The Goddess Rindr

In this post, I will share some personal UPG on the Goddess Rindr, otherwise known as Rind or Rinda. Our surviving lore tells us that she was raped by Odin and bore Him a son, Vali, to avenge Baldur’s death. I have not had as many interactions with Her as I have had with some of our other Gods and Goddesses. However, I do very much feel that She deserves honor and recognition.

I first met Rindr through my fulltrui, Forseti, during a meditation: He insisted on introducing us. To my perceptions, Rindr seemed to have long, curly, black hair and was very tall. She was dressed in a very somber and plain dress, which I “saw” as dark gray or charcoal black. Her presence and personality were different than what I had expected... or, more accurately, dreaded. While She was serious, She did not lash out about Her past. I could feel how her experience is truly a part of Her, but also how Her tragedy does not define Her.

This is one of Rindr’s great gifts: She is not what was done to Her or what happened to Her. She has an amazing strength that wells from deep within--not unlike Thrud's strength, but with a different sort of undercurrent. Rindr’s power is that which can only be found on the other side of lost innocence. Interestingly, Her presence did not feel at all heavy. Merely being near Her felt very grounding and calming.

My understanding of Rindr is that She is very much interested in those who have suffered any sort of violation, including “everyday” harms like verbal abuse. She is very adept with healing wounds of violation, loss, or neglect.

In my encounters with Her, I have found Rindr's personality to be direct. In some ways, She reminds me of Forseti. She cares deeply about justice for those who have been hurt, and comes across as remarkably patient and down-to-earth. Rindr tends to be straightforward in Her speech, but is very compassionate as well. She is truthful and expects to be addressed truthfully in return. 

Rindr does not seem to be interested in fancy things. Personally, I don’t see Her as wearing any jewelry, and I get the marked impression that offerings of that nature would not appeal to Her. One way to honor Her would be give someone in pain the space to share their story without imposing expectations or definitions on their experience. When we acknowledge the person behind the trauma, we ultimately acknowledge that dreadful things can happen to any person, ourselves included. This takes no small amount of courage. It is all too human to wish to distance ourselves, to try to "solve" the hurt, or even to outright blame the victim. Rindr teaches us to relate to each other--and to our own selves--with honesty and to face what is not comfortable.

Rindr is also an excellent Goddess to call upon for those who see the darker sides of human nature in their work. Those who regularly interact with the wounded can certainly become wounded themselves, especially over time. Rindr’s focused and grounding strength is particularly comforting. Her presence and wisdom may help against compassion fatigue and burnout.  

Rindr truly knows the blackest spaces. Those who seek Her will navigate through those places in good company. Her healing is not a surface "fix," but rather a deep sense of wholeness from the core. She can bring together that which has been fragmented. She is very much worth hailing and honoring.