The Illuminated Edda


Book Description

The Illuminated Edda contains a brand-new translation of the Poetic and Prose Eddas by Andrew Valkauskas. This illustrated translation has been rewritten using contemporary prose making it a pleasure to read. Get the authenticity and truthfulness of the stories without having to worry about the complexity of older academic translations.




When the Norns Have Spoken


Book Description

"One of the most striking aspects of the process of conversion of paganism into Christianity is the manner in which certain key religious concepts were modified, without being totally obliterated from the new religious language. Residual pagan beliefs persevered, at least for a time, notably that concerning fate. The argument concludes that only after pagan fate was transformed into the concept of god's Providence could the problem of death and salvation in relation to God's power be made fully manifest. Fate had become linked with death as a new beginning within Christian eschatology, and was thus, finally, temporalized."--BOOK JACKET.




The Norns in Old Norse Mythology


Book Description

The nornir - or norns - were a group of female supernatural beings closely related to ideas about fate in the Old Norse tradition. In this book, author Karen Bek-Pedersen provides a thorough understanding of the role played by norns and other similar beings. Surprisingly little has been written specifically about the norns, and this book - now available in paperback - is the first detailed discussion of the norns among the literature dealing with Old Norse beliefs. Although often mentioned in scholarship treating Old Norse culture, the norns are all too often dealt with in overly superficial ways. The book's research goes much deeper in order to properly understand the nature and role of the norns in the Old Norse world view. The conclusions that are reached overturn a number of stereotypical conceptions that have long dominated the understanding of these beings. The book is especially relevant to those interested in or studying Old Norse culture and tradition. However, comparative material from Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Classical traditions is also employed, therefore the book will also be of interest to those with a broader interest in European mythologies.




Fate and the Twilight of the Gods


Book Description

Fate and the Twilight of the Gods: The Norns and an Exegesis of Voluspa contains two sections, the first of which elaborates on the Norns (Nornir) and the concept of fate. In the Traditions of Northern Europe, fate is usually represented as a Goddess consisting of three aspects, known collectively as the Norns, who control the fate of the cosmos, and remain distinct from both the Aesir and the Vanir, but are nonetheless able to control the destinies of mortals and Gods alike. Respectively, the most common names for the Norns are Urdr, Verdandi, and Skuld - each of whom has a special function, weaving a tapestry of words in which the warp and weft of threads become a metaphor for human lives. Together, the three Norns offer a fascinating insight into the nature of magic, language, and metaphysical predeterminism in the Northern Traditions.The second half of the book examines Ragnarok, and provides an exegesis of Voluspa - the prophecy which outlines the inevitable destruction of the world, and the 'Twilight of the Gods'. Ragnarok refers to the doom of the Gods, and by the time Ragnarok concludes, almost every figure featured in the narrative will be dead, and the cycle of time shall begin anew. Ragnarok is examined from the perspective of perennial philosophy and comparative mythology, to explain the esoteric significance of core features in Voluspa and the events which led to Ragnarok, with particular emphasis laid on the Gods Odin and Loki.




The Astrology of Fate


Book Description

Combining an understanding of astrological symbolism and the psychological processes involved in the pursuit of individuality, the author shares insights about how the concept of fate evolves. Through myths, fairy tales, and zodiacal signs, she shows usthis mythological journey.




Warped


Book Description

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.




The Goddess


Book Description

For as long as we have sought god, we have found the goddess. Ruling over the imaginations of humankind’s earliest agricultural civilizations, she played a critical spiritual role as a keeper of nature’s fertile powers and an assurance of the next sustaining harvest. In The Goddess, David Leeming and Christopher Fee take us all the way back into prehistory, tracing the goddess across vast spans of time to tell the epic story of the transformation of belief and what it says about who we are. Leeming and Fee use the goddess to gaze into the lives and souls of the people who worshipped her. They chart the development of traditional Western gender roles through an understanding of the transformation of concepts of the Goddess from her earliest roots in India and Iran to her more familiar faces in Ireland and Iceland. They examine the subordination of the goddess to the god as human civilizations became mobile and began to look upon masculine deities for assurances of survival in movement and battle. And they show how, despite this history, the goddess has remained alive in our spiritual imaginations, in figures such as the Christian Virgin Mother and, in contemporary times, the new-age resurrection of figures such as Gaia. The Goddess explores this central aspect of ancient spiritual thought as a window into human history and the deepest roots of our beliefs.




