A Northern Tradition Day Out

1. The Dragon Dyke

(A long dream, but I remember only fragments.)

(Had more dreams before that, but can't remember.)

In the middle of the dream I run back to the house. I run along the dyke that connects the town to the house. The top of the dyke is made of stone and beautifully worked. It almost looks like a dragon. I don't know why I run, but something is unpleasant.

I know I come from a market place in town where I saw my brother, among other people. And we had something to eat. Chips possibly. From a stall.

The lawn that I have to cross after the dyke reminds me of the place my parents live, the house too, which is on the other hand and on higher ground. People are playing. Some sort of roleplaying, that is why it can be dangerous. It is all just a game, but I have to go inside. I am not sure I want to be part of the game, but I might act along, or maybe I have to to keep up appearances, which I do.

A giant rat, bigger than a man, comes out of the house, out of the garage, and enters the lawn and starts to attack people on the playground. I will have to get past it. So I run again, to the house, towards the rat in order to avoid it. In the meanwhile I pass other people. There all in the game. I know that this is going on, but I don't really approve.

(I had been inside before too, but can't remember what I did there.)

Now, I'm back inside. (Dream continues. I forgot.)

The town is big, and light, intricate street pattern. Maybe the sea on the left.

The dyke is small and high, I am alone on it. The stone looks like cement. And when I walk over it, it crumbles, or some parts seem to break down. The whole structure looks like a tattoo.
(More.) When I first ran to the town, I also ran left of the dyke, below, in the green and sometimes between shrubs. And at the end I covered a bit that was both dyke and road. And at that point I saw a huge snake. First, I didn't see its head, because it was in a tree. But it was really big, beside the road. Above me, but I passed it, despite a sudden fright. The snake didn't do anything.

2. Storm about the Island

Outside. The sea or the ocean is nearby. There is an island. I have been doing something there. (Can't remember that part.) The island is not big, you can see the whole of it from only a small distance. 

Now, there is a bunch of people that was not there before, when I did my stuff on the island. I did it alone and on the northern side. They do it on the western tip of the island.

But what I see happens worries me and has nothing to do with them, although it is maybe because of them that I left the island. The sea becomes wild. I think the night will start to fall, although it doesn't get darker yet. There are a lot of clouds, so the light is dimmed. The wild sea threatens to engulf the island. I see it happen, first a small part gets under water, then larger and larger parts. It is difficult to remain standing on the island now. That bunch of people stays there, doing their thing, probably a rite. They seem dressed for it. Long dark robes. There must be wind, too. I go back.

I have to. There is something I have to finish before I can leave the island. (Can't remember what exactly.)

3. Chanting the Square

(The last dream was like this.) 

I am somewhere in a foreign country, maybe Scandinavia. Cold and wintry look. Very simple brick buildings. There is a paved square. Behind that is a stone building where everything else happens. People are around, mostly people I don't want to associate with, emotionally. One in particular has a stern look that I don't like. It is a middle-aged man, a bit taller than me, trimmed beard, short hair. (same person as in dream 1.)

After some running to and fro going about my business (which I have now forgotten what it was, but it may have been the other dreams, because this dream feels connected), I see a diamond shaped pattern on the floor of the square. I go towards it. Then, I instinctively want to chant. I stay outside of the diamond, but want to circle about it and chant the sound 'ow', which refers to the rune othila. The diamond shaped square pattern is only small, maybe a meter in diameter.

I look down to it, while I start to sing 'ooooooohw', timidly at first. I am standing at the northern point. Then the stern man comes standing at my right and sings along, as if he knows that is the right thing to do. And I think, has this something to do with ancestor worship? To him, it seems so self-evident. I just do this instinctively.

That's when we start circling, very slowly. (Now, I think we were going clockwise, but in the dream I remember thinking: again we are going against the clock. Maybe this is to get into the past, where the ancestors are.) More people come, but not too many, since it is a small pattern. On my right stands Mr Van Dievoet (which was a teacher of Dutch of mine). By now, I am convinced we are chanting the rune Othila.

With more people around I am encouraged to sing a bit louder, but Mr Van Dievoet says that he has difficulty singing along. He can't find the harmonics, because we sing in the wrong way. Then, one time he says, that's the one, now I can. That's where the dream ends.