Ragnarok and the Death of Reason

This sermon was presented on Sunday, 1 February, by Ashley Hummel

Reading 1:

On Communication—unattributed

May our minds work together to find mutual understanding.
May I see you true and be seen in kind.
May our words reveal more than they obscure.
Most of all, may our minds, eyes, and tongues be guided by our hearts,
And the language far older than words.

Reading 2:  

From Myth and Knowing

The myths of Northern Europe reflect a universe in which the

physical environment often threatens human survival. Consequently, Norse

myths are populated with evil giants and monsters that heroes—both

divine and mortal—challenge in combat.

The Norse gods share the same unalterable fate that mortals do. When

Ragnarok, the last great battle, occurs, famous human warriors will fight alongside

the gods against the giants. Nevertheless, the gods will be defeated by the

giants. Odin, ruler of the gods, knows their destiny is defeat, but he can do nothing

to change it.

The Norse creation myth introduces the major concept of the conflict

between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The myth describes the destiny

of the universe from its creation to the destruction and inevitable death of the

gods and mortals.

  
Sermon: Ragnarok and the Death of Reason

First, I should explain some things about modern Heathenry and Norse religion.

The Norse had a religion based on an oral tradition of stories. To our knowledge, all of the texts about the gods and heroes weren’t written down until after the Christian Conquest. The two Eddas, the most comprehensive collections of Norse mythology, were compiled by a Christian Monk named Snorri Sturlson in order to preserve what the thought were wonderful stories. I tell you this story today with the caveat that it may have been embellished or altered by a Christian monk many thousands of years ago.

Modern Heathenry is based around a set of recurring themes found in the Eddas, which again are Norse stories compiled by a Christian monk. The Nine Noble Virtues of modern Heathenry weren’t codified until the 1970s, by two men who wanted to unify and essentially, “religionize” the diverse group of already practicing Heathens. Honestly, I think they wanted to make an official church to gain legal standing and probably some tax benefits. Today, Heathenry is so organized that it is officially recognized by the US army, and their common icon, Mjolnir, is permitted on military grave stones in Arlington cemetery. Even with this haphazard beginning, there is value in the Nine Noble Virtues. The men who created them did sort-of a content analysis of ancient texts, found the recurring themes, then concluded that those themes were the central virtues of Teutonic tribal life. It’s almost scientific!

The Nine Noble Virtues are:

1.       Courage

2.       Truth

3.       Honor

4.       Fidelity

5.       Discipline

6.       Hospitality

7.       Industriousness

8.       Self-reliance

9.       Preseverance

                                                                                                                                                                                     

We are, of course, looking through the lens of hindsight, which can be dangerous in religions based on prophetic wisdom. It is important, when interpreting ancient or holy texts, to look at the words from an historic perspective, not from our current scientific understanding or modern world-view.

That being said, what I present to you today is something I consider a fundamental truth; one that is central to my own eclectic spirituality. Friggasweb.org has an explanation of the Nine Noble Virtues for kids, and I particularly like this bit on truth:

Probably the most important thing to know about practicing truth is that not everyone agrees about what is true. Sometimes things that seem to contradict each other can both be true. There is a story about a group of blind men who “looked” at an elephant and then argued about whether an elephant was like a snake, a wall, or a tree, or a vine. Each one had an idea that was true (the elephant’s trunk, body, leg, and tail), but none of them had the whole picture. If you really believe something is true, you don’t have to make other people agree with you. You are only responsible for yourself. Maybe the people you disagree with know something you don’t. Maybe they aren’t ready to see what you do. Good friends can “agree to disagree” on lots of things without having to quit being friends.

In the interest of truth, this is my complete disclaimer for today: this sermon is simply about a powerful lesson I learned from some Pagan stories that were preserved by a Christian monk. I believe the lesson is the truth.

But before the lesson, the story, abridged a bit for time (adapted from a mythology textbook):

The Death of Balder

Balder was the son of Odin and Frigg. He was the favorite of everyone among the gods because he was so good. He was the best of the gods, the wisest, kindest, and most gentle of them all. Purity and virtue surrounded him, and he shone with a special radiance.

One day, Balder the Good approached the assembled gods and said, “Last night I hade a dreadful dream! I dreamed I was in Niflheim, the land of the dead, and Hel herself embraced me. My dream terrifies me, for it shows that I shall die very soon!”

The gods were horrified at the thought that their beloved Balder would die. They decided to search the world for whatever could possibly endanger Balder’s life and to remove any threat. They were certain that they would be able to prevent his death. Frigg, Balder’s mother, volunteered to take this great task upon herself.

She traveled from one end of the world to the other. She approached every plant and every animal, every bird and every serpent, every metal and every stone, every illness and every poison, every drop of water, every speck of earth, and every spark of fire. She made each in turn swear a sacred oath that it would do nothing to harm Balder. They were happy to do as Frigg asked, because they too loved Balder.

Once the gods knew that Balder was safe, they enjoyed testing his invulnerability. Some would throw darts at him, some would throw stones, and others would strike him with metal weapons. Balder’s eyes would sparkle, and he would grin and announce, “Try again! I did not even feel that!”

Loki watched Balder’s invulnerability and hated him for it. He disguised himself as an old woman and visited Frigg for a chat. Loki told her, “Woman to woman, I thought you should know that some of the gods have gathered an assembly to throw things at one of their own. He is such a wonderful god, it would be a shame if something bad happened. Maybe you should go down there and do something about their foolishness!”

Frigg explained why she wasn’t worried, but Loki, trickster that he is, got the information he came for. Frigg did not ask a little mistletoe bush to swear the sacred oath, because it seemed too small and innocent to harm anybody. Loki left Frigg and went in search of the mistletoe bush. When he found it, he stripped a branch and sharpened it to a fine point.

