#1 Spinning and Weaving in Seidr

[@mileswilliams9737]

Fantastic video! I am so happy to see more on Seidr! This is the kind of practical understanding of energy work that we have been so sorely lacking! Exposing these sort of practices is so essential to furthering our study of the past, and the healing of our present. Thank you Arith!

[@ArithHärger]

Thank you so much, good to know that! :D

[@hazeluzzell]

I have been studying early medieval textile production for about 25 years. I am very familiar with the use of spindle, distaff and warp weighted loom. It is very easy to achieve a trance like state when spinning or weaving. The slow, repetitive movements have this effect. Spindle whorls (weights) have been found with both curses and love charms inscribed on them.

[@crowsbaneful]

It seems both Seidr and Witchcraft are terms that are both constantly misused but ignorance and misinformation has done a great job with making sure of this. Another interesting video here friend, thank you.

[@ArithHärger]

Some things we will argue about them for ages to come and never come to a definite understanding. Thank you my dear friend.

[@crowsbaneful]

Arith Härger Just so you know the last sections comments really made me laugh! Lol

[@colinp2238]

In the tale of the Sleeping Beauty the princess pricks her finger on a needle of a spinning wheel that puts her into a deep sleep (coma?). Here is a connection between spinning and magic. People that practise astral travelling speak of a silver cord that connects the astral body to the physical. There are many connections or references to threads involving the spiritual and magic worlds. Gugnir, Odinn's spear was said to always hit the target, could be symbolic of his will (mind) and in other tales it is said that it holds his powers again connecting a type of staff to magic? In the opera Ring of the Nibelung by Wagner, Wotan (Odinn) uses his spear to stop Siefried from waking the Valkyrie, Brunnhilde. Siegfried breaks the spear, Wotan flees and takes no further part in the story, presumably because his plans are now destroyed or his will has been defeated.

[@ArithHärger]

Great examples my dear friend. Indeed we have many tales about this sort of spiritual activities. Sleeping beauty and other medieval/modern tales still show us the connection to these old shamanic works related to the activity of spinning and weaving. This "cord" or "string" can be imagined as the invisible link between the soul and the mind/body. What prevents the body from dying is that link; our spirit is able to have these spiritual experiences to a certain extent, there are many limitations due to being still connected to the body. There is the possibility of this link to "break" and the body dies and the spirit is free from the physical limitations. For as long as the body is alive, the spirit cannot experience the same things when it no longer has connections to the body, this is why shamanism is about near-death-experiences, because the body starts dying or having that impression and the shaman must control that impression in order to leave the body and maintain the link so it can come back. About Odin, yes certainly his spear has connotations to the same spiritual and magical activities. Gungnir serves as his staff but also a reminder of this vertical pillar with its roots on the ground and the tip towards the sky, much like the vertical beam on prehistoric huts and houses, and of course Yggdrasil, the cosmic beam representing the same thing the magical spear of Odin represents - the link between this world and the other and the possibility to use that link to go to and fro.

[@colinp2238]

There is a version that says that the shaft of Gugnir is made of ash from Yggdrasil, of course this is not the version given by Snorri and I think it's from the Nibelungenlied.

[@Rohan_Trishan]

That's an interesting link, makes u think twice about all the various inclusion of string, yarn, needle work in stories and fables. Gugnir in depictions always kinda looked like an energy projectile or lightning rod or something. I am not surprised to see how diff cultures all mention things like cords, string/yarn, vines, or serpent/snakes as they all seem symbolic for elemag tendril type energy. The silver cord also makes me think of perhaps being coiled in a certain way to conduct energy better.... copper is another very important metal for conducting energy and has been mentioned in various stories so could have a double meaning.

[@berkleypearl2363]

I never considered that spinning would have religious significance. It does make sense though. I love spinning. My dad has Icelandic sheep. Cleaning the wool, combing it, spinning it, and weaving that thread is such a long process and it takes a lot of skill to master. It’s easy to see how the practice can be incorporated into religion

[@ArithHärger]

Very interesting work your father has. Keeping the traditions alive isn't easy.

