#rokkrtru

Lokabrenna Tarot - Major Arcana 01 - Vitki (The Magician)

The path of Lokabrenna honors all gods in the Norse/Scandinavian Pantheon, and reveres any name for (or story pertaining to) those gods found within all of the Scandinavian cultures. While the primary focus of Lokabrenna is on the Norse and Icelandic portrayal of these gods that is predominantly because sources for the other areas are more scant/harder to find and do not create a complete picture. However, the history started long before anyone settled in Norway, and even longer before they settles in Iceland, and as such it deserves to be honored and respected in its entirety. I will get into the overlap between the Scandinavian cultures and the surrounding areas (Such as the Celts, Picts, Druids, and the like) at a later point, but as a general rule, their pantheons are theirs regardless of their influences on the Scandinavian religions and vice-versa.

This section will not give an in-depth description of each god, but instead go over what constitutes a god in Lokabrenna, why, and how these views differ from other Heathen traditions. To start, Lokabrenna honors the Æsir and the Ásynjur, Vanir, and the Disir, as many versions of Heathenry do, and it is heavily based in the factual histories and the mythologies found in the same source materials which each of the modern religions adhere to/follow/take from.

However, the key difference is that Lokabrenna honors the other nonhuman/divine races not often referred to as "Gods” in the cosmology - often excluded solely on the basis that are not counted among the Æsir (or because they have been deemed enemies of the Æsir).

The following beings (among others, and in no particular order) are all considered Gods in Lokabrenna:

Auðumbla

Ymir

The Primordial Men (Buri and Borr, Odin's ancestors)

Surtr

The Thurs (the Giants- both the Jotnar and the Muspelli/Sons of Muspellheim)

The Rokkr (Loki and his kin)

The Æsir and the Ásynjur(See below)

The Dísir (Spirits of particular women who have died and tend to be associated with Fate- Such as the Volva/Seeress Odin raises from the dead in the Eddic Poem, Völuspá)

The Vanir

The Svartalfar (Also called the Dökkálfar - the Dwarves/Dark Elves)

The Alfar (Also called the Ljósálfar - the Elves)

The Vættir/Landvættir (The wights; spirits of the land or the dead, and a term that is sometimes used to refer to all of the above beings- but in this instance refers to named beings and creatures which are not part of those stated races such as the Hulder, the Nisse/Tomtenisse and other similar mythological creatures)

The Nornir

Rattatosk, the Unnamed Eagle, Níðhöggr and the rest of the named animals that inhabit the world tree Yggdrasil; As well as all of the named animals that are considered symbols of the gods (such as Thor's goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr), which are counted as Vættir in Lokabrenna.

And finally, though it is not a being like all of the above, we honor and respect the Wyrd itself with the same reverence as a God.

The primary reason for the distinction that each of these beings are Gods is because many of these beings are attested to as having domain over various forces of nature in the lore, despite not being counted among the Æsir; and while the word Æsir is synonymous with "Gods" in Norse tradition and language, according to the bloodlines as stated in the lore, there is no one true race of Gods.

As such, Lokabrenna recognizes the lineage of the gods, as stated in the lore; and interprets the term Æsir to mean a ruling council of Odin's Innangardr (inner-yard, inner circle; Kindred, family and the like). The reason for this is clear when looking at the genealogy of the gods. Odin is thought of in many Heathen circles and organizations (and source texts) as the head of the gods, "The God-King of the Æsir" and "The Allfather" and those same circles pose most of the races mentioned above as "Enemies of the Gods/Æsir"- and while much of the lore plays out that way, this narrow view ignores the fact that Odin's parents were Bestla and Borr. While it is true that his genealogy is half "God" or "Primordial Man" (as I mentioned before regarding Borr and Buri), he is also half Jotun by his mother, Bestla. With this genealogy clear it is impossible to deny the Half-Jotnar heritage of Odin, Vili and Ve. Among the Æsir, Odin is also not the only Jotun; And these distinctions are important to make when it comes to the terminology of what are considered Gods and why.

