Scef-Ingui

This is the one hundred and 88th post on this blog; to mark this occasion I am going to remind people of the importance of Ingui, and in doing so equate him with Scef (Sheaf). 

"This Sheaf came to land in a small boat, surrounded by weapons, on an island in the ocean which is called Scani. He was indeed a very young child and unknown to the folk of that land. However, they took him up and looked after him as carefully as if he were one of their own kin and afterwards elected him king. And King AEthelwulf came from the line of his descendants."

(Ealdorman AEthelweard in 990 added this note to the genealogy of the West Saxon Royal Line.)

About 150 years after this recording William of Malmesbury told the story of Sheaf as below -

"He was brought as a child in a ship without oars...he was asleep and a sheaf of corn lay at his head. Therefore he was called Sheaf and taken for a miracle by the people of that region and carefully fostered. When he grew up he reigned in a town that was called Slaswic and now called Haithebi. Now that district is called Old Anglia...from it the Anglii came to Britain. 

De Gestis Regum Anglorum Book II.

In the time of King Edmund I (941-946) the monks of the Abbey of Abingdon were in dispute over a piece of land and this is recorded about it -

"....the monks put a sheaf of corn, with a lighted taper at its head, onto a round shield and launched the shield into the Thames where it flowed past the abbey...."

This 'ritual' was used to lay claim to a piece of land but it clearly derives from the Legend of Sheaf. The West Saxon Royal Line stemmed from Woden, but the name 'Noah' was added to Christianise it - we would think maybe. They also added Scef (Sheaf), Scyld (Shield, his son) and Beow (Barley, son of Scyld), the latter becoming 'John Barleycorn' of the song. 

We are primed to see the 'addition' of a Christian figure (Old Testament really) as being a deliberate attempt by the Christians to legitimise their new religion, but if we consider that a dual-faith existed until around the Tenth Century at least the addition of 'Noah' could have been because he is the one figure associated with 'The Flood'. There are certain things that hint that this legend was not originally about the area from which the English moved from to get over to England, but was a far older legend about an earlier folk-movement. 

• The entry of 'Noah' associated with a Great Flood and catastrophe.
• The 'ship without oars' is just one version of this, and it is the opinion of many that this was a ship pulled by Swans, a theme developed in the figure of Lohengrin. Swans are, and always have been, associated with Thule and Hyperborea.
• There are certain distinct symbols we can get from the Legend of Sheaf and the Legend of Scyld Scefing (Shield, Son of Sheaf) found in Beowulf - Sheaf of Corn, Sun-Disc or Sun-Shield, the Lighted Taper (Fire).

The archetype that comes to mind is that of Hama-Heimdall who is also associated with Fire; he is the 'Manu of the Aryans' and his role as the progenitor of the Divine Order of Caste is the same as Manu of the Hindus. The figure of Sheaf 'appears from the Great Deep' which is something etched firmly in the English Consciousness. Even in the animated 'Beowulf' film this very theme arises as Beowulf appears from the sea (Great Deep), and the song has this written into it too. 

The above symbol is that of the Swan Ship that arises from the Great Deep (Wafeln) and depictions of swan-masted ships of this same shape can be found in Scandinavia. This is the Swan-Ship that sails upon the Waters of Chaos and Dissolution. This is important because the Legend of Sheaf most likely recalls the folk-movement out of At-al-land when Ingwe led the English Tribes away from the catastrophic sinking of the land-mass, leading them eastwards across the waves. This, of course, is not recorded since it is the arrival of Sheaf that is given to us by these records. But we have to realise that this is an Archetypal Myth which is clear when we hear of a 'ship without oars' because the Sun-Child and 'Child of Light' is an Avatar of Ingwe who appears at a particular time of the Cycle of the Ages in order to aid his Folk in a time of disasters. This Archetypal Myth would also appear far earlier than the sinking of At-al-land, back to the Legend of Thule-Hyperborea. 

In my opinion we should not take the account of the Abingdon monks in a literal sense; what is more likely is that this ancient Legend of Scef was recorded through hiding it within a Christian context, as has been done in the New Testament. The 'disputed meadows' that were being flooded became 'an island' which merely adds yet another symbolism to the account - Sheaf of Corn, Shield, Taper, and Island. 

I know the English may lay claim to this myth but I would be very surprised if it is not known to many Indo-European Myths and Legends. It was known to the Langobards who are akin to the English. Further research is needed on this subject because if it does appear (obviously not the same version) in other mythologies then we may be able to get even more knowledge of the figure of Scef-Ingwe. The Legend of Agni from the Vedas is certainly based around a Fire-God who appears from the waters and whose role is to create Fire-by-Friction, which is hinted at in the 'lighted taper' mentioned by the Abingdon monks. We can gain a great deal of knowledge from the accounts of Agni which add to our own work. 

The "Firestone".

I have just found another interesting piece related to the White Stone of Ing. Dr. Gideon Martell, a famous Sussex archaeologist, in his journal of 25th June 1825, said that he had "..discovered the Firestone towards the North-East  of the town". This statement seems to infer that Dr Martell had discovered the hidden White Stone since we have already found its links to 'Fire' through the figure of Ingwe. 

The stone was found face downwards on August 12th 1938 and used as a 'step' in the churchyard. 

In regard to Archetypal Myth we can see how this impinges upon history at certain times through certain heroic figures. According to the Legend of Ing (Cuthman) he 'followed his Waen eastwards over the waves' which seems to relate to a time when Ingwe led the Ingwaeones eastwards out of the sinking At-al-land. There seems to be some doubt in the minds of some scholars as to whether this is 'eastwards', and the vagueness of this statement may hint that it can be read as either 'eastwards' or 'westwards' (back) across the waves. Clearly Tolkien meant the movement 'eastwards' in very ancient times, but also the movement 'westwards' at a later time. 

