I'm always happy to see a new video from you, but this one especially! My very! catholic grandmother is very adamant about not doing laundry during the Rauhnächte (the "twelve days of christmas") because of Odins Wild Hunt which Frau Holle was also part of, guiding the lost souls to her realm. If one of the lost souls gets caught in your laundry, the wrath of both Odin and Frau Holle will come upon you and terrible things will happen in the next year. Here (in Germany) she is also connected to the elder tree (Hollunder), which is supposed to be a gateway to the underworld. The souls of the dead go in Frau Holles cauldron, where they are "cleansed" I guess and return to the world of the living as newborns. What stays in the cauldron (you can also send illnesses to her through the elder tree) is in some accounts fed to the devil. Another analogy, I love it :D She also has a lot of similarities with Frigg, what with the spinning and interest in households and housework and the fact that shes part of the wild Hunt on Odins side
Hi Handalf .... isnt it also that Frau Holle appears in some accounts as the Devils Grandmother? Btw . did you watch Wolf Dieter Storls video about the Hollunder(Elderberry) . ....really nice! I can highly recommend it! Cheers from Schwarzwald :-D .
The ancient rhyme " Elder be the lady's tree, burn it and cursed ye shall be" The name of the tree and the rhyme give you a clear understanding of whom it is named after and it is a female elder not male nor an elder of the realm of material. Which is not surprising, the people whom the indo-europeans wiped out then bred into had a very different spiritual system, but who can say how deep into the past this system lead by female Priestesses was abound....sure the tales and legends speak of it going into the depths of pre history all the way back to the stone ages. Perhaps I would agree, especially since their secret writing system is found drawn all across Europe on cave walls, to which we are told date to 30000-40000 years ago. Many may say my claim is insanity. 33 symbols made up the secret script of symbols, the 33rd one being a secret one and only used for very special things. To add backing to my claim, these 32 symbols but the 33rd one has been found by scientists today, and it is all across Europe, so are my words that of insanity? Or am I trying to give wisdom about something hidden long ago to keep it alive and well?
I'm so pleased that you made time to discuss Goddess Hulda ... I have such a deep love for Her, and she plays a very important part in my life. Thank you for a wonderful discussion ...
I am so thankful for this video. Frau Holle is such an important but underestimated goddess. I studied also about her and we can find relations and connected to so many other mythologies, yet nobody really talks about her. They talk of Odin leading the wild hunt, of Frigg and Cailleach. But never about Holle. In Hessen and throughout Germany, we still remember Holle a lot. Percht is another name of her and still today the Percht traditions are alive. Great Video. Perhaps you could also make such a video about other goddesses that hardly anyone talks about, such as Abnoba, goddess of the blackforest and wilderness, or Ragana, an old goddess in Baltic areas... Or Aradia, first of all witches, or Hekate (worshipped but hardly understood)...
I enjoyed the video, as always, but I like the fact that you dressed in black with white underneath - the representation of the dark soils of the earth as you have expressed in the video, and the white of rebirth from within, plus the background tapestry purposely turned upside down. Love when you put these subtle symbolisms in your videos according to the theme you speak of
@@ArithHärger Yes, Idunna is right and I think that Arith has chosen the colors by a purpose that way, as he is an artist, a figurative artist. For painters, all colors are chosen carefully. I think artists are very close to symbolism, mysticism, mythology, magic, etc. - it must be a left-brain hemisphere familiarity...
She is always close. In Friesland she still protects our farms in Swan-shape on the top of the gables of our farms. In the 19th century a roman sacrificialstone dedicated to the goddess Hludana was discovered (second century AD). Comes close to Hlódyn and Old Frisian Holda(na) wouldn't you agree? She is also connected to Elderberry bushes that were sacred to Frisian farmers and alway grow near houses and barns to keep away sickness and death, especially from lifestock. I wintessed the excavation of a fifth or early sixth century burisl from two young children and a horse foetus in Wijnaldum, that were deliberately buried between the roots of an old elderberry tree. They lay gently side by side in a lovingly way. Always thougt that they were trusted to the care of Freyja, or Holle because of the Elderberry tree. Hel will know.
I come from The Netherlands. In our province Friesland there is story about "Wralda" (Wrald=world in Frisian) Wralda who was good and ethernal made the beginning, the time the earth and the life. After the 12th "Juulfeest" she bared 3 virgins: Lyda, Finda and Frya. This story got some very interesting similarity with your story about Frau Holle! If you are interested I can provide more information!
I could listen to Arith's videos all day! Not only is his accent charming, but I also greatly enjoy how the folklore in his videos comes through in an easy, conversational flow.
I decided to start working with a deity About a week ago. I asked her to send me signs and reveal her Name to me. Today, Holla suddenly opened up to me. I am so excited and filled with love, gaining more and more trust and going deeper into my practice. Thank you!
Thank you so much for making this video on Frau Holle, for she is the goddess I connect with. I’m wondering if you also see her connection to the folktale character, Mother Goose?
Okay so I cried twice during this. You helped me make sense of a dream I had long before I was pagan where I entered a mound and saw tombs glowing with life. And you validated my long-standing linkage of Holle with geese and the Hunt, which was just UPG up until now for me. I loved this! though you left out the part about how she's connected to Frigg? I would love to learn more about that. As I honor her this time of year too. Also are you familiar with Urglaawe texts or in conversation with their community? Holle is their patron deity and I think you would be enriched- I can set you up with the foremost Urglaawe practicioner I know. I'll be interested to hear your take on Holle's Mill in that Germanic tradition
First, awesome video. Second, in the Netherlands we have this fairytale mevrouw holle (german: frau holle; English: lady holle). The story is about a girl who falls into a well and wakes up in some sort of ‘inbetween’ world. Here she does some tasks for mevrouw holle. At the end, she goes under a gate where she is showered with gold. When the girl’s envious sister sees her sister in gold, she goes into the well. But she doesn’t do the tasks for frau holle. So when she goes through the gate, she is shower with black gue. I always thought that mevrouw holle wasn’t that old, but boy was I wrong. I never could have thought that she would be such a powerful goddess.
