What does "Stav" Mean?

So, we have said that at its widest extent the term Stáv is used to describe what was once the way of life of the Gothonic peoples (and still is for some of us) and we have looked a little at the spread and development of Gothonic languages and concepts, and how some of these are echoed in the Hafskjold tradition of Stav; now it is about time we returned to discussing Stav itself - but what does the term “Stáv” mean?

The term is actually a pun. One of the most fundamental parts of the Gothonic culture of the past was the use of runes. I shall go on to discuss runes at some length later, but for now let us simply say that the runes (“Rúnar” in Old Norse) are the mysteries of life as explored by the Northern Gothonic peoples.

When most people think of runes, they think of little pieces of wood or stone with symbols carved on them.

Rune-Staves

This is not really the case. The runes that can be carved are not the true runes, only visual representations of them - what we might call 'letters' or 'signs'. The correct name for this encoding or depiction of the runes is to call them rune-staves, and this is one origin of the term Stáv (the Norse form of Staff or Stave).

Of course, the pieces of wood on which the runic symbols are carved are also staves, as are certain tools we often use in training, including the tein, which is basically a wand that is used for massage and physical manipulation of the body; as a weapon in the martial arts side of Stáv; as a religious object; as a tool for magic; or as the distaff in weaving.

A Runic Tein

Likewise, the full sized staff, of the kind one might use on a long country walk, is the main teaching device in the system, as it is the prime weapon of the martial art; it is used as a philosophical tool to explain the concepts of Örlög (fate or karma) and so on. The physical staff, as a tool, a weapon or a teaching device, is perhaps the main root of the term Stáv.

An illustration of a man with a walking staff from an Icelandic manuscript

A stave is equally the name for a stanza or verse in poetry, which was our ancestors' main method for recording traditional knowledge and wisdom, and it is in the form of religious or mythological didactic poetry that much of the traditional teachings have been preserved, as we shall discuss briefly later. Runes were sometimes even used to record music.

The runes as a form of musical notation from a manuscript

Interestingly, Stáv, as in the Norwegian 'Stáv-kirk' (a 'Stave-church') is also the name given to a traditional form of Scandinavian architecture, generally used in the construction of shrines and temples.

A Stáv Kirk from Gol

[This church is built using about 1200 staves (pillars) to support the roof. It was taken apart and moved from Gol in Hallingdal and rebuilt in 1885 at King Oscar II's land in Badstubråten. It is currently part of the Norwegian Folkmuseum, Bygdø in Oslo.]

It is quite possible that this has some relevance to Stáv, as the angular style of construction seems to date back to the pagan period, but this is somewhat lost in the mists of time.

Basically, as a working definition of the term, Stáv can be taken to mean 'knowledge of the runes' as this is both the training method and the goal of much of the system. Having said this, it should at once be pointed out that while the whole of the system is intimately bound-up with the exploration of the mysteries, 'runes' in the truest sense, only one half of the system is based upon the use of runes in the conventional sense - as staves and symbols. This side of the system is known as "Galder".

Galder

Galdr or Galðr is an Old Norse term (the plural is 'Galdrar', and the Anglo-Saxon is 'Gealdor', the more modern Norwegian form being ‘Galder' - I will frequently switch between spellings without any specific emphasis being intended) and is often not quite understood when translated. Literally, the term means 'to crow' and is linked to Óðinn (Odin), the somewhat shamanic (amongst many other things...) deity of the Old Norse (his Anglo-Saxon name was 'Woden', German 'Wotan' etc.). Odin's main animal 'totem' is the Raven

The Raven - One of Odin's Fylgjur (Totem Animals)

- hence 'to crow' is linked to the raven's call, although the Hafskjold family has had much to say about Galder also in relation to Heimdal (the deity from whom their family claim original descent) and his use of the Gjallar horn.

