Var, the Oathkeeper, Handmaiden of Frigga.

 At her hall of Fensalir, Frigga, the Norse All-Mother, has twelve Handmaidens (Note 1) or ladies-in-waiting to attend to Her. Not much is known about who these Handmaidens were since the Lore is scanty about Norse Goddesses in general. Much of what is known today is by Group Verified Gnosis.

 

Var (in brief)

One of the first oaths in Norse marriages is to Var, who oversees contracts between people. Var punishes perjurers and oath breakers. This Goddess is the Witness to Spoken Promises.

 

In the Gylfaginning, Snorri Sturluson writes, “She (Var) hears the oaths and troths that men and women plight to each other. Hence such vows are called vars, and She takes vengeance on those who break their promises.” Snorri indicates that Var’s name means “pledge” or “promise.” Because She oversees oaths, Var punishes those who break their word. This is because people are expected to keep their vows to the Gods and to their communities.

 

Pronounced “vow-er,” “var” adds to Var’s Kenning of “One Who Hears Wards.” According to Snorri, varar is a private agreement between men and women. (In Old Norse, “var” means also means “beloved.”) “Var” can also be linked to varda which means guarantee. It may be linked to vardlokkur, a song to bring a guardian spirit to the singer. (Note 2.)

 

In the Thrymskvida. (Note 3), Var is the Keeper of Marriage Oaths. Thrym, the Jotun, is presiding over a wedding ceremony. He states, “May Var, Goddess, bless us.” One reason for Var hearing marriage vows is that the oaths of the participants strengthens the community as the community witness them.

“Then said Thrym,

Bring the hammer in, the bride to consecrate;

Lay Miollnir on the maiden’s knee;

Unite us each with other by the hand of Var”

 

Oaths are important for various reasons. They are first laid in the Well of the Wyrd. Then, each oath becomes a part of the Orlog (Note 4) of the individual, family, and community. Since the Well of the Wyrd holds the waters of fate, vows are a part of the threads that weave the Web of the Wyrd.

 

Notes:

Note 1. Saga (seer), Eir (healer), Gefjun (unmarried girls), Fulla (plenty), Sjofn (love), Lofn (forbidden love), Var (oaths), Vor (wisdom), Syn (truth), Hlin (protector), Snorta (diplomacy), Gna (travelers).

 

Note 2. A vardlokkur will bring a person in harmony with their Wyrd.

 

Note 3. The Thrymskvida is the story of Thor recovering his stolen Hammer, Mjolnir from the Jotun Thrym. To do so, Thor has to dress up as Freya to wed Thrym. During the wedding ceremony, the vows are hallowed with Mjolnir. At that time, Thor grabs his Hammer, beat the Jotun present, and escapes.

 

Note 4. Orlog and Wyrd are intertwined. The Troth, a Norse Pagan organization, described the relationship as “Wyrd is the material out of which the road is built, but Orlog is the road that we see is built from that material.” The Troth defines Wyrd as “all the actions that may shape and constrain the context of our lives.” Orlog is “the particular shape of those actions which leads to a particular context we face.”