Wrote a Hymn to Rán (Well, I've written three so far, but this is the one I'm sharing as part of an ongoing project)

y'know until I'm looking through the Poetic and Prose Eddas, i forget just how much Arknights took from Norse mythology (particularly for the Ægir)

What about Heimdall? He was born of 9 mothers, so he wasn't woMAN born, but woMEN born.

Heimdall is... complicated. People have tried to bring up "womEn" vs "womAn" before in the context of the parents being lesbians, but that has always just felt like such a lame explanation to me. For our purposes, if the character was born of at least one woman, then they don't count for the Birth Parent Clause.

At the same time, however, being born of 9 different women is certainly... esoteric. Unfortunately, we don't have any clear answers as to the logistics of how this was meant to have worked, and it's apparently a topic of heavy debate among historians and scholars; it always just said (paraphrased) "Heimdall was the son of Odin and nine sisters."

One popular (though not necessarily accurate) theory is that the nine mothers were the Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, who were personifications of ocean waves. This would imply that Heimdall was 'born of the sea,' perhaps in a similar manner to Aphrodite. However, this theory starts to hold a lot less water (hehe) when you take the names of these women into account. Völuspá hin skamma, an Old Norse poem, listed out the names of Heimdall's 9 mothers as Angeyja, Atla, Eistla, Eyrgjafa, Gjálp, Greip, Imð(r), Járnsaxa, and Ulfrún, and these have reportedly appeared in a variety of other sources that slightly strengthen the validity of this list. The Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, however, have a completely different list of names which are listed multiple times in the Prose Edda: Blóðughadda, Bylgja, Dröfn/Bára, Dúfa, He(f/v)ring, Himinglæva, Hrönn, Kólga, and Uðr/Unn. Again, two very different lists of names.

On top of all of that is the whole idea that when these Norse myths say there are "nine" of something, that it's not necessarily exactly 9, but just "a bunch." Like how sometimes we would say "a dozen" even if what we're talking about doesn't necessarily come in 12. So we don't even know if it's specifically 9 mothers.

All of this is to say, uh. Shit's fucked, bro? I don't think this'll ever get a real answer unfortunately so white boy is just gonna stay uncategorized I guess

Heimdall was also submitted by @an-actual-literal-egg. Thank you both for your submissions!

Here is my addition to Mermay! The rulers of the seas, Rån(Rán) and her husband Æge(Ægir). They are both jotuns but I based their design on the Vetter(a collective term for all magical creatures from Scandinavian folklore)Marmennil(Æge) and Margygr(Rån).

Marmennil(Mar = Sea, Mennil = Old man) looks like tiny mermen but they either have the face of an old man(some telling they have the face of a child). They are benevolent and will reward fishers for their kindness. (Like giving them pieces of clothing like a sock, glove, or a hat. They get cold lol) They can see into the future, warn fishers of incoming disasters, and show them good fishing spots.

Æge is a pretty chill fellow. He is mostly known for throwing parties for the Norse gods.

Margygr(Mar = Sea, Gygr = female term for a jotun/troll) is the murderhobo of the sea, and their favorite hobby is drowning young seafarers. They are a bad omen and usually show up before a terrible storm. If they throw a fish in the seafarer's boat it means there will be many casualties or a shipwreck. If she eats the fish there might still be hope for the men.

Rån is the complete opposite of Æge, she views humans as trespassers and uses her net to trap and drown seafarers with the help of her and Æge's nine daughters. Himinglæva, Duva, Blodughadda, Herving, Unn, Ronn, Bylga, Båra and Kolga.(Their names all mean "Wave" lol. They are also all the mothers of Heimdall.)

#fantasy #folklore #troll #characterdesign #faefolk #gygr #mermay #norsemythology #rån #æge #marmennill #margygr #sjøgyger #marmel #skandinavia

