How long dear One?

How long dear One
will we separate ourselves from you?
And judge others while we remain estranged from those in isolation who attempt and sometimes succeed in tragic acts?
What terror?
Has our country killed children equally beautiful to American children?
What unspeakable evil?

We talk and talk as if we have already finished our life of reaching out to those who seem unloveable, different or remote.
We view an act without perceiving the origin of the drop that has rippled out to touch us all.

Violence is the result of an excess of emotion and desperation and hopelessness.
Apathy is the other end of violence and it can be just as shattering.

We weep dear One and yet we do not understand our own importance in bringing down this loneliness that is toppling us all.

It is easy to hold our children close at these times and thank the stars that pardoned us but can we embrace the other?

Can we gather up the lost or straying brothers and sisters and welcome them into our own before their grief explodes into shards of interrupted innocence?

Luna started puppy class last week and was a star, (and also the most enthusiastic). She is now 20 pounds and luckily, less likely to nip. Her new regime has us feeding her by hand as reward for following commands like sit, stand and down.

Booty loves school so much that she said to me, "I wish I could live at school".

Mr. D is still in seeking mode.

Today I will attempt (again) to register my car. I have obtained my smog inspection and have the necessary papers.

This morning I got a sub call but when I returned the message after 5 minutes no one picked up. The teacher must have changed her mind because she was at school when we arrived one hour later.

The weather has been warm and lovely.

I backed my car into a brick wall last week.

I am agonizing over the California credential and the means to obtain it, but have registered for the CBEST (California Basic Education Skills Test) as part of the requirement.

Was a bit disappointed that the closest grocery store Safeway does not have an organic OR natural food section. And that Shell has installed media screens on their gas pumps so you can't avoid the absolutely inane. Two more places to avoid in the future.

We are so lucky to have many options for our Art of Living group meditation. Last year we would have had to drive for an hour into Seattle. I hope to make it to the 730 in Castro Valley.

Just received something in the mail from my sister. Hmmmm. What is it?

Sold the red armoir, the washer and the dryer. Getting rid of the things we are not using. This will continue.

American Pit Bull puppy

The American Pit Bull Terrier, once a symbol of the ideal family dog, has been much maligned of late due to changes in people-dog culture. These changes have affected all breeds but especially the work breeds like the APBT who are strong and stubborn but also extremely eager to please.

Our puppy is smart and cuddly but also (at 3 months) extremely mouthy and jumpy. For an adult this is extremely manageable but for guests and children (our 5 year old!) this is a major concern.

Training and research has begun in earnest and unfortunately because she has not finished her vaccinations we have to do this without other dogs or the places other dogs go.

One site that has been very helpful has been Bad Rap, which is an advocacy group for Pits. There are many links on their website that have been really informative especially in the areas that I am focusing on (mouthiness).

The hardest thing I have found so far about training Luna is training our 5 year old who wants to do all manner of things with the puppy but is overwhelmed by her spiciness and enthusiasm. A nip from the puppy can be scary to a little girl and I am on high alert to make sure that we address this issue.

Chew toys= Good chewing
Play that does not involve jumping/biting for things we hold in our hands
= Puppy Learning more of what we like
Leash+new people= Necessary for avoiding mouthy jumpy behavior
Little girl +mommy at all times= More opportunities for correcting puppy to puppy behavior

Is there anything more precious to a dog lover than her snoop's snout? Our little lululuna is a dear little one. And I have been a bad mommy taking her for walks before she finished her immunizations. The vet tech ripped into me for letting her walk on the floor of the vet office. Oh my. I have forgotten my dog mommy rules.

I finished my first triptych- Nicho Home.

Mr. D is off to India today to keep his dad company and to help out after his dad's emergency surgery (a Scooter crashed into him and broke his back in several places). Thus we are again without the da.

yellow jacket.

Name change request.
Instead of yellow jacket.
"Fu@*&%$ Bast=^( "

This might clear things up with those who may not be familiar with the species.
Crawling up into my jeans and stinging me. Didn't find the FB until I frantically took the jeans off in the back yard and turned them inside out.

There he was crawling around. Seemingly unaffected and unharmed. Inside my jeans.

Not for long.

We have been keeping busy unpacking and parenting our new puppy.

We have been learning the new routes to the grocer, farmer's market, parks and all the good places that most folks only have to learn once or twice because they don't move so much. It is exhausting and I don't mean to complain but I do experience no small jealousy when I hear people talking of gardening or vacations or just lounging around during their time off. I will straighten up my attitude folks. Really I will. Just as soon as I open my last box for at least 5 years. Until then, prepare yourself for a little whineberry tea.

