Winifred Hodge Rose
Here I will offer a meditative approach for strengthening and clearing our inner being, our energy of mind and body. This approach is based on phrases written in runic characters on several ancient items, namely wigiþonar and þur uiki, both of which mean “Thor hallow.”
Wigi Thonar
Wigiþonar appears as part of an inscription on one of the Nordendorf Fibulæ, pictured in the link given below. These fibulæ or fasteners for clothing are dated to sometime from the mid 6th to early 7th centuries CE, and come from Alamannia in what is now Bavaria in Germany. ‘Thonar’ is a reference to Thor. “The prefix wigi- before the name of Þonar is interpreted either as from *wīgian “to hallow” or as from *wīgan “to fight.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordendorf_fibulae
Considering that this fibula was found in a woman’s grave, and that the inscription includes her name Awa as well as a word interpreted as a man’s name, Luebwini or ‘beloved friend,’ it seems to me that wigi more likely means ‘to hallow’ in this context. Though ‘Luebwini’ has been taken as a man’s name in all the interpretations I’ve read, I wonder whether instead it indicates that the fibula was a gift to the woman Awa from a beloved (male) friend, perhaps her husband. In either case, interpreting ‘wigi’ as a bid for Thor to hallow, rather than to fight, seems more appropriate in this context.
This is supported by other instances of Thor being asked to hallow, found on several memorial runestones in Denmark from the 10th century CE. The inscription on the Velanda runestone is interpreted as “Þyrvé raised the stone in memory of Ôgmundr, her husbandman, a very good thegn. May Þórr hallow.” https://app.raa.se/open/runor/inscription?id=3cecb77a-3b81-42f1-a9cc-ee820d434445
The last lines, “Thor hallow” are “þur : uiki” in the runic spelling, and “Þórr vígi” in Old Norse. The words are the same as the wigiþonar found on the Nordendorf fibula, four centuries earlier and half a continent away, showing the breadth and endurance of this traditional view of Thor’s power.
Thor’s Hammer, in fact, was used to hallow an amazing variety of events. For example weddings, as is shown in Thrymskvida or ‘Thrym’s Poem’ in the Poetic Edda. In this poem, Thor’s Hammer has been stolen by the Jotun Thrym, who offers to return the Hammer once Freya is his bride. The whole idea of the poem rests on the understanding that Thor’s Hammer is necessary to hallow the bride and the wedding. Heimdall suggests that Thor pose as Freya, and it’s decided that Loki will accompany him as his ‘maidservant’. They know that when the ‘wedding’ is about to take place, the Hammer must be brought out for the ceremony, giving Thor the opportunity to grab it back, which he does. This word vigi is used to refer to the wedding: Thrym says “Bring in the hammer to sanctify the bride…vigið okkr saman, ‘let us be hallowed together’.” (‘Thrym’s Poem’ verse 30 in the Poetic Edda.)
Thor’s vigja can be baneful as well as a blessing. Waggoner quotes a runic charm against blood poisoning from the year 1073 CE, that says “may Thor hallow you (Þórr vígi þik) lord of thurses…” where the ‘lord of thurses’ is considered to be the cause of blood poisoning. (Waggoner p. 113) Here, Thor’s ‘hallowing’ is clearly intended to be deadly, not life-giving.
Thor’s power of wigi, uiki, vigja, channeled through his Hammer, can take a great many forms, as is shown throughout the myths and customs of Heathenry. It can heal, it can bless, protect, sanctify, fight, kill, destroy, and resuscitate. Through it, Thor can perform seiðr andrune magic. Oaths and vows are sworn upon the Hammer and supported by its power.
Thor and his Hammer hallow Balder’s funeral pyre (Gylfaginning, in the prose Edda, p. 49), and even bring Thor’s slaughtered goats back to life (Gylfaginning, in the prose Edda, p. 38). “It would seem indeed as though the power of the thunder god, symbolized by his hammer, extended over all that had to do with the well-being of the community. It covered birth, marriage, and death, burial, and cremation ceremonies, weapons and feasting, travelling, land-taking, and the making of oaths between men” (Davidson p. 83-84).
See Waggoner (vol. 2, pp. 112 and following) for the multitude of roles that Thor and his power played in the Heathen world, which are also discussed by many other scholars of Old Norse beliefs. Without going into great depth in this matter, which is covered in many books and websites, we can take it as given that Thor handles a unique and vital form of power, which is referred to as vigja or wigian. Waggoner describes vigja as a power able to “change the basic nature of something through spiritual means… Thor’s hallowing…changes the status and the essence of whomever or whatever is being hallowed” (vol. 2, pp. 112-3). This is emphasized by the later Christian use of this word; Wiktionary offers these definitions for vigja: “Verb vígja: (1) to consecrate, to set apart for a holy use; to dedicate to God; (2) ; (3) to inaugurate; (3) to ordain, to make someone a priest, minister.” All of these meanings imply a change in status and essence of whatever is being consecrated, as Waggoner remarks.
