Forseti Ritual, In Two Parts
Forseti is the god of justice and
public judgment. He carries an axe, and may be associated with the hawk. This
two-part rite is for a situation where an individual in authority has been
chosen lawfully by a community, or is rightfully allowed due to their position
in that community, to sit in public judgment over another individual within
that community whose actions have caused the need for such a judgment by the community’s publicly stated laws.
There are a few points to make note of in the last statement. The first is “community”. Forseti is a god of the declared community, not of gossip and personal problems amongst a group of friends. Is this an actual formal community of people who have already declared themselves in this way – a kindred, a grove, a guild, a tribe, a church, a legal organization? Does the community have a name? It should, because that name will be used in the ritual. A loose gang of people who all know each other is not the same as a formal community.
The second point is that the individual who performs this ritual must have been publicly chosen to do this work by the entire community. Self-appointed judges are not within Forseti’s scope. If the community has not formally recognized them – which means that the community has to have a system of approving such a role – then you should be calling on another deity, perhaps Frey in his role as God of Frith. Does the role have a title? It should, because that title will be spoken in the ritual.
Third, the individual who is being judged against must also be a member in good standing in the community, and wish to remain that way. (If the judgment is between two people, both should be looking for a way to coexist in the same community peacefully.) Forseti is specifically a God of intracommunity disputes, between members of the same group. In ancient times, when there was conflict between members of two different groups with no higher overarching authority, it was usually solved through a duel – and in that case, Tyr was called upon. If the individual to be judged has already left the group, there is no point. Similarly, Forseti will not come for someone making random judgments at outsiders that they dislike.
This rite has a private part and a public part. Both are important and neither should be omitted. The private part is so that the judge can commune privately with the force of the God of Justice, and have a place to speak out their doubts, or their hopes. The public part shows the witnesses that the judge is also subject to a higher power, and acknowledges this, and asks plainly for the help of the Gods. It’s important that the spiritual “chain of command”, as it were, be visible to the people. It helps reinforce that the judge is not merely acting from their own opinions and ego.
Part I:
The judge sets up an altar with a purple cloth, a purple candle in a jar, a hawk feather or the figure of a hawk, and an axe. They kneel or sit before the altar and say: “Hail Forseti, Giver of Law, Speaker for Right Action, fair in judgment in all ways. I come before you to ask for your wisdom as I face this task.”
The judge picks up the hawk feather or hawk figurine and touches it to their forehead, and says, “Grant me eyes of keenness that see all points of view, and miss nothing.”
Then the judge picks up the axe and places it gently against their forehead. (We are assuming that people are adults here and can do such a thing without hurting themselves. In the event that the axe slips and injures in some way, one should assume that it is a grave omen from Forseti about the fitness of the judge, and they should make arrangements to step down immediately.) The judge says, “May my mind be as sharp as this blade, and guide my hand to judgment that cuts cleanly in every direction.”
Then the candle is lit, and the judge says, “Son of Baldur the God of Light, bring light into the place of judgment, and may the shadows of confusion be dispelled.”
Part II:
The axe and the hawk feather or figurine should be wrapped in the purple cloth and borne to the place of judgment. Ideally, the candle should be taken to the place of judgment still lit, carried by the judge. This is why it is good to have it in a jar. If there is driving involved, the judge should be driven by someone else, while still carefully holding the lit candle. If it goes out accidentally, it can be relit, but continual failure to stay lit may be an omen.
At the place of judgment, the purple cloth can be unrolled and the candle placed on it. The judge should take the axe and walk around the edges of the space, saying, “I hallow this place in Forseti’s name; in the name of Justice, and in the name of Right Doing.” The axe is placed back on the cloth, with a repeat of “Hail Forseti, Giver of Law, Speaker for Right Action, fair in judgment in all ways. I come before you to ask for your wisdom as I face this task.”
The judge then turns to face the people, and says, “I am not a God. My judgment is not as the Gods’. But anyone may call on the Gods for aid, and so I do call upon the Son of Light, the Lord of Justice, the sharp blade of discernment, for aid in my judgment. Forseti, guide me; help me to find what is best for my community in the long term, and help me to follow that road. Hail Forseti!”
All answer, “Hail Forseti!” and the judgment begins.
Artwork by Hluthvik.
Photo by Sven Rosborn.