[@berkleypearl2363]

He’s a professor of anthropology and a farmer. I take the wool with me into the city and process it at home. I’ve been asking for a spinning wheel for Christmas or my birthday for the past three years. You can only get so far with a drop spindle :D I want a loom too for weaving but I’d have nowhere to keep it. So I just knit the yarn I spin. An ancient Scandinavian girl of my age would be much better at this than me but to be fair I’ve only had a few years of practice

[@ArithHärger]

Lovely ^^ I'm sure with them you will be a pro and eventually get your spinning wheel! Your father has 2 jobs; I have half a mind in becoming a farmer too, I mean... archaeology isn't going great, worse everyday, so I want something that gives me some meaning and to be in closer contac with nature.

[@berkleypearl2363]

Farming is great. And I get what you mean about the archaeology. My dad hasn’t been able to get the funding for any digs in years. He used to go every year to someplace new but there’s just no money being put forth for it

[@lestyboss]

@@ArithHärger I can totally see you farming! Milking cows, tossing hay, plowing fields, self-cam chatting about Scandinavian subjects 😁🤗

[@MoonGoddessTarot]

Love this and hope to see more videos on Seidr please. Also, now it makes more sense why many sources cite seidr as a woman practice and that Odin was sort of made fun of for learning from Freya.

[@Rohan_Trishan]

Great explanation. I find this all very interesting.... I am convinced that our ancient ancestors knew much more then we think they did, and could manipulate ele-magnetic (aka magic) energy. I also think current ideas in physics about "string theory" has some relation to things like seidr magic, as well as all the intricate line patterns/symbols seen in all ancient cultures including norse and celtic. They may be a glimpse into the inner framework of how magical energy looks. Those pictures of the distaff/spindles really give a better picture of the types of tools/weapons they worked with, they kinda remind me of a lightning rod or a similar tool to help channel/harness this energy better. Also, I noticed some of the designs look similar to a Morningstar mace as well.... perhaps that was how men got away with using this magic tech. Women taking the traditional role in this seidr magic makes sense too.... other then the obvious phallic imagery u mentioned, they say that magic is tied to sexual energy... aka "sex magic", and women seem to have larger reserves or access to this type of energy (multiple orgasms for example). It may even be a polarity thing, like the staff is needed to harness the energy but gives off a "male" type energy which women will naturally gravitate to or harness better while men would have a charge pushback/repulsion so can't use it as well... something like that. Very exciting stuff.... keep up the great work.

[@Hakajin]

Oh, wow, I love the connection between string theory and magic! I don't know if there's anything to it, but... That's definitely something I could use in a poem!

[@ionebrown481]

Magic is science and science is magic ⚡💖

[@kinetaxeldoren]

I'm actually working on some research comparing seidr to physics and spacetime - I even have diagrams comparing the spindle itself and the act of spinning itself(and the use of gravity on the spindle) to a black hole. So far it's like a jumbled up mess of notes that are nonsensical to the average reader, but so far it does have the concepts being talked about in this video, including past events making up the "now."

[@caroamnell4786]

The more I research on seiđr the more I connect it with the findings of Jean Pierre Garnier Malet a physicist who developed the theory of the multiple universes, time travel and the quantum double, a part of us that can go back and forward in time and access to different realities. His work is worth reading. I strongly believe our ancestors had a better understanding of the universe than us and now we are simply re discovering it. Thanks for the video!

[@Monderoth]

I have a question! Do you think they could use their fabric weaving for mathematics? I could easily picture using crocheted yarn to make an abacus of stitches. Though... it might end up being more the other way around, with the weaving requiring a little mental arithmetic once in a while. I don’t really know what weaving techniques they used, and I’d be really curious to see what they actually made, so... forgive me, but my imagination is running wild with entirely baseless conjectures. I’m just remembering that yarn can be incredibly useful for mapping hyperbolic geometry, like say... the wisps of smoke coming off of flickering candles. Mind the notion that they could have done something isn’t evidence to suppose that they actually did do something, but... I figure it’s worth looking at to check. If... at all possible. Sorry if this comes across as pretentious at any point.