A carving depicting Heimdal blowing the Gjallar Horn

Óðinn has many functions in the mythology, but primarily he is a god of all forms of magic and wisdom. This is a principle reason why he is one of the main gods of poetry (which was used to either hide or reveal wisdom), and 'Galdr' is one name given to a poem or song. Galdr is also used, perhaps even more frequently, to mean a 'charm' or 'magic spell'. This is certainly no coincidence, as apart from poetry being used as the main teaching device for such practices, it was also integral to the casting of many forms of magic. However, not all forms of magic are Galdr. Traditional Stav teachings suggest that Galdr is the way of the Æsir, who are one group of the old gods, and of those Vanir gods who live among them. Usually, Galdr is regarded as being a masculine path for development, although this is not strictly true. Quite simply, the methods that are employed in Galdr seem to appeal more to men than to women. Quite why this is the case is by no means clear, and it would be easy to enter into a debate on the role of nature or nurture, biology or social conditioning. Whatever the case, historically as well as currently, more men than women have followed the Galdr path. It should be realised however, that this is simply stating a matter of observation. There is no reason whatsoever why women should not practise Galdr, some women do now train in the Galdr tradition, and some always have done. Old Norse and Icelandic sources have preserved terms such as 'Galdra-kona', literally 'a woman who practises Galdr', or more simply, a priestess or sorceress, as well as the more masculine 'Galdra-maðr' (a man who performs Galdr) and 'Galdra-meistari' (a master or teacher of Galdr). In modern Stáv, we don't bother very much with Old Norse titles (although they are used on occasions), as giving oneself an exotic name does little to improve ones knowledge or ability and generally just inflates the ego, but it is always interesting to examine historical records of past practices, and some Norse terms are used, especially when there is no modern English equivalent. Basically Galder is the Æsir path within Stáv, and this route seems mainly a masculine one. The practices within the Galder tradition include the use of runes for purposes such as divination, or more importantly, psycho-spiritual counselling; the use of runic postures and chants (Galder in the more literal sense); the practice of martial arts; the use of healing skills - especially in the areas of joint manipulation, bone setting and the treatment of wounds and injuries; religious ritual; the understanding of law; and almost any activity that is structured, ordered and in some way logical. The majority of the teachings in this text stem from the Galdr side of Stáv, as at least Galdr lends itself to presentation in an ordered, structured and logical manner, even if it cannot be fully understood through a text alone. The other side of the system, known as Seiðr, is almost impossible to even represent and really has to be encountered first-hand in order to begin to understand it.

Seid

Seiðr or Seidr (modern Norwegian ‘Seid') is the name given to the other half of Stáv practices. The Old Norse term Seiðr probably means literally to 'Seethe'. Seiðr is traditionally regarded as a feminine path, but once again this is a bit of a misconception. Basically, Seiðr is the path of some of the Vanir gods, who form part of the Gothonic pantheon, more specifically it was thought to have come from Freya

A depiction of Freya by Arthur Rackham

or quite possibly it is the way of the Nornir (the Norns) themselves,

A depiction of the Nornir

thus stemming from, perhaps, the Jötnar (the Old Norse ‘Giants' - the exact origins of the Norns are a mystery, but they are certainly female and probably of Jötunn-kin).

Seiðr would generally be regarded by most people as a form of witchcraft, although the term 'witch' is much misused. Seiðr practice involves the use of herbalism, massage and similar skills, as well as divination and counselling by more spontaneous means than consulting the runes, for example looking into a bubbling cauldron or the flames of a fire, or watching the flight of birds. Non-traditional but popular practices such as crystal ball gazing or tea-leaf reading would also come under the broad category of Seiðr practice, as they are instinctive and intuitive rather than organised and logical. At the higher levels of practice, Seiðr involves direct contact with the spirit world, in order to perform such activities as effecting a spiritual cure, bringing back information from the gods in the other worlds and consulting the dead. In this respect, Seiðr is very close to shamanism in the genuine sense.

