AND FORTH IN THE FIELD, SCATTERING THE SEEDS. FEEL THE SOIL GIVE UNDER YOUR FEET. FEEL THE SUN OVERHEAD; IT IS HOT, AND YOU ARE GETTING TIRED. KEEP ON, RHYTHMICALLY REACHING INTO THE BAG AND CASTING THE SEEDS ABROAD. YOUR SWEAT RUNS OFF YOU INTO THE FURROWS, SOAKING INTO THE SOIL. NOW THE WHOLE FIELD IS PLANTED. NOW YOU CAN SIT AT THE FIELD'S EDGE AND REST. YOU ARE TIRED. YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU COULD REST FOR DAYS. YOU SIT EASY, BALANCED, ROOTED LIKE A STONE. YOU ARE A STONE. YOU ARE THE GUARDIAN STONE OF THIS FIELD. YOU WATCH, AS DAYS PASS. SLOWLY, 2872 SLOWLY, THE SUN ROLLS OVERHEAD, CLOUDS FILL THE SKY AND EMPTY OVER THE FIELD WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. SLOWLY, SLOWLY, THE FIELD TURNS FROM BROWN TO GREEN, AS THE FIRST SPROUTS FORCE THEIR WAY FROM THE SOIL. DAYS PASS. WEEKS PASS. THE SPROUTS LOOK FIRST LIKE GRASS, THEN STALKS APPEAR AND GROW EVER LONGER. AT THE TOP OF EACH STALK, SWELLINGS BECOME NEW SEEDS. THE CLUSTERS OF SEEDS GROW, BLANKETED IN THEIR CHAFF, THE HEADS OF GRAIN GROW BRUSHY, BEARDED. THE GRAIN TURNS GOLD FROM GREEN; THE HEADS BOW DOWN UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THEIR SEED. AND NOW YOU SEE PEOPLE COMING INTO THE FIELD, WOMEN WITH SICKLES IN THEIR HANDS. THEY ARE SINGING A DIRGE, A MOURNING SONG. THEY COME INTO THE FIELD AND CUT THE STALKS, KILLING THE PLANTS! YOU ARE A STONE, BUT YOU FEEL YOUR HEART BREAK WITH GRIEF FOR THIS KILLING. SOON, ONLY STUBBLE IS LEFT; THE WOMEN HAVE TAKEN THE GRAIN AWAY. BEFORE LONG, MORE WOMEN COME, AND SET FIRE TO THE STUBBLE. YOU FEEL THE HEAT OF IT WARMING YOUR STONE BODY. YOU FEEL CRACKS OPEN INSIDE YOU. SOON, THE FIRE BURNS OUT, AND THE FIELD IS LEFT BLACK AS IT BEGAN. THE WOMEN RETURN WITH SEEDS, PLANTING AS BEFORE. THE WEATHER TURNS COLD, AND YOUR STONE-SELF CRACKS APART; PIECES OF YOU FALL ONTO THE FIELD. YOUR AWARENESS IS IN THE FIELD NOW, IN THE SEEDS. SLEEPING IN THE EARTH, UNDER THE SNOW. WITH SPRING, YOU FEEL THE EARTH WARMING, AND YOU KNOW WITHOUT KNOWING HOW THAT THE SUN IS ABOVE YOU. YOU PUSH UPWARD, TOWARD THE UNSEEN SUN. YOU SEND DOWN A TAP ROOT TO HELP PUSH YOU UP AND TO FEED YOU, AND IN THE OTHER DIRECTION YOU SEND A SHOOT WITH TWO LEAF BUDS. BEFORE LONG, YOU BURST OUT INTO THE SUNLIGHT. ALL AROUND YOU ARE OTHER PLANTS. AS THE DAYS PASS, YOU GROW WITH THEM. WHEN THE THUNDERSTORMS COME, YOU FEEL THAT THIS RAIN IS RICHER, AND YOU FEEL BLESSED. SEEDS DRINK RAIN AND EAT SUNLIGHT AND GROW HEAVY UPON YOU. YOU CANNOT HOLD THEM UP; THEY PULL YOU DOWN. YOU ARE OPPRESSED, AND AT A STANDSTILL. YOU SENSE MOVEMENT IN THE FIELD, AND THEN THERE IS A SHARP PAIN! YOU ARE CUT OFF FROM YOUR ROOT! YOUR POWER TO TRANSFORM SUNLIGHT SLIPS AWAY FROM YOU LIKE BLOOD! YOU ARE DYING! YOU ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOUR MOTHER FIELD AND THROWN ON A HARD FLOOR. YOU ARE BEATEN, BROKEN APART, SCATTERED. YOU ARE DEAD. BUT SOME AWARENESS REMAINS WITH YOU. YOU FEEL THE PIECES OF YOURSELF GATHERED UP IN HUMAN HANDS, AND THEN SCATTERED AGAIN, THIS TIME ON SOFTNESS. IT IS MOTHER! THEY