We must remember when dealing with Ancient Religions that they always worked at two distinct levels - the Lesser Mysteries (Exoteric for the Mass) and the Greater Mysteries (Esoteric for the Initiates). The Lesser Mysteries would have been based around the physical cycles of Nature, the yearly death & rebirth, whereas the Greater Mysteries would have been based upon the Quest for Immortality - the Quest to become the God-Man. I think that we can find this in our own Germanic Mythology, and will try to outline this here.
I will start with Ingwe-Frea here who is seen as a 'God of Fertility', a 'God of Virility' no doubt of both crops and within man too. But Ingwe is the 'Divine Spark' within Man, the 'Divine Son' sent by the Gods to mankind as Scef-Ingwe in the beginning, the God of the Grain, since he has a Sheaf of Corn under his head. Here we can see him as alike to the Egyptian 'God of Grain' - Osiris. Scef-Ingwe or Ingwe-Frea can be seen as the 'God of Grain', and his role within the Vanir-Gods or Elven Folk could be symbolised by the Serpent - the earth-bound creature. Thus the most ancient Serpent-Cults and their links to Earth, Nature and Land.
It is usually accepted that these cults were of the Sacral King who was slain each year to be replaced by another Sacral King, thus the Yearly Cycle of the Earth, and maybe why Frea is called the Ar-God - though there is also another reason for this, as I will show. In this Slaying of the Sacral King we often find that he is slain by his brother, whose wife is then taken by the brother as his own, as he takes over the role of kingship. This is linked to Sovereignty where the Sacral King is 'married' to the Sacred Land, and when he is slain by his brother it is the brother who marries his wife - Sovereignty at one level. But....have we not seen this series of events before, but in an altered form?
Why does the author of Beowulf replace the native English Divine Ancestor - Scef - with the Danish Scyld? Because this is set in Denmark, or is there another reason for this? Scyld is the progenitor of the Scyldings, the Danish Royal Line that replaced the Cycle of the Death of the King with hereditary kingship. So, this was a different concept, and one it seems that was through the Cult of Woden. Since it is very doubtful that the 'new' cult replaced the old one because it was abhorred by the yearly (or periodic) 'king-slaying' then there has to be another reason for this. The author of Beowulf did, however, show the continuum here rather than a 'replacement' (as some would have it) by making Scyld the 'Son of Scef'. The Symbol of Scef-Ingwe is the Sheaf of Corn whereas the Symbol of Scyld is the Sun-Shield; this is a very important point since it represents a New Order and a change of era.
Where have we seen this 'king-slaying' before? The Myth of Hamlet (Amleth-Amlodhi) which, by Shakespeare, was set in Denmark. Here the myth is exactly the same, with one fundamental difference -
The king is slain by his brother, and the brother takes the wife of the king and the kingship; but...the king's son vows to take revenge upon his uncle, and plays The Fool so that the uncle is not suspicious.
This is the Mystery of The Hooded Man which forms the basis of Folkish Wodenism. This is the New Order that must have taken place at the end of a world-age, which changes things considerably. This is not the 'Nasty Aryan Theory' where these warrior-elites warred and defeated a peaceful, nature-loving people, for it is a change of order necessary due to the cycle of the ages. Ingwe now becomes 'The Avenging Son', and for very good reason as we shall see.
The link between Ingwe and Denmark is important, since we know from the Old English Rune-Poem that 'Ing was first seen amongst the East-Danes'. Angul and Dan are said to have been brothers too. Also, Ing is said to have gone 'eastwards', the word est meaning either 'east' or 'back' - suggesting that his journey was not once but twice - perhaps eastwards after the sinking of At-al-land, and westwards back to England through Hengest & Horsa.
