Winifred Hodge Rose
Let’s expand our understanding of the term ‘orlog’ and the work of the Norns and Wyrd by turning to another word that falls into the same general field of meaning when referring to the actions of the Norns. Bek-Pedersen points out that the two predominant words used in Old Norse to describe ‘what the Norns do’ are ørlög and sköp (p. 172). Sköp and its cognates in the other languages refer to ‘shaping’ and ‘creating.’ They are used to describe the Biblical creation in Christian writings. The meaning extends further; for example, the noun derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for shaping is used to mean the authoritative decree of a king or a Deity. Using the words of the decree, they shape the lives and actions of those who are subject to them, as the Norns ‘speak orlog’ and shape the lives of humans.
Let’s take a look at this word ‘shaping’ as it appears in various old Germanic languages and earlier. It refers both to the action of shaping—the verb form, and to that which is shaped—the noun form of the word. In the older languages, the plural is often used as a noun: the ‘shapings’ of the Norns.
The Roots of Sköp
(plural form of skapa)
Here are the roots and forms of the words for ‘shape, shaping’ in the various Germanic languages.
Table 1. The Roots of ‘Shaping’
Proto-Indo-European (PIE): *skep = “base of words with various technical meanings such as to cut, to scrape, to hack. 1a. shape, form, creation. 1b. -ship from Old English -scipe = state, condition” (e.g. friend-ship, relation-ship, apprentice-ship, etc.). (Watkins p. 80)
Proto-Germanic *skap(j)an = “‘to form, create’; …may be derived from skapp / bon = ‘to shave, scrape’.” (Kroonen p. 440)
Gothic (ga-)skapjan, skaftjan, = to shape, to shape one’s course, to be about to do something. Skafts = a shaping, a making. Gaskafts = creation, creature.
Old Norse skapa = to shape, form, mould. Skap = shape, form, one’s nature, sense, meaning, mood. Plural form sköp = fate, destiny. deVries’ dictionary proposes that this word comes from skafa = to shape something using methods of scraping, cutting or carving.
Anglo-Saxon ge-sceap = shape, form, created being, creation, one’s nature, decree, fate, destiny, dispensation, condition. Ge-sceap-hwíl = the time of death appointed or shaped by fate; to gescæp-hwíle = at the appointed time. Ge-scieppan = to create, form, shape, make, order, destine, arrange, adjudge, assign.
Old Saxon gi-skaft = ‘state, condition, form, shape, one’s nature.’ gi-skeppian = ‘to produce, accomplish, create.’ Gi-skapu plural form = ‘decrees of fate.’
Old High German scepfen, skepfen = to make, create, do.
Faroese skapa = to shape, form, mould, cause, bring about.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
To summarize: the languages that use a ‘shaping’ word specifically with reference to ‘fate’ are Old Norse and Old Saxon, both using the plural form to mean ‘fate’, as well as Anglo-Saxon which uses the singular form. I have not found ‘shaping’ words that specifically refer to ‘fate’ in Old High German, Gothic, or Proto-Germanic, but the ‘shaping’ words in these languages cover meanings of ‘creation / bringing into being,’ ‘causation / bringing about,’ and ‘shaping one’s course’ which for our Heathen mindset do point toward the fate-filled actions of the Norns or Wyrd. If not specifically referring to fate, these meanings are certainly related to orlog and fate.
As we can see from these linguistic roots, the general idea of skapa / gesceaft has its roots in carving, cutting, shaping something physical. The phrase in the Völuspá about the Norns ‘scoring on slips of wood,’ skáru á skiði, points directly toward their actions of ‘shaping,’ sköp, in the same way that their ‘laying of layers’ points toward ørlög, the ur-layers, the primal layers:
Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi,
skáru á skíði, Skuld ina þriðju;
þær lög lögðu, þær líf kuru
alda börnum, ørlög seggja.
Urð one is called, another Verðandi,
Scoring on slips of wood, Skuld is third;
There they lay layers, there life choose,
For children of aldr (mortals), speak ørlög.