Wow. I cannot tell you how much this video means to me. I have a deep love for this ancient goddess and all I felt through meditation you have confirmed. I greatly enjoy your videos. Many thanks. Roberta
Interesting. My first thought when you brought up the underworld sanctuary was not caves, but the miles of underground tunnels and "bunkers" stretching from Scotland down to anatolia. All dating to so called prehistoric times. The sacred swan is also something that must go back to the time of Neanderthals etc.
Arith Härger You are welcome :) I watch and rewatch your videos many times and find great comfort as well as an abundance of knowledge in them. It is reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my beliefs and it has helped me incredibly through very mentally rough times in my life and will continue to do so You leave an absolutely positive mark on people's lives :)
Thank you Sir, I have watched this video several times since you first shared your thoughts with us. I learn something new each time I watch (I also read the transcript, don't want to miss anything). This time I was sensing or experiencing a more visual telling of Hulda's origins. Signs of a great teacher. Thank you!
Thank you so much for doing this video. Ever since I first heard heard of her I have been intrigued, but I couldn't really find very much info about her. Thank you. I honestln didn't want this video to end.
Ok. Pre-word: *Rauhnächte* (Roughnights) are in Germany named for the *Wildhunt!* I did learn some points and historical points about Holle/Hulda, as German, the last 2 months. BUT THIS is insanly great deep info i have never seen by now. Thank YOU! I always wondered WHY we germans, love *forest* and to this days, design citys with trees, to keep the GREEN arround us. I speculated, it could be bc of our germanic history & shamans,... and boy i was not disappointed to learn, YES, but waaay more to it. If, as we Germans do, lose christianity as religion, i tend to guess that smt in us wants to get rid of this "false" jacket & back to the "roots." We are not christian,... we are deep in us "Followers of Holle/Hulda" Again thank you for this great infos & i will go deeper into this veeeeery interesting topic. Indeed i already tell my kids about it so THEY know more as i did in their age. All the best
So Interesting. I do not recall ever hearing of Frau Holle before, and I really appreciated learning more about Huldra. I had only heard the Christianized version before.
The burial mound as a womb idea makes me wonder even more if we are perhaps misinterpreting the shape of many viking-age graves as “boats”… perhaps they used stones not to make the shape of “boats” but to make the shape of…. let’s call it “the entrance and exit of the womb…” Which in turn makes me wonder to what extent the shape of a longship was as much part of the symbolism as the “transport” symbolism of those ships.
Your interpretations of Frau Holle from different versions of country or state or religious / pagan belief sends me into a mind boggling vision of what this Goddess purpose is on earth or as part of earth ! ...I listen and absorb and thank you for sharing your knowledge ,always for filling ...
The Netherlands, where I am from, is actually connected to the underworld and Frau Holle. Another name voor the Netherlands is also Holland (the country is named after one of their provinces). When I am in the woods during fall, I defenitely can feel the energy of Frau Holle.
Thank you for this upload, I was deciding on staying up for the new Viking premier. Many thanks to you for discussing heritage and culture. If Skal was an appropriate responsez I'd use it. I'm not to sure, you show me another side, man. Really, thank you.
As so many before me below, I want to say that I am grateful for this video 🙏💓 Would you mind to list/share your sources in future videos in the description? Thanks again 😊
Thank you so much for this video about Hulda and Kolyo, i understand they as the witchmother with three aspects fate, earth and underworld it fits perfectly that you explained that freya (Earth Aspect) is connected to hel (Underworld Aspect) and to frigg (Fate aspect). In my point of view Hulda is the Earth and Underworld aspect and Kolyo is the fate, but they are like mother and daughter, the mother express herself through the daughter in the manifest world, so Hulda (Freya the Earth, is Hel the Underworld and is Frigg the Fate). I'm very curious what you think about this opinion, maybe u find time and will to answer me. Thanks again, WASAIL
Two things: 1) Why is your backstage picture carpet up side down? 2) The Godess Freja’s Folkvangr is called Sessrnir, that could mean the ship burials. That is VERY close to the stone tumbs you mension in the video. Will you tell a little more about that link perhaps? 🙏🤩
Hey! It's upside down on purpose, to represent the gods of the underworld when I speak of such things, hehe. And indeed, Freyja's hall is Sessrúmnir which in the Þúllur is said to be the name of a ship. This indicates that her Hall may be an upside down ship (she is foreigner to the Aesir, so she may have come on a ship). This also matches the arquitectonic layout of viking age Longhouses and Halls, which look like upside down ships. Therefore Iron Age ship burials are also ships- not only because of the idea of making a journey by water into the Afterlife as we see in Nordic myths- but also to represent an upside down house (in many Nordic myths including among the Sami the world of the dead is literally the same world as ours but upside down in relation to us in the world of the living) I think I spoke about this here: ruclips.net/video/gSmU8n99CMc/видео.html
I've known the story from a 1930's book called: the land of happy hours. I've had it since a child, never knew it had history, thank you. I will have to dig out mother holle again now.
In JRR Tolkien's books it is a swan (goose) ship that carries you to the undying land. He studied and taught ancient myths, and wrote his books for Britain when they lost their culture during war....interesting. :)
Frau Holle is still very well known over here in Germany. My Sister and i grew up with tales about Frau Holle. Guess this is the case for lots of german kids that were born in the pre-internet age. I had know idea that Frau Holle has such deep roots in old germanic religion. You never seize to amaze Arid.
it´s an amazing and exciting theme indeed about her, and well overall is a very powerfull archetype and a good sample of why it´s thought a lot on negative view later on the female goddesses in later Indoeuropean derived-spiritualities-religions as there happened a clash of cultures through the late Bronze Age - Early Iron Age transition time of the Indoeuropean invasion on Northern and most of Europe, Middle East and Central Asia - and even India - where these settlers of a primordial pathriarcally-centered religion (as it was a society relying more on the active masculine deeds and works expanding through new land-areas for new hunting, herding and well conquering new horizons, was indeed very much male-focused on), and viewed with contempts and disregard on the previous culture settlers of a more mathriarcal religion type. Thereafter a lot of negative female views rise up, which might have happened less thought before it. Kinda was accepted the negative aspects as neutral chaotic but needed aspects of life and nature cycles, and well the Indoeuropean proper straightforward-directional masculine view clashed on directly on the randomess and passivity of the society before it. It kinda maked sense neverthless that evolution of thought, and if the Indoeuropeans hadn´t got there... most of things would have been much static to changes overall.
