Laurie Asra Sottilaro
Source: Vili, Loðurr gave La, Læti, & Litr, the components of Hama; forms in womb
Type: Life-soul
Keywords: covering, shape, blood, hair, Hiw, womb
Other Language Synonyms: *hama(n) (Proto-Germanic); Hamr (Old Norse); Hamo (Old Saxon, Old High German)
Spheres: birth, the body, healing, social & physical domains
Afterlife: body dissolves, Hama returns to the ambient pool of natural energies. Roaming abroad: Draugr
Patrons: Vili/Loðurr
Care and feeding: care for hair and skin; clarify “the values that shape are homeless perceptions and behavior” (Rose 2022 335)
Foothold: Whole body, especially blood, hair, skin, & appearance
Interface: Physical form and appearance
Concerns: since the Hama forms the physical body, it tends to be focused there, both for itself and for others. It uses appearances for camouflage, role play, and idealism. Differently formed laeti may account for some social differences and difficulties.
Runes / Bindrune: Ehwaz, Raido, Gebo, Laguz, Wunjo, Ior (Anglo-Frisian Futhorc).
Awareness: appearances & expressions of self & others, & their implications
Notes:
Conception: The Source
The term Hama, sometimes used to refer to the birth caul, afterbirth, or a covering, shape, or slough, additionally refers to one of the first souls recruited by the Dwimor to form a new person. Aura energy may be Hama energy. The Hama soul controls the shape and growth of the child, and later the adult. While a fetus is in the womb, the Norns ward the fetus and help prevent miscarriage. “As with Hama, Hamingja is considered to reside in the womb / caul / afterbirth. It accompanies the child it was born with throughout life, as long as nothing dire occurs to destroy its luck or its connection to the person… our Hama-soul and our accompanying Hamingja-spirit are closely related” (Rose 2022 151).
What exactly is this critical piece of our makeup? “Hama is a covering made of soul-stuff, full of soul-power, which shapes not only our physical body itself, but the abilities, behavior, expressions, and activities of our physical body and brain” (Rose 2022 137-8). “All Midgard activity of our other souls is dependent on Lichama” (Rose 2022 135), because the Lichama is our physical form (Lich) combined with the spirit that forms it (Hama), our Lich-Hama.
The Anglo Saxon term ‘Hiw’ had a similar meaning. Any activity we wish to engage in on Midgard requires us to function through our Lichama. “All our souls which have personalities or qualities to express into Midgard, which is most of them, reflect these things through our Hama or Hiw…our Hama is like a lens through which our other souls shine into Midgard” (Rose 2021 146).
Hama in action
“In addition to our physical appearance, Hama takes on different metaphysical or subliminal appearances in response to different situations and conditions we may be in at any given time” (Rose 2022 151). In this way, Hama influences more than just our material aspects. “As our Hama shapes our physical body, it also shapes our social expression, our behavior, and our social persona” (Rose 2022 136). Contradictory aspects of our Hama can potentially send out mixed messages, such as ‘come closer’ and ‘back off.’ A poor reaction to such mixed messages can cause defensiveness, both in ourselves and others.
“However, if we’ve learned to enjoy perceiving and playing with our Hama, and the realizations about our behavior come about as a result of this Hama-play, we are less likely to be defensive and in denial. Instead, we can be intrigued and challenged, and enjoy designing a new Hama for ourself, one that is more in line with what we truly want to communicate…When we have designed our changed Hama, we need to follow up by keeping it in place during our daily interactions that are relevant to the new Hama (there are likely to be other situations in daily life that have no relevance to the new Hama, that need a different one”) (Rose 2022 150). Changing one’s physical appearance and mannerisms can reinforce this new Hama. “Our Hama, appearance, actions, and behavior are all interconnected” (Rose 2022 150).