Now, what appears to be the case here is that we have a change of 'world order', a change from the 'Peace of Frodi' to a warlike period whence the Warg Age sets in for real. This does not infer an 'invasion' from outside, nor a new set go gods, but an internal change in which the gods themselves transmute into a new form suited to the New Order. We may well see this in the figure of Helgi Hundingsbane whose birth is that of a Warrior-Hero, used in by the Wyrd Sisters (Norns), and prophesied by the Speech of the Ravens. Clearly, his mother is rather taken aback at the prospect, knowing that Helgi has been born to break the 'Peace of Frodi' and to wage wars and conflicts at the start of the Warg-Age or Age of Iron. This may also be found, perhaps in the Song of Rig where Rig-Earl's destiny is to take back the 'Eden-Lands' - the 'Eighteen Manors of the North'. This does not infer an 'invasion' in the sense of a new people, but in the sense of Germanic Folk under a new Folk-Leader taking control in order to enforce the New Order - necessary because of the Cycle of the Ages.
In the Myth of Knit Mountain we find Woden shape-shifting into a Serpent in order to gain access to the mountain, where the auger - RATI - is used to do so. I have also shown how the term 'Rati' was used of Hama (Heimdall), and thus, like Agni aiding the gaining of the Soma, here Woden is aided by Hama (in this case Ingwe who is a similar archetype - as I will show). Woden sleeps with Gunnlod, who sits in the 'Golden Chair', for three nights in a Tantric Love-Rite, and thus gains the Sacred Mead from Suttung the Giant ('Son of Sutt'). To escape, aided by Gunnlod, he shape-shifts into an Eagle. Here we have the imagery of Iggdrasil - the World Tree, with the Serpent (Nid-Hogg) ate the base, and the Eagle at the top. The term 'Did-Hogg' would refer to the Underworld Serpent, but importantly here described as a 'hogg' - Boar. The 'Messenger of the Gods', who runs up and down the World Tree (here also representing the Fire-Serpent) is, I feel, Ingwe, which seems to be underlined when we see the name RATA-TOSK where 'tosk' is 'tooth' or more precisely 'tusk' (of the Boar, the Symbol of Ingwe), and RATA (like AGNI-INGA) is the reflection of ATAR which is the Aryan Persian name for the Sacred Fire. The imagery of the Serpent (Earth-Bound) being transformed into the Eagle (Heaven-Bird) is thus the transformation of the mortal into the Immortal.
I believe that this is the key to this, that the shift from the Earth-Bound Cults to the Sky-Gods was a necessary change of order which had to happen at this particular time because of the evolutionary drive towards Man becoming the God-Man - the Quest for Immortality. This was perhaps why, in the first instance, there had to be the First War in the World, between the Aesir & Vanir, because they had to be a fusion of opposites in order to create a new form for the future transformation. We can perhaps see this in the Tir-Rune which is the Rune of Balance & Harmony; Tiw loses his Right Hand, and thus the Tir-Rune becomes Lagu which is the Left-Hand Path, the path we need to take to be able to undertake the Quest for Immortality - the Path of the Hero. 'Peace and Plenty' have no place here in the Warg-Age, as we can see today; struggle and strife are the norm in these times, and this is the only means that the evolutionary purpose can take place. The 'Gods of Peace and Plenty' have to transmute into the 'Gods of War and Struggle'.
We can perhaps see this theme in the Myth of Baeldaeg, where the Sun-God is not the god of the yearly death-rebirth as found in the classical myths, but he is slain and will not return from Hela (Odainsacre) until after Ragnarok. Through the Merseburg Charm where Baeldaeg's Foal (Pol's Foal) has its legs 'broken' we can see that the symbol of Baeldaeg in the Underworld is the Swastika, which is here the symbol of the Black Sun since it is the Sun of the Former World. When the feet are healed by Woden, and Baeldaeg's Ring is returned, the symbolism will change to the Solar-Wheel. The 'broken' Fylfot ('Foal's Foot') will become the Sun-Wheel - an Eternal Circle without Beginning or End.
