First Root Kindred

Shedding Light on the Shadow: Helping Heathens with Depression - Huginn's Heathen Hof Editor’s note: Author Eric Word-Weaver Sjerven has a BA in Psychology, is a licensed Child Care Administrator, and has worked in the field of psychology for 15 years at a residential care center. Throughout time immemorial, men and women have known of the shadow. That ever present, nagging passeng...

Grief as an Offering

One of the goddesses I’ve been getting to know of late is Hela, the Norse Goddess of death. She rules over Helheim which is the Norse realm of the Dead which the Valkyries did not take to Valhalla to fight at Ragnarok.

She is different than other Dark Goddess archetypes. She is quiet, somewhat reserved, and gentle. She isn’t so much the bringer of death, as the relief afterwards. She is who will reunite you with your clan, your kindred and your ancestors after your long journey and your last breath.

I had never considered that Grief could be an offering until tonight. When I realized that of course, of course she would take grief. No one else wants grief, Hel does. Give Her your grief, and your pain, and your fight to the last breath. She will take it gently from you.

Working through Grief is messy. Most of the feelings and thoughts don’t make a lot of sense, and we keep it so closely. But eventually, we must let it go, and now we have someone who wants it. Once you are done with it, once it has done everything it needs to do for you, give your Grief away. And to someone who sees the beauty in being able to let it go.


- Deborah Foley (visual storyteller.)

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