Hey norse pagans! *Leans close and whispers*

Reconstructing historical festivals and holidays is especially tough for us, isn’t it? Because there’s just so little evidence of anything, and even though Håkon the Good gave us a pretty good idea of some historical practices, it’s far from enough to have a clear idea of the actual celebrations, right? Plus, I bet your schedule’s tightly packed and that at least twice a year, you find yourself going: “Is it already [insert holiday]???”, and “crap, I forgot to prepare this or that for [insert holiday]”. Well my friend, let me tell you two important tips I’ve learned from years of trying to keep up with the proverbial wheel of the year. The first: holidays aren’t mandatory, especially not if you practice paganism alone, and especially since we know so little of holiday celebrations within germanic tribes, and during the Scandinavian Iron Age. Second *leans closer*: there’s nothing keeping you from making up your own festivals! If history hasn’t left us a lot of evidence on how your main deity/deities was worshipped, who’s to keep you from picking a spot on the calendar and going: “this day is all about [insert deity]”. You’ll have the possibility of listing out pre-determined rites and offerings. Are you going to sing songs? Recite poems? Decorate? Is there a symbol that’s prominent on that day? There are many ways to honor deities, and it’s fun to give oneself a chosen structure to follow when it comes to deity worship. Plus, it’s all the more rewarding to celebrate the seasons according the weather in one’s own area! I’m usually not in the mood to celebrate the coming of spring when it’s still -30 Celsius outside. In that regard, I give myself the leeway to diverge from historical practice and to celebrate the coming of spring when its does actually start to feel like spring! The crops are reaped a bit earlier than the 31st of October, in my area. For this reason, my Álfablót usually happens halfway through that month, and is spread out onto three days (the first for the ancestors, second for the álfar, and third for Freyr). So don’t hesitate to think up your own little holidays, and play around with the freedom it gives you! Just to give you guys a few ideas of where to start with this, I’ll add a little “holiday starter pack” right below!

Step one: choose the date! Is there a day of the week that’s associated with your chosen deity/deities? A season, or type of weather in particular? Maybe a time of day?

Step two: figure out the general “mood” of the holiday. Do you want it to be a time to party? To be grateful? To connect with loved ones? To be at peace? Or a time of self-reflection and silent introspection? (Every year, I dedicate a full day of silence to Víðarr.) What’s the goal of the holiday? What are you celebrating?

Step three: think of some ritual offerings! It’s no big deal if, for whatever reason, you can’t actually offer them up: the idea of these offerings will suffice to help you define this holiday better. Will you be offering a specific food, or drink? Or a particular craft, or a depiction of an animal?

Step four: will you be decorating? If so, what’ll serve as the theme for decorations? Are you going to buy them or make them yourself?

Step five: is there an activity, or activities that you would want to engage in to honor the deity/deities on this day? If so, what’ll it be? I love to cook to honor Freyr, for example (this year, I made a seasonal pumpkin soup in His honor)! You could also go swimming for Rán and Ægir, or take a walk in the woods for Jörð. What do you think would please the deity/deities this day is dedicated to?

Step six: will you be inviting someone, or people over? It doesn’t matter if they’re pagan or not: if you want to celebrate with friends or family, any excuse is good to invite people over! Still, even if you celebrate alone, you’re certain to have lots of fun! So don’t worry about this last step if you feel uncomfortable with it.

Aegir - God of The Ocean Ægir, Hlér or Gymir is the Norse God of The Sea and Ocean. He is associated with the tumultuous and unpredictable nature of the water and the brewing of ale. He is a gracious and hospitable host though he is formidable when crossed. Aegir is considered jötnar (giant) but is still associated with the gods and invited to feasts. His wife is Rán, Goddess of the Sea. They share nine daughters; the nine waves.

Hail to the Gods of the Waters

Hail Njörðr! Hail Rán! Hail Ægir! Hail to the Nine Undine Goddesses! Thank you for the bounty of the sea, of life that swims and strains Thank you for the sweat of fishermen, the strong meat of the oceans That raise up from the depths and nourish us Thank you, Holy Ones. Hail to the Gods of the Seas, the Oceans, the Rivers, the Lakes, and the Streams! Hail to the Gods of the Waters,…

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Thinking about Jötunn Billy thanks to @thediktatortot.

Billy formed by the sea and washed up ashore as a baby. He’s a tiny, helpless little thing when his adoptive mother finds him. Unable to have children of her own, she prayed for a child to be delivered to her. She visited the shore every day. The nine daughters of Ægir and Rán heard her prayers, forming the baby out of clay and seaweed and salt, molding him in their waves until he is perfect, beautiful, hair golden and eyes marine. When she brought the baby back home, her husband Neil was ‘delighted’… but unbeknownst to her, he was the reason she could not carry children. He had been given a prophesy that his first born son would end his life, so he had a witch curse his wife never to bear children.

Neil tried every which way to get rid of the baby, but Billy survived every trial. First, he tried to return Billy to the sea but he was spat back out. When he was a little bit older, Neil tried to throw him down a waterfall. Billy was carried by fish back to their home. This continued throughout his life, but he grew bigger and stronger and more and more powerful with every hurdle he overcame but Neil grew more reckless and desperate too. Billy’s mother had fallen ill - or rather she had been poisoned by Neil. Neil advised him that the only way to cure her was to acquire a scale from the back of the legendary sea serpent Jörmungandr. Billy would do anything for his mother, and so he accepted the challenge… on the condition that Neil help steer the boat.

