NAVIGATION

Gullveigr versus Freyja

Turville-Petre's suggested identification of Gullveigr with Freyja was based on Dumezil, whose eagerness to force all of Norse mythology to fit into his tri-functional model has been rapudly losing support over the past couple of decades. For a good review and critique of this and other theories, see the entry for Gullveigr in Rudolf Simek's "Dictionary of Northern Mythology," pp. 123-24. A novel theory which I find intuitively appealing was advanced by Lotte Motz in her 1993 article, “Gullveig's Ordeal: A New Interpretation,” ANF vol. 108, pp. 80-92. Based mainly on etymological clues, Motz hypothesized that the reference to Gullveigr's repeated deaths in Voluspa was an early form of the "John Barleycorn" folk motif - and Gullveigr is a personification of the golden mead of the gods. No relation to Freyja.

Perhaps this Saga Conference article by John McKinnell throws some light on the matter:-

It is fairly obvious that the narratives in Völuspá and Baldrs draumar resemble these two patterns in some respects, but that they do not altogether fit into them. In Völuspá st. 22 we encounter another völva called Heiðr, who is usually supposed to be a transformation of a figure called Gullveig (apparently one of the Vanir). I think this is a mistaken interpretation, and that Heiðr is more probably the narrating völva of the poem. The name also appears at the end of Hyndluljóð 32, among a list of giants of both sexes, where it is immediately followed by a line about the mythological ancestry of völur. This poem (or at least this section of it) is referred to by Snorri as Völuspá in skamma, and it shows clear textual echoes of the longer Völuspá; for its poet, Heiðr was clearly a giantess (like the narrating völva of Völuspá) whose name prompted a line about völur in general. Whether we give the narrator of Völuspá a name or not, she was brought up (or brought forth) by giants and remembers nine worlds (st. 2) - probably the nine worlds of the dead, into which human beings die out of Hel, according to Vafþrúðnismál 43. She is paid for her prophecy with hringa ok men (st. 29). Her magic is performed in a trance (leikin, st. 22) and her prophecy is delivered in vatic fornyðislag verse to a patriarchal figure, in this case Óðinn; it represents a truth which she ‘sees’ (the verb is also used by the völur called Heiðr in Hrólfs saga and Örvar Odds saga), and one of her refrains - vitu› ér enn, e›a hvat? -is echoed several times by the giantess Heiðr in Hyndluljóð (viltu ennlengra?)50 and once by the enchantress Busla in Bósa saga (e›a viltu flulu lengri?). The patriarch has three sons (by different mothers, so that they are half-brothers to each other) who figure in a central episode of the action (the killing of Baldr and the revenge for it). The völva’s prophecy includes the death of the patriarch figure (though not at the hands of his sons), and fire is involved, although it is not the actual cause of his death.

Footnotes:
32 For the protegé stories, this may be best illustrated by the sheer variety of magical tasks accomplished by the völva on the protagonist's behalf: informing him of the magical spells he needs (Svípdagsmál), or of his opponent's movements (Gull-fióris saga); raising a storm to make the opponent vulnerable to the hero (Gull-fióris saga); making her protegé invulnerable to weapons (Fóstbræðra saga 9-10); making him invisible to pursuers after he has carried out a wounding (Fóstbræðra saga 9-10) or a killing (Fóstbræðra saga 23); reciting a poem to give him a fair wind (Fóstbræðra saga 10); healing his wounds (Fóstbræðra saga 23, Hauks fláttr); travelling with gandar in her sleep in order to discover a danger threatening him (Fóstbræðra saga 23); supplying him with a magic weapon (Hauks fláttr); raising up a dead man to discover the future (Saxo). Ynglinga saga ch. 13 (and Ynglingatal 3, narrative verse, fornyrðislag).

43 ed. Finnur Jónsson, 20-1; Flateyjarbók I, 81-2.

Ref: Encounters with Völur by John McKinnell University of Durham 11th International Saga Conference

Rune Scholars versus Rune Experts

Generally speaking, the decent literature on futhark runes come from rune scholars or archaeologist who touch on the runic field. I have an admiration and respect for both these sources as regards the runes. However, a great deal of New Age wiccan based disinformation has also been written by popular best selling "pot boilers" from publishing houses such a Llewellyn and her clones. The problem as I see it is that these authors suddenly become acclaimed "Rune Experts" or legends in their own minds, some even believing in their own brand of "expertise". I wrote a short article on this subject a little while ago:

Rune “Experts” versus Rune Scholars (or the 5 points of fellowship)
There seems to be a great deal of confusing ideas today concerning the ever growing trend on the internet and other mind, body and spirit bookstore outlets not to differentiate between academic rune scholars and those who call themselves “rune experts”. A scholar is usually a student or someone who has achieved a "mastery" of one or more academic disciplines. With the relative ease anyone can purchase ready made “pseudo-scholarships” today, is it little wonder that this is sometimes near impossible to make out between the two types. So here are some guidelines to help the neophyte identify rune scholars from rune experts:

Rune Scholars Profile:

1) Qualified at the University level to degree, masters or even a doctorate in runes and possibly Indo-European Languages
2) Field work, archaeology and written sources their mainstay. Insistent on verifying sources with vast bibliographies to back up their arguments
3) Published authors in their specialized field via University Publishing Houses or equivalent.
4) Hold seminars with other scholars and students to promote mutual exchange of ideas.
5) They are not intimidated by critical remarks or questions, in fact scholar embrace challenges to their theories or sources

Rune Experts Profile:

1) Self professed student of life. College drop out or perhaps they never even dropped in? Literacy and numeric skills seriously wanting and they usually avoid forums that require you to write or type like the plague.
2) Unverified Personal Gnosis via magickal experiments is their root source and if you dare disagree, they usually threaten you with a few choice curses claiming they are powerful sorcerers
3) Self published or one of the many Llewellyn clone publishers who print virtually any garbage.
4) Hold fan club gatherings where they hope to sell more rune courses, runes or recruit more students into their rune clubs.
5) Don’t even go there, you will wind up being cursed by one of their many powerful psychic warriors (rune course wanabes)

Finally as an idea of what rune scholars I read up on and listen to here is the resume of one such scholar:

Professor Antonsen's research is in historical, comparative and synchronic Germanic linguistics, runic inscriptions; phonology, morphology, and orthographics

See: http://www.linguistics.uiuc.edu/people/antonsen.html

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