The Nature Spirits
Kindred Essays: Nature Spirits
What are Landvettir? The Spirits of the land.
Well that’s all well and good to say, but what in the nine Hels does it mean? I believe in the land wights; I believe that they worked some magic allowing me to buy my house. I believe in house elves; I know they hide things and find things and ate a kit-kat bar two days ago to which I had been looking forward. The Landvettir are those sometimes defined, sometimes inchoate spirits one feels and, very rarely, almost sees.
My relationship with the spirits of nature? I admit it is not something I have spent much time trying to think out or categorize.
I used to hike at Limber Lost—a large hemlock forest which has lived up to its name and has now truly been lost to the Hemlock blight. Years ago it was sublime in the oldest sense of the word. The ground was a thick carpet of fallen needles, so thick it took no effort to walk soundlessly. The trucks of the hemlocks were gnarled and massive with secret places and holes made by the roots. Far, far above the canopy let thin shafts of light through—it was like walking under water. Hiking there, I was excruciatingly alert, just knowing that behind that tree, under that root was some dryad or sprite or fairy hiding. I think it was these times that I first felt the presence of the Landvettir; that the conscious life of nature made itself known to me.
Norse cosmology has more clearly defined parameters for the spirits and forces of nature. There are all manner of wights, then too are there Jotuns and Ettins—who are sometimes described as being the embodiment of the forces of natures itself.
Of particular interest to me are the Huldrfolk and Mosswives. The spirits dwelling in the plants and who possess intimate knowledge of herbology. I have made inroads in working with the huldrfolk on my land and have been given valuable inspiration by them in return, and I make very sure to never offer them carawayloaves (thank you Kveldulf Gundarsson for the heads up)!
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry: Vol. I (v. 1). Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2007
What are Landvettir? The Spirits of the land.
Well that’s all well and good to say, but what in the nine Hels does it mean? I believe in the land wights; I believe that they worked some magic allowing me to buy my house. I believe in house elves; I know they hide things and find things and ate a kit-kat bar two days ago to which I had been looking forward. The Landvettir are those sometimes defined, sometimes inchoate spirits one feels and, very rarely, almost sees.
My relationship with the spirits of nature? I admit it is not something I have spent much time trying to think out or categorize.
I used to hike at Limber Lost—a large hemlock forest which has lived up to its name and has now truly been lost to the Hemlock blight. Years ago it was sublime in the oldest sense of the word. The ground was a thick carpet of fallen needles, so thick it took no effort to walk soundlessly. The trucks of the hemlocks were gnarled and massive with secret places and holes made by the roots. Far, far above the canopy let thin shafts of light through—it was like walking under water. Hiking there, I was excruciatingly alert, just knowing that behind that tree, under that root was some dryad or sprite or fairy hiding. I think it was these times that I first felt the presence of the Landvettir; that the conscious life of nature made itself known to me.
Norse cosmology has more clearly defined parameters for the spirits and forces of nature. There are all manner of wights, then too are there Jotuns and Ettins—who are sometimes described as being the embodiment of the forces of natures itself.
Of particular interest to me are the Huldrfolk and Mosswives. The spirits dwelling in the plants and who possess intimate knowledge of herbology. I have made inroads in working with the huldrfolk on my land and have been given valuable inspiration by them in return, and I make very sure to never offer them carawayloaves (thank you Kveldulf Gundarsson for the heads up)!
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry: Vol. I (v. 1). Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2007