harvest

Samhain/Álfablót

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Samhain is a time when the spirits of nature, the dead, and the gods are most likely to emerge to interact with the living. During these days, when daylight becomes shorter and shorter, nature around us seems to die and shed its vitality, leaving stalks, trunks and branches barren, resembling bones protruding from the soil. This is a time when we are meant to shift our focus from outdoors to indoors and shed our dead weight from the previous year, like the trees shed their leaves. By doing this, we are mirroring the process of nature and turning our energy inward. With Samhain come the final harvests, meaning that soon the workload will be drastically cut down and many daily activities will change. This time is to now be replaced with indoor tasks such as tending to animal pens, preserving food, repairing tools, spiritual practice, and performing various crafts such as woodworking, writing, or blacksmithing.

It is customary to make offerings to the deities, ancestors, and wandering spirits during this time in order to receive their favors, blessings, and good luck. We please the spirits to avoid their wrath. We offer to the ancestors to uphold family honor. We give our veneration to the gods to gain their power and visage. By performing rituals during this particular time of year, one enables themselves to better access various forces and gain insight into the past, future, and matters regarding cause and effect within the present which will aid one’s progress moving forward.

In “A History of Pagan Europe” by Jones & Pennick, they write:

“Samhain (1 November). This was the most important festival of the year, showing the pastoralist, rather than agricultural, origin of the calendar. Samhain was the end of the grazing season, when flocks and herds were collected together, and only the breeding stock set aside from slaughter. It was a time of gathering-together of the tribe at their ritual centre for rituals of death and renewal, dedicated to the union of the tribal god (in Ireland, the Daghda) with a goddess of sovereignty, the Morrigan, or, more localised, Boann, deity of the River Boyne.”

As the last of the great harvests, Samhain brings reward and celebration, the end of one year and the transition into the next. According to many European tribes, Samhain marked the turning point between the years and represented the New Year celebration of their cultures. With Samhain we descend into “night,” resembling the womb of the goddess or the abode in which she resides. The goddess reigning over this time of year was almost always in the form of a grim, fate-controlling hag or crone, such as Hel, Frau Holle, or the Morrigan.

In “Celtic Mythology and Religion,” Macbain writes:

“Equal to Beltane in importance was the solemnity of Hallowe’en, known in Gaelic as Samhuinn or ‘summerend.’ Like Beltane it was sacred to the gods of light and of earth; Ceres, Apollo, and Dis also, must have been the deities whose worship was honoured. The earth goddess was celebrated for the ingathering of the fruits; Apollo or Belinus and Proserpine were bewailed for their disappearing from earth, and Dis, who was god of death and winter’s cold, and who was especially worshipped by the Celts, as Caesar says, was implored for mercy, and his subjects, the manes of the dead, had special worship directed to them. It was, indeed, a great festival—the festival of fire, fruits, and death.”

In reference to Norse and Germanic paganism, we see the worship of elves and land spirits was also common during this time. In modern Germanic paganism, many people celebrate Samhain under the name Álfablót (Elf Sacrifice), which is when harvests are reaped and sacrifices are made to the elves and gods. Elves and the dead are strongly connected to the ancient burial mounds of the Pagans, therefore, much of the activity surrounding this festival would have likely involved distributing offerings to the gods and conducting sacrifices directly upon the mound (or grave) of the dead. This is where the elves were thought to reside.

In our own Samhain/Álfablót practice, the fair-weather god Freyr, king of the elves, is given one last celebration of reverence, being the center focus of the rites and rituals of the two-day celebration. He is invoked and offered substantial food and drink, as well as prayers and songs, showing devotion and thanks to the spirits and deities of abundance and prosperity. The event begins on the last day of October (Halloween) and ends the night of November 1st, when Freyr is returned to his resting place until the first of May. This cycle is reflected in “Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe,” where Davidson writes:

“He [Freyr] is said to have brought good seasons and prosperity to the land, and so when he died the Swedes brought great offerings to his mound, and believed that he remained alive and potent in the earth. The connection which seems to exist between Freyr and the elves and land-spirits thus provides an additional reason to associate them with the dead in their graves.”

