The Place of the Self-Willed Beasts - Utgard, Jotunheim, Outside The Fence

The Nine Worlds
Dark forests and tops of mountains, rocky crags, the snow of the vast wilderness and the feared wildness of Nature, Utgard, outside the fence, the place of the self-willed beasts.
This is the realm of the giants.  This is Jotunheim.
Separated from the orderly, law-abiding, civilized, domestication of the high gods by Ifing, the river of Doubt.  Yet even the so-called high gods carry the bloodlines of the Jotnfolk.

Mimir’s well of wisdom is in Jotunheim, as is Gastropnir, the healing palace of the giantess Mengloth.
And deep in the heart of Jotunheim you will find the Myrkwood, home to Angrboda, Wolf Chieftess and ruler of the nine clans, mother of monstrosities who were fathered by Loki.

The word giant often conjures up images of stupid, lumbering, huge beings that are most often destructive.  Yet in ancient Norse and Germanic tales the Jotunfolk of Northern Traditions were keepers of ancient wisdom,  and the deep elemental knowledge of the forces of creation and destruction.  Even the gods sought them out to take counsel from them.

There are those who believe in a single god, creator of all things and who strive to communicate with him through various channels such as the angels, the saints and the resurrected son.
There are those who believe in the many gods, pantheons of divine powers indwelling in all life and perhaps it is not we who seek out these beings but rather they contact us.

These concepts expressed above opened up a grand and lively discussion in The Nine Worlds class and presented an opportunity to explore the river of Doubt and cross back and forth over its fast-moving waters that never freeze.

Such conversations are necessary and vital.  As Raven Kaldera states in Jotunbok - Working With The Giants Of The Northern Tradition:

“We are finding ourselves in a place and time where civilization has run out of balance...we are as menaced by the side-effects of progress as our ancestors were by the feral wolf pack, and we are finding that a new respect for and partnership with Nature is now necessary for our survival.”

It’s time for us to remember, reconnect with and honor the primal beings of Jotunheim.

Ingrid, the Rune Woman
Changing Lives With Ancient Wisdom

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