Acorn Baden

17/01/2024

If you plan to take part in the international, interfaith Rituals 4 Palestine on ≈January 31st, please fill out the google form. I’m trying to pick a time where the most people can be available. I’m hoping we can do our rituals (prayers, meditation, chanting, singing, dancing, etc) at or near the same time, regardless of time zone. So far, most of the people who filled out the form are in the USA. I would love to get an idea of people’s availability worldwide.

I'm coordinating a specific day and time where we all remotely “get together” to do collective rituals for P@lestine [also referred to as “❤️🖤🤍💚” due to censoring]? I know that we’re all in different time zones, locations, and have different availability. But with a little pla...

23/12/2023

Hello all,
Do you want to try to coordinate a specific day and time where we all remotely “get together” to do collective rituals for P@lestine [also referred to as “🖤🤍💚❤️” due to censoring]?

I know that we’re all in different time zones, locations, and have different availability. But with a little planning we might be able to coordinate so we’re doing our rituals at or near the same time so they have the most impact.

Different kinds of rituals people can do are prayer, meditation, singing, chanting, incantating, dancing, spell casting, etc. In addition to these things, people are encouraged to do other things in the meantime, like calling representatives, protesting, boycotting, etc.

I’m thinking of doing it on January 31, 2024 to give us enough time to plan and February 1st is Imbolc, a pagan sabbat celebrating the coming of spring.

There is roughly 50 hours between when the first time zone begins January 31st and when the last time zone finishes January 31st. So, depending on the responses we get it may be anywhere between January 30th to February 1st.

I know Abrahamic religions believe in one true god. I do not practice an Abrahamic religion and want to do something from my own practices to spiritually help in addition to the other things.

In World War II a group of British witches got together and performed a “Cone of Power” in an attempt to stop Hi**er from invading Britain.

For those interested, here is a google form to help us figure out the availability from different time zones:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5y2GDKHMf8EQRaHswbQjy1nA0ZusfzlQ6AiWUp7EMcByR1A/viewform?usp=sf_link

21/12/2023

Rauhnächte: Twelve Rough Nights of Yule
The next observance in my Ancestral Calendar series is the Germanic Rough Nights that lasts 11 days and 12. This represents the difference between the solar calendar year and the lunar calendar year.

This is one instance where the Wild Hunt has come up.

During this time frame there is smoke and incense cleanses. Common incense used are frankincense, myrrh, juniper and pine.

Also food offerings are important during this time.

There were a lot of different kinds of divination during this time. One type of divination was Bleigiessen which is a kind of divination with melted lead, tin, or wax. There was also dream and weather divination. Each day or night of the 12 nights would represent how each month of the following year will be. Also, women could divine their future husband at cross roads.

Loud sounds were also a huge part of these rough nights. These are also called Glockennächte, Bells Night. They also set off loud firecrackers. In some areas they did Perchtenlauf (Perchten Run). Perchten are the creatures associated with Frau Perchta.

It’s also thought that animals can speak during this time. But humans should not try to hear the animals speaking because it can bring bad luck.

20/12/2023

Mothers’ Night / Mōdraniht
There is very little known about this observance. Bede says it’s celebrated on Christmas Eve. I celebrate it on Winter Solstice Eve.
Last year, I was visiting my mother and I went through all her photos and I took out photos of the women from our family. I laid them out on the kitchen table displaying them with pride. Then I sat with my mother and I went over some of the women in our family tree. I shared with my mom all the information I had on each woman going back generation by generation.
Do you celebrate Mothers’ Night? If yes, how do you celebrate it? If not, is it something you would like to celebrate in the future?

16/12/2023

🍉🇵🇸🛑💣🚫💀

13/12/2023

My First Wrap: Tree of Death
I’m excited and embarrassed. I could use some encouragement. I’m hoping to make a modern version of Thorbjorg Little Volva’s outfit as described in the Icelandic Sagas, Erik the Red. The translations say she has gemstones (or precious stones) inlaid in her cloak (overcoat/mantle).
I’m not learning this to sell anything. I’m just doing this for personal reasons.
So, I was thinking I would learn wire wrapping to attach the gemstones to my cloak. I finally got the wire I brought in the mail yesterday. Today, I tried to do my tree of life. It’s not the way I want it but I’m trying to remember that I’m just learning and I might not have the right tools (wire, pliers, hammer, etc).
Ideally, I would use a thicker (lower number gauged) wire for the tree but this is all I have. I also don’t think this is the best wire. I got it off Etsy. It’s “half soft” or “quarter soft”, it bounces back, it bends out of shape, it scratches easily, I cannot get the cut ends to tuck properly, etc.
I’m going to parawire next time.
Eventually, I would like to make a Tree of Life with leaves/beads but I gotta wait to purchase more stuff. I’m severely disabled and on a fixed income so this project is going to take me a long time to finish.
Does anyone know a good place where I can ask questions and get feedback and help?
My hands already hurt! Do people wrap their fingers? I saw someone on Tiktok with their finger wrapped and I’m wondering if that might help with avoiding roughing up my skin and nails.

