Baking Charms for Frey
by Geordie Ingerson
(Excerpted from the book Ingvi's Blessing: Prayers and Charms for Field and Farm)
For the worshiper of the Vanir gods, and especially for those who love Frey, baking is a sacred act. Ideally, all loaves and rolls that are not specifically made in honour of other gods should have either Frey’s Inguz rune cut into their tops before baking, or else a double Fehu rune — by this I mean a single vertical line with Fehu’s double “cow horns” going both to the right and the left. Braided loaves were originally funeral bread, as in ancient times a woman would cut off her braid of hair to throw into the grave of her fallen husband. Today they can recall the sacrifice of Ingvi who gives himself that all may eat.
The other ingredients used in baking are also sacred. Honey, as has been mentioned frequently before in this book, is a substance sacred to both Freya and Frey, the Golden Twins who bring love. Yeast is a living being, used in both baking and brewing, which gives its many small lives to raise the dough that was once the body of Frey. Milk is given as a gift from a mother animal, and is blessed by Audumhla or Heithrun or Beyla the divine dairymaid. Eggs are symbols of Sunna. Flavouring herbs are the province of Gerda, Frey’s wife, as is sugar from beetroots.
As the dough is
kneaded, this prayer is spoken, aloud or silently:
This is the body of our Lord,
This is the flesh of Sacrifice,
This is the testimony of divine love.
When the loaves are shaped and left to rise, this prayer is said:
Legions of yeast, serve our Lord well,
Be the bearers of his funeral pall,
Lift his body high with your breath,
Prepare him for his transformation.
When the loaves go into the oven and the door is closed, say:
Flame of Love, treat our Lord gently,
Warm him till he is good and golden,
And burn not the gift of the Golden One
In your perfect dancing fire.
Pies that are entirely enclosed in a dough crust are symbolic of Frey and the women in his life. Savoury pies that contain meat and/or vegetables are dedicated to his love for Gerda, his bride. Before baking, this prayer is said:
Golden Lord, wrap thy wife in your embrace.
Sweet dark Gerda, return his warm affection.
Nourish us all within the circle of your arms.
Fruit pies are dedicated to Frey and Freya — his grain and her fruit. The rune Gebo may be cut into the top, and this prayer said over the pie before it is baked:
Golden Twins, give us your sweetness,
Give us the light you capture from the Sun,
And remind us always of Love.