We can find a connection here to Idunn, the Goddess of Regeneration and of the Apples of Immortality. In the Myth of Idunn we find a strange statement, that she placed her 'splendidly-washed arms around her brother's killer', which suggests a link to the Vanir-Gods (Waene). Idunn is a daughter of Ivalde (Wade), so her brother would be Orwandil the Archer ('Arrow-Wandil') (*), whose son is Amleth (Hamlet). Thus, like Frey and Freya, it may be that Idunn's 'brother' is also her husband, a peculiarity of the Vanir-Gods. In the same lineage we find the change of order in that a little further down the line Amleth '('The Son') avenges his father to take the throne which is his by right. The Royal Line then passes from father to eldest son which remained in force until modern times of 'equality' when this is not seen as 'fair'. (**)
(*) Rydberg sees Orwandil as being Egil the Archer, which seems quite feasible; he is the brother of Weland the Smith.
(**) In regard to this being 'unfair', this is not the point, since by passing it to the eldest son by right (unless, of course, he was not fit to take it) the land and property was held in the family to be passed on again. When the land and property were shared then it would be lost forever to the family, which is how things degenerated in time. Sharing it meant more likely selling it to share the proceeds - losing the land in the process.
To sidetrack a little, it may well be that we have a link between the Vanir-Gods and the Wolsungas, since we find this 'sister-husband' chain used in order to keep the Royal Line going. There is also the 'Apple' given to Rerir by a handmaid of Frigg when he is old, which regenerates the line again. This suggests the Apples of Idunn. There is also another point here which concerns the Gral Mythos as given by Wolfram von Eschenbach; here he mentions the hero - Parsifal ('The Fool') - comes from Waels often taken as 'Wales', but more likely refers to the Waelsingas (Wolsungas). According to Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle the Wolsungas were a Divine Race sired by Woden. This suggests a change of role for the Vanir-Aesir, a transmutation into a New Order.
The Royal Line of the West Saxons (Wessex) traces back past Woden to Scef-Scyld-Beow ('Sheaf' - 'Shield' - 'Barley'). This may not have been added for no good reason, for it gives a clue that Woden (AEsir) came at a period of transformation after the 'Peace of Frodi' and the Vanir-Gods rule. Obviously, Sheaf and Barley refer to the Corn-Gods or Corn-Spirits, and in the Lesser Mysteries to the Ar-Cycle - the Yearly Cycle. These are vegetative forces, and here may well be the clue to the Greater Mystery, since it is this vegetative force that the Aesir-Gods need in order to be able to transmute from the earthly state to the Immortal State. This is why Man developed the 'I' or 'Ego', in order that it can be strengthened and transmuted into the Absolute I (Miguel Serrano). This is the Left-Hand Path (Lagu) of the Divine Heroes - those who feel this in the Blood-Memory.
Ingvi-Frey is actually associated with barley since Gerda sleeps with him in the Grove of Barri ('Barley'). It may also have been that Frey was seen as having a Barley-Wreath around his neck. There is a play-on-words when the 'Neck of the Corn' phrase is used, since the Old Norse word for 'sheaf' is 'nek' or 'neg'. In Norse Myth Byggvir means 'Barley-Man', and this become Pekko of the Finns, and a similar tale to that of Scef can be found in the Kalevala as Samsa Pellervoinen, who comes as a boy-child in a 'corn-boat'.
We find the link with Scyld ('Shield') in the tale told of the monks of Abingdon, but here there is added that a 'Lighted Taper' is to be found at the head of the Sheaf of Corn. This is where the connection to Ingwe (Agni) can be found, since it suggests a 'Fire-God'. Hama (Heimdall) is also a 'God of Fire', and connected to the Brosingamen Necklace of Freya (Sister of Ingwe). We are not talking here specifically of a 'sheaf of corn', but the 'Spirit of the Corn' - the spirit or force that animates the germination and growth of the corn. The 'shield' is also found in the 'Winnowing Basket' used to sort the seed from the chaff - the 'wheat from the chaff' as we say. The 'wound in the thigh' (Ingwe has one meaning of 'groin' or 'thigh') is the separation of the seed (generative power) from the main plant. A good way to view this is the famous song - John Barleycorn. Of course, the name 'Beowulf' means 'Bee-Wolf', but Beow, Son of Scyld, means 'Barley', so the name Beowulf could also mean 'Barley-Wolf'. The author of the Beowulf Saga may well have had this in mind.