Booty has been plucking and strumming my old guitar and we have been eating most of our meals al fresco. Just the way we like it. So, all is well and the sun is treating us fine.

We knew, when we were traveling south from Tacoma, that we would be getting a dog on arrival. We just didn't know how or when.

Our first night on route south, (after the movers had packed most of our things and we had cleaned our slate of Tacoma), was clean and lovely. We stayed at the Willow-Witt ranch in Ashland, Oregon. This place is a paradise of fresh air. Nestled in the hills and away from the hustle of the much frequented and quaint town of Ashland, is a place of goats, chickens, pigs and gardens. It was a balm for us after our dusty7 hour  drive. We cooked in the outdoor kitchen with vegetables we picked from the garden. We bathed in the outdoor shower. The moon was full and shone on the wooded knoll like magic. Perfection.

We were graced with a thorough and warm educational tour of the place by a natural educator and farmhand, Tim.

Our short stay ended with tears, because we had to leave our friend Izzy (we named Luna Izzy), the border collie lab who kept company with us on our last day. Sad to leave her but happy to know she was a rescued dog who was living her fantasy. Imagine her joy when jumping into the pig pen to wrangle some piglets.

What more can I say but that when we came to Oakland to settle in and find a dog, the first one we came upon was already named Luna. How strange is that? To have named your own dog but not really named her, just predicted her in a way.

The hills of Ashland are so much harsher in climate that the town itself but the air that we breathed upon the elevated land was glorious and despite its meager warm months (2)  we believed its inhabitants were better off.

Our next stop was a nightmare of sorts. Mr. D got lost in the hills of N. California and nearly had a cardiac event. Because of his absence (2 hours) I nearly had a nervous event. And because of Booty's near death horse backriding experience I felt like I had nearly lost both my family members in the same day, (not to mention her none-too-favorable experience). It turned out to be pretty much a complete wash out. So we left early to put some distance between us and the experience. Incidentally, the place at which we stopped was called Coffee Creek ranch. A "supposed" dude ranch that was short-handed and had to rely on an elderly gent, (who had broken his back in 5 places) to serve the meals.

Our movers came on Friday and promptly forgot where they placed the nuts and the bolts of all of our things. This was funny especially since it involved our bed and its assembly, (we had been sleeping on the hardwood floor).

Finally, today there was a clear path from each room to each room so we ventured forth to find a DOG.

And what a dog we did find.
Ten minutes from our house.
A black and white Pitt puppy.
Beautiful temperament.

Even Mr. D was smitten.
This little girl, Luna Molly, has instantly taken a hold of our hearts.

I ask the question

Why?
"Honey Bucket"? What is it about these two words that bring to mind a portable toilet? I can understand Pine Hollow or something that recalls memories of going to the bathroom in the woods but who has EVER peed in a bucket of honey? And how does honey make peeing (or pooping) any nicer? Even an untouched Honey Bucket won't smell of honey. It will smell of disinfectant and plastic. Further, who in their stable mind would want to enjoy a bucket of honey (maybe not the whole thing) in the same way one would "enjoy" the "Honey Bucket" ? There is absolutely NOTHING in the word honey that indicates a place to relieve oneself. A kind of travesty if you ask me.

Z is for Zealand


In Norse mythology, (my A-Z theme) the island Zealand in Denmark, was created by the goddess Gefjun after she tricked Gylfi, the king of Sweden, as told in the story of Gylfaginning.

As the story goes, Gefjun diguised herself as a beggar woman and treated the king of Sweden to a great kindness. As repayment he offered her all the land in Sweden she could plow in one day with 4 oxen.  She happened to have 4 great oxen as children (fathered by a giant) and brought them to plow a great plot of land. They plowed so deeply that the land was cut free completely from the earth. With the uber-oxen she removed the land and transported it to Denmark, and it became the island of Zealand.

Zealand  is the largest island (7,031 km²) of Denmark (the 96th-largest island in the world and the 35th most populous). Zealand is connected to Funen by the Great Belt Bridge and to Sweden over Amager and the Øresund Bridge.
The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, is partly located on the eastern shore of Zealand and partly on Amager. Other cities on the island include Roskilde and Elsinore.

Gefjun is a fertility goddess especially associated with the plow.
Some of this passage was found on Wikipedia.

This A-Z blogging challenge was a great help to me, in inspiring me to work in a deeper way on my Norse Mythology play. Thanks to all the visitors and fabulous bloggers out there who put the A and the Z in AMAZING blogging.

Our fourth grade play will end like this:

A´s for the Aesir  (poem by Michaela Macha with some slight changes)  

A´s for the Aesir, to which we now sing,
B is for blot and the best that we bring,
C is the circle in which we now stand,
D for the deeds of our hand.