Here I am going to suggest that the figure of Ingwe led the Inga-Tribes out of At-al-land, and the figure of Hengest (H-Eng-Gest = 'Geist of Eng") led them back here into England where their origins lay. We must see this in terms of an Archetypal Myth in which Ing and Hengest are Archetypal Heroes. Both of the versions of the Stan-Rune show Twin Horses through the two Eh-Runes. Hengest is merely a reincarnation of Ingwe in later times. Although we have no link between Ing and 'horse' there is no doubt we shall one day find one, and the 'Ancient Britons' used chariots pulled by horses, just as the Chariot of Ing is drawn across the Northern Skies - the Waen. 

With the sinking of At-al-land there is also a distinct possibility that these islands (as Marby stated) were made virtually uninhabitable, and thus there may also have been a movement westwards as well as eastwards. We have the legends of the White Gods of the Americas and the Mayan Stela showing a White Stone with the X-XX markings, as well as the red-bearded "Hammer-God" shown above. I have said before that in ancient times these islands, and no doubt At-al-land before they became islands, were associated with Serpent-Cults associated with Ingwe, whose name itself can mean Serpent (Ngw(h)e). Thus, note the serpents entwined around the sides of the ship. 

The White Stone of Ing or Firestone would thus also be associated with the Fire-Serpent or 'Kundalini'. The two 'hammers' can also be seen as "crosses" seemingly in a more Heathen Symbolism.We have seen how Ingwe as the 'Son of Man' is associated with the Morning Star, and the White Gods of the Americas were also associated with Venus as the Morning Star. Krist was the 'offspring of David and the bright and morning star...'. We have the people known as the Inkas whose name was originally spelt Ingas, adding to the complexity of this theme. 

Where does the name 'Viking' really stem from? We have the usual interpretation of this which is well known but breaking it down we get - Vik-Ings - suggesting the 'Sons of Vik' or 'Offspring of Vik'. Does the term 'Vik' stem from the root *wik- meaning 'to fight', or from the IE Root *weik from which we get 'wicca' meaning 'wise' - the Sons of the Wise. Of course, the idea of 'to fight' and 'wise' are not necessarily that far apart, and the word could have been used to mean both. We know the Vikings went to the Americas, but what we do not know is if they were guided to go there because in much more ancient times their forebears went there. Finds of European Peoples have been discovered relating to some 9,000 years ago, and more and more finds occur with attempts to hide these from the public.

The central rune is the Ken-Rune, or a variant of the Ken-Rune, which is a glyph of a fire and the smoke rising from the fire. But, since the Isa-Rune can be seen as a 'pillar' or 'column' the rune could be viewed as a Fire rising along the Spinal Column - the Fire-Serpent in other words. The above Ing-Rune is made up of two Germanic Ken-Runes which we term the Ken-Fusion. When turned sideways this appears as the Ur-Fusion or the 'fusion of heaven and earth', or again the 'union of male and female'. The Ken-Fusion emphasises the link to the Ken-Rune and to Fire. 

The Gyfu-Rune here fits into this pattern since it can be seen to be made up of -

• Two crossed Isa-Runes - ICE.
• Two Germanic Ken-Runes, one upon the other - FIRE.
• Two Germanic Ken-Runes, facing outwards from the centre - FIRE.

The dominant element is FIRE. Gyfu is certainly 'gift' but it is also 'sacrifice' in the sense of 'giving' oneself to a higher cause - sacrificing oneself to oneself. The fire is Feminine Fire which is clear from the glyphs, and is thus connected to Shakti-Kundalini and the Necklace of Freya which is the Necklace of Fire (Brisingamene). The necklace hangs in the shape of an upturned 'V' or Germanic Ken-Rune on its back. The X-Cross is the 'Cross of Sacrifice' and was taken over as a symbol for 'Saint Andrew'. Presumably, 'Andrew' stems from the Greek andros meaning 'man', thus 'Man on the Cross of Sacrifice'. 

If the Firestone referred to is the Holy White Stone of Ing then we can see that it was well known at the time of Dr. Martell who lived around 1825 which is nearly 200 years ago. Even with the great oppression by the Norman Barons and the Roman Christian Church the Common Folk of England held on to their ancient beliefs. This may have been the case here where a local legend was held onto throughout the centuries. Of course, these are today dismissed as false and made up, but established scholars have to follow the 'rules' if they are to remain 'established'. We should not forget that a 'stone' was once a 'boundary stone' marking that which is neither in nor out, but is in-between.

Inglinga

In order to fully understand the work of Woden's Folk working at the Esoteric Level you need to view also the following blogs on Google Blogger -

• Ar-Kan Rune-Lag - This deals with the Ar-Kan Runes and the Runic System used in Folkish Wodenism. 
• Cultic-Warrior - This deals with our work at the Spiritual Centre of Woden's Folk - Woden's Wald - and with the Wolves of Woden which is a new specialised Folkish Wodenist Hearth promoting a new Aryan Barbarian Ethos. 
• Woden Brotherhood - This blog deals with Esoteric Wodenism and the creation of a Woden Brotherhood through individual struggle and overcoming.

These three blogs work together as a whole in order to spread the Word of Woden at an esoteric level to our Folk worldwide, especially promoting an English Wodenism as we have always done. The most posts are put up on Inglinga but to get a better understanding all of these Wulfinga Blogs (and the links we shall put back soon) and the network we call the Wheel of Woden should be studied. Links to our other Folkish Blogs will appear on our Folkish Wodenism Blog which is our 'Online Newsletter' mainly aimed at the English Folk, but which gives an understanding of what we do and our work. 