(Verses 20-21, my translation)
‘Shaping’ something gives it meaning, purpose, functionality. An uncarved piece of stone or wood, one that is not deliberately shaped, does not have the same meaning, purpose, functionality as a carved one. Something that is shaped by a conscious being retains a reflection of the shaper’s intention; this is especially true when it comes to ‘shaping words’ such as the laws spoken by the Norns or by a king or Deity. ‘Shaping’ is much more direct, authoritative, more finalized than the ‘laying of layers’ that we see in the word ‘orlog.’ To shape something implies that there are ‘shapers,’ intentional and skillful beings who are doing the shaping. It also implies that whatever is shaped retains that shape while it remains in existence, as carved wood or stone does. Here are some quotations from the Poetic Edda illustrating the power of the Norns’ shaping:
“The Norns shaped the aldr of the young prince.” (Helgi I, vs. 2, Poetic Edda.) Larrington translates aldr as ‘fate’ here; I translate it as ‘lifespan, lifetime,’ but the meaning of ‘fate’ is certainly implied, however the word is translated.
The dwarf Andvari, sometime-keeper of the cursed treasure-hoard of the Nibelungs, complains that “A wretched norn shaped us (me) (skǫp oss) in ancient days.” Larrington translates skǫp oss as ‘shaped my fate.’ (Reginsmal / Lay of Regin v. 2, Poetic Edda)
“A descendant of Skjoldings may not break Sigrdrifa’s sleep, because of sköpum norna” (because of the Norns’ shapings). (Fafnismal / Lay of Fafnir, v. 44, Poetic Edda.)
Hallfreðr: Sköp Norna as Heathen Troth
Interestingly, the phrase sköp Norna, ‘the shapings (plural) of the Norns,’ was used to signify the Heathen faith or troth in general. An example of this usage is shown in the following quotation from Hallfreðarsaga (dated to approximately 996 CE). This saga describes, in part, the skald Hallfreðr’s reluctant and resentful steps toward conversion to Christianity as pressed upon him by his patron king Olaf Tryggvason, the often-brutal converter of Norway to Christianity. In chapter 6 of the saga, Hallfreðr composed a series of verses; after each one, Olaf complained that it was too Heathen and said Hallfreðr must try again. The verse quoted below was the fifth and last of these attempts and apparently met the king’s requirements. Even so, it is easy to detect the resentfulness that underlies Hallfreðr’s words:
So it is with Sygna-ruler (Norway’s ruler):
(Old) customs and Blót-sacrifice are forbidden.
Most must shun
The time-honored shapings of the Norns (fornhaldin sköp norna).
All must leave behind
Oðin’s word for (the sake of) the rood (Christian cross).
Now I am forced (away) from Frey’s
Kindred to worship Christ.
(my translation)
Sá er með Sygna ræsi
siðr að blót eru kviðjuð.
Verðum flest að forðast
fornhaldin sköp norna.
Láta allir ýtar
Óðins orð fyrir róða.
Nú em ek neyddr frá Freyju
niðjum Krist að biðja.
(Chapter 6, Hallfreðarsaga Vandræðaskálds, Möðruvallabok version.)
Here we see that the ‘shapings of the Norns’ apply not only to individual lives, but to the spiritual paths taken by folkdoms, tribes, peoples. Our Heathen faith itself is the ‘shaping of the Norns,’ an insight that holds profound significance for modern Heathens.
Examples of how the word ‘shape’ is used
Here are more examples of how ‘shape’ is defined and used with respect to orlog and wyrd in various old Germanic languages. (All are my translations.)
In the Second Poem of Helgi Hundingsbani (Poetic Edda), Helgi and Sigrun bring about the death of her kinsmen in their effort to wed. They are said to have been reborn, lovers and spouses in their previous lives, and in this life they want to be together again, but Sigrun has been betrothed to someone else. In the ensuing battle between Helgi and Sigrun’s kinfolk and betrothed, most of her kin are killed. ‘Shaping’ is several times used in this poem as an expression for fate, orlog. Helgi tells Sigrun that she did nothing to stop the battle, that it was ‘shaped for her’ (var þér þat skapat) to be the cause of strife among powerful men (v. 28). Sigrun weeps over the loss of her kin, and Helgi comforts her, saying that warriors cannot escape what is shaped (sköpum) for them (v. 29).
In the Old Saxon Heliand the word wurde-giskapu, meaning ‘wyrd-shaping,’ and the word orlag-hwile or ‘orlag-while’ meaning ‘the time of fate and death’ are used as synonyms for each other (ll. 3354-5).
In the Old Saxon Heliand, Jesus is shown entering Jerusalem and speaking a prophecy: “Woe to you, Jerusalem, that you know not what wyrd has shaped for you (wurdi-giskefti) nor what shall become of you.” (ll. 3691-2)
In the Gothic Bible there is a phrase describing Judas as the one who was ‘shaping a betrayal toward Jesus’ that would lead to his fated death. (John 12:4)
Here are some examples from Anglo-Saxon based on compound words using gesceaft, meaning ‘a shaping, what is shaped,’ and also refers to ‘creation.’
