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Chapter 3. Midgard 72
speaking of Gods, men, places, or objects. Interpretations of the ceremony in terms
of Earth-Worship (as is often done) is not necessary because the increase in access
to luck here functions the same as it did for the lineage of Beowulf to interact with
the giantish sword–simply an interaction between lineages and an intertwining of
luck/ health/ wholeness.
Without going into a deep analysis of the various field charms, a quick overview
shows that there are certain elements which are common to most of them. First,
turves or sods were taken from each corner of the field and were marked so that they
could be placed back exactly as they were dug up. These sod-blocks represented the
extreme boundaries of the land to be healed. These were then taken to be “blessed.”
Secondly, a gift was made to the field itself. (This is consistent with what has already
been discussed in the first chapter on gift-giving and the linking of lineages.) The
gifts usually consisted of incense, herbs, bread, yeast, milk, honey, and oddly, in the
Anglo-Saxon tradition, old soap. Another charm also lists seeds collected from a
beggar who was paid back in double. The prayer was directed to the “east” which
seems significant since usually prayers were directed to the northern quadrant of
the compass. However, the spring of the year and the eastern quadrant are linked.
Spring was felt to enter Midgard from the east. This eastern “tie” will be discussed
in a section dealing with the northern skies (The Sky Connection) and also in the
chapter dealing with the Underworld Tradition of the North, but it is clear that
the eastern direction was important to the field ceremonies. Lastly, the turves were
returned their exact spots in the field bringing the ceremony to completion.
The exact process of the “blessing” depended entirely on the religious orientation
of the community. Early on, these blessings, of course, were completely Heathen
in nature, but later on, some of these were mixed with Christian elements and
Heathen elements were reduced in strength so that only terms such as “Eorþan
Moðer” (Mother Earth) and a conspicuously unnamed “God Almighty” were used
in the charms. Apparently, these terms were found acceptable by the Church. The
purpose of the blessing was to call upon the powers that exist to help protect the
field from maliciousness. Originally, these powers were probably the Vanir, the álfar,
or ancestral spirits all of whom seem closely related at least as far as agriculture is
concerned, and possibly Þór who protects Midgard from attacks by either giant or
troll forces.
Cemeteries have already been mentioned as being a central focus for geographic
communities, but certain burial mounds of specific ancestors, and especially kings,
were considered to be the spirit home of local protectors of the fields. In Snorri’s
Heimskringla there is the case of Hálfdan the Black’s death and what occurred in
the countryside thereafter:
“Now when the king drove over that stretch, the ice broke under him, and