Erce, is the Earth Mother, and is in all probability the same entity that was referred to by the historian Tacitus as Nerthus, “Mother of the Gods” of the ancient Angles. This mighty, yet enigmatic goddess is the source of great academic controversy, as her identity has been chipped away over the centuries, and her many bynames lead to confusion as to whether they are simply aliases of one goddess, or are in fact many different goddesses. After a great deal of research, and some amount of unproven gnosis, it has come to be the accepted belief of the GFS that Erce is indeed an ancient chthonic goddess of the Earth, who has since been seen in various guises throughout the Germanic world as a fertility goddess of great power, a protectress of children and wild creatures, and a sometime concubine of Woden.
The name Erce is only used once in the known corpus of Old English literature, as part of an invocation for fertility. Per the suggestion of Jakob Grimm in his Deutsch Mythologie (4th Edition), it is generally assumed by our organization that Erce is indeed the name used by the pagan Anglo-Saxons to refer to the Earth Goddess who was known on the Continent as Herke, Freke, Holda or. Perchta
“The distinct traces in Low Saxon districts of a divine dame, Herke or Harke by name, are significant. In Jessen, a little town on the Elster, not far from Wittenberg, they relate of frau Herke what in other places, as will be shown, holds good of Freke, Berhta and Holda. In the Mark she is called frau Harke, and is said to fly through the country between Christmas and Twelfth-day, dispensing earthly goods in abundance; by Epiphany the maids have to finish spinning their flax, else frau Harke gives them a good scratching or soils their distaff…”
It further seems linguistically and mythologically quite plausible that these continental entities are also forms of the goddess Nerthus mentioned by Tacitus:
“After the Langobardi come the Reudigni, Auiones, Angli, Varni, Eudoses, Suarines and Nuithones all well guarded by rivers and forests. There is nothing remarkable about any of these tribes unless it be the common worship of Nerthus, that is Earth Mother. They believe she is interested in men’s affairs and drives among them. On an island in the ocean sea there is a sacred grove wherein waits a holy wagon covered by a drape. One priest only is allowed to touch it. He can feel the presence of the goddess when she is there in her sanctuary and accompanies her with great reverence as she is pulled along by kine. It is a time of festive holiday making in whatever place she decides to honour with her advent and stay. No one goes to war, no one takes up arms, in fact every weapon is put away, only at that time are peace and quiet known and prized until the goddess, having had enough of peoples company, is at last restored by the same priest to her temple. After which the wagon and the drape, and if you like to believe me, the deity herself is bathed in a mysterious pool.
The rite is performed by slaves who, as soon as it is done, are drowned in the lake. In this way mystery begets dread and a pious ignorance concerning what that sight may be which only those who are about to die are allowed to see.” –Germania, ch. 40.
While Nerthus is depicted in the time of Tacitus (The Roman Iron Age) as an awesome and terrifying Goddess whom no mortal can behold save for her slaves (who soon die for it) later she would come to show us a kindlier face. She is identified with the Scandinavian Fjörgyn (Earth) who is also called Hlôdyn, and is the mother of Þunnor. In this guise she seems to be a competitor with Frige for the affection of Woden, and is mentioned in several oblique references as his mistress.
In northern Germany she is called Holda, “Kindly and Gracious One”, while in Bavaria and Austria she is called Perchta, “White and Shining One”. She is said to appear at times as a hideous grey-haired crone, but at other times as a beautiful maiden, crowned and clad in white. As Perchta/Holda, the goddess goes among men with her otherworldly entourage blessing farms and safe-guarding domestic animals. Her retinue is reported to include any number of “supernatural” attendants: Idesa (Matron Spirits) or Weisse frauen (White Ladies), undead spirits, and all manner of land elves and other strange wights known as Huldru, or Perchten. As with Walburgia, there are many tales of Perchta or Holda traveling abroad, and encountering mortals while in a position of apparent distress. At times she is being pursued by unfriendly beings, while at others her wagon seems to have broken down. Those who chance upon her in such times and render aid are always rewarded. Those who fail to do so are given a lesson in the value of charity and kindness!
In parts of Saxony, she was called Herke, and had all the same matronly yet wild characteristics that marked Perchta and Holda. Like her counterparts in other regions, she was reduced by the Christian propaganda machine into a malevolent specter, far removed from her true nature.
As the Earth Mother, she is often invoked for fertility. In some parts of Germany, there are sacred springs said to be blessed by Holda, in which local girls bathe in order to grow fertile. While in England, a rite known as the Charming of the Plough invokes Erce to make the newly ploughed fields bloom and become fruitful. Interestingly, this rite also speaks to the value Erce places on charity, by demanding that “…unknown seed be taken from beggars, and let there be given them double what was taken from them.”
This goddess also has strong connections to Winter, and to the Yule Festival. Many of the traits that Christians assign to “Santa Claus” in fact belonged to Holda and/or Perchta. It is also said that during the time following Halloween and prior to Yule, her procession takes part in the Wild Hunt, and takes on a more grim aspect. Yet, it was she who appeared on Twelfth Night, bearing gifts for children who had been diligent and good, while scourging the lazy and ill behaved. She is especially connected with spinning and textile production, and is considered a matron goddess of spinners and weavers.
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