Why do we believe something that is ancient? Finally whom do we trust? Why we almost do not have the right to say something against some taboo-persons? Even if we say that we follow what ourself instructs us, are we sure that this part of ourself is not affected by external sources?

I recently read again after a lot of years the “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Just excellent. Excellent thoughts and events that could give some answers on the above questions.

Tyriel,

That comment right there leads to alot of thinking. I think that kind of sums alot up but also makes you think about things.

It is nice to have good discussions on this and we will all take what we need out of it. Good to have a basis, but as you say Tyriel, we are all human and we are all searching for our own path. We will find and learn what we need to know.

One if the limits of a purely historical approach is the availability of evidence. The other is that history tends to create a macro view rather than account for individuality. Our tendency is to find some evidence, piece together a theory which stretches that evidence to its absolute limit and then imagine that those sources, and the resulting theory, represent an entire culture. What is actually produced is dogma.

So real pragmatism must be used when approaching the Elder Futhark. And a grounded, common sense attitude which borrows from experience and any wisdom-tradition the world over can fill in huge areas… curiosity and self-honesty will go a long, long way.

The individual differences of opinion serve to inspire very enlightening conversations that bring personal understanding even deeper. Where individual differences are suppressed or discouraged, I have unfailingly found weaknesses. Glaring ones. Same with ethnocentricity. You invariably run into the limitations of being This or That, or anything other than profoundly Human.

So being misdirected by Christian interpreters is one thing, just watch out for those Norse and Germanic interpreters too! I joke, but there’s a grain of truth in what I’m saying there. I’ll wager that every single person who ever lived in those ancient cultures had their opinions and beliefs — not to mention the different tribes — just as we do now.

Our understanding of medicine, psychology, physics, and many other things have advanced. There seems to be a peculiar bias that totally rules out the possibility that our ‘spirituality’ may have advanced as well. And we find that purely-historical analysis appeals to that bias. I’ve asked it before, and I’ll ask it again: Just how ancient does something have to be before it’s authentic? A rhetorical question.

Vanr, thanks for your vote of confidence. I’ll get that book to you as soon as I can ;)

I would add that Hamingja seems to be a most complicated word and that a literal translation to just “Luck”, as Wikipedia implies, would be rather a simplification.

If Zara has more sources than that tradition, it would be better to declare it. I admit that my first book on the runes was one that followed the “Uthark theory” but when I read Tyriel’s articles, I didn’t come up and say “Eh guys, you are all wrong, you are misdirected by christian interpreters, esoteric original sequence is different” and so on. I compared what I read here and elsewhere with my personal understanding and made up my mind (finally accepting the Futhark sequence), expressing respect on any other’s opinion.

“…No spirit who is willing to honorably face its tasks in this world would be trapped in Hel simply because its temporary physical body did not produce a baby…”

We are the children of our teachers. Our parents could be our teachers, but not our only ones.

Tyriel, we can’t wait for the book!!!

If you follow this link, http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/disir003.php, there is a part written on Hamingja that suggests evidence by pulling out bits and pieces from the Sagas, but the only source it uses is the book “The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature” by Hilda Roderick Ellis (Davidson) 1968

Has anyone checked out that book?

It seems to me also that the ideas of personal Hamingja being hereditary and of it representing our ‘luck’ and ‘charisma’ are quite compatible with each other. What seems to be missing from the points both Zara and Tyriel have offered, is that in our current life we have the ability to strengthen our initial amount of Hamingja, and both deplete and replenish the amount we ‘use’ each day. Personally, I found Denali to be quite helpful on understanding Hamingja.

I was especially fascinated by Zara’s description of other world incarnation possibilities because her portrait resonated with my instincts, for which I had not found supporting sources. All I have is dream or vision, which as the topic has come up I thought I would share.

After my mother died, I had this dream I which I saw my mother waiting (obstinately) in Hel. She was not prepared to acknowledge the limitations of her past life time and would have to remain in the ‘grey haven’ until she was ready to do so. What I was ‘told’ in this dream was that we have choices when we leave Midgard. If we have achieved the tasks assigned to us for that lifetime, we are invited to visit Asgard or another world is we so wish. We will also be asked to consider returning to Misgard to undertake more work. We are not ‘punished’ for not having achieved all we undertook, but we are expected to acknowledge where we fell short. We can remain in Hel (which is not a horrible place – more a sort of resting limbo), or we can undertake to return and take up our incomplete tasks). It would seem to me that hereditary Hamingja would be very tied into this process.

Some sources on Hel seem to me to be influenced by descriptions of the christian hell, where you go if you are ‘bad’ and from which no one can ever ‘escape.’ The Norse mythologies, however, talk about gods visiting Hel and people being ‘awakened’ from ‘death.’ Hel is also expected to play an important role at Ragnarok.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you’re honest that that’s what it is.

And I’m generally pretty frank… my interpretations here are based on research, conversations, logic, intuition, and a keen mind.

I can’t claim a family history dating back to 500CE, some direct communication with the gods or that I’ve had some famous, enlightened teacher, as I’ve seen many do when it comes to the occult and mysticism.

I’ve figured it out for myself.

Perhaps that’s the most spurious claim of all. But it’s the one route I encourage everybody to invest the greatest amount energy into.

Zara’s interpretation of Hamingja belongs to the “Hafskjold-Stav” tradition. Ivan Hafskjold founded Stav: “a philosophical system and martial art which uses runes and Norse Mythology in its teaching.”

Ivar Hafskjold claims that according to his family’s oral tradition ‘Stav’ has been passed down in his family since its origin in circa 500 CE. This of course, is impossible to confirm, but is no less interesting. The biased emphasis on the importance of the family’s origins and its continuation with regards to Hamingja should be clear, since Ivar Hafskjold’s claims to any authority rest upon this important connection and oral family tradition he personally has with the Norse and older northern peoples.

What is interesting though is it appears that the Stav tradition is now carried forward more by breath than by blood.

Much of what Zara suggests can be found in an essay on the Stav-International website, on Orlog, Wyrd and Hamingja taken from the book by David Stone called the Principles of Stav (not available on Amazon, or I’d link it).

So, although the Hafskjold-Stav tradition is an interesting perspective on Hamingja, I don’t consider it definitive in the slightest. Nor would I go to it with regards to the mysteries contained in the Elder Futhark (24 runes), since the martial art’s runic component is based on the Younger Futhark (16 runes).

——–
Wikipedia on Hamingja
In Norse mythology, hamingja (Old Norse “luck”[1]) refers to two concepts; the personification of the good fortune or luck of an individual or family, and, secondly, refers to the altered appearance of shape-shifters. Both Andy Orchard and Rudolf Simek note parallels between the concept of the hamingja and the fylgja.[2]

And for Fylgja it has:

a fylgja (Old Norse, literally “someone that accompanies,”[1] plural fylgjur) is a supernatural being or creature which accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. Fylgjur usually appear in the form of an animal and commonly appears during sleep, but the sagas relate that they could appear while a person is awake as well, and that seeing one’s fylgja is an omen of one’s impending death. However, when fylgjur appear in the form of women, they are then supposedly guardian spirits for people or clans (ätter).

Both Andy Orchard and Rudolf Simek note parallels between the concept of the hamingja—a personification of a family or individual’s fortune—and the fylgja.[2]
——–

When exploring or emphasizing the ancestral aspects of Hamingja, the typical ancestral-related runes obviously apply. Ansuz, Kenaz, Othala all weigh in heavily. But there is no ‘single rune’ of Hamingja; each rune will share its secrets.

In Fehu, I would emphasize the individual fortune: initial conditions, charisma, ability to move toward spiritual fulfillment (freedom).

The root of Hamingja actually seems to MEAN ‘luck’ translated to English from Old Norse. That would hardly suggest to me that “Luck and Hamingja are unrelated, if not opposing, concepts.” I’m much more tempted to acquiesce to the etymologists. But if there are other sources/translations that I’ve missed, do share.

If the ‘luck’ aspect of Hamingja is poorly understood, it’ll require some more research and careful thought. Personal insight is also acceptable. Fehu may not be the best place for an in depth discussion of Hamingja, but it is where my brief note ended up. I will dedicate a lot of pages to Hamingja in the Book of Rune Secrets, and hopefully get a post up about it once I’m done fleshing out each rune analysis.

Thank you for bringing it up, at any rate Zara, I’m certain that our readers will appreciate the discussion!