College Game of LIFE

by MARI PACK

Illustration by RACHEL MAVES

The oldest written source of ancient Norse mythology and Germanic lore, the Poetic Edda, tells the story of Gullveig the witch, who was burned alive three times and skewered like a shish kebab by a pantheon of Norse gods. For decades, historians assumed that Gullveig was tortured as punishment. Her name takes its root from the Old Norse word for gold, which led many to believe that perhaps she was too greedy and needed to be taught a lesson—albeit a rather harsh one.

But a simple morality tale is not in keeping with the Edda’s more prolific style. Modern experts dug deeper, and uncovered that Gullveig’s name actually means “gold brew,” suggesting that she is an incarnation of the goddess Freya, who serves magical golden mead in the Norse afterlife.

Thus, the story of Gullveig’s burning is actually a rendition of Freya’s initiation in the Norse pantheon. Freya is a goddess of fate and magic. She is very wise and she knows witchcraft. Odin, seeking to benefit from her talents, tries to immerse her into his tribe by putting her through an initiation ritual. Freya, