Taken directly from the book "Norse Mythology" by John Lindow
Merseburg Charms
For an injury:
"Phol (Fulla?) and Wodan (Odin) went to the forest.
Then Balder's (Baldr) horse sprained its foot.
Then Sinthgunt sang charms, and Sunna her sister;
Then Friia sang charms, and Volla her sister;
Then Wodan sang charms, as he well could:
Be it bone-sprain, be it blood-sprain, be it limb-sprain;
Bone to bone, blood to blood,
Limb to limb, so be they glued together"
This is where the chant I gave a few months ago originated from and has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years.
We learned what Galdr is, now let's look at the word "seid"
In its most basic definition it's Odin's divination and magick. Let's read a bit from an ancient skald (poet). Of course it loses it's poetic flow when translated to english.
"Odin knew that art called seid, which the greatest power accompanied, and he carried it out himself. Through it he could determine the fates of men and things yet to happen, and also to arrange death or bad luck or ill health for people, and further to take the mind or strength of people and give it to others. And this magic art, when it is carried out, is accompanied by so much ergi (sexual perversion) that it did not seem shameless for men to indulge in it, and so this art was taught to priestesses."
Now keep in mind, Odin is not just a god of wisdom and magick, but of death as well, and later surpassed Thor in popularity among the warrior's and was recognized as over war as well. So for him, defeating enemies and death in general was his job and is a pretty normal thing. Think of the vikings. They weren't "cuddly" in the least, and neither is their god Odin. He was the top of the Norse god hierachy and therefore was also the final say/judge.
Fun fact...Odin and Sleipnir (his eight legged flying horse) are the origin of Santa Claus and his eight flying reindeer. It seems Odin became a little soft in his old age. I kid! It's only the origin, I wouldn't try calling Odin, Santa Claus.
Only the quoted parts were taken from the book, which have taken them from various sources and explained them in detail. A great book I would recommend for those serious in learning about Norse mythology. It is not a light read!
Anything not in quotations was me.
Currently, I am in search for the best translation of the Poetic Edda. Apparently there are many poorly made translations. Since I don't know Scandinavian, I want to find the absolute most accurate version. I've read it many times over, but only to discover they were "poor" translations. =(
Once I am satisfied with one, I'll share some of it here. It's a wonderful text I would also recommend. But it's best to read it after understanding the basics of Norse myth, otherwise you may not be able to follow along easily.
Raven: I am just recently starting out in Magick, though I've been interested init since I was young, under the age of ten,and the Runes were what innitially sparked my interest. I first came across them in a book on Dragonology that I bought in the school book fair, and from the moment I saw them, I knew that they were more than just an alphabet. What would you suggest to be a good read on the Runes, their history and their uses, as well as the history behind Norse mythology?
When I was thirteen, I walked into my favorite metaphysical store (a store I practically grew up in!) and was looking for a new book to read. A man who worked there was a vitki (practioner of rune/norse magick) and also happened to be the one who selected and ordered all books for the store. We spoke and his words were so inspiring, I asked him what book would be best to learn more from. He handed me "Principles of Runes" by Freyja Aswynn. An amazing book! She is a fantastic author on the runes. He also recommended that I read the Thorsson books, which I did later on. "Runelore" from Thorsson is one of my favorites.
As for internet sources, sunnyway.com/runes has a vast amount of information. If I didn't know better, I would believe that the vitki that set me on my path with the runes was the owner of this site! There is enough information there to give you weeks of reading. I came across it about seven years ago and I've never come across any internet resource that has come close to comparing with its excellence concerning the runes. But the site alone is not enough. I have been using the runes for over ten years and I still continue to expand my knowledge of them and norse mythology/culture in general.
