The importance of Freyr in SL Torvaldsland

So last time I wrote a little about myself...this time I thought I would share a little about my RP and life in SL.  I took a course in Rune Priests and was apprenticed to a very knowledgeable person for further training.  Following is an essay I wrote for that course.

    Much is written about the Gods Odin and Thor when it comes to religion and beliefs of the northern peoples.  Odin, of course, is the all father, chief of the gods.  Father, in fact, to many of the other gods and goddesses and is associated with things like royalty, knowledge, wisdom and healing.  Thor, one of Odin's sons, is often associated with strength, thunder and lightning, and battle.  Given the worldview of the typical Torvaldslander Jarl, one can see how these two gods might hold a preeminent place in their hearts.  After all, what Jarl doesn't want to be thought of as strong, great in battle, wise, and knowledgeable?

    However, what people tend to forget is that during the Viking age (which is where Torvald was drawn from to come to Gor) there was a third god, just as important as Odin and Thor.  This would be the God Freyr, twin brother to the Goddess Freya.  He was associated with prosperity, fertility, sunshine and fair weather.  In the Gylfaginning section of his Prose Edda, Snorri introduces Freyr as one of the major gods:

"Freyr is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace. He governs also the prosperity of men."

    So from this we can take that when a Viking was praying for his fields to be blessed, he did so to Freyr.  When he asked for prosperity and peace, he did so to Freyr.  When his woman was looking to become pregnant, she asked the blessings of Freyr. In fact the association between Freyr and fertility is so strong that he was oft depicted with a large phallus...and sometimes ONLY as such.  For this fact alone, one would think the appeal to SL Torvaldslanders would be apparent.  Being wise, strong, knowledgeable and  victorious in battle is wonderful, and may well secure one's place in Valhalla, but without sons and daughters to ensure one's legacy and fertile fields to feed and support them, a Jarl is little more than a fighter who will be soon forgotten when he passes.  To think that Freyr would have been left behind when Torvald came to Gor would be about as foolish as thinking he forgot how to fight, how to make and drink mead or ale, or how to draw breath.

    In conclusion, what we need to remember is that while Second Life is simply a game, and Gor on SL is merely a way to bring some Role Play to our lives, the depth and quality of our Role Play is affected by a great many factors.  Being able to submerge ourselves to some extent into the worldview of the characters we play can give us motivations which lead to better role play.  Involving more of the religion of the north into our role play is a part of that, and that means involving more of the Gods than simply Odin and Thor.

Gylfaginning : http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm

The journey of a thousand pasangs starts with a single step...

As with every journey, this one begins simply...with a single step of creating my small corner of the blogosphere where I can set down my ideas, my thoughts, a complaint or two, and observations about SecondLife and being a Torvie in Gor.  I have never been much of one for keeping a diary, so I doubt I will make daily entries here, instead adding to this blog when I have something I want to get off my chest or record for posterity.  If others enjoy what I write, then so much the better and I invite you to comment.  If not, then there are many other blogs...please feel free to find one.

I guess I should introduce myself a bit.  I have been on SL since October of 2012.  About a week into SL I wandered into this place called 'Gor' and what I found there blew my mind.  You see up until then I had never heard of Gor (despite being an avid reader of Tolkien, Burroughs, Heinlein, Norton, McCaffrey, Clarke, Jordan, Weis & Hickman  and many, many others).  I found eager and beautiful slave girls willing to serve your every need (and I mean EVERY need), strong male characters, honor and excitement.  I'm a guy so of course I was thinking "Oh hell yes...sign me up!"  Ok, ok...I was also thinking a LOT with my cock...I was new to SL...cut me some slack!

So, I picked up the first Gor book...and immediately felt like someone was playing a rather cruel joke on me.  I mean look at the list of people I had been reading (and continue to read).  Masters of Sci Fi and Fantasy.  Whatever you think of Gor as a world or 'concept'...most everyone admits that John Norman is NOT a masterful writer.  I have read essays by my kids (when they were in 5th grade no less) which were easier to get through.  So taking a deep breath I slogged my way through the first book Tarnsman of Gor.  Needless to say, I looked beyond the writing and found that glorious story.  Fortunately for me, by the time I was about half way through the second book, Outlaw of Gor,  I found these audio recordings.  Needless to say I was saved!  Now I could listen to someone else stumble through the bad writing and just listen along and follow that story.

Then came Maurauders of Gor and changed the way I saw Gor yet again.  I fell in love and lust with Torvaldsland, it's people, it's bonds, it's way of life.  Being of Nordic heritage myself, I could find many things in the Torvies that I could identify with.  Blond hair, blue eyes, very tall, strong...essentially Vikings in Gor!  And did I mention BONDS?


Despite having lived in southern Gor for a long time (even having journeyed to the Plains of the Wagon people and as far as the Pani) I consider myself a Torvie and always will be!

Now you know a bit about me...  I hope you found it insightful...if not then all I can say is I will try to bring up more interesting topics in the future.