Check out Acorn Baden's video.

12/12/2023

St. Lucy/Lucia Eve/Day & Lussi Long Night
As I’ve said before, I’m creating a calendar that includes holidays/observances that my ancestors may have partaken in and looking for their pagan roots or looking for ways I can add my own pagan practices to them.
Below I’ll briefly share information about St. Lucy’s suggested connections to Freya, Juno Lucia, Lilith, Little Yule, witches, divination, etc.
In the Julian calendar, December 13th was thought to be the Winter Solstice, a dark and dangerous time. The earliest sunset of the year happens around December 13th, also sometimes called “Little Yule”.
Our pagan ancestors thought that spirits ("gangferd" or “gongferd”--a dialect word that roughly translates as the walking dead) and other scary creatures (trolls, ) roamed through the sky on this night looking for people to sn**ch (reminiscent of the Wild Hunt called Oskoreia in Scandinavia).
It was called Lussinatta (Lucy Night) or Lussi Langnatta (Lucy Long Night).
It was believed that this band of baddies was led by Lussi who could enter people’s homes, via the chimney, and sn**ch children. So Scandanavians hid in their houses on this night, put up protection symbols, lit candles and stayed awake (Lussevaka) to ward of lussiferda (Lussi’s followers). In modern times, people throw all-night parties.
Legend has it that if household members didn’t have certain Yule/Christmas tasks (threshing, spinning, milling, baking, etc) done already they would be punished by Lussi and her misfits. Watch out for Lussi in the windows pressing her face against the panes and shrieking if you have not finished your chores!
In some areas, this was also a night of torchlit parades and massive bonfires to ward off Lussi and her supernatural companions. In some areas, children even dressed up like lussegubbe (spirits). The children would sing songs in exchange for treats.
Germany had a similar tradition where a white-clad girl, named Christkind, walked around handing out gifts, as an alternative to the Catholic St. Nicholas. She was dressed in white with a wreath of candles on her head. The girl was meant to symbolize the baby Jesus and brought with her a boy named Hans Trapp, who was a kind of devil-like figure.
This German tradition may have been a precursor to the Lucia tradition we find in Sweden.
Divination
St. Lucy’s Eve was also a time when the future could be divined. In Austria a mysterious light called Luzieschein (‘the Lucy-shining’) was observed by boys outdoors at midnight, and the future could be foretold from its appearance.
Witchery
St Lucy’s Eve was a mysterious and dangerous time in many parts of Europe, a time when witches were thought to be especially powerful. In Britain, witches and fairies would kidnap anyone who went to bed without any supper. In Lower Austria witchcraft was feared and had to be averted by prayer and incense; a procession was made through each house to cense every room.
Freya
In Scandinavia St. Lucy seems to have taken on characteristics of the goddess Freya who was known as the Vanadis, or the shining bride of the gods. The lussikatter (Lucy cats) or the golden saffron rolls that are served at this time in Scandinavian countries are said to be the devil’s cats which Lucia subdued, and the cats were pictured at her feet; cats were also associated with Freya and pulled her chariot. Freya’s special season was Yule when she dispensed wealth and plenty. The traditional shape of the rolls is a crossed shape where the arms are rolled inward and in the curve are bright pieces of fruit or small candles in the form of a solar wheel. Lucia may also have some aspects of the Norse Sun-goddess Sunna, whose emblem is the fiery wheel.
Juno Lucia
In Italy it is likely that St. Lucia acquired attributes of the Roman goddess Juno Lucina or Lucetia, the Mother of Light who also carried a tray and a lamp, bestowing the gifts of light, enlightenment and sight, who was also known as the opener of the eyes of newborn children.
Lilith
In western parts of Sweden refuse to take part in St. Lucy’s Feast and that she was either seen as a form of Lilith or as a female embodiment of Lucifer. There are many interesting comparisons with Lilith being the mother of the Hidden Folk and demons in Jewish folklore and with Lucia being associated with the Hidden Folk of Sweden and Norway.
Sources
https://www.norwegianamerican.com/victory-light-winters-dark-gloom/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day
http://legendsofthenorth.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-darkest-night-of-year-lussi-long.html
https://www.sciencenorway.no/history/st-lucias-day-an-italian-saint-a-german-child-and-a-female-demon-all-play-a-role-in-the-story-of-13-december/1784719
https://annafranklinhearthwitch.wordpress.com/2020/12/13/lucia-saint-or-sun-goddess/

