Contents Updated: Thursday, March 02, 2000
In natural heathen cultures, death was often accepted to be part of life, a necessity. To die meant to become one with the Cosmos again, to return to mother Nature's womb. In many cultures, death was believed to be the beginning of a new form of life and it was fairly natural that people who reached old age decided themselves when it was time for them to part from this world. Some ended their own life, others went into solitude where they prepared themselves to die by allowing the spirit to leave the body.
Halloween for example, is originally the Pagan Celtic festival, Samhain. It was a time to remember the dead and to communicate with them. The dead had the chance to come back to this world and mingle with the living for the night. For this occasion the people would wear masks or paint their faces and bodies to resemble the dead. It was also a reminder that winter is near and Nature is dying again.
The northern nations believed that the dead would find a place either in Asgard or in Niflheim. Brave warriors, who were slain in battle, were believed to go to Asgard after their heroic deaths, where they joined Odin in his palace Valhalla. This might have been the reason why the Teutonic men were such fearless warriors, as they sincerely thought that they would be rewarded with a trip to heaven for their courage, just like modern day Muslim fanatics and the Japanese Kamikaze suicide pilots of the last war.
Others went to Niflheim, a misty underworld ruled by Hel—the origin of our word, Hell—the goddess of death, who personifies misery, hunger and sickness. Niflheim is a cold, icy and misty place, a place of sorrow and regret for those who have not been more heroic. Quite naturally northern peoples saw intense cold as their "Hell"—fire must have been quite comforting to them! But the goddess, Hel, was not all bad, and even her domain was thought to include a peaceful garden with fruit bushes where innocent if none-heroic souls like infants could dwell happily.
The women in the Germanic societies were loved and respected and enjoyed a great deal of freedom and independence. They had a strong influence over society and their work and wisdom was valued. They ran households and farms and they carried the keys to all the doors. A woman could also divorce her husband if he was no worthy partner. Some women joined their husbands and fathers on expeditions and even in battle, where they provided them with new weapons and took care of the wounded.
The northern peoples saw the intuition of women as a positive and natural influence and the women who possessed supernatural abilities were said to have been blessed by the Gods with "the gift". Witches, the "wise women" were honoured and highly appreciated. They understood the forces of nature, they were the link between folk and gods. Divination was believed to be a gift given to the female sex entirely. Prophetesses were taken very seriously and even demanded respect in the terror of the Christian Middle Ages.
Frigg was the queen of the heavens. She was the protecter of the home and family and thus worshipped frequently. She is believed to know everything, indeed she is said to know more than Odin, but she remains silent and never reveils her secrets.