lwood

Tonight's Seidhjallr meeting, one of several where we take a nice slow amble back through basics, was focussed on Mapping the Nine Worlds -- it's a Norse cosmological thing, because if we're going to be galumphing up and down the big ol'tree in the middle, it's good to have your bearings, and review rarely hurts. While we often do this in journey space, it's often useful to cement that with kinesthetic learning techniques and a little real-world visualisation.

Besides, taken in the right spirit, it can be fun!

Obviously, this had to take place at Greyhaven, it was the only place with enough space and small tchotchkes to carry this off. This was well-paid off, though, because it enabled DLP's grandchildren to have their own honored place in the festivities... along with their collections of MageKnights, D&D figurines, and a few favored stuffed animals.

If humor has no place in your religious practice, don't click.

DLP had set eight tray tables up about the room, with Asgard on the mantelpiece and Hel at the far end, near the conservatory. The grandchildren (aka Woozles) were Very Helpful, and me, well, I got to watch while preparing for Yet Another Troth Mailing. I did, however, encourage the Woozles to unearth more small treasures with which to populate the worlds. I knew they had dwarves and elves, see, and after that the sky and free association are the limit! Eventually, they got their walkthrough about half an hour before the rest of the group arrived for the grownup version, but the proper placement of the array of toys required many conversations like this:

"What about this one?" It's a MageKnight figurine of a man with a black bird's head and outstretched wings.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's a wereraven!"

"Clearly," I declared with an imperious handwave, "he lives in Asgard. One, it's a raven, and two, shapestrong like that? That's Asgard with cheese." Asgard also got a more serious Odin and Frigga statue pair and a spare Mjolnir. On the wereraven-and-cheese side, though, a Nutcracker was, according to the Seidhjallr Judging Committee, either one of the Einherjar or Heimdall.

Elves were deployed in Alfheim, all around the Freyr statue.

Midgard was marked by two African violets, the house's healthiest potted plants, plus every "just plain human" figurine available, topped with a normal-colored teddy bear.

Next, duck under this handy nearby root of Yggdrasil, represented by your imagination.

Niffleheim got a big chunk of crystal and a Beanie Baby ice buzzard, immediately dubbed the Ice Buzzard of Niffleheim! Fear it, I say!

The dwarves were properly dispatched to Svartalfheim, naturally, where they were placed among and atop sundry hand tools, although two were left for DLP to bang in a one-woman rendition of the Anvil Chorus from Rheingold, because Dammit Somebody Has To. The Woozles replied with their own tool-banging fervor, because they could Bang on Stuff! Yay!

Next, as we're focussed on the journey down to Hel, was the bottom parts of Jotunheim, where all the cranky-looking giant and troll figurines were to be found, as well as the most wargish wolves in the collection to be over in the Ironwood.

The oversized foam rubber sword and axe are on the floor, to mark the place to ford the River Slith, in which all the weapons of all the worlds' wars clash and clatter, between Jotunheim and Muspelheim.

Obviously, the dragon and fire elemental figurines go to Muspelheim, but it may surprise you Readers at Home to learn that Muspelheim is also the home of the Dreaded Red Teddy Bear! Several differently-scented candles will remind you of the sulfurous, acrid plume...

The Well of Wyrd, base of Bifrost, home of the judgement seats of the gods, got... a steel mixing bowl with water in. Once Seidhjallr was standing around in their walkthrough, other large bowls were pressed into service: Hvergelmir was a wooden offering/Caesar salad bowl and Mimameith (y'know, the Spare Eye Storage Facility) was a great steel punch bowl.

The way grows steep, but where's Modgud? Oh, wait, there's DLP improvising with a spear. Doesn't everyone store spears in their living room? Listen, now, as Seidhjallr answers Modgud's question of "Why Are You Here?"

"Oh, you know, the usual."
"I'm a tourist! See my visa?"
"Um, I'm just following them!"
"...I'm with the band!"

There's a bridge over Gjoll. Damn. Need something... the broom! It... well, straw's involved, it could've been for thatching. Work with me here.

The last table, standing before the columns that mark the entrance to the gloomy, dark conservatory, is Hel. Well, the Eastern Gate. It has stuffed skeletons and a few veils strewn about. See Seidhjallr. See Seidhjallr not enter the conservatory, although we will stand on this side of the pillars and point out that the dead television set obviously represents the Volva's Mound from Voluspa and that the stereo rack is either Nastrond or Balder's Other Place before a lengthy discussion of "What do you see beyond those gates?"

Once in Hel, of course, we need to tromp back up and around the living room, back along the Tunnel of Trees (the hallway's full of books, see, and books are condensed trees, right?), up through the hedges and bushes (the stairs, lined with cover flats because that's less foliage) and back to a Place You Know Well...

Greyhaven's front yard. Note what grows here. The roses are in bloom, the air is warm and filled with the sound of crickets, and several grownups are laughing merrily into the clear, starry night. At least two of them are barefoot, and one has, on amused recollection, left her beer in Alfheim, but that's better than last time when she'd left it in Hel. Leave them now, Constant Reader, as the point of view camera watches them go back into the now just-a-house, where fried chicken, apple pie, and yummy raspberry lambic await, for your Constant Chronicler must dodge that guy looming behind her brandishing that sleep thorn.

G'night!

-- Lorrie