E is elation whenever we pray,
F is for Frigga and Freya and Frey,
G is the Guardian and Gjallarhorn's round,
H is for Heimdall’s pure sound.

I is Idunna, of Bragi the wife,
J is for Jord, who nurtures all life,
K is for Kvasir, the wisest of wits,
L for Lofn and love she permits.

M is for Midgard, the earth which we tread,
N are the Nornir who spin our thread,
O is for Odin, the Wanderer old,
and P is for poetry bold.

Q is for questing, for riddles and tales,
R is for Redbeard, the master of gales,
S is for Sleipnir the thundering host,
T for Tyr and the hand that he lost.

U is uniting of hearts when we meet,
V are the Vanir, the friends we greet,
W, well where wisdom is sought,
Xchange is what pays for the draught.

Now we have come to the end of our song

Next time I hope you can all sing along

Y is for Yggdrasil, mighty World Tree,
Z the zeal of you and of me.

All the cast:

By the love in Gimli land

By the strength of Mjollnir firm in hand

With the sight of Odin’s one good eye

(Pause) We wish you all

a kind Good-by!

 

 

Y is for Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil is the tree of trees, the Ash tree that covered all 9 worlds in Norse Mythology and offered itself up to all life. From it sprang the two humans Lif and Lifthrasir who survived Ragnarok. Odin hung from Yggdrasil when he discovered the runes.

"An ash I know there stands,

Yggdrasill is its name,

a tall tree, showered

with shining loam.

From there come the dews

that drop in the valleys.

It stands forever green over

Urd's well^"

In the poem Grímnismál (where Odin disguised as Grimnir informs Agnar), Odin says that the ash Yggdrasil has three roots that grow in three directions. He details that beneath the first lives Hel, (the ruler of the underworld), under the second live the frost giants in Jotenheim and beneath the third lives mankind in Midgard. A squirrel named Ratatosk must run across Yggdrasil and bring "the eagle's word" from above to Nidhogg the dragon below.

“For every gift a curse.”

  From Rune Secrets 

Gebo – “Gay-boo” – Literally: “Gift”

Norse Mythology is my A-Z theme and today we examine the meaning of the rune X:




Key Concepts: gifts, giving, taking, trade, sacrifice, process of exchange, balance, compensation, equilibrium, law of reciprocation, altruism, the gravity of equals and opposites, generosity, hospitality, honor

Divinations: Generosity, gift, magical exchange, honor, sacrifice, divine vision; or influence buying, greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice, unbalanced behavior, dishonesty

Governs:
Mystical union and ‘Sacred Marriage’ between partners
Understanding of the true meaning of gifting and binding
Giving of oneself from within
Favours, contracts, obligations, debt and oath-taking

Notes:
Gebo is perhaps one of the runes which has the most lore. When we say X-mas, the X is unconsciously representative of this rune. In the Havamal, the Cosmic Law of Compensation is written as ‘Better not to over-pledge as a gift demands a gift’, and ‘No man is so generous he will jib at accepting a gift in return for a gift’.
The exchange of gifts, whether physical or otherwise, is a highly meaningful act, as is the idea of trade. It is associated with magical rings, which give kings the ability to share powers with their followers, as is expected of leaders. The need for exchanged energies and powers to remain equal in amounts is at the heart of the rune Gebo. In the Havamal it also says ‘A man should be loyal through life to friends, and return gift for gift; Laugh when they laugh, but with lies repay a flase foe who lies.’  It was the ancient way of expressing ‘what goes around, comes around’.

W is for Wodensday

Norse Mythology is derived from Irish, Scandanavian, Icelandic and Dutch folklore, but it is deeply embedded in our language and culture.

Woden is Scandanavian for Odin. So, Wednesday (Wodensday) was named after Odin, the father of all the Norse gods.

Incidentally, the other days of the week, Tuesday is Tyr's Day (The god that sacrificed his hand to chain up Fenrir wolf), Thursday is Thor's day and Friday is Freya's day. All from Norse Mythology.

V is for Valkyries
In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decides who falls and dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freya's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become Einherjar. They drink and toast to their comrades (and sometimes their enemies) and in the morning they rise again to battle.

Valkyries were a symbol of death and represented demi-goddesses of the slain. It was said that, if you see a Valkyrie before a battle you're sure to die. The chief of the Valkyries was the goddess Freya (Valfreyja = "Mistress of the Slain").

U is for Utgard

In Norse Mythology, Utgard is the citadel of the giants in Jotenheim. In the 4th grade play my class is performing the last Act is in Utgard where Thor, Loki and two humans Thialfi and Roskva will visit and be tested by the giants.