HAVE RETURNED YOU TO MOTHER! AND NOW YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU WERE BEFORE; BEFORE YOU WERE A SINGLE PLANT -- NOW YOU ARE A DOZEN PLANTS. THE CYCLE IS REPEATED, ALL OF YOUR SELVES ARE KILLED AND THROWN ABOUT, AND NOW YOU ARE HUNDREDS OF SELVES! YOU DIE, YOU ARE TORN APART, YOU ARE REGATHERED, AND REBORN. YOUR HUNDREDS OF SELVES SPEAK IN THIS VOICE: EVEN THIS AM I, AND I AM GOD. COME BACK TO YOUR ONE SELF NOW, YOUR ONE HUMAN SELF. YOU ARE SITTING BESIDE THE FIELD, WHERE YOU SAT DOWN, WITH THE EMPTY SEED BAG AT YOUR SIDE. YOU LEAVE IT THERE, YOU RISE UP, AND TURN AWAY FROM THE FIELD, TO THE WOODS AT THE BACK OF THE FIELD. YOU FEEL LEAF MOULD AND TWIGS UNDERFOOT. ALL AROUND YOU YOU SEE LIFE SPRINGING UP OUT OF DEATH. WHERE TREES HAVE FALLEN, NEW PLANTS ARE GROWING UP THROUGH THE ROTTING TRUNKS. WHERE ANIMALS HAVE DIED, THEIR BODIES HAVE DECAYED TO PROVIDE FOOD FOR THE PLANTS ALL AROUND. ALL AROUND YOU, LIFE IS LIVING OFF OF DEATH; THIS IS THE NATURE OF LIFE, ITS HORROR AND ITS WONDER. YOU HEAR A NOISE NEARBY AND TURN TO LOOK; THERE IS A MAGNIFICENT STAG JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A BUSH; YOU BLINK, AND IT IS GONE. WAS IT ONLY BRANCHES? 2873 EVERYWHERE AROUND YOU, GREEN THINGS ARE FULL OF THE FIRE OF LIFE, AS ARE YOU. YOU FEEL LIFE THRILLING THROUGH YOU, LIKE ELECTRIC- ITY. SOMETHING ELSE IS EXCITING YOU -- WHAT IS IT? YOU CANNOT QUITE TELL. IS IT A SCENT, A SOUND, A SENSE? SOMETHING, THERE ON THE EDGE OF YOUR HEARING, SOMETHING YOU CAN ALMOST TOUCH, A FAINT SCENT YOU HALF-REMEMBER. WHAT IS IT? YOU ARE AROUSED AND DETERMINED TO TRACK DOWN THE SOURCE. EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, YOU SEE GLIMPSES, HALF-SEEN, OF SOMETHING. SOMETHING FLITTING THROUGH THE TREES. IS IT A DEER? A WILD BOAR? A FERAL GOAT? A BEAR? ON THE BUSHES YOU FIND TUFTS OF HAIR. BEFORE YOU YOU SEE TRACKS -- CLOVEN HOOVED, TOED, CLAWED. WHAT ARE YOU FOLLOWING? DO YOU DARE GO ON? ALL AROUND YOU IS THE PULSING OF ELEMENTAL FORCES: THE FIRE OF LIFE, THE WIND OF BREATH, THE WATER OF BLOOD, THE EARTH, THE EARTH, THE EARTH, POWERFUL AND DARK AND UNKNOWABLE. ABOVE YOU, THE SKY DARKENS, THE WIND RISES. YOU HEAR THUNDER AND THE BAYING OF HOUNDS, CRYING FOR BLOOD AND DEATH. YOU TREMBLE WITH FEAR AND EXCITEMENT; WHITE HOUNDS WITH RED EARS BURST OUT OF THE BUSHES, SURROUNDING YOU. THEY GROWL -- BUT THEY ARE WAGGING THEIR TAILS. ARE YOU THEIR PREY, OR THEIR MASTER? YOU FEEL ANTLERS ON YOUR OWN BROW; ARE YOU THE STAG THEY HUNT, OR THE HUNTER WHO CARES FOR THEM? NOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH THE DOGS, AND YOU FEEL THE LOVE OF THE PEOPLE, THE RESPECT. YOUR DEATH WILL FEED THEM, GIVE THEM THEIR NEEDS, AND THEY ARE GIVING YOU THEIR LOVE. YOU KNOW THEIR HUNGER, AND YOU FEEL GREAT COMPASSION FOR THEM. YOU LIE DOWN AND LEAVE YOUR BODY TO THEM; THEY SING WITH JOY AS YOUR SELF FLIES UP OVERHEAD, OUTWARD, SPREADING, INTO THE TREES AND PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND EVERYTHING. YOU ARE SUDDENLY OVERWHELMED BY THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE BEING CAUGHT UP IN THE COSMOS; YOU ARE EVERYTHING AND NOTHING; YOU ARE NOT YOURSELF; YOU HAVE NO SELF; YOU FEEL A SUDDEN, UNREASONING TERROR; YOU ARE STILL; YOU ARE ALL. SLOWLY, SOMETHING BREAKS INTO YOUR FEAR. YOU HEAR A SWEET, LOW, BREATHY PIPING. THE PIPING CALMS YOU, AND YOU KNOW NOW IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS A PART OF EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IS WITHIN YOU. YOU ARE STILL; YOU ARE ALL; YOU ARE LIFE AND DEATH AND REBIRTH; WITHIN YOUR OWN HUMAN BODY IS THE MICROCOSM OF ALL THAT IS. THE GREEKS NAME THIS ALL "PAN". YOU STAND BACK IN THE WOOD, HEARING THE MUSIC, SMELLING THE SMELLS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS, FEELING THAT PULSE OF POWER FILLING YOU, INFORMING YOU, EMPOWERING YOU. YOU ARE ECSTATIC! YOU TAKE TO YOUR TOES AND DANCE WITH JOY! AROUND YOU, ANIMALS COME OUT OF THE FOREST TO DANCE WITH YOU, REJOICING IN LIFE! YOU SEE THE LIGHT OF THE SUN FILTERING DOWN THROUGH LEAVES, AND THE LIGHT SEEMS TO TAKE A SHAPE. WHAT IS THAT SHAPE? WHO DO YOU SEE? THE GOD STANDS, SMILING, WELCOMING, BEFORE YOU. WHO IS HE? HE IS ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE; WHAT IS HE TO YOU? HIS EYES ARE SAD AND WARY AS A DEER'S. HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH HIM? HE REACHES OUT TO YOU; YOU HAVE BEEN AS HE, YOU HAVE DIED AND RISEN, YOU HAVE BEEN THE LIFE OF WILDNESS, YOU KNOW THAT HE HAS BEEN WITHIN YOU AS YOU; WILL YOU WELCOME HIM BACK AS HE, THE GOD? YOU DO TOUCH HIM, AND WELCOME HIM. HE THROWS BACK HIS HEAD TO LAUGH FOR JOY! AND NOW YOU DANCE TOGETHER, AS ONE, FOR YOU ARE ONE. 2874 SIT UP. FEEL YOUR BODY! TOUCH YOUR BODY AND FEEL YOUR FLESH, FEEL THE HEAT OF LIFE UNDER YOUR FLESH. BREATHE AND FEEL THE WIND WITHIN YOU. MOVE, AND FEEL THE JOY OF THE DANCE! RISE UP, AND DANCE THIS INVOCA- TION! HE IS THE STORM THAT SCOURS THE LAND HE IS THE GUIDE OF HIDDEN WAYS HE IS THE HOLLY AND THE OAK HE IS THE HUNTER AND THE PREY HE IS THE LORD OF STAG AND BEAR HE IS THE SLAYER AND THE SLAIN HE IS THE BLADE OF SACRIFICE HE IS THE BLOOD THAT HEALS ALL PAIN HE IS THE WORD THAT MADE THE WORLDS HE IS THE SONG IN EVERY THROAT HE IS THE IVY AND THE GRAPE HE IS THE LORD OF RAM AND GOAT HE IS THE HEAT IN LIMB AND LOIN HE IS THE RAPTURE AND THE FRIGHT HE IS THE FIRST LORD OF THE DANCE HE IS THE FLAME UPON THE HEIGHT HE IS THE SOWER AND THE SEED HE IS THE STONE BESIDE THE TRACK HE IS THE BEARDED HEADS OF GRAIN HE IS THE LEAF AND BRANCH AND BARK HE IS THE LORD OF HORSE AND BOAR HE IS THE BLACKTHORN ON THE MOUND HE IS THE PULSE OF WOODLAND'S HEART HE IS THE HOME AND HOLY GROUND HE IS THE SALMON IN THE POOL HE IS THE WINNER OF THE MEAD HE IS THE HAZEL AND THE ASH HE IS THE SECRET IN THE REED HE IS THE SPEAKER OF THE RUNE HE IS THE CORACLE ON SEA HE IS THE SWALLOWED AND REBORN HE IS THE RIDER OF THE TREE When all have danced to satiation, bring the dancing to a close, then say: LOOK AROUND AND SEE THE ALL IN YOUR SISTERS! REACH OUT AND EMBRACE THE GOD YOU SEE THERE! Feel the presence of the God What/how do you feel now? 
Next