"Freyfaxi blót is sometimes referred to as Harvest blót, this modern hátíð is in honor of Freyr, a god of fertility, agriculture, and harvest. It occurs during the Autumn Equinox (around Sept. 23rd) and is named after a horse of the same name kept by a Freysgoði named Hrafnkell. At this hátíð, it is important to keep all weapons, or edged blades, out of the vé (roped off enclosure). Keep a small table outside the vé for persons to leave their weapons, etc. Try to have the food eaten come from a local farm, or farmer's market, as you can." - Michael J. Smith
Note: I have substituted bread and beer for a sacrificial animal. Michael likes to write in terms of doing a "real" sacrifice. Pretty hardcore, but not something I am prepared to do being a suburbanite. I chose beer since it is more representative of the grain harvest than mead would be, and is more of a nourishing beverage. It's worth noting that beer was a staple food thoughout much of the middle ages.
A. Helga
1. Calling of the Folk
(Michael suggests blowing a horn three times, but I prefer not to alert my neighbors, we simply processed out of the house by candle light.)
2. The Goði speaks a warning about bringing weapons into this holy place as it is a time of peace. Folk are invited to place their steel on a blanket just outside the area of the ve (sacred outdoor space).
3. Hammer Rite and/or Lighting of the Need-Fire
Goði says, "In the name of our holy kin, ancestors and family, we kindle the fires of creation! Let this flame connect us to the fires of life, from the beginning of Orlog until this moment. May the sacred light of our kin burn on in Miðgarð!"
- Lights the bonfire, candle, or glóðker (brazier).
B. Blót
1. Declaration of Hátíð
Goði says, "We gather on this Freyfaxi to give honor and sacrifice to Freyr, Lord of the Fields! Now, we reap what we have sown. The bounties of life and deeds are here for us to take. We give thanks for our food and for the hard work that has brought it to us. The work of the gods, the work of the earth, the work of the many hands, and the lives that were given."
2. Invocation/Calling of the Gods
The Goði (if possible holding deer antlers in his/her hands) says, "From across
Ginnungagap, into Vanaheim and Ljósálfheim we call the Lord of the Ljósálfar! Come
Ingvi-Freyr, take your seat of honor and join us in our harvest! We thank you for the
bounty! Hail Freyr! Hail to your bride, Gerdr. Hail the weights of the land. All are welcome here."
3. A few Words about the holiday spoken by the Goði.
(Michael suggests a reading from Skirnir's Edda or a guided meditation. I chose to sermonize instead. This sounds kinda Wiccan, but oh well, it's how I see it)
"Our Lore records the tale of Freyr and Gerdr. How the mighty Aesir fell deeply in love with this Jotun maiden, but could not see how to woo her. He sent his servant and friend, Skirnir, to her. Skirnir took Freyr's horse and sword along and swore to win the maiden.
The story is something of a Norse "Taming of the Shrew" as Skirnir finds Gerdr unbending and determined not to give in to the gifts and entreats he has brought. Finally, Skirnir threatens to cast a spell on the girl if she will not comply and she relents. Freyr is thus able to meet his love, whom, we gather, grows to love him in return. Yet, in the process, he has lost his sword and will forever after fight his foes using only a stag's antler. Nothing comes to us without sacrifice, it seems.
The tale is symbolic of the process of creation -- the blending of opposites; male and female, fire and ice, earth and sky, and so forth. The mystery of this process lies in the fact that the two seemingly opposing forces are in fact one. Freyr's might is meaningless without Gerdr and Gerdr's destiny as a life bringer can not be fulfilled without Freyr's love and her own strength to yield, which she must find within herself.
Now, at harvest time, we see the year as a cycle of life and the tale of Freyr and Gerdr calls us to consider, through myth, the frozen earth which was warmed, worked, sown with seeds, and nurtured to maturity. Growth resulting from the labors of nature and human hands both.
At spring time, we honored Gerdr, Freya and the mothers of the earth. Now, we honor Freyr as the proud father of the earth's children -- our crops, specifically, but really all of our blessings because they are all rooted in the earth. We see him now as entering his own twilight time, just as the year is. Yet Freyr is not weak or decrepit in old age, he is still strong and vibrant, with a greying beard, but also a well-muscled frame, a sweaty brow, and a grin. He stands by the edge of the mown field looking back upon his life's work with a sense of satisfaction. He knows that the coming cold will only be a time of rest. He knows he has done his best for his kin. And this is why we turn to thank him."
4. Sanctifying of Sacrifice and Beer
The sacrifice and Jug of Beer are brought forth, with reverence, by valkyrie(s).
The Goði holds high a representation of Mjöllnir and says, "By the primordial essences of Fire & Ice, mighty Ása-Þórr, hallow and bless these sacred offerings!"
Then passes the hammer's head over the items.
At this point, the Goði says, "Should any desire to speak over this gift to give thanks or address the Elder Kin, you may do so now."
The assembled folk, one at a time, may step forward and lay a hand on the sacrifice and say a few words.
5. Sacrifice
A valkyrie presents the sacrificial loaf of bread.
(in the future, I would enjoy using a bread horse, I think)
The Goði takes a knife and carves runes in the bread saying,
"I carve Fehu for the wealth and nourishment we have received."
"I carve Othala for the land that has given to us - our birthright and our charge."
"I carve the sign of Sunna who warmed the earth and marks the days."
"Finally, I carve Ingwaz for Freyr, whose gift this is."
He then hold up the loaf and says, "Lord of the Fields! Mighty Ingvi-Freyr, accept our gift for you and your kin!"
He breaks the loaf in half, burns a piece in the fire, and sets a piece on the harrow.
6. Rauð/Blessings to the Folk with Beer
The Goði then takes the jug of beer and fills the horn. He drinks a sip and passes it around the circle so that each person may also drink. One-word toasts are permitted at this time. ("Hail Freyr!")
When the horn returns, the Goði picks up the hlautteinar (wand of bound grains), dips it into the beer, and sprinkles the folk lightly while saying, "May the blessings of Ingvi-Freyr be upon you and your kin."
He then takes the horn and, holding it high over the harrow, says,
"From the gods, to the earth, to us. From us, to the earth, to the gods. A gift for a gift!"
The folk may answer this refrain.
The Goði then pours the contents onto the harrow and says, "Hail Freyfaxi!"
There is much rejoicing!
NOTES:
The Feast:
The weather was perfect - a cool evening with a bright moon and dry air. Good for doing blot outdoors. Not everyone who we invited was able to attend, but since this was a week night, that's to be expected. Those who did come were kind enough to offer food for potluck. We decided to eat first since two guests were going to be late and didn't want to hold everything up. We also figured that would be easier on the kidlings.
We had a real harvest feast with spicy bison chili, roast chicken, buttery butternut squash, fig compote, home-baked molasses bread, home-made cranberry relish, peanutbutter cookies, corn, barley & raisin porridge, and apples with carmel dip. To drink, we offered various beers, cider and good ol' fashioned water. Much of the food stuffs came from our local organic farm and produce stand.
Presentation:
Despite the fact that I have recorded here Michael's original Goði's words, editied and customized by me, it is worth noting that I did not speak them verbatum at the blot. I did my best to memorize them ahead of time, but let my words flow freely during the ritual. I think spontanaity is very important - one should speak from the heart during a holy time. I did, however, read my sermon since I liked how it turned out when I wrote it. I was also careful to be exact with my words when carving the runes and making my closing statement. I like these elements and want to make them traditional.
I didn't think I fumbled as much as I could have considering I am a little out of practice after a summer of no blots. I really only forgot my place once, and I put that down to being tired since we started late.
I tend to prefer a nice balance between formal and informal speech/atmosphere during a blot. Go totally informal and people lose sight of the occasion and accomplish nothing spiritual. Go too formal and you risk being pretentious. I think last night we achieved a good balance. I think if I had an audience accustomed to such ceremonies, I would have tried to be a little more formal and mysterious. But since I had new people present, I saw it as an educational experience and took the time to explain the origins or meaning of some of the steps.
