{"id":48,"date":"2008-10-01T00:04:46","date_gmt":"2008-10-01T00:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=49"},"modified":"2008-09-28T02:18:42","modified_gmt":"2008-09-28T02:18:42","slug":"lets-spell-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2008\/10\/01\/lets-spell-it-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Spell it Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salutation to the Heroes: November 11th or 12th <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Feast of the Einheriar or the Festival of the Einherjar is also known by other names including the Festival of Odhinn, the Feast of Fallen Warriors, Heroes\u2019 Day, the Salutation to the Heroes and Old November Day.\u00a0 Marking the day of the full onset of winter, this festival was Christianized and transformed into St. Martin\u2019s Day (Martinmas), a catholic saint who was given many of Odhinn\u2019s original attributes.\u00a0 Originally this day was sacred to both Odhinn and Cernunnos (who has many similarities to the Wanderer Odhinn).<\/p>\n

This festival is a special ritual to honor Freyja (the Queen of the Valkyries) and Odhinn (who welcomes all warriors). The hosts of Odhinn\u2019s hall were called the Einherjar, the warriors who fell in battle and earned their place in Valhalla in Odhinn\u2019s army.\u00a0 Valhalla is the Norse \u201cheaven\u201d (the Norse did not have the Christian ideas of \u201cheaven\u201d and \u201chell\u201d) for brave male and female warriors.\u00a0 The Einherjar are the 432,000 spiritual warriors who guard the gods (in Ireland, this is the day of the Lunantishees, the spirits that guard the holy blackthorn trees).<\/p>\n

The Festival of the Einheriar was where several families gathered together, each bringing food and drink for a potluck feast; a \u201csacrificial\u201d feast of cookies or cakes in animal and human shapes. The day prior to the ritual, games and feasting would be held.<\/p>\n

This holiday is now our present-day Veterans Day, a time to honor all fallen warriors and heroes, not only those who have fallen in battle (firefighters, police officers, etc.).<\/p>\n

The Ritual:<\/strong> this is a very simple and short ritual that can be enacted by either one person or divvied up for a whole group.\u00a0 Please feel free to adapt it for fit you own needs.<\/p>\n

Supplies:<\/strong> Altar in or facing the North, Candle of Remembrance and Sacrifice, plate of cookies in the shapes of animals and people (Animal Crackers would work nicely), the Roll of Honor (a list of names of Fallen Heroes to be honored with this rite), and tankard(s) of drink (mead, ale, water, juice or some other beverage).<\/p>\n


\nAlternate supplies and decorations:<\/strong> one candle to be held by each\u00a0 ritual attendee, incense and incense burner, pentacle, dagger\/sword, elemental candles, cauldron, and autumnal items such as apples, gourds, grains, maize, nuts, leaves, flowers, and any remaining Hallowmas decorations.<\/p>\n

