One area of of contention in pre-Christian Norse thought is the meaning of Wyrd. Wyrd is an important topic, for Wyrd is at the center of forming one's understanding of the Norse world cosmology of that time frame. The following ideas are an exploration of Wyrd from a certain point of view.
A good beginning point for investigating the nature of Wyrd is beginning with the etymology of the term itself. According to the scholar Paul Bauschatz, from the book the Well and the Tree, Wyrd originated from Old English as the Old Norse term Urth. Urth translates from Old Norse as the meaning "to become"(1). Urth appears in the Voluspa in reference both to the Well of Urth and the Norn named Urth(2). As the meaning in both cases refers to the power of generation or creation, the power of evolutionary force, then the Well of Urth, also known as the Well of Wyrd, refers to the Well of creation or evolving force. By the same token, the Norn Urth is the Norn of that which has been created. From this perspective, Wyrd is the principle of cause-and-effect, presented on a universal scale within a Norse cultural context.
A perspective on Wyrd and time is presented in Paul Bauschatz's book , the Well and the Tree. page 13: "A close examination of Voluspa, Havamal, and Grimnismal reveals on occurences of skulu primarily expressing ' future ' time, although some occurences, by our conceptions imply this. All occurences, however, express constraint, obligation, necessary continual action, and so forth. Such obligations imply a continuous 'present', which logically extends into the 'future' in some cases, but skulu does not directly denote such temporal conditions." Thus, the assumption that the Norns dictate a predetermined future is called into question by Bauschatz. Bauschatz instead refers to Wyrd as the process of that which has been and is becoming in the universe as we know it. Wyrd is setting the stage for future events, but not determining future outcomes in advance on a universal scale.
Another concept to be considered in relation to Wyrd is that of Orlog. Orlog moves the concept of Wyrd from a universal level to a personal level. The term "orlog legja" translates from old Norse as "to set or mark fate". Log means strata, or "that which has been laid down". This strata is the accumulation of all past circumstances , conditions, and actions. One does not escape from that which is and that which has already occured. All which has been accumulated serves as a formed frame of legja, translated into modern English as "'to lay, place or to do". The term orlog legja denotes a sense of active assertion in determining outcomes. Also of etymological note, the term orlog segja means "to say or speak the or-strata, the or-things laid down, the or-law"(3).
What does Orlog mean, then, from a personal perspective? Orlog denotes the assertion of personal action, based upon the matrix of previous events, circumstances, limits, and choices. A crystallization of all of these factors and experiences has set up potentialities, which an individual experiences, reacts to, and acts upon. One is not free to do anything one imagines, but at the same time is not locked into a straight-line form of predestination per se. To meet one's Orlog is to take definite action in the face of possibilities of the world as it exists at the present moment in time. One's scored or collected Orlog would include all collected biological traits, developed skills, mental characteristics, personal experiences and circumstances, in effect anything that can serve as either an asset for choice or a limiter of action. By making choices, taking actions, and living within the world of possibilities, one builds an additional layer on one's Orlog as time passes. New circumstances are built from old circumstances. The layers of Orlog, starting from one where one is now, can be cyclically strengthened to refine and improve one's experience of life here in Midgard.
Limits exist, however. One born with a genetic illness cannot just wish it away. One born in poverty is not going to gain wealth without great effort. Bad social circumstances and disadvantages will not just be wished away. Such circumstances require working with the possible, to build to better conditions. and some conditions cannot be changed. The world we live in offers resistance to change, so improving one's Orlog is not necessarily easy or automatic, although often possible. If one is pulled along with the sway of events, whether by choice or an inability to overcome the world's resistance,one's Orlog can be a worse experience instead of a better one. Consistent effort and understanding of the the way life and Midgard work are necessary to improve the state of one's Orlog.
In conclusion, the meaning of Wyrd in the Norse cosmology has great importance to the formation of one's worldview within that cosmological frame. Often, how one views Wyrd depends heavily on how one views one's relationship to the universe at large. Some individuals will take an active "I can do what I wish" attitude, while others will have a more passive view in which one feels that Wyrd is predetermined. The truth is somewhere inbetween. It is important to see the difference between the world and one's worldview; the line between shows us to what degree of subjectivity we assign meaning regarding the way we relate to the universe. And in seeing this distinction, one knows what one has to work with to the best of personal benefit.
So, what is YOUR Wyrd?
References:
The Well and the Tree, by Paul Bauschatz. C. 1982, University of Massachusetts Press
The Voluspa of The Poetic Edda, Lee M. Hollander edition, C. 1962, University of Texas Press, Austin.
By Badger
March 18, 2001