08/12/2023

The Keepers of Civilizations' Numbers
For those that don’t know, I’m working on creating a modern version of Thorbjorg Little Völva’s outfit as described in the Icelandic Sagas (Erik the Red). As I (slowly) gather items I decided to also write a Galstar (Galdor, Galdr, charm, incantation, spell, chant, blessing, prayer, etc) for each item that I’m gathering.

The Galstars are going to honor each item kinda like how The Nine Herb Charm honors each herb. So far I have a cloak/overcoat/mantle, bag, turtle brooches, belt, beads, gloves, and a cane. The cane is going to act as my staff.

I was doing a little research into viking-age staffs and I came across a very interesting webpage that discusses Seidr staffs mainly from Völva burials. Although it also highlights some Druid practices along with weights and measures from various cultures. There’s also some mythology in the article.

The main point of the article is that these staffs likely were mnemonic devices to remember important figures for weighing, measuring, and calculating all kinds of things.

This information blew my mind. I had never heard anyone talk about these things. I did a search to see if this author is mentioned in the groups but I couldn’t find any posts. I’m sharing because I think others will find it interesting.

I really wish I would have copy/pasted some of the most interesting lines from the piece to give you all a sample but I didn’t and it’s far too long to re-read right now.

It was posted less than a year ago: “Martin Doutré, January 1st, 2023 ©”

For over 100-years archaeologists and those interpreting the artefacts they find, have been mystified by the occurrence of staffs/rods/wands found in the elaborate graves of, for the most part, women and situated in, predominantly, Scandinavia.

05/12/2023

December 5th/6th: St. Nicholas Eve/Day
I’m going to give some brief information about St. Nicholas’s Eve/Day from Germany, Romania, Hungary, and France.
I’m so excited because one year ago I started making this ancestral calendar and St. Nicholas Eve was the first holiday/observance I started with. I had a lot of fun. I was visiting my mother and I filled a pair of her boots with a bunch of goodies. I was teaching her about what I had learned about various ancestral practices and showing her videos, etc.
As I’ve said before, I’m looking at holidays or observances that my ancestors may have participated in. I’m trying to figure out if there are any known pagan roots to these events or if I can add my own pagan practices to them.
Some suggest that St. Nicholas was the basis for Santa Clause and Odin/Woden may have inspired Santa but as the link below shows the Santa-Odin connection is flimsy.
Some religious historians and experts in folklore believe that there is no valid evidence to indicate that St. Nicholas ever existed as a human. In fact, there are quite a few indicators that his life story was simply recycled from those of Pagan gods.
Many other ancient Pagan gods and goddesses were similarly Christianized in the early centuries of the Church. His legends seems to have been mainly created out of myths attributed to the Greek God Poseidon, the Roman God Neptune, and the Teutonic God Hold Nickar.
“In the popular imagination [of many Russians] he became the heir of Mikoula, the god of harvest, ‘who will replace God, when God becomes too old.’ ”
When the church created the persona of St. Nicholas, they adopted Poseidon’s title “the Sailor.” They seem to have picked up his last name from Nickar. Various temples of Poseidon became shrines of St. Nicholas.
“In medieval England… in tiny sea ports we find the typical little chapel built on an eminence and looking out to sea.”
St. Nicholas also adopted some of the qualities of “The Grandmother” or Befana from Italy. She was said to have filled children’s stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari was also converted into a shrine to St. Nicholas.
The Christian church created a fictional life history for St. Nicholas. He was given the name Hagios Nikolaos (a.k.a. St. Nicholas of Myra).
In the 19th century, St. Nicholas was superseded in much of Europe by Christkindlein, the Christ child, who delivered gifts in secret to the children. He traveled with a dwarf-like helper called Pelznickel (a.k.a. Belsnickle) or with St. Nicholas-like figures. Eventually, all three were combined into the image that we now know as Santa Claus. “Christkindlein” became Kriss Kringle.
Here’s some info about St. Nicholas Eve/Day in these 4 countries.
In Germany, On Nikolasusanbend (St. Nicholas Eve) & Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day) children get apples, nuts and toys. As in many European countries, on the eve of December 6 children place a shoe or boot by the fireplace. During the night, Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, travels from house to house carrying a book of sins in which all the misdeeds of the children are written. If they have been good, he fills the shoe or boot with delicious holiday edibles. If they have not been good, their shoes are filled with twigs.
In Romania, St. Nicholas's Day is also observed on December 6. On the eve of St. Nicholas's Day, children place their boots or shoes near an entrance where Moș Nicolae (Old Nicholas) can fill them with candy and treats. Naughty children receive sticks.
Christmas in Hungary is the greatest festival of the year. Christmas celebrations begin on December 6 and last until the New Year. Christmas is called "Szent-este," meaning "Holy Evening."
Hungarians often exchange presents on two occasions. Christmas celebrations start on December 6, when Mikulas (Santa Claus) visits Hungary accompanied by Krampusz (the devil). Children leave their shoes or boots on the windowsill for Mikulas to fill. Mikulas wears bishop's robes, has a miter on his head, and holds a staff. He has a sack full of toys and gifts on his other hand. The devil has dry twigs in his hand to hit naughty children. Mikulas usually stuffs the children's boots with goodies such as walnuts, tangerines, candies, apples, dates, and chocolate.
In France, the holiday season usually begins on December 5, St. Nicholas Eve. Many years ago, French nuns began leaving gifts secretly at the homes of poor families with children on St. Nicholas Eve. Now French children leave their shoes by the fireplace or radiator hoping to receive gifts.
Sources:
https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/12/27/no-santa-claus-is-not-inspired-by-odin/
https://chucklarkin.com/stories/Christmas_1.pdf
Barbara G. Walker, “The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.” Harper & Row, (1983) Pages 725 to 726.
“St. Nicholas of Bari (Fourth Century),” Catholic Information Network, at: http://www.cin.org/nichbari.html
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Lancashire_Folk_lore_Illustrative_of_the/SOcE_kzT4OIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Hold+Nickar%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT74&printsec=frontcover
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Words_of_a_Feather_An_Etymological_Expla/rie3DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Hold+Nickar%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT150&printsec=frontcover
The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity stated that It is said that Saint Nicholas's legends were created mainly out of folk tales about the Teutonic god Hold Nickar, a malevolent water spirit who tips over boats and torments sailors, or even about Alte Hoerner, which stands for "Old Horney"

03/12/2023

ADVENT
In my Ancestral Calendar series, I’m exploring holidays or observances my ancestors might have participated in and looking for their pagan roots or finding ways to add my own pagan practices to them.

Today, I’m looking at historical Advent season observances in Germany, Finland, and Norway. Advent has changed a lot over the years. Here’s some information about some of the practices in these 3 countries.

In German, the first Sunday of Advent was on the first Sunday after November 26th and was called Grüner Sonntag or Green Sunday. People would decorate their homes with a bough or two of evergreen, nuts, berries, moss, candles, etc. They roasted chestnuts and has Glugwein which is a warm spiced (mulled) wine.

In Finland, Joulua (Christmas) season began with the Advent season which is 4 Sundays before Christmas. Decorations in the shops included Advent candles, Advent wreaths, Advent calendars and additional lights helping to light the long winter nights.

During Advent in Norway, sometimes small gifts are given on each day of December, leading up to Christmas. These are known as Adventsgave or Kalendergave. There is a similar tradition in Denmark. The gifts are sometimes used together with a chocolate Advent calendar!

Many different types of cakes and biscuits were eaten over the Christmas period in Norway. One of the most popular is a special bread called "Julekake," which has raisins, candied peel, and cardamom in it.

