10 December
Namnsdag Malin
(to grind, become authentic)

Drifts

Ilmarinen, great smith,
placed into his forge

the tips of white-swan feathers,

the milk of greatest virtue,

a single grain of barley,

the finest wool of lambkins

He blew upon his bellows
looked into his forge and saw a glorious crossbow forming
it sang with promises of great ability to kill in battle.
But Ilmarinen […]

9 December Namnsdag Ann, Anna
(the scent of the divine, a feeling of wonder)

New moon, a door opens

Mountain Breath
we long for a new beginning or is it the ancient one?

morning
new
I can see
smell
feel
a new morning

One step
another
day
day and night
week
month
year

Years
tens
hundreds
thousands

that’s how I grow out of this earth
to the earth

I

and those like me

Valkeapaa

8 December Namnsdag Vera
(sojourn- a moment to pause in comfort)

Grandfather visits my backdoor. He is a wise relative of the hudra-folk.
These are the last days of the old cycle. We honor our kindred, review our lessons, reflect. For a moment longer we pause, look inward. Soon we will step onto the bridge, then we will […]

7 December Namnsdag Angelika
(Sweet fragrance that enters the living body)

Winter Poem VII
Multiple meanings can be found. Another day of honoring a kindred.
Angelica is a plant which grows on the tundra. It is an important food source.
step by step
smell of green grass, the first grass
blue heather
Angelica
wood sorrel
upland waters
towards the sky
Valkeapaa

Today the Sun rides over the […]

6 December Namnsdag Nikolaus
Ni-ko-laus (no-cow -useless)
We are in the sacred days of Ullr. Today we honor our kindred, the female reindeer. In a culture with some 150 words for snow and an equally large number for reindeer there is no useless cow. Reindeer allowed the Northwind people to survive 10,000 years in harsh environment.
Is it […]

5 December namnsdag Sven, Svante

Sven: Swedish
Svante: swan

Winter Poem II

Myth: Swan maidens; Valkyries.
There are two ways to interpret the Valkyrie, one is
val-kyrja, f. a chooser of the slain, Valkyrie
The older definition I prefer
val-mær, f. - valkyrja.
valr (-a, -ir), m. hawk, falcon.
mær, f. - a maid who answers to Freya, goddess of […]