Warding Rite for Gerda
by Raven Kaldera
Gerda, the bride of Frey who is the god of
agriculture, is known as the Lady of the Walled Garden among many Northern
Tradition practitioners. Her very name translates to “guard”, or perhaps “the
guarded one”. When Frey first sees her from afar, she is in the garden of her
father’s home, which is surrounded by a wall of fire. She is a goddess of
introversion and protection, of winnowing out the chaff and weeding out what
must be cut back for other choices to flourish. As Frey is involved in the
production of grain and meat – the staples of agriculture – so Gerda is
involved in the production of roots and herbs, the plants grown in the walled
garden or kitchen area, as well as those gathered wild from the nearby woods.
She rules the boundary between wild and tame, passing back and forth between
the wilderness and the safety of the protected garden, and helps those who must
also make that transition.
This ritual is performed to ward a space and
keep the people who live or work within it safe. Because Gerda works with
herbs, this ritual requires a number of specialized herbs familiar to northern
Europe, and to most herb gardeners anywhere. If you are not a herbalist, your
local health food store can help you to find samples of the dried herbs, and
they can also be mail-ordered. If it is during the growing season, however, the
best thing of all is to put the word out and find someone with a herb garden
who actually grows these plants, and see if you can get freshly picked sprigs.
These are generally well-known plants among herbalists, and there is no reason
that you cannot acquire them with a little work. Substitutions may not be made.
The herbs needed for this ritual are:
Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria),
Nettles (Urtica dioica), Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), Elderflower (Sambucus niger), Yarrow (Achillea
millefolium), Betony (Betonica/Stachys
officinalis), Vervain (Verbena
officinalis), Milk Thistle (Silybum
Marianum), and Angelica (Angelica
archangelica). An action is performed with them in each direction, but its
nature depends on what kind of plant matter is acquired. Dried and crumbled
herbs can be scattered, while freshly cut herbs can be dipped in water and
sprinkled like an asperger. A small amount of each herb should be set aside
beforehand, and brewed into a cup of strong tea that should be at hand during
the rite, as it will be a libation.
The warding verses can be spoken by one person, or by many if this involves a whole household, but it is written as if for one practitioner. First the warder calls on Gerda by saying:
Hail Gerda, Lady of the Walled Garden,
Hallowed in hedgerive and hammerwort,
Sacred in stonecrop and sowthistle,
Gifted and gifting in gladden and dragonwort,
You help us build the still, safe place
In which we can grow tender hopes to blossoming.
Hail, Lady of the forest paths,
Hallowed in hillwort and hindberry,
Sacred in cock's spur grass and sicklewort,
Gifted and gifting in gale and libcorn,
You help us bring those hopes into the world
To test and turn them into manifestation.
Hail, Lady of the quiet endings,
Hallowed in hulwort and whortleberry,
Sacred in ramsons and raven's leek,
Gifted and giving in viper's bugloss and boarfern,
You teach us to cull out what cannot be
While still keeping hope alive in the dark.
Hail, Lady of the hidden treasures,
Hallowed in mallow and meadowwort,
Sacred in sundcorn and stitchwort,
Gifted and giving in groundsel and sedge,
Cleansed in river-mint and lamb's cress,
You bring us deeper than we thought possible
Into the earth on which we depend.
Hail, Gerda, etin-bride of Frey,
Shadow to light, night to day,
All things balanced in your keen dark glance.
The warder then takes up the Agrimony and faces the East, and says:
Cocklebur, Garclive, sword of autumn winds,
Sticklewort, Monkelus, dry up wagging tongues,
Let no assault through words and names
Trouble this place and bring us shame.
From Gerda’s lips shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the East.
The warder then takes up the Nettles (carefully!) and faces the South, and says:
Nessel, Netele, Needle-wight, sharp your
blade,
Soldier of the burning lands, scorching through the shade,
Fire burns like Gymir’s gate, never shall they pass,
Ward the blows of anger, block the blows of danger,
From Gerda’s finger shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the South.
The warder then takes up the Marshmallow and faces the West, and says:
Healer of the marshlands, river of the morn,
Lady of the white root, rose without a thorn,
May the trouble and pain of other souls
Wash by our door and leave us whole.
From Gerda’s kiss shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the West.
The warder then takes up the Elderflowers, and faces the North, and says:
Ellen, Ellhorn, Holantar, holy doorway of the Dead,
Ruis, Svarthyll, Alri, Hyld, old woman of the coldest road,
Let Death not dog the footsteps
Of this home upon the Earth.
From Gerda’s footfalls shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the North.
The warder then takes up the Betony, faces the North-East, and says:
Betonica, Goodhead, Master of the skull’s door,
Demon-driver, banish all the evil that may come.
Let all within these walls sleep well
And no fearsome dreams portend.
From Gerda’s brow shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the North-East.
The warder then takes up the Yarrow, faces the South-East, and says:
Milfoil, Woundwort, Ryllik, keep the blood within the body,
Warrior of the thousand flowers who moves in
purity,
Let no weapon cross the threshold
If it may ever turn against us.
From Gerda’s veins shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the South-East.
The warder then takes up the Milk Thistle, faces the South-West, and says:
Love Thistle, Mother’s Milk, Keeper of the Well of Plenty,
Pig Leaves and Madonna’s Pride, look fondly upon us.
Lady of thorns, keep us like your children,
As the gentlest mother can be roused to protect her young.
From Gerda’s breast shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the South-West.
The warder then takes up the Vervain, faces the North-West, and says:
Eisenkraut, Ironwort, Simpler’s Joy, herb of ancient sorcery,
Pigeon Grass, Enchanter’s Plant, wizard of
the glass,
Draw your cloak over every window
And make invisible the space within.
From Gerda’s eye shall you spring
And guard the doorway of the North-West.
The warder then takes up the Angelica, faces upward to the sky, and says:
Archangel, Hollow-Stalk, keeper of the upward way,
Rainbow path, sunburst seed, warming world,
Lay roof of sky over roof of matter
And may only good come down.
From Gerda’s palm shall you spring
And guard against all that comes unseen.
Then the warder pours out the cup of tea, saying, “Lady, we give you what is yours.” Everyone should then process through the space with fire and water and salt and recaning incense, singing, and the place shall then be both as a temple and a fortress, as safe as the walled garden.