The Saga of Vanadís, Völva and Valkyrja

Goddess, away from me. For the moment I had forgotten that she can never be taken
away, every time an image of her is stabbed, burned or buried, she is reborn in a new
form. I grew up with the álfkona, not realizing her true nature. Reverence for the Lady
had also been restricted in Lithuania during the Soviet times, but the people will not
forget her.
I imagine it was with this kind of love for the female divine that Marija Gimbutas
grew up. She has also mentioned how old customs, like milk-feeding the white snake,
Egla 142 , was part of everyday life in her country. Marija Gimbutas, with her snake- and
bird-goddesses, her incredible ability to re-member, has given us a chance to reclaim the
essence of the old culture, but we will not return to old ways. Every time Gullveig is
reborn in a human body or mind, it is in a new form, whereas her essence, auður stays the
same.
Björk – Tree Goddess
The rune berkana or bjarkan gets its symbolism from the birch, called björk in
Islandic. This soft but strong tree has not only had its roots in Islandic soil for millennia,
but has also grown into the psyche of the nation. The björk is the only tree that has
managed to form woods in this northern island. Ari fróði tells us that at the time of
settlement in Island, the woods covered the island from shore to mountaintop. This scene
is difficult to imagine for the modern Islander, used to travel from almost every shore to
almost every mountain, without getting more than a glimpse of a lonely björk on a
hillside. There are exceptions, for example around Akureyri, where I grew up and still
live, and in the valleys of north and east, such as Fnjóskadalur where I spend my
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