My First Blót

Awesome day!

First, my handcrafted Asatru blót bowl, oath ring and blót altar came today - IN TIME FOR MY FIRST BLÓT! on Thor's Day filled with an all day thunder-rain-lightning storm! Is that not so WYRDLY COOL or what!?

So, even though I had planned on another day, I did my first blót today, incorporating into the Hleifblót my Troth-claiming rite, Sacred Name-claiming rite, a blót to Hel, Loki and Thunor specifically (plus to all of the gods and goddesses together) and ritually blooding my three sets of runes (Elder, Younger and Anglo-Saxon). I used my bottle of premium black honey mead (originally designated to be used in a blót specifically for Hel) for this first blót - I couldn't get the cork out the bottle of the premium regular honey mead I had planned to use. Ok, so Hel wants her mead now, I thought - I can do that.

The main part of the blót went rather uneventfully, but look what happened to my brand new, not even a day old altar as I was blooding my runes:

Loki attends Heid's troth-claiming, name-claiming, rune-blooding first Hleifblót.

Yes, indeed, the fire giant was in attendance. I was so caught up in the act of blooding my runes (as while doing it, I was listening to Songs of Yggdrasil by Freya Aswynn) that I hadn't even noticed that the flame of my Troth candle (out of all of the candles I had burning, including a candle for Hel - all of which I made) had burnt through the side of the wax pillar, the flaming wick had rolled out, and was lodged in a puddle of burning wax and black leather between the backboard of the altar and the candle holder. I noticed only after candle wax had flooded my altar (I cleaned it up before taking this photo of the burned area).

Now, since this never happens to me normally, most people might think this a bad sign, but not me. I see it as a very good sign - Loki most definitely attended my blót and rune-blooding and wanted me to know it. I think it's particularly noteworthy that the altar's runes were burned as I was blooding my runes. Loki himself has blessed my runes!

Also, how crazy cool is it that even my harrow itself has made a blót - and the mark of its blót is a sign of acceptance by the deities and wights of my folk.

After the blood on my runes dried, I put them all back into their respective bags. Then from each bag, I drew a rune, to ascertain the runic energy brought down into ritual via the three deities I called upon specifically to attend - Hel, Loki and Thunar. Those three runes are shown in the photo.

Algiz - protection, connection with the deities
Isa - unity
Jera - a proper time of peace, happiness and plenty, a good harvest

All three of these runes are in Hagal's Aett, the middle Aett. Hagal is the Old High German for "hail." And so begins my Sacred Name in Troth - Heid.

(In Voluspa) the name is translated as 'bright one' and within the stanza, Heid, the prophetess is telling her story. She starts her tale before this point "as far back as it is possible to go" with the story of creation. ~ Kate Gerrard in Seidr, the Gate is Open:

ᚺᛖᛁᛞ in the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, beginning with the creation of my name with hail:

ᚺ

Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

 ᛖ

The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.
A steed in the pride of its hoofs,when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.

ᛁ

Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.

 ᛞ

Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord (Divine Ancestor);
it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor,
and of service to all.

ᚺᛖᛁᛞ