Because of these associations, we place the death and rebirth of Freyr (the power of good weather and abundance) within this span of time (Nov 1-May 1). However, this is not the only way to do things nor is it recommended to everyone, as how one celebrates these sacred events revolves much around one’s lifestyle, geography, deity devotion, and overall means. For us in Western New York, this timeline coincides seamlessly with the natural cycle of the weather, and therefore is easy to follow. For those in a different climate or location, this may not make as much sense, and it is recommended to follow the patterns around you regarding these things.

In “Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia,” Vikernes gives us further examples pertaining to the Nordic new year and pre-Christian Halloween customs. He writes:

“The first holiday of the year was New Year’s Day, better known in English as Halloween (“initiation evening”), and in Gaelic as Samhain (“summer’s end”). The sorcerers and later the gods (i, e. religious kings) and their challengers dressed up as different creatures with access to the realm of the dead. They fasted and hung their clothes in a tree or the gallows, to make it look as if they had hanged themselves. They wounded themselves with a spear, to bleed, smeared ash or white mud all over their bodies to look like the dead, they put on masks and sacrificed a cow or an ox on the grave mound, so that the blood poured down and into the grave underneath; into the realm of the dead. They then blew a horn, in the Bronze Age a lure, to open up the entrance to the realm of the dead. They then travelled into hollow trees, caves in the mountain, holes in the ground, or more commonly into the burial mounds. These were all seen as entrances to the realm of the dead. Inside, in the darkness of the grave, a woman was waiting for them, sprinkled in the sacrificed animal’s blood and dressed like the queen of death. They then took at least some of the objects their dead forebears had been buried with and brought them back out.”

As we can see, Samhain (or Álfablót) type celebrations were not only distinct to Celtic and Germanic culture, but rather appear as a pan-European tradition representing a celebration of the dead, the ancestors, and the final harvests of the year. It is clear that no matter which form of paganism(s) one practices, the celebration and event known to us now as Halloween is of very ancient and sacred importance. Not only as a transitional period between the seasons, but as a time when it was believed to be easiest to pierce the veil between dimensions and interact with beings outside of our normal cognition. It is because of the superstitions and Pagan worldviews of the past that we have many (if not all) of our current yearly celebrations in the West.

Autumn Equinox

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The Autumn Equinox is the turning point in the year when daylight and darkness become even once again, tipping the scales towards the darkest period of the year when the nights grow longer than the days and the weather gets colder. Traditionally, harvests would be reaped during this time and various rituals were conducted for the gods and spirits residing over abundance. Attention was given to the spirits and ancestors as it was believed that this time was liminal and other realms were accessible. At the cusp of the Equinox, the dark half of the year begins to slowly gain dominance once again.

Bonfires are especially common as well as sacrifices, whether physical or symbolic. People give thanks and ask for future abundant harvests, ensuring a healthy stock of goods for the upcoming Winter months. Much depended on this pivotal time of year and many rites were undertaken to guarantee success. Feasts would be widespread as well as games, echoing other Summer/Fall festivals in atmosphere. For us here in the Northeastern United States, many crops are ripening at this time, such as squash, tomatoes, and beans. With this comes canning and drying to stock pantries for the Winter.

In “Teutonic Mythology” by Grimm, it says:

“In some parts of northern England, in Yorkshire, especially Hallamshire, popular customs show remnants of the worship of Frieg. In the neighborhood of Dent, at certain seasons of the year, especially autumn, the country folk hold a procession and perform old dances, one called the giant’s dance: the leading giant they name Woden, and his wife Frigga, the principal action of the play consisting in two swords being swung and clashed together about the neck of a boy without hurting him.”

As seen above, many early English (and Germanic) peoples would honor the god/goddess Frieg (Frigga) and Woden (Odin) during this time. Woden/Wotan in early Germanic belief was sometimes associated with wheat fields, where offerings were left for his horse Sleipnir during pivotal moments of the year. Certain epithets of Odin give reason to believe that he has been worshipped as a benevolent god to some extent, reigning over wealth, fate, and general prosperity. Names like this include Farmatýr (Lord of Cargoes) and Óski (God of Wishes).