02/12/2023

November 30th: St. Andrew’s Day / Day of the Wolf
I’m a couple of days late on this one but I wanted to share this information.
As I’ve said in other posts, I’m creating an ancestral calendar of holidays or observances my ancestors may have celebrated and looking for pagan roots in them or adding my own pagan traditions to them.
Saint Andrew’s day is a Christian celebration which however has some pre-Christian roots, so several pagan traditions have been kept in Romania and poland. The Christian celebration has actually replaced an ancient pagan tradition called the Day of the Wolf in Romania.
In Poland, this is a feast celebrated on the night of 29th/30th November. It’s believed to be a magical night suitable for love spells, and was celebrated throughout the centuries mostly by the unmarried people who wanted to reveal their future husband or wife. Similar feasts are also observed for example in some parts of Ukraine, Slovakia, Russia, Germany, Austria and Romania.
In Romania, Saint Andrew’s night is sort of the equivalent of Halloween, as there are many pre-Christian traditions and superstitions related to it. It is believed that this night, spirits come out, wolves speak like humans, and people defend themselves from evil with incantations and garlic. Garlic apparently keeps evil spirits away.
In Poland, nowadays the Poles celebrate primarily the Andrzejki (St.Andrew’s Eve), but some remnants of a similar feast of Katarzynki also survived - it was celebrated on the Eve of St. Catherine / Katarzyna (24th/25th Nov), and survived the longest in the region of Biskupin.
It is said that Andrzejki was dedicated primarily to the girls who wanted to know more about their future partner, and Katarzynki was the best for the boys to make divinations.
In Romania, A common tradition on this day is to plant wheat seeds and keep them indoors until New Year’s Eve. The tradition goes that the person who plants the wheat will be able to tell how next year will be based on how the plants will look like. Another tradition is to take small branches from a fruit tree, put them in water and keep them until the Christmas holiday. The branches should bloom, which is another sign of how fruitful next year will be.
The most popular form of divination in Poland is pouring hot wax onto cold water. The wax is first melted over fire in a small mug, then poured through a keyhole. People wait until it hardens properly in the cold water, then the pieces of wax are held against a candle to produce shadow on a wall. Its shapes symbolize things that will happen in the upcoming year.
Instead of a key, in the old days people were using for example woven straw or a horseshoe. In case of lack of a proper key, it’s also acceptable to cut a shape of it out of e.g. cardboard. In the past many people were also using melted lead instead of wax.
Also, in Poland, other popular divinations include a race of shoes. Everyone gathered in the room took off one of their shoes and placed them in a line on the floor. The last shoe in the line is carried to the front - the process is repeated until one of the shoes reaches the front door and crosses the threshold.
Originally it symbolized a girl leaving her home, and the owner of the lucky shoe will be the first from the group to get married in the future.
Some old divinations also involve house pets. Each person prepares a small bowl with treats - for example milk for a cat or pieces of meat for a dog - and then places it on the floor. Owner of the bowl from which the pet eats first will be the first to get married (or find their true love).
In the old days the treats were prepared very carefully - they were for example small cakes made of certain ingredients, mixed with water that was gathered in a certain way from a well or a brook (brought home for example only in a red mug or only in your own mouth), and baked over fire that was ignited with a wood plank borrowed (or stolen) from a neighbor.
If the pet runs away out of the room with the treat, it was also a good sign meaning a marriage (symbolic crossing of the threshold). However, if the animal hides under a bed with the treat, it meant death of the food’s owner. If the food is only bitten and left in the bowl or close to it, it meant that the partner would break up.
Other popular divination required preparing pieces of paper with names of the crushes written on it. In one of the versions the paper (preferably in the shape of a heart) is then turned around and pierced with a pin to reveal which of the names is the future spouse. The paper can be also pinned to a wall and serve as a dartboard.
In another version, much older, the people prepare small strips of paper, in a form of lots, and put them under the pillow - they draw one in the morning right after waking up.
Regardless of the version, the papers should always have at least one empty spot / one empty lot in case neither of the chosen names is the destined one.
Before another popular game of divination the people prepare mugs, flipped upside-down, and hide a symbolic accessory under each of them. The mugs are shifted around, and a person (with their eyes covered) chooses one. The hidden accessory indicates the future. It could be for example a ring or a female cap meaning marriage; a twig of rue or a dry leaf meaning spinsterhood / bachelorhood; a rosary, its beads, or a cross meaning a religious life or even life in a monastery; a coin meaning a wealthy life (but not necessarily full of love); a doll meaning an illegitimate child. One mug should be always empty - it means that nothing will change in the nearest future.
The divinations have dozens of regional types in Poland, and often take forms of various games or competitions. Many customs are sadly forgotten or not practiced anymore, only being told in stories by the oldest generations.
In modern days the people treat Andrzejki as a special night that strengthens and ensures effectiveness of various divinations - many of modern activities come also in forms that are known worldwide, for example reading cards or tea leaves. Among most of the modern Polish society the divinations are no longer taken seriously, and are only an occasion for a unique once-in-a-year party, very often combined with celebrations of Andrzej’s namesday (instead of birthdays some cultures celebrate namesday based on Saints’ names, etc).
Information about Polish women who were sentenced to death for conducting wax divinations (described above) can be found in 16th-century documents.
Saint Andrew's day is a day off in Romania. December 1, Romania's National Day, is also a day off.
Romanian Christians celebrate Saint Andrew (Andrei) on November 30, when over 600,000 Romanians named Andrei, Andreea, Andra, Andreas also celebrate their name day.
St. Andrew, who was the brother of Saint Peter, was also the first called by Jesus to join him. His name is of Greek origin and means manly or brave. St. Andrew was crucified on November 30, in the year 60 AD, in the Greek city of Patras.
He preached in the ancient province of Scythia, which included today’s Dobrogea in Romania, and along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river. He thus became the patron saint of Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. He’s also the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Cyprus, and Sicily.
Sources:
https://3seaseurope.com/st-andrews-eve-andrzejki-fortune-telling-husband/
https://www.romania-insider.com/saint-andrews-day-a-christian-celebration-with-pegan-roots
https://3seaseurope.com/st-andrews-eve-andrzejki-fortune-telling-husband/
https://lamus-dworski.tumblr.com/post/134221065077/andrzejki-feast-of-love-divinations-in-poland