Thor, the hammer wielder, was thinking that when he got to Utgard he would show the giants a thing or two but what Thor doesn't know is that the  place is full of magic and spells, a literal palace of illusion. Because of this, Thor will not be given the opportunity to embarrass his gargantuan hosts.

The well of Urd is one of three wells in the 9 Norse worlds. It sits in Asgard, the highest seat of the worlds. Next to the well the three norns sit, one of them being Urd, or the norn of the past. A drink from this well brings youth to the drinker. It is here at the well of Urd that the gods in Asgard met for council.

T is for Thor.

No mysteries why Thor has been chosen for the A-Z challenge of Norse Mythology. He is the most loveable of all the gods although he does a lot of killing, (of giants).

Thor is famous for his hammer, Mjollnir (see the M post) which he uses against giants. But he is also the protector of thralls, that is humans. Thor always had a soft spot for the human condition and actually took two humans, Roskva and Thialfi to Utgard, where he planned to kick some giant butt. 

In the story Thor and Loki had stopped the night at a poor family's sod home and slaughtered his goats for dinner to share with the starving family but on the condition that no-one break any bones, (he was going to bring the goats back to life in the morning).

Below an excerpt from the 4th grade play, The Contest:

The family of humans

ate well that night

But all warnings were forgotten

After that first bite

Thialfi cracked a thighbone

To suck out the marrow

And for this temptation

He drew fate’s arrow

 


Thialfi, who had a gift for running, was brought to Utgard and raced against a giant named Hugi. What no-one knew was that Thialfi was really running against Thought, a contest he could not win.

S is for Sleipnir

Sleipnir is Odin's horse in the Norse Myths. Sleipnir has 8 legs and is the fastest steed in all 9 worlds (see previous post N for a list of all the 9 worlds).

Early on in the Norse tales the Aesir and Vanir gods had a battle in which the wall of Asgard (the Aesir stronghold) was demolished. The two forces made a truce but the wall was trashed. The gods in Asgard were concerned that without fortification the giants might take advantage.

One day a man came promising to build the wall for the Asgard folks but at a hefty price, the hand of Freya (the most beautiful Fertility goddess) and the Sun and Moon. The gods initially balked at this price and Freya was furious. But Loki (the mischief maker) persuaded them to agree but with restrictions, that the builder must have no help and that the work must be completed in 3 seasons. The builder agreed but asked for the use of his horse. Reluctantly, it was agreed.

The gods were alarmed at the rate at which the builder's horse was able to haul massive stones and suspected there was afoot. Three days before the completion of the wall Loki decided to intervene (with serious pressure from the Aesir). Suddenly there was a pretty filly in the fields outside the castle walls who tempted the builder's horse to leave before the work was done.

When the builder was not able to finish the wall in time he became furious and turned back into his giant form all bets were off. Thor (the thunder god and wielder of the hammer Mjollnir) kills the giant. Loki returns from his little horse "affair", (Loki had turned himself into the pretty mare and got himself pregnant by the builder's horse), with the resulting offspring, Sleipnir the eight legged horse.

He gave Sleipnir to Odin and everyone was pleased with the wall (nearly completed) and Odin's new horse.

R is for Rune








This is the runic alphabet, the letters that make up the Old Norse alphabet, which is part of my theme this month (Norse Mythology).

As mentioned before, Odin took up the runes and found their power. From Runes- Wikipedia:

The poem Hávamál explains that the originator of the runes was the major god Odin. Stanza 138 describes how Odin received the runes through self-sacrifice:

Veit ek at ek hekk vindga meiði a netr allar nío, geiri vndaþr ok gefinn Oðni, sialfr sialfom mer, a þeim meiþi, er mangi veit, hvers hann af rótom renn.

I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run.[22]

In stanza 139, Odin continues:

Við hleifi mik seldo ne viþ hornigi, nysta ek niþr, nam ek vp rvnar, opandi nam, fell ek aptr þaðan.

No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn, downwards I peered; I took up the runes, screaming I took them, then I fell back from there.[22]

Q is for Questions

In Norse Mythology the way to wisdom (which to the Aesir is worth more than gold) is by sacrifice, hardship and seeking. Asking questions of the dead or the wise was one way to find wisdom.

When Odin traveled to Hel, land of the dead, he conjured up the ghost of a dead seeress (clairvoyant witch).
He began to ask questions in order to find out the fate of the troubled Baldur, the most beloved god in Asgard.

"Who has forced me above ground and awakened me from my death?"
"Vegtam the Wanderer. Why is Hel adorned in gold?"
"For Baldur the bright.Now I must go."
"No. You must tell me, who will slay Baldur?"
"His blind brother Hod. Now I must go."
"No. You must say, who will avenge his death?"
"Vali will be one night old when he carries Baldur's killer to the pyre."
"Who are the maidens who toss their scarves to the sky?"
"You are not Vegtam. You are Odin, old as time."
"You are a liar. You are not a seeress. You are the mother of three monsters."

