In Heathen traditions, not only is a hearth goddess honored around this time of year, but also often the Idise of the family or kindred. (Though some kindreds honor the Idise in the Autumn.)
The Idise (of Germanic tradition) or Disir (of Norse tradition) are simply put; the ancestral Mothers and other feminine spirits who watch over us. For Ozark Pagans, a more familiar term might be Clan Mothers, though it’s not just Mothers in the mix. These are the feminine spirits and goddesses who are attached to us, and are not limited to blood kin.
The comfort of knowing one’s Idise are watching over in times of need, is a great comfort that can only be compared to say, guardian angels in the more mainstream traditions.
In other Pagan traditions I’ve been in, there wasn’t really a comparable category of beings. In Druidry, we had the Three Kindred: Deities, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits, though those categories could get a bit fuzzy in definition, and as time went on I began to question who exactly were included in these categories. As I wrote in “Guardian Kindred & Other Spirits”, the Druidic terms seemed to be all-inclusive, and might include beings or powers that may not exactly be in our corner. That led me to creating the term “Guardian Kindred” to denote those beings who were inclined to be in our favor.
However, in this, my second foray into Heathenry, I’ve realized that in order for a deceased forebear to be an “Ancestor” they have to be evolved, and thus benevolent. In Urglaawe, Himmelgegend is the realm of spiritually advanced ancestors. So I think that this is where our prayers to the Ancestors go. I’ve known a lot of people who have issues with the Ancestor veneration aspect of Heathenry/Paganism, because of trauma and dysfunction they had with their parents or grandparents. This type of ancestor has to undergo a lot of soul work with Mother Holle, and may be awaiting reincarnation in Unnergegend, or are being transformed in Her great Mill, which grinds the soul into all its separate parts. Because of this, they are not available nor ready to be venerated as an Ancestor, but I think getting to that point is the goal, and is something Mother Holle and her kin are working with us to bring about.
So rest assured, the Idise are a category of being that we can freely pray to and share our lives with. One might even find it easier than reaching out to the deities. How? Just start talking to them, pour them libations, and reach out to them through our hearts, and with our minds through meditation.
The Winter Thermstice is drawing closer, and there are so many names for this holiday and so many ways to commemorate it. When I followed a solely Celtic path, I called it Imbolc. In my first jaunt into Heathenry, I called it Dísablót or Disting. Now that I’m exploring Urglaawe, there are many new names to consider, as it’s a multi-part holiday in that tradition. I like the idea of honoring both a hearth goddess and the Dísir/Idis (matriarchal spirits) at this time of year. The Urglaawe celebration of Entschtanning (emerging) includes both those components, which seems to me to be syncretic. That holiday has a lot of other things going on; travelers returning from the Wild Hunt, Groundhogs bringing news of the Underworld, and beginning preparations for building a magical scarecrow golem– But right now my focus is the Hearth Goddess…
Freid is the Deitsch goddess of this holiday. She is usually compared to the Norse goddess Frigg, but I find it interesting that the name Freid looks a whole lot like a Welsh name I’ve seen for the Celtic hearth goddess Brigid.
She is also called Haerdfraa, which means Hearth Lady. Here we have another example of a deity being named for their main role. Just as there may be a single spirit for each hearth, might one consider the Hearth Lady the Goddess of All Hearths? Or we could go with the idea that there are multiple Hearth Ladies…
To bring in an Ozark/Appalachian perspective, we could recall the story of Ashpet– the part where she has to go and get fire from the old witch…
Now, in case you didn’t know, Ashpet is an Appalachian Cinderella story. (A written version of it can be found in Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase.) Ashpet is mistreated, covered in ashes from hearthkeeping, and made to do all the work, just like her Cinderella counterpart. However, there are quite a few things about this particular tale that makes it a bit different from that of Cinderella. For one thing, Ashpet is not related to the two older girls in the household- not even by marriage. Ashpet is hired help. For another thing, there is no “fairy godmother”, but an “old witch” whom the whole community is afraid of. Everyone, that is, except Ashpet.
This story takes place in a time before matches and lighters, a time when starting a new fire was a difficult task. And so, if your hearthfire went out, the most sensible thing to do was to go and “borrow fire” from a neighbor. It was probably considered a bit of bad luck if the fire in your hearth was allowed to go out. But as Ashpet was held responsible for the entirety of the household chores, it’s no wonder it went out.
Because Ashpet was never allowed to leave the house, the older two girls, one at a time in turn, are sent to get fire from an old scary witch. She was their closest neighbor, but still a fair walking distance from their house. The two girls were reluctant to go inside, expecting the old woman to fetch it for them and hand it through the door. The old witch asks them each to comb out her hair in exchange for the fire, but each of them behaves very rudely and won’t even come into the house, and so, they are both turned away.
Finally, they get desperate, and Ashpet is sent over. She walks right into the old witch’s house like an old friend, greets her politely, and asks for some fire from her hearth. The witch agrees, but only if Ashpet will comb out her hair. Ashpet gladly combs out the old woman’s hair. I bet right about now you’re thinking, “what’s the big idea about combing hair?”. Well, in an earlier version of this story, the old woman is actually asking the girls to comb out nits and lice from her hair. So… not only is she thought to be an ancient and powerful witch (and thus very scary to most people), but she also has a contagious parasitic infection. Ashpet isn’t afraid of any of this. Where the other girls showed fear, disgust, and rudeness, Ashpet demonstrated bravery, kindness, and friendship. It’s easy to view the old woman’s request as a test of bravery or non-squeamishness, but she actually needed help.
I feel that there’s quite a bit of symbolism and meaning to this story. The old witch is definitely a Crone goddess, and often when a story has three sisters, the youngest seems to fit the role of a Maiden Goddess. Since this maiden figure also tends a fire as her main duty, though she seems to have no magical powers of her own, I think she might also be a cultural memory of a Hearth Goddess (such as Brigit or Freid). Could it be? Downgraded, and downtrodden though she is, I think it may be so. All ash-covered, kind, and beautiful.
As you may well know, the Crone’s domain is winter and darkness. What is reborn out of winter and darkness? Light. The sun is reborn on the longest night, in the depths of winter. So of course one would need to go to the Crone’s realm to fetch back the fire of the sun. Who better to do it than the Fire Maiden- Ashpet?
When I first read this story, it made me think of another myth- that of Brigit and the Cailleach. Only in that story, it is the Crone who oppresses the Maiden, and breaking free from her confinement, Brigit defeats or escapes the Cailleach so that spring may return. Their relationship is much different from that of Ashpet and the witch, who actually work together in friendship and cooperation.
✨In the past year or so, I’ve come to realize that in stories like this, the Crone is actually a lot more like Mother Holle than the Cailleach. Something that Mother Holle does is ask for help, then reward those who do so, often with gold or silver.✨
So from this Crone figure (whom I like to think is a fragmented cultural memory of Fraa Holle), Ashpet receives three burning coals on a shelf mushroom (a symbol of life and fertility- especially magical since it grows on a tree, between earth and sky) for transporting them to the other hearth. Here, I’m reminded of when another Crone gave Youngest Daughter (a later version of the story names her Nell) a magical treasure of three golden nuts in the story Whitebear Whittington. Those too, could be seen as representing the sun.
Soon after, in both stories, a magical washing occurs. In the story of Ashpet, this happens when the Crone comes over and has the dishes magically wash themselves in the river (and the pots and pans wash themselves in sand) so that Ashpet can dress up and go to Sunday Meeting. In Whitebear Whittington, it is the point in the story in which Nell goes to clean Whitebear’s shirt in a river, and the blood stains instantly wash away.
Later, Ashpet finds her love, and Nell wakes the Bear King, but in the seasonal symbolism of these stories, I see those events happening at the Spring Equinox. It is now, in the quickening of the year, that I dwell in the part of the story that gives us little fires/suns and river washings.
“I kindle this flame in the way of the Fire Maidens; light of the Sun, light of the Hearth, light of Life. As you emerge from the Grandmother’s sacred realm of darkness, shine brightly for us here. Oh Golden Maidens, light our way. Bless and hallow all, and deepen within us. May you be our hope and shelter, as you bless us with warmth and renewal on this day, in this turning season, and always.”
Ozark Pagan Mamma 