Hubris getting the better of him, of course Neil agreed. He could easily stab and kill Billy, throwing him overboard miles away from the shore. His mother didn’t really need the serpent’s scale. It was a mild poison. She would heal in time. Billy and Neil set out on their journey. Billy spoke to the waves, the fish, and the rain, asking where he could find the serpent. Figuring they were far enough out at sea, Neil brought his knife out from under his cloak while Billy’s back was turned. He had been looking at someone or something in the water. Talking to it, when he saw Neil’s reflection on the surface of the water - the knife raised above him. Neil looked down in horror at giant pale eyes and silvery scales. Sensing the danger Billy was in, Jörmungandr lifted himself out of the water and swallowed Neil whole.

Billy was merely asking the serpent for a loose scale when Neil came up behind him. It turns out the prophesy was much less, your firstborn will kill you and more your pursuit to kill your firstborn will kill you.

The end.

How I write Rán's name 🪼

Requested by @agentduckorico

ᚱᚨ/ᛅᚾ, Elder/Younger Futhark

It's a jellyfish! :D I've been doing some experiments with cipher runes to make different sea creatures with her name as well. I posted a couple on my ☕️.

May many more billionaires be caught in her net. 🤞

If you use, please tag me…I wanna see~

Buy me a coffee

Commission yer own bindrune/sigil

Draw this bindrune with me

Deity Name Requests:

Njörðr

Freyr

Ràn

Ægir

Freyja

Oops, more psychopomps.

Thinking that because DJ technically exists at the same time as the Ferryman of the Damned, there might be more ferries for the dead. These are the only four captains that have designs so far, Davy Jones, the Ferryman (originally Fergus Wright), Captain Hook, and Cassandra Hadden "the Ashen King". There's also Atticus Britt, and Ràn.

There are seven ships all together, the Flying Dutchman, her long lost sister ship known as the Sunken Scotsman (uncaptained currently), the Ferry of the Damned (originally the Solstice), the Jolly Roger, Ægir's Tempest (Rán), Vulcan's Forge, and the Golden Hailstone (Atticus)

And yes I will talk more about this idea if prompted

Blóðughadda - The Mother Of Heimdall.

Old Norse Blóðughadda - "The One With The Bloody Hair".

Blóðughadda as one of nine daughters ("billow maidens") of Ægir and Rán in Northern mythology, each name reflecting a different characteristic of ocean waves. Her name was perhaps supposed to convey the thread-like, wispy appearance of the water streaming from the crest of the wave.

location: Hrimthur's Outpost notes: his leg is broken so he's entertaining kids to distract himself

Sat on the stoop of an old ironwood step, Alrik’s fist thumped repeatedly on the support beam his back rested against. A fire of wood gathered from the nearby, sparse, dark trees had been treated so that it would burn. Shadows flickered against the old stones of the ancient outpost, untouched furniture that was battered or turned over had been pulled away from the frozen floorboards and righted for the Iskarans that dotted the chamber. 

Children sat around the skald as he spun a story for their wide eyes. Alrik’s broken leg remained propped on a chair, padded with furs as he recovered; every day the healer worked at the injury. They’d saved the leg, but it would be some time before the witch walked without assistance. Some said he should be grateful, though the words came out haunted under the shadow of what they’d lost over the past weeks. Their last night at Nornwatch was a month behind them, a month without a word of the Ones Taken, but still, the troupe pressed forward.

His fist thumped rhythmically like the flat of an ax beating against an Iskaran dragonboat, shields thumping upon the tides as Alrik painted a picture with the quick of his tongue. 

“Here comes the story of Helgi, slayer of King Hunding and forever known after as Helgi Hundingsbane, determined by the Norns to be a most famous Prince.” Alrik recounted the old story as he leaned in and lowered his voice an octave as his father, Asbjorn, had done before his death. “Who refused the blood tax of Álfr, Eyiólf, Hiörvard, and Hávard.” His fist continued to thump, “Chosen by the Valkyrie, Sigrún, to be her husband, he said upon the tides of Rán’s dread-daughters: Blóôughadda, Bylgja, Dröfn, Dúfa, Hevring, Himinglæva, Hrönn, Kolga and Uôr.” 

His voice twisted around their names as he grinned broadly but moved the fingers of his free hand to simulate the waves. “Battered and turned asunder, once the longships regrouped, only Kolga’s sisters could be heard crashing.” Alrik beat harder. “A sound as if swells and bluffs were bursting. Helgi had the high sails heightened, the unfailing crew rallying through the rollers, Ægir's ire sent her dreaded daughters trying to overthrow their stay-bridled sea-steeds.”