As I understand it, the correct question is as important as the wisdom contained in the answer.
Who is the mother of 3 monsters?

P is for Prose Edda (Front page of the Prose Edda shown above)

The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of prose in sections excerpts from earlier Scandanavian or skaldic poetry containing tales from Norse Mythology. The work is often assumed to have been written by the Icelandic scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson around the year 1220.

It is different from the Poetic Edda which was written earlier and anonymously. But it is certain that Snorri Sturluson used a good deal of the Poetic Edda as a basis for his Edda.

The picture above shows Odin, His two ravens thought (Hugin) and Memory (Munin) Mjollnir the hammer, Heimdall with his horn, Audumla the life-giving cow, Sleipnir (Odin's 8-legged horse) and Fenrir Wolf.


Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. All images used are either in the public domain (like the image above) or belong to me.

O is for Odin, father of all the gods in Norse Mythology

"I hung on that tree for nine nights pierced with a spear, an offering..."

You would think reading this Odin was being tortured but he did this and more to HIMSELF in order to gain knowlege and mastery of the runes.

Some of the spells Odin learned:

Help from pain, sorrow and sickness
To Blunt an opponents weapon
Unbinding
To arrest a speeding arrow
To stop the fire that will burn his comrades
To uproot hatred in a man's heart
To protect a child from death in battle
To win the heart of a maiden

Some of the names of Odin:
Grim, Gangleri, Raider, Helmeted One, Thud, Ud, Death Blinder, Spear Thruster, One-eyed, All-Father, The Hooded One, Glapsvid, Fjolsvid, Long Beard, Vidur when in battle, and at the council of the Gods Thror.

N is for The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

This book has served me extremely well throughout my Norse Mythology blocks with three separate classes. This book has a wonderfully accessible introduction. The stories show a great deal of humor (similar to William Buck's Ramayana) and are very well researched giving historical references, and varying interpretations of the Norse tales and how they may have related to myths from other cultures. There is also a very helpful glossary and footnote section at the end.

N is also for Nidhogg, the dragon that lives down in Niflheim and who gnaws on the corpses of the dead.



N is for the three Norns (Urd- fate, Skuld-being and Verdandi-necessity) that weave the destiny of all who live within the 9 worlds.

The Nine Worlds in Norse Mythology are:
Asgard- Home Of the Aesir Gods
Alfheim- Home of the Light Elves
Vanaheim- Home of the Vanir Gods
Midgard- Home of the humans
Nidavellir- Home of the Dwarves
Jotenheim- Home of the Giants
Svartalfheim- Home of the Dark Elves
Niflheim- Home of the Dead
Muspelheim- Land of Fire

Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

M is for Mjollnir

In Norse Mythology, (my theme for the A-Z challenge), Mjollnir was the mighty hammer that was made by the clever dwarves Brokk and Eitri, for Thor to protect Asgard and fight giants. It was an effective weapon against the hard skulls of the giants and rarely failed to deliver.

On one occasion Thor's hammer collided with the hone of the vengeful giant Hrungnir. Hrungnir was killed instantly but a piece of the hone was imbedded into Thor's head and the giant fell onto Thor pinning him.

Luckily, Thor's son Magni, who was three days/years old, came out to give his dad a hand and pulled the giant's body off of Thor. It is important to note that even Thor needs Mjollnir, his gauntlet glove and belt of strength to fight giants. While Magni was born with strength surpassing all the gods of Asgard.

The hone piece was never dislodged permanently but only loosened by an absent-minded witch named Groa who stopped in the middle of the job of taking the hone shard out because she was preoccupied by the homecoming of her missing husband.


Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

L is for Logi

Logi is a giant and servant from Utgard, who is put to an eating test against Loki, the cleverest of all the Norse Gods. Below is an excerpt from the Play, "The Contest (in which Thor tries to beat the Giants on their own turf)" This is a Norse Myth play I am in the process of writing for my Fourth Grade class at a Waldorf school.

Loki:

I am hungry, kind host

And not ashamed to say

I’ll out-eat anyone here

Who is brave enough to play

Utgard-Loki:

I have a servant Logi

Who eats well enough

Let us set you each at the end

Of our banquet's eating trough!

Loki and Logi eat every last scrap of food but Logi has eaten the bones AND the trough.

Utgard-Loki:

Now Logi won’t you learn?

Tho’ I know you think it funny

When eating through the dishes

But this dinnerware costs money!