[@alisonwilliams-bailey3561]

Trained in Seidr but not heard the spinning. I know this from past life regression using a form of Seidr. I had this expeience with one leader of Seidr and more. The Norns as in past present future using this in these journeys.

[@itsamysticlife3500]

Wonderful video Thanks for explaining this so well. The explanation of why seidr is ergi is great. I had not noticed that s spindle with thread on it had a penis shape, and I use a hand spindle all the time (except during the 12 days of Yule). As a spinner, I can attest to the ability to go into a light trance while spinning. This would have been compounded if the woman had a faceted glass or quartz bead that would have shimmered in the light, and acted as a focus object (similar to a hypnotist with a watch). This is one of the "working meditations" that help people enter trance easily. Keep up the good work. Working my way through all of your videos and taking notes.

[@teresakarr4631]

The chords. Seidra as you call it is both nurtured and natural inherent traits that facilitate transmission appropriate to the rite of passage and the development. I think. I guess what I am trying to say is the chord may cause disruption to the person receiving because we do rely upon language and benefit greatly with dyadi c conversation. But on the occasion necessity requires 2 instead of one when only one is present the chord is helpful. Not fool proof but helpful. Fragments of this human quality are in everyone everywhere. The people that were from Constantinople were brilliant survivalists to consider every facet of endurance for a journey. Hard to explain outside of tradition.

[@cristaylor1399]

Just want to say I love the content

[@Hakajin]

I think it's super-interesting that so many different cultures see a link between threads, weaving, and fate. The Greeks and Romans had the fates (actually, I kind of wonder if Norse mythology was influenced by this; it sounds very similar), and the Japanese have the concept of the red string of fate, that connects you to your soul-mate. Also, Kumihimo, the art of weaving cord from thread... Actually, if you've seen the movie "Your Name," one of the main characters practices it as a family tradition. It works on a literal level, and also as a metaphor for time and connections. Like, strings are continuous like the flow of time (at least as we experience it), and how cord is used for binding... In the movie, it symbolizes a lot of things... Actually, it binds those things together, too -- connections between people currently living, connections to history and those who came before... the way our timelines intersect and diverge... So in that sense, time in that movie is seen as kind of a weaving together of individual lives, much like what's discussed here. Huh. I hadn't thought about that, but it makes sense, since linear time kind of exists within our perception. Anyway! I find this especially interesting as a knitter. One time I tried to put a love spell on a hat I was making... It didn't work, but I'm just going to say that's because he never wore it, lol. Speaking of the link between sexuality and these practices... Beyond the symbolic, I almost wonder if there wasn't some kind of tantric, masturbatory technique involved? I mean, a lot of people have beliefs about orgasm as a spiritual experience, so... I don't know how likely it is, but it seems plausible, at least.

[@aisha.2407]

I simply am binge watching your videos! They are so so interesting and well explained! Thank you so much for such videos!

[@vaniasal9002]

I'm delighted with the videos about seidr.It was very didactic, enlightening. Thanks

[@ArithHärger]

Thank you! :D

[@leearellano5303]

Very interesting; you bring forth ideas that are very helpful. Thank you

[@ArithHärger]

good to know that ^^ thank you! ^^

[@karlmagnusson6931]

Wow what an awesome video! Keep up the great work!

[@ArithHärger]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it ^^

[@marthinarauhut1876]

This is mind blowing information ... I know of a bit from reading about it, but not in so much detail. I think language barriers are also restrictive. Many thanks for sharing this information, as always, it is vey educational.

[@marasmith8630]

Fascinating! I enjoy connecting culture to my love of spinning/weaving. I wonder, are there any runes linked to spinning/weaving? Love your lectures!

[@MrEnaric]

Love your topic! It helped me make sense of something odd. Through the years I found a few ancient Spindle Whorls beside other artifacts from the late Iron Age and Early Middle Ages in the fields (I live in Friesland, the Netherlands among many terp mounds, rich in archeology). One Spindle Whorl carved from bone and possibly from the 5th Century, has a delicate decoration of nine double-lined 'rays'. It woud have been so much easier to stick with two times four of them, but carefully and clearly intentional, it had to be NINE. It reminds me of the sacred number of Freyja, the Nine Worlds and by that, the notion of 'Spinning Seiðr'. Maybe the whorl was used for ritual purposes as well? Wonder if you, as an archeologist noticed something similar. Thank you for your video!

