How to Make Norse Prayer Beads
The Norse people had varied and intricate beliefs involving a pantheon of gods. Most of these gods were strong and warlike, mirroring the Norse traditions of war and cultivating a stoic nature. Many neopagans follow these beliefs in the modern world, learning about the ancient traditions and molding them to modern life. One modern change to Norse traditions is the use of prayer beads. The Norse did not use prayer beads but many neopagans enjoy using them. The style and composition of the prayer beads depends mainly on individual choice, though the construction is basically the same.
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Things You'll Need
- Flexible beading wire
- Scissors
- Beads (for series, spacers and main beads)
- Corduroy fabric remnant
- Pendant with ring
- Crimp beads
- Needle-nose jewelry pliers
Instructions
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Choose your beads and a pendant. Young women might want to pick white, red and black beads to honor the Maiden-Mother-Crone trinity, while young men might like black and silver beads to show a warrior culture. Rune beads work well for either sex. Women may like cat or moon pendants to honor Freya, while young men might want a raven or wolf for Odin. Pick spacer beads that complement your main beads; pewter and copper are popular Nordic choices.
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Spread out a piece of corduroy fabric and arrange your beads on it in the order you will string them. Let your instincts guide you; a Maiden-Mother-Crone prayer bead set might have one series each of white, red and black beads or a continuous series alternating white, red and black. Place a spacer bead between each series as you arrange them to see how you like the look and order of the color combinations.
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Choose main beads that lead to your pendant. Many prayer bead sets look like "Y"-shaped necklaces, with several beads leading from the main circle to the pendant. For instance, a Maiden-Mother-Crone set might have three main beads--white, red and black with spacers between them--leading to the pendant. Place these beads to the side.
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Snip a piece of flexible beading wire about six inches longer than your beads measure when arranged on the cloth. For instance, if your line of beads is 10 inches long, snip a 16-inch piece of wire. String your main beads onto the wire, bringing the remaining bare ends of the wire together.
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Slip your main beads that will lead to the pendant onto both bare wire ends and then add the three crimp beads. Gently separate the wires sticking out of the crimp beads and pass them through the ring on the pendant in opposite directions. Fold the wires up around the ring and back through the crimp beads. Crush the crimp beads around the wires with your pliers.
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Tips & Warnings
As you put together your beads, focus on their future use and pray quietly to your patron deities that the beads will fulfill their purpose.
References
- Photo Credit Colorful beads image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