The Line of Odin - As described above, Odin is a half Jotun by his mother Bestla, as are both of his brothers, Vili and Ve. However, this also means that all of Odin's sons- Thor, Baldur, Víðarr and Váli, are of quarter-Jotun blood. It also means that Thor's children (Móði, Magni and Þrúðr) as well as Buldar's son Forseti, are all similarly of Jotun descent. There are sources that pose other gods as the son of Odin, including Heimdallr and Tyr, and while sources about those facts are contradicting, whether they are in his line or not it would only add to the point that many of the gods have the Jotun lineage.

The Line Of Ægir - While no parental line is stated in the lore, Ægir is referred to as a Jotun in nearly every mention, and is never attested to as any other race. Ægir is the Jotun god of the sea - and while he himself is NOT one of the Æsir, he is a close ally and friend of them all, as well as being the grandfather of Heimdall (as I discuss below) His wife is Rán, who is counted among the Æsir. She is only ever attested to as a Goddess, and it is unclear whether she was originally Vanir, Jotun, or something else entirely. Together, Ægir and Rán are the parents of both Snær (Snow) in some sources, as well as the parents of The Nine Daughters. The Nine Daughters become the nine mothers of the god Heimdallr, making Heimdallr part Jotun. Snaer, meanwhile, is universally known as the Jotun god of Snow. However his lineage is up for debate, as some sources say his parents are Ægir and Rán- others pose that he is the son of Jökul, who is in turn the son of Kári, who is the brother of Ægir. In a few sources, Snær is attributed as the father of Thorri, the Jotun god of Winter, for whom the late-winter festival Þorrablót (Thorrablot) is held. These ties to the Jotnar, combined with these beings' status as allies to the Æsir, and the fact that two holidays (Ægirsblót/Ægir's Day- a more modern minor holiday celebrated by some in March, and Þorrablót) in are often overlooked and ignored, similarly to Odin's own lineage, when discussing what role Jotnar have in the religion.

The Line of Skaði - Skaði is known as the Jotun godess among the Asynjur- daughter of the Jotun-King Þjazi (Thiazi). She marries the god of the sea, Njörðr. While it is stated that Njörðr has ten children, the only ones given a named mother are Freyja and Freyr, and it isn't Skaði. There is also the case to be made that Freyr falls for, pursues and marries, a Jotun woman named Gerðr (Who is attested as Ægir's daughter in some sources, but this is debated)

The Line of Loki - Loki is counted among the Æsir, though most of the rest of his lineage are not. However, his lineage is just as important; being the son of the Jotun, Farbauti, and the (presumed) Vanir, Laufey. This makes him, like Odin, half Jotun. The similarity here is often overlooked, as people often refer to Loki's negative traits and blame his "evil" nature (which I will touch on in my write-up about Loki, later) on his Jotun blood, while ignoring how malicious Odin can be as well as Odin's own Jotun blood. Loki is the father of numerous children from two women in the lore: the Jotun, Angrboða, and the Goddess Sigyn. By Angrboða, he sires what are referred to in Lokabrenna as the Rokkr (a term also used in other Lokean forms of Heathenry, denoting that they are the beings that enact Ragnarok); -The wolf Fenris (also Fenrisúlfr, Fenrir, Hróðvitnir or Vánagandr) -The world serpent, Jörmungandr (also Miðgarðsormr) -The goddess of the Dead, and Queen of Niflheim, Hel (also Hella). Of these three, Hel is counted as a well respected goddess, having at least a level of status that demands even Odin approach her as an equal, and the "political" power within the Norse cosmology to deny Odin his requests without recrimination. Like Odin, she is a God-Queen of her realm. Further, by Sigyn, Loki is attested to having the children Narfi (or Nari) and Váli (Some scholars believe this is the same Váli attested as Odin's son, however the poem Lokasenna- which predates the Prose Edda line that names him as Odin's son, clearly attributes him as Loki and Sigyn's). Loki is also the mother of the 8-legged horse, Sleipnir, who is referred to as The King of Horses and the fastest of all horses, and whom Odin uses as his mount. All of Loki's children are at least part Jotun.

The Nornir - While not counted among the Æsir, the Nornir stand apart and are respected by all of the Gods and races- and not the least of whom is Odin; These three figures, named Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld (whose names loosely translate to Past, Present and Future), are stated to have come to the well of Wyrd from Jotunheim; And while it does not state that they ARE Jotnar, their place of origina heavily implies it.