The Saga of the Volsungs


Book Description

From the translator of the bestselling Poetic Edda (Hackett, 2015) comes a gripping new rendering of two of the greatest sagas of Old Norse literature. Together the two sagas recount the story of seven generations of a single legendary heroic family and comprise our best source of traditional lore about its members—including, among others, the dragon-slayer Sigurd, Brynhild the Valkyrie, and the Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok.




Cycles of Norse Mythology


Book Description

These stories are old, old as the Behmer Wold and seldom in life has there been such a brewing... Cycles of Norse Mythology captures the passion, cruelty, and heroism of an ancient world. Encompassing Odin's relentless pursuit of wisdom across the nine worlds, Gullveig's malicious death at the hands of the Æsir that sparks a brutal war with the Vanir, Thor’s battles against the giants of Jotunheim, the tragedy of Volund, the many devious machinations of Loki, and the inescapable events of Ragnarök, this lyrical re-imagining of the Norse myths presents the gripping adventures of the Norse gods and their foes in a style to delight modern readers of all ages. A detailed glossary provides a quick reference to the meaning behind names and terms used in the book. A Source Reference is included for persons who want to delve deeper into the study of Norse mythology.




The WYRDING WAY


Book Description

This book is the natural unfolding of my own unique destiny thread that I picked up by way of sacred embroidery of my Slavic destiny rug called "Rushnyk" in May of 2017. It continued to unfold in most mysterious but somehow more and more conscious ways through planting seeds of my Celtic Birthtree "Rowan" along powerful places on my journey back to my roots with the Transsibirian Railway through Russia, Kasakhstan (my country of origin) and Mongolia while also embroidering and holding the thread of my ancestral lineage. It continued with powerful connection with the three Norns of the past, present and future and the World Tree "Yggdrasil", all the way to simply becoming a vessel for co-creative destiny weaving together and through the Norns, my Soul and Source. This book is a documentation of my own heroine's journey ever unfolding through "seeing" signs and symbols in embroidered textiles, runes and other interconnected messages in the everyday life with divine eyes. Come with me on this wondrous journey called life and start weaving your own destiny with ALL that you ARE, with all your senses and ALL seeing and feeling. This is the mysterious art of weaving your own destiny- the WYRDING WAY.Testimonials:"Erika shares so very generously the insights and knowledge she has been given during her travels in the Altaimountainregion and it feels very special and personal to be able to take part in this wisdom. It's a rich travelers story to oneself and reading Erika's book I can see the women in Mongolia and Kazakhstan in front of me stitching their destiny thread, and with their help and the inspiration from Erika's book, which can really work as a guide, I hope to be able to pick up my own thread!" (Johanna Norrbo, journalist and writer, Sweden) "The Wyrding Way is an amazing account of Erika's journey in which she masterfully interweaves her life story about finding her roots with her integral vision on life and with the rich and ancient wisdom from the metaphysical world. She is an inspiring example for others in consciously creating your life through what she calls 'destiny weaving'. (Eric Creemers, Filmmaker and Integral Life Coach, Netherlands) "An inspiring, heartfelt and beautifully researched story of our interconnectedness to Life and each other. Erika demonstrates how we can blossom into our Destiny by finding our roots and destiny thread and digging deep." (Julia Maria Maurer, Author, USA)"I was excited by Erika's journey, meeting her teachers, and left anticipating seeing more of that fabulous embroidery." (Susan Hintz Epstein, Author of book "Rune Play", USA)




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