The Autumn King
This important new work is a wide-ranging study of the relationship between two men: Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok and the völva Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, leader of the Viking Great Heathen Army; and King Edmund of East Anglia, last of the Wuffinga royal dynasty.
The book explores many topics, including: the Norse magical art of seiðr and its deviant male practitioners; the fertility god Yngvi-freyr and the timing of his blót, or seasonal sacrifice; heathenism in the Danelaw; Edmund’s early cult and ideas of northern so-called ‘sacral kingship.’
Full of revelations, the book provides answers to many key questions including: what was the nature of Ivar’s deformity? Why was Ivar known as ‘Hinguar’ amongst the English? Why did Ivar slaughter Edmund in the manner of a ritual blood-sacrifice? And why was Edmund subsequently venerated by Viking settlers?
The findings also affect our magickal understanding of St Edmund, a figure widely venerated in East Anglian witchcraft. Far from being a passive victim, Edmund is revealed as a powerful embodiment of the king-as-vivifier: a consort of the land, a provider of fertility in life and a supernatural guardian in death.
An interview with the author can be found here. See more book images here and here.
Initial orders will receive a free supplementary 24-page booklet ‘Seiðrblót’ with additional important insights into seiðr and seiðrmaðr or ‘seiðr-men’. A workable seiðrmaðr ritual is also included.
This first edition is available in very limited quantities. Each copy is individually hand-numbered.
£13.99