Regarding Odin and continental Pagan belief, Grimm also states:

“As these names [Woden/Mercury/Hermes], denoting the wagon and the mountain of the old god, have survived chiefly in Lower Germany, where heathenism maintained itself longest; a remarkable custom of the people in Lower Saxony at harvest-time points the same way. It is usual to leave a clump of standing corn in afield to Woden for his horse.”

Of all the ancient celebrations, the Autumn Equinox was the most difficult one to find any references for. My belief is that it was a lesser celebratory event and more centralized in each community, where the harvest would be brought in and the local spirits offered to. People were likely working hard and didn’t have time to prepare for anything large like they would have during the last harvest of Samhain, which certainly would have taken the forefront in terms of importance, at least to the Pagan Celts.

In “The One-Eyed God” by Kershaw, it says:

“These times of transition are strange times, whether the transition is from month to month, or season to season, or year to year; they are times which are not quite one thing or the other. They are like boundary lines, which are not quite my property or yours, or doorways, which are not quite inside or outside. As Eitrem said, it is at these dividing lines of time and space that the dead and Hermes are particularly active.”

It was common to not only focus on the harvest at this time, but to also give special attention to the dead and gods (or spirits) associated with death. The year was to start its final stages of descent into darkness and the deified Sun/Light was to begin the darkest part of its journey through the underworld. Because of this, symbolic bonfires are lit in order to emulate the Sun and prolong the light.

In “Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia” by Vikernes, it says:

“Odinn placed his eye in the grave, in the well of the past, every year, in order to learn from the past. This might sound strange, but his eye was the Sun, Baldr, that lost its power every autumn and therefore had to spend the winter in the world of the dead. In other words, Odinn had one eye in the world of the living and one eye in the world of the dead.”

Aside from the various gods, goddesses, and spirits of prosperity, it is clear that Odin and Frigga took a central role in (Germanic) Equinox observances in pagan Europe. Odin (Woden) was recognized as a god of wishes, death, darkness, gifts, and clairvoyance, mirroring the exoteric liminality of the period between light and dark invoked by the Equinox. Frigga, on the other hand, represented the Earth, love, fertility, wisdom, strength, and magic. Essentially, Frigga is the symbol of Nature herself.

This celestial event is to also be reflected internally, as darkness begins to gain supremacy after this transition. We begin to look inward and conduct deeper spiritual work, creating light within to combat the impending darkness of Winter.

-The Celto-Germanic Wheel of the Year According to Past and Present Pagan Customs

Lughnasadh/Freyfaxi

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Jera ᛃ

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Jera marks the midway point of the Elder Futhark, meaning “year” or “season” in Proto-Germanic. This word is the ancestor of our own English word year, representing the time it takes the Earth to make a full rotation around the Sun. Jera is associated with rewards, harvests, and seasonal cycles; representing the time when we get to reap what we have sown. Many attribute this rune to the fall when our ancestors would celebrate the fruitful year and bountiful harvests. We can also attribute sacrifice and the blood of slain livestock to this rune, as this is the time animals were killed in preparation for winter.

In Old Norse, this rune/word is called ár (ᛅ), meaning “year, abundance, plenty.” This rune, according to the “Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme,” is associated directly with the god Fróði, another epithet of Freyr, stating:

“Harvest tide is a blessing to men;

I know that Fróði was openhanded.”

Fróði was a mythical king of the Danes who was associated with prosperity and a golden age of peace. Many have theorized this is just another name for Freyr, who we can feel comfortable associating this rune with. The poem directly invokes harvests and blessings, enforcing our connection of Jera with autumn and the gods of plenty.

In Old English this rune is called ġēr, which also means “year.” In the “Old English Rune Poem,” it is stated:

“Harvest is the hope of men, when God allows,

Heaven’s holy king, the earth to bring forth

Bright fruits for both nobleman and needy.”

Here it shows that these early Anglo-Saxon Christians associated the harvest with God’s blessing, even stating that he “allows” the earth to bear fruit. This poem shows how much the world view was different by this point, as the “Earth Mother” concept had already been diminished in favor of monotheism. All powers over fate were now in God’s hands.