Thor Véurr
Thor has a poetic title in Old Norse: Véurr or ‘warder of the Vé, the sanctuary, the hallowed place, the place of worship.’ As a warder, Thor uses both his power of hallowing, and his power of destruction when it is needed. The double-barreled nature of this power—sacred / life-giving / protective, versus destructive and even annihilating—can work well for us as we seek to both clear away harmful influences in our selves and our lives, and to develop our strengths and inner powers for good.
The ‘sanctuary’ that Thor wards can be understood to exist on many levels. Thor is called Midgard’s Defender: he protects all of Midgard from destructive power of the Jotnar, as he also protects Asgard. He wards the holy places and the gatherings of folk here within the larger realm of Midgard (along with other Gods named as warders of the sanctuary, including Tyr and Heimdall). And within us, within the sanctuary of our own selves, Thor Véurr can also ward us from harm. Here is a spiritual exercise that can be used for this process.
Hallowing your Inner Vé
Step 1. Prepare yourself for a deep meditation. If you have a Thor’s Hammer to wear, hold, or place in front of you to look at, then do so at this time. Sit in a comfortable but alert manner, or lie down if you need to, and allow your breathing to slow and deepen. Spend a few minutes relaxing the tensions of your body and mind.
Step 2. Visualize a red-gold Thor’s Hammer within your solar plexus area. There are many Thor’s Hammer designs; work in your imagination to shape this inner Thor’s Hammer in your favorite shape, simple or elaborate, but choose something you can easily visualize. If visualization is not ‘your thing,’ don’t worry. Instead, use other senses: feel it glowing, warm and solid inside your solar plexus, or feel and listen to the deep humming vibration it makes there. Or simply use a sense of knowing, of trusting in your own knowledge that it truly is there.
Step 3. Spend as long as you need to, to establish this sense of the Thor’s Hammer in your solar plexus area. Then gradually intensify the radiant power of the Hammer. I sense it as literally radioactive, but in a beneficial rather than a lethal way. Sense waves of power emanating radioactively from this Hammer, permeating your whole being.
Step 4. Step by step direct this radiant power through all parts of your Lichama, your soul-imbued living body: pelvic area, legs and feet; upper torso, arms and hands. Through all the vital organs of your torso: heart, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, generative organs and all. Through your throat and neck, and up into your head. As you do this, envision that the power of Thor’s radiant Hammer is annihilating all unhealthy influences there: physical and metaphysical influences and conditions that harm your health and wellbeing on all levels, that may weaken your character and hamper your intentions of goodwill.
Step 5. When you have finished step 4, repeat the same process of going through your Lichama step by step, but this time you are radiating the vigja, the power of the Hammer to hallow, consecrate, and revitalize all the substances and powers of your whole being.
Step 6. You become a Vé yourself, a Wih-stead, a temple: a radiant flame of power, purged of ill and harm, hale and filled with wellbeing, able to radiate your share of Thor’s powerful blessings into Midgard through your own being and your daily actions of Midgard life.
Step 7. Finish this exercise with a prayer of thanks to Thor, asking his guidance as you strive to honor the power of his vigja in your life and deeds in Midgard. This energy is his gift, and he should have some input as to how you use it!
Human beings being what we are, and daily Midgard life being filled with constant challenges, this exercise is best when done frequently, ideally morning and evening each day, in order to solidify its benefits.
(On a personal note: I used this practice a few years ago to help me fight off breast cancer, and to help me endure the medical treatments involved. I felt that the Hammer’s ‘radiotherapy’ was at least as powerful as the medical radiation treatment, and certainly the opposite of debilitating! Only a couple weeks after my radiation treatment, while my lung and heart were still much affected by it, I came down with the first, more dangerous form of covid, and again made use of the Hammer’s radiating power to support my lungs and heart. Which it did: I’m still here, and still hard at work! Hail Thor and his Hammer!)
Any time when we are using Heathen symbols and rituals to enhance our deeds and abilities, it is important for us to make sure we are using our enhanced energies for worthy purposes and not for trivialities or for harm to ourselves or to others. This means taking the time to think, on a regular basis, about what we want to accomplish with our lives, and to clarify and refine our own ethical principles as we grow and mature. Our work with Thor’s Hammer can guide and strengthen us in this process.
Notes:
This article is included in my book Wandering on Heathen Ways: Writings on Heathen Holy Ones, Wights, and Spiritual Practice.
The following article of mine discusses applied Heathen ethics, including the development of our own ethical might and main, and has links to other articles on the subject:
https://heathensoullore.net/two-foundation-stones-of-heathen-ethics/
Book-Hoard
Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. London: Penguin, 1964.
Larrington, Carolyne, transl. The Poetic Edda, revised edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014.
Sturlason, Snorri. Edda. Transl. Anthony Faulkes. Everyman, Charles E. Tuttle, Vermont. 1995.
Waggoner, Ben, et al. Our Troth Volume Volume 2: Heathen Gods. Philadelphia: The Troth, 2021.