[@Alicia-eq5wz]

Just discovered your channel and I’m loving it!!! Thank you so much, very informative

[@WitnessTrueSorcery]

Happy Birthday Arith! ...though if I'm not mistaken it was yesterday? Very Interesting perspective and presentation.

[@ArithHärger]

Hello there! Thank you! It was the day before yesterday, at the 24th... oh gods I've reached 3 decades D: I honestly didn't think I would reach this far lol, so I'm quite pleased with myself ;p

[@WitnessTrueSorcery]

Ahaha, indeed, indeed! :D You've reached level 30 now? Congrats to you mate! That's a substantial achievement if you ask me. Long way to the top though, so take your time. I've heard people that turned 90 years are feeling quite lucky. We'll reach it one way or the other. (I hope) Yeah, well, i'll be leveling up as well next month. I'll be turning 29. So it seems that you're a year ahead of me. You haven't used any witchcraft, are you? :) Kidding, though it would be a spell, that I most certainly desire to master. Cheers Arith! Happy days!

[@ArithHärger]

At what day will you level up if I may ask? So I can wish you a happy Bday :p

[@WitnessTrueSorcery]

August 18th. :)

[@donovansoland]

Thanks for these videos and sharing your knowledge. I'm really learning alot. Love your deliverance and keep up with your music. Sounds great.! Are you a fan of Wardruna the band from Norway?

[@iwatube5063]

I was today walking with my wand.. staff.. and on the way back home I started to spin the wand and had this feeling about spinning certain string.. Ha !!! Helping Spirits & Syncronism.. So.. Now I study this spinning & Weaving some more 😆

[@ninthheretic2498]

how curious... 'oorlog' in dutch and flemish means 'war'... fate and war.. Guess we need seidr to unspinn that thread. But in all seriousness, i have been looking for the info you provide here, very grateful. And for all your works, thank you!

[@ArithHärger]

I'm glad this video was useful to you ^^ the next one is the 2nd part of this concept of spinning and weaving and then I promisse I'll move on to other subjects ;p

[@ninthheretic2498]

no worries, i wouldn't mind either way. :) but i have a question, regarding the many stones found in 'Troy' by Schliemann. Did you see the whirlstones appear together with the fylfot as well in your area?

[@ArithHärger]

Oh yes the fylfot is almost everywhere, also in my area, a lot actually even in Paleolithic cave engravings all the way to Bronze Age and Iron Age rock engravings. Somewhere in August I have a scheduled video about Viking Religious Symbols and their origins etc. and I think people will better understand the Fylfot, although I'm planning on making a video solely about the Fylfot, depending on the feedback of that August video.

[@saxogatley1166]

Considering how wartime our ancestors were I somehow doubt there was a need or even a desire to separate war from fate. If anything I’d say they’d try to combine the two.

[@lottearisdottir3984]

Arith herger loki the god

[@Alienami]

The "seat of the soul" is said to be in the belly area. Intestines kind of look like cord and thread. There is a primitive brain in the intestines, the enteric nervous system. I have been working on my chakras, which merely means wheel / spinning, and my belly area I noticed this larger and more bizzare feeling there, like twirling spaghetti. So, I think I am on the right track and will see how it goes. Also it seems like staves and wands and even Magick knives are just analoges for these Distaff tools in Magick. And perhaps charging their devices for certain spells, or generally building and maintaining a connection to the device, would require some sexual act with it or the being inhabiting it.

[@Joj1n]

Finally i got the last piece to the puzzle 🙏

[@kellybraille]

This was wonderful to listen to, and very informative- thank you

[@mileswilliams9737]

Im curious if you were planning to eventually talk about the Sami, or in general, Lapland traditions? They seem to be considered separate from the other northerners. In all the books Ive read about the norse myths, history, and traditions Ive never come across more than a quick mention of the Sami. But when I find works specifically about the Sami the connections between old Norse and Sami Spiritual beliefs are glaring....

