Naudh & the Sacred Tree Bear with a Full Belly

Last night, my nightly rune drawing was naudh. Then I went to sleep.

I dreamt of a brown bear resting on the ground under and leaning against the trunk of a tree outside in my yard. I was cautious and respectful of the bear's power, even though it was not dangerous, for it had a full belly.

Bears are revered by the ancient Saami and by most Northern cultures. In Man, God and Magic, Ivar Lissner writes:

There is an ancient belief that the bear is in communication with the lord of the mountains and with the sky, and certainly he has from time immemorial been surrounded by an aura which enjoins caution and respect.

This informs me that, in follow-up to one of my previous posts (My Saami Self - Gripping the Beast, the Serpent Bright) that Nidhogg has "given up" my past selves to the lord of the mountains, namely, to my fylgja, the giant lord of the mountain, who in this most recent dream has taken on the form of a brown bear. This is good, very good.

To my ancient circumpolar Saami ancestors, to at least one of my selves as a Saami woman, and to many of my Northern European ancestors, Bear was a top totemic representation of Deity and archetypal messenger to and from the supernatural world.

In ancient Saami religion, success in any dangerous endeavor pertaining to survival and abundance, was dependent upon the goodwill of Bear.

The Saami call Bear ìsaivoî (sacred).

Taking all of this together, like my fylgja, Bear mediates between my incarnate self and my Wode Self. Bear, with a full belly sitting against and beneath a tree on the ground in my yard, has "taken up" possession of my previous selves from Nidhogg. Bear is not dangerous to me. Brown Bear is earth-associated, Midgard-associated, and Naudh-associated. Consequently, the knowledge of my previous selves held within the belly of Bear are now stepping forth into open manifestation in my current life in Midgard.

Hail Bear!