Opening the ceremony:<\/strong> either cast Circle or create Sacred Space in the manner of your own tradition before the Statement of Intent<\/strong>.\u00a0 Say:
\n\u201cThe Festival of Odhinn, on this Hero\u2019s Day,
\nI\/We honor the fallen warriors, those who passed away.
\nThey reside now with Freyja, Odhinn and with Hel,
\nAnd tonight I\/ we honor them, and I\/we wish them well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Elemental Quarter Calls:<\/strong> At the North call the goddess Idhunn:
\n\u201cTo the North I\/we call the maiden Idhunn,
\nGuardian of the apples bright and golden;
\nGrant in Valhalla to the slain heroes
\nBoth green forests and flowered meadows.\u201d<\/em>
\nAt the East call the goddess Freyja:
\n\u201cTo the East I\/we call the Queen of the Valkyries;
\nFreyja, Leader of the Wind Riders.
\nGrant in Valhalla to the slain heroes
\nBoth spring fields and gentle breezes.\u201d<\/em>
\nAt the South call the god Thor:
\n\u201cTo the South I\/we call the Red-Bearded Thor,
\nProtector of the people and God of War.
\nGrant in Valhalla to the slain heroes
\nBoth feasts of plenty and sunny days.\u201d<\/em>
\nAt the West call the god Odhinn:
\n\u201cTo the West I\/we call All-Father Odhinn,
\nKeeper of the Cauldron of Inspiration.
\nGrant in Valhalla to the slain heroes
\nRebirth through the Cauldron and warm pools.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Candle of Remembrance:<\/strong> on the altar, light the Candle of Remembrance and say:
\n\u201cI\/We light a flame of remembrance
\nThe magickal flame that burns in our hearts.
\nMay it reach those who came before,
\nSoul to soul, we are never apart.\u201d<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Offering (Symbolic Sacrifice):<\/strong> the plate of cookies is placed upon the altar before saying:
\n\u201cThere are names we know and names now lost,
\nBut we salute them with both drink and feast.\u201d<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Roll of Honor:<\/strong> now is the time for the reading of the Roll of Honor.\u00a0 At this time any who wish to make toasts with their tankards to fallen family members may do so before releasing the gods and the circle.
\nElemental Quarter Releases: Go to the West and release the god Odhinn:
\n\u201cAt the West I\/we release the All-Father Odhinn,
\nKeeper of the Cauldron of Inspiration.
\nThank You for joining this Salutation rite,
\nGuide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d<\/em>
\nGo to the South and release the god Thor:
\n\u201cAt the South I\/we release the Red-Bearded Thor,
\nProtector of the people and God of War.
\nThank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite,
\nGuide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d<\/em>
\nGo to the East and release the goddess Freyja:
\n\u201cAt the East I\/we release the Queen of the Valkyries;
\nFreyja, Leader of the Wind Riders.
\nThank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite,
\nGuide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d<\/em>
\nGo to the North and release the goddess Idhunn:
\n\u201cAt the North I\/we release the maiden Idhunn,
\nGuardian of the apples golden;
\nThank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite,
\nGuide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Closing of the Ceremony:<\/strong> close the Circle in the manner of your tradition unless you created Sacred Space which will simply dissipate over time.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the Ceremony:<\/strong> place the cookies outside as an offering along with some of the liquid as a libation to the spirits; those of nature as well as those that you honored with this ritual.\u00a0 If possible, allow the candle to burn out but if need be, burn the candle daily until gone.
\nAbout the author: Rev. Merrie Hutchins (Boudicca Andarta) lives in Northern Michigan and has been a practicing Witch that follows the Wiccan Rede for the past 23 years.\u00a0 Called to service by the goddess Artio; besides dedicating herself to serving the needs of the human community, she tends to Artemis\u2019 deer and cares for abused and neglected cats and dogs. She has received training through the Fellowship of Isis and founded the Iseum of the Emerald Flame dedicated to Artio the Bear, Diana of the Grove and Artemis Limnatis.
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sources:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Exploring the Northern Tradition by Galina Krasskova
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Moon Magick by DJ Conway
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Norse Magic by DJ Conway
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pagan Book of Days by Nigel Pennick
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rites of Odin by Ed Fitch
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Salutation to the Heroes: November 11th or 12th The Feast of the Einheriar or the Festival of the Einherjar is also known by other names including the Festival of Odhinn, the Feast of Fallen Warriors, Heroes\u2019 Day, the Salutation to the Heroes and Old November Day.\u00a0 Marking the day of the full onset of winter, this festival was Christianized and transformed into St. Martin\u2019s Day (Martinmas), a catholic saint who was given many of Odhinn\u2019s original attributes.\u00a0 Originally this day was sacred to both Odhinn and Cernunnos (who has many similarities to the Wanderer Odhinn). This festival is a special ritual to honor Freyja (the Queen of the Valkyries) and Odhinn (who welcomes all warriors). The hosts of Odhinn\u2019s hall were called the Einherjar, the warriors who fell in battle and earned their place in Valhalla in Odhinn\u2019s army.\u00a0 Valhalla is the Norse \u201cheaven\u201d (the Norse did not have the Christian ideas of \u201cheaven\u201d and \u201chell\u201d) for brave male and female warriors.