The “Old Icelandic Rune Poem” has a light tone to it, stating:

“Bounty is a boon for men,

and a splendid summer,

and a full-green field.”

This poem invokes relaxing and rewarding images; those of green fields and grand summers. Again, we see hints of harvests and fall, the time after summer when we reap our benefits. Lastly, we have the “Early Modern Swedish Rune Poem,” where one simple line clarifies yet again that this rune is associated with the harvest.

“Harvest is when leaf is longest.”

When approaching this specific piece, I was already convinced and aware of its previously mentioned associations. However, when digging deeper into the word and its origins, I was given yet another angle to view this rune from. The Proto-Indo-European root word yóh₁r̥ means “year” but also “spring,” opening another doorway into the Jera rune. This has further evidence in the Proto-Slavic jaro which means “spring.” One last word I found relevant was the Ancient Greek hṓrā, meaning “any defined period of time, season, year, hour,” but also, meaning “youth” or “the springtime of life.” Of course, we can see now this is where we get the English word and concept of the hour. With this evidence, we can attribute the very notion and phenomenon of “time” to Jera.

When I began to think about Jera as being also a “spring” rune, I first looked at its form. When looking at Jera, one could argue they were seeing two Kenaz (ᚲ) runes facing each other, or in other words, two fires. This brought forth images of the Celtic Beltane festival of May, where cattle and other livestock were driven between two fires to ward off bad luck, disease, and any other ill omens that may affect their year. This perhaps links this rune in someway to this Celtic festival, who their Germanic neighbors would have certainly been familiar with. However, when looking for etymological links to any Celtic language and the word jera, there was nothing to connect them together, that is, until exploring further the Ancient Greek hṓrā.

In Middle Irish we have the related word úar which means “hour, time, occasion,” but in Old Irish meant simply, “cold.” This can be applied to many times of year, however, and may not allude to spring or fall in particular. Another reference I thought was interesting was via the Latin word hornus, meaning “grown this year, this year.” This, to me, reflects the Proto-Germanic word hurnaz, which means “horn.” This horn is symbolized by the antler, which first begins to grow between late winter and spring. Thus, we can see how this rune can be applied to this pivotal time of year. This can also connect Jera to the mythical “Horn of Plenty” from the myths of the Mediterranean, representing the blessings of profusion.

Jera is a rune that reminds us of the cycle we are a part of, as spring and fall are transitional periods. These are times when temperatures, lifestyles, and priorities are changing; Jera as the “year” rune embodies these recurring and sentimental times of year that humans have grown so familiar with. Jera reminds us that we are locked in a cycle, one that exists inside as much as outside. In fact, the “outside” (cosmos, matter, nature) was often viewed as the mirror of our “inside” (spirit, consciousness, awareness) for most ancient peoples. This is best summarized by the old phrase “as above, so below.”

With Jera we are given another of the so-called “Odin’s 9” runes, meaning a rune that does not have alternative energies. Jera is existing in a constant state, endless and infinite. This can be attributed to Odin, as he is the current within all that breathes. He is the god of breath, the force of life. Jera can also be associated with the Sun and Moon, which have been said to be the eyes of Odin.

To conclude, when we approach the Jera rune, we are given images of the Sun, healthy fields, harvests, livestock, and an awareness of the seasonal cycle. We can feel confident in using this rune as a representation of not only fall, but spring as well. Jera represents rewards and growth; the reaping of wealth from the Earth. Jera can be associated with the wheel and with the cosmos, as well as with time and seasonal bonfires. The Jera rune marks the halfway point in our journey through the Elder Futhark runes, a perfect metaphor for this pivotal moment.

-Wandering the Runic Path: Esoteric Analysis of the Germanic Runes

Autumn Equinox

hrukjanLeave a comment

The Autumn Equinox is the turning point in the year when daylight and darkness are equal once again, tipping the scales towards the darkest period of the year when the nights grow longer and the weather gets colder. Traditionally, harvests would be reaped during this time and various rituals were conducted for the gods and spirits residing over abundance. Attention was given to the wights and ancestors, as it was believed that this time was liminal and that other realms were accessible. At the cusp of Equinox, the dark half of the year begins to slowly gain dominance.