We did have a few silly moments, like when I needed to shift my valkyries around so I could reach the sacrificial elements. Also when the fire took off more enthusiastically than I had expected causing my fire tender to remark, "I think the fire is going to do just fine!" That was cool, though. Having light-hearted moments in a ritual, especially early on, helps people feel at ease so that they can better absorb the important parts when they come around. And I like "keepin' it real" anyway. ;-)
Need Fire:
I really like how Michael stresses the use of the Lighting of the Need Fire instead of hallowing ground using a Hammer Rite. He has a geat sense of how to follow legitimate, ancient practices. I decided to use both, however, to drive the point home and expand the blot just a tad. I may drop the hammer rite in the future if I have a familiar audience - one which is accustomed to the concept of the Ve and the fire.
For our Need Fire, I started the ritual indoors by lighting the candles of my altar using a wooden match. This was "natural" enough for me although someday we'll use my wife's flint and steel kit to light the fire. From these candles, I let a third to carry the flame outdoors. I used that to light a fire in a brazier I have set up in front of my harrow - convenient for people to gather around in a circle. I had taken the time earlier in the day to build a good boy scout teepee. It worked great since I had dry wood, but I think it is essential for anyone considering using a Need Fire to be sure it will burn. Having your sacred flame peter out in the middle of a blot would kinda suck. As a back-up, I had a second candle lit which we could use as a stand-in and also designated one guest as my fire tender and gave him a small stack of wood to feed the flames with if needed. Worked out pretty well.
Runes, Sacrifice and Last Sheaves:
Regarding the runes, I hope I have not offended any runsters out there. I invented the carving idea based on past reading and just went with it because it felt right. I also liked how doing it invested more power in the act of sacrificing. After all, in ancient times, they were actually letting the blood of an animal - that's pretty darned dramatic on it's own. I felt that since we were using bread, a passive thing, we needed to create a more meaningful, intensive way of "killing" it.
This is also why I included the passing of the horn with beer. As noted above, I liked having the beer there as a representation of grain, harvest and nourishment. The beer also stood in for the blood of the sacrificial beast which would have been sprinkled on worshippers (though not drunk!) in ancient times.
Michael suggests using the last portion of the sacrifice as part of the veizla (feast) and I would normally do so. However, since we had eaten earlier, I left the unburned portion on the harrow for the critters to consume. I like sharing with nature this way.
We ended the evening by going back inside and chatting over drinks and noshing on some of the dessert items. I had a vase full of wheat of various types (from the craft store, I admit) as a decoration. I had used some of these wheat stalks to make my hlautteinar for the blot. We now invited the guests to tie Last Sheaves to take home and discussed some of the old Last Sheaf traditions. I think next time I will have the wheat on the harrow and bless it when I bless the other elements of the sacrifice. Anyway, it was a fun activity with which to round out the festivities.
Circumstances/Things I'd change:
The cool part about starting late was that it was dark, so the fire looked grand! On the down side, I was annoyed by the neighbor's yapping dog and the noise of traffic rom the road behind my house. *sigh* However, one guest told me, "Don't sweat it - after the initial 'oh, there's a dog', I totally forgot about them. Didn't intrude really at all." That's cool, but I still wish I had a more rural space for this stuff. Need to go into the woods.
Starting late was a problem this time. It's always tricky doing this sort of thing on a weeknight. I started late because a. I was waiting for two guests to arrive, whom I knew would be late due to a long commute. And b. when we were finally ready, I had one guest who was nursing and I didn't want to make her get up until the baby was done. We also had two toddlers who got very tired as it was past their bedtimes. Their fathers ended up taking them home, leaving their spouses behind to enjoy the rest of the evening. I honor those folk for "taking one for the team" but I would like to do better by them next time. We should perhaps arrange for a babysitting room next time the way we did for the 'Think and Drink'.
Schedule-wise, the plan for the next week-night blot will be to offer a snack (as well as the traditional beer/mead) to arriving guests so people are not starving after a day of work and commuting. Then do the blot as early as possible at a definite time. I'll just have to be harsh and say "If you're not there at X o'clock, we start without you." Difficult for me to do as I have such a small group of interested friends and I hate to exclude anyone who needs/wants the experience. Anyway, we'll feast more fully after the blot, which is how things should work anyway.