\u00a0 The Einherjar are the 432,000 spiritual warriors who guard the gods (in Ireland, this is the day of the Lunantishees, the spirits that guard the holy blackthorn trees). The Festival of the Einheriar was where several families gathered together, each bringing food and drink for a potluck feast; a \u201csacrificial\u201d feast of cookies or cakes in animal and human shapes. The day prior to the ritual, games and feasting would be held. This holiday is now our present-day Veterans Day, a time to honor all fallen warriors and heroes, not only those who have fallen in battle (firefighters, police officers, etc.). The Ritual: this is a very simple and short ritual that can be enacted by either one person or divvied up for a whole group.\u00a0 Please feel free to adapt it for fit you own needs. Supplies: Altar in or facing the North, Candle of Remembrance and Sacrifice, plate of cookies in the shapes of animals and people (Animal Crackers would work nicely), the Roll of Honor (a list of names of Fallen Heroes to be honored with this rite), and tankard(s) of drink (mead, ale, water, juice or some other beverage). Alternate supplies and decorations: one candle to be held by each\u00a0 ritual attendee, incense and incense burner, pentacle, dagger\/sword, elemental candles, cauldron, and autumnal items such as apples, gourds, grains, maize, nuts, leaves, flowers, and any remaining Hallowmas decorations. Opening the ceremony: either cast Circle or create Sacred Space in the manner of your own tradition before the Statement of Intent.\u00a0 Say: \u201cThe Festival of Odhinn, on this Hero\u2019s Day, I\/We honor the fallen warriors, those who passed away. They reside now with Freyja, Odhinn and with Hel, And tonight I\/ we honor them, and I\/we wish them well.\u201d Elemental Quarter Calls: At the North call the goddess Idhunn: \u201cTo the North I\/we call the maiden Idhunn, Guardian of the apples bright and golden; Grant in Valhalla to the slain heroes Both green forests and flowered meadows.\u201d At the East call the goddess Freyja: \u201cTo the East I\/we call the Queen of the Valkyries; Freyja, Leader of the Wind Riders. Grant in Valhalla to the slain heroes Both spring fields and gentle breezes.\u201d At the South call the god Thor: \u201cTo the South I\/we call the Red-Bearded Thor, Protector of the people and God of War. Grant in Valhalla to the slain heroes Both feasts of plenty and sunny days.\u201d At the West call the god Odhinn: \u201cTo the West I\/we call All-Father Odhinn, Keeper of the Cauldron of Inspiration. Grant in Valhalla to the slain heroes Rebirth through the Cauldron and warm pools.\u201d The Candle of Remembrance: on the altar, light the Candle of Remembrance and say: \u201cI\/We light a flame of remembrance The magickal flame that burns in our hearts. May it reach those who came before, Soul to soul, we are never apart.\u201d The Offering (Symbolic Sacrifice): the plate of cookies is placed upon the altar before saying: \u201cThere are names we know and names now lost, But we salute them with both drink and feast.\u201d The Roll of Honor: now is the time for the reading of the Roll of Honor.\u00a0 At this time any who wish to make toasts with their tankards to fallen family members may do so before releasing the gods and the circle. Elemental Quarter Releases: Go to the West and release the god Odhinn: \u201cAt the West I\/we release the All-Father Odhinn, Keeper of the Cauldron of Inspiration. Thank You for joining this Salutation rite, Guide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d Go to the South and release the god Thor: \u201cAt the South I\/we release the Red-Bearded Thor, Protector of the people and God of War. Thank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite, Guide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d Go to the East and release the goddess Freyja: \u201cAt the East I\/we release the Queen of the Valkyries; Freyja, Leader of the Wind Riders. Thank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite, Guide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d Go to the North and release the goddess Idhunn: \u201cAt the North I\/we release the maiden Idhunn, Guardian of the apples golden; Thank You for joining my\/our Salutation rite, Guide me\/us on my\/our path of light.\u201d Closing of the Ceremony: close the Circle in the manner of your tradition unless you created Sacred Space which will simply dissipate over time. After the Ceremony: place the cookies outside as an offering along with some of the liquid as a libation to the spirits; those of nature as well as those that you honored with this ritual.\u00a0 If possible, allow the candle to burn out but if need be, burn the candle daily until gone. About the author: Rev. Merrie Hutchins (Boudicca Andarta) lives in Northern Michigan and has been a practicing Witch that follows the Wiccan Rede for the past 23 years.\u00a0 Called to service by the goddess Artio; besides dedicating herself to serving the needs of the human community, she tends to Artemis\u2019 deer and cares for abused and neglected cats and dogs. She has received training through the Fellowship of Isis and founded the Iseum of the Emerald Flame dedicated to Artio the Bear, Diana of the Grove and Artemis Limnatis. Sources: \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Exploring the Northern Tradition by Galina Krasskova \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Moon Magick by DJ Conway \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Norse Magic by DJ Conway \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pagan Book of Days by Nigel Pennick \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rites of Odin by Ed Fitch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}