Tîwiskôfîron

Devotion to Tîwiskô

First Father,
Birther of gods,
Ring giver,
Wielder of Rods,
Hight Orphan-Lord, most glorious,
Holder of Wald, Foremost of Gods,
To thee do I speak, to thee do I call,
Hear my humble, unworthy words, and
Turn thine ears towards my noble land.
Honor us with your blessings as befits our worth,
This honeyed cake, to thee we offer,
Shower us with thine rings as is your habit.
This sweet scent, to thee we offer,
Shower us with thine rings as is your habit.
This godly wine, to thee we offer,
Shower us with thine rings as is your habit.
This year hath been born, as thou was’t not,
And lead your sons and daughters towards its foretold end, as known to thee.
Let us bask in your Wald so that we may partake in it,
For we are but lowly beasts, seated below your table.
Glory to thee, Orphan-Kuning,
In thanks for our world, we praise thee,
Holy Tîwiskô.

 

Today, as the new moon of Windarmânôth, is Tîwiskôfîron. Offerings of Salted Honey Spelt Cake, Wine and incense were offered in the hopes of good fortune and luck from the First God. For more information on the background on Tîwiskôfîron check the link below: Windarmanoth: TFA

1567 Yârbuok af Rîthburgeorum

Things have been rather quiet for a while and I apologize for that, I was gone during the Sêogangan (Literally Sea-Going) for my work and was unable to work on anything. I’ve returned so hopefully I’ll be able to put out more on here. In the meantime here is the Yârbuok for my Civitas from the time of my being made Gravio of it. I’ll try to provide a wordbook at the end for any terminology that I use that make be confusing to someone outside the tradition. Essentially, each Gravio in Thia Frankisk Aldsido is expected to provide a written report of the happenings and news from their Civitas as a means to chronicle the tradition and what we, as the Franks, are doing to uphold our responsibilities to it, and the Goda and Wihta. Without further ado, here is the year 1567 (Reckoned from the battle of Catalaunian Fields as a concrete establishment of a Frankish civil polity and representative of the passing of the torch from Rome to the Merovingians) as has occurred in Rîthburgeorum.

 

1567 Yârbuok af Rîthburgeorum

Regnum Francorum Novum

Ik Kwede,

So begins the Yârbuok of the most high, heilig and erlîk civitas Rîthburgeorum. In this year, that which is the foundation of our civitas, many happenings have taken place which stand testament to our worth.

During Houwimânôth , Litus Aaron received his kwik and was made Gravio, named Sigismar and having entered into Frankdom began a process of introduction and initiation of relationship with the wihta and goda of this land. Offerings where made unto these gestos and wihta in the spirit of respect and worship.

Shortly after the creation of the Graviodom, in the month of Aranmânôth, the ancestors smiled upon the Civitas and honored the Gravio’s works and felt he was worthy of increasing his Wald with a promotion of both martial rank and responsibility. The Forthiro’s honor was celebrated and a feast was held in their name to their heiligness.

The Sêogangan season began and the Gravio departed the Civitas, going forth to ensure the safety of the Rîki and demonstrating its Wald to the people of the east. During the Sêogangen, many events transpired for the glory of the Farbond and the Kuning in which Sigismar distinguished himself for his worthy and heroic actions and ensured the Soêgangen could continue and the Gravio’s band’s survival. The Gestos of the Asko of the Gravio were offered gifts of food in thanks for the luck bestowed as well as the furtherment of the Graviodom’s worth.

At seasons end, the Gravio returned to the seat of the Civitas and spent the Windarmânôth enduring the chilly weather, assisting the Sêoheri preparing for their Sêogangan and offering unto the ancestors for their continued guidance. Jôltid was spent in travel and with family and many merry tales and much feasting occurred.

Thus happened this first year of the mighty Civitas Rîthburgeorum.

For Thia Kuning, Thia Forthiro, Thia Goda

Sigismar

Gravio : Thia : Frankisk : Aldsido :

Civitas Rîthburgeorum

 

 

Wortbuok:

Yârbuok: Year-book, Chronicle.

