Seaxnēat

The god known as Seaxneat was the patron-ancestor god of the aetheling house of the East Saxons (i.e. Essex, England). He was also one of three gods, the others being Thunor and Woden, specifically mentioned in the baptismal denunciation the Old Saxons were forced to spew in the 8th century C.E., thus indicating that he was a god of no small stature amongst the Saxons. His name is thought to mean either “companion of the sword” or “friend of the Saxons”, though a double-meaning may have been what was intended. Looking at the name itself, the “sword” could refer directly to the ancestral sword of a kindred’s earthly lord, who is of course both the “companion of the sword” and the “friend of the Saxons” - that is, the friend of his kindred of Saxons - not to mention a descendent of Seaxneat according to the East Saxon lore! On a more profound level, the “companion of the sword” is clearly the orlaeg of the folk in question, their laws and history, which wrap themselves around the blade and which get passed on to each successive leader along with it.

We might also learn something of the god by looking at the Saxons themselves. In the case of the East Saxons, we see a very strong conservative instinct, as shown in their geneology (i.e. names, the “S” dynasty) and in the history of their conversion. As the record shows, the Seaxneatings were the second aetheling house in England to accept Christianity, but either the last or second last to do away with the old gods/goddesses. A similiar spirit can be seen in the tenacity with which the Old Saxons held true to their native beliefs in the face of Charlemagne and the Franco-Christian war-machine. This (ultra-)conservative instinct would seem to be something we’d expect from a folk so closely bound to a god of local custom and history. Furthermore, the need to engage in physical conflict, especially in the elder world, would have walked hand-in-hand with the preservation/celebration of one’s identity and heritage. Thus, although so much may already be obvious, Seaxneat undoubtably had associations with war as well.