Thank you so much for This video. I have been trying to find more information on Frau Holle without much luck. I would love to see anything else that you could tell about her.
For those of you, who can read in german and want to read a really good book about this subject, I highly recommend "Die alte Göttin und ihre Pflanzen" by Wolf-Dieter Storl.
Incredibly interesting and very informative. I never was sure how Hel or Jord were exactly connected to the concept of an Earth mother like Gaia, but this beautifully makes it understandable. In addition to the Earth, I'm further curious how the Sun, Moon, and Stars impacted the old religions too, especially in light of things like the Sun Chariot concept tied to old Indo-Europeans and even how Tyr occasionally held the name "North Star."
Very interesting video Arith, Frau Holle is definitly connected with rune Perth! That is the mistery of Perth, death and rebirth, the womb of mother erth, goddess Perchta. Aren't the geese connected also to goddess Frigga?
excellent video , this is a story my grandmother understood well. sorry for comment on last video ,but when talking about questionable historical persons ,it is best to make it clear that this person may or may not even ever existed. thank you ,great video .i hope you don't take my comments personally , i take these subjects very seriously , misinformation or questionable facts are easy to get into the public sphere,they become much more difficult to question or debate such ideas, once they are accepted as fact .
she reigns during the darkest months of the year and guides the ancestral spirits (10:10). . . her winter season is until the time when the days begin to get longer again
Check out the book called "Goddess Holle" by Gunivortus Goos translated from the German. Also Frau Holle in the Urglaawe Heathen traditions of the PA Deitsch.
Very informative. You don't mention any sources, which I assume are various. Do you have any specific book recommendations on this subject, this deity and her permutations?
for being such an "evil-like" character, the Grimm Brothers actually collected a very old German little-known story about her into a more proper neutral and justice-balanced role in their short story about her ("Frau Holle, the Snow Lady") where a young misstreated younger but good girl is sent through a water-well to her domains and after a while of good hard working and deeds, she is payed back more beautifull and covered into golden herself as she wishes going back to her home, neverthless though she was misstreated formerly there. Then her envious elder stepsister wishing acheive the same on her own, willingly summits going through the same, but her being a lazy, spoiled and selfish brat-girl couldn´t do the same, so Frau Holle sents her back but then uglier and covered into a pitch black dirty-stinky gooey rain as she returns to her home, as proper payback and atonement for being evil. (It´s left untold what happened next, if it actually bursted on more rage from her mother and herself to the good-golden girl or if they actually do accept the punishment and rewarding on each one, improving their ways in balance, pretty much a cheap-weak cliffhanger of the story.)
Thank you Arith for this beautiful video, so well researched and complete. You mentioned something that I have also researched, why do we bury the dead and how old is this custom? We know that neamderthalman did this and now we are discovering fossils of older types of homo that also seemed to hav done the same thing. This is in Africa so before "man" became a global animal, but I know that you are aware of this as an archaeologist. Often my notes are just me rambling on in my dotage but I always enjoy the content of these videos.
Hello there my dear friend! Well, my archaeological work has been focused on Roman contexts and Medieval period, so unfortunately there hasn't been a lot of work in prehistoric contexts from my part. I've done in the past, but mostly Mesolithic and Neolithic. I'm afraid my knowledge of earlier times is purely theoretical. But yes indeed it is an old custom, and from my experience, must have started for the practical reason rather than any religious connotations. More often than not every tradition with religious connotation started of because it was some needed for survival and then a religious explanation is given. So the burial custom probably started off as a means to prevent disease, by placing the body covered with earth. Red and Yellow ochre before any religious connotation must have been precisely to prevent rot from spreading and cause disease, the same way some cultures coverd the bodies with limestone powder or chalk. There was a recent study exploring the mind of neanderthals and other early hominids that were, supposadly, incapable of having a religious/spiritual thinking, as the brain wasn't developed enough for the constructions of highly complex thinking related to religion and forms of spirituality. Haven't read that, but it's a bit hard to believe. Any way, the few prehistoric archaeological works I have been to in caves, show clear signs of caves having been the first human sanctuaries and places of cult.
@@ArithHärger It is modern arrogance that tells us that we understand everything that we find but we cannot live in the mindset of the ancestors. look how much criticism is levelled against the late 20th century by milenniums saying that they can't understand how people could think like that (only 50 years ago!) So after thousands of years we have no hope whatsoever. It's like finding a Roman flute and saying ah yes then play a tune and claim it to be authentic because the flute is ancient. We cannot know what music was played on it, ever.
No sooner did I check out your DA account last night and you post this on youtube. :) I had been talking with various "folks" for many many years(started in my teens around 50 years ago). Hulda's description sounds very much like a "young woman" I talked with just a couple years ago. I had been walking to work in morning and a strong storm passed - dropping a lot of rain. Without any shelter I called out to the sky, not knowing if anyone(anything) was following the storm. The rain slowed and after a minute there was a voice - explaining that she loved helping green things grow. Not knowing what I might be dealing with - I replied that I wasn't going to grow up all strong and green through frequent watering. She was very amused by that and I had a break in the rain so I could get to work and dry off. As Don Juan has said, the World is a strange and marvelous place full of wonders.
Dear Arith,, I have not found references to Frau Holle with respect to the wild hunt.. Also, I believe your etymology is debatable. Could you please forward us some sources?
