the value of Draupnir.
While on the face of it, Draupnir's being a priceless magical treasure is obvious: It's a bracelet that generates its own wealth every ninth night by duplicating eight more of itself. Yet the Eddic narrative of Draupnir could also be read as a measure of gifting & worth.
Odin sacrifices Draupnir into the burning boat of Hringhorni with his dead son because that is what this person he loves was worth to him in his life -- Baldr was an endless treasure that had an unexpectedly premature end. The infinite wealth of that sacrifice doesn't matter to him, only the possible return of that priceless person does.
In Odin's act of gifting there is an attached value, the intention of sentiment, a moment bonded to a physical object on a supernatural level. The force of those feelings are an act of energy sacrifice, and once made that energy flows down into the well of the past, waters the great tree that holds the very worlds, coming back up through the branches to feed the present and help determine the future. This manifests in the relationship between the giver & receiver, whether that be between a dedicant & deities, between good friends, or betwixt lovers. There's a lot that can be read into the Heathen gift-exchange, and part of it can be this incorporeal and precious portion of the very special act of giving.
Such is the value represented by Draupnir.
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| [inscription: Remember me, I remember you. Love me, I love you. ~ from a Viking Love Poem, cuff by Runecast Copper.] |
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