Ingwe in Tolkien's Works

There are two distinct names which are seemingly the same figure, found in the Silarillion and The Book of Lost Tales II.  The comments suggest these to be the same but it does seem clear that Tolkien meant them to be the same. They are Inwe and Ingwe, and they seem to have been originated in the name Ing which is the first name he used in his works. Before we go into this, it must be pointed out that Tolkien first used the names Ing, Inwe, and Ingwe as the name of an Elven King, and in later times turned Ingwe into a King of the English. There need to be no contradiction in this, as we shall show here. It is also interesting to note that Tolkien links the Kin of Ingwe to the gods in a very interesting way, as we shall see here too. 

In the Silmaruillion Ingwe is the King of the Vanyar Elves (Silmarillion), these being one of three Elven Clans -

The Vanyar - These were the Eldar  or Fair Elves who were also known as the Quendi. Ingwe is said to be the 'most high lord of all the Elvish Race. These, it is said, follow Manwe and Varda. Ingwe is the King of the Vanyar Elves. The term 'Vanya (sing.) or Vanyar (plural) means 'The Fair' referring to their Golden Hair.

The Noldoli/Noldor were the Deep Elves led by Finwe (Finn) who followed Aule. 

The Toleri or 'Sea-Elves' led by Elwe.

The Inwir, of whom Ingwe seems to have been ruler, is a Royal Clan amongst the Teleri/Vanyar. Ingwe or Inwe has a son named Ingilmo or Inwithiel, and Inwe has another title of Ingil. He was also known as Isil or Isil Inwe and his son Ingwe Inwithiel. In the Sindarin Tongue the word 'elf' is 'edhel' which is obviously from our Edhel-Rune. The name 'Eldar' stems from 'el'/'elen' meaning 'star' and Eldar/Elena means 'Of the Stars'. 

There are some very interesting things that come from this, but to do so you need to study the Book of Lost Tales II where Tolkien links Manwe to Woden. So the Fair Elves or Eldar are linked to Woden, and also to Varda who is the Lady of the Stars, also called The Exalted and The Lofty. She is the greatest of the Valier (Queens of the Valar) and the wife of Manwe-Woden. She has other names - Elbereth, Elentari, Tintalle. 

There is a very interest piece in the Book of Lost Tales II concerning Orion which is the 'image of Telemektar in the sky' who has diamonds on his sword-sheath, and this will go red when he draws his sword at the Great End'. Orion the Hunter is followed by Gil who is 'like a Blue Bee'. Here the name 'Gil' was originally written Ingil which is an alternative name for Ingwe, and as the 'Blue Bee' he is Nielluin which is the Dog-Star, Sirius. Thus we have a link between Ingwe and Sirius which is indeed a star that shines blue, and it is at the foot of Orion the Hunter. 

There is another thing of interest to us here, and although Tolkien at first sight seems to have jumbled these things up completely, there is in the end a firm sense within all this - yet hidden. He tells us that the whole of the Kindred of Ingwe, and the lost part of the Kindreds of Finwe and Elwe follow Orome. He is one of the Vala or Aratar and is a 'great hunter' whose name means 'Horn-blowing' or 'Sound of Horns'; his horn is Valaroma. Tolkien very often gives figures titles in Old English, and here he gives Orome the title Wadhfrea ('Hunting-Lord') or Huntena Frea ('Lord of Hunters') and also Wealdafrea ('Lord of Forests'). These names fit well with Herne the Hunter who is an aspect of Woden.

There seems to be no link with Bootes but I have shown before how Ingwe and the English are linked to Bootes, and the England is a reflection on Earth of this constellation in the Northern Skies. Orome, as the 'Lord of Hunters' may also be Bootes shown here clearly with two hunting-dogs; here he carries a scythe in his left hand and a spear in his right hand. To be truthful, I see these two symbols as being a fusion of Ingwe (Scythe = Landsman) and Woden (Spear = Hunter). I have shown before how Bootes can be likened to the 'Son of Man' from certain texts in Revelations. The brightest star in Bootes is named Arcturus which is why 'King Arthur' (rightly 'Arctur') is as much English as anything else in these islands - he is the archetype of the Once and Future King.

The Dog-Star or 'Wolf-Star' (Chinese) is one of the most important stars in the Occult World and Gurdjieff gives hints at this when he said he had 'buried the dog' in one of his works, clearly hinting not of burying a 'bone' (as it should be) but meaning Sirius - the Dog-Star. For some reason Sirius and Venus are connected together in ancient works. In a future post I am going to discuss the star Sirius since it formed also part of many of the dreams I had in years gone by - there is something important we are missing. 

Looking at all this in regard to Tolkien's Works we cannot disregard his ideas since he was a scholar of not only Germanic & Celtic Mythology but also the Indo-European Languages. He was also in a place to gain access to more works that we can ever do and must have gained endless knowledge that we cannot access through old books. In linking Ingwe - Lord of the Elves - with Ingwe - Divine Ancestor of the English - he created a continuum between Elves and Men, and one which shows that the English truly have the Lore of the Elves in their blood. (This is in fact showing itself now since Ingwe is being looked at by many of the more esoteric scholars in England today.) The English are thus the direct descendants of the High Elven Race of the Eldar and the King of the Eldar - Ingwe. The Inwar, looking at the name-changes such as Inwe to Ingwe, would thus also be called Ingwar and thus Ingwaiwar as Tolkiens calls them (Ingvaeones). 

The Edhel-Rune

At first there may seem no link between the Elves and the Edhel-Rune, though Tolkien mentions that edhel is the Sindarin for 'elf'. This rune is also the 'Gift of Ing' containing both the Ing-Rune (Germanic) and the Gyfu-Rune as a 'bind-rune'. It is also the rune of Blood & Soil and thus of the English and England. The rune is of the Folkland and the Folk, of the 'inherited property' (land) and the 'innate qualities' (blood). Through this rune we may have the mystical link between the English and the Fair Elves ('Fairies' or 'Fair Folk'). 

It is often thought that 'The Star' of the Tarot is that of the Dog-Star, Sirius, although the Seven Stars that go with it are not a clear indication. Indeed, the Seven Stars are usually seen as the Great Bear (Woden's Waen) or later the Pleiades (which seems to have six stars but has always been seen as the 'Seven Sisters'. The figure in this version pours water into the lake/pool and also onto the land, thus linking this to the Age of Aquarius and the 'Water-Bearer'. Now, it has to be said that Sirius is indeed linked to the rising waters, since its appearance each year heralds the flooding of the Nile in Egypt. It seems to have been linked to the idea of flooding since we find that in 1993 the Mississippi overflowed and flooded at the same time as Sirius was blocked out from being seen from Earth by the Sun. When this period ended the floods subsided. This may not actually be irrelevant since Sirius really does seem to have been seen by the ancients associated with pulling out some form of plug/stopper which lets loose the waters. 

But, in the above we have Ingwe (Ingil) seen as Sirius, but we also have the association with Bootes, all of which seems rather confusing. Logical thinking does not always help in this, because there is yet another clue hidden in 'The Star' card - the figure of the 'Fair Woman' is shown clearly in the position shaped as a Fylfot-Swastika, a Sign of the North. The star is yellow, as is Arcturus in Bootes. Both Sirius and Venus seem to be linked to Isis, and Isis is said to have given birth to Horus who is 'in Sirius' - so both Isis and Horus are connected to Sirius, as Freya and Ingwe are associated with Venus. Both Venus and Sirius have the Five-Pointed Star symbolism. 

There is something here that we must look at in regard to this information, which on the face of it looks rather mixed up. This concerns the link between Sirius and the arrow. On one Hindu site I found that Sirius is linked to Rudra as 'The Piercer of the Deer'; obviously it is the arrow that pierces the deer, and in some cultures this star was known as the 'Arrow-Star' -

mulKAK.Si.DI = Arrow-Star (Sumer)

Tishtriya - Arrow-Star (Iran)

The following link Sirius to the sea and to the waters -

Babylonian - New Year ritual says 'Arrow-Star, who measures the depth of the sea'.

Iranian Avesta 'Tishtriya by whom the waters count.

In Hamlet's Mill by Santillana & von Dechend we find the above and also links to our own mythology through the figure of Hamlet - I am going to extend their work to bring in the Ear-Rune, which seems to be the significant link we need here. 

These two link Sirius with Earendel, which Tolkien links to Venus; so we have here the 'missing link' since both stars seem to have the same 'archetype' (if you like). They see the name Earendel (which is Orvandil of the Norse Mythology, father of Hamlet) as coming from the OE *ae-/*ear meaning 'wave', 'sea' and ON *aurr meaning 'damp'. Another meaning stems from the Root *or- meaning 'arrow' thus making Orvandil 'Arrow Waendal'. Noteworthy his grandfather was Garentil which means 'Spear Waendal'. The English called this star by the name Jubar which means 'beam' or 'ray' and which in MHG and Italian means 'arrow'. The star is called Tir in ancient Iran. Earendel seems to be the same archetypal 'Archer-God' as William Tell and AEgil the Archer. Earendel is -

OHG - Orentil

AS - Earendel

ON - Aurvendill

OHG - Erentil

Unfortunately I have no image of the Ear-Rune that we use in the Ar-Kan system, but it is the Cweorth-Rune shown above with 'hands' on each 'arm'. The above rune is shaped as the Long Man of Wilmington who is Waendal which links us directly to Ear-Waendal (Earendel). The name 'Wendel' was used of 'The Devil' in many witch-trials, so this must once have been a key heathen god. The following sequences seem connected to these ideas -

Aar   Ear   Ier   Oar   Uar

Ar   Er   Ir   Or   Ur

Aor   Eor   Ior   Oor   Uor

Also, the words - heor (OE), heru (OS) and hiore (ON); also linked to Cheru/Heru related to the Cheruscans and to the Sword-God named Heru or Saxnot. 

The Ear-Rune is thus not only related to *ear meaning 'earth' but also to the waters, as seen in 'The Star' Tarot Card which shows the pouring of water onto the waters and the earth. It is also interesting to note, in view of the link between Ingwe, Bootes and agriculture, that OE *ear means 'ear' (of corn). Linking these to the next rune, Cweorth, Rune of the Fire-Twirl, there is also the Greek euo and Latin uro meaning 'to burn'. 

'...and Quetzalcoatl is accused of having incestuous relations with his sister, as were Hamlet, Kullervo, Yama and, we might add, King Arthur.'

'Hamlet's Mill'

Now, were we sitting around a camp-fire, listening to the Tribal Scop relating these tales, he would expect us to know exactly what was meant by 'incestuous relations with his sister' because the brother-sister relationship is seen clearly within the Waene-Gods, the Gods associated with Venus. Frey-Freya/ Ingwe-Freya are brother-sister, though when we look at the Egyptian Mythology where Horus comes 'out of Sirius' (Isis) then one of the roles can be transferred to the 'Son' ('Son of the Widow'). 

Even in the Cweorth-Rune we have a similar rune-stave and the same -eor- stem within the rune-name. As the Fire-Twirl this may be related to 'Rudra-the-destroying-archer' and the 'Dance of Shiva' which has a similar shape to these runes. 

I think that the one thing that the authors of Hamlet's Mill failed to recognise is that there is no reason whatever to seek and 'either' in the meaning of words used in ancient texts, the seeking of the 'or' makes better sense since every text has many meanings, not just one of which is right. The term ear can mean any and all of these.

Viktor Rydberg equates Orwandel with AEgil the Archer; since we are here also looking at a Hunter-God we can see in this Orion the Hunter which is close to Sirius and is Wuldor - the Winter-Woden. Since Orion is blinded we may find the last traces of this legend in that of Robin Hood who is blinded by the prioress and thus is killed. Robin Hood - The Hooded Man - is our most famous English Folk-hero. AEgil, Wayland and Finn are brothers and Rydberg sees these as doublets of Orwandel and his kinfolk, and also of the Sons of Ivalde. Of course, all these may be similar archetypes with similar myths.

Wights, Elves & Dwarfs

If the enemies of our Folk are out there monitoring this post it is, once again, going to invite accusations of my having 'mental health problems'; but to those who are wiser and still loyal to Kin, Folk, Gods, Ancestors and who are aware of the Spirit-Worlds in which dwell other Holy Beings who withdrew from this realm when the Christians turned them into 'demons' or 'devils' and mankind drew away from them and eventually almost forgot they existed. Far from having 'mental health problems' those who believe in there being other worlds of existence, and other being who dwell in these worlds, and the ones who hold to the truth. Quantum Science, although still partly stuck in the physical world, is beginning to find the truth, and much of this is not due to modern ideas but to the study of ancient texts. 

The problem in creating this post lies in the fact that what we know as 'Wights', 'Elves', Dwarfs' and other 'otherworldly beings' have in the main been demonised by the Christian Church - turned into 'devil's and 'demons'. The modern materialistic consumer society has done its part in cutting man off from the other-worlds and the only vestiges left are perhaps that the Elves come at 'Christmas' with 'Santa Claus'. Not only were these beings treated in this way, but also our Gods who were demonised, the best example being Woden who was turned into the 'Devil', as we shall show.

Luckily, there are still remnants of the truth, especially in the works of Jacob Grimm - Teutonic Mythology - and Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. 'Synchronistically', the name 'Grimm' is a by-name of Woden. Writers of this era, fortunately, had access to old 'folk-tales' still passed down through word of mouth, something we do not have today. Jacob Grimm and his brother, Wilhelm Grimm, had the foresight to write down some of this and leave it for those to come. 

As I said, the Christian Church was responsible for 'demonising' our gods, wights, elves, dwarfs and other beings, but this is not the whole story. This we know to be the case but as with all things mankind, having developed the means to choose, chose to go the wrong way and to believe what the church said, admittedly sometimes out of fear for their lives. In following this path they lost the contact with the other realms, and in doing so the beings of these realms would naturally not be so keen on dealing with men - hence no doubt why we find mischievous elves or sometimes downright hostile elves or other wights. Another consequence seems to go some way to explaining the rather complicated remnants of this Folk-Lore where Elves were seen to be 'little-people' rather than the tall, fair Elves of Tolkien. 

This is quite easily explained when we see the same thing has happened to men, who have diminished in height over thousands of years, and these wights also diminished in height. In many instances the Dwarves (Dwarfs) were seen to be taller than the Elves. My own experience of this was in the Scottish Highlands on the shore of the Moray Firth where Asbeorn (an Odinist Magician) and I performed an Alfar Blot and just after doing so I stood beside a small stream running down from the mountains above, aptly named the Fairy Glen. A shining blue-white figure of beautiful appearance stood before me, a shimmering blue-white light about four foot tall. This was one of the Elven Folk. We can see by this that the Elves are smaller now, have 'diminished' as Tolkien wrote in his Book of Lost Tales. This explains the anomalies in the tales of these wights.

THE ELVES.

The word 'elf' is related to the ideas of 'shining', 'white', 'brilliant' etc. and stems from -

OE - aelf, elfen, ylfa

ON - alfr, alfar

Goth - albs

German - alb

elb/elben

For our purposes we shall always use the term Elf or Elven, using a capital letter to show that we see these as a 'Holy Folk', just as we do with the Gods and the Ancestors. For this, we must add, the term is used of the Light Elves or High Elves alone, for reasons that will become clear in this post. There are three kinds of Elves to be found in Norse Mythology -

Light Elves - liosaflfar - dwelling in Alfheim.

Dark Elves - dokkalfar - dwelling within the Earth.

Black Elves - svartalfar - who seem to be the smiths and craftsmen.

The 'Dark Elves' are obviously not the same as the 'Black Elves', and seem to be rather more 'dim' or 'dingy' rather than 'black'. Indeed, they are more 'brown' or even (in a lot of cases) 'grey'. Popular belief held that dwarfs wore grey clothing or grey or brown 'cap-of-darkness'. What struck me here was that even today these beings may not have completely stopped entering our realms unrecorded. Is it not possible that the Light Elves are the 'Nordic Aliens' and the Dark Elves the 'Grey Aliens'? (*) These are just modern interpretations of ancient mysteries seen through the eyes of technology. 

In Scotland there are such things as the elf-arrow, elf-flint, and elf-bolt, and knots in wood were ascribed to the Elves. In Scotland a know-hole is called an elfbore. In Smaland (Prussia) a tale is told about the ancestress of a family that she was an Elfmaid, that she came into a house through a knot-hole in the wall with the sunbeams. I am going to come back to this because of the statement given by Jacob Grimm - 'with the sunbeams'. 

