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Midsummer - Blog Posts
Oberon & Titania by Arthur Rackham
Happy midsummer! Have some small sketches to celebrate, faces sure are difficult to draw
Midsummer
I feel laden with unsaid dreams
spilling over my hair, my feet
walking through a daylit night
full of sparkling stars and troubled sleep
Midsommar: Horror redefined
NO. 1
So, technically Midsommar is a horror movie, written and directed by the great Ari Aster, debuted in 2019 and got raving reviews, and the film centers around Dani, played by Florence Pugh, who goes through an incredible, traumatic journey that ends in an equally incredible and yet extremely disturbing note. So, why are we talking about this film instead of the ‘myths’ or folklore stories? Well, because this is a film that isn’t like generic horror; it doesn’t include supernatural, it doesn’t have goblins, demons, fairies, but humans. Humans, in this film, is the scariest monster. In this instance, the Harga cult, who shows Dani love and acceptance she was denied the whole movie.
NO.2
Spoilers, for anyone who hasn’t seen Midsommar: So, what makes this movie horrifying? By how bright everything is. In the beginning, of course, it’s dark. Dani has lost her whole family, unfortunately, to a murder-suicide. She is stuck in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend, Christian, who longs to break up with her but is too cowardly to do so. The horror aspects happen when they and their friends go on a, funnily enough, anthropological research trip to Sweden, at the height of the Midsommar festival where they meet the Harga community, (cult). Many of what the Harga community does, like watching the elder’s die by suicide over a mountain, a tactic of eugenics, the disappearances of Christian’s friends, which he later finds out were gruesomely murdered, and then was tricked, and subsequently, raped, while Dany is having panic attack after panic attack was all planned. The use of light, for instance, is used oppressively for all of the visitors, and the isolation of language and traditions is used to ‘differ’ everyone. The cult is mostly open to Dani, for they chose her to join. A cult seeks to have more members, to grow within their own traditions, and not to question anything that occurs, no matter how horrific.
NO. 3
Now, Midsommar is a horror movie, and quite different from the actual Midsommar festival! So, what is the Midsommar festival? It is a holiday to celebrate the arrival of summer because Sweden, where the holiday is commensurate, is known for its long winters. It predates Christianity and is primarily held close to the summer festival. ‘‘The maypole or Midsummer pole is decorated with greenery and flowers. As it turns out, the maypole is a comparatively new part of Swedish Midsummer tradition. It came to Sweden in the late Middle Ages from Germany, where the pole was decorated with leaves and raised on May 1 (hence the name). Since spring comes later to Sweden it was hard to find the greenery to decorate the pole on May 1, so the tradition was moved to Midsummer. Some sources also attribute the perpetuation of the term majstång, or maypole, to the archaic Swedish word Maja, meaning ‘to decorate with green leaves.’ The traditional dance around the pole has changed around the centuries though, and it involves all sorts of folk dancing in traditional costumes, as well as all games for all ages to join in.’’
In conclusion, Midsommar is a movie that explains that not all bad things can be done in the dark. In fact, most evil and horrific acts are especially done in the light. One of the main themes of this movie is loss, and how grief affects people. Unfortunately for Dani, she is driven insane by the cult’s doings and has been accepted into the Harga cult unknowingly.
All about Lord Freyr
I thought about making a post dedicated to Lord Freyr since the summer solstice is coming so I figure why not. Norse paganism we would celebrate Midsummer with maypoles and flowers and games and parties.
Attributes
Peace
Fertility (especially with men)
Agriculture/Nature
Sunlight
Rain
Prosperity
Harvest
Good weather
Symbols
Summer sword (his sword)
Antlers
Boar
A ship
Sunlight through clouds
Flowers or vegetation
Horses
Offerings
Mead but any alcohol can work like wine
Flowers, flower crowns, flower wreaths
Trees or any kind of vegetation
Vegetables
Horse items (doesn’t have to be real)
Pork
Sun imagery
He is often associated with LGBTQ+ so maybe donating to LGBTQ+ organizations or maybe give rainbows to him as well. It’s modern but quite a few people have associated him with homosexuality especially with gay men. But to clarify Freyr isn’t homosexual he has a female spouse
Greenman imagery or Horned God
Different Names: Freyr, Frey both means “Lord” and Frö, Ing, Ingvi, Yngvi, or Ing Freá it’s said to be an earlier name of Freyr. King of Alfaheim and Prince of Elves or King of Elves.
Runes:
Ing
Fehu
Jera
Tarot:
The Sun
Fool
Wheel of Fortune
Ten of Cups
General Information
Freyr is an interesting god and quite popular in Norse paganism, he is part of the Vanir tribe of gods, twin brother of Freyja, his father is Njord. His wife is called Gerðr or Gerthr and marries her due to quite unfortunate circumstances when he falls in love with her he asks his servant Skírnir to convince Gerðr to marry Freyr, Freyr offers his sword to Skírnir which makes Freyr fight with just a pair of antlers of a stag. Upon being threatened into marrying Freyr by Skírnir Greðr does end up falling in love with Freyr and they have one son named Fjollnir. He rules Alfheimr the realm of the elves as the Lord of the Elves, the Elves are said to bless crops and fields as well. Freyr is considered to be the noblest of Gods rules over rain and sunshine, oversees the prosperity of mankind, and brings good harvests and peace.
Now here’s an interesting thing about Freyr he was worshipped in Sweden in Uppsala where a temple was dedicated to him along with Thor and Odin. But it’s said the dynasty of Swedish royalty started when Freyr being the king of Sweden called the Yngling Kings as Freyr their ancestor. Freyr has a ship that can be folded and put it into his pocket it’s called Skíðblaðnir and his boar named Gullinborsti like how Freya is associated with swine as well as a symbol of fertility kinda how the Greeks saw bulls being associated with male fertility. Horses were considered to link to Freyr maybe as a sign of fertility but Horses are extremely important in agriculture like plowing the fields and transportation, there has been horse sacrifices to Freyr. If you saw the movie “The Northman” it really focuses on Freyr and his role in old Norse society and connections to fertility. One of the rituals being documented was having an wooden idol of Freyr on a chariot along with his priestesses blessing crops for good harvest.
He can be compared to such as Dionysus in some aspects of being an agricultural and nature god and links to male fertility.
Happy midsommar/midsummer to everyone :D!!!