The Lodurr connection
When Ask and Embla were given life, Lodurr gave them three gifts: La, Læti, and Litr Góða. But what are these gifts? ‘La’ refers to blood, warmth, hair, and occasionally water. Each carries life force, “not only in the individual but also passed down in characteristic ways within families” (Rose 2021 133).
‘Læti’ refers to volition, the “ability to move and act” (Rose 2021 134), the ability to learn and express uniqueness, or group identity and group functions; it refers to the unique voice in each of us. ‘Litr goða’ is generally assumed to be the shape of the gods, and refers to both the physical shape in Midgard, as well as the behavioral shape in social space.
“Litr lies behind our physical form, and gives it liveliness, magnetism, attractiveness, or repulsiveness. Litr draws out our emotional reactions towards someone’s appearance, and our social responses to this appearance” (Rose 2031 137). “Our outer, physical appearance depends on the condition of the inner efni or substance of the Litr” (Rose 2021 138).
One possible translation of the name ‘Lodurr’ is ‘a man wearing a shaggy, furry cloak:’ the cloak man gave us our cloak, our Hama. “These then are the gifts of Lodurr:
- “our Litr, the appearance of our subtle energy body that both shapes and shines through our physical form;
- “our Læti that shapes our speech, actions, and behavior as physical and social beings
- “and the La, the life-force of our Hama-soul, that expresses its power through blood, warmth, and hair, and through all the appearance and actions of our Litr and Læti” (Rose 2021 139).
“When there is a close partnership or Hiwship between our souls, this is reflected powerfully and beautifully through the shining of our Litr, the actions of Læti, and the life-force of our La. When there is conflict or lack of relationship among our own souls, this damages our Hiwship, our soul-household, and shows forth in disruptions to our Hama / Hiw, which in turn affects our health, luck, personal power, and well-being at all levels” (Rose 2021 146-7).
It’s interesting to look at the differences between Homo sapiens and where we came from biologically; according to the research, “the main difference between modern and archaic humans looks to be speech and unique ways of walking and other movement. Here is Loðurr at work!” (Rose 2021 135)
The Esoteric Hama
“Our Hama soul is a complex one, sometimes consisting of more than one Hama-form per person: a human-shaped Hama, and another shape our Hama can take on, such as an animal form or other non-ordinary human form” (Rose 2021 129). This second Hama, or Ellor-Hama, may be able to fare forth “with an animal shape or a shape with paranormal powers like a witch’s flight” (Rose 2022 145). Actually, “it is not clear from folklore whether people who are ‘shape-strong’ or hamrammr in any of these ways possess two completely different Hamas, or whether their own human Hama can shift its shape and roam abroad under the right circumstances” (Rose 2021 131).
Hama shapes the body, but Lich (like any other form of matter) has its own stability. Hama is a life soul, which means it cannot wander away from the body without causing harm, yet “A person may be able to shapeshift astrally or etherically and travel in that form, under the power of their own Hama, without substantially harming their Lich as long as this is not done for too long or too frequently. However, this absence or splitting of the Hama may well have a noticeable impact on the physical person’s behavior and actions, which may appear quite strange and abnormal during the time that the Hama is away” (Rose 2022 146).
In addition to the Ellor-Hama, “there is the interesting phenomenon of the Hugham, where the Hugr soul takes the shape (Hama/Hiw) of one’s own Lich and walks abroad as a doppelganger” (Rose 2021 147). The Hama can be used to guide healing, as was done for Án Brushwood-belly in Laxdæla Saga. Finally, there is the term Hamstolinn, for someone addled in their wits. “This can happen if the soul called Vörðr or Vårðr (warder), which can be the Hama or the Hugr soul, is traveling while the person is asleep and is prevented from returning before the person awakens” (Rose 2021 151).
Possible Traits:
| Attention to appearance | Anxiety |
| Body sense: needs, processes, abilities | Appearance: lack or over attention |
| Good people-memory | Depression |
| Reads body-language | Impression obsessed |
| Self-esteem | Self-esteem |
| Social graces | Social misfit |
| Unable to “read the room” |