A Norse seeker of the ancient sacered brews

[norcereus]

Hi good people of the nexus

One of my greatest interest in the entheogenic world is the legends of the old brews. Be it Soma, kykeon or sutungs mead of inspiration. I belive that people in northern Europe had acksess to plants or fungi that enabled them to enter in to the spirit world. No great mysterie in it self but what did the old ones use. I am from Norway so naturally I'm interested in things that grow here naturally, some possible candidates are Amanita muscaria, ledum palustre in alcoholic brews with other well known herbs, psilocybe containing fungi, perhaps even Phragmites australis, ergot or tropan-alkaloid containing plants. The climate in Norway in the time before the early Viking era was actually warmer than now, so there could have been some warmth lowing plants growing here that later has become extinct from the era. But more likely there was some lore that now is forgotten just like the recipe for the kykeon of the elusinian mysteries and soma of the Vedas. The special mead of the Viking legends might just have been a highly intoxicating alcoholic brew, like many known from around the world. But the known recipe(se gruit) would make a brew supposedly resulting in an especially horrible hangover, not likely to be the brew supposedly drunk by the gods.

So I have asked my self, were there some mixture of plants, that if brewed in the right way or combined with the right plant or natural reagent, made a mind opening brew equal to or better than the best entheogens we know of now?

I have been browsing trough the nexus many times in the last years and find many posts and topics of interest. I have no experience with Dmt, but find it fascinating. Its history and prevalence throughout the world, in every human and so many plants and animals. I find it strange that only the Amazonian shamans should stumble on to its effect's. I do not propose that Soma and the many other fabled brews were ayhauasca analogues, but some of them could have been and have indeed ben suggested to be that by scholars and laymen.

So in this world of plenty, with many alternatives to choose from, why this fascination, blame it on the prohibition. It drives us always to explore new combinations and to seek out local plant and mushroom varieties. It drives us to try dangerous drugs and plant combinations and more or less futile attempts to find it in our spice cabinet. It makes us want to find the holy grail of wisdom more than ever, It makes me want to find that wich they can newer take away from us again.

About me: I am an ordinary man of some experience in the other realms, fond of the green smelly herb, and the small ones in the grass. I am respectfull of the sugar loving beings transforming the honey, and the ones collecting it in the wild as they make the seeds of knowledge and life. I have respect for the medicines and poisons of the natural world and lastly but not least I have a great respect for us for seeking out, finding and utilizing the gifts of our world, and for daring to go trough the doors of preception the plants offer us.

and this seemed like a good place to ask questions and contribute to the search for the stone.
sorry for my long windiness.

 

[88]

Hello norcerous, pleasure to meet you.

One of my greatest interest in the entheogenic world is the legends of the old brews. Be it Soma, kykeon or sutungs mead of inspiration. I belive that people in northern Europe had acksess to plants or fungi that enabled them to enter in to the spirit world.

I share this interest, and live in cold Northern climes as well - a little Island to your left, one which your ancestors were fond of sacking and looting :shock:

Apart from the trail of destruction, I think they also gave the British the concept of Elves, and the elven world. Perhaps they also shared the means to visit this place ...

I've been wondering for a while now what plants the druids might have used to enter hyperspace? What was the equivalent of ambrosia, soma, ayahuasca on these shores?

and this seemed like a good place to ask questions and contribute to the search for the stone.

Great to have you here. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this most interesting quest, friend.

 

[ragabr]

Hi norcereus, glad you've joined the conversation! Welcome and be well.

 

[lyserge]

Greetings norcereus, glad to see you on board, another like-minded soul. I'm also very interested in the ancients of all areas of the Earth and the knowledge they acquired through the plant medicines and other techniques. I think our ancestors live in both in us and in the land, and I would like to learn to bring their wisdom into the world to help avoid catastrophe.

and this seemed like a good place to ask questions and contribute to the search for the stone.
sorry for my long windiness.

*nods in agreement*.

 

[Xt]

That was an interesting introduction. I too am interested in traditional northern European entheogens. But for the sake of self exploration, i could understand how people would simply choose the most effective sacrament available. Perhaps this is why a few modern westerners are using freebase dmt... it simply gets the job done.

Although i shy away from pre established belief structures such as paganism of shamanism, i think that clearly cultures of days past can hold wisdom worth its weight spiritual gold. Aya for example... old yet very effective technology, just happens to be tied into the use of shamanism.
Im not a shaman, not to i sign up for any of the specific beliefs. But i cannot argue against the power and effectiveness of both the brew and the other techniques employed by Shamanic followers.

