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On our journey through the letters of the Elder Futhark with Frank Joseph in his book “Gods of the Runes” we come to Kenaz, which was originally, the rune of the god Kvasir, The Divine Inspirer. There was a time when there were only five gods in the Aesir. They were battling their fellow immortals, the Vanir over the proper development of the world that they had both created. They realized that they would eventually each destroy the other and so they made a pact to never go to war and learn to settle differences amicably. To solemnize this oath, each god spat into a ceremonial vase. The last god had no sooner finished though, when a new god sprang up from the vase fully matured. His name, he said, was Kvasir, the spirit of wise generosity. He was wise and gentle, filled with wonderful knowledge and goodness. Both the Vanir and the Aesir came to honor and respect his counsel, which he gave freely to immortals and mortals alike. Although he was given a place of honor amongst the Vanir, like Odin, he often roamed Midgard disguised as a congenial traveler, sharing what he knew. If he was welcomed he would relax by the hearth fire, whether it was a castle or a humble hut, and he would reward his hosts amply with friendly wisdom. It was through his generosity that mankind grew from savagery to civility. He was also revered by the Aesir. One of their own, Loki committed a barbarous act that demanded punishment but he escaped, deceiving the other gods with his mastery of shape shifting. Kvasir followed www.nourishpublication.com
the subtle clues left by Loki and came to an abandoned hut with the remains of a fire still smoldering. Sifting through the ashes he found a badly burned web and recognized it as a fisherman’s net, part of a shamanistic ritual for transformation. Kvasir returned to Asgard and told the other gods Loki had assumed the identity of a salmon, which soon led to his capture. He was loved by the peoples of Midgard, the Vanir, and the Aesir and Asynir. The Niflheim dwarves, however, did not share that love; to them, the greater the soul, the more their hatred, so they murdered Kvasir by slitting his throat and drinking his blood. To sweeten their monstrous feast, they mixed honey to Kvasir’s blood. This combination turned to mead, a magically brew that inspired poetry in all who drank it. The dwarves however, corrupted its use to mock their betters, which led to trouble with the giants, who left the dwarves to drown on a low rock far out at sea. The squealing Niflheimers however managed to bribe their way to safety by handing over the brew to the giants but they in turn further corrupted the mead by drinking and singing bawdy songs. By rights the remains of Kvasir belonged to the gods, so Odin, disguised as an irresistible farmhand, visited the giantess assigned to guard Kvasir’s honeyed blood, hidden deep inside a mountain. In exchange for three days of lovemaking, she allowed him three sips of the brew. That was enough for him to consume every drop and shapeshifting into an eagle; he flew back to Asgard and regurgitated the mead. It was properly used after that to inspire true poetry and song that appealed, as all art should, to the higher nature and sentiment
October 2012
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