Honoring "The Others"

These are articles I have written over time about my experience of different Deities and wights who are my primary allies, and who I refer to collectively as "The Others".

For the purpose of clarity, I believe a Being does not have to have full God status to be worthy of honor.  I believe there are Jotnar, Aesir, and Vanir who are Deities.  I believe those who have been named in the Lore are Deities, whether it is considered "proper" to think so or not.  Also, I and others have journeyed to different realms of the Tree and have seen Jotnar, Aesir, and Vanir who are not named by the Lore, and may not ever give Their names, but have demi-God status.  I believe that the Alfar and Duergar are also worthy of honor, as well as land-spirits and house-spirits who may be related to these races of Beings, and of course one's beloved dead and/or ancestors. 

The word "worship" comes from the Anglo-Saxon worthscipe, literally "to speak worth of" or "give worth to".  "Worship" does not, in my experience, imply grovelling or being a dishrag to the Entity involved, but honoring It with words and offerings, and being respectful of It and Its place in the Worlds.  It could be said that worshipping the five known races of Beings in Northern cosmology, as well as land-wights and ancestors, is a much more wholistic way of living -- to give worth in the presence of something much larger, more powerful, and older than oneself, and see the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things.

Otherworld Cosmology, Journeying, and Etiquette
Read this first to understand my perceptions of Cosmology, and how to go from here to travel in the Otherworlds and build relationships with Deities and other wights.



THE GODS
These are the Deities I work with primarily, who are valued friends and Family to me.  Not all of Them get "equal time" -- most of that goes to my Patrons, Frey and Gerda, and the rest mostly to the Vanir, but certainly I try to maintain relationships with the other Deities mentioned in these articles.  Even if I only have occasional dealings with said Deity, They are mentioned for others who want to get to know Them and what to expect, although your mileage will definitely vary, the Gods being complex in nature.


THE VANIR

Frey, My Beloved Fulltrui   Freyja the Vibrant and Vivacious Vanadis

Njord, Who Stills the Stormy Seas   Nerthus: the Terror and Wonder of the Holy

Gersemi and Hnossa, Freyja's Daughters   Ullr: The Way of the Warrior



THE JOTNAR

Gerda's Blessings In My Life   Skadhi, Sacred Huntress

Mengloth and the Maidens of Lyfja Mount

Interesting Times with Loki   Sigyn: Victorious One   Angrboda, Wolf Mother


THE AESIR

Odin, the Allfather   Frigga, the Allmother





HELPING SPIRITS

The Care and Feeding of Your House-Wight   Working with the Land-Spirits

The Beloved Dead



MYTHOLOGICAL RE-TELLINGS
These are stories the Gods have given me thus far about happenings in Their worlds and Their relationships with each other and humanity.

The Origins of Lammas   Yule: A Gift for a Gift, As Told by Frey

Sigyn's Story: Stand By Your Man


Illustration: "The Household Gods" by John William Waterhouse.