Heilig: Holy

Erlîk: Honourable, but literally Gold-like

Litus: Half-Free, Learner

Kwik: Life-Force

Goda: Gods

Wihta: Wights

Forthiro: Ancestors

Gestos: Geist or Ghost

Sêogangan: Sea-Going, Underway, Deployment

Gravio: Count

Rîki: Kingdom

Wald: Wielded Power

Farbond: Web of oaths, Bond to the Kuning and TFA

Asko: Boat

Sêoheri: Sea-army, Navy

Jôltid: Yule-Tide

Mânôth: Month (Note: The system of months used here is nebulous and in the early stages and don’t wish to go into much detail here. More information will be forthcoming here and on TFA’s website)

Magusanus, The Hoary Youth

Recently I did a write up for the Gallo-Germanic Deity Magusanus for Thia Frankisk Aldsido, as part of my preparations to be made Frankish and become Gravio of my civitas. Rather than duplicate the work here, please check it out at Magusanus TFA, please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding it!!

A Nûw Frankisk prayer for the Ancestors.

Below is a prayer, in the tripartite Indo-European structure championed by the Larhus-Fyrnsidu that I have adopted (Link below), written in the early forms of the liturgical language being developed for my personal use that I label as “Nûw Frankisk”. In essence it is a bastard tongue utilizing primarily Old Low Franconian (Old Frankish) vocabulary as its core, but with a speculative re imagining on some words (Modelling on changes in Old English-middle-modern) as well as some old french vocabulary thrown in, all on the sentence structure of modern English. Again, it’s important to understand, this is a “language” of my own invention and isn’t a representation of “Frankish” language or a reconstruction attempt, but rather a creation of my imagination on the underpinning vocabulary of Old Frankish. My mentality is that Modern English is a good example of a heavily Romanized Germanic language and my goal is to create what an “Alternative french” that it might have looked like had Frankish been the more dominant language.

For those curious into my speculative modernization process let’s examine the Old Frankish word Giwaldig meaning Powerful. Here the 2 main structures I’m interested are Gi- and waldig. Gi- is the Frankish form of the common Germanic prefix Ga- that lends a sense of wholeness or completeness to a word. An example of a modern English word in which this is still (Somewhat) present is enough which stems from the middle english ynough -> old English Genog. Most modern words don’t retain the use of the prefix and is obsolete in the modern English language however it has survived in this instance. So back to Giwaldig, if there were to be a speculative language that was influenced by Latin but less so than modern English, middle English (The English language as it existed shortly after the Norman conquest) is a good base in my opinion. Therefore I take the Old Frankish form Gi- and change it to E-, in a reverse sense from the English as we see mutation of I-E-Y quite frequently, to show that in this stage of Latin influence the G was dropped from the prefix all together, as happened in most middle English words with the prefix. I chose to leave the second half alone altogether to retain some integrity to the vocabulary and to keep it grounded in the Old Frankish vocabulary but this gives you an idea of my process. Therefore I have rendered the word Ewaldig in Nûw Frankisk.

For those interested in a discussion on the basis for the prayer structure please check out the links at the bottom and the work of far better read men than I for that. All I can say is I buy what they are selling and I’m using it.

Without further rambling, here is an Ancestral Prayer rendered in Nûw Frankisk based on the 3-part IE format of Call, Argument, Offering:

 

Nûw Frankisk:

“Erlîk Forthiro af mîn fader in muoder, mîn bluodgestos, in kun af mîn,

 Elîkon farlîan over mîn hêm iuwa guodwill in hirmonlôs bihaldan, as Ih heb geven ehirmonlôs wirdskap tô ir, as Ih heb parfornir before in williko parfornir fur êwitha thuro bluodkunskap in frithu.

 Ih bid ir, mîn bluod fur êwitha, enimen thes offringa af wîhruok in wîn an behalf af mîn hîwisk, so a gift genron gift as ir will.”