Thanks for another great video! How do you see Frau Holle in comparison to or in relation to the thousands of small female figurines that have been found... all across the world really, from the Paleolithic era, such as the Venus of Willendorf or the Jomon Venus of Japan?
she pretty much matches the Neopaganistic Spiritual-Archetype of the Mother Nature of Death & Rebirth as the Old Crone Sage Woman alone in the forest, pretty ambiguous on her moral side, but neverthless fairily just-balanced too on both rewarding or punishing as the ones meeting her needed. Henceforth very linked to the Baba-Yaga Slavic deity too. This might link somehow to some very old trend on early Indoeuropean settlers about the very old females oftenly left on her own, into a common agreement of they not wanting being a burden into their groups and tribes, if they no longer have close-family ties into their comunity to remain there, so they were left to await death into the forest, however they might end living much more alone there and earning a eerie but respected reference as wilderness survivols in there with plenty of knowledge about nature and also society though they left it apart a big while ago.
Wonderful video. I may just be looking for patterns here, I admit, though I am finding striking parallels with Artemis: protecting new life, associated with a ritual hunt, and the underworld association. There is some digging on my part in Artemis association with the/an underworld: a proposed etymology of Artemis is ark-temnis, "bear sanctuary" which would be a den suitable for hibernation, hibernation comparable to death-rebirth cycle.
Interesting to relate this to one of the most evil books ever written, "Catcher In The Rye" in which the protagonist "Holden" tries to pass himself off as a a Mother Holda savior of children figure without attribution or apology.
HAPPY SAMHAIN MY FRIEND AND PROSPERS YULE .YOUR CHANNEL OVER THE YEAR AS BEEN OF GREAT HELP FROM TROLLS TO RUNE,S TO MY GODDESS HULDA AN GOOD OLD MOTHER GOOSE .THANK YOU .
yes,we have to think about the practicallity of the indo europeans not traveling so far not and hence,an influx of new ideas...so the sami her in norther finland...and norway kept their traditions over the many years.the finnish thors hammer is the exact same shape and concept of the deer antler ised in the shamanic druming.
Very interesting! In Italy the befana rides across the sky at night and it is she that gives gifts. I wonder if she gets her legend a bit from the info learned today.
I mentioned in an earlier comment in another video, Leikn and Hel were combined when the Christians rewrote our stories. Leikn (Plague) is a daughter of Loki, cast down by the Æsir, and is the queen of Niflhel. She is half white and black, or more correctly, half corpse and half flesh.
8:43 I wanted to point out that "Mesperyian" is not a real goddess. Mesperyian is a made up mythology someone made on tumblr years ago. I highly suggest you correct or edit this out!
Hey i really like the material you share. I want to know if it's ok if i use you info to traslate it to spanish to share with the people that don't understand english but are very interested in Heathenry, i'll give you all the credits of course. Please let me know, and thanks!!
Hullo there! Yes of course ^^ but if you want you can make subtitles directly on this video; all of my videos are opened for subtitles from the community, you just have to follow this link: ruclips.net/user/timedtext_video?ref=share&v=JkaEwIOu_Yg If you do subtitles through youtube, your name will show on the descriptions as the one who made the subtitles in Spanish ^^ Cheers! And thank you! :D
I have followed your videos for a long time. Very informative. I enjoy your inSights and have sent folks to your channel. I cringe every time you pronounce Samhain..... It is pronounced Sow-when or Sow en or even saughven NOT sam-hain. Thank you for all of your work and prolific public social media outlet.
It can be sow-winn but neo-pagans seem to have been influenced by modern Americanism and pronunciation, you know like Los Angeles which should be Los Ang-eles.
Is this mother Hulda a goddes for the dwarves? Just a long stre5ch, but the dwarves lived underground? Or was that the Jotun? I know I can search, but had to ask.
Yes the dwarves are believed to live underground where they craft magical and wonderful things made from metal, which of course we obtain from the ground.
On Winter Nachts, Frau Holle leaves the Earth. To lead the Wild Hunt. Gathering the lost souls of the dead. Until Walpurgisnacht, when she returns to the Earth. Where the lost souls are processed through her sacred Miehl. And the souls parts broke into their component parts. With some parts being renewed into life once again.
I'm always happy to see a new video from you, but this one especially!
My very! catholic grandmother is very adamant about not doing laundry during the Rauhnächte (the "twelve days of christmas") because of Odins Wild Hunt which Frau Holle was also part of, guiding the lost souls to her realm. If one of the lost souls gets caught in your laundry, the wrath of both Odin and Frau Holle will come upon you and terrible things will happen in the next year.
Here (in Germany) she is also connected to the elder tree (Hollunder), which is supposed to be a gateway to the underworld. The souls of the dead go in Frau Holles cauldron, where they are "cleansed" I guess and return to the world of the living as newborns. What stays in the cauldron (you can also send illnesses to her through the elder tree) is in some accounts fed to the devil. Another analogy, I love it :D
She also has a lot of similarities with Frigg, what with the spinning and interest in households and housework and the fact that shes part of the wild Hunt on Odins side
Hi Handalf .... isnt it also that Frau Holle appears in some accounts as the Devils Grandmother? Btw . did you watch Wolf Dieter Storls video about the Hollunder(Elderberry) . ....really nice! I can highly recommend it! Cheers from Schwarzwald :-D .
The ancient rhyme " Elder be the lady's tree, burn it and cursed ye shall be" The name of the tree and the rhyme give you a clear understanding of whom it is named after and it is a female elder not male nor an elder of the realm of material. Which is not surprising, the people whom the indo-europeans wiped out then bred into had a very different spiritual system, but who can say how deep into the past this system lead by female Priestesses was abound....sure the tales and legends speak of it going into the depths of pre history all the way back to the stone ages. Perhaps I would agree, especially since their secret writing system is found drawn all across Europe on cave walls, to which we are told date to 30000-40000 years ago. Many may say my claim is insanity. 33 symbols made up the secret script of symbols, the 33rd one being a secret one and only used for very special things. To add backing to my claim, these 32 symbols but the 33rd one has been found by scientists today, and it is all across Europe, so are my words that of insanity? Or am I trying to give wisdom about something hidden long ago to keep it alive and well?
Do you mean the species of the elder tree here?
I'm so pleased that you made time to discuss Goddess Hulda ... I have such a deep love for Her, and she plays a very important part in my life. Thank you for a wonderful discussion ...
