World of Our Northern Ancestors – Midgard, Mother Hulda & Myth
REAL MIDDLE EARTH: Discover the World of Our Northern Ancestors – Midgard, Mother Hulda & Mythology
“Deep roots are untouched by frost.” – J.R.R Tolkien
“Forests and trees have accompanied my life from the very beginning. In the years after the war, it was a matter of course to go into the forest, collect cranberries, blueberries and mushrooms. The forest showed its goodness, as if it understood the plight of the people. People sang forest songs, stopped at forest restaurants and felt safe under the green canopy of leaves.” – Wolf-Dieter Storl
INTRODUCTION by Brian Alan Burhoe
I first met Wolf-Dieter Storl through his wonderful book BEAR: Myth, Animal, Icon. His book chronicled the profound relationship between Humankind and Bearkind across history, mythology, biology, and healing lore. A marvelous journey of discovery.
In my boyhood years in Yorkshire, my Manx Gran used to tell me old Celtic tales. Stories of our Northern Ancestors. Stories of dark forests and those who lived there — Humans and Others. They affected me — I believed them.
When we returned to Canada, I discovered similar stories. They were in old library books, local, First Nations. I was discovering what Tolkien called the “Northern Thing.” Learning that across the world, the peoples of the great Northern Forests — Mi’kmaq, Iroquois, Gwich’in — Celtic, Nordic, Germanic — shared common ground, mutual understanding. And I’ve been learning from these people ever since – our Indigenous teachers, my own Northern European ancestors.
Wolf-Dieter now sends me Emails on that very subject. And I pay attention…
For the ancient peoples of Northern Europe (writes Wolf-Dieter), the world in which we live was not a concrete material matter, not an object that could be analytically dissected.
What constituted their world was a spell, a spell to which everyone is subject.
A spell works like playing the fiddle, which can conjure up deep feelings and inner images in the listeners. The singer’s singing or the powerful words of the bard do the same.
Every people, every culture has its magic. And every time also has its magic, which is called zeitgeist today.
Every spell has its time. No spell lasts forever – sometimes for a short time, sometimes for months, sometimes for years.
Some spells are good, spread joy and confidence. Other spells are not good, they frighten people and enslave them.
What interests us here is the magic, or the world in which our Northern ancestors lived, the very magic into which the Northern European culture groups, the Celts, Germanic tribal bands, Slavs and Balts were born.
In all of this, we are in the middle, in the center, in a beautiful area that the Germanic folk called Midgard or Middle-earth.
And when these nature-loving people stopped and looked into the mirror of their souls, then the earth showed itself to them as a goddess who nourishes everyone, and the sun as a radiantly beautiful deity.
In general, everything was inspired and approachable.
The stars were also divine beings who descended to earth again and again and with whom people also associated.
The sorceress and the wizard could fly to the moon – in a state of ecstasy – and meet the moon beings. They could also travel deep into the earth. They did not perceive geological deposits in it, but light realms full of gnomes, dwarves and dragon beings.
And they knew that deep, deep in the womb of the earth lived Mother Hulda, the primordial mother of our Northern Ancestors.
NOTE: If you want to read more about it, you can find Wolf-Dieter’s entire blog article here: The world of our ancestors – the worldview of the Germanic and Celtic peoples
”Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe
Are you as spellbound by Bears in Mythology & Folklore as I am?
If so, you’ve got to read my popular short story about THE BOY WHO WAS ADOPTED BY BEARS. A Traditional First Nations Animal Yarn & Folktale Retold.
Talking bears and human children adopted and raised by loving mother bears are common story themes in both Old and New World oral traditions. Even J R R Tolkien wrote about both Beowulf and “Bear’s Son Tales in European folklore.”
“Loved this beautiful Animal Tale. Loved Giju’muin, the strong Mama Bear. Perfect!” BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS Native American Myths & Legends Bear Story
Do you enjoy Animal Stories? Wolf Stories?
If So, You Might Want To Read WOLFBLOOD — My Most Popular Animal Yarn: “I LOVE THE HAPPY ENDING!”
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An “entertaining and affectionate” narrative in the Jack London Tradition of a lone Gray Wolf and his quest for a place in the far-flung forests of the feral North. FREE TO READ ==> WOLFBLOOD: A Wild Wolf, A Half-Wild Husky & A Wily Old Trapper.
REAL MIDDLE EARTH: Discover the World of Our Northern Ancestors – Midgard, Mother Hulda & Mythology
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