 Steiner taught that all myths are true, all the pagan gods really exist. “Zeus, Apollo, Mars, Wotan, Odin, Thor... are all real beings...." — Rudolf Steiner The myths that tell us the most, Steiner said, are the Norse myths about the ancient Germanic gods. THE GODS Norse Myths at Waldorf Norse mythology holds a special place in the Waldorf curriculum. It reflects the ancient religion of northern Europe, including Germany. Steiner taught that ancient humans had natural clairvoyance allowing them to directly perceive the “gods.” Anthroposophists believe that Norse myths give particularly accurate accounts of spiritual realities.
At one level, much of Anthroposophy is merely a reworking of these myths. Here is a brief primer: Odin is the highest Norse god. His wife is Frigg. They are real, Steiner said:
Alternate names for Odin are Woden and Wotan; an alternate for Frigg is Frigga. Freya, sometimes identified with Frigg, is more generally a separate goddess, presiding over love, war, and death. Odin and Frigg had two sons, Baldur and Thor.
Yet Baldur was killed, due to the machinations of Loki. The latter is the trickster god, attractive and even comical, but also destructive. Steiner associates Loki with Lucifer.
Odin and Frigg’s other son, Thor, is the god of thunder. He has an especially tight relationship with human beings. Even today, he is in our minds and bodies. He could have become a higher god, but in order to help us he remains at the relatively low rank of an Angel:
Odin is often referred to as the All-Father and Frigg as the mother of the gods. In some myths, under some names, Frigg is the mother of the German people. (Steiner celebrated Germanic/Nordic culture. Germans and the gods sprang from the same loins.) However, she is also sometimes portrayed as having extremely loose morals. She is the goddess of love, goddess of the night.
There are many more Norse gods, but these are the leading figures. Their activities are enacted around the tree of life, Yggdrasil.
In the same passage, Steiner states that Yggdrasil is connected to the formation of the “I” — which, he taught, is the highest of man’s nonphysical bodies. The god who oversees the formation of the I is Odin, who Steiner says is equivalent to Jehovah.
Note that, according to Steiner, Jehovah/Odin is not the one and only God, but a god — one of many, a member of a vast polytheistic pantheon. And, according to Steiner, Jehovah/Odin resides on the moon. [8] Yggdrasil has roots that extend into the various worlds, including those of gods, giants, dwarfs, and men.
“Spiritual science” is Anthroposophy, the religion underlying Waldorf education. In Norse mythology, the giants arose before the gods came into being, and they must be conquered by the gods. Giants and dwarfs have counterparts, in Steiner’s doctrines, in nature spirits — primordial nonphysical beings that lack true spirit or divinity.
But in Norse myths, the warfare between bands of gods pales by comparison to clashes between the gods as a whole and their joint enemies, especially the giants. In the future, the united gods will come to ruin at Götterdämmerung — the Twilight of the Gods, otherwise called Ragnarörk — an apocalyptic, world-shattering showdown between gods and giants. The most horrific combat imaginable, this ruinous battle will lead to the death of all the gods, all the giants, and essentially everyone else in existence. Götterdämmerung is reflected in Steiner's forecast of the War of All Against All, which will bring our world to a violent end. All will fight all; only a tiny remnant will escape.
According to Norse mythology, the physical universe began as a magical void, Ginnunagap. Odin and his two brothers brought forth the earth from the primordial sea; ultimately the earth will sink into that sea again. The three gods breathed life into two tree trunks, thus creating the first human couple, Askr and Embla. The celestial hierarchy periodically shifts as the fortunes of competing gods wax and wane. Odin has sometimes been supplanted by others at the top of the hierarchy. His general preeminence is connected, however, to his occult wisdom — he has drunk from the fountain of wisdom at the base of Yggdrasil. He paid a price — he had to pluck out one of his eyes at the fountain. (In one version of this myth, the sacrifice of Odin's eye is demanded by the gargantuan decapitated head of the god Mimir, which guards the fountain. In another myth, Odin impales himself and hangs for nine day from Yggdrasil, so that he may learn to read mystic runes. In Anthroposophy, such runes are a celestial script, the Akashic Record, from which initiates may obtain all knowledge.) Odin collects warriors — the souls of dead heroes — whom he will deploy in Ragnarörk, the ultimate battle. Until that battle begins, the warriors rest at Odin's castle, Valhalla. Odin is also the inspirer of poets, for he has drunk a brew derived from the blood of the wise god Kvasir, who was murdered by dwarfs. In his sleep, Odin is able to travel to other spiritual realms and worlds. Steiner attributes a similar ability to human beings, both past and present. Occult wisdom, Odin’s endowment, is the goal of Steiner’s “spiritual science.”