Typically, Seiðr involves the use of Teins, both in the sense of ‘wands' and as herbs;

Mugwort and Yarrow - Two of the many herbs used in Tein-Seid

the practice we call Útiseta or Utsette (sitting-out) - a form of meditation; and the Varðlokkur (Old Norse, from 'Varð' meaning to 'ward, guard, watch, keep' etc. and 'Lokka' to 'allure, entice, call') which is a chant, usually performed by a group.

Generally, Seiðr is practised by women, although some men have always taken a part in Seiðr - Varðlokkur is the root of the term 'Warlock', a male witch. Traditionally, a woman who practised Seiðr was known as a 'Seiðr-kona', although the masculine equivalent 'Seiðr-maðr' is well recorded. 'Seiðr-stafr', (Old Norse) meaning 'a magic wand', also reminds us that Seiðr is very much a part of traditional Stáv as a whole. Although we generally use the more well known term 'Varðlokkur', another name for this trance inducing chant was 'Urðarlokkur', literally a 'weird-call' or 'song-of-destiny'. Urðr is the name of one of the Norns, and this stresses their links to the practice of Seiðr.

Men who practise Seiðr have always been viewed with some suspicion, even though the activity was considered perfectly reasonable for women. For whatever reason, most men who practise Seiðr (and not very many do) are not usually conventionally heterosexual. Gay or bi-sexual men, or transsexuals/transvestites, generally seem far more at home with Seiðr than 'straight' men (it should be pointed out that this is generally only the case with men who perform Seiðr - while there is no reason for lesbians or bi-sexual women not to do Seiðr, they are no more likely to do so than 'straight' women). Quite why gay, bi- or transsexual men should find Seiðr more comfortable than 'straight' men is a mystery. It could be argued that their psychology is closer to that of women but this is tenuous in the extreme. Whatever the case, it should be realised that these comments are not in any way designed to reinforce gender or sexual-orientation stereotypes, merely to record observations. There is absolutely no reason why a 'straight' man who feels drawn toward Seiðr should not practise the art, nor should such a man feel his sexuality is in question by doing so - such matters are entirely the individual's concern and no one else's. It should be pointed out that here we have been discussing men who do Seiðr in a somewhat general sense. Most men with links to Seiðr will probably be of the Karl class, as the Vanir gods are more closely linked to this art than those of the Æsir. However, the one group of men who will perform Seiðr are those with the Könge mentality. The Könge performs Seiðr with a slightly different outlook than that of men in general and sees Seiðr simply as another route to knowledge, one which must be followed to gain certain forms of insight - thus for the Könge Seiðr is generally more a means than an end in itself. The Könge is no more (or less) likely to be gay, bi- or transsexual than any other man, such matters having very little bearing on a Könge personality. For most men, Seiðr feels (metaphorically) like putting on a dress. Most men instinctively feel deeply uncomfortable in such a situation, ridiculous, ashamed, angry, comic, embarrassed and so on. On the other hand, some men feel far more comfortable in such a situation, in fact rather attracted to the whole concept, even if it is odd by consensus standards. Women, naturally enough, find wearing a dress to be nothing special, just a fairly normal thing. The Könge is a little different again, having a personality with diverse and paradoxical traits, extreme and differing sides that nevertheless have been integrated. For a Könge, wearing a dress means nothing one way or the other because they are so aware of their own personality that they neither feel the need to reject or accept anything in particular and base their knowledge and actions upon an understanding of their 'self' not by either accepting or rejecting the views, assumptions and standards of others (although they may use or subvert such views, assumptions and standards for their own ends). In modern jargon, a Könge is entirely in touch with their own 'true will' and wastes little time on lesser considerations. The dress metaphor may tend to imply that all women can naturally perform Seiðr. While, probably, all women can indeed do so, some will be more suited and skilled than others. This is much like saying 'all men can fight' - this may be true, but some will be more inclined to do so than their fellows, only a few would wish to take up combat as a way of life. While Seiðr can generally be seen as a women's art, few women will probably ever really wish to seriously develop themselves in this way and so Galder may be their best alternative. Although it would be foolish to make too many generalisations and comparisons about or between Stáv and Indian systems, Seiðr seems to be fairly closely linked to the practice of what is generally called Tantra. Although the methods employed by Galdr and Seiðr differ enormously, both are based upon an understanding of nature and the primal laws of the universe, which we call Örlög, a concept we shall return to.

