The Kindred of Ravenswood
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Karl Donaldsson
6 May 1997 CE
Recently, I was asked what it meant to be a Freyrsgoði, an epithet I have both self-proclaimed and have been given. Quite frankly, I hadn't given it much thought, so I did what I normally do: bring forth words until it comes out, much like filling a balloon that looks like nothing deflated, but looks like Mickey Mouse when fully inflated. The parallels this has to my being big bag of wind not withstanding, this is indeed the method which I think -- out loud. Allow me share with you my discovery.
In ninth grade, I was required by state law to take a health class. Amazingly enough, I was given a teacher who had a real zeal for the subject, thus making it as interesting as a ninth-grade class could possibly be to a ninth-grader. I gleaned quite a few things from that menagerie of physiological and psychological study, namely CPR, Rescue Breathing, and The Health Triangle. The Health triangle, silly as it may seem, is actually the way I will explain what it means to me to be a Freyrsgoði.
The Health Triangle is the view to the whole well-being of a person: their physical, mental, and social well-being looked at under a broad scope. My learning came with much time, and I find that now, some ten years later, I think I finally have a grasp on what the Hel that teacher was talking about. When I first saw it, it seemed to me that the physical part of the triangle was the most important. If you had a good physique, good looks, and good health, you would attract more potential partners, be able to do physically grueling tasks, and live long. Thus, it seemed that mental health would follow, because you felt good about yourself and could be happy in a relationship. Then, after that, came social well-being, because if you looked good and liked yourself, it would be so easy to make friends, and your social well-being would flourish.
I was afflicted, at that time in my life, with cystic acne in what a dermatologist called a -severe case.- Also, I was a bit corpulent in addition to my purulence. It is now easy to see how I thought that physical well being was so important. In any case, as I got older, I grew out of my acne and into my skin on my way to college. I had then realized my previous error, knowing that mental health had to be the most important leg, since with good mental health, you can develop the mindset necessary to create the physique you desire, not the other way around. Social had moved into second, because it was much easier to base lasting friendships and relationships on mental attributes such as wit, charm, intelligence, kindness, and gentility than just by being a sporto.
Since I was, at that time in my life, not very socially acclimated and all I had were my brains (because in college, my weight caught back up to my frame) to keep me afloat, it is now easy to see why I thought that mental was so important. It's all I really had. I had a minimal and geeky social life, and I wasn't very good-looking. That's when I realized I could use the mental leg of the triangle to pivot into the social part. That had to be it. With social well-being, all of your friends are supportive, making you feel good about yourself, and making you care what sort of shape you're in so you can live long enough to enjoy them. That's the point I was at, until recently.
Now that I have run the gamut through my mind, considered my wonderful marriage, my amazing kith and kin, my challenging career in a field where I can make a difference, and the general good mood I'm typically in, I must say I was both right and wrong all three times. All three legs of the triangle are the most important, and all three contribute to the general well-being of any one person in an equal fashion. Each leg has equal and proportional effects on the other two. Yeah, I know, it sounds cheesy, but think about it next time you're bored and need something to do.
OK, now for the good part: my point, and how this ties into my Freyrsgoði-ness, and what all this has to do with Ásatrú. My point is that you can derive all of what is considered to be good from any person, animal, or plant by examining its well-being. Anything that contributes favorably to its well-being is good, anything detrimental is bad. Well, -no duh,- you say. But, you'd be surprised how many people kill themselves or act irresponsibly or are cruel or what have you simply because they have some sort of imbalance in their well-being. A small act like cutting a ring of bark off the outside of a tree can kill it, even though it seems so minor. A person can deal with pain by taking pain killers, but the source has not been removed, merely abated. My connection to Frey as the guardian of the Hearth, the Provider, the Life-Giver, and Lord of All Things Living, is that I believe that all life should be good life. Everyone should be happy, in good enough physical and mental health, and have a good social environment to thrive in. Things should not stagnate, things should grow. Each day, everyone should feel happier. Each day, plants should be stronger and greener. Each day, animals should be stronger and more satisfied in their existence. Any time that this is not the case, I can sense it, and it bothers me. I do what I can to right the wrong of nothingness, cure the disease, make a new friend, or help solve the problem. It is simple nurturing. And if nurturing is in your nature, you might be a Freyrsgoði or Freyrsgyðja.
I guess the best way to consider all of this is by considering the Nine Noble Virtues. Three of each are dedicated to each of three legs of the triangle: honor, fidelity, and hospitality are the social aspects; industriousness, self-reliance, and perseverance are the physical aspects; and courage, truth and discipline are the mental aspects. An equal balance of each of the virtues ensures equal balance in the Health Triangle, which, in turn, ensures physical, mental, and social well-being. Commonly in history, Thor, Odin, and Frey were spoken of together, many times as in parts of oaths or even seen together in carvings. One could further extrapolate this to an indication that even the gods knew about the balance between the physical (Thor), mental (Odin), and social (Frey) aspects of existence. Perhaps that's why it took me so long to discover Frey -- I had to work through Thor and Odin first before I found my place in Ásatrú.
The Kindred of Ravenswood
Our Faith Eddas and Sagas Asatru Links E-Mail the Godhi