Idises – Magic

Since time immemorial, special forces have prevailed at this time of year. The sky darkens, the days become shorter, and it is the time of reckoning, of taking stock and of purification.

What was good in the past year? What has become superfluous? Which contracts and agreements were kept and which can now be dissolved? It is the time of liberation from old burdens, outdated beliefs, and obsolete qualities.

The tale that around the turn of the year the old gods hunt across the sky to take away the souls of the deceased and everything that is no longer needed has endured to this day.

Odin and his wild army clean up during this time, and we can use these forces specifically to consciously free ourselves from old fetters and self-imposed limitations.

There is a song that has survived into our present time, and it unfolds a special power: The “Song of the Idises”. It dates from the 9th/10th century and is the first stanza of the „Merseburg Spells“. This is the first stanza:

 Eiris sâzun idisi, sâzun hêra duoder.

suma haft heftidun, suma heri lêzidun,

suma clûbodun umbi cuniowidi:

insprinc haftbandun, infar wîgandun.

Once upon a time women sat down,

sat here and there.

Some fastened bonds, some impeded an army,

Some unraveled fetters:

Escape the bonds, flee the enemy.

(Translated from Old High German.)

Who are the Idises? This has never been fully clarified; but it can be assumed that they are related to the Valkyries. In this song they are sung about as magical beings who help to loosen old bonds and put enemies to flight. They are invoked as allies when one cannot make it alone and needs support to escape external and internal pressures.

You can imagine them as wild women who may even have wings, ride horses and wield swords or other weapons. But they could just as easily appear as fully human women who are powerful healers, who carry the water of life in chalices, who can open and heal throbbing wounds and bring hope to stuck situations. Sometimes they carry shields, and sometimes they wear a protective cloak that brings long-lost warmth. It is also the power that lives in all of us – whether man, woman or diverse.

The multiform Idises certainly have one thing in common: they stand up for truth and justice. There are many truths, but only one is completely pure and untainted: the truth of the heart. In the conviction that these powerful beings stand for this truth, we have come up with the following:

Let us invoke the truth of the heart together, wherever we are in the world, taking the “Song of the Idises” with us for support. There will deliberately be no online event, as we would like you to go out into nature and sing in the open air. Let us connect through our hearts knowing that others are doing the same at the same time.

Let us sing together for a strong heart within us and in the world that lives the truth. Let us together shake off and loosen the shackles and chains that we have partly put on ourselves! May the Idises within us awaken to life and may this liberation serve the good of all beings.

Feel free to share this information with whom ever you feel it speaks to.

Wer wir sind, und wie es zu dieser Idee kam:

Vor einigen Jahren sind wir uns zum ersten Mal auf dem mittelalterlichen Lübecker Weihnachtsmarkt begegnet. Tara und Gunther spielten dort mit ihrer Band „Satolstelamanderfanz“, und Amely war im Publikum. Es war ein eisiger Dezemberabend, leichte Schneeflocken rieselten und kleine Feuerkörbe spendeten Wärme. Und dann erklang das Idisenlied, dessen Wirkung und Bedeutung Tara so wundervoll anmoderiert hatte. Dieses Lied entfaltete seine ganze Magie und bildete den Auftakt zu einer Tradition. Jahr um Jahr suchte Amely den Weihnachtsmarkt auf, um „Satolstelamanderfanz“ zu sehen und in einer Pause Tara aufzusuchen und sie zu bitten, wieder das Idisenlied zu spielen. Zwei Jahre in Folge war diese Tradition nun unterbrochen, und so nahm Amely Kontakt zu Tara auf, und gemeinsam heckten sie den Plan aus, das Idisenlied in diesem Jahr wieder unter die Menschen zu bringen. Tara und Gunther setzten sich zusammen, und schufen diese herzerwärmende und kraftvolle Version des Idisenliedes. Ausserdem durfte hier Yuri Leitch nicht fehlen, der diese Seite mit seiner Kunst noch einmal mehr anhebt. Doch Yuri ist weit mehr als ein Künstler. Hinter seinen Werken liegt immer eine Quelle alter Weisheit und tiefen Wissens um Mythologie und so vieles mehr. Und nun wirst Du ebenfalls Teil dieser Geschichte.

„Who we are and how this idea came about:

We met for the first time a few years ago at the medieval Christmas market in Lübeck. Tara and Gunther were playing there with their band „Satolstelamanderfanz“, and Amely was in the audience. It was an icy December evening, light snowflakes were trickling and small fire baskets provided warmth. And then the „Song of Idises“, whose effect and meaning Tara had so wonderfully introduced, sounded. This song unfolded all its magic and formed the prelude to a tradition. Year after year, Amely would visit the Christmas market to see „Satolstelamanderfanz“ and, during a break, seek out Tara and ask her to play the „Song of Idises“ again. Two years in a row this tradition had now been interrupted, so Amely got in touch with Tara and together they hatched the plan to bring the „Song of Idises“ back to the people this year. Tara and Gunther elaborated this heartwarming and powerfull version of the Idises song. Furthermore, Yuri Leitch could not be missing here, who lifts this page even more with his art. But Yuri is much more than an artist. Behind his works there is always a source of ancient wisdom and deep knowledge about mythology and so much more. And now you, dear reader, will become part of this story.