Elves are also associated (like Dwarfs) with invisibility and also with the butterfly, which seems to where we get the Victorian idea of the 'fairies' who have wings. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation since it starts off as a caterpillar (without wings) and transforms into the winged butterfly. On this same idea the 'Fairy Ring', which occurs in grass with mushrooms, should rightly be called an Elf-Ring since we get the terms alledands (Danish) and alfdands (Swedish). We have been led away from the true meanings through using terms not suited, since 'Fairy' comes from 'Fay' which is connected to 'Fate', again we have a mix-up of different concepts. 

THE DWARVES.

There is so much overlapping here that it seems there is either a complete mix-up of the Elves & Dwarfs, or that, like the Gods these are 'titles' given to different aspects of these wights. Some of the Dwarfs were cunning smiths, and we find that the Elves also forge weapons, so certain parts of what seems to be two different races have been mixed up, maybe due to their roles. 

The Dwarfs are very much like that which is shown in The Hobbit where their home is in a mountain and where they mine the gold and precious gems. As with man - probably reflected in what has happened to man - they became obsessed with gold, gems and wealth. This is how these people are shown in The Hobbit which Tolkien himself stated was NOT based upon any modern events (like the 'Return to Zion' that was suggested by an Israeli Paper). The Dwarfs were shown as being honourable and loyal, even if they sometimes slipped, as is shown also of the Elves. We have to consider that not only man but also the wights were influenced by the Dark Forces, and that some of them turned to this Dark Side as did men, especially the rulers of men. 

The Dwarfs, as stated, lived in the mountains, in caves usually, and this is reflected in an Old Norse word dvergmal meaning 'echo'; this suggests that these wights were contacted via some form of chanting (such as Yodelling) which produces an 'echo' from the mountains. This may have developed into some form of human contact through sound but this does not mean that it did not develop from the original form of contact with other wights. 

The following Dwarf-names should ring a bell to those who have watched The Hobbit -

Vitr & Litr/ Fili & Kili/ Fiallar and Gallar/Skinir & Virnir/Anar & Onar/Finnr Ginnr/ Bivor & Bavor/ Nar & Nainn/ Thrar & Thrain/Nainu & Dainu/Oinn & Moinn/ Dvalin, Durrin, Thurinn, Fundinn.

There were also dwarf-names connected to the Elves - Alfr. Gandalf & Vindalfr.

In regard to their living in rifts and caves in the mountains we have three words in Old English that confirm this idea -

bergaelfen

dunaelfen

muntaelfen

And in the Netherlands we have alfenbergen, in Denmark biergmond, biergfolk and biergtrold. 

The Dwarfs also need the aid of mankind at times, especially with the following -

• Fetching midwives/goodwives to assist the She-Dwarfs in labour.
• Men of understanding to divide a treasure or settle a dispute.
• Borrow a hall to hold their weddings in.

These ideas may seem rather ridiculous, but it does go to show how - once - there was a very tight bond between men and the wights, and that each was in harmony with the other. As we can see in Norse Mythology it was Loki The Deceiver who wrought mischief amongst the Elves, turning kin against kin, and he did so with mankind too. Loki is an agent of the forces that seek to divide, creating disharmony and chaos, and eventually to destroy.

The Dwarfs are associated with invisibility and we find this so many times in our Germanic Lore. This is through certain means -

• Hat, cloak, tarnkappe.
• Grey coats.
• Red caps, scarlet cloaks. (The Red Cap is also connected to the Elves and the Amanita Muscaria mushroom.)

We have the following names connected to this -

• helkappe,
• nebelkappe,
• tarnkappe,
• tarnhut
• Hodeken (From the cap he wears.)

There are also certain Germanic words that connect to this -

Old Saxon - helith-helm

Old English - heolthhelm/haelthhelm

Old Norse - hialmar huliz

Old English - grimhelm

When Dwarfs appear singly to amongst men they are wise counsellors, and this is how we should see them again. Knowledge can be still gained from these wights of all races. 

ELVES-DWARFS.

In this section I am going to lump the two together as one since we have no way of telling which applies to which, although I have tried to show there was originally some difference. Certain wights are associated with Frau Holda and these were referred to as -

die guten holden ('The Good Holden')

holdeken ('Holde-Kin')

hulderchen (not known)

In Iceland we have the huldafolk, huldamenn names used of the Alfar; in Denmark we have hyldemand where hylde is the Elder-Tree giving us the 'Elder Mother' who is supposed to dwell in the tree - Tree Spirit. Frau Holda comes from the Elder Tree. There is also an association with Venus or 'Dame Venus' who dwells in the mountain, obviously a reference to a Heathen Goddess (Freya?) who dwells in a certain mountain. 

WOOD-WIGHTS.

There are also other beings to be found in Germanic Lore, some of which are obscure due to time and also distortions. We have the following interesting things to consider -

• The term bilwit or bilewit which can be found in some Old English texts, as can the phrase bilewit faeder. Can we connect the term 'Bil' with the Norse 'Bil' or maybe even to the 'Billings' who were a ruling line of the Saxons, found in names such as 'Billingshurst' (West Sussex). 
• Schretel - there is an Old English scritta and Old Norse skratti ('Giant'), and the English version seems connected to the Wood-Sprites or Wood-Elves which are the Wuduaelfenne. Interestingly the OE scritta gives us the later 'scrat' and I remember using the term 'scratty' for someone who was 'rough' or 'shaggy' or 'wild', terms used of the Wood-Sprites. 