As the Ar-God Ingwe relates to the Black Sun - AR - and thus to the 'Former World' which was taken from the physical dimension after the Great Catastrophe, and is in the 'Inner Earth'. In the Armanen Rune System (*) the Ar-Rune is the 'Rune of the Aryan' and the 'Rune of the Eagle', and here we see the inference of a transmutation from the physical yearly cycle to the possibility of the Immortality of Man - from the Serpent to the Eagle (or Winged Serpent). Ingwe (Serpent) thus transformed into the 'Fire-Serpent' symbolised by the 'awakening' of the Kundalini (Ken-Force). Thus, in the Old Testament (which has been taken from heathen sources originally) we find the Fiery Serpent helping Man (Adam & Eve) to eat of the Tree of Knowledge (develop the 'I' or 'Ego' and thus know 'Good & Evil') and then of the Tree of Life (thus becoming 'as gods' - Immortals). The whole process was kicked in the teeth by Shaddain-Jehovah until the 'Solar Krist' came to give to 'him that overcometh to eat of the Tree of Life' - to carry on the striving for regaining of Immortality and the recreation of the ancient Solar-Man.
(*) This may indicate the High Knowledge known by the Armanen Initiates, since the Yearly Cycle at its physical level now becomes the 'Quest for the Immortal'. Linked to Ingwe again is the fact that the Ar-Rune is also the 'Primal Fire'. That this tells us that at this time, in this way, the rune-meanings were changed to suit a New Order, and this fitted in such a way as to adapt the system for the evolutionary change that was coming - the 'Coming Man'.
In the Book of Sajaha we find the Babylonian Seeress telling us how the ancient magical powers were lost with the fall of the Primeval Empire (Thule). As the downward Cycle of the Ages progressed (regressed) these ancient powers became harder and harder to attain, and only Adepts and Masters could so such things. This is where the use of mind-changing plants were used to access higher (or lower) states of consciousness; the Red-Capped Mushroom was one way, as well as Belladonna and Henbane (Witchcraft), and also used was a mind-alterant and another highly poisonous substance - Ergot. Ergot is the basis of LSD and is a fungus found on Barley and Rye; it is possibly the basis of the Kykeon, the ritual drink used in the Mysteries of Eleusis. The final meals of some of the 'bog-men' found in Denmark contained Ergot. (The subtle sound-mystery ER-GOT and AR-God may also be relevant.)
The image of the cross-legged horned god holding a torc and serpent, found on the Gundestrup Cauldron in Denmark is that of 'Cernunnos' - however, since the figure of 'Cernnunos' appears only once - in Gaul - then this one is more likely to be that of Ingwe-Frea. We do know of the worship in Dorset of a pillar, a stag and a snake but not of its origins. However, a horned god holding a noose can be found on one of the Horns of Gallehus. The figure here is of the 'Lord of Animals', a very ancient figure indeed. (The cauldron is actually thought to be 'Scythian' and not 'Celtic' as scholars maintain.)
Ingwe-Frea is the 'Wagon-Borne God' and he is clearly associated with Bootes, Arcturus (Arctur - The Once & Future King) and the Waen (Woden's Waen) which is the Waen of Ing too. His father is said to be Njord, who is likely linked to the Goddess Nerthus - Goddess of the Underworld (from an IE Root *ner- meaning 'below' or 'beneath').
A vessel associated with Immortality and Regeneration is the Skapfer Heidrunar which contains the Sacred Drink given to the Einheriar in Valhalla, that which rejuvenates them each night. The name means 'Measuring Vessel of Heidrun', she being the northern name for Capricorn; thus, this is the 'Horn of Plenty'. I am here reminded of a vivid dream at the time of the Hale-Bopp Comet when I was told that this was 'Capricorn - the Horn of Plenty' and was 'Sent by Morgana' - i.e. Comet Hale-Bopp or the Bab-Komet (Baphomet). Capricorn is the 'Northern Gateway to the Gods'.
(To be continued....)
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