Bonfires are especially common as well as sacrifices, whether physical or symbolic. People give thanks and ask for future harvests, ensuring a healthy stock of goods for the upcoming Winter months. Much depended on this pivotal time of year and many rites were undertaken to guarantee success. Feasts would be widespread as well as games, echoing other Summer and Fall festivals in atmosphere. For us here in the Northeastern United States, many crops are ripening during this time such as squash, corn, and apples. With this comes canning and drying goods to stock pantries for the Winter.

In “Teutonic Mythology” by Grimm, it says:

“In some parts of northern England, in Yorkshire, especially Hallamshire, popular customs show remnants of the worship of Frieg. In the neighborhood of Dent, at certain seasons of the year, especially autumn, the country folk hold a procession and perform old dances, one called the giant’s dance: the leading giant they name Woden, and his wife Frigga, the principal action of the play consisting in two swords being swung and clashed together about the neck of a boy without hurting him.”

As seen above, many early English (and Germanic) peoples would honor the god/goddess Frieg (Frigga) and Woden (Odin) during this time. Woden/Wotan in early Germanic belief was sometimes associated with wheat fields, where offerings were left for his horse Sleipnir during pivotal moments of the year. Certain epithets of Odin give reason to believe that he has been worshipped as a benevolent god to some extent, reigning over wealth, fate, and general prosperity. Names like this include Farmatýr (Lord of Cargoes) and Óski (God of Wishes).

Regarding Odin and continental Pagan belief, Grimm also states:

“As these names [Woden/Mercury/Hermes], denoting the wagon and the mountain of the old god, have survived chiefly in Lower Germany, where heathenism maintained itself longest; a remarkable custom of the people in Lower Saxony at harvest-time points the same way. It is usual to leave a clump of standing corn in afield to Woden for his horse.”

Of all the ancient celebrations, the Autumn Equinox was the most difficult one to find any references for. My belief is that it was a lesser celebratory event and more centralized in each community, where the harvest would be brought in and the local spirits offered to. People were likely working hard and didn’t have time to prepare for anything extravagant like they would during the last harvest of the year (Samhain), which certainly would have taken the forefront in terms of importance, at least to the Pagan Celts.

In “The One-Eyed God” by Kershaw, it says:

“These times of transition are strange times, whether the transition is from month to month, or season to season, or year to year; they are times which are not quite one thing or the other. They are like boundary lines, which are not quite my property or yours, or doorways, which are not quite inside or outside. As Eitrem said, it is at these dividing lines of time and space that the dead and Hermes are particularly active.”

It was common to not only focus on the harvest at this time, but to also give special attention to the dead and gods (or spirits) associated with death. The year was about to start its descent into darkness and the deified Sun/Light was to begin the darkest part of its journey through the underworld. Because of this, symbolic bonfires are lit to emulate the Sun and prolong the light.

In “Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia” by Vikernes, it says:

“Odinn placed his eye in the grave, in the well of the past, every year, in order to learn from the past. This might sound strange, but his eye was the Sun, Baldr, that lost its power every autumn and therefore had to spend the winter in the world of the dead. In other words, Odinn had one eye in the world of the living and one eye in the world of the dead.”

Aside from the various gods, goddesses, and spirits of prosperity, it is clear that Odin and Frigga took a central role in (Germanic) Equinox observances in some areas of Pagan Europe. Odin (Woden) was recognized as a god of wishes, death, darkness, gifts, and clairvoyance, mirroring the exoteric liminality of the period between light and dark invoked by the Equinox. This external event is to also be reflected internally, as darkness begins to gain supremacy after this transition. We begin to look inward and conduct deeper spiritual work, creating light within to combat the impending darkness of Winter.

Lughnasadh/Freyfaxi

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Lughnasadh is named after the Celtic Sun god Lugh. This is a time when the first harvests of the year would be brought in and prosperity would begin to be felt amongst the community. Summer is fully in bloom and the golden fields and vibrant flowers mirror the glory of the powerful Sun above. During this time, people would feast and make offerings to the gods with the first fruits of the year. During Lughnasadh, there would be singing, music, games, competitions, and much more, as the people could finally begin to enjoy the rewards of their hard work so far that year. Traditionally, Lughnasadh is the first of the 3 great harvest celebrations, kicking off the sacred celebrations when humans reap the results of what they have sown.

