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Folkish Odinism Dorset

Merseburger Charms


The Merseburger charms are two incantations in old High German written down in the 10th century.

Incantation 1

The first spell is an incantation to free captured warriors from their fetters. In the spell it is written how the Idisi remove the chains of the prisoners.

"Eiris sazun idisi

sazun hera duoder

suma hapt heptidun

suma heri lezidun

suma clubodun

umbi cuoniouuidi

insprinc haptbandun

inuar uigandun"


"Once sat women,

They sat here, then there.

Some fastened bonds,

Some impeded an army,

Some unraveled fetters:

Escape the bonds,

flee the enemy"


Incantation 2

The second spell is an incantation to heal a horse. It almost reads like a poem, describing how Wodan heals a horse of Phol. This Phol character might be another name for Baldr but this is not entirely sure.

"Phol ende uuodan

uuorun zi holza

du uuart demo balderes uolon

sin uuoz birenkict

thu biguol en sinhtgunt

sunna era suister

thu biguol en friia

uolla era suister

thu biguol en uuodan,

so he uuola conda

sose benrenki

sose bluotrenki

sose lidirenki

ben zi bena

bluot zi bluoda

lid zi geliden

sose gelimida sin"


"Phol and Wodan were riding to the woods

and the foot of Balder's foal was sprained

So Sinthgunt, Sunna's sister, conjured it

and Frija, Volla's sister, conjured it

and Wodan conjured it, as well he could

Like bone-sprain, so blood-sprain

so joint-sprain

Bone to bone, blood to blood

joints to joints, so may they be glued"


This incantation is much older than just the Germanic culture. It might be proto-indo European (Aryan) in origin.




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