This is a picture i took standing under my oak tree! I planted this tree when i was 3 years old and had brought an acorn back from the forest. My family thought it would never grow into a full tree and here we are. I adore this tree it is dedicated to Wodan and i pray at it every morning. this tree has helped me through a lot and i was about 7 when i dedicated it to Wodan. My mom said me and my sibling fought over Wodan or donar dedication although i do not remember that. I know people typically associate donar /thor with oaks but due to this oak tree and my experences and the way it is dedicated i have actually come to associate Wodan with oaks and oaks with Wodan. There is an oak standing in the middle of a clearing close to me that i also regularly pray at.
Recently we had to take off some branches because they where honestly a hazard to people walking by. I kept the branched and am currently thinking about what i can make with them. I was thinking maybe some candle holders or like a bowl like thing? Maybe carve a Wodan statue once i'm comfortable depicting him. I'm unsure ideas are very welcome!
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Today while i was litter picking and praying a little creature that i associate with Wodan came onto my path. I followed it. I found more trash.
The creature is very common and the trash is very common there that's why i'm litter picking over there. I don't think this was a sign but in that moment it felt special. I don't think this was communication and if it was that would really scare me so i don't want it to be. It still felt special in the moment though and i value that. I think we're allowed to have wonder in moments and later analyse them. I think that that is important. I thank Wodan that i got to experence that. It doesn't have to be a sign for it to be something to be thankful for. I could have decided the creature was just common that it was probably not a sign. That would have been fine too. Instead i got something mundane that felt special and i like thanking Wodan for the mundane too.
the wild hunt roaring over a village saga from the well
Part of the documenting of the sagas and tales i grew up with, i make no claims to how old these retellings are or which parts of these are modern and which parts old. These are sagas i grew up with and i want to preserve them. There is some creative liberty taken as I've incorporated answers to questions i or others asked about the sagas / tales in these retellings. There was also a lot of verity in retellings i heard from different and sometimes the same person. I do not make an attempt to identify where which influences come from.
Sagas from the well - other retellings tag
This saga is about the wild hunt roaring over a village. It has Wodan as it's leader. There are the dead among the wild hunt. The wild hunt has a purpose in this retelling. This saga mainly focuses on what the wild hunt looks and sounds like and what it does. I've included nuances and variations at the end. For this retelling i am sticking to things that impacted me the most.
The wild hunt roaring over a village
HOEOEOE-OE! OE OE OE! cries and yells where heard long before the wild hunt came over the village on an unfortunate winter night.
The wild hunter Wodan has his sharpest spear in hand he yells and cries out. This is the first thing those in the village hear. Then comes the sound of his white horse below him galloping after the snake[1] it sounds like thunder to those in the village, his horse being the fastest, strongest and smartest horse and him being the wildest hunter. they lead the wild hunt for the snake who slithered from side to side forming an unpredictable path. The white horse trampling the poison the snake leaves behind [2]. clearing the way for the ones behind Wodan and his horse. Those are what the village hears next. Among those who hunt with Wodan are the animals, the horses and wolves[3] their hooves and howls sounding like storms and making the trees and shrubs beneath them shake, The great hunters of the past follow Wodan as closely as they can. Screaming and crying with Wodan. Having come from their graves to assist in his hunt, The animalistic humans[4] from past and present are also among the hunt. They howl like wolves and cry like birds as the hunt. Some hunters riding horses some running with their own legs. some horses and men going so fast in an attempt to keep up with Wodan it looked like they have more legs[5] their stomping making the sky roar. Behind them are those who got pulled into the hunt. Those who looked at it or those who could not find shelter in time. Those who like the clouds seem to be pulled by the wild hunt. And unable to escape. Their cries of pain are heard last.
When the snake leads them through villages in it's attempt to escape the hunt. The people cowered in houses the dogs look for shelter as to not be taken by the wild hunt. The thunder like sounds of the wild hunt warning everyone to not look. Parents put their hands on their children's ears. Urging their children to not remember the sounds for those that do become restless[6]. The children cry asking what he does this for when the parents explain that it is Wodan leading the wild hunt. "to catch the snake" the parents answer "the snake does bad things, much worse then this and if it weren't hunted it could do much worse then that, this will be over soon"
HOEOEOE-OE! OE OE OE! The cries of Wodan are heard after the thundering sounds of the wild hunt fade. And then the village is peaceful again as even the cries of Wodan fade and the drop of a bead could be heard.