I can definitely see the Mother Goose and Frau Holle connection. Informative as always!
I am so thankful for this video. Frau Holle is such an important but underestimated goddess. I studied also about her and we can find relations and connected to so many other mythologies, yet nobody really talks about her. They talk of Odin leading the wild hunt, of Frigg and Cailleach. But never about Holle. In Hessen and throughout Germany, we still remember Holle a lot. Percht is another name of her and still today the Percht traditions are alive. Great Video. Perhaps you could also make such a video about other goddesses that hardly anyone talks about, such as Abnoba, goddess of the blackforest and wilderness, or Ragana, an old goddess in Baltic areas... Or Aradia, first of all witches, or Hekate (worshipped but hardly understood)...
I enjoyed the video, as always, but I like the fact that you dressed in black with white underneath - the representation of the dark soils of the earth as you have expressed in the video, and the white of rebirth from within, plus the background tapestry purposely turned upside down. Love when you put these subtle symbolisms in your videos according to the theme you speak of
You have a very observant mind hehe
@@ArithHärger Yes, Idunna is right and I think that Arith has chosen the colors by a purpose that way, as he is an artist, a figurative artist. For painters, all colors are chosen carefully. I think artists are very close to symbolism, mysticism, mythology, magic, etc. - it must be a left-brain hemisphere familiarity...
She is always close. In Friesland she still protects our farms in Swan-shape on the top of the gables of our farms. In the 19th century a roman sacrificialstone dedicated to the goddess Hludana was discovered (second century AD). Comes close to Hlódyn and Old Frisian Holda(na) wouldn't you agree? She is also connected to Elderberry bushes that were sacred to Frisian farmers and alway grow near houses and barns to keep away sickness and death, especially from lifestock. I wintessed the excavation of a fifth or early sixth century burisl from two young children and a horse foetus in Wijnaldum, that were deliberately buried between the roots of an old elderberry tree. They lay gently side by side in a lovingly way. Always thougt that they were trusted to the care of Freyja, or Holle because of the Elderberry tree. Hel will know.
I come from The Netherlands. In our province Friesland there is story about "Wralda" (Wrald=world in Frisian) Wralda who was good and ethernal made the beginning, the time the earth and the life. After the 12th "Juulfeest" she bared 3 virgins: Lyda, Finda and Frya. This story got some very interesting similarity with your story about Frau Holle! If you are interested I can provide more information!
Lyda sounds alot like "hlyda" or "hluda", could that be linked to hludana?
I could listen to Arith's videos all day! Not only is his accent charming, but I also greatly enjoy how the folklore in his videos comes through in an easy, conversational flow.
I decided to start working with a deity About a week ago. I asked her to send me signs and reveal her Name to me. Today, Holla suddenly opened up to me. I am so excited and filled with love, gaining more and more trust and going deeper into my practice. Thank you!
Awesome video Arith! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, and especially for being Hulda's messenger for me today;) 🙏🏽❄️❄️❄️
The pleasure was all mine and thank you very much ^^
Thank you so much for making this video on Frau Holle, for she is the goddess I connect with. I’m wondering if you also see her connection to the folktale character, Mother Goose?
Okay so I cried twice during this. You helped me make sense of a dream I had long before I was pagan where I entered a mound and saw tombs glowing with life. And you validated my long-standing linkage of Holle with geese and the Hunt, which was just UPG up until now for me.
I loved this! though you left out the part about how she's connected to Frigg? I would love to learn more about that. As I honor her this time of year too.
Also are you familiar with Urglaawe texts or in conversation with their community? Holle is their patron deity and I think you would be enriched- I can set you up with the foremost Urglaawe practicioner I know. I'll be interested to hear your take on Holle's Mill in that Germanic tradition
I am Urglaawe myself.
what is UPG?
@@devidaughter7782 unverified personal gnosis 🙏
@@BAxeWarrior 🤝
I just love your videos!! Thank you for being a master fact finder and always searching for truth.
thank you :) cheers!
First, awesome video. Second, in the Netherlands we have this fairytale mevrouw holle (german: frau holle; English: lady holle). The story is about a girl who falls into a well and wakes up in some sort of ‘inbetween’ world. Here she does some tasks for mevrouw holle. At the end, she goes under a gate where she is showered with gold. When the girl’s envious sister sees her sister in gold, she goes into the well. But she doesn’t do the tasks for frau holle. So when she goes through the gate, she is shower with black gue. I always thought that mevrouw holle wasn’t that old, but boy was I wrong. I never could have thought that she would be such a powerful goddess.
A whole new aspect of Mother Goose.
While in Germany go visit The High Meißner and The Frau Holle Teich. The whole is, was sacred to Frau Holle.
Wow. I cannot tell you how much this video means to me. I have a deep love for this ancient goddess and all I felt through meditation you have confirmed. I greatly enjoy your videos. Many thanks. Roberta
This was such a wonderful video! I can't wait for more videos on the hidden people, the "Fae" sorts of people.
they will come eventually, the videos about it I mean :P
Interesting. My first thought when you brought up the underworld sanctuary was not caves, but the miles of underground tunnels and "bunkers" stretching from Scotland down to anatolia. All dating to so called prehistoric times. The sacred swan is also something that must go back to the time of Neanderthals etc.
Thank you so much for this and for everything else
Thank you for being around to watch my videos :)
Arith Härger
You are welcome :)
I watch and rewatch your videos many times and find great comfort as well as an abundance of knowledge in them.
It is reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my beliefs and it has helped me incredibly through very mentally rough times in my life and will continue to do so
You leave an absolutely positive mark on people's lives :)
Thank you Sir, I have watched this video several times since you first shared your thoughts with us. I learn something new each time I watch (I also read the transcript, don't want to miss anything). This time I was sensing or experiencing a more visual telling of Hulda's origins. Signs of a great teacher.
Thank you!
I grew up with the story of Frau Holle from the brothers grimm.
Love your channel. Very formative in so many ways. Thank you
Everytime I think I've seen all your videos, a new one pops up
Thank you so much for doing this video. Ever since I first heard heard of her I have been intrigued, but I couldn't really find very much info about her. Thank you.
