Odin, The All Knowing
The Germanic god of wisdom, war and magic, he was worshiped throughout Britain, wherever the Vikings and other Nordic tribes settled. Many places are named after him, or from derivations of his name.
Category: Pantheons
Frigg, Queen of Heaven
Frigg is the mother goddess of the Nordic pantheon, as the wife of Odin she is one of the most powerful goddesses, and ‘Queen of the Heavens’.
She was the daughter of Nott and Nat and the mother of Baldur, the fairest of the gods.
Hel, Queen of Hell
One of the foul creations from the coupling of Loki and the giant Angrboda, Hel was the ruler of the netherworld (Niflheim or Helheim) where men who died out of battle went.
Her realm also had a place for criminals, oath-breakers and assassins, all taboo in Nordic society.
Balder (Baldur/Baldr), The Shinning God
Balder was known as the ‘Shinning God’ or the ‘Bleeding God’ and was the fairest of all the gods in the Germanic pantheon. He was tragically killed by the trickery of Loki.
Wayland, Welund, Volund
Wayland was the traditional Saxon god of smiths who became amalgamated into fairy lore. Many places are associated with Wayland in the British Isles, in particular Wayland’s Smithy, a Neolithic burial chamber in Oxfordshire. He is associated with horses, magic, metalworking, cunning, skill and healing.
Mithra (Mithras)
The Sun God worshipped throughout the Roman Empire since it was first encountered by them in Persia during the reign of Emperor Nero. Mithra was born from a rock within a cave, and his birth was witnessed by a group of shepherds. He has also been depicted as being born from a tree, and at Housesteads on Hadrians Wall, there was a tradition that he came forth from a Cosmic Egg.
Shervage Wood
Shervage Wood has is home to a number of traditions, perhaps because it was once perceived as being enchanted. In legend and folklore the wood was the home of a dragon known as The Gurt Vurm of Shervage Wood. The dragon was said to have the girth of at least three mature oak trees, and was the bane of the local villages eating cattle and making a general nuisance of itself.
Wayland’s Smithy
Wayland’s Smithy is one of the most impressive and atmospheric Neolithic burial chambers in Britain. Somehow this ancient grave became associated with Wayland, the Saxon god of metalworking, from whom it takes its name.
History
Bath (Aqua Sullis)
The hot springs and the Roman bath house are a Celtic/Roman sacred place, dedicated to the Sullis and the goddess Minerva. In myth the sacred spring was discovered by King Bladud, who was cured of leprosy by the healing waters and mud.
Recent Comments