Babies, lions and chanting the runes

Published: Mon, 03/09/20

Iduna is 13 weeks old tomorrow and she is growing fast. She likes to feed, sleep quite a lot, needs her nappy changing, has baths and likes to have playtimes. She has a very appealing smile and makes various noises which seem to indicate that she is happy and wants us to know how much fun she is having. And sometimes she cries, very loudly, and something has to be done about it. It maybe that she wants her nappy changed , and once we have started the procedure it becomes a game with lots more smiles and waving of limbs. In fact I am sure she thinks it is funny to make it as hard as possible for me to fasten up the nappy or get her legs back into the suit. Or she may just be hungry in which case all Venetia has to do is put the baby back on her breast and peace is instantly restored.

Sometimes Iduna is clean, fed and warm and yet she just won’t stop crying. It might be reflux or wind which is usually sorted out quite quickly. Or she might just be so tired that she is really distressed. The more upset she is the more she cries and the harder it is for her to relax and sleep, which is all she really needs. Two things seem to really help, the first is carrying her in the lion position, lay the baby on your left arm with the head at the elbow, the baby’s left shoulder nestles into your elbow and the left hand cups the baby between the legs. The right arm can support under the left to balance the weight. I am not sure how much longer we will be using that particular position as Iduna is getting so long that I can only just reach from her shoulder to her groin now. It still works for the moment though. If you can't quite imagine what I mean from the description you can see mother and baby here
https://www.screencast.com/t/54I6c3kU

Sometimes she still cries even in the lion hold so then I chant the Jarl galdre while holding her back against my chest. The Jarl galdre uses the deity name associated with each rune sung on a diatonic scale. It is usual to leave out Loki’s name and, at the end, I might add Iduna’s own name, even though her namesake does not have her own rune. By the time we get through a second round of chanting Iduna will be asleep and then all we need to do is transfer her very gently to bed so that she can carry on sleeping. Once she has had a few hours sleep she will wake up again her usual sweet and cheerful self.

Stanza 137 of the Havamal has a list of things that can protect you against various problems. The penultimate line of this stanza suggests runes against Bolvi which can be translated as evil, despair or distress. When Odin set out to steal the mead made from Kasvir’s blood he took the name Bolverker, which was a pretty big clue to the one eyed one’s intentions. It would be very unfair to call a crying baby evil but there comes a point late at night when the noise certainly becomes distressing. If runic chanting can stop the crying it certainly feels like powerful magic at the time.

Runes can be used in many ways of course, in a recent Web of Wyrd newsletter I wrote about occasions when I have used runes for protection in some interesting situations. If you didn’t see it and would like to read it reply to this message and I will link you to the pdf.

If you want to know more about using the runes in practical ways then come to the Rune Retreat at midsummer. We will do a lot more than lulling babies to sleep but it might still be a good starting point. http://rr.stavcamp.org/

regards

Graham

PS We are also planning a seminar in Illinois, USA at the end of May which Allen Reed will be hosting and I will be teaching. We will cover martial training on the Saturday (more about that on Wednesday) and runelore on the Saturday evening and Sunday. Please see the webpage for full details https://iceandfire.org.uk/usamay2020.html