Beowulf died fighting the dragon that was threatening his people. His death was described as the end of his lif-gesceaft, the shape of his life that included his fated death. (l. 3064)
Similar to lif-gesceaft is ealdor-gesceaft: the shaping of one’s ealdor or aldr, one’s span of life and the conditions one experiences during that span.
Mæl-gesceaft refers to fate shaped by speech or decree (mæl = speech, talk): “That which happens at its appointed time in accordance with the decrees of fate. Ic bád mǽlgesceafta: ‘I waited for that which in due time fate would assign me.” (Bosworth-Toller dictionary.)
Metod-sceaft, metod-gesceaft, meaning ‘metod-shaping’: “Decree of fate, doom, fate after death.” Metod is a poetic term that refers sometimes to Wyrd or ‘fate,’ sometimes to Heathen Gods or the Christian God. When used in a Christian context, metodsceaft often referred to a person’s fate after death: their God’s spoken judgement and assignment to hell or heaven. Cognate words with the same meaning are Old Saxon metod and Old Norse mjötuðr. Another poetic term is metod-wang, ‘metod-field,’ meaning a battlefield, a field where fate / orlog happens according to the decrees of the Powers. Beowulf says that “Wyrd swept all my kin to metodsceafte,” to their doom that was shaped by otherworldly powers. (l. 2815)
It’s quite clear that the concept of ‘shaping’ was seen as something wyrd-ful, fateful, in the old Germanic languages, a power that lies in the hands of supernatural beings as well as those of humans in positions of power.
In contrast to deliberate shaping, the image of the Norns ‘laying layers’ is a more indirect action; it lays the foundations for what is to come but is more of a ‘conditioning’ force than a strict ‘shaping’ force as the image of carving or scoring offers. Implied in this distinction between ‘shaping’ and ‘laying layers’ is that orlog can be seen as either a deliberately directed process undertaken by conscious beings (shaping), or as a natural, organic process of cosmic ordering, of the action of cause and effect, that does not necessarily require the actions of supernatural beings (the laying of layers). Layers can be laid by natural processes, as one can see in layers of soil, sediment, and rock formations here in Midgard.
Do Runes Play a Role?
Interestingly, no spinning or weaving actions are mentioned in the poetic descriptions of what the Norns do, as Bek-Pedersen discusses, even though spinning and weaving show up in imagery of other beings of Fate, such as the Greek Moirai. The Norns’ work as described in the Völuspa verse quoted earlier involves scoring wood, laying layers, choosing life, and speaking ørlǫg. Some commentators on this Völuspa poem that I’ve read indicate that the phrase skaru á skiði,’‘scoring on slips of wood,’ may have been interpolated into the poem, but have not given references to support this statement. If it was interpolated presumably it came from some other description of the Norns extant at that time period.
Whether or not it was interpolated, I believe this phrase is of great importance—perhaps it was interpolated because of its significance. Our previous linguistic discussion shows that, in fact, scraping or cutting wood may well be the originating concept behind words for ‘shaping’ in all the Germanic languages. Thus, this ‘scoring on wood’ may be the primal action of the Norns, setting into motion and shaping their following actions of laying layers, choosing, and speaking. In effect, it is by their ‘scoring on wood’ that orlog is laid.
It isn’t stated clearly whether the Norns’ ‘scoring on slips of wood’ involves runes or not, but honestly, what else would they be scoring? Perhaps not the specific runes we know about today, here in Midgard, but surely the shapes they score are runes of some kind: mysteries expressed as symbolic shapes, which channel magical, creative power according to the will of the rune-carver. From this perspective, the Norns’ initial actions as they ‘shape fate’ are to generate and direct rune-power, which then provides the potency and impetus for their further actions of laying layers, choosing life, and speaking with power.
We are given clues to the degree of primal power that can be wielded by the runes in the well-known account of Odin’s sacrifice of himself to himself, hanging on the Tree for nine nights to attain the runes. In the Hávamál of the Poetic Edda, verses 138 through 145 describe this self-sacrifice to gain runes and wisdom, its powerful results, and go on to challenge the knowledge and will of those who would attempt to follow this path.