We have the Wuduwasa or Woodwose who is the 'Wild Man of the Woods', more likely Woden as Herne the Hunter, Lord of the Trees, but also no doubt used of those who he sent to do his will on Earth - a 'projection' of the God. There are certain other names associated with the wildwoods -

• Wildfolk.
• Forest-Folk
• Wood-Folk
• Wildwood-Folk
• Moss-Folk 

WATER-WIGHTS.

There were also wights connected to the water, water-sprites and water-monsters as they became later. We find that certain words connected to these stem from the god Woden and his association with the sea and with water -

Nichus - OHG

Nicor - OE

Nikr - ON

Nok, nocke - Danish

Nikarr/Hnikkar, Nikuz/Hnikuz found in the Eddas, the former from ON and the latter from OHG. 

Then there is Grendal and Grendal's Mother who are connected to water, and who are 'monsters' of sort that had to be slain by the hero - Beowulf.

HOME-WIGHTS.

Here we come to something interesting since this section is directly connected to Ingui/Ingwe through various words, but also through the 'Legend of Cuthman' which I am going to go into. We have the Latin ingoumen/ingoumo which means 'Guard of the Interior' as well as Ingeside/Ingesinde meaning 'domestic' or 'inmate'. We find in Middle High German the term heilige Ingeside referring to this same concept. In Old Norse we have the term skurgodh - 'Hearth Gods' connected with the hearth and the home-fire. Here we also have the English term 'inglenook' for the fireplace, a name obviously linked to Ingwe. 

In Cuthman & A Continuing Tradition by George Cockman (an unfortunate name!) we find the following statement -

'When Cuthman came to build his church, he was said to have hung his gloves on a sunbeam.'

Remember the Elf-maid who appeared through the knot-hole on a sunbeam? Is this a coincidence, or have we here a tradition passed down with a knowledge (even dim) of the Elves and of Ingwe - Lord of the Elves. Cuthman is Ingwe as I have shown before. When the work of building the church neared its end Cuthman was struggling to fix the main roof beam when a stranger appeared and helped him to finish it. Cuthman asked who he was and he replied - 

'I am he in whose honour you are building this church.'

In one version it is inferred that is is 'Jesus' and in another 'Saint Andrew' - the latter probably being a later version since we can equate 'Jesus' (Krist) with Ingwe. The 'main roof beam' is symbolic of the Sacred Centre just as the Barnstock Oak at the centre of the House of the Wolsungas represents the Sacred Centre. 

The 'Gift of Ing' is Fire and we have the 'inglenook' as the fireplace surrounding the Hearth Fire (Sun), and it would seem that the fireplace was the entrance fo these Hearth Wights to enter the house. Our modern society has by and large rid itself of the Home Hearth through 'central heating' and through making fires something that is 'anti-social' - this is so since in many areas having a 'bonfire' is frowned upon. The link between the 'sunbeam', the 'hearth' and Ingwe is interesting.

OTHER WIGHTS.

There are other wights that we know of which include the following -

• Puck - This is the English name of the wight known as Phuka in Ireland and Pwcca in Wales. However, this should be taken as a 'borrowing' from the Celtic since we find the following in the Northlands - pog (Danish), pojke (Sweden), puki (Old Norse) and Pocca (Finland). 
• There is also a tomt found in Germany and it is possible that this is connected to the 'Tom Bombadil' of Tolkien?
• Another name that comes down to us from mainly Germany is kobolt/kobold but this is likely a later addition from the Greek.
• 'Goblin' is Latin.
• Robin Goodfellow is the equivalent of the German Knecht Ruprecht.

WIGHTS IN TODAY'S WORLD.

There are so many people who talk about 'ecology' and 'nature' who see this as merely based upon the physical world as we see it today. Yet we can see in this 'Physical Nature' a state of decay, as Markwood (Mark = Boundary) becomes Mirkwood where all is in a state of decay and death. This is not 'Nature' which is bound also to the spiritual worlds but 'nature' locked into matter as ,man is locked into matter. The Spirit of Nature is being lost whilst rampant technology destroys everything that is sacred to us on the physical plane, at the same time driving the Spirits of Nature away at the same time. 

We have to reverse this process and welcome the Spirits of Nature back into our world; this is not impossible and I am sure that these Spirits of Nature will welcome our attempts at setting right what has gone wrong. In the process, as we have shown, these Spirits of Nature also help give knowledge and wisdom that will aid us in our struggle. 

Even today we have the concept that at Yuletide we leave something out for the Elves, and it seems clear that in order that they are appeased we need to give something to them as a 'gift'. It seems strange to say that we give food to the Elves, some German tales telling that a loaf of bread should be baked and given as a gift, but that is precisely what seems necessary. Some years ago, whilst living in Gwynedd, North Wales, I had a dream about Deganwy Castle and that I should go there to contact the Elves, and did so as suggested. However, when nothing of interest happened I realised that in the dream I had been told to give a gift to the Elves - which I had forgotten to do. A lesson learned since we have to give 'blot' to the Elves, give a gift just as is also said to have to happen at Yuletide when the Elves come with 'Santa Claus'. This is something to consider. 

The above may seem strange since it is hardly possible that the Elves can eat the food we give, but there is something we need to keep in mind here. In eld-time the Warrior-Kings were buried with their regalia, their horses, and in some areas wives etc. This suggests that they had would be able to use their weapons and regalia in the 'other-world' which seems rather crazy. However, perhaps they could use these since they also existed in this other-world, which is suggested when we see weapons as having names which thus charged them with Magical Power. So maybe they could have been charged in order that they existed in both worlds - which is also possible when we consider a 'gift' to the Elves. 

