Funeral Prayer for a Child
Hail to the earth that receives my child's body,
And may you be a cradle to rock them to sleep.
O Ancestral Mothers and Fathers, you stood where I stand
And saw your children, cold and still of breath,
Be taken from you by the chill winds of death,
Be gathered in by Hela's implacable hand.
O Hlin, Lady of Mourning, hold my heart,
Hold me upright till dawn’s breaking,
Honor my tears, give me hope in the darkness,
Bring me through this shadow in time.
O mourning mother goddesses, you who lost your children,
I share your cup of tears, gather me in your arms
And let us weep together until the earth is watered
Like rain, and flowers grow on tiny graves.
O mourning father gods, you who saw your children
Go down into the darkness, bear me up,
And do not let this sorrow destroy me,
But rather let it hone me like the whetstone on the blade.
I stand where you stood, I drink your pain,
And carry it for you, just the smallest part,
As you carry mine for me. Sing my child’s soul
On the way to where I cannot yet follow,
Care for my child and keep them for me,
See it safe to the welcoming arms that beckon,
And into deep peace where all pain has ceased.
Hail to the light in the darkness that receives my child’s life,
And may you be a warm embrace of love.
Hail to the earth that receives my child’s body,
And may you be a cradle to rock them to sleep.