MEGIN — THE SACRED MIGHT/FORCE IN NORSE TRADITION by the Chieftain

In the Norse worldview, strength was not merely physical. Power was not always about domination. And this power was not just muscle or arms. In the language of our ancestors, there existed a deeper word for sacred strength — one rooted in life, in will, in divine sanction. That word is MEGIN.

Megin (Old Norse) refers to innate might, a life-force or spiritual power that lives within a being, a place, or even an object. It is the animating strength behind heroic deeds, godly action, and sacred ritual. It is not passive. It is not gifted by status or fortune. It is the inner might that makes one capable of fulfilling their purpose in alignment with fate.

Lightning over the Atlantic - Power = Megin

Unlike external power, which can be taken or lost, megin is earned, forged, and sometimes called down from divine sources. It is what Thor awakens when girding himself with his mighty belt. It is what Odin lends to a worthy warrior. It is what stirs when a hero acts in sacred defiance of odds.

The word megin comes from the Proto-Germanic maginą, meaning “power” or “ability,” which itself derives from maganą — to be able, to have power. This is the same root that gives us English: might (as in “by might and main”), German: Macht (power), Old English: mægen (strength), and Icelandic (modern): megin, still used poetically to mean "main force" or "principal power."

In Old Norse, megin was a feminine noun denoting the force or power within. But it was not solely a physical trait — it could describe divine force (ásmegin), moral strength, sacred authority, and even the animating essence of nature.

In Icelandic today, megin appears in phrases like meginhluti — the main portion, and meginregla — a guiding principle or main rule. But in poetic and spiritual revival circles, megin retains its ancient, mythic weight.

The power of megin appears again and again in Old Norse literature. In Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, in Skáldskaparmál: “Þá spennir hann sik megingjörðum, ok óx honum ásmegin.” — "Then he girded himself with the belt of strength, and his godly might grew." Meginjörð means belt of might. Ásmegin means divine (Æsir) strength.

Thor Against the Giants by Mårten Eskil Winge.

This tells us that megin is not always active — it is latent within Thor, and the belt is a ritual activator. It is his connection to his own divine force, summoned in moments of need. This is not unlike prayer, trance, or oath — the intensification of megin in sacred acts.

A Sun Chariot in Denmark an object full of megin

In Völsunga saga, the young hero Sigurd is able to slay the dragon Fáfnir not because of brute strength, but because his megin is awakened through a combination of his divine ancestry, the forging of the sword Gram, wisdom from the dwarf Reginn, and alignment with wyrd (fate). After slaying the dragon, Sigurd tastes the heart and gains the second sight — showing that megin can also awaken deeper perception and spiritual power.

Several skaldic verses suggest that Odin can lend or bestow megin to a chosen hero. This is not a gift without cost — to bear megin is to shoulder burden. Yet Odin’s chosen bear this force into battle or decision, and it is often the difference between doom and legend.

Wotanstein in Germany.  The Wotanstein, or Wotan’s Stone in English, is one of Germany's most significant megalithic monuments and an important Heathen site, yet it remains mostly unknown. In Maden, part of Gudensburg, in Hessen, Germany village. The Wotanstein is a powerful object that Christians had to associate with their Devil in an attempt to keep people away from it.

 Megin is one strand among many in the Norse understanding of spiritual forces. It is closely related to—but distinct from—Hamingja (the personal luck or fortune-spirit), Fylgja (the follower spirit), Örlög (the deepest weave of fate), and Seiðr (the magical practice of bending or seeing the threads of fate).

Where seiðr is the tool, and örlög is the web, megin is the strength required to act upon what one sees. In Hávamál and Völuspá, megin is implied in references to those who have the power to speak true words, to carve runes with depth, to lead with spirit. Yggdrasill itself may be understood as having megin — the sacred strength to endure.

To help modern minds understand megin, we can compare it to other Indo-European and global ideas. Roman virtus — originally meaning manly strength, courage, moral excellence. Greek arete — excellence in fulfilling one’s function or fate. Indian tejas — fiery spiritual force, inner radiance or will. Chinese chi / Japanese ki — life force energy. Polynesian mana — spiritual power or authority.

What makes megin unique is that it is woven with action and fate — it is not passive presence, but empowered doing.

Megin is the sacred fire within — not just strength, but the right use of strength. It is the force that builds rather than destroys, protects rather than dominates. It rises in silence before an oath, hums in the chest before a courageous word, and roots itself in every act of love, loyalty, and creation. Megin is not for the few — it is for the true. It flows where honor lives and grows stronger each time we choose to carry the burden, speak the truth, and defend what is sacred.

The Rhine - full of megin.

Across the global revival of Norse traditions, megin is making a return. And it is being remembered not just as an abstract word, but a lived force. In Ásatrúarfélagið in Iceland, megin is invoked in blóts — especially those honoring Thor. Icelandic ritualists describe calling megin into themselves before lifting horns or oaths. Elders teach that megin increases when one acts with integrity and in right relationship to the land, gods, and others.

For warriors, builders, oath-bearers, and lovers — megin is not just a spiritual word. It is a way of life. To live with megin means lifting what is hard — and doing it anyway. Building what lasts — even when others do not see it. Speaking the truth, even when it costs. Loving deeply — and defending that love. Acting in line with fate — not avoiding it.

This is not might for the sake of ego. It is sacred might, in service of something greater.

If we are to reclaim our ancestral ways — not as costumes, but as living truths — then we must remember megin. Not as a curiosity, but as a fire to tend.

Our Hall must be raised with megin. Our words must be spoken with megin. Our Tribe must act with megin. And our love — sacred, mythic, real — must be rooted in megin.

An ancient German Thing Place. This Thingplatz is in an area known as the MadeRheide near the village of Maden part of the larger town of Gudensberg that the Brother's Grimm means Wuodensberg (or Odin's Mountain in English). It is certainly largely recreated.

May your megin rise with the sun. May your belt of strength be tight around your soul. And may you act, always, with power, presence, and purpose.

Fram með megin.

Forward with sacred might.