It is also suggested from Germanic Folklore that the Elves and Dwarfs love to dance, and that bells can summon the dwarfs - another thing to consider when we seek to reconnect to these Land-Wights. Also, we have the Guardian Goddess of England in the figure of 'Britannia' which invokes the Spirit of the Land, and the Guardian-Goddess of the English in the figure of the Wolf-Queen (Idunn or Kara) who can be invoked in battle or in peace. The White Dragon symbol is used to invoke the Land of Ing and the Folk of Ing.

The Elves are often associated with the Waene-Gods, hence the link to Venus as the Morning Star & Evening Star. The Light-Elves live in Alfheim and the Waene in Vanaheim. One the Elven-Kin is named the 'Sons of Ivalde' which includes Idunn who is the daughter of Ivalde. The English equivalent seems to be Ewald or Hewald stemming from the Old English Heawold. 

EALA EARENDEL ENGLA BEORHTEST.

Tolkien seems to have seen Earendel as the planet Venus - the Morning & Evening Star. Since his earlier version of this piece is named Scipfaereld Earendeles AEfensteorren we can deduce that he saw Earendel as the Evening Star, and not the Morning Star. The 'son' of Earendel is named Ottor Waefre (OE 'restless', 'wanderer') who became known as Eriol. I say 'son' of Earendel because he was 'born under his beam' through this father was named Eoh (OE 'horse') who was slain by his brother Beorn. Ottor Waefre settled in Heligoland where he married Cwen ('Queen') and had two sons, Hengest and Horsa, born to avenge his father Eoh, which they did.

Here, of course, Tolkien has put into this tale the Saga of Hamlet where the father is slain by the brother, and the son revenges the death of the father, though here it is the two sons who take on this task. After the death of Cwen he left his young children and set out to seek Tol Eressea - 'The Unknown Island' - and there he was 'made young by limpe (also known as lith in Old English) and they had a son named Heorrenda. Eriol later adopted the name Angol and -

Thus it is that through Eriol and his sons the Engle (the English) have the true tradition of the fairies, of whom the Iras and the Wealas (the Irish and the Welsh) tell garbled things....

Thus a specifically English fairy-lore is born, and one more true than anything to be found in Celtic lands.'

'Book of Lost Tales - Volume II' by J.R.R.Tolkien

Tol Eressea is placed in the location of England and is also seen as Luthany and Albion. Tolkien changes this story and replaces certain places and figures, and thus Eriol or Angol becomes AElfwine (OE 'Elf-Friend') and the Elves name him Lurhien because he comes from Luthany. According to this account he loved the sign of Orion and thus the Elves called him Luthien ('Wanderer'). 

There are certain things which are of interest -

• 'How Old English became the sole mortal language which an Elf will speak to a mortal that knows no Elfin.
• Ingwe and Earendel who dwelt in Luthany before it was an isle and was driven east by Osse to found the Ingwaiwar.
• The 'seventh invasion' was 'that if the Ingwaiwar, who were not hostile to the Elves'. 
• 'How he (Ingwe) became the half-divine King of the Ingwaiwar, and taught them many things of Elves and Gods, some that some true knowledge of the Gods and Elves lingered in that folk alone.'
• Ingwe...becomes the king of the Angali, Euti, Saksani and Firisandi who adopt the title of Ingwaiwar. He teaches them much magic and first sets men's hearts to seafaring westwards.'

Tolkien set out to create an English Mythology because he thought that they had lost theirs; but he was also a scholar of many Indo-European Languages and Cultures - as is clear from his writings. We could see this as a bias when he see the English as having the True Knowledge of the Elves but when we consider that the English are a very rare people in having so many Old English names that actually contain the word 'Elf' - Alfred being the most obvious that everyone knows. The following are some of these names -

• AElfgar - Algar - Elgar
• AElflaed
• AElfgifu
• AElfheah
• AElfnodh
• AElfraed - Alfred
• AElfric
• AElfsige
• AElfstan
• AElfwid
• AElfrydh - Elfreda
• AElfweard
• AELfwine

We should ask ourselves who so many Old English names are linked to the Elves, and our answer must come from the fact that the Divine Ancestor of the English Folk is Ingwe - Lord of the High Elves. It seems that Tolkien saw AElfwine as a descendant of Ingwe who had gained a knowledge of and love of the Elves from the tradition of his family. He wrote the Golden Book of Tavrobel which is mentioned in his Quenya Dictionary as The Golden Book - the collected book of legends, especially of Ing and Earendel. This also seems to have been called The Lost Tales of Elfinesse. 

'Even as Men wax more powerful and numerous so the fairies fade and grow small and tenuous, filmy and transparent, but Men larger and more dense and gross.'

The word 'fairy' is often said to stem from 'fae' and thus 'fate' but if we use it in the sense of the Fair Folk it takes upon itself its true meaning. It is also interesting to note that the Welsh Tylwyth Teg is used for 'fairy' and means 'Fair Family'. The word 'Teg' means 'fair' and is that used of the Tegeingl or 'Fair Ingle' who dwelt in Ireland and then North Wales. I would assume that 'Tylwyth' is like the Irish 'Tuatha' and Germanic 'Teuta' meaning 'tribe' or 'family' which is the smaller unit. 

In regard to the lack of English 'Fairy' Lore there was obviously an abundance of this but through the most oppressive measures used against the English Folk this has been lost to us - no doubt destroyed. Even so, pockets of this still exist, and we have proof that Tolkien was right in that we are the only peoples here to have had names using the prefix AElf. 

(*) The 'Grey Aliens' could also be linked to the standardised, raceless, sexless beings that parallel the 'progress' of the human race today - towards a 'Race of Slaves'.