And to you, so sorry Loki

Your eating skills are neat

But Logi has eaten the vessel

Both the chaff and the wheat!

Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

K is for Kvasir

An enigmatic fellow Kvasir. Known both as one of the Vanir, (traded to Asgard when a truce was reached after the feud between the Aesir and Vanir) and a god created from the spit of all the Vanir and Aesir combined.

Whatever his origin, he was well-known and beloved for his wisdom and counsel. Many came from far and wide to share their worries and ask for advice. No one who consulted with him was disappointed. So great was his fame that it reached the ears of two very wicked dwarves, who were jealous of his merit. The dwarves Fjalar and Galar invited Kvasir to their home, fed him well and then killed him with conviction. The blood that poured from his body was collected and brewed with honey to make a special mead. This mead was later called the Mead of Poetry because anyone that drank it became instantly prolific and poetic.

The dwarves continued their reign of terror until they murdered the giant Suttung's parents. Suttung was ready to repay the insult but agreed instead to take the Mead for payment for the misdeed. Suttung was unfortunately a braggard and news got out that he had the mead made from wise Kvasir's blood.

When Odin heard the news it was only a matter of time before he used his powers to take the mead (by not altogether honest means) and keep it in Asgard, mostly for himself.

Blood is a singular fluid, is it not?


Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

J is for Jormungand




In Norse Mythology, one of Loki's offspring is Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, so named because when he was fully grown he circled Midgard (home of humans) and grasped his own tail in his mouth.

In one of the funnier Norse tales, Thor goes fishing in Jotenheim, (the dwelling region of the giants), with the giant Hymir and to show off, Thor snags Jormungand and tries to pull him onto the fishing boat. Hymir begs him to let Jormungand go, which he does.

In the play that I am writing, Thor tries to lift a giant's cat and fails to lift anything but the cat's paw off the ground. What Thor finds out later is that he actually lifted the serpent Jormungand in diguise.


Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

I is for Idunna.

Idunna was a youthful and innocent goddess in Asgard home of the Norse Gods. She was the caretaker of the golden apples that maintained the gods' youth and health. The giant, Thiazi kidnaps her in order to make life difficult for the gods but she is rescued by Loki in Freya's Falcon cloak. Thiazi is killed by the gods as he tries to take her back and his daughter, Skadi wins the hand of Njord as payment for his death.

The son's of Ivaldi are the makers of the treasures of the gods;
The golden hair of Sif which was made of gold and grew instantly to her head (to replace her real hair which Loki cut off as a prank).
Skidbladnir a marvelous ship for Freyr whose sails fill instantly with wind and when it is not in use could fit into his pocket.
Gungnir A spear for Odin which never misses its mark.

Note* My theme for the A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology. Last year I did a Waldorf alphabet book which can still be found on this website under April 2011 postings.

H is for Heimdall

the god of nine mothers, (presumably the nine waves or daughters of the sea). His name means, "the one who illuminates the world".

He was known as the purest of all the gods. He is the watchman or gatekeeper of Asgard, stationed at the Rainbow Bridge between Asgard and the heavens. He loathed Loki more than any other of the Aesir. Heimdall is also associated with Rig, who fathered the three races of men (the peasants, the craftspeople and the royalty). Heimdall carried the horn Gjallahorn which was designed to warn all the gods of the arrival of Ragnarok. He is one of the survivors of this great battle.

H is also for Hod, Baldur's blind brother who innocently kills him with a sprig of mistletoe and the friendly help of you-know-who (Loki).

Hugi is a young giant who will make an appearance in our Fourth Grade Play, "The Challenge of Utgard". He is pitted against the human Thialfi in a race. Thialfi seems to nearly beat him but Hugi is "Thought" in disguise and can not be beat by god or man.

Odin's two ravens are Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory).

G is for Gimli

The survivors of Ragnarok will live in Gimli, the most heavenly of places on earth.

G is also for Geirrod, a foster son of Odin's who did not turn out so well.

As the tale is told, young prince Geirrod and his slightly older brother Agnar, were lost at sea and rescued by Odin and Frigga (disguised as island farmers). Both gods took one child "under their wing" and taught them all they could. When spring arrived they were sent home on a sea-worthy boat.

Through treachery Geirrod became the next heir to the throne. And Odin teased Frigga about Geirrod being the superior foster child. But Frigga was disgusted and told Odin that Geirrod was a cruel king with a terrible temper. Odin did not believe this and so he went to find out if this was true. Disguised as a begging magician, Odin comes to Geirrod's hall, is tortured and taunted and finally Odin wreaks vengeance upon him. Strangely, it was Geirrod's son Agnar, named after his brother, that showed kindness to Odin and who eventually won All-father's favor.

