An Altar for Jormundgandr

Most of my recent Great Clay Experiment was a disappointment. I found the Premo! Sculpey almost impossible to work with, and then it lost its shape while baking, so the pieces were ruined. A prayer card holder with a warped support doesn’t work very well.

The one thing that did work well—although not as expected—was the Fimo Soft clay. Like Sculpey, it’s an oven-bake clay. It was easier to work with than the Sculpey, although it wouldn’t form a tile very well at all. I was able to coax a long slub and a small orb out of it. So, what is the natural thing to make with a long, thin piece of clay? A snake! So I shaped into a nice series of s-curves. I still had a fair amount left over, so I decided to make a squiggly stand to hold the Jormundgandr prayer card to go with it. I duly baked the pieces, then let them cool prior to painting.

The results!

Jormundgandr Altar July 2017

This is set up on a corner of my Angrboda altar. Given that Jormundgandr is Her child, this seemed like a good place. (I am out of horizontal surfaces in my study for new altars, so more space-sharing is going to happen.)

The image is by Abby Helasdottir, and is taken from The Giants’ Tarot. It rests on the card holder I made. I washed the partially-dry acrylic paint with a damp brush, and it created a rippled effect, like looking at water, which pleases me. Jormundgandr Hirself is green with yellow markings and gold eyes. The gold egg is an energy container, symbolizing the magic and potential it contains. I painted it gold to represent the sacred nature of those energies, and to remind myself of the precious value of dreams and hopes.

It’s small, but it feels cozy, and Jormundgandr seems pleased as well.

Here’s a prayer I wrote to dedicate the new altar:
Hail, Jormundgandr!
Serpent of the deep,
Guardian of the borders
Between Here and not-Here,
Warder of magic!
Your presence reminds me
To set my own boundaries,
To enforce my own boundaries
When others wilfully or woefully ignore them.
Your presence reminds me
To be respectful of others’ boundaries,
As I expect mine to be honored.
Your presence reminds me
To guard my energies, words, and actions
That only my truest and best
Are brought into the world.
I thank You for the lessons and blessings
You bring into my life,
today and every day.