There are many others examples that I can add at a later date, as I compile everything that makes up the path of Lokabrenna; But these four examples are more than enough to show that while many Heathen practices separate Jotnar out as enemies of the gods, in MANY cases this is not true, as a large portion of the Æsir themselves (Including Odin) are of Jotun descent.

Further, and I won't get into every example, but there are also many Vanir among the Æsir, including not just Mimir, Freyr and Freya, but Njörðr. On top of this, there are many other figures who historians debate whether they are Vanir or not, including Iðunn, Heimdall (By way of his mothers and Rán, who are never stated as Vanir per se, but having strong connections to nature as the goddess of the Sea makes it likely), Ullr (The Æsir god of the Winter), the Seeress from the Völuspá, and even Frigga (who actually needs a breakdown herself, as historically speaking, it's likely that she started as the goddess Freyja, and the two figures eventually evolved into separate beings as time, cultural differences and stories spread and changed throughout Scandinavia via word of mouth).

Which draws the conclusion that the Æsir are a combination of races, and not themselves a separate race.

With that point illustrated, we now get back to the point that I mentioned earlier: While the term Æsir means God, there is no one true race of Gods. The Æsir are comprised of many races, and even many who are not counted as Æsir (and not mentioned above) such as the Dwarves tasked with holding up the sky on Midgard, to the Jotun that the Æsir hired to build the wall around Asgard, to the dwarves that created Mjollnir, and many, many others, all do the bidding of the Æsir - and are all considered "The best" at what they do, their own respective domain.

Replacing the standard Tarot Major Arcana card 02 - The High Priestess, this card features Urð, Skuld and Verðandi taking up the role of the high priestess, standing sentry over the cosmic power emanating from Ginnungagap.

Buy it now on the official Ash Something Art print shop!

A fun little project featuring Loki boxing VS the Australian Boxing Kangaroo flag mascot, commissioned by Carrie Bertwistle

________________________________________________

Code of Conduct For Readers of This Blog:

Respect and consent are key, in all things. Trolls, right-wing/maga/etc, Christians, Racists, Sexists and Fascists will be blocked on-sight. This is your warning not to bring that shit here- You've invaded every other format of this religion, and you are not welcome in mine.

If you follow that rule, I accept:

Private Messages - So long as you remain respectful.

Questions and Submissions - Anonymous or otherwise, regarding any topic I post about on this blog, your own UPG, or the like.

I will try to respond to each to the best of my ability.

However: This blog is strictly relegated to the presentation and teaching of Lokabrenna, so please:

If you wish to inquire about my art or Commissions, please send your message to either the Ash Something Art Blog or via the Commission Request form on my website.

If you wish to connect about clown, fire performance, alt lifestyle, etc, send your submissions to The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove.

I am always happy to receive comments and discussion, as well as re-posts and likes.

Disclaimer: Before you get into this blog, be advised that everything here is me: My own ritual, my own structures, my own process, my own understanding, my own UPG, my own study, both independent and guided, that I have put together over the last (nearly) 20 years to be my own form of Norther European Paganism; I originally practiced this all independently, as my own personal path; And I am currently taking large steps in my journey that have made me comfortable with opening up and sharing it with others. All content presented here is content of my own creation, or taken directly from historic sources, and includes my own interpretations of Scandinavian/Norse History, Lore and Mythology. These views may stand counter to the teachings of any other Heathen organization, kindred, or format of the religion, because it is not them. While attempting to be as historically accurate as possible, and having studied as many sources, in depth, as I can, it is still just one interpretation, and it eschews the opinions of some historians who have been involved in this studied for much longer than I have- because quite frankly since this is my own format of the religion those peoples' opinions hold no sway over it, or how I practice, or what I teach. Lore and history are important, but so is taking into account the changes and advancements of the world in the last 800 years, and as such I cannot agree any more with revivalist traditions, any more than I can with the tradition of wanton cultural appropriation enacted by many New Age/Neopagan branches. Both myself and Lokabrenna are wholly independent. It is presented here by me with no outside support or affiliation. I am not an authority on, or representative of, any other Heathen organization. I am similarly not involved with or a representative of any kindred. This blog and the content herein is not mean to cause harm or admonish any individual, or organization, nor will it attempt to. Lokabrenna, the religion outlined in this blog, is my sole creation and presented here as a way for others to learn and possibly grow from it; that is it. Lokabrenna is a modernist, Lokean format of Northern European Paganism, as the name suggest. It contains themes of both Thurs Worship, and Rokkr worship, as well as themes of "black magic," blood magic, ritual, sacrifice, and political action, that stand counter to other forms of the religion, especially those which are active in the US. As the creator of Lokabrenna, I am the only person authorized to teach it or stand as a Priest/Guide/Authority on the subject. Lokabrenna is not Asatru. It is not Odinism. It is not Folkish Heathenry. It is not the traditional Scaninavion religion. It is not a format of Lokean Heathenry taught or upheld by any other organization. I am not here to make demands, give orders, or dictate how one lives their life. If you read and speak with me, and decide you wish to adhere to the teachings/religion I offer through Lokabrenna, you do so of your own volition and I am not responsible for any actions taken inspired by that adherence/worship, as I will never tell a person that they must do something they normally wouldn't.