F is for Fenrir

Why is Loki such a rascal? Well to start with he sired some pretty odious creatures. Angrboda, his girl-friend-giant and he, gave birth to Hela, who lives in Hel, the underworld in Norse Mythology. She is, stomach and upwards, relatively normal looking, but waist down she is a rotting carcass. Loki also sired Jormungand, the serpent who encircles midgard. But most alarming is Fenrir. Fenrir is a giant wolf with more malice than anyone can say. So frightened were the gods that they tricked him into trying out a chain, made by the crafty dwarves with binding spells, that is unbreakable. Fenrir will be chained up until Ragnarok, the battle that pits all the gods against every evil creature in existence within all 9 worlds.

E is for Evil

Among all the gods in Norse Mythology, this describes Loki pretty well. But because he is really central to the stories he is more like a necessary evil. He makes things happen and gets things moving. He is also quite charming and at times very funny.

"Evil creature, good companion."

This quote would probably sum up Thor's relationship with Loki and will also be one of the first things Thor says in our play, "The Contests of Utgard". It starts out like this-

"It is open season in Jotenheim (the domain of the giants)", says Thor.
"You will need sharp wits," replies Loki.
"Sharp wits?!" responds Thor.
"Yes. Yours are as dull as your hammer."
A beat.
"Evil creature. Good companion."

And so the two journey to Jotenheim in Thor's chariot pulled by his two immortal goats. And eventually arrive at Utgard where Thor is put to his tests and Loki joins an eating contest he cannot win.

D is for Dragon and Dwarves

Dvalin's Delight is the name the dwarves in Norse Mythology give to the sun. Dvalin was a dwarf who was turned to stone by the light of the sun. So dwarves have a sense of humor. And a deep love of gold and beautifully designed metals. Much of these are hoarded and at times stolen by dragons.

One of the most famous of these hoarding dragons can be found in the story of Sigurd, a Norse hero. Fafnir is found in the Norse tales as a magician's son who's brother is accidentally killed by Loki. Loki pays a hefty ransom for the payment of this killing. Fafnir kills his father for the treasure and becomes Fafnir the dragon.

In The Hobbit, by JRR TOLKIEN, the dragon Smaug has a hoard of dwarf treasure and many of the dwarves named in his book share the names of dwarves in Norse Mythology, (Dvalin being one). Another interesting similarity is the ring that topped Fafnir's treasure which cursed any who held it except its maker, Andavari. A cursed ring is central to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

C is for Cauldron

The gods were running out of Mead, a thick and potent drink. Aegir was the only one who could make enough mead for everyone but he insisted that the Gods provide the cauldron.The Cauldron of Hymir was the only one large enough to hold the mead needed for a feast for the Gods. Hymir was a giant who really hated the Aesir race (Norse Gods in Asgard), but fostered Odin's son Tyr, the god of war who was able to convince his foster father to let a disguised Thor compete for his favors.

The cauldron features in many stories about witches and magic spells. It is a place for creating medicine that is beyond the understanding of this world.

There is no cauldron in the play I am writing but there is a contest between Thor and some giants. The title of the play will be, "The Contests of Utgard".

The cast includes:
Thor
Loki
Thialfi (a poor farm boy)
Roskva (a poor farm girl and sister to Thialfi)
Skrymir (The king of Utgard in disguise)
Utgard-Loki (The king of Utgard)
Hugi (Thought disguised as a giant)
Logi (Fire disguised as a giant)
Elli (Old age disguised as a giant)
Jormungand (disguised as a grey cat)

My class size is limited so the children may have to take on 2 roles.

Following the theme of Norse Mythology, Baldur is the son of Odin and Frigga. He and his wife Nanna are the embodiment of goodness and beauty. Their son Forseti is the embodiment of Justice (or truth). These are the foundational themes of Waldorf education; Goodness, Beauty and Truth.

Beauty and Beingness

I call her Beauty
Not just because she is but because
She makes me feel it.

But what is that? What does that mean, and why would it matter
Since noone can agree what beauty is.

Perhaps beauty is a sense of harmony with the beingness of that
Which elevates us.

Perhaps it doesn’t matter.
But it seems much of what surrounds us appeals to our lower nature.

The corporate “grim reaper” with eyes that shine like the glint of clean stainless steel appliances,

Or

Chat rooms and comments that solicit meaningless and sometimes violent banter

The face of George Zimmerman
And the defeated look on the faces of the parents of the child he murdered.

I prefer to spend my time focusing on those things that strike a human chord like
The feeling I got when I heard the president singing Al Green,

My students’ earnest explanations,

Or the discovery of a fairy garden made of found natural objects and magpie sparkles.

