Spinning is steeped in mystery and romance. From Fairy Tales and Fables to beautiful Goddesses who spin the thread of human life and weave the future of mankind. It is actually from the legends of these Goddesses that the Fairy Tales seem to owe their beginnings.
Frigg is the Goddess of Love and Marriage. She is known as The Mother of All, The Goddess of All, and The Protector of Children, depending on which version of her story you follow, but all depicting a beloved Goddess.
The Pagan Norse: The name Norse referred to the people and language of the ancient Scandinavian, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Germanic and Icelandics. As a Norse Deity, Frigg belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief system. This tradition was started in a period from around 1000 B.C. and continued until the Christianization of the area around 1200 A.D. These Gods were not indestructible and were said to be mortal Gods, just to clarify.
Frigg was married to Odin who was the God of all Gods and Men. He is known as the God of Magic, Wisdom, Wit and Learning.
Frigg spent much of her time in her private Palace, Fensalir, surrounded by fog and nature. There she would spin on her jewel encrusted spinning wheel and spin beautiful, colorful clouds. The Constellation, Orion’s Belt is said to have been named after her because it represented her spinning wheel. Translated into Norse it is called Frigga’s Roc. Frigga for one of the variations of her name and Roc (Norse) meaning distaff which translates into spinning wheel and not to be confused with what we know today in America as a distaff.
Frigga Spinning the Clouds, Published in 1909, John C. Dollman. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Frigg and Odin had but one child together named Baldur. He was the God of Light and ruled the Sun. He was born after a long labor on the longest night of the year which marked the New Year and the end of Winter Solstice.
He was eventually killed by a dart of mistletoe which punctured his heart. One version said when the God responsible for Baldur’s death was killed, it ended the world. This could perhaps represent when the Pagans were converted over to Christianity officially.
Since many Pagans were reluctant to convert to Christianity, many of their traditions were adapted into Christian ceremonies, perhaps as a way of getting the Pagans to celebrate Christian Holidays.
Christmas became officially celebrated on December 25th, a decision made by Pope Julius I in the fourth century A.D. Until then, Christmas was celebrated at different times of the year. This marries the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice with the Christian Birth of Christ Celebration. Mistletoe becomes a representative of Christmas Celebrations and the New Year also becomes a significant Christian Holiday to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. In a round about way, when we celebrate New Year, we are welcoming the birth or rebirth of Baldur. If we are Pagans, that is. The use of firelight or candle light marked the birth or rebirth of the God of Light.
Somewhere along the lines, but in A.D. times, a celebration was created to mark the day the women picked up their spindles again after the 12 days of Christmas Celebrations were over. It is not clear exactly when these celebrations of Roc Day began, but even today the tradition continues. Some Pagan writings say that Roc Day can be celebrated any time from January through May. Today, some count 12 days from the 25th of December and celebrate on January 7th, while others count from New Years Day and celebrate on the 12th. I don’t think there is a specific date, but more or less the first day you go back to spinning for the year.
Renee Russo as Frigga in the Marvel movie Thor
According to legend, Roc Day is a day of both play and work. When the girls went back to their spindles, the boys would set fire to their flax. In return the girls would douse the boys with pails of water. This seems to be a significant part of the celebration and perhaps lighting fire to the flax honors the Goddess Frigg’s son Baldur, the God of light who was once honored through candle and firelight. The pails of water could represent Frigg’s tears at the loss of her son.
Somewhere along the line, Roc Day began to be called St. Distaff’s Day. Although there is no actual St. Distaff, it makes it a more folky celebration and perhaps more acceptable to some.
In today’s community of spinners, celebrations take place on different days and in different ways. Some hold fiber and yarn exchanges within their guild, while others get together and hold a spin-in. While others still, prefer a private ceremony offering up their spindles, some wonderful fiber and lighting a candle and perhaps offering a glass of wine to the Goddess in sacrifice.
Although the rituals may have changed over the centuries, and reasons behind traditional ceremonies may have been altered to suit this ever changing world, the roots are still the same. So no matter why or how you celebrate Roc Day, remember, there once was a Goddess named Frigg, who spun colorful clouds and watched over all women and children. Even if only for fun, I recommend you pay homage to Roc Day in what ever manner you see fit.
As I said above, I spent a good deal of time going over this material and over it again, until I have what I believe is a comprehensive understanding. I hope you enjoyed this post and please, tell me, what do you do to celebrate Roc Day?
Until next time,
All my Best.
~Vickie
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