I honestln didn't want this video to end.
Ok.
Pre-word: *Rauhnächte* (Roughnights) are in Germany named for the *Wildhunt!*
I did learn some points and historical points about Holle/Hulda, as German, the last 2 months. BUT THIS is insanly great deep info i have never seen by now. Thank YOU!
I always wondered WHY we germans, love *forest* and to this days, design citys with trees, to keep the GREEN arround us.
I speculated, it could be bc of our germanic history & shamans,... and boy i was not disappointed to learn, YES, but waaay more to it.
If, as we Germans do, lose christianity as religion, i tend to guess that smt in us wants to get rid of this "false" jacket & back to the "roots."
We are not christian,... we are deep in us "Followers of Holle/Hulda"
Again thank you for this great infos & i will go deeper into this veeeeery interesting topic. Indeed i already tell my kids about it so THEY know more as i did in their age.
All the best
So Interesting. I do not recall ever hearing of Frau Holle before, and I really appreciated learning more about Huldra. I had only heard the Christianized version before.
The burial mound as a womb idea makes me wonder even more if we are perhaps misinterpreting the shape of many viking-age graves as “boats”… perhaps they used stones not to make the shape of “boats” but to make the shape of…. let’s call it “the entrance and exit of the womb…”
Which in turn makes me wonder to what extent the shape of a longship was as much part of the symbolism as the “transport” symbolism of those ships.
Your interpretations of Frau Holle from different versions of country or state or religious / pagan
belief sends me into a mind boggling vision of what this Goddess purpose is on earth or as part of earth ! ...I listen and absorb and thank you for sharing your knowledge ,always for filling ...
The Netherlands, where I am from, is actually connected to the underworld and Frau Holle. Another name voor the Netherlands is also Holland (the country is named after one of their provinces). When I am in the woods during fall, I defenitely can feel the energy of Frau Holle.
Excellent channel, is above all a source of knowledge, good location, fantastic transmission of ideas, inspiring!
Great video. Excellent presentation.
Shared with thanks on MeWe.
thank you very much ^^
Thank you for this upload, I was deciding on staying up for the new Viking premier. Many thanks to you for discussing heritage and culture. If Skal was an appropriate responsez I'd use it. I'm not to sure, you show me another side, man. Really, thank you.
🌱🌷Always a Pleasure.🙏🍃
the pleasure is all mine :)
Thank you so interesting as usual, blessings.
thank you and to you as well :)
As so many before me below, I want to say that I am grateful for this video 🙏💓 Would you mind to list/share your sources in future videos in the description? Thanks again 😊
Brilliant video mate. Thanks for posting
I really appreciate your education!
Thank you so much for this video about Hulda and Kolyo, i understand they as the witchmother with three aspects fate, earth and underworld it fits perfectly that you explained that freya (Earth Aspect) is connected to hel (Underworld Aspect) and to frigg (Fate aspect). In my point of view Hulda is the Earth and Underworld aspect and Kolyo is the fate, but they are like mother and daughter, the mother express herself through the daughter in the manifest world, so Hulda (Freya the Earth, is Hel the Underworld and is Frigg the Fate). I'm very curious what you think about this opinion, maybe u find time and will to answer me.
Thanks again, WASAIL
Great videos allways fun and informative! I like it when you go in depth in things youre passionate about
Clarity, wisdom, brilliance.
Thank you.
Excellent in depth explanation! Thank you very much for this🙏
Two things:
1) Why is your backstage picture carpet up side down?
2) The Godess Freja’s Folkvangr is called Sessrnir, that could mean the ship burials. That is VERY close to the stone tumbs you mension in the video. Will you tell a little more about that link perhaps? 🙏🤩
Hey! It's upside down on purpose, to represent the gods of the underworld when I speak of such things, hehe. And indeed, Freyja's hall is Sessrúmnir which in the Þúllur is said to be the name of a ship. This indicates that her Hall may be an upside down ship (she is foreigner to the Aesir, so she may have come on a ship). This also matches the arquitectonic layout of viking age Longhouses and Halls, which look like upside down ships. Therefore Iron Age ship burials are also ships- not only because of the idea of making a journey by water into the Afterlife as we see in Nordic myths- but also to represent an upside down house (in many Nordic myths including among the Sami the world of the dead is literally the same world as ours but upside down in relation to us in the world of the living) I think I spoke about this here: ruclips.net/video/gSmU8n99CMc/видео.html
The Venetian Mother Goddess Reitia had the goose as her sacred animal as well. Listening to your videos I simply cannot stop tracing connections.
Hello I consider myself a "Continental Germanic Pagan" and I worship Wodan and Holda thank you very much for the video!👍🏻
I've known the story from a 1930's book called: the land of happy hours. I've had it since a child, never knew it had history, thank you. I will have to dig out mother holle again now.
Hej do you remember the name of the story?
@@dteun literally mother holle
In JRR Tolkien's books it is a swan (goose) ship that carries you to the undying land. He studied and taught ancient myths, and wrote his books for Britain when they lost their culture during war....interesting. :)
Frau Holle is still very well known over here in Germany. My Sister and i grew up with tales about Frau Holle. Guess this is the case for lots of german kids that were born in the pre-internet age.
I had know idea that Frau Holle has such deep roots in old germanic religion. You never seize to amaze Arid.
Love so much de video! I'm feel great after see! 🌸
Thank you ^^
you gave me a lot to think about. thank you
it´s an amazing and exciting theme indeed about her, and well overall is a very powerfull archetype and a good sample of why it´s thought a lot on negative view later on the female goddesses in later Indoeuropean derived-spiritualities-religions as there happened a clash of cultures through the late Bronze Age - Early Iron Age transition time of the Indoeuropean invasion on Northern and most of Europe, Middle East and Central Asia - and even India - where these settlers of a primordial pathriarcally-centered religion (as it was a society relying more on the active masculine deeds and works expanding through new land-areas for new hunting, herding and well conquering new horizons, was indeed very much male-focused on), and viewed with contempts and disregard on the previous culture settlers of a more mathriarcal religion type.