Odin is the god of kings and nobility. A gigantic wolf will devour him at Ragnarörk. Odin's son Thor is the god of commoners. Thor is a warrior, the good gods’ champion, who battles evil gods and giants, smashing their skulls with his mighty hammer Mjölnir. As the god of thunder, Thor is sometimes associated with Jupiter. Thor will die at Ragnarörk when he battles and kills the cosmic serpent Jörmungand. This monster originally arose from the sea and currently encircles the earth. According to Steiner’s telling of the myth, the serpent was “born of selfishness. He lives in the sea that surrounds the earth. From there he blows his poisonous breath onto the land until the day of the twilight of the gods....” [12] By one interpretation, Jörmungand may be equated with the beast foretold in Revelation:
The most dangerous god is alluring, duplicitous Loki. [13] He was born of a giant, and at Ragnarörk he will betray the gods by fighting alongside the giants. He is a shape-changer. In some tellings, he is Odin’s foster brother, perhaps even Odin’s dark twin; he is a face of Lucifer, representing the illusory nature of physical reality as well as the snares of false spirituality. When Frigg required all beings and forces to forswear harming her son Baldur, she overlooked mistletoe. Seeing her error, Loki tricked the blind god Höd into impaling Baldur with a shaft of mistletoe, killing him. According to Steiner,
However, Baldur is also sometimes depicted as the god of lust and uncontrolled appetites. He will be reborn after Ragnarörk, when a new world rises from the ashes of the old. Spun this way, the myth of his death can be read as a metaphoric version of Christ's death and resurrection. To reiterate: In considering Steiner’s doctrines and their effect on Waldorf education, it is essential to realize that Steiner taught that myths are true and the gods they describe literally exist. According to Steiner, Norse myths are the most revealing, but all myths are true. Steiner strove to develop interpretations of myths that are consistent with his gnostic form of Christianity, but at root his doctrines are pagan. Norse myths are nearer the heart of Anthroposophy than is the Bible. These tales are true.
At night, people rejoined Odin, Loki, and the others in the great polytheistic beyond.  Here is a sampling of Norse myths. These are the sorts of stories that Waldorf students hear and read, sometimes repeatedly. Sit down, children, while we tell you a story... The Creation  Ymir drank the milk of Audhumla, and from his feet grew his sons and daughters, giants all.  Now on a certain day Audhumla licked a wall of ice, and licked, and licked. Ymir watched, and he saw a form emerging from the ice — a beautiful, golden-haired form, the first man. And Ymir hated the man for his beauty.The man was called Buri, and when he stepped from the wall, Ymir wanted to kill him — but Ymir held back, so that Audhumla would still give him milk. Buri married a giantess, and they had a son, Bur. And Bur married Bestla, daughter of the giant Bolthorn. Bur and Bestla had three sons, and these were the first gods, the first Aesir. Odin was the highest and eldest of the Aesir. His brothers were Hönir and Lothur. All was well with them until the children of Bur and the children of Ymir became too many, and there was war between the children of Bur and the children of Ymir, the first of all the wars. Ymir was killed in the great battle, and from his enormous body poured out a tide of blood so wide and deep that all his sons except one drowned in his blood. All drowned except Bergelmir, who was in a boat with his wife. Bergelmir and his wife floated away on the tide of blood to the land of Jotunheim, where they made many children. And these were the race of giants, and Jotunheim was the land of the giants. Odin and his brothers took Ymir’s enormous body and threw it into Ginnunagap so that it filled Ginnunagap. Then Odin and his brothers took Ymir’s bones and piled them up, making the mountains. They took Ymir’s teeth, and these became the rocks. They took Ymir’s hair, and these were the grass and the forests. And they took Ymir’s hollow skull, and it became the arching sky. Then Odin and his brothers put the Sun and Moon and stars in the sky, and from an ash tree and an elm tree they fashioned the first human couple, Askr and Embla. [17] The Wanes One day the giants will come, and the end of all things will be at hand. But that day is not yet. Heimdal, who never sleeps, guards the bridge. He is the whitest of all the gods. He sees farther than a hawk, and he can hear the wool grow upon a distant sheep. His teeth are purest gold. There is a horn at the base of the world tree, Yggdrasil. It is the Gjaller-horn. When the giants approach in their wrath, Heimdal will sound the Gjaller-horn, and the gods will prepare for battle. But that day had not yet come. So for a time, the Aesir — the gods of war and valor — were at peace in Asgard, within their great halls, upon their lofty seats. But trouble came to the Aesir from another quarter. The Wanes — the gods of wealth, commerce, and fertility — attacked Asgard. The cunning Wanes burst into Asgard and destroyed the seats of the Aesir. 