English:

“Honorable Ancestors of my father and mother, my bloodghosts, and kin of mine,

Please bestow upon my home your goodwill and continued protection, as I have given continued worship to you, as I have performed before and willingly perform for eternity for the sake of bloodkinship and frith.

I bid you, my blood for eternity, accept this offering of incense and wine on behalf of my family, so a gift beget gift as you will.”

 

I’m no linguist so please be gentle, but any comments are more than welcome, always looking to improve! Thanks for reading!

Links:

“Prayer” in a Heathen Context

http://www.koeblergerhard.de/anfrk/anfrk.html

“Prayer” in a Fyrnsidu Context

Wisowast, The Feud-Keeper and God-King of the Franks

{In this essay I make some assumptions about the readers’ understanding about some common word usages however it is recommended that if my brief explanation of the word Wald is insufficient, please check the article linked in the references on Fredus, Frithu and Wald}

In the legendary material at the beginning of the Pactus Legis Salicae (Henceforth LS), I posit that the second section, being the original and heathen call to order of the Malloberg “The sitting mound”, presents evidence of the rumored first godly Kuning (TFA King) of the Franks to lay down the Salic law as evidenced by numerous titles present in the LS, analysis of the naming structure of the four chiefs who are comparable to the office of Sagibaron and that he can be conflated with the deities Mercury and Woden.

Wisowast (The spelling used in the earlier manuscripts, but also edited to Wisogast in association with the other figures in the introduction), possibly reconstructed to *WisAwAest (The components comprised of reconstructed OLF may be *Wisso meaning Surely, Ewa* is thought to have devolved into ow and means Law or eternity, and the final part can be seen as a shortened OLF version of the old English Aerest meaning earliest which is attested as being shortened to Aest) meaning “The first of the Wise law”, initially stands out among the other three lords due to an inability to readily associate him with one of the areas that the lords came from. Saligast, speculated to mean “Spirit of the Hall” is clearly associated with Home of the Hall of Salihêm as the spirit of that place, while Widogast, the “woodland spirit”, is of Widohêm , “The woodland home”. Arogast is the “spirit of the harvest” and can be associated with Bodahêm the “Farmland home”. As the first of the law, it’s possible that Wisowast was the leader of the group and thus oversaw the speaking of the law that was decided upon by the group and possibly reserved last judgment, as we will discuss later. Saligast, possibly the tribal god of the Salians seems in a position to take precedence over the others and being placed second in the list would indicate that, however I believe that due to the similarity of naming, this deity is comparable in rank to the other two and listed first only due to affection by the Franks. Rather than as physical places, the three Hêms are interpreted to be of a cosmological nature and as such punctuate the divine creation of the law. The difficulty in pinpointing historical personages and places for the list is complicated and not undeserving of discussion but is beyond the scope of this paper and as such I will be operating under the presumption that the second half of the intro is purely legendary, or mythical in content.