Thereafter a lot of negative female views rise up, which might have happened less thought before it. Kinda was accepted the negative aspects as neutral chaotic but needed aspects of life and nature cycles, and well the Indoeuropean proper straightforward-directional masculine view clashed on directly on the randomess and passivity of the society before it. It kinda maked sense neverthless that evolution of thought, and if the Indoeuropeans hadn´t got there... most of things would have been much static to changes overall.
The underworld is a hollow earth theory. Change my mind.
Off subject , I want to thank you for your review on Helrunar. I bought a copy and that book is changing my life
good to know that!
Thank you so much for This video. I have been trying to find more information on Frau Holle without much luck. I would love to see anything else that you could tell about her.
For those of you, who can read in german and want to read a really good book about this subject, I highly recommend "Die alte Göttin und ihre Pflanzen" by Wolf-Dieter Storl.
Danke, das ist mir auch sofort in den Sinn gekommen. Es gibt auch ein youtube Vdeo von Ihm über Sie, ...bzw über den Hollerbusch.
Thank you very much. Really interesting, clearly explained. I'm happy to find you!!! So nutritive information!!!!
Incredibly interesting and very informative. I never was sure how Hel or Jord were exactly connected to the concept of an Earth mother like Gaia, but this beautifully makes it understandable. In addition to the Earth, I'm further curious how the Sun, Moon, and Stars impacted the old religions too, especially in light of things like the Sun Chariot concept tied to old Indo-Europeans and even how Tyr occasionally held the name "North Star."
Very interesting video Arith, Frau Holle is definitly connected with rune Perth! That is the mistery of Perth, death and rebirth, the womb of mother erth, goddess Perchta. Aren't the geese connected also to goddess Frigga?
Thanks! I enjoy this portal and thanks your clear english as i am not native either!!! I like this stories
This is so god Arith 🙏
This is indeed very exciting ;)
I love this goddess and do not find much about her. Thank you!
Muy interesante su investigación, gracias, muchas gracias por darnos la a conocer 😊
My mother's name is Diana she died when I was 12 I miss her so much.....
Can you do more videos on the different goddesses?
excellent video , this is a story my grandmother understood well. sorry for comment on last video ,but when talking about questionable historical persons ,it is best to make it clear that this person may or may not even ever existed. thank you ,great video .i hope you don't take my comments personally , i take these subjects very seriously , misinformation or questionable facts are easy to get into the public sphere,they become much more difficult to question or debate such ideas, once they are accepted as fact .
Idk why but this goddess found her way into my thoughts today and i don't know much about her.
she reigns during the darkest months of the year and guides the ancestral spirits (10:10). . . her winter season is until the time when the days begin to get longer again
Check out the book called "Goddess Holle" by Gunivortus Goos translated from the German. Also Frau Holle in the Urglaawe Heathen traditions of the PA Deitsch.
Kolyo sounds like Kali (Hindu goddess of death)
Very informative. You don't mention any sources, which I assume are various. Do you have any specific book recommendations on this subject, this deity and her permutations?
You should have told more about the stories surrounding frau holle/ perchta, traditions and the origins of the stories.
for being such an "evil-like" character, the Grimm Brothers actually collected a very old German little-known story about her into a more proper neutral and justice-balanced role in their short story about her ("Frau Holle, the Snow Lady") where a young misstreated younger but good girl is sent through a water-well to her domains and after a while of good hard working and deeds, she is payed back more beautifull and covered into golden herself as she wishes going back to her home, neverthless though she was misstreated formerly there. Then her envious elder stepsister wishing acheive the same on her own, willingly summits going through the same, but her being a lazy, spoiled and selfish brat-girl couldn´t do the same, so Frau Holle sents her back but then uglier and covered into a pitch black dirty-stinky gooey rain as she returns to her home, as proper payback and atonement for being evil. (It´s left untold what happened next, if it actually bursted on more rage from her mother and herself to the good-golden girl or if they actually do accept the punishment and rewarding on each one, improving their ways in balance, pretty much a cheap-weak cliffhanger of the story.)
Thank you Arith for this beautiful video, so well researched and complete.
You mentioned something that I have also researched, why do we bury the dead and how old is this custom? We know that neamderthalman did this and now we are discovering fossils of older types of homo that also seemed to hav done the same thing. This is in Africa so before "man" became a global animal, but I know that you are aware of this as an archaeologist. Often my notes are just me rambling on in my dotage but I always enjoy the content of these videos.
Hello there my dear friend! Well, my archaeological work has been focused on Roman contexts and Medieval period, so unfortunately there hasn't been a lot of work in prehistoric contexts from my part. I've done in the past, but mostly Mesolithic and Neolithic. I'm afraid my knowledge of earlier times is purely theoretical. But yes indeed it is an old custom, and from my experience, must have started for the practical reason rather than any religious connotations. More often than not every tradition with religious connotation started of because it was some needed for survival and then a religious explanation is given. So the burial custom probably started off as a means to prevent disease, by placing the body covered with earth. Red and Yellow ochre before any religious connotation must have been precisely to prevent rot from spreading and cause disease, the same way some cultures coverd the bodies with limestone powder or chalk. There was a recent study exploring the mind of neanderthals and other early hominids that were, supposadly, incapable of having a religious/spiritual thinking, as the brain wasn't developed enough for the constructions of highly complex thinking related to religion and forms of spirituality. Haven't read that, but it's a bit hard to believe. Any way, the few prehistoric archaeological works I have been to in caves, show clear signs of caves having been the first human sanctuaries and places of cult.
@@ArithHärger It is modern arrogance that tells us that we understand everything that we find but we cannot live in the mindset of the ancestors. look how much criticism is levelled against the late 20th century by milenniums saying that they can't understand how people could think like that (only 50 years ago!) So after thousands of years we have no hope whatsoever. It's like finding a Roman flute and saying ah yes then play a tune and claim it to be authentic because the flute is ancient. We cannot know what music was played on it, ever.
