What does the Odin hanging mean to you, what does it represent, what does it not represent, what does it not not represent? Of course these are redes only uncovered by the tru Odinist. It may take on a purely subjective quality, or an esoteric agreement, dark or light aspects, and may or may not influence the growth of the vitki in return. I have oft pondered the different rune languages, and their stave forms. Which runes did Odin see, and in what order or shape? The mysteries already exist, but cannot be seen with two solar eyes, so he threw one into the black pool of Mimir and gains widsom from his fuller self.
The hanging itself, is not really explained how it was done in the Sagas or Eddas, only so that he was pierced, starving and parched. The symbol death of his lesser self, and ur-birthing into the Ase we know recognize of the folk troth. There are few depictions of Odin showing his neck, because of his long beard. Is it hiding scars from the rope or sinew he used to hang himself? Or in the few images and carvings that do, keeping in mind they were created based on oral tradition, don’t bear the markings. Would this mean he hung himself upside down, assuming he tied the ropes and jumped down, or possibly had help from Gullveig, who know the black arts, and knew how to coax the gods towards her during initiation. In the yew leaves are a poison alkaline called taxine. Gullveig could have given them to Odin, whence he became intoxicated and he bound him upside down to look into her realm beyond the underworld. The hel-mind, those dark depths of the psyche from where Odin learned his own runes during his initiation. If then we go with this innovative idea, then the runes would be seen merkstave, from his inverted position. These are Gullveig’s black runes. They would have left an imprint on his subconscious during the trance. Explaining why he is caught in a paradox web of destruction and beneficence. Only after hearing the runa-songs from the brother of Bestla did he realize it was a trick and found in the runes he collected the other, brighter meanings. He knows still that, the Ragna (regin) Rok (endfate) will come. The doom of the gods written in the cryptic language of the myrkrunes.
An intriguing passage in Skirnismal 35
“Hrimgrimnir is he, the giant who shall have thee
Hrim is only used in context to the thursian realms beyond the cosmic 9 worlds. Grimnir is a kenning of Odin. If Gullveig was present at his self-sacrifice, guiding him under the influence of the Yew into hanging himself upside down to see the chaos and svart-runes, it could be looked at like Gullveig, the giant, imparted some of her own essence into him.
These are pretty far out ideas certainly, and purely my imagination imparting some sort of sense to abstract concepts. But it could explain some mysteries in the lore, and the workings on Midgard, when rune magic goes awry, and destructive forces are let in. The merkstaves are those channels, perhaps too dangerous to look at with two full eyes, if you know where I am going with that one.
:aferalspirit: 