Notes and commentary
[1] the thing that they follow can be a snake a wolf or simply bad spirits. Sometimes it is told to be that which will eventually cause the end of the world and the wild hunt is to weaken it. But other times it is something out to do a specific bad action like hindering a good harvest.
[2] this was sometimes described as poisonous plants that the snake left behind as it slithered. Sometimes the detail would be given that the horse shoes the horse was wearing where made out of stones that protect against snake bites. Sometimes this specifically focuses on poisonous plants for cattle
[3] wolves or dogs used interchangeable sometimes the ravens and or corvids are mentioned among them
[4] werewolves /shapeshifters and sometimes witches are what this is talking about. I like the werewolves personally but animalistic humans is more encompassing
[5] offerings of leg or leg shaped things could help the hunt according to some tellings i heard. Give then more legs to rub faster with and hunt that away that is trying to spoil the harvest / making people sick / something else
[6] restless and mad interchangeable, some stories had those swept up in the hunt be there for a certain amount of time 3 days, 9 days a year ect some had them staying there forever.
Other notes that i would like to include
The wild hunt was often set in the dark and therefore appeared more in winter, this is not the case in all retellings but i like the idea that it happens more during winter then in other seasons but not exclusively in winter. In a few of the retellings i grew up with it was vrouw Holle as leader of the wild hunt it is explicitly mentioned that Wodan is looking for knowledge to stop that what they're chasing from doing the bad thing and that that is why she was leading, she was never described as going slower. The dead are sometimes mentioned as looking blue. Sometimes they are not included at all. It is framed as unfortunate that the wild hunt is coming over the villages but not the fault of the hunt itself rather what they're chasing is responsible for the misfortune although seeing the hunt or something from the hunt is also seen as a sign of misfortune for the rest of the year or for the rest of your life. In a lot of stories however the hunt is invisible and you can only hear it. Being too close to it still has the same effect as seeing it though.
Today we visited the in Ribe. Ribe is not only the oldest town in Denmark, but also the oldest in all of Scandinavia. Ribe was founded in 710 AD as a marketplace of Frisians and Normans.
Ribe Vikingecenter is located 2km further south and is an open-air museum. It has a large number of volunteers, who live in complex as Vikings.
Today we visited the city of Odense. Odense is one of the oldest cities in Denmark; it celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 1988. The name Odense comes from the Old Norse Óðins vé, which means Odinstempel. Óðins vé does not necessarily refer to a building, but to a sacred place or cult area.
We don’t know exactly where it was.
The oldest settlement of Odense was around the river Odense Å. The sanctuary was probably located in or near that early center
It is therefore thought that the place was near the current cathedral of Knud, as was often the case at that time; the new religion built its churches on or next to existing places of worship.
In the Middle Ages, the cathedral of Sint-Knud was a frequented place for pilgrims. Four kings are buried in the church, including the church’s namesake.
Knud was king of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. He was slain during a revolt before the altar.
Because of this and his advocacy of the Church, Knud quickly began to be considered a saint. Under the reign of Olaf, Denmark suffered from crop failure, which was seen as divine retribution for the sacrilegious killing Knud. Miracles were soon reported as taking place at his grave and his canonization was already being sought during the reign of Olaf. He was the first Dane to be canonized.
Interesting connections between Odin and Knud you will find in this video:
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Today I visited the Glavendrup stone on the island of Funen in Denmark with friends. The runestone dates from the early 10th century and it contains Denmark's longest runic inscription and ends in a curse.
The runestone forms the end of a stone ship. The text on it refers to a gothi, who was the priest of a vé here. When we arrived at the vé, I asked permission to enter the sacred space. A raven answered and flew above our heads. We took it as a favorable sign. We walked three times around the stone and scattered some dried flowers from our homeland (The Netherlands) as offerings.
I asked the gods present at this vé to bless my mjölnir for protection and I will wear it as a constant reminder of this day.