When he returned, the gods were still amusing themselves with Balder, all except one. Hoder, Balder’s blind brother, was standing apart, looking forlorn. Loki asked why he was not also throwing things at Balder.

“Because I cannot see where he is,” Hoder replied. “And besides, I have nothing to throw.”

Lokie exclaimed, “You should be able to honor your brother as the other gods do! Allow me to help you. I have here this twig, and guide your arm with my own.”

Hoder took the twig of mistletoe and, letting Loki guide his arm, threw the twig at his brother. The twig went right through Balder’s heart, and he fell to the ground, dead.

The gods were so stunned that they did not even try to lift Balder. A few noticed Loki walking quickly towards the door and knew who was to blame. They wept, but one wept more than the others. Not only had Odin lost his beloved son, but he knew that the death of Balder was the first in a series of events that would end in the destruction of their race.

Balder’s funeral was the greatest ever seen, and his funeral ship was loaded with each of the gods’ most treasured possessions.

Frigg asked which of the gods would win her gratitude by riding to Niflheim and negotiating Balder’s release with Hel, Loki’s daughter and ruler of the land of the dead. Hermod the Bold, another of Balder’s brothers, took on the task.

…

After a great journey, Hermod arrived in Niflheim and spent the evening with Baldur. In the morning he said to Hel, “My name is Hermod, and I have come from the home of the gods to ask if you will let me take my brother, Balder, back to Asgard. The hearts of the gods are filled with grief at his death, so great is their love for him. Frigg promises you a fitting wergild in exchange for Balder’s life.”

Hel replied, “I shall release Balder only if you can meet one condition. You must prove to me that he is so loved that everyone and everything in the world, both alive and dead, will weep for him. If one thing objects to his return or refuses to weep for him, then Balder must remain with me in my kingdom.

Hermod was certain this condition would be met, remembering that all things had sworn an oath of loyalty to protect Balder’s life. Before he left, Balder gave Hermod the treasures from his funeral pyre, asking him to return the gifts to the gods as a token of his love.

When Hermod returned to Asgard, the gods sent messengers to each corner of the world requesting that all things, living and dead, weep for Balder’s return.  Every plant and animal wept, every bird and serpent wept, every metal and rock wept, every illness and poison wept, every drop of water, every speck of earth, every spark of fire wept. All things wept as though they had been covered with a frost and suddenly exposed to the hot rays of the sun.

The messengers were returning to Asgard, quite pleased with their success, when they came upon a giantess in a cave who refused to weep. The giantess was, of course, Loki in disguise.

When the gods heard what had happened, they knew who was responsible, and hunted down Loki to punish him. When they found him, he was hiding at the bottom of a waterfall in the form of a fish. Their vengeance was brutal, and lasted until the final battle of Ragnarok, when Loki broke free and fought on the side of evil.

The entire world came to an end with Ragnarok. Gods and giants killed each other. Raging flames destroyed anything the earthquakes had left untouched. The earth became a wasteland, and in time a great flood covered it.

At the dawn of the new age, the earth rose from the sea, fresh, fertile, and green. Balder left the kingdom of the dead to rule over the new age, one hoped to be better than the last.

Now for the lesson:

What strikes me so about the Norse stories is that the gods can die. Not only that, but the gods know that they will die in the final battle. They accept this fate and continue to be good gods. They are able to experience joy and happiness. They don’t mind that they will die, because to go down fighting evil is better than being evil. We can all agree that’s the honorable thing. It’s better to take a punishment for doing what is right than it is to live a life indifferent to wrongdoing.

You are probably familiar with some of the gods in this story. Odin, the All-Father, ruler of all the gods, his wife Frigg is sort of like Hera from Greek mythology. Frigg sees the future, but doesn’t tell anyone. Thor we all know from the comics, cartoons, and films. Thor is best known for symbolizing strength, but his other principle skill is endurance. Thor can endure tremendous amounts of pain without flinching. Balder is less well known, but in the stories he is equal in importance to Thor. He is symbolic of wisdom and kindness. He loves poetry and music. Here is our first lesson: strength is well and good, but it must be tempered with wisdom and gentleness. There is a reason everyone loves Balder the most. Loki is also well known from comics and movies. He is a trickster, a fiend, and not even really a god! Loki lives among the gods because, for some unknown reason, Odin swore an oath of brotherhood with him. He is the one who always gets the gods into trouble, and, to his credit, he usually gets them out of it, though not without prompting. Loki is vice and jealousy.

Looking at this story purely as a metaphor, we see that it is our human flaws, our vices, our jealousies, our petty hurts, that destroy our virtues and damage our world.  When Hermod visits Balder in Niflheim, Balder does not ask Hermod to avenge his death. Instead, he sends the gods’ treasures back with a message of love. It is as if the wrongdoing doesn’t matter. Loki, on the other hand, holds out in his jealousy and maliciousness, and in the end he is the one who suffers for it.

What we learn from this story is everything dies but love and kindness.

When wisdom falls from our lives, we resort to strength alone, and destroy ourselves in the process. History is riddled with examples of this,the fall Rome being the first that comes to mind.

Scholars consider Balder a fertility god, even though he isn’t responsible for any fertility-related human activies, pregnancy, childbirth, or even planting and harvest. He is just good. Balder, to me, represents a different kind of fertility: hope.

Hope that even when people seem the most destructive, wisdom will re-emerge and help us to flourish.

Hope that even when we fail, when we rely only on strength, when we are unreasonable, or when we make careless and harmful mistakes, that it is not the end. We can do better, we can be better, when we return to wisdom and kindness. We are redeemable, even after we have been at our worst.