[@BadgerFireMoon]

I agree its hard to find info on sami magic and mythology but I could see the connection between yoiking and the songs involved in seidr

[@DrFrankenskippy]

There is certainly parallels in Sami culture/tradition to Norse Seidr i.e. the shamanic aspect. I had the fortune of meeting with a shamanic/artist elder of Sami culture whilst in Sweden. Their culture is very rich and creative and certainly many parralels. However, regards to the sacred masculine principles of Galdr, this is more uniquely Norse.

[@I_scribbles]

Hmm so a phone "cord" acts the same way... hmm interesting. Same with telephone lines and the telegraph. Interesting indeed.

[@SongbirdAlom]

"your mind is probably spinning right now" I see what you did there.

[@DrFrankenskippy]

Great presentation once again. I want to home in one an important aspect of Seidr i.e. 'Rhythm' (in the phonetic sense i.e. count and according vibration frequency/resonance) is the cornerstone to Seidr and Galdr alike and indeed all shamanic cultures have this at it's core. The series The vikings depict much of Seidr magic trance ritual being geared around drums, whereas the Runic 'vocal' incantation was actually the main rhythmic drive in their culture. This was also the common ingredient of both Seidr and Galdr. The Seidr ritualistic means of the Volva 'journeying' was usually geared around many varð-lokkur (Warlocks), "caller of spirits" chanting runic ritual rhythmic qualitative means of powering the Volva's shamanic flight and return to body to enlighten the gathered on their prophecy.

[@veeraelviirahaavisto2645]

No wonder I find knitting as such great activity

[@runeguidance1341]

This is beautifully worded. Thnk u.

[@jvandermerwe5274]

Another great video. I find that my religious and world views are somewhere between what I understand from you in your videos and Stephen McNallen views. What is your opinion on Stephen McNallen?

[@ArithHärger]

Thank you friend! Well, 15 years ago when I started my path into Norse paganism, Stephen McNallen played an important part on my undersanding of Ásatrú. But throughout the years his impressions of Norse paganism became less relevant to me in my spiritual path, and turned out to be completely obsolete when comparing them to our current reality. I can honestly say that Mr. McNallen gave me a good background to launch myself into Norse Paganism, but now what I've learned from him I've completely left behind and it has no meaning in my current spiritual path. I'm not Ásatruar; if I had to give a lable to my spiritual path I would say it's something between Rökkatrú and Thursatrú, so you see, it's far from what Stephen McNallen preaches, it's less religious and more spiritual and philosophical. Maybe I sound like a douchebag, no? But it's just so you may understand my position.

[@jvandermerwe5274]

Arith Härger Awesome, I respect your views. Me on the other hand, I believe both in the religious aspect other the faith, just like Stephen McNallen and I believe in the the mystical spiritual side of it. I believe gods are true physical gods, I believe them to also be a personified nature spirit and I believe that the gods also have physical manifestations that can very to a great degree depending on the circumstances.

[@lestyboss]

My mind is spinning, but no trance-like state 😅 Onward to the next then!

[@masterlin14]

Imo it is the glande inside the head that is spinning.

[@BartomiejKalecinski]

what songs were sung while spinning the thread?

[@hopeforested]

I'd love to know this, too!

[@DollarstoreSticker]

Are you Icelandic? I’m trying to place how many languages you speak by the way you enunciated certain words. I’m very interested in seidr thank you!

[@BadgerFireMoon]

I LOVE YOU ... you understand

[@thetruevinefortheendtime3437]

Is there genetic proof of memory ties with anstery? Like the ties you explain. I find this to be a very true fact that is not recognized very well. I'm wondering if there were specific ways to handled bad ansitery ties, cut them, or cleanse? My grandmother and father went through 2 wars and became refugees there is energy from the past that isn't good. Thanks and great video! From Canada blessing.

[@saxogatley1166]

Epigentics is a recently discovered thing in genetics that is still uncharted territory. Essentially, it’s about lifestyles creating markers in the genetic code that can be passed down to offspring. Personality traits like laziness, for example. So it’s not unreasonable to think that psychological experiences too can be passed down.

[@Bearakan]

Let us make a movie

[@nallydee2351]

Why didn't the gods reweave their fate to avoid Ragnarok?

[@Sencheto]

Can one learn the practice of Seidr?

[@timeaesnyx]

What is the definition of witchcraft that you are using? I know that the anthropological definition is "the use of personal power to control others."

[@ArithHärger]

I'm using my own difinition based on my own pratical understanding of witchcraft as an activity much more related to traditional medicine combined with the use of spells. I'm trying to make a difference between witchcraft and sorcery; sorcery being the use of magic by appying our personal power to achieve a specific goal.

[@timeaesnyx]

Arith Härger so kind of folk medicine.

[@mileswilliams9737]

I think there might be too many people identifying as Witch's of some kind or another to impose on the term now. But we definitely need to have a better lexicon for "spiritual" things, especially in academia. I often come across the terms Spiritual object, or Religious object used to dismiss things we dont have a ready explanation for. Perhaps people would better understand if we try using these terms instead of witchcraft, when we are trying to differentiate lazy archaeology from actual Sorcery? lol

[@ArithHärger]

"Lazy Archaeology" haha... as an archaeologist I aprove that term xD

[@gabrielinague3026]

Parabéns, wonderful video! Really clarifying. Is there a video talking more abouth homo-affection in Old Norse society yet? Obrigado.

[@ArithHärger]

Obrigado! :D Not yet but I'm planning on doing one about it ^^

[@gabrielinague3026]

@@ArithHärger Ansioso desde já. É um tema obscuro, recheado de tabus e com muitos vícios de uma ótica moderna. Espero que haja muitas informações das quais não agradem os homofóbicos.

[@awolpeace1781]

Change the mark on your hand, man.

[@jonferris8039]

Where do you think Odin comes into the practice of Seidr? He learnt the art from Freya. obviously he wasn't partaking in the more feminine componants of Seidr, as practiced by a Völva. But There were class of men who were often set aside from general norse society, that practiced a form of shamanism and seidr more asociated with shapeshifting and the wild hunt, spiritual warriors. They were widely outlawed during christianisation and I believe they were mentioned a number of times by christian writers of the time, are you completely sure that the information conveyed regarding these Seiðmaðr has not been tampered by these sources? It was a common practice for christian writers to attack pagan societies in that way.... even so to say there were no practitioners of such arts by men in norse society would completely contradict that fact that these practitioners existed widely in other cutures of the time, such as the slavic Volkhv? just throwing it out there, excellent video Cheers

[@ArithHärger]

I've explained that on the previous video as well as on the videos I've made solely about Odin and about Freyja. Yes the sources have been tempered with, most writen by Christians, or compiled by them, even the older poems od the midle ages already had christian influences because Skalds started to compose works for kings and other members of nobility who had embraced the new religion and as such Skalds had to carefully and purposely take out "darker" pagan elements from poems and sagas; "darker" to the Christian mentality. I'm glad you appreciated this video, thank you!

[@jonferris8039]

Yeah, most of what we are getting, as far as Norse beliefs are from Snorri Sturluson's writings, its hard for a pagan to sort out what is real from what has been doctored. Thankfully most of the early Christian and even earlier Roman historians left cores of information, as you said passed on wisdom with in the stories that they themselves didn't understand and didn't change, so with a little intuative re-reading one can surmise those wisdoms. I'll check out your other videos, thanks so much for the reply

[@mrpoop123]

Odin is the demiurge and why anyone would follow odin is beyond me

[@hobodarkness7696]

Loki is a weaver so maybe thats why it is shamefull for a man to do it

[@timeaesnyx]

The rumor I heard was that male witches would bottom for trolls. Meh

[@ArithHärger]

lol xD anything is possible in the dark woods

[@timeaesnyx]

Arith Härger & as long as it's consensual, who cares?

[@ArithHärger]

True ;p

[@timeaesnyx]

Arith Härger just for fun a little dedication to the trolls and warlocks kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnjNqWCQhtqElbs