The Norse Calendar: Harpa or Gaukamánuður Month

April 21, 2023 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

Welcome, fellow Heathens, to the month of Harpa or Gaukamánuður. In modern times, this month roughly corresponds with the middle of April and marks the arrival of spring. In Old Norse tradition, Harpa was a time of celebration and renewal. People celebrated because winter gave way to the sun’s warmth and spring’s return.

Etymology of Harpa and Gaukamánuður

The month of Harpa takes its name from the harp. People associated this musical instrument with the goddess Eostre or Ostara, whom pagans celebrated this time of year. Eostre is a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility. Ancient Heathens often depicted her with hares or rabbits, which were symbols of fertility and rebirth.

Gaukamánuður takes its name from the cuckoo, a migratory bird that returns to Scandinavia during the spring. The cuckoo’s arrival heralded the changing season, and the bird became a symbol of spring and renewal.

Celebrating the Return of the Sun

During the month of Harpa, the Vikings celebrated the sun’s return and the longer days. In Norse mythology, the sun is personified as the goddess Sunna, who rides across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot. The Vikings celebrated the return of the sun with festivals and rituals.

The Blót of Eostre or Ostara

One of Harpa’s most important festivals is the Blót of Eostre or Ostara, It is held to honor the goddess of spring and fertility. The Blót was a sacrificial rite in which animals, usually a boar or a goat, were slaughtered and their blood was offered to the gods. The meat was then cooked and shared among the community in a feast that marked the beginning of spring.

During the Blót, offerings of eggs and flowers were also made to the goddess Eostre, as eggs symbolized new life and flowers represented the beauty of nature. The festival of Eostre was also associated with the Christian holiday of Easter, which falls around the same time of year and shares many similarities with the pagan celebration.

Walpurgis Night Festival

Walpurgis Night in Jesenice in Prague-West District, Czech Republic by Chmee2, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Another important festival is Walpurgis Night, which is celebrated on the night of April 30th. Walpurgis Night was named after Saint Walpurga, a Christian missionary who was venerated in Scandinavia. It may sound strange to celebrate this holiday, but the festival, itself, has pagan origins. Unfortunately, the name has been lost to time.

During Walpurgis Night, the Vikings would light bonfires and dance around them. This celebrated the arrival of spring and warded off evil spirits. They believed the bonfires had purifying and healing powers, and people would jump over them for good luck and fertility.

Other Rituals and Activities

Harpa was also a time for spring cleaning and renewal. The Vikings would clean their homes and barns. Now is the time they would repair any damage caused by the winter and prepared for the planting season. They would also perform rituals to bless their crops. To ensure a good harvest, they might sprinkle the fields with holy water or ashes from the Yule log. Or they might make offerings to the land spirits.

In addition to the festivals and rituals, Harpa was also a time for outdoor activities and games. The Vikings would engage in sports such as archery, wrestling, and spear throwing, as well as horse racing and boat races. These activities were not just for entertainment, but also served as a way to train for warfare and maintain physical fitness.

Celebrating Harpa or Gaukamánuður

As modern-day Heathens, we can still honor the traditions of the month of Harpa and celebrate spring’s arrival. We can hold Blót rituals, make offerings of flowers and eggs, and hold feasts with friends and family. We can also perform spring cleaning rituals in our homes and gardens, and take part in outdoor activities that connect us with the natural world.

One way to honor the goddess Eostre is to create an altar or shrine dedicated to her. This can be as simple or elaborate as you like, and can include offerings of eggs, flowers, or other items. You may also wish to light candles or incense in her honor. Use them in meditation on her qualities of fertility, growth, and renewal.

Another way to celebrate the month of Harpa is to hold a bonfire or other outdoor gathering with friends and family. You can gather around the fire, share food and drink, and tell stories or sing songs that connect you with the natural world. You may also wish to perform a ritual or make offerings to the land spirits, asking for their blessings on the coming season.

Finally, you can connect with the spirit of the cuckoo during the month of Gaukamánuður by spending time outdoors and observing the signs of spring. You may hear the cuckoo’s call, or see other signs of wildlife returning after the winter. You can also plant seeds or tend to your garden, honoring the cycle of growth and renewal that is central to this season.

Consider Celebrating Harpa or Gaukamánuður

The month of Harpa or Gaukamánuður was a time of celebration and renewal in Old Norse tradition, marking the arrival of spring and the return of the sun’s warmth. As modern-day Heathens, we can honor this tradition by holding Blót rituals, creating altars to the goddess Eostre, holding bonfires or outdoor gatherings, and connecting with the spirit of the cuckoo and the natural world. By doing so, we can deepen our connection to the season and the cycles of nature, and honor the traditions of our ancestors in meaningful and relevant ways.

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Hail the Goddesses and Gods of Spring

March 21, 2017 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

As we approach the vernal equinox, winter starts to lose her icy grasp and spring slowly slips in. Spring for me means mud season, which isn’t something I or my livestock particularly enjoy. One of my goats gave birth on the Ides of March to a lovely buckling. I had to come up with makeshift quarters for them and bring the kids inside at night due to the cold and predators. I’m now on kid watch for the last pregnant doe of the season, which means checking on her every couple of hours. Yay me. Hence the lateness of the blogs.

Here up north, we’re still in Skadi’s grasp, although the winter goddess is slowly relenting to the gentle hands of the spring goddesses and gods. These goddesses and gods are powerful in their own right, and while we may not know everything about them, I think we can make some good assumptions about them. Let’s look at them.

Courtesy of Magickal Graphics

Eostre or Ostara

If you want to start up an argument between Heathens or between Heathens and Christians, mention Eostre, the Anglo Saxon goddess of spring and rebirth. (In German, it’s believed to be Ostara.) A goodly portion of recons think that Eostre was simply the name of April and St. Bede suggested it was the name of a goddess when it wasn’t. Christians will accuse you of trying to undermine Easter if you mention it. Nevertheless, if you wish to enjoy a feast day to Eostre, do it. I have a whole post dedicated to Eostre and why I think she was probably a real goddess.

In Urglaawe, practitioners believe in the goddess Oschdra (Ostara?) who gives the Oschter Haws (Easter Rabbit) the ability to spread color throughout the world in the spring. The Oschter Haws was brought into Pennsylvania by German settlers where the Easter rabbit laid colorful eggs.

That being said, if you’re an Eostre believer, celebrate with candy, colored eggs, bunny rabbits, and chicks. (The candy, incidentally, is a later addition of more modern times.) Have fun and enjoy yourself. Make an offering to Eostre for the spring.

Idunn

Idunn, of the golden apples fame, is the goddess of spring, renewal, and immortality, is certainly a terrific goddess to honor in the springtime. She’s interesting not only because she’s a powerful goddess, who keeps the gods young, but she wasn’t born into the Aesir or Vanir (though you can make a case for her being Vanir, being a goddess of fertility.) She hails from alfar blood, making her one of the Elves.

She’s particularly important because without her, the gods would grow old and die. Her apples bring youth to those gods who do age.

Freyja

When talking about spring, I feel that you simply must include Freyja. Freyja is a Vanir and a fertility goddess. Without Freyja we would have no beginnings when it comes to new life. She is literally the conception of life, and my own UPG suggests spring is indeed her time. As such a powerful goddess, she has many roles: goddess of war, love, beauty, seidr, and death.

Freyr

If Freyja one of the quintessential goddesses of spring, Freyr is one of the gods of spring. One could make the argument (successfully, I might add), that he is a summer god. But Freyr also has the duty of gestation and growth. He is the male god of fertility, but he is often associated with germination. It just makes sense he is a fitting god for spring.

If you think about Easter celebrations, you’ll note that a traditional Easter meal is a ham. No surprise there. I’ve read that Christianity was happy enough to incorporate the pagan traditions of eating ham at Easter when ham was originally eaten in honor of Freyr. As Heathens, having a traditional ham dinner is certainly a great way to celebrate spring and Freyr.

Thor

On first blush, Thor seems out of place in the list of deities having to do with spring. But the thunderer is certainly considered a god who brings the rains which helps the fields to grow. Little wonder that he is married to Sif, who is a spring/summer goddess in her own right. Thor presides over the wind, rain, and even the crops. It makes sense that he is considered a major god and one who presides over spring and summer.

Sif

If Thor brings about rain to the crops, it is Sif, his wife, who receives the rain. She’s definitely a fertility goddess and an earth goddess. The story about how Loki cuts her golden hair and must find a substitute for her is a suggestion that her hair is the wheat crops. (Incidentally, cutting a woman’s hair was a sign that she was unfaithful — something to think about when reading that Loki found his way into her bedroom and cut her hair while she was sleeping.) But, I digress here. Sif is certainly an earth goddess and spring and summer is her time.

Honoring the Gods and Goddesses of Spring

Springtime is a transition time. As modern day Heathens, we acknowledge that the equinox is the first day of spring. However, in ancient times, our ancestors looked at spring differently. Spring was believed to maybe start with Grundsaudaag or Groundhog’s Day in Urglaawe tradition. The groundhog replaced the badger or bear in German tradition. While, we’re well past Groundhog’s Day, we can hold a feast in honor of spring and our spring gods and goddesses.

Sigrblot usually comes in April and is celebrated with offerings to Freyr and Freyja. Most pagans consider May 1st as a celebration time of spring which includes Walpugisnach. While it may be a more modern interpretation of the Heathen calendar, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy it. Unless you’re a member of the recon rabble, there’s no reason why you can’t adopt Heathen and pagan traditions your own holidays as you see fit.

I mentioned coloring eggs and rabbits as part of the Eostre celebrations. Even if there wasn’t an Eostre, it doesn’t mean that you can’t take our older Heathen traditions that survived and changed, and make them in honor of the spring goddesses and gods you do wish to venerate. I think they will be pleased.

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