Frau Holle (Holda, Hulda) (Ruler of the Underworld, provides health to the flocks and fertility to women.)
She is seen as a compassionate goddess who also demands order in the home.
Her appearance promises health to the flocks and fertility to women.
She guides the cycle of life, death, and rebirth in all areas of existence. She oversees that cycle in humans as well as in the earth.
In Germany, Frau Holle is seen as the leader of the Female Wild Hunt or co-leader of the Hunt with Wodan.
· Her portion of the Wild Hunt sow’s abundance along its way. She returns from the Wild Hunt on April 30, which is the German holiday Walpurgisnacht (Wonnenacht, “night of joy”, in the Urglaawe tradition).
· In the German Heathen tradition there is no Loki, so by default, there is no Fenrir, Jormungand, or Hel. It is the goddess Frau Holle that runs the underworld.
o She takes in the souls of the dead and runs them through her mill where the souls are broken down into their eight, individual parts.
o Once the individual soul parts are broken down, they are recombined with different soul parts to create a new person ready to be born into a new Lik. (Physical body.)
Holle oversees the light half of the year in the Hatzholz from Walpurgisnacht (Wonnenacht) to Allelieweziel.
Part of what Holle requires is that the home be kept clean, this is seen in her requirement that spring cleaning be completed prior to her arrival back from the Hunt on Wonnenacht; she will inspect homes for tidiness so if one cannot complete the cleaning, it is customary to leave an offering.
· It was understood that a dirty and cluttered home led to infestations of insects and rodents.
· It also allowed disease to spread easily from one family member to the next.
· Fire was a big problem because of lightning strikes and fireplaces, if you could not walk around the house without falling over stuff you might trip and fall resulting in the possibility of burning to death in a home fire.
Holle is associated with,
· The colors blue and white.
· The animals; geese, bees, hounds, and ladybugs
· Plants – Elder, Linden, and Mugwort
· Wells and liminal (the areas in between water and land) areas where water is present.
Other interesting facts about the goddess Holle:
· She is still known in Braucherei, a traditional healing practice of the Germans, and is asked to help when the healing work involves a lost spirit/soul.
· Her sacred tool is the sickle.
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