GoodGod!

Meet the Gods: Heimdall

Merry meet.

The Norse god Heimdall was the watchman for the gods. Every hour of every day, every day of the year, he determined who could cross Bifrost, the rainbow bridge to Asgard, the land of the gods, one of the nine worlds held in the tree Yggdrasil.

Heimdall is said to have had nine mothers – all sisters, all giants and all virgins. He lived at the footing of the bridge. He was tall with teeth of gold, hearing so acute he could detect grass growing in the meadow; even at night he could see farther than a man could walk in 100 days and required less sleep than a bird. He was the god with the whitest skin, for which he was called the shining god.

Before he came to be the sentinel keeping Asgard safe from giants, he went by the name of Rig. Wandering the world and staying with three couples, he is said to have been the forefather of the three social classes: thralls (who served), peasants and freemen, and warriors and chieftains.

He and Loki kill each other fighting over a necklace.

According to NorthernPaganism.org, Heimdall can be of assistance with pragmatic wisdom for achieving a goal, considered helpful in academic and philosophical pursuits.

He took it upon himself to stand watch to protect Asgard. It was a lonely but important job. Let him serve as an example of duty, dependability, purpose, focus and awareness – traits that would benefit detectives, intelligence operatives, those providing military surveillance and protectors of others, as well as anyone who deals with unruly factions and needs to maintain good relations with all. Find ways to emulate him. Call on him for endurance.

Gjallarhorn was Heimdall’s horn, which could be heard in all nine worlds when he blew it – which was not often. You can dedicate a horn to him.

When seeking to honor Heimdall, be honest and know he valued actions above words.

Mead makes a good offering, so does coffee.

“Heimdall Ritual for Blessing a Guard” by Ari is offered on the website as a way to honor and appreciate those who hold often thankless guardian positions such as security guards, bodyguards and bouncers.

Ari calls for making a sigil – a round piece of wood painted sky blue, with the runes Dagaz and Algiz, for wakefulness and protection, on it. It should have a piece of rainbow ribbon tied to it, and a golden chain to hang so it can hang around your neck or a gold keychain for carrying it. A wooden staff, taller than the person being honored, is given to him or her. While holding the staff, the individual is smudged with smoke from dried angelica and cumin seed.

The person performing the ritual says:

Hail to Heimdall! Hear us, Hallinskihdi!

“Gold-toothed guardian of Gjallarhorn,

Give this your guardian

Sire of many castes, stamina’s soldier,

See this your sentinel as s/he stands watch

And watch over him/her as well.

Bifrost’s border-watcher, bane of burglars,

Be with this your patient protector,

Let eyes close not, let ears shut not,

Let back bow not, let wakefulness flow,

Let wits be about in all ways, O Wave-Son,

Witness of a hundred leagues around.”

Then a drop of mead is touched to each eye, each ear, the center of the forehead, the top of the head, and the back of the neck, with the words:

“See all above,

See all below,

Hear all above,

Hear all below,

Sharp to catch all,

Proud to stand tall,

Strong back never fall.”

The guard takes a sip of mead and pours out the rest as a libation to Heimdall with the words “Hail Rainbow’s Guardian.” The guard hands the staff over, and is given the sigil in trade, with the words: “This staff stays in your spine; this sigil stays at your side.” Then the guard should, ideally, go straight to work, with Heimdall’s blessing.

More poems, prayers and writings about Heimdall can be found here http://www.northernpaganism.org/shrines/heimdall/writing.html.

Merry part. And merry meet again.

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About the Author:

Lynn Woike was 50 – divorced and living on her own for the first time – before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied – from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American – pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.