Odin was not the only one who engaged in a rune-quest; the founding runemasters of other powerful races of beings are also listed in Hávamál verse 143: “Odin among the Æsir, Dain among the Elves, Dvalinn among the Dwarves, Asvið among the Jotnar.” Presumably all these mighty runemasters had to meet some great challenge in order to gain the runes for their respective tribes.
Verse 145 closes with “so Thund carved before the close of the nations’ history, where he rose up, when he came back,” Thund being one of Odin’s many names or heiti (descriptive nicknames). An example of Odin’s fateful use of the runes is shown in Helgi Hundingsbani II, where he is blamed for a kin-war: “Odin alone caused all the misfortune, for he cast hostile runes between kinsmen” (v. 34, Larrington translation of the Poetic Edda). I believe that all these lines about Odin describe his actions which shape orlog, by laying down layers that spread their shaping influence through time and space. I think there is little doubt that ancient Heathens believed runic magic can potentially shape orlog / wyrd. When wielded by humans, runes are not powerful enough to completely overcome the Norns’ original shaping, but they hold some efficacious power of influencing matters during the course of our human lives, nonetheless.
So, to return to our original point, the idea that the Norns carve runes as part of their process of shaping orlog seems to me consistent with ancient Heathen beliefs about the fundamental shaping power of runes—power which is known to be used by Deities and other primal beings. I suspect that the Norns have their own runes, secret to themselves, and use them to empower and direct their shaping actions.
Speaking Orlog
Urð’s Well, the gathering-place of the Norns, is located under a root of the World-Tree that (somewhat paradoxically) reaches toward heaven. This is the same place where the doom-stead or formal assembly of the Æsir is located, where they gather daily to make decisions and pass judgement. (Gylfaginning 15, p. 19, in Sturluson.) The dooms or deemings—the judgements—of the Holy Ones take spoken form: they name the heavenly bodies and decree their courses, for example, in verses 5-6 of the Völuspa.
The seats or ‘stools’—stola—of the Deities here and in other verses of the Völuspa are called rökstola, where rök has the following meanings: “reason, ground, origin / wonder, sign, marvel,” according to the Cleasby-Vigfusson dictionary. DeVries’ dictionary offers the German equivalents of “exposition, reason, course, fate” for rök, and notes the cognate Old English word racu = “course, bed of a river, tale or account,” as well as Old Saxon raka and Old High German rahha, both meaning “tale, story, account.” Larrington’s translation of the Poetic Edda renders rökstola as “thrones of fate.” I suggest that as practicing Heathens, we understand that all of these definitions of rök are descriptors of these mighty rök-beings, the Æsir—their abilities and activities—and also suggest that each of the words defining rök offers fruitful threads for meditation.
So, these rökstola are the seats that the Deities take during their most formal meetings where they originate or provide a foundation for cosmic phenomena, consolidate their understanding of events, direct the course of events including war and peace, pronounce judgements and decrees. They do this by speaking—and this is fateful speaking, speaking that shapes the course of events in the Worlds. The rökstola, or ‘thrones of fate’ in Larrington’s translation, are mentioned again in verses 24 and 26 about the events of the ‘first war in the world,’ where the Gods again ‘speak doom’ and lay out their plans for action.
Urð’s Well and the Norns are also present there, at the same place by the root of Yggdrasil; presumably they are witnesses and perhaps participants in the deemings of the Gods. Both the Norns and the Deities are laying layers of orlog in the Well during these events, shaping the events and what springs from them by their words and actions. These acts of formal speech are not ordinary chatter; they have the power to lay orlog and set it in motion in the Worlds. In my understanding, it is the witness of the Norns which causes the deemings of the Deities to be laid in the Well as layers of orlog—the Norns facilitate the transformation from ‘speech’ into ‘orlog’ by their witness and participation at the doom-stead of the Gods, just as they ‘speak orlog’ themselves.
Do the Norns perform this ‘speech-to-orlog’ transformation only for themselves and the Gods? Or do they help us do it, too? They do help us shape our Will into deeds and then into orlog, which then shapes the overall course of our life and our life-ways. They do this in many ways, but the most profound way the Norns help us transform speech into orlog is through the Heathen sacrament of symbel or sumble.
For more information to follow on from this idea of shaping orlog through symbel, you can refer to my articles:
Speaking Orlog: The Ancient Role of Symbel
https://heathensoullore.net/speaking-orlog-the-ancient-role-of-symbel/
Oathing in Heathen Symbel
https://heathensoullore.net/oathing-in-heathen-symbel/
Note: This article is included in my book, Orlog Yesterday and Today: The Shapings of the Norns.
Book-Hoard
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