In “Celtic Mythology and Religion,” Macbain writes:

“It is called in Scottish Gaelic “Lunasduinn,” in Irish “Lunasd,” old Irish “Lugnasad,” the fair of Lug. The legend says that Luga of the Long Arms, the Tuatha De Danann king, instituted this fair in honour of his foster-mother Tailtiu, queen of the Firbolgs. Hence the place where it was held was called Tailtiu after her, and is the modern Teltown. The fair was held, however, in all the capitals of ancient Ireland on that day. Games and manly sports characterised the assemblies. Luga, it may be noted, is the sun-god, who thus institutes the festival, and it is remarkable that at ancient Lyons, in France, called of old Lug-dunum, a festival was held on this very day, which was famous over all Gaul.”

Wrestling tournaments, races, and various games would have been held during this time in honor of the god Lugh, who is known for being highly skilled in many different areas. Archery, stone lifting, and weight throwing contests were said to have occurred, continuing into the modern day with summer events like the Highland Games. Sacrifices were also common in Pagan times, generally of a bull, and a feast would be made from its flesh, while a portion of the blood and other pieces were given to the gods.

In “A History of Pagan Europe” by Jones & Pennick, it is said:

“Lughnasadh (1 August, also called Bron Trograin) appears to have been imported into Ireland at a later date, perhaps by continental devotees of Lugh, who in the Irish pantheon is a latecomer, the ildánach, master of all skills, more modern in character than the other goddesses and gods. Correspondingly, Lughnasadh differs from the other three festivals in being agrarian in character, marking the harvest, and baking of the first loaf from the new grain. The deity honoured at Lughnasadh was Lugh, who was said to have instituted the games in honour of his foster-mother, Tailtiu. Tailtiu (Teltown) is in fact the name of the site of the festival in Tara. It is an ancient burial ground, and its name is thought to mean ‘fair’ or ‘lovely’, so if it ever was associated with a presiding goddess of that name, like Demeter in Greece she would have ruled both the Underworld and the fruits which sprang from it.”

In modern Germanic Pagan practice, Lughnasadh is recognized as Freyfaxi or “Frey Day,” replacing the Celtic Lugh with the Norse Freyr. Special and careful thanks are given to Lord Ingwaz/Yngvi/Freyr during this time to honor his power and acknowledge his benevolence. A general sense of peace should be felt on this day as well as an internal feeling of gratitude for all one has in life. As a god of wealth, Freyr makes us reflect on the things that make us feel a sense of prosperity in our lives.

In “Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia” by Vikernes, it says:

“The 15th day of Alfheimr was Harvest Sacrifice (No. Slatteblot), also known as Wake-Up-Day, known from Gaelic as the festival of Lugh (“light”). The day marked the beginning of harvest. Before harvest could begin the grain spirit was killed and burned, or it was – in the shape of a goat made from last year’s straw – cut into bits and pieces and buried in the field’s four corners and in the field itself. By the time of the Bronze Age the spirit of light and grain had become a goddess and a god, Sibijo and Fraujaz, known from the Scandinavian mythology as Sif and Freyr respectively. The grain deity was still represented by a straw figure in animal form – usually a goat. In addition to this, the god was cut down with a sax, sickle or scythe in a sword dance. Finally, a symbol of the god, usually a loaf of bread or (in the most ancient of times) a cone, was cut into bits and pieces and buried with the straw animal in the field/meadow. The grain spirit had to die and be buried in the ground for new grain to come. They took the first straw harvested and made a new animal of it, then stored it in a safe place for next year’s Harvest Sacrifice.”

In summary, whether celebrating Lughnasadh or Freyfaxi, this is a time when the first fruits of the year are reaped and specific rituals are undertaken to ensure the fertility of the land. Skills are put on display and the community is brought together under a common aim: prosperity, happiness, and peace. It is important to give thanks to natural and local spirits for their blessings, and to the gods for their gifts. During Lughnasadh, we revel in the light, we feast, and we celebrate our good fortune.