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~ By Courtesy of Others ~

A Blot to the Coming of Sif

The folk have arrived;
the assembly has taken their places.
So now the Blot to Sif begins.
The speaker lights the fire
and offers incense;
the sacred place is hallowed
and harmful wights are asked not to interfere.
The speaker calls the six other homes of beings,
to witness the holy deeds to come.
Asgard above;
Hel's home below;
Etin-home to the north;
hidden Dwarf homes to the south;
Vanir home to the west;
and Elf home to the east.
The speaker reads a poem of Sif;
Sif's gift of corn to Midgard is told.
After the frost etins are driven back by Sif's husband
(every year they advanced against wyrd
and are defeated by Thorr's power),
the moist ground awaits planting.
The people plant their cornseed
and in fall it is harvested.
The sickle cuts the corn for food;
Sif's hair is as gold for the hungry this coming winter.
A good gift from Sif means life.
The speaker now stops reciting
and stops for a few moments to reflect.
Linking the myth to the sacred present moment,
the speaker calls on Sif to join them.
The drinking horn is filled and empowered.
It is passed to the folk
who offer toasts as the drink from the horn.
To Sif who feeds the people of the land!
To Sif's husband who protects the farmers!
The horn returns to the speaker
who pours a blessing out to her
and sprinkles the folk with her mead.
Sif is thanked for her gifts
and the folk then depart.

© Jim Davis
Published in: "Drunk on the Mead of Inspiration", March 1997.

Author of "Basic Anglo-Saxon Paganism".

 

Image: Konstantin Vasiljev, 1966

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