If you do not like the content here for any reason, please block, and don’t report.

________________________________________________

Who am I?

My name is Ash Vindhler-Lokasson. Aside from this, I am an artist, and I work on a personal and freelance basis as Ash Something Art. I am also a Clown and Alt Lifestyle blogger, and you can find any info pertaining to that portion of my life at The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove.

But this blog isn't for those things.

High Priest of Loki:

At the age of 18, I picked up Asatru. I came across the religion by chance, and as I studied it I found that it seemed to agree with many of my own thoughts/ideas regarding the creation of the universe (which is predominantly based in Science).

Continuing the study, I read all of the historic texts, studied many of the different viking hordes and archaeological discoveries, and wrote breakdown after breakdown (for my own pleasure) of my understanding of the lore as I learned.

I joined an organization and continued my study through their lore program, and spent nearly a decade embroiled in every level of the religion.

At the time, and for most of that time, I was not aware that other formats of Northern European Paganism existed aside from Asatru, as the major organizations I became aware of all represented it.

Eventually, however, I realized that there were dialectical differences between my moral beliefs and the teachings of Asatru, as well as many of the other Northern European Pagan communities and organizations that exist. Because of this, around ten years after I started, I separated from the Heathen community to pursue the religion on my own terms; following my own rule that "The religion of no two people are alike, even if they have the same holy book" I decided that I should build my own format of the religion to practice independently.

And that was the start of Lokabrenna.

But what are my qualifications?

Well, just because I left the heathen community as a whole, and I never completed the lore program I was a part of, doesn't mean I stopped everything outright. I was not forced out, and I'm sure most people in the community enjoyed the debate and insights that I had to offer. I stepped away, more or less unprompted, when I realized it wasn't a good fit: Religion should be a personal thing, and resonate with you- and while the texts and the lore, and mythology did, I found myself surrounded by many people I would never have surrounded myself with in any other circumstance.

When I left, I continued my study just as vigorously as before, finding every source I could, and researching any new sources I happened to come across. I eventually found my own niche, my own guidelines, and my own way of doing things that resonated with me; and my intent here is to share those things with others.

When I was 26, after leaving the major Heathen organization I was a part of, I went about the process of getting myself ordained independently as a Goði, or Priest. As an ordained priest, I have the freedom to teach my views as well as perform marriage ceremonies and the like. However, priesthood aside, what has always mattered most to me was the study, and learning, and being an active part of my religion, worship and rituals. Because of this, for the last 10 years while holding onto that priesthood, I have continued to keep my head down, study, and practice independently, I worked on breaking down everything I was learning, processing it, and implementing it into my journey.

It has now been 17 years (as of Feb 2025) since I started my journey and in that time, I have read, studied, written about, and processed every source I could; Multiple translations of the Eddas, the Codex Regius, The Gesta Danorum, The Heimskringla and the Sagas of the Icelanders, as well as all of the independent Sagas, many different source-books for the various Northern European Pagan organizations that already exist, and more or less any book, movie or show that I could find that pertained to these things from documentaries to pop culture works.

I thoroughly studied and am a practitioner of both Seiðr and Rune Magic.