The Death of Baldur Baldur dreamed of his death. He told his dream to his mother, Frigg, and she became afraid for him. So Frigg required every being and every power to swear an oath never to harm beautiful Baldur. But she forgot the lowly mistletoe, a plant so small and frail, it seemed harmless.  Wily Loki heard Frigg, and he saw that she had overlooked the little mistletoe. "Aha!" thought Loki. Loki traveled into the west, where the mistletoe grew. He returned with a sprig of mistletoe that he fashioned into a dart. He brought the dart Odin's brother, the blind god Höd, and asked him to throw the dart. "Please, Höd," he said, "your arm is stronger than mine." Höd agreed to throw the dart — and when his arm came forward, Loki steered it toward Baldur, who was standing in the distance. The dart pierced Baldur's heart, and the beautiful god Baldur died. Odin wailed in grief for his son Baldur. He pleaded with Hel, the goddess of death, to restore Baldur to him. She agreed, on one condition. Every being and every power must weep for Baldur — if everything grieved, Baldur would be restored. But Loki would not weep. He disguised himself as a wicked witch and shed no tears. So beautiful Balder was not restored. The gods took Baldur's body to his ship. Beside him they laid his wife, who had died of her grief. And near them they put Baldur's horse, and his other dearest animals, and all of his treasures. And they set the ship afire and pushed it out to sea. And yet Baldur is restored. Every spring, when the beauty of the earth is restored, we may find Baldur again. Höd paid for his crime with his life. But no one knew of Loki's tricks, so wily Loki was spared. [19] Odin’s Tribulations Odin All-Father, first of the gods, wished for wisdom. He would know more than any other god, he vowed — he would always be first among the gods. Odin went to Mimir, the god who guarded the well of wisdom, which is hidden among the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Mimir sat at the side of the well, with his head bowed, sipping the water of the well. Odin envied Mimir his great knowledge. “I wish to drink from the well,” said Odin. “You may not drink unless you pay my price,” answered Mimir. “What is your price?” asked Odin. “Your eye,” answered Mimir. “You must give me one of your eyes.” Odin quailed. To lose an eye! How dreadful! But Odin looked to the south and saw Muspellsheim, the place of fire. A terrible figure loomed there, Surt the fire giant, who hated the gods. And Odin looked to the north and saw Niflheim, the place of fog, which threatened to engulf the world in darkness.  Odin All-Father ripped out one of his eyes, and he was filled with anguish. But he did not cry aloud. He dropped his eye into the well, where it lies still, gazing upward. Then Odin All-Father drank from the well, and he became wise. Then Odin All-Father changed himself into an eagle and flew back to the land of the gods, Asgard, where he poured out of his body the mead of poetry, pouring it from the sky into the jars of the gods. [20] Ragnarök Then the armies of the realm of the dead, and the armies of Jotunheim — the place of the giants — and the armies of Muspellsheim — the place of fire — will bestir themselves. Loki's spawn, Fenrir the Hell-wolf, will break his bonds, and the gods will become mortal. The hoof beats of the horses of the dark armies will echo, and Loki will laugh, and the white god Heimdal will blow the Gjaller-horn to announce the coming of the end of all things. The riders of Muspellsheim will reach the rainbow bridge, and they will ride upon it — but it will break beneath them, and Asgard will not be entered. Jörmungand, the serpent that encircles the world, will rise from the sea, and the world will be flooded, and all will be swept away. The hosts of the Aesir and the hosts of their enemies will meet upon the field of Vigrith, and in the Dark Wood of Mirkvid the Wanes will stand. And Odin will say, “We will die today and all the worlds will be destroyed, so that we may destroy the powers of evil.”  Then Fenrir the Hell-wolf — Loki's spawn — will fight Odin All-Father, and Odin will wield his spear Gungnir, and Fenrir will devour Odin All-Father. And then a host of the gods will fall upon Fenrir, and rend him, and Fenrir will be destroyed. Thor will spring upon the terrible serpent Jörmungand and crush him with his hammer. But the dying serpent will breathe pestilence upon Thor, and Thor will perish. And Loki will attack Heimdal, and he will slay Heimdal, and Heimdal will slay Loki. And many will be the gods and giants and heroes and evil ones who will die on this, the last day. Then the riders of Muspellsheim will race across Vigrith, and fire will follow them, consuming all, consuming even Yggdrasil, the World Tree — it will be consumed. And the fire will also consume the riders of Muspellsheim, and Vigrith will be empty. And then Hati the wolf will devour the Sun, and Managarm the wolf will devour the Moon, and the stars will fall. And darkness and death will be everywhere. Afterward, long after the work of destruction is complete, the waters will roll back and a new world will appear. Four young gods will be then, and they will learn of Gimle, a heaven that is above Asgard. And deep in a forest, two humans will awake — Lif and Lifthrasir — and they will walk out into the new world, and their children will populate the new world. [21]
The Unfinished Wall Not all Norse myths are violent. Here is a tale of Loki’s skullduggery. There’s no violence — and yet the tale is framed by war. The Norse mythic universe was overshadowed, always, by a sense of doom. Odin All-Father agreed, promising to pay the stranger whatever he demanded if he would finish the wall in one year. The next morning, the stranger came back with a great horse named Svathilfari. And the great horse Svathilfari began dragging rocks, and stacking them, and mortaring them. And as the stranger and his horse worked side-by-side, a wall began to rise around Asgard. Odin, who was very pleased, approached the stranger. Odin asked the stranger, “What reward will you demand when the wall is finished?” The stranger said he would demand the Sun and the Moon and Odin’s wife, Frigg, to be his own. Odin All-Father was filled with rage, and the other gods also were enraged when they heard what the stranger had said. They decided to stop the stranger and his horse from building the wall. But Loki smiled and said to them, “Let the wall be built. Leave the stranger and his horse to me.” Knowing how clever Loki could be with his many pranks, the gods relented and let the work continue. They only told the stranger that the wall must be finished before the first day of summer or he would have no reward. The stranger and his horse redoubled their efforts, and the wall rose quickly. Now the gods realized that the stranger was one of the giants, and they were distressed. But Loki only smiled.  Three days before the coming of summer, the wall was complete except for a single stone. The gods were gravely troubled, but Loki only smiled. That evening the giant lay down to rest, telling his great horse, "Pull a last stone to the wall. I will lift it into place tomorrow morning." The giant slept, and the Moon rose, and as the horse Svathilfari dragged the last stone, a beautiful mare appeared in the moonlight. It was Loki, who can change his shape at will. The beautiful mare approached Svathilfari and danced about and taunted him, calling him a slave who always did his master’s bidding. Svathilfari forgot the stone he was dragging and chased after the beautiful mare, to show her he was no slave. She ran before him into a cave, with Svathilfari close behind. And as they went deeper and deeper into the cave, the beautiful mare slowed, and she smiled upon Svathilfari, and she told him many strange stories about dwarfs and elves. When the giant awoke, he could not find his great horse anywhere. He began searching, but he could not find Svathilfari, and soon the first day of summer arrived. So the gods did not pay the giant, and he went away empty-handed. When Loki returned, he told them how he had fooled Svathilfari. All the gods were pleased, save one. Thor, champion of the gods and guardian of oaths, was furious with Loki. Now the giants would be the gods’ eternal enemies, Thor said. The giants would come one day, and the unfinished wall would offer no protection, and the final battle would be more terrible than anyone could imagine. Loki, whose father was the Wind Giant, only smiled. [22]  Image of Odin and his brothers: Lorenz Frølich Battle of the Aesir and Wanes: Lorenz Frølich Baldur: Jacques Reich Odin: Georg von Rosen Ragnarök: Friedrich Wilhelm Heine Building the wall: Robert Engels Here at Waldorf Watch, I include some images and passages from non-Anthroposophical sources in order to place Steiner's teachings in the context of broader esoteric traditions.
\1\ That is, these myths are not mere fabulous entertainments; they are deep and wise accounts, conveying important spiritual truths. Remember, "[These] are stories that these wise bards among the Norsemen heard from the angels, from the angel-gods.” — Waldorf teacher Charles Kovacs, NORSE MYTHOLOGY, Waldorf Education Resources (Floris Books, 2009), pp. 7-9. Angel-gods do not lie. \2\ I.e., the myths arise from ancient wisdom about spiritual mysteries, originally key to understanding the cosmos and its gods. [See the entries for "mystery" and "mystery knowledge" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BW/SE).] \3\ The central narrative of Anthroposophy concerns mankind's evolution to higher and higher stages of spiritual consciousness. Evolution is a central Anthroposophical concept, and remember: “No other mythology gives a clearer picture of evolution than Northern mythology." — Lecture synopsis, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), a collection of lectures by Rudolf Steiner, p. 17. \4\ I.e., the good and beneficent gods. [See "gods" in the BW/SE.] \5\ I.e., evil gods and/or demons. [See "Evil Ones".] \6\ I.e., the loss of mankind's primal clairvoyant powers and the understanding they provided. In Waldorf belief, this loss is a historical fact. "The History curriculum...provides a picture of the changing human consciousness from ancient clairvoyance to the loss of spiritual vision...."— Description of Roy Wilkinson's TEACHING HISTORY, Vol. 1 (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 2000), posted at the site for the Rudolf Steiner College Book Store (last confirmed 4/6/2019). \7\ I.e., the spiritual ego, the "I". [See "Ego".] \8\ I.e, intellectual, rational perception — useful for life on the physical plane, Steiner taught, but also essentially limited to that plane and thus limiting to the human spirit. [See "intellect" in the BW/SE.] \9\ I.e., again, the loss of old clairvoyant powers. \10\ I.e., the horrific consequences of losing clairvoyant connection to the spirit realm. Götterdämmerung, in Norse mythology, is the apocalyptic final battle between gods and their foes, resulting in the total destruction of all. [See "Götterdämmerung" in the BW/SE.] \11\ Götterdämmerung gave rise to the possibility of a new beginning, arising from the ashes of destruction. In the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, the new beginning and new hope available today are embodied in Anthroposophy itself — including Waldorf education.  This is Frigg or Frigga, the highest Norse goddess.
[Image: "Frigga Spinning the Clouds", by J. C. Dollman; color added.]  Norse warriors wearing boar helmets meant to evoke the protection of Freya. [J. C. Cooper's ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TRADITIONAL SYMBOLS (Thames and Hudson, 1978), p. 23.] Summary
To wrap up this brief survey of Norse myths and their use in Waldorf schools, I’ll offer thoughts about two special characters in the myths, Loki and Fenrir, and then I’ll recap what we’ve seen. Loki betrays the gods and fights alongside their enemies in the ultimate battle, Götterdämmerung, Ragnarök, the Twilight of the Gods. Loki is a traitor to the gods, and indeed he had a hand in aggravating the giants’ enmity toward the gods. Yet Loki is not wholly wicked; he is not the arch-demon. In some myths, he uses his pranks to aid the gods, not to oppose them. He lives among the high gods, the Aesir, and he is accepted by them. He might be considered a sympathetic character, a victim of exogamy (father: a giant; mother: a god), divided and confused. Loki is, in a sense, the most "human" of the gods — we can relate to him. Like us, he struggles with internal contradictions. Partly for this reason, he has great entertainment value — he gives the myths much of their snap. Among the students at my old Waldorf school, Loki was the most popular of all the mythic figures. Clever little Loki. To quote the ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA about Loki:
So, Loki is a dangerous oddball, the author of much evil, yet not himself wholly evil. His progeny are a different story. Hel, goddess of the dead, presides over Niflheim, the land of darkness, from which a Stygian army will emerge to assail the gods. Jörmungand the serpent is the specific foe of Thor, the champion of the gods; as antithesis of Thor, Jörmungand is an unrelieved emblem of evil, enclosing the world in his grip, seeking to sever it from the gods' influence. Both Hel and Jörmungand are unpardonably evil. But worst of all is Fenrir, the Hell-wolf. He will cause the gods to die at Ragnarök. Fenrir is evil through and through, so much so that the gods bind him to a rock (much as, in some myths, they bind Loki). The gods fear Fenrir. He is enormously powerful and baleful. And, because in at least some of the future is known to the gods, they foresee that Fenrir will eat Odin All-Father, highest of the Aesir, at Ragnarök. Fenrir’s parentage is portentous. In some versions of the myths, Loki begot Fenrir on his own daughter, Angerboda. Thus, Fenrir is the product of exogamy (Loki’s mixed parentage) and its extreme opposite, incest. But in other tellings, Angerboda is identified simply as a giant. So, if we take Loki as occupying a special racial category of his own (half-god, half-giant), then his union with Angerboda is exogamy, and Fenrir is the product of double exogamy. The meaning a racist might find in this is clear. Fenrir is the most awful of all the gods’ enemies. To immobilize him, the gods fashion a special chain made of the beard of a woman, the sound of a cat’s footstep, and the breath of a fish. (This is perhaps the single best conceit in all of mythology, and I