Winter Nights

The Winter Nights, or Vetrnætr, is a twelve-day festival that begins on a night in mid- to late-October. (The exact dates vary with the regional weather; in northern areas it tends to be held earlier.) The name Vetrnætr is Old Norse, composed of two words, vetr meaning winter, and nætr meaning nights.

Winter Nights is celebrated by the Ásatrú; Ásatrú is an Icelandic name, taken by the modern-day Norse and Germanic people who worship the old northern gods (such as Thor, Odin, and Frey) and goddesses (such as Freya and Frigg).

Though its practice was interrupted, Ásatrú has been reconstructed as closely as possible to the original religion of the Northern European people, based on the surviving historical records.

Winter Nights marks the end of summer, the start of the winter, and the beginning of a new year. It celebrates the bounty of the harvest, and it honors the Norse Goddess Freya- goddess of the harvest, artistic endeavors, and passion- and also the Disr, who are the ancestral mothers.

Agenda this week:
1. Set up my ancestor altar (ofrenda)
2. Disr meditation
3. Make more runes
4. Throw the runes
5. Make eplekake (Norwegian apple cake)
6. Feast and blót

1. Set up my ancestor altar (ofrenda):

2018 ofrenda

This is the week I like to set up my ofrenda or ancestor altar.

An ofrenda is a special table for the Mexican Days of the Dead that holds offerings and decorations, such as arches, candles, incense, skeleton toys, marigolds, photographs, sugar skulls, as well as some of the ancestor’s favorite foods and things, and little gifts.

2021

I've been collecting and making things for my ofrenda for years. This year I've arranged:

• a skeleton, to remind me that death is a part of life
• tree of life candles, symbolic of the creation
• photos of my grandparents, father, my in-laws, and Madeline the duck.

2. Disr meditation:
My female ancestors are my Disr- grandmother spirits and guardians of the household. They have special knowledge in matters of family luck, illness, childbirth, personal problems, and other everyday matters.

Today I light a candle on my ofrenda and settle into meditation. I bring a picture into my mind of my grandmothers- those strong German, Dutch, and Anglo women who traveled across the ocean and the frontier. I read their names out loud, and picture them gathering around me. 

I ask my grandmothers to make themselves known to me and stand by me during the coming year, that I may face the demands of the world with the wisdom of my kin at my back.

3. Make more runes:

Runes are an ancient writing system created about 100 - 200 AD by Germanic tribes and spread all over middle and northern Europe by the migration of these tribes. The runes were used by the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Angles and Saxons. They are found inscribed onto stone, bone, and metal, and were used for poems and ornamentation, as well as divination. 

I've been working on a set of runes, burned onto circles cut from a hazel branch. Today I will add to my collection.

4. Throw the runes:
Runes are used as a divination tool- I don't have a complete set yet, so I use virtual runes such as the ones at Ifate.Today I asked, "What is happening next with the book I'm writing?" and I got this reading:

 
1- Basis: Dagaz (Dawn, awakening) indicates that my life is in balance and a new day is dawning. (Yep - I am pretty happy with my life right now.) A major transformation is occurring as the first light of a new day breaks over the horizon. Possibilities are everywhere. (I got this same rune in this position last year!)

2- Obstacles: Nauthiz (Needs, troubles) is like a canyon or icy crevasse between my current position and my goal. Nauthiz is a demand that overwhelms my savings, or the yearning of the soul which is currently unfulfilled. This indicates a need to retrain, relearn, and plan effectively in order to get what I want - which is, I think, to publish my book.

3- Blessings: Thurisaz (Conflict) represents the treachery of the Frost Giants and the need for vigilance and responsibility in the face of opposition. (This rune illustrates the old Norse view of winter and the elements: Beauty and danger combined in physical form; a time of trials.) My blessing, then, is a time of discipline, sacrifice, hardship - part of the cycle of life that will lead to the spring. 

4- Near future: Hagalaz (Creative destruction) is a small form of Ragnarok, Judgement Day, when our world and the world of the gods will both be destroyed, and a vast process of universal rebirth will begin. I can expect a destruction in the near future that is necessary in order to bring about rebirth of a new phase of my life.

5- Destination: Uruz inverted (Lack of power) is an upside-down ox, symbolizing an energy-sapping situation. One interpretation is that after the creative destruction I'm going to undergo, I will need to release any clinging to power dynamics and be like a newborn baby.

5. Make Eplekake (Norwegian apple cake)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 c. softened butter
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• 3 apples

Topping

• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with a piece of parchment cut to size.

2. Blend together the flour and the baking powder in a bowl.

3. In a separate mixer bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture and blend together. Slowly add in the milk until everything is well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. 

4. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Top the cake mixture with the apple slices, laying them tightly next to each other and pressing them into the batter slightly as you go along. 

5. Mix together the brown sugar, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and butter, and sprinkle over the cake.

6. Bake for about 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and you can check the cake with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

6. Blót:

After the food, the people would have a blót, which means “to worship with sacrifice”. The purpose of the blót is to thank the gods for a successful end to the growing season, to share the bounty with the gods, and to ask for protection against the harshness of winter. The old prayer was til árs ok friðar, “for a good year and frith (peace)”.

In the old days the sacrifice would have been a blood sacrifice of a horse, pig, or cow, because they were farmers and had those. Today the Ásatrú usually substitute mead, beer, or juice. The offering is made with a lot of ceremony, and those gathered can sense that the deity has tasted the drink. After that the group passes the mead around and everyone makes a toast and takes a sip.