Nerthus: Exploring the Basics

The Langobardi, by contrast, are distinguished by the fewness of their numbers. Ringed round as they are by many mighty peoples, they find safety not in obsequiousness but in battle and its perils. After them come the Reudingi, Aviones, Anglii, Varini, Eudoses, Suarini and Nuitones, behind their ramparts of rivers and woods. There is nothing noteworthy about these peoples individually, but they are distinguished by a common worship of Nerthus, or Mother Earth. They believe that she interests herself in human affairs and rides among their peoples. In an island of the Ocean stands a sacred grove, and in the grove a concentrated cart, draped with cloth, which none but the priest may touch. The priest perceives the presence of the goddess in this holy of holies and attends her, in deepest reverence, as her cart is drawn by heifers. Then follow days of rejoicing and merry-making in every place that she designs to visit and be entertained. No one goes to war, no one takes up arms; every object of iron is locked away; then, and only then, are peace and quiet known and loved, until the priest again restores the goddess to her temple, when she has had her fill of human company. After that the cart, the cloth and, if you care to believe it, the goddess herself are washed in clean in a secluded lake. This service is performed by slaves who are immediately afterwards drowned in the lake. Thus mystery begets terror and pious reluctance to ask what the sight can be that only those doomed to die may see.

(J.B. Rives Translation, Tacitus' Germania, Chp. 40)

The preceding is consider to be the only surviving bit of information modern heathens have which relates to the Goddess Nerthus. Aside from a few places names etymologically linked to her name, and a general (yet sometimes debated) acceptance of her name as the feminized cognate of Njord,this is all that remains.

The description of the wain, or chariot, her blessing of the land, and this common link with Njord has led most to believe that Nerthus was an ancient Van Goddess, possibly the mate of Njord. This of course is debated as well, and in the face of such sparse information, it is unlikely we will ever know exactly who Nerthus was conclusively, in relation to her particular relations to the other Norse or Germanic Gods.

But even in this short passage, we have few clues to who Nerthus is, and how her followers interpreted her.

• Nerthus is the equivalent to the "Earth Mother," linking her to the land and fertility in general
• She was worshipped by rural people, typically those dwelling in a natural rather than urban community
• Nerthus has a physical prescence, and interacts with the natural world and humanity
• Connection to the idea of the "sacred" i.e.- sacred grove, the wain, hidden by cloth, only certain individuals may communicate with her
• Specialized sect of clergy which attend her
• Revulsion to iron, or man made weaponry
• Nerthus is entertained, perhaps a reference to blot or festival, etc. along her journey
• Cart drawn by heifers, symbolic of feminine fertility
• Human sacrifice of those who lay eyes upon her, another indication of absolute sacredness

One thing I want to call attention to is the use of the word "perceive" in reference to the priest who attends the wain, and the Goddess herself. In none of the translations I have come across, is this perception equivalent to seeing. It is my feeling that when the word perceive is used here, it is in reference to the spiritual senses rather than the physical ones. The sixth sense, intuition, whatever one may call it. I think this bit of information points to a sense of awareness of the spiritual presence of the Goddess in her attendant. And in some sense, validates the process of UPG in relation to Vanic spirituality.

So it seems that the priest perceives a non-physical force which enters the wain, rather than "seeing" sensually a physical person enter into it. But this contradicts the description of slaves who wash the Goddess in her lake, which seems like a physical act. In this I see some similarities with other sacred icons, such as the ark of the covenant for example. It is historically valid that in both Christian and Pagan faiths, we see the existence of the idol.

From this I believe that the wain housed an idol of the Goddess, a temporary home for her Sacred Spirit. The priest was trained to sense this, the slaves perhaps performed the act of cleansing the idol after its journey. Knowingly or not, these slaves were in direct contact with the Spirit of the Goddess Nerthus herself. Which might be an explanation of why they were drowned. A goddess with the power to bless the entire land, who knows what power she might be able to invest in a single human through direct contact?

Worth noting also that if idols were used in the Van faith, this would point to an animistic and in some sense spiritualist outlook in reference to the belief system. The belief that a deity or spirit could become resident in a physical object might give us yet another cue in unraveling the magical systems of the Vanir. Could lesser spirits such as elementals or the ancestors find residence in an object and be used for magical purpose? I believe it is highly possible. The similarities within Seidr and modern shamanism would also support the idea of animism, and perhaps spiritualism as well.

I also think it is valid to assume that a Goddess with her own priest would support the idea of an individual having a patron God or Goddess, and being wholly dedicated to an individual deity within the pantheon of the Norse and Vanir. Obviously this concept presumed a level of dedication far deeper than the neopagan idea of patronage, yet it still supports patronage on a serious level.

The hidden, sacred nature of Nerthus coupled with her association to earth makes me associate her with what has been called deep earth magic. I will discuss this in another post more fully. Deep earth energy, in short, would refer to the underground, cyclical cycles of beginning and ending. In my estimation, this is one of the most powerful forms of natural energy, and requires much forethought before being utilized.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. More to come on the energy of the deep earth soon!

In frith,

Cena