29/11/2023

Hello all,
I’m very interested in creating a modern version of ThorBjorg Litlvolva’s outfit from the Icelandic Sagas (Erik the Red). I’m severely disabled so it’s probably going to take me a while to actually finish it. The way my condition works is the more I exert myself the worse my symptoms can get, so I have to pace myself or risk “crashing”. So, I will have to put this project down and come back to it a lot.
I’m in the planning stages right now. I would love some insight and guidance. I’m not that crafty and have limited resources.
I did find an affordable black cape like overcoat or “mantle” as it’s translated from the Sagas. I was trying to figure out how I might go about “inlaying” “gems” or “precious stones” on it.
I have seen an example images from an Icelandic museum and someone else’s recreation. On the museum images, it looks like the gems are on a plate of brass or is that leather? I’ll post links to those images so you can get a better idea.
I got the National Geographic Advent Calendar with gemstones to get a variety of smallish gemstones to use for a more affordable price but I’ve already opened 3 of the advent windows/panels/days and I don’t think it’s going to work for this project. Some of the gems are too small, too cube-y or too round, etc. I’ll provide a link to that calendar as well so you know what I’m talking about.
Here’s a description based on a couple translations: Overcoat (mantle) blue or black with strings or straps around the neck, it was inlaid with gems (precious stones) quite down to the skirt (hem).
I’m also trying to figure out how to make a modern version of her staff. Here’s a description based on a couple of the translations: A staff she had in her hand, with a k**b thereon (at the top); it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round about the k**b.
I think I’m going to get some cabochons for the stones on the mantle and some beads for the stones on the staff. I think I’m going to use viking wire knit for them. I was thinking of putting a pin back on the stones for the cloak. That way I can remove the stones and use them on other items as well.
But now I’m thinking I will just make wire wrap around them and make ‘bails” so they can be put on a necklace or they can be safety pinned to the cloak, etc. I do have a cane coming that has a bulb of brass at the top and I’m thinking of creating a viking knit with beads permanently wrapped just below the “k**b”.
In addition, I’m going to get some glass beads to make a necklace. Here’s a translation about the necklace: “On her neck she had a string of glass beads.”
I also have a leather bag coming that can be put on a belt. It has some nordic designs burned into it. Here are 2 translations about the bag: “Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her in her wisdom. About her waist she had a linked charm belt with a large purse.
Here are some translations of the rest of the items in her outfit:
On her head she had a black hood of lambskin, lined with ermine (white catskin).
She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long and strong-looking thongs to them, and great k**bs of latten at the ends. She wore calfskin boots lined with fur, with long, sturdy laces and large pewter k**bs on the ends.
On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white and hairy within. On her hands she wore gloves of catskin, white and lined with fur.
I probably won’t be trying to do anything to replicate the shoes but I will try to do something for the hat and the gloves.
From the museum:
https://www.hurstwic.org/library/heroes/pix/thorbjorg_seeress.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lenazpic/6708789785/in/photostream/lightbox/
https://womenduringthevikingage.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/thorbjorg/
Someone’s recreations:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/i-recreated-the-outfit-described-in-eirick-the-reds-saga-ch-3-thorbjorg-an-oracle-comes-to-a-kings-hall-and-gives--5699937002835638/
National Geographic Gemstone Advent Calendar:
https://www.amazon.com/NATIONAL-GEOGRAPHIC-Gemstone-Advent-Calendar/dp/B0B75R26QM