The Second Aett
While the first aett illustrates the emergence of
order from chaos and the establishment of cosmic
patterns, the second aett deals with the energies
that stir, weave, pull, and disrupt these cosmic
patterns, and as a consequence create change. Ruled
by the Aesir god Heimdall (light) and the giant
Asynjur goddess Mordgrud (dark), the second aett
represents the dynamic powers of transformation,
which serve as a counterbalance to the forces of
creation. Heimdall guards the Bifrost, the bridge
between Asgard and Midgard, while Mordgrud guards
the gold-paved bridge over the River Gjoll, which
leads to Hel, one of the Nine Worlds.
The "Golden Age" embodied in Wunjo, the final rune
of the first aett, refers to a time when a gold was
considered simply an object of beauty, with no monetary
value. Objects were made out of gold for enjoyment. A
woman named Gullveig (Goldlust) introduced the negative
side of gold to the Aesir, the side of greed and corruption,
very much like the introduction of the glass bottle that
causes nothing but problems in the popular film
The Gods Must Be Crazy.
Hagalaz, the first rune of the second aett, symbolizes
transformative, and often disruptive, energies relating
to both Gullveig and Urd, who is the Norn of the past and
guardian of the well. The second rune, Naudhiz, embodies
the third Norn, Skuld. The third rune, Isa, embodies the
second Norn, Verdandi. These three runes deal with aspects
of time, particularly time relative to itself-for instance,
the past in relation to the future, and youth in relation
to old age.
Everything reaching its deepest descent into matter, with
only one way out, is expressed in the fourth rune, Jera.
The quest for knowledge moved Odin to sacrifice himself on
Yggdrasil, represented by the fifth rune, Eihwaz. He then
gave his eye in trade for a drink from the sacred Well of
Mimir to gain knowledge of the past, present, and future.
This sacrifice is symbolized by the sixth rune, Perdhro.
After realizing he could only view but not change time,
Odin descended to the realm of the dead and conjured up
the volva (wise woman) named Heid (a variation of Freyja).
They made love and from their union came the Valkyries,
represented by the seventh rune, Algiz. The eighth rune,
Sowilo, symbolizes the return of consciousness.
The first half of the second aett is a continuation of
the first, in that all the runes up to the fourth one,
Jera, symbolize the creation process. At Jera, the wheel
of time turns, and Odin, through his sacrifices, initiated
the process of the return of consciousness. Sowilo, the sun,
illuminated the energies of other runes in the second aett,
much as the sun illuminates the Earth.
Generally in mythology when deities were represented by
three beings, they symbolized aspects of the whole. The
threefold (triple) goddess was an example of this. In
Norse mythology, the three Norns were all aspects of time:
what was, what is becoming, and what will be. Also called
the three fates, the Norns wove the fabric of birth, life,
death, and rebirth. Urd spun the thread of existence. She
passed the spun thread to Verdandi, who wove it into the
present pattern of existence, the Web of Wyrd. This energetic
web was like a fabric composed of vast numbers of threads
"woven by decrees of fate." Verdandi passed the woven web to
Skuld, who pulled apart the design and threw the untangled
threads back into the void. In the English version, these
Norns were called the "Weird Sisters," like the three
witches in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
Hagalaz
Naudhiz
Isa
Jera
Eihwaz
Perdhro
Algiz
Sowilo
The First Aett
The Third Aett
The Runes
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