One of this year's holidays will be ill...

[Riverwolf]

I hesitate to call this an "omen" since I'm largely unfamiliar with how omens are regarded these days, but it sure felt like one.

...and come to think of it, I was startled awake this morning from a dream where I opened my bedroom door and saw a hooded man, whom I can only interpret as Woden, staring back at me. I felt a sense of dread that I'd never associated with Him before. Gods... omen or not, it's unsettling.

Anyway, I was marking out this year's Wheel holidays on my calender based on the dates given at archaeoastronomy, and when I saw when Lughnasadh fell on this year, I felt a dark weight in my mind and heart.

Lughnasadh/Lúnasa, First Day of Harvest, falls on August 6th this year in the Northern Hemisphere (unless you're at the Prime Meridian or East of it, in which case it's the 7th as usual). For those who don't know the significance of that date, August 6, 1945 is the day Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. It's a day I typically mark with overall silence.

While I certainly don't ask with any kind of strength that others do likewise, I think I'll be marking this year's Lughnasadh with a great deal more somber reverence than normal.

 

[Quintessence]

The power of association is marvelous indeed. Definitely not something I would think about.

 

[Nietzsche]

I hesitate to call this an "omen" since I'm largely unfamiliar with how omens are regarded these days, but it sure felt like one.

...and come to think of it, I was startled awake this morning from a dream where I opened my bedroom door and saw a hooded man, whom I can only interpret as Woden, staring back at me. I felt a sense of dread that I'd never associated with Him before.

Even in the earliest forms of continental Germanic traditions, Odin/Woden/Wotan/Wodanaz was the God of Death and Dying. This is why the majority of those who worshiped him in particular(as in they worshiped, identified with, or called upon him more often than the rest of the Aesir or Vanir) tended to be life-long warriors, those in positions of power, skalds and scholars, just generally those who had no regrets in dying for their pursuits or welcomed it.

And yet this is the first time you, an individual who(from what I can gather from our conversations and my readings of your posts) generally seeks to live a good life(if not perhaps overly lengthy) have associated him with...dread and fear?

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Perhaps it means that this year many familiar faces will fall before 'The Reaper's' scythe? That's consistent with the sheer number of deaths we've been experiencing of late. I include some family friends in that.

 

[Riverwolf]

Perhaps it means that this year many familiar faces will fall before 'The Reaper's' scythe? That's consistent with the sheer number of deaths we've been experiencing of late. I include some family friends in that.

Gods be good, I hope not. For what it's worth, it's not a divisible-by-5-or-10 anniversary of the event...

Even in the earliest forms of continental Germanic traditions, Odin/Woden/Wotan/Wodanaz was the God of Death and Dying. This is why the majority of those who worshiped him in particular(as in they worshiped, identified with, or called upon him more often than the rest of the Aesir or Vanir) tended to be life-long warriors, those in positions of power, skalds and scholars, just generally those who had no regrets in dying for their pursuits or welcomed it.

And yet this is the first time you, an individual who(from what I can gather from our conversations and my readings of your posts) generally seeks to live a good life(if not perhaps overly lengthy) have associated him with...dread and fear?

Directly, at least, yeah. I have recently read about the dread historical peoples had for Him in H.R. Ellis Davidson's book, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, but I'd honestly not worked directly with Woden very often, and when I did, more or less regarded Him as ... roughly a hybrid of Gandalf, Batman, and Dr. Cox, I guess? I'd seen others describe Him in a more fatherly fashion, such as what's seen in the Marvel Thor movies, though that never seemed "right" to me.

There is still much I have to learn about the Gods and the Old Ways.

 

[Nietzsche]

Directly, at least, yeah. I have recently read about the dread historical peoples had for Him in H.R. Ellis Davidson's book, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, but I'd honestly not worked directly with Woden very often, and when I did, more or less regarded Him as ... roughly a hybrid of Gandalf, Batman, and Dr. Cox, I guess? I'd seen others describe Him in a more fatherly fashion, such as what's seen in the Marvel Thor movies, though that never seemed "right" to me.

There is still much I have to learn about the Gods and the Old Ways.

The Batman/Gandalf/Dr. Cox hybrid is actually quite a good way to describe him, I think. Though I think I'd swap Cox for House. None the less, you still seem to be missing a key attribute of those individuals. They are rightfully terrifying to nigh-all who oppose them as well as to those who don't understand them. The fear, however, melts away only when you find understand why he does what he does. The methods can be brutal, cruel, traumatizing and scarring. But it's in the service of something more than himself.

On the flip side, there are others who do not fear Odin, but they do not fear because they are coming at him as a polar opposite. Loki, for instance, I think is best described as a less malicious Joker. Loki just does things.

 

[Mindmaster]

It technically was a funerary feast anyway for Lugh's wife. I am sure it can be celebrated as it was in honor of other dead. Anyway, this archeoastronomy stuff is not the days 99.99% celebrate any holiday which is typically August 1st in the case of Lammas/Lughnasadh. While it is cool to note the astrological progressions I just think it isn't the important part (since it isn't really a magical significant day in the first place) a feast can be held any day and can be to the honor of any god and still be cool.

I mean imagine the chaos of having some people celebrate Christmas on the calendar day, and others on some sort of regressed/progression date. It's just usually a hot mess... This is why even the pagans avoid it. lol

 

[GoodbyeDave]

While it is cool to note the astrological progressions I just think it isn't the important part (since it isn't really a magical significant day in the first place) a feast can be held any day and can be to the honor of any god and still be cool.

As the organiser of a London festival said a couple of years ago, the most sacred day is The Day Everyone Can Make It.

 

[Riverwolf]

It technically was a funerary feast anyway for Lugh's wife. I am sure it can be celebrated as it was in honor of other dead. Anyway, this archeoastronomy stuff is not the days 99.99% celebrate any holiday which is typically August 1st in the case of Lammas/Lughnasadh. While it is cool to note the astrological progressions I just think it isn't the important part (since it isn't really a magical significant day in the first place) a feast can be held any day and can be to the honor of any god and still be cool.

I mean imagine the chaos of having some people celebrate Christmas on the calendar day, and others on some sort of regressed/progression date. It's just usually a hot mess... This is why even the pagans avoid it. lol

Oh, yeah, there needs to be more consistent days when dealing with multiple people. For myself and my partner, I like to note the astronomical dates just because I'm celebrating Sun's progression through the year, and marking the seasons as well.

One thing I've been considering is regarding these not as "holy days" but "holy tides". That is, a period of days of celebration and days off of work, rather than just one day. Then, the Solar day is just one of the days, not the only one.

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

The Batman/Gandalf/Dr. Cox hybrid is actually quite a good way to describe him, I think. Though I think I'd swap Cox for House. None the less, you still seem to be missing a key attribute of those individuals. They are rightfully terrifying to nigh-all who oppose them as well as to those who don't understand them. The fear, however, melts away only when you find understand why he does what he does. The methods can be brutal, cruel, traumatizing and scarring. But it's in the service of something more than himself.

On the flip side, there are others who do not fear Odin, but they do not fear because they are coming at him as a polar opposite. Loki, for instance, I think is best described as a less malicious Joker. Loki just does things.

A surprisingly spot-on comparison I've heard for Odin is RIck Sanchez. Not the politician (oh Hel no):

^^
That guy.

 

[Aquitaine]

Perhaps it means that this year many familiar faces will fall before 'The Reaper's' scythe? That's consistent with the sheer number of deaths we've been experiencing of late. I include some family friends in that.

Sorry to hear that, buddy.