Specialisations in Stáv: The Classes

In Stáv, we usually divide people into one of five 'classes', which we term the Trel, Thrall or Þræll (a slave), Karl (freeman), Herse or Hersir (lord or warrior), Jarl (earl, priest, intellectual) and Könge or Konungr (king or cunning-man). These terms need some considerable definition as modern perspectives on the terms are totally at-odds with what is traditionally meant by the words. The Trel and Könge are best considered apart from the three main 'classes' which will form the basis of the discussion in this introduction. This is basically a Galder way of looking at things, and needs some explanation as terms such as 'class' have connotations in modern English that bear no relation to their use in Stáv. First and foremost, the 'class' system is not the same as the 'caste' system of India. An individual's 'class' is dependent upon who they are, as an individual, and not simply upon the circumstances of their birth. While it must be admitted that families tend very often to have a basic 'class' - it seems more likely that you will become a Jarl if you come from a Jarl family and so on - this seems more a statistical probability and not a rule of nature. There is no reason why someone from, for instance, a military family would not become either a priest or a farmer. Likewise, the 'class' system we use in Stáv has very little to do with the modern views of the 'upper', 'middle' and 'working' classes. This phenomenon is a very modern conception, and only really developed with the coming of the industrial revolution and the critiques of Marxism.

Having stated what the Stáv class system is not, I will try and offer some insight into what it is. By 'class' we really mean a form of speciality. Each of the classes has certain specialised areas of interest and the training methods vary accordingly. Perhaps the most useful method of expressing the class system in modern terms is to see it as a purely psychological division. In Stáv, we recognise that everyone is not the same and different people will have different motivations, goals and aspirations. Different people see the world in different ways. Perhaps the hardest thing for most people to grasp, especially because of the terminology used, is that Stáv is not a hierarchical system, and that while we always strive for excellence, the system is not elitist. For example, the Jarl class is traditionally the province of the “intellectual”, one who specialises in academic, religious and, in the modern sense, “philosophical” activities. The Karl is generally seen as one who is a craftsman, who grows food, who trades and so on. However, we do not see the Jarl activities as being in some way more worthy than those of the Karl. Although a society in which academic pursuits, the study of theology etc. were not present would certainly be impoverished, it could survive. A society in which no-one grew crops, made clothes and so on, would perish very quickly. Likewise, for one with a Karl mentality, their everyday activities, an understanding of the principles which govern traditional crafts such as weaving, or the workings of nature, which are necessary to the traditional farmer, can bring about what some would call 'enlightenment', just as a Jarl might gain the same form of insight from ritual and meditation. However, a Karl may gain little from training in the Jarl manner, and a Jarl working all day in a field may simply get mud on his boots.

Just as the circumstances of birth do not determine one's class - one could be born into a 'noble' family and have a 'slave' mentality - likewise one's job or income bears no relation on one's class. If one 'dropped out' of society, dressed in rags, lived in the woods and hunted rabbits, then one would still be a 'free' man. If one owns a Rolls-Royce, a mansion, has a million pounds in the safe and is the director of a bank but has to dress in a certain way, has to speak in a certain way, has to think in a certain way, simply to please others rather than as a matter of choice, then one is simply a well paid “slave”. There is no real freedom until there is psychological freedom and once this has been achieved, exactly what one does for a living is not very relevant. Everyone's life has ups and downs, and it would not be unlikely to find a member of each of the classes all doing identical jobs, though probably each would have different reasons.

In the next part we will look at the classes in detail and their origins as well as the origins of the elements.