Goddess Of The Day: GUNNLOED
Wassail Day (England)
Themes: Creativity; Wisdom; Health; Protection; Fertility
Symbols: Mead; Poetry; Cauldron or Cup; Apples
About Gunnloed: This Teutonic Goddess guards the mead (a honey wine often made with apples) of sagacity and the muse- a refreshment most welcome at the outset of a new year. In art, Gunnloed is depicted as a giantess; according to stories about her, she stood vigilantly by the magic cauldron of Odherie until Odin wooed her and stole much of the elixir away.
To Do Today: For inspiration and insight, pick out a cup that’s special to you and fill it with apple tea and a teaspoon of honey (a mock mead). Stir it clockwise, saying,
Gunnloed, come to me, put ingenuity in this tea! Drink the tea to internalize the magic. If possible, sip it quietly while enjoying a good book of heartening poetry.
Alternatively, sip some mead, quaff some apple juice, or eat an apple today for health, and give a little of the leftover liquid to nearby trees. In Anglo-Saxon tradition, this festival marked a time to enjoy wassail, a spiced apple cider or mead with herbs. Farmers shared this beverage with the apple groves to keep them fertile. Wassail literally means “be well” or “be whole.” Drink of the wassail cup to ensure yourself of Gunnloed’s gifts of well-being, creativity, and happiness all year .
By Patricia Telesco
Witches Of The Craft® 