Sigel

Sigel semannum symble byth on hihte,

Thonn hi hine feriath ofer fisces beth,

Oth hi brim-hengest bringeth to lande.

Sun is to seamen a constant hope,

Henceforth she carries them over the fishes-bath,

Up to the land she brings the sea-horse.

This rune poem personifies the Sun, as a female in keeping with old Germanic lore, as in most northern European countries the sun was considered female. She was the one that melted the ice in the spring and helped to bring the return of life to the barren winter landscape. In this poem she is personified as a kind and benevolent being who carries men safely over the sea. The sun goddess to the Anglo-Saxons was called Sunna and it is curious that in an old German charm her powers are called upon to help heal Balders horse. Her sister was called Sinthgunt and was personified by the moon. The healing powers of the sun can be felt after a long winter when fair warm weather reigns again and plants are nourished by her warm caresses. She was seen as the one who lit the way for seafarers leading them safely to the shore. This of course would mean clear and stable weather. She is truly a goddess peaceful and just. The Norse myths say that the sun is carried on a chariot through the heavens and that she is being chased by wolfs. That is the reason she moves so fast through the heavens. It is very curious though because this same belief was believed almost a thousand years earlier by the tribes on the Baltic Sea. Tacitus also makes mention of this. In his Germania Chapter 45 he says that it was a belief by the tribes along the Baltic Sea that one could hear the sound that the sun goddess chariot would make as it rises over the waves. The belief in the sun goddess riding in a wagon must have been a very popular one that lasted even into the Viking times.

On a different level Sunna symbolizes our higher consciousness, that god self within each of us. It is the ability to become an enlightened individual and to achieve inner harmony with ones self and the world and cosmos around us. Overcoming the mental and physical hurdles that are thrown our way can only do this. These hurdles can come at any time and in virtually any form. Sigels rune poem is a metaphor for this road to enlightenment. Let's start by dissecting the poem.

The poem opens with a reminder that our higher consciousness is always obtainable if we are willing to take the time and effort to search it out. It also reminds us that this is not an impossible task and can be done by each of us. The fish's bath can be seen as the range of our emotions and the journey we must travel in order to reach the state of enlightenment and the realm of the gods. Like all emotions water can be tranquil and it can be menacing and this poem does not lie to us. We must always be aware that this road is fought with many obstacles and can take a long time to achieve. We must always take that into consideration. She gives up hope that through all the waters of emotion she will carry us back safely to the land. Our higher consciousness is always there to help guide us if we listen to and embrace it.

Tiw bith tacna sum, healdeth trywa wel

With Aethelingas, a bith on faerylde,

Ofer nihta genipu neafre swiceth.

Tiw is a certain symbol,

It keeps faith well with Aethelings,

It is always on a journey,

Over the darkness it never fails.

Tiw is the name of the Anglo-Saxon Sky father. He was also known under a variant name, which was Tir. It is much the same as the Old Norse Tyr and this variant name means fame, glory and honor. All of these definitions point to the original function of this supreme god. We know that Tiw or Tir comes from the ancient Indo European form Djevs meaning shining and the Indian, Greek and Roman versions would be Dyospita, Zeupater and Juppiter, respectively. A primitive Germanic reconstruction of his name would be Tiwaz and that keeps in perfect order with the other primitive gods of our ancestors who were discussed in the previous chapter. He appears to be the father of all and could he have been a certain god named Tuisto that Tacitus talked about? We will delve into that mystery a bit later in this section but first let's find out more about this god who at one time held such a prominent place among the earliest of our ancestors.

Even in our modern day this ancient god is still remembered because in most Germanic tongues the third day of the week is named after him. In Modern English we call this day Tuesday, in German Dienstag, in Dutch Dingsdag and in Danish Tirsdag. In the older Germanic tongues his name is more evident. Take for example the old Anglo-Saxon name Tiwesdaeg, the Old Norse Tyrsdagr and the Old Friesian Tirsdei. All of the countries of the north have kept his name or his function as the third day of the week. Most importantly Tiw was the god of justice but not a blind justice. He was not a bloodthirsty savage whose main job was to stir up war and disorder. He was rather contrary of this and it was in his true nature to bring order and justice into the world in a proper and just way. He was the god of the Thing. The Thing was the old Germanic court and it was here, as it is today, that court cases were heard and that important issues were discussed. The Anglo-Saxon definition of thing was discussion, meeting, council and assembly. It is interesting that while some Teutonic nations kept his name as the third day of the week others preserved his function instead.

We can see in several of the variants for Tuesday that his name can be made out without to much difficulty but in several other it isn't that easy of a task. Take for example the German Dienstag, it is not very easy to make out any name that even comes close to Tiw or even the German name for the god which was Ziu. The German word Dienst holds one of the keys to associate him with the court or the Thing. Dienst in Modern German means service and is used to describe a court or better yet a court official. While the modern Dutch name is Dingstag and this is a direct link to the old Germanic Thing because Ding in both Dutch and German means a thing or better yet the Thing. This gives us more insight into the power, which Tiw had over the judgicery system. So we can deduce that Tiw was the glorious Sky father laying down the laws for mankind to follow and basing them on the natural cycles of Wyrd. These laws would be life and death, light and dark, happiness and sorrow. Tiw also reminds us that every thing has its place so that order can be kept on this earth. This in turn is represented by our personal lives, the cycle of the world and in turn spilling over into the cosmos.

The above would tie in Tirs connection with Tuisto. As was discussed in the earlier chapter Tuisto was seen as three separate forces that help to form time and space before he was earth-born from his daughter helping to procreate mankind. One of the tribes that Tacitus mentions were the Semnones and they believed in a supreme god to whom all things were subject to and obedient to. He states that they had an observance in a sacred grove that they believed to be the center of their religion and origin. It was here that they sacrificed a human victim and could only enter the grove with a cord tied around their waist. If anyone fell down within this sacred grove they would have to role out. This is a vivid description of their absolute belief and fear in this god. I believe that only one god could have stirred up so much fervor amongst the people and that would be Tiw. He was/is the god of creation, humanity and justice. He works in accordance with wyrd to ensure that natural order is keep and that justice shall prevail.

This rune poem seems to point in the direction that Tiw was the main god of the Thing and hence he was a symbol that kept his faith well with the Aethelings. An Aetheling being a man, a nobleman, chief and in a very general term it can mean people in general. The other aspect of Tiw is the North Star and that is the symbol that the rune poem is talking about in the ancient times of our ancestors as well as to other cultures, stars were used to help navigate seafarers. The Northern Star can be seen as the center of the heavens i.e. the naval and this would mark him have been the creator of all or even his connection with the world tree. There are several references to Tiw in old English charms and in the Edda. He was invoked for courage and protection in battle or while traveling.

The Anglo-Saxon rune poem mention the two most important functions that Tiw had among the people and that would be as god of the court and protection. It is my belief that the Angles and the Saxons were still worshipping Tiw as their main sky god well into the dawning of Christianity. In the rest of Northern Europe Odin took on the attributes of Tiw to reign supreme as sky father and that he presided over wars and the courts. But even then Tiw or his variant Tyr was never forgotten. In the Eddas Odin has about 100 different names and some of them have Tyrs name in them. Take for example Farmatyr meaning God of boatloads. We can see that even in Viking times Tyr was used as a generic word for god. This is interesting in that it leads us back to the ancient tribe of the Semnones and in their belief in a single god. We can almost be sure that Tiw or Tiwaz must have been that god and that the variant form of his name in later years was a continuation of this awesome and powerful deity.