Alrik smiled as the children leaned in with wide eyes and open mouths. A sigh followed as the hammer suddenly ceased. "The rest will have to come tomorrow." A groan shuttered through the small crowd of youths but the witch only shrugged.

"Don't worry, this one will have a happy ending." Alrik assured one of the adults who lingered, "Is one of them yours?" He gestured towards the kids that had scampered off to entertain themselves elsewhere in the room, pestering adults who'd previously been enjoying the reprieve the skald had been providing.

The rain brings in the sea smell where we live and it inspired me to do a quick “hey youre cool” to Ægir, Rán, and Njord 💜 (my mother in law gave us smart bulbs that change color so that’s how I got the teal look)

Big mood re: Odin popping in. First time I really started looking more into heathenry at large (I've been very strongly called to Rán and Ægir, and focused there first (spoiler there's not a lot to focus on there)), I found a norse paganism podcast and decided to listen to it on the way to work. At one point I stopped at a stop sign and there were two crows sitting on it, which I'd never seen before, and i was like ah. Hey man. Sup.

Than is such a good annecdote xD Thank you for sharing! ❤️ The All-Father kicking in the door with information and/or propositions is like, the universal baby heathen experience I find hahaha. I've not come across a heathen yet that hasn't had him as a first point of contact or came across him super early on in their exploration, even if they didn't end up practicing in the end or firmly moved on to other gods. He's so welcoming, but in a forceful way XD

Loki & The Siren; Chapter Five

In which Una spends some time at home before heading to Asgard and learns things are not as they seem.

Fic Synopsis:

This is the story about how you met and fell in love with Loki, hundreds of years before the events in Avengers, while his family was visiting Alfheim, where you were a siren.

It is a companion piece to Lightning Over the Sea-Redux to give more insight into your past and relationship with Loki.

Previous Chapter

The weeks stretch on endlessly without Loki, and you find yourself struggling to fill the void he left behind. You immerse yourself in the study and practice of the magic he taught you, but the memories of him linger. In an effort to distract yourself, you allow various suitors to court you, but their attention pales in comparison to the passion you experienced with the mischievous god. You are missed in your usual circles, but you find it challenging to engage with others, your thoughts constantly consumed by the memory of him.

Back home in the dark depths of the sea, your sisters press you for details about your time with the Asgardian prince and the Summer Court. Naturally, most of them are very jealous, but none so much as Blóðughadda, your eldest sister named so for her hair the color of fresh mortal blood. You can feel her resentment like a cold tide washing over you, and you know that she will stop at nothing to sabotage your happiness.

"Adda, I don't know why you must pester me so," you have grown tired of her constant questions about Loki. "I feel as though I could tell you every minute detail, and you would still be unsatisfied."

"I can tell you are keeping something from me, Una," she glares at you with a sneer. "If I didn't know how much you crave power, I would think you lying to me about your achievements at the masquerade. How did you amass such strength without anyone noticing? You would be better off telling me before I find out on my own and share what I learn with our father."

"Oh, Adda," you chuckle darkly. "If father has not chosen to fill you in, mayhap we can assume he does not think you are important enough to know."

You don't know how much Ægir knows about your relationship with Loki or the deal you made with Frigga. (Not to mention whatever deal Frigga made with Ægir for him to allow you to leave.) But you hope implying that he is well informed and turning your sister's insecurity back on herself is an excellent way to get her off your back.

As powerful and respected members of the Dark Court, Ægir and your mother Rán have a significant influence over the court's affairs, their Jötunn and Æsir blood setting them apart from the other Fae. The reigning queen knows this, leaving their affairs to them to control with little input from her. Therefore, as a gesture of good faith and with no heirs of her own, she has named you and your sisters princesses of the Dark Court. Not that any reigning Dark Court faerie has ever had an heir rise to the throne. The Dark Court has not seen a peaceful transfer of power in a millennium, preferring to let the most powerful Fae rise to the top to prove their worth. It has led to the Dark Court consistently growing in strength, much to the dismay of the other courts, who are more embroiled in politics and nepotism.

Your attempt to trigger Adda works and she storms off, leaving you alone. You swim back toward your rooms, leaving the common area where your sister had confronted you. As you make your way, you run into Fimafeng and Eldir, co-captains of your father's guard. They are dressed in their finest silver armor, and you can't help but wonder who is visiting that would make them go through the trouble of attaching all of those hidden buckles. You had helped more than one guard out of that armor in the past and found it to be more trouble than it was worth. The two of them greet you with a nod and a smile, and you can't shake off the feeling that something important is about to happen.

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