remember it from the myths our teachers told us at Waldorf. Our teachers didn’t shy away from telling us at least some of the more dreadful myths.) When the End of All Things approaches, Fenrir will break his chain and charge upon the gods. His fury will make the gods mortal; in the face of his fury, the worlds will shatter and fall. According to some tellings, after devouring Odin All-Father, Fenrir will also devour the Sun. Anthroposophists stretching to find gnostic Christian meaning in the myths may take this to indicate that Fenrir devours both God the Father and God the Son. [24] However, there is no Biblical basis for such a reading, and in the myths themselves Fenrir — like virtually every other being and thing — is destroyed at the Battle at the End of All Things. Also, in Anthroposophy, God the Father (or God as the One True God) can be seen as a distant evolutionary goal, not the Creator as such. [25] To summarize: Norse myths are given prominence in Waldorf schools because they reflect Anthroposophy in dramatic, entertaining form. A child who is repeatedly exposed to these tales becomes familiarized with concepts central to Steiner’s occult doctrines — s/he is nudged in the direction Anthroposophy and away from such orthodox faiths as orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Elements that Norse myths share with Anthroposophy include: Some of the features I've listed can be found in other mythologies and even in orthodox religions. But the point, here, is to understand why Waldorf schools embrace Norse myths so strongly. The answer is that Steiner embraced them, and his doctrines are generally crafted to conform to them. In sum, when Waldorf schools teach kids Norse myths, they are teaching them Anthroposophy-lite.◊ polytheism — legions of gods —Roger Rawlings ◊ * Anthroposophy rejects the Biblical account of Creation. There is no One and Only God who created the universe. However, Anthroposophy recognizes the Godhead — a rather amorphous creative force, and within it the Christ being (the logos, the Word) — the divinity that later became the Sun God — may be deemed the chief creative impulse. [See "God".]   [Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, 1999.] Be prepared: The Waldorf take on Norse myths is deeply occult, clinging tightly to Steiner's doctrines. For example,
This is the sort of thing Waldorf teachers think lurks below the surface of Norse myths. To most people, it is nonsense. To Anthroposophists, it is revealed truth. (Note that the book was published not by some obviously wacky cult but by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.) ◊ ** In Waldorf belief, language comes to us from the gods; it has spiritually formative powers. [See "Oh My Word".] *** In Waldorf belief, human beings incarnate three invisible bodies: the etheric body, the astral body, and the "I" or ego or ego body. [See "Incarnation".] **** In Waldorf belief, the demon Lucifer has a rival/colleague, Ahriman, who is generally deemed more completely evil. [See "Lucifer" and "Ahriman".]
— Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Anthroposophical Pub. Co., 1929), lecture 10, GA 121. Waldorf teachers generally believe that the Norse gods really exist, and they often teach Norse myths as if they are true. Here is Charles Kovacs indicating how a Waldorf teacher should introduce Norse myths to Waldorf students.
Kovacs creates a weird blend of pagan myths and Biblical teachings. He goes from gods, giants, and dwarfs to Adam and Eve and then back to the Norse angel-gods. The blurring of distinctions is typical of Anthroposophy generally and Waldorf education in particular. Overall, Kovacs follows the Steiner/Waldorf line: Norse gods really exist and Norse myths are true (they are not fictitious; they were not "just made up"). This is how, far too often, Norse myths — and, to a lesser degree, other myths and legends — are presented to impressionable young children in Waldorf schools. To the modern, rational mind, the Waldorf belief system is almost inconceivably backward, but Steiner's followers are perfectly serious. We heard from Ernst Uehli previously. Here's another of his statements:
This statement is full of Anthroposophical jargon, but the main thing we should recognize is that Anthroposophists accept the proposition that Thor is a real being. Thor, the Angel, the “leader of the Germanic ego-birth,” really exists. And how do we know this? Because Rudolf Steiner said so, calling Thor a mighty Angel indeed. ◊
Note that there is no such vagueness or confusion in the Bible: There, the one and only God created the universe. Period. [For more on these matters, see "All", "God", and "Steiner Static".] Grégoire Perra is a former Waldorf student and teacher. Here are some of his observations about the role played by the study of myths in Waldorf schools: In my opinion, the most problematic effect of this educational process, imitating group behavior without explanation or contextualization, occurs during lessons on legends and myths in the lower grades (primary school). Indeed, during a class on mythology, specifically Celtic mythology in the fourth grade, our Waldorf teacher began the class by telling us a myth without saying anything about its cultural and historical context. As Paul Ariès has written about this failure to contextualize myths:
I well remember that we students had an exchange during recess, after that first class, when our "master" told us the wonderful creation story from Celtic mythology. We debated for several minutes whether our teacher had been telling us what really happened during the creation of the world, or whether the story he told was just a "myth." We were unable to decide. In not giving young students help in comprehending legends and myths, does the Waldorf teacher realize that he is creating a serious confusion between the real and the imaginary, which may have devastating psychological effects on some children later? Indeed, those who are the least grounded — the most dreamy children — will sometimes suffer the consequence of being unable to find the line between the real and the imaginary in some circumstances, or they confuse their dreams with reality. Even worse, this practice may aggravate the plight of children with undetected mental disorders, such as unfortunately may exist in all classes. Generally, people who have not received their schooling in a Waldorf school do not realize how Waldorf students experience legends and myths. They think Waldorf students receive these tales as they themselves heard them during their own schooling, as stories you take much as you take stories about Santa Claus (that is to say, with skepticism) — "stories" in the sense that we typically say that someone tells stories. But the notion of stories in the sense of an imaginary tale does not prevail in Waldorf schools. The children become emotionally involved with the the gods and other characters from the myths and legends they are told! They love these characters! These characters are part of their lives, almost part of their families! I still remember being upset all day when my class teacher told us the story of the capture of the god Loki by the Aesir, during the section on Norse mythology in fourth grade. That night as I fell asleep, I wept while replaying the tale in my mind, I was so attached to that god. This is why the sense of wonder surrounding the myths and legends is so strong in the memory of Waldorf students. They have indeed lived under these tales as emotional realities, not mere stories. The children do not necessarily believe that the gods exist, but they become attached to them like real people. Moreover such narratives are not presented only in the study of mythologies, but in all parts of Waldorf education, even science, creating an emotional attachment to the subjective system that the teachers convey to their students. The inspectors report noted:
For more by Perra on such matters, see and the section "The Pernicious Role of Imitation" in the essay "Methods". 
— Manly P. Hall, THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES (Wilder Publications, 2007), pp. 58-59. Hall cites Steiner in this book, but his views are not identical to Steiner's.  Students in Waldorf schools are almost certain to be immersed in Norse myths, no matter where the schools are or how foreign the mythology of Northern Europe may be to the local communities. [Drawing by a Waldorf student; courtesy of People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools.]  In the lower grades, we had no textbooks — our teachers told us what we were supposed to know. In high school, some textbooks were used. This is the collection of myths assigned to us during high school.  Norse myths, in various forms, are common throughout northern Europe, including Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, and Germany. Here are pages 186-187 from Padraic Colum's MYTHS OF THE WORLD (Grosset & Dunlap, 1959.) I remember thinking the nudes in the illustrations suggested that our teachers were treating us now as adults (although it seems that I jokingly tried to erase some naughty parts). An item from the Waldorf Watch "news" page (January, 2013). It repeats some points we have already considered, but it adds a few others:  Padraic Colum, THE CHILDREN OF ODIN The Book of Northern Myths (Aladdin, 2004). A “resource” for Waldorf teachers, currently offered through the Rudolf Steiner College bookstore [http://www.steinercollege.edu/store/product.php?productid=16262&cat=1071&page=1]. The description displayed at the store:
Norse myths are often taught at Waldorf schools as if they are true accounts of ancient events. Here is how Waldorf educator Charles Kovacs recommends introducing Norse myths to children:
Steiner taught that all myths are essentially true: They are the record of clairvoyant visions had by ancient peoples. Of all the myths, Steiner taught, Norse myths are the truest: They give the most accurate account of human evolution, past and future. ◊ “Nordic man perceived the figures of the Gods [sic], the divine Beings working directly on his soul ... This was direct experience to him.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 132. For more on the extraordinary importance attached to Norse myth in the Waldorf curriculum, see "The Gods" and "Sneaking It In". Essentially, when Waldorf schools teach their view of Norse myths to the kids, they teach the kids Anthroposophy.  Runes are ◊ letters from an ancient Germanic alphabet and ◊ similar marks said to have magical import or power. Above are some examples. [Rudolf Koch, THE BOOK OF SIGNS (Dover Publications, 1955), p. 101.] Below, work by a young Waldorf student (who almost certainly was copying from the blackboard): "Norse Runes (Secret Whisperings)"  [Courtesy of People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools. Norse gods are not the only ancient deities who really exist, according to Steiner. Most gods in most mythologies were real and remain real, although we may perceive them differently today, and indeed they may have evolved to new stages. 
— Rudolf Steiner, THE EAST IN THE LIGHT OF THE WEST (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922), pp. 75-76. [Image from Ernst Lehner's SYMBOLS, SIGNS & SIGNETS (Dover Publishing, 1950), p. 34.]
— Rudolf Steiner , THE EAST IN THE LIGHT OF THE WEST (Kessinger, facsimile of 1942 edition), pp. 108-109. 