My stunning-brown-skinned daughter’s idea of beauty is a blond Disney princess and some of my students like to draw violent scenes of zombies and aliens and I am not sure at times how to respond.

But if I think about beauty enough, some of what I DO is beauty because then I am in the being-ness too,

admiring the strong, white teeth of the dead dog laying on the side of the road.

Welcome to the A-Z challenge and please note:

All the words and art displayed on this blog belong to me (unless otherwise noted) and is part of my practice of being a student/teacher/mom/wife/artist who is working out of Anthroposophy (the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner and the foundation of Waldorf Education).

The theme of my A-Z challenge is Norse Mythology as I am in the process of writing a musical play for my 4th grade students. This will be my help-mate.

The gods in Asgard were true artists- All-father Odin most of all as he hung on the tree for 9 days, sacrificing himself for knowledge, which for the gods was not a materialistic gain but a true embodiment of wisdom.


Artist
by 50 foot Queenie

You forgot the time
while the chalk and the glue
and the paint and the newspaper
gathered in increasingly potent arrangements.

The last verse must be left for editing later as the
Moment is not yet ripe.

Do not clean up.
Do not bathe.
Phone ringing is like background music to the meditation
Of this now-ness.

Rehearsal time belongs to the Call.
And when you hear it
All is nothing,
It is all.

Could you be someone else
In five minutes?
Could you transform your whole way
of seeing the world overnight?

This is the work.

After putting my beauty booty to bed I decided to spend the rest of the evening with PJ Harvey. I listened to Terri Gross' interview from last year and downloaded "Let England Shake" which is brilliant and devastating. This is an album about war, death, beauty, country loyalty, home and is a big departure from much of Harvey's previous work in that it seems like she has moved beyond the personal and into the inspired.

War photographer, Seamus Murphy directed 12 short films to accompany the songs on the album.

Here are PJ Harvey's words:


"Death was everywhere,
in the air
and in the sounds
coming off the mounds
of Bolton's Ridge.
Death's anchorage.
When you rolled a smoke
or told a joke,
it was in the laughter
and drinking water
it approached the beach
as strings of cutters,
dropped into the sea and lay around us.

Death was in the ancient fortress,
shelled by a million bullets
from gunners, waiting in the copses
with hearts that threatened to pop their boxes,
as we advanced into the sun
death was all and everyone.

Death hung in the smoke and clung
to 400 acres of useless beachfront.
A bank of red earth, dripping down death
now, and now, and now
in the air
and in the sounds
coming off the mounds
of Bolton's Ridge.
Death's anchorage.
Death was in the staring sun,
fixing its eyes on everyone.
It rattled the bones of the Light Horsemen
still lying out there in the open

as we, advancing in the sun
sing "Death to all and everyone.""

A whole week off from school.
Strange. But not uncalled for. The road conditions since late Tuesday have been increasingly challenging with the latest ice storm impossible to drive in.
We have been told it will soon melt but as of now, 9:30 am we still have an inch of ice covering everything.

Last night we built another fire (we are running out of wood), made popcorn(the last of it) and watched Singing in the Rain. Booty laughed hysterically at the part of the movie when Donald O'Connor sings, Make 'em Laugh.

Our fish, Sophie and Lena (not related to Lena Lamont) are doing very well. They do seem a bit food obsessed but we too have been a little food glutted during this storm. I believe I reached the sugar-saturation stage experienced by most shut ins yesterday afternoon after demolishing a Lindt orange liquor and Dark chocolate bar with a slice of Wednesday's granola crumble apple pie.

Time for us to get out!

Recorded two days ago in Seattle.

Now an ice storm.
Booty is outside on the back pork attacking the ice-crutsted snow with a small rake.
We have an ice phenomena happening today that doesn't usually happen (well snow doesn't usually happen either) in this area.

If you are from the Northeast this kind of thing is commonplace but if you know a little about weather and how it is affected by the geography etc. you know that sometimes events like this are so addictive. I can't get enough information.

For more good Seattle area weather information check out this awesome blog:

Cliff Mass'

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.!
We have had one seriously exciting week!



We were so excited to see how Booty would react to her first snow. So thrilled that Mr. D was able to witness it, (and take a picture or two).





Tuesday and Wednesday our school called a snow day. We ended up making apple pie, soup, pancakes, setting up an aquarium...



Building a fire, reading and playing lots and lots of Mancala and Uno.



And it feels pretty complete. However, we have another snow day tomorrow. That leaves us with one day of school this week.

Tonight I sang the Martin Luther King song for Booty,

"We bake a cake. We blow it out.
Happy Martin Luther King we shout.
I have a dream, he said
All people hand in hand
Working and singing throughout the land."