No sooner did I check out your DA account last night and you post this on youtube. :) I had been talking with various "folks" for many many years(started in my teens around 50 years ago). Hulda's description sounds very much like a "young woman" I talked with just a couple years ago. I had been walking to work in morning and a strong storm passed - dropping a lot of rain. Without any shelter I called out to the sky, not knowing if anyone(anything) was following the storm. The rain slowed and after a minute there was a voice - explaining that she loved helping green things grow. Not knowing what I might be dealing with - I replied that I wasn't going to grow up all strong and green through frequent watering. She was very amused by that and I had a break in the rain so I could get to work and dry off. As Don Juan has said, the World is a strange and marvelous place full of wonders.
How amazing thank you for sharing such a beautiful experience.
Dear Arith,, I have not found references to Frau Holle with respect to the wild hunt.. Also, I believe your etymology is debatable. Could you please forward us some sources?
Thanks for another great video! How do you see Frau Holle in comparison to or in relation to the thousands of small female figurines that have been found... all across the world really, from the Paleolithic era, such as the Venus of Willendorf or the Jomon Venus of Japan?
Do you have a particular deity you have a closer relationship with or do you venerate many equally?
she pretty much matches the Neopaganistic Spiritual-Archetype of the Mother Nature of Death & Rebirth as the Old Crone Sage Woman alone in the forest, pretty ambiguous on her moral side, but neverthless fairily just-balanced too on both rewarding or punishing as the ones meeting her needed. Henceforth very linked to the Baba-Yaga Slavic deity too.
This might link somehow to some very old trend on early Indoeuropean settlers about the very old females oftenly left on her own, into a common agreement of they not wanting being a burden into their groups and tribes, if they no longer have close-family ties into their comunity to remain there, so they were left to await death into the forest, however they might end living much more alone there and earning a eerie but respected reference as wilderness survivols in there with plenty of knowledge about nature and also society though they left it apart a big while ago.
Wonderful video. I may just be looking for patterns here, I admit, though I am finding striking parallels with Artemis: protecting new life, associated with a ritual hunt, and the underworld association. There is some digging on my part in Artemis association with the/an underworld: a proposed etymology of Artemis is ark-temnis, "bear sanctuary" which would be a den suitable for hibernation, hibernation comparable to death-rebirth cycle.
Interesting to relate this to one of the most evil books ever written, "Catcher In The Rye" in which the protagonist "Holden" tries to pass himself off as a a Mother Holda savior of children figure without attribution or apology.
Women who do more than arrange flowers, the greatest threat to religion.
I was searching for this one, have come in contact with Frau Holle 🙏🏻💚🌱🪶
HAPPY SAMHAIN MY FRIEND AND PROSPERS YULE .YOUR CHANNEL OVER THE YEAR AS BEEN OF GREAT HELP FROM TROLLS TO RUNE,S TO MY GODDESS HULDA AN GOOD OLD MOTHER GOOSE .THANK YOU .
I heared that Frau Holle/Hel is associated with Elderberrytree/ Holunderstrauch( modern German) do you know anything about that?
yes,we have to think about the practicallity of the indo europeans not traveling so far not and hence,an influx of new ideas...so the sami her in norther finland...and norway kept their traditions over the many years.the finnish thors hammer is the exact same shape and concept of the deer antler ised in the shamanic druming.
🤟 may you have a happy Yule
Very interesting! In Italy the befana rides across the sky at night and it is she that gives gifts. I wonder if she gets her legend a bit from the info learned today.
I mentioned in an earlier comment in another video, Leikn and Hel were combined when the Christians rewrote our stories. Leikn (Plague) is a daughter of Loki, cast down by the Æsir, and is the queen of Niflhel. She is half white and black, or more correctly, half corpse and half flesh.
I wonder if there is a connection 'tween Mother Goose, also a very old folk figure usually seen riding a goose and Frau Holle as you describe her.
Which cultures link Frau Holle to nature and the earth beneath our feet? 🙏🏻
8:43 I wanted to point out that "Mesperyian" is not a real goddess. Mesperyian is a made up mythology someone made on tumblr years ago. I highly suggest you correct or edit this out!
Hey i really like the material you share. I want to know if it's ok if i use you info to traslate it to spanish to share with the people that don't understand english but are very interested in Heathenry, i'll give you all the credits of course. Please let me know, and thanks!!
Hullo there! Yes of course ^^ but if you want you can make subtitles directly on this video; all of my videos are opened for subtitles from the community, you just have to follow this link: ruclips.net/user/timedtext_video?ref=share&v=JkaEwIOu_Yg
If you do subtitles through youtube, your name will show on the descriptions as the one who made the subtitles in Spanish ^^ Cheers! And thank you! :D
@@ArithHärger Awesome! I'll work on it ;-)
@@creacionescheche I appreciate your help, Thank you!
I think maybe during the ice age, some clever women guided their people through that difficult time.....and should be remembered.
So if Hela/Holle gives one rebirth, does that mean that those she rejects become Drauger? What would cause some to be accepted by her and others not?
I have followed your videos for a long time. Very informative. I enjoy your inSights and have sent folks to your channel.
I cringe every time you pronounce Samhain..... It is pronounced Sow-when or Sow en or even saughven NOT sam-hain.
Thank you for all of your work and prolific public social media outlet.
It can be sow-winn but neo-pagans seem to have been influenced by modern Americanism and pronunciation, you know like Los Angeles which should be Los Ang-eles.
@@colinp2238 I follow Gaelic speakers.
is the name Hilda related to Hulda?
Trank for t his very knowledgable Video.
We know that Jord is daughter of the night, Nott. Could we assume the same of Frau Holde?
Is this mother Hulda a goddes for the dwarves? Just a long stre5ch, but the dwarves lived underground? Or was that the Jotun? I know I can search, but had to ask.
Yes the dwarves are believed to live underground where they craft magical and wonderful things made from metal, which of course we obtain from the ground.
On Winter Nachts, Frau Holle leaves the Earth. To lead the Wild Hunt. Gathering the lost souls of the dead. Until Walpurgisnacht, when she returns to the Earth. Where the lost souls are processed through her sacred Miehl. And the souls parts broke into their component parts. With some parts being renewed into life once again.