by völvakona Rachel Knudson, founding member of the Völva Stav Guild
In the early days of the Völva Stav Guild, while preparing for a gathering of local Midwestern Heathens, each group was offered a round wooden disc we could decorate with our respective emblems, to be displayed on a “shield tree” during that event. Most groups attending had already created banners for their community so they easily adapted their symbology for the shield. Our association of völur (plural of völva) was just coming together, learning what capacities we could offer to each other and the larger Heathen community, as we explored what it means to be a “staff carrier” in the 21st century.
We looked upon this blank (wooden) slate as an opportunity to visually represent what concepts inspire our work. The current members sat together in a powerful brainstorming session and this design was the result:
First and foremost we are staff carriers so, of course, stavs (American plural) needed to be central to our image. The nine brown sticks represent that we utilize wood for our stav and tein for rhythm. Further, they are interwoven to represent the Web of Wyrd, which Kari Tauring describes in the Völva Stav Manual as “the inter-connected energy of life through time and space. Something like ‘chi line’ and ‘ley lines’ combined. Also, individual strands of oorlog in a perceivable pattern of connectivity.”
This web is associated with the Norns: Urð, Verðandi, and Skuld, the group of female deities spoken about in verse 20 of the Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Staff Carrying Woman). All of the runes, both Elder and Younger Futhark, can be found in this configuration of nine stavs. The Web of Wyrd is often represented by nine intertwined stavs as they are here, in our symbol, as that number has a sacred significance in Heathenry. Potent examples are the Nine Worlds, nine healing female powers, and Heimdal’s nine mothers.
The red background behind the tapestry of stavs represents the blood of women’s mysteries. Wise women throughout time have been called on to serve from “womb to tomb.” Their healing knowledge was needed to aid not only those with injuries and illnesses but also during life transitions such as menarche, menstruation, pregnancy/childbirth/postpartum, menopause, and finally, death. Having this color red in the background serves as a foundation for the rest of the symbology, underlining the influence völur had in Heathen societies and reminding us to keep striving for the appreciation and elevation of gifts typically deemed “of women.”
Urðarbrunnr, Hvergelmir, and Mímisbrunnr are the three wells of the World Tree (Yggdrasil—the cosmic stav). They are represented on the shield as the triangles at the base of the vertical stavs. Urðarbrunnr is Urð’s Well, a holy spring of past precedence where the Norns tend Yggdrasil. Hvergelmir is the “bubbling, boiling spring” from “whence all waters rise” that flows through Niflheim, the primordial realm of cold and ice. Mímisbrunnr is Mimir’s Well of world memory that passes by the land of the frost giants. Odin’s eye rests there as he sacrificed it in exchange for a drink of these waters that impart wisdom and remembering. (Poetic Edda)
From these wells, sacred water flows. Water is essential to life: we form in the amniotic fluid of the womb and water comprises a large percentage of our bodies. During sacred rituals involving liquids such as water or mead—horn ceremony or passing an ale bowl are two common examples in our group—it is said that the words spoken by the participants are delivered to the Wells and dispersed throughout the World Tree. Therefore, it is imperative that the words chosen in these rituals be spoken with integrity. Clear, honest, and respectful communication is one tenet we cherish, symbolized by the blue triangles of the Wells.
There are three shades of blue found on this shield. Blue is not only the color of the water of the Wells but often considered a spiritual and intuitive color associated with the sacred feminine and powerful Goddesses: for example, Inanna was accessorized with lapis lazuli, Kali is often depicted with blue skin, and Mary is traditionally clothed in blue. We chose three shades of this color to represent the Maiden, Mother, and Crone stages of women’s lives, archetypically speaking;.
The two crescent moons, the waning on the left and the waxing on the right, represent Hel’s hands embracing our work and set a distinct boundary. We consider Hel to be a norn. She is the daughter of Loki who rules the underworld. At death, we all walk upon her road during our travels through Yggdrasil. The moons on the shield are light and dark blue, as she is depicted as being half alive, half dead. As Kari states in the Völva Stav Manual, “she holds the dark space between crone and maiden.” She is the Goddess of death and rebirth. Even today in the Norse languages, the word “hel” means whole. Susun Weed’s Wise Woman Tradition states that “life is a spiraling, ever-changing completeness” and “nourishment of wholeness/health/holiness is invisible, simple, grounded, holographic, both/and, ever-changing, woman-centered, and compassionate.” Hel’s hands on the shield form a cauldron of sorts, a practical cooking vessel that has a deeper, more mystical side where transformation occurs.
The Völva Stav Guild continues to evolve, depending upon the state of the greater community and the gifts and needs of our Koner (translates literally to wives to the Guild and refers to the six founders). This shield and the meanings also continue to evolve and are just as relevant to our work and on-going healing today as when the shield was first displayed at the Heathen gathering over a decade ago.
Some quotes in this post come from:
Völva Rachel Knudson has been a “kin keeper” of her family and their stories since being bitten with the genealogy bug at a young age. She owns her family’s sesquicentennial farm and cherishes the four-generation connection her family has in Southern Minnesota while striving to honor the pre-European-settler legacy of the land.
She has a passion for numerous healing modalities and women’s health care, having served hundreds of families as a midwife at home and birth center.
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