I think we live in a difficult time. Most of society would not understand this searching or exploring. Even healing, using botanics/entheogens etc. There is simply no acknowledged place for it in the mainstream. Cultures of tradition could feel the western interest may be a threat to the traditions (people flying over to peru to pay for aya ceremonys) but in our own cultures... we have no real place for it.

So we have to carve a giant so to speak. We have to make own place in time and society. Using methods of old (brews) and methods of new (extractions) we will use our modern knowledge of matter, and traditional faith in the divine to access what we seek.

Let the obvious benefits of our practices stand up for what they are. Health, love, light, creativity, open mindedness, critical thinking, improvement of both the self and community, intelligence, awareness, exploration. etc etc etc.

Sorry if this turned into a blabble. Your post got me thinking, and this is the result. Kinda keyboard verbal outlet. Anyway, welcome to the Hub.
Im sure you can already see its a special place. Not just a forum, a community of people who are very special indeed.
The good work is being done.

Peace.

 

[jamie]

Welcome to the nexus..

This is something I have looked at alot, trying to find some link to my past..

I am a person of Norse ancestry living in Canada..I studied as much of Norse mythology as I could trygin to figure this stuff out..

I think that part of the answer lies in the pre-viking, animistic era..the best remenant of that that carried over to the vikings was most likely seidr(which seems to have been taught by the saami)..I am not really a big fan of the whole pantheon of gods thing..I am def not an odenist..I think that the reality of Norse shamanism comes from a time long before the developement of polytheism in the area..

I cant remember where, but I think it was in Denmark where there was a grave discovered of the norse counterpart of the "shaman", where they were burried with cannabis seeds..henbane was most likely used by many germanic peoples and this is were we get "pilsner" beer..amanita..mugwort..some argue psilocybe mushrooms..though that one is more conroversial..

 

[Ginkgo]

Welcome to the Nexus, fellow norwegian! I hope you will have a great time here. Cannabis, henbane and mandrake was extensively used among the vikings. Some also think Amanita was, although that has never been proved.

 

[norcereus]

Thanks for the great reply's, I agree to most said. We use the tried and tested methods because they work, and to go nibbling on plants we do not know the effect of, is an impossible task and can be dangerous. But there are things out there that is shown to have effect like the gruit herbs, and the amanita mushroom. The thing with the gruit herbs is they are stronger as a mix than each on its own. And there must be some way to use the amanita more effectively, perhaps as an ingredient in a special mead.

I know the Vikings did great harm on the British isles, but that was later in the history. New research seem to say that Vikings lived in relatively peaceful co existents with the different tribes for a long time. Before the wars that lead to massacres both on Viking settlements and later monastery and so on. Who started the whole thing we will newer know for sure.

When the pre Vikings came to the Scandinavian eras, Scandinavia was already populated by a farming culture and the hunter/gatherer culture of the Finns(sami). and that is a period we know next to nothing about, but here the most interesting secrets may be hidden. We find many settlements from that time, many artifacts but little is know of their cultures. But if you read the stories of the Norse gods you may start to se that they are not really gods but ancestors. The esir is the Arian's or Vikings(the gods of war and power), the vanir is the farming culture (and the fertility gods) and the jotuns or trolls may be a third culture called kvener(se the Norwegian movie "Veiviseren (Pathfinder) a mixed culture originating in Russia(hated by both sami and Vikings) the dwarves must be the sami people, small nomads but formidable opponents to the Vikings despite being more primitive in some sense. They all had their own sacraments, amanita mushrooms was a valuable commodity often brought in from Russia with iron trade and probably used both by Vikings and all the others. But other things were most certainly used the mead and beers of the Vikings was spiced with many herbs known to increase the potency of the brews. But there seems to be some secrets well kept and hidden from everyone but the most learned of shamans/priest/poets.

The cannabis seeds was found in the oseberg ship grave, in a leather pouch belong with a woman, thought to be a healer or priestess. She was most certainly an important person to be beried in this fashion.

As for who brought the knowledge of the sacred brews to whom I do not know, the pickts of the British isles seemed to have many secrets worth digging deeper in to, and they may well be the origin of many of this things. all of this cultures had valuable secrets and knowledge of the plants or uses of plants. and remember some of them were remnants of the cultures living in this areas before the is started to resede.