Lewis Stead

The Ravenbook

to the Goddess for whom the modern Easter is named. She is a

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 Freyas 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. Its 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 bad karma

to symbolically kill the sun when you know Baldr doesnt 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 Greeting of

Sunna 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 celebrated at

Midsummer rather than in May.

In our area Midsummer occurs during a large local Pagan festival, and

we have gone all out in making it a major holiday with blot, sumbel,

feasting and drinking. We are currently in the process of

constructing a sun ship which, with sails of copper reflecting the

light from small torches, represents Sunna will be brought forth at

dawning and dusk.

Winter Finding

I have not come across a great deal of distinctive traditional lore

about the Autumn Equinox that would distinguish it from the Harvest

festivals found worldwide. 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.

Winter Finding should be treated as a general harvest festival.

Whichever Gods you invoke for fertility of the land would be most

appropriate to invoke again at this time. We have honored Frey &

Freya and Nerthus & Njord for this purpose. You can take your pick.

Even more so than other holidays, a large feast is appropriate at this

time, perhaps concentrating on local vegetables and grains more than

meat.

Winter Nights

The Winter Nights are the traditional festival honoring the Disir or

family spirits. It is a time to remember your family, the dead, and

your ancestors. (For more information on the Disir see the chapter

Elves and other Spirits.)

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 Freyas position as recipient of half the battle-slain or her

ability with seidhr. One might also simply want to honor the Disir as

a whole, or attempt to summon and pour offering to your own familys

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