— Rudolf Steiner, THE ARTS AND THEIR MISSION (Anthroposophic Press, 1964), pp. 26-27. [R.R. sketch, 2010, based on the illustration on p. 26.] For information about pagans, pagan Christianity, King Arthur, the Grail, and Druids, see, e.g., "Pagan". To visit other pages in this section of Waldorf Watch, use the underlined links, below. ◊◊◊ 4. THE WALDORF APPROACH ◊◊◊ A survey of the standard Waldorf curriculum
FACULTY MEETINGS
Some of the illustrations used here at Waldorf Watch are closely related to the contents of the pages on which they appear; others are not — the latter provide general context. ENDNOTES [1] Lecture synopsis, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), a collection of lectures by Rudolf Steiner, p. 17. [2] Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 198. [3] Rudolf Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1953), p. 109. The myths vary from region to region — there is no completely coherent narrative. In some accounts, Odin has several sons borne various mates. For the general outlines of Norse mythology, I have drawn primarily from a “Germanic religion and mythology.” ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, Online, 13 Feb. 2009.
[6] Rudolf Steiner, READING THE PICTURES OF THE APOCALYPSE (Anthroposophic Press, 1993), p. 53.
[17] In Waldorf schools, this myth may acquaint students with numerous Anthroposophical concepts: There are many gods; there are two primary threats to our existence (fire and fog, Ahriman and Lucifer); the world was not created by God — it evolved; aside from a mythical giant and a mythical cow, humans are the first life forms on earth; the archetypal human appears Aryan (blond and beautiful); there are elemental beings (giants, dwarfs — Steiner's "nature spirits"); and so forth. The more general effect of these myths, however, was inducement into a sort of mystic reverie. This first myth is a cascade of names and concepts; the listening child cannot absorb it all. Only a swirl of wonderments is, usually, carried away. But the ground is prepared for later explorations of Steiner's teachings and preachments.
[19] This myth can quite easily be construed as a Christ story — Baldur dies but, as the god of the spring, he will be reborn when spring returns. Children who study the myth may, then, actually be receiving instruction in gnostic Christianity. Still, the differences from the Bible story are at least as important as the similarities — especially the existence of multiple gods. Read as a polytheistic tale, this myth suggests that Baldur is not a Christ figure but a different, equally real god who underwent a similar fate. In fact, Steiner at one point said that Baldur is actually Mithra, the god of Mithraism. [See Rudolf Steiner, THE TEMPLE LEGEND AND THE GOLDEN LEGEND (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1985), p. 312.] Alternatively, Anthroposophists sometimes use the names "Christ," "Mithra," "Baldur", etc., interchangeably, in which case Baldur is indeed Christ:
[20] Odin's three-stage quest charts his progress in acquiring three progressive stages of consciousness. This is the central concept of Anthroposophy, the possibility of rising to higher and higher clairvoyant powers: imagination, inspiration, and intuition. The process is arduous but structured, and it requires the denial of the flesh as well as the flesh's transformation and passionate release. Truth is attainable, but it is hidden and must be gained through the acquisition of mysterious powers. This strain in the myth can be read as paralleling Steiner's gnosticism, including his belief in witchcraft and a mysterious celestial script, the Akashic Record. Likewise, Odin seeks the poet's frenzy, and in Anthroposophy the arts provide a communicative link with celestial states. All of these ideas are inherent in Waldorf schooling as originally conceived by Steiner.
[23] "Loki." ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, Online, 12 May. 2009.
[24] Steiner associated Odin with God the Father: One version of the Lord's Prayer recognized by Anthroposophists addresses "All-Father of Humanity." — Rudolf Steiner, START NOW! (SteinerBooks, 2004), p. 220. Likewise, as we saw above, in Anthroposophy Christ is the Sun God. [25] Steiner asserted
Creation arises, directly or indirectly, from the Godhead, which is distinct from the Father. To the extent that Anthroposophy recognizes a Creator, it is a nebulous creating spirit. [See "All".] Thus, Waldorf students are often directed to pray to the "Creator Spirit." The formatting at Waldorf Watch aims for visual variety, seeking to ease the process of reading lengthy texts on a computer screen. I often generalize about Waldorf schools. There are fundamental similarities among Waldorf schools; I describe the schools based on the evidence concerning their structure and operations in the past and — more importantly — in the present. But not all Waldorf schools, Waldorf charter schools, and Waldorf-inspired schools are wholly alike. To evaluate an individual school, you should carefully examine its stated purposes, its practices (which may or may not be consistent with its stated purposes), and the composition of its faculty. — R. R. [R.R., 2017.] |
