This ritual honors Angrboda, the first wife of Loki and the mother of Hela, Fenris, and Jormundgand. It can be performed whenever there is a hard task ahead of you, especially one that you fear, or that is risky, or that you know will be exceptionally painful, but must be accomplished. The rite will strengthen your will and resolve, and help you to do what must be done. You will need to be outside in a wild place; the Lady of the Iron Wood is not to be summoned in comfortable buildings. If the weather is bad, so much the better, so long as you can get a torch lit.

You will need a torch of some kind and the means to light it and stand it up; a cup of hard liquor (I’ve always given her Jack Daniels); a bowl of raw meat cut into chunk;, a sterile needle and a bit of natural-fiber cloth; and incense of agrimony (her sacred herb) which can be crumbled and burned on charcoal or bound into a stick while green and dried, then burned like a recaning stick. Begin by turning to the south and lighting the torch, and say:

Hail to the Hag of the Iron Wood!

I hail you as the First Lady of Loki Laufeysson,

Sorceress to his Magician,

Wife to his wildness,

Chieftess who took the trickster as your consort

And bore him Gods for children!

You who lay down with fire and feared not,

Give me courage to face what is ahead,

Give me mettle to walk through fire

And make it dance with me,

Instead of devouring me.

Stand the torch in the center of the circle, and then take the cup of liquor and walk to face the west. Hold up the cup and say:

Hail to the Warrior-Chieftess of the Iron Wood!

I hail you as the Mother of the Great Serpent,

The mother who lost her children

And did not weep, but planned and plotted

And gained your revenge, even at great cost!

Mother of Boundaries, Mother of Liminality,

Give me the ability to defend my own space

And not be invaded by those who would thieve away

My self-worth, my peace, and my effectiveness.

You who held your tears until the work was done,

Teach me to do the same!

Pour out the cup of liquor for her, and then take up the bowl of raw meat, go to the north, and say:

Hail to the Wolf-Goddess of the Iron Wood!

I hail you as the Mother of chained Fenris,

The she-wolf who bore the God of Destruction!

Mother of Monsters who loves all her children

No matter how terrible their visages may be,

Who encourages them to be strong and free,

Help me to face the unlovely parts of my soul

Which hold me back and keep me from acting,

And show me how to overcome them

So that I may stand rooted, strong as your oak,

Strong as the wildness within you.

Toss the raw meat to the ground, and leave it for the forest creatures. Light the incense and go to stand in the east, and say:

Hail to the Wisewoman of Jotunheim’s east!

I hail you as the Mother of Hela, Queen of the Dead,

Dark womb who gave life to death

And taught your daughter to care for her legions!

Great Angrboda, giantess and goddess,

You who taught Death Herself, I pray you

Teach me as well, and give me will

As inexorable as the looming grave.

Teach me to endure what must be endured,

To breathe in and act, to breath out and let go,

To make my way through the forest of danger

That lies ahead on my path.

Wave the smoke around yourself and breathe it in, then put it out and scatter the burned agrimony. Go back to the torch in the center, and take the needle and prick your finger, saying:

O Angrboda, Wolf-Mother, take this as my pledge

That I will praise your name

If you will help me walk this road.

Let a drop or two of blood fall on the cloth, and then hold the cloth in the flame of the torch to burn it. Once it is burned, douse the torch and leave without looking back. As soon as possible, without delay, you should face the thing that is so difficult for you. The Hag of the Iron Wood has no patience with weaklings, and helps only those who truly wish to be strong.

Artwork by Daniel Karlsson.