Friday, May 03, 2013

Vafþrúðnir & Odin - Outwitting Fate

I've been trying to figure out why my fetch/fylgja/hamingja might have appeared as a Jotun in my dream the other night. Following threads of investigation, I've discovered that there is evidence that Jotnir can be Traditionally associated with one's hamingja - evidence for this exists in Vafþrúðnismál, the third poem of the Poetic Edda. This poem largely discusses the battle of wits between Odin and the wise Jotun Vafþrúðnir whose name means "mighty weaver" in ON, linking this battle of wits to the idea of trying to outwit one's Fate as woven by the Norns. In the poem, Odin ultimately outwits the "mighty weaver", suggesting that Odin indeed has overturned his Fate to become the weaver of his own Fate.

Taking all of this together, I am identifying the Jotun in my dream with Vafþrúðnir, and my dream as one pertaining to my own relationship to Fate. Interestingly, my encounter with Vafþrúðnir did not result in my death. I left my dream alive.

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Dare to be true to yourself.