I entered every aspect of this study with a critical eye, and intent to break down the beliefs, separated out christian influence (as much of what we know about the Norse comes from the conversion-age, just after the end of viking age, and much of the work writing either demonizes or re-contextualizes the beliefs to fit more Digestible-by-Christianity version of the history- as in any such case, the victors write the history books) and to balance my understanding of the lore and religion with my modern life.

But I digress: In short, I am an ordained priest of Loki who felt misaligned with the status quo in the modern formats of the religion, and set to work creating a version of it for myself, after spending nearly two decades studying everything I could regarding the religion. In the past, despite having the priesthood and study under my belt, I limited my teaching to only those who asked me after finding out that I am a Lokean or that I practice Northern European Paganism/Heathenry and actively asked me.

However, after lengthy consideration, and a few fairly large projects that I've taken on in my capacity as an artist, (and a weird dream I had: I may post about that for my readers' entertainment at a later date), I have finally decided to step into my shoes as a High Priest of Loki, and teach those who wish to learn, about Lokabrenna.

________________________________________________

Lokabrenna: A Brief Introduction

As I stated above, the path of Lokabrenna is an original, modernist take on Northern European Paganism, and as I will go into detail about below, is named after an Old Norse term for the North Star.

At this time, while Lokabrenna established as a religious path for myself, not yet official, publicly. I hope to grow and get participants, and really step into my role as an independent priest, but at the moment it is not registered as a religion, nor as a nonprofit (I also do not make money from it, or intend to aside from the creation of art and potentially selling books and card decks at a later date). I will also be releasing it in pieces as I work on my other projects and my job.

For the time being, it is a minor cult even among minor cults. It is safe to say that while I have taught others and spread my ideals to a degree, (only to those who have approached me about learning Lokean and Northern European Paganism), that I am currently the sole practitioner.

The Beginnings of Lokabrenna:

The term Lokabrenna, as most Lokean Heathens and other Northern European Pagans will recognize as a term used in most Lokean circles. It can be found in only one place in historical record: The Gesta Danorum, written by Saxo Grammaticus in the 12th century (around the same time period that Snorri was writing his Prose Edda). I will get into both of these figures, along with others, in later posts. In his writing, Saxo refers to Lokabrenna as a Norse name for the North Star; Translated it means Loki's Torch or Loki's Brand.

One theological difference between myself/Lokabrenna and the various organizations who practice/teach Northern European Paganism lies in this piece of information- often, I was taught that there there was no proof of a "cult of Loki" among the Old Norse, because they have found no archeological evidence or place names pertaining to him. However, Lokabrenna, the North Star, has been known as a primary guide point in almost every culture in the world since antiquity. There is no record of WHICH North Star the term referred to, Polaris or it's predecessor Kochab (which was the Pole Star up until around 500-1000 BCE), however with the various Scandinavian cultures first putting roots into the area in the latter stone age, around 12,000BCE, it is safe to say that it could be either star, or both. But that point matters less than the implication behind the term Lokabrenna existing-

Because it is not only a place name, but the name of one of the most important celestial guides to an originally nomadic, then agrarian, then seafaring group of people, from whom this religion and every other modern form of Northern European Paganism are derived; One which represents Loki, and has become a representation of how he has guided me on my journey.

And while what the existence of this term implies- a term found in only a single source, written by a Danish scholar traveling through Norway a century after the Viking Age- is a highly debated topic: my view is that even if the term Lokabrenna didn't imply a cult of Loki, or that he was worshiped, or whether he was viewed as a "god," or it doesn't count as a place name, etc (all of which are arguments I have heard, posed to discredit my own choice to worship Loki), the fact of the matter is that you worship and honor the gods you are drawn to, and Loki was that for me. And no one has a right to dictate or deny your ability to do so (aside from as it pertains to closed cultural religions, which is an important topic for a later time). And so, regardless of whether he was or as not worshiped, or did or did not have place names, or any of that- he is worshiped today. By myself and many others: and many of us have come to view the term Lokabrenna and it's relation to Loki as one of the more important bits of symbolism in our own practice.

And for these reasons, Lokabrenna is the term I have chosen as the name to represent the path I will be teaching here.