Wisowast, being the first of the law, can be considered a spirit of kingship as well as of the Feud and wielded power (TFA Wald). In Title-CXIII of the LS, a perpetrator who is unable to pay for his compensation is required to bring himself to three courts where the Rachimburgi will hear that his relative will redeem him of their own property or not. If unable to be redeemed, the perpetrator is brought before the fourth court where “We” order the perpetrator to be given over to his accuser to be done with what he wishes, thus allowing the very feud structure that the law sought to prevent. The previous titles in the LS, being the capitularies of King Chilperic, utilize the first person language to refer to the King and his subordinate court. Therefore the fourth, and final, court of the Salians was that of the Kuning, the one who can allow the feud structure to be reinstated. Additionally, in Title-XLVI the number three features predominantly where three men state a case three times in court. Whether this refers to three separate courts or one sitting is unknown. Either way, following a time period after the statement of transfer of property, the original owner and the person receiving the property arrive before the Kuning and state the case one last time and complete the transfer. Stipulations follow regarding if there is a contest but essentially more groups of three witnesses are required. The requirement of groups of three witnesses in many titles of the LS further reinforce this. With the emphasis in early Germanic culture on the oath system, both among frithful families and fictive kinship, a grouping of witnesses represent a truth forged in blood (I am reminded of the Germanic words Troth, and Thew which in addition to truth, implies law) on the part of the defendant and as such a challenge to that truth is an aggressive denial of the lives of those attached to it. This is seen in the instances where refusal to bear witness to someone automatically denotes guilt on the part of the defendant as refusal to bear witness means to refuse to be blood-bound to the guilty party and the associated feud system that can result. In a Frankish context, the three witnesses are oathbound to the fate of the defendant and they plead the rightness of his cause before the “impartial” 4th party of the Rachimburgi at the Malloberg just as the three lords of the Hêms were oathbound to present the law in its rightness to the judgement of the First of Law. More instances of the importance of three courts appear throughout the LS and I will not discuss them here but is most, a final 4th court, before the Kuning, renders final judgment. In this aspect of Kuning, Feud-keeper and bearer of Wald, Wisowast is the clear leader of the three courts of Bodahêm, Salihêm and Widohêm with his ability to reinstate the feud system upon his decision, and thus his Wald, and to speak finally on the law. The cosmological importance of the three Hêms overseen by Wisowast mirrored the importance of tripartite presentations of legal cases with the fourth court of the Kuning having final judgement and was so instilled in Frankish consciousness that it survived the conversion to Christianity.

The office of Sagibaron is quite comparable to the three lords of the creation of the Malloberg. Sagibaron being “Law speaker” is an office of importance to the Franks as evinced by the wergild being equal to that of the Gravio. Whether they were equal or lesser in status is unknown, but the Title-LIV of the LS implies a couple of facts of the office. Firstly, the office of Sagibaron is appointed vice inherited and as such would be a meritorious position, presumably based on legal knowledge. Secondly, the office was at least equal to that of the Gravio’s in matters of legal dispute in that implicitly the only office the case could be disputed at was the Kuning. Lastly, no more than three could preside over a given court. The facts draw some parallels with the three lords of the introduction. Obviously the office of Sagibaron and the three lords were chosen “From among many men”. Further evidence of the connection of the two is the decree that no more than three may oversee a Mallum (Sitting/Court) and that their word is law before the Gravio, but theoretically it may be brought before the Kuning, fitting nicely with Wisowast’s position as a Kuning. Based on the value placed on these legal experts, I am of the opinion that the institution of the Sagibaron is one of divine providence and special social importance, and second only to the Kuning with respect to the law.

Considering the aforementioned, it’s possible to conflate the deity known as Wisowast with other more commonly known deities to better construct a workable mythos behind it. Firstly, Wisowast is quite possibly related to the Germanic deity known as Woden/Odin due to his connections with Sacral Kingship, and the Feud system. Woden, being typically the divine ancestor of most German kingships, can easily be equated as the god Wisowast. Wisowast serves the legal function of Kuning in the sacred origin of the law and perhaps prior to the conversion of the Franks, and certainly before the documentation provided by Roman Latin Christians, he was considered the divine ancestor, and the so called first Kuning of the Franks who composed the law. Additionally, etymological discussion of the one eyed god, also the first god, has determined that Woden’s capacity as a deity was initially of sacred violence, and therefore lawful, wielded violence, thus power, as that which is holy is right. This lawful violence manifests itself in the feud system which demands revenge, blood and violence for the same and for an early tribal society, this would be nearly inseparable with war. Lawful violence and the threat of it is what maintained the early tribal societies cohesion and prevented the rampant disestablishment of community into anarchy. Therefore the economic sphere was dependent on the existence of Woden and his threat of wielded violence. Tyr, a god typically associated with violence, war and law also, is considered to be a later addition of the Norse and Saxon peoples that was representative of a more advanced civilization that depended less on the threat of violence and more on the threat of legal repercussions, ironically what was established by the construction of the LS and after the creation of it Wisowast may have taken on similar features of Tyr. However as the ultimate and primordial truth, Woden would have represented an older way that was always standing by in the periphery, to be reinstated on the order of his descendants, the Kuning’s. The right of the Kuning’s to allow the blood-feud is equitable to the right of Wisowast to make final determinations of the law and by extension allow or disallow the blood feud. Another deity, explored in more depth by others, Mercurius Frihals is a Germano-Latin deity, on the roman limes, of the economic sphere, specifically the social status of individuals; A deity invoked by Proto-Frankish tribes in the freeing of slaves and half-free individuals. Via the connection of Wisowast to Kingship, it’s possible to argue that due to the Kuning’s right, and wielded power, to release a slave from bondship upon presentation of a denarius per the LS, Mercurius Frihals is another aspect of the Woden-Wisowast-Frihals deity that is the ancestor of the Frankish Kingship. Therefore I posit that Woden, Wisowast, and Frihals could all be bynames of the same primordial god of Sacral violence, Law, and Kingship. Furthermore, with wielded power (TFA Wald) as the basis for Merovingian society and the forging of the Frankish kingdoms, the parallel between the Kuning’s absolute authority in law and evidence of Wald from various Frankish histories (Such as Gregory of Tours or the Liber historie Francorum) lend reinforcement to Wisowast’s status as the progenitor, thus the first, of Wald and the origin its purview of the Kuning. ((Further etymological and thematic connections between Wisowast and Ing-Freyr exist as well, and will be a subject of a future paper as I have not had the time yet to research into it, and honestly I think they will be greater then any connection with Woden, but in the meantime, this is the extent of my current understanding))

Wisowast, the very first of the Law, sat at the head of three legendary spirits of the three hêms and laid down the Salic law, for the benefit and well-being of the ancient Franks. In an attempt to reconstruct and practice Thia Frankisk Aldsido to the best of our abilities, I propose that Wisowast is a deity worthy of invocation and well deserving of worship, especially for those legally inclined as well as all others living under Salic law. His position as the progenitor of law, kingship and possibly of the gods (TFA Goda) marks him as one from the “Beginning” and elevates him to a higher order among them. As a modern person, seeking to live as a Frank, it seems in my best interests to be thankful and give worship to he who spoke the Salic law at the Malloberg.

 

REFERENCES USED:

Drew, K. F. (1991). The laws of the Salian Franks. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Fredus, Frithu and Wald. (2018, January 24). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://frankisk-allodium.com/fredus/

Freedom, warriors’ bond, legal book.The Lex Salica between Barbarian custom and Roman law. (n.d.). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from http://www.cliothemis.com/Freedom-warriors-bond-legal-book

Frîhals. (2017, December 29). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://frankisk-allodium.com/frihals/

Köbler, G. (n.d.). Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from http://www.koeblergerhard.de/anfrkwbhinw.html

Lacharity, E. (n.d.). Anfarniman I-V.

The Blōmidrīn, its Hêlen and its Cultus

The St. Johns river  is without a doubt the most important river in the history of Blōmid (Florida). It is the longest river in the state, is used extensively for commence and the basin surrounding it provides much life. The pre-Colombian tribe, the Timucua established themselves along its banks, became the most powerful tribe in southern North America, developed their own distinct culture, and flourished. And it was here, near its mouth, that Europeans established one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the US: St. Augustine. But it wasn’t the first attempt at settlement in the region.

Prior to the Spanish colonization of Florida, another power was making moves for domination in the region: The French. A group of Huguenots, fearing religious persecution, established a colony in the mouth of the St. Johns (Which they called the River of May). Arriving in May 1562, Jean Ribault erected a stone column bearing the arms of the king on the banks of the river and claimed the land for France. Two years later, the second in command of the expedition returned with 200 colonists and established the colony at Ft. Caroline on the “River May”. Upon arriving he discovered the local Timucua tribe providing offerings and gifts to Ribault’s column and he arranged for cooperation between the french and the natives.  Spain was not pleased with the establishment of the colony and shortly thereafter established the colony of St. Augustine a few miles to the south of Ft. Caroline. A series of conflicts ensued and the french colonists were massacred at Ft. Caroline, Matanzas, and elsewhere, ending the French presence in Florida.

The Timucua showing the second expedition the column left by Ribault.

The landing of the French on the Banks of the St. Johns is not without impact in a Frankish context in my mind. In erecting Ribault’s Column, and claiming the lands of French Florida in the name of the King, the Frankish Heil was bound to this land and its Frankishness was established. As a Frank, this means this land must hold a special place in my heart, as it is the closest as I can get to the homeland of the Franks, as it bears its mark. The Ribault Column still stands, as a reproduction, on the banks of the St. Johns near the Ft. Caroline National Park and it is here that the foci of the newly established Frankish cultus in the area will develop.

As a result, I’ve taken to referring to this land and its features in its frankish form, but retaining its spirit as best I can . Henceforth in this blog I will refer to the area that was known as French Florida as Blōmid (Reconstructed Old Low Franconian for blossom). This area encompasses the north eastern coast of florida down to the headwaters of the St. Johns, as far north as Parris Island in South Carolina. Additionally I shall refer to the St. Johns river as the Blōmidrīn (Literally Blossom Rhine)  as its waters serve the same important function in the life of the region as the Rhine in the Frankish homeland.

This brings me to my last point of discussion, and that is the Hêlen of the Blōmidrīn and why I see her the way I do. Ahuardua is the sublime goddess of the waters and is frequently considered a form of primordial deity of the waters in Indo-European cultures. Her worship and its attestation is discussed at length on Thia Frankisk Aldsido’s website at length and will not receive a repeat discussion here. https://frankisk-allodium.com/divinities/ahuardua/

The Blōmidrīn gives life to the region and is the receptor of the Frankisk heil in Blōmid and as such is surely worthy of no small measure of worship and Offringa. As such, I believe the divinity that is Ahuardua is present in the waters of the Blōmidrīn. Her life bearing essence is inescapable in the south of Blōmid and she continuous to be the means by which people survive. The eastern bend of its route travels directly through the City of Jacksonville and dumps out in the North Atlantic there. Its place of prominence to the culture and livelihood of the entire state and the supreme nature of Ahuardua seems an easy connection to draw, for me. While there are many water ways and rivers in Blōmid, I believe that some of Ahuardua resides in no small measure here in the Blōmidrīn. For these reasons I will give offringa to her at the banks of the Blōmidrīn in the traditional matter of coins and jewelry utilizing goods crafted within the City to further cultivate its success and Ahuardua’s blessings here.

As her cultus develops I hope to provide updates and hopefully my attention and gifts are well received. Only time will tell.

Introduction

Hello, I am Sigismar and I am a Frankish Heathen. My Hêm [Home] is in the northeast of Blōmid [Florida]. I worship the Forthira [Ancestors], Gêstos [Ghosts] and Wihta [Wights] of my Hêm in addition to my worship of the Godas [Gods]. Collectively, these Hêlen [Those who make holy] make up the core of my practice and the focus of my efforts to engage in the gifting cycle.

As Hêmahêto [Household Lord] my goal for starting this blog is to document my own Hearth cult practice and translating my regional traditions into a heathen context, particularly with Frankish leanings. Reconstructive methods are my primary means of doing this along with comparative studies to parse and complete disparate sources.

I have learned much from other heathens and I frequently lurk on many heathen outlets. However, particular recognition goes to Erik Lacharity and the rest of the folks at TFA (Thia Frankisk Aldsido). They have done wonders to inspire me down this path and without them, my practice wouldn’t be what it is today.

As I said in my about me section, I will attempt to keep this page active however there will be periods of time when my oaths take me out to sea. In that time I will continue to work on content and updates provided the work schedule allows it. Maybe when I have more experience and cultus developed, I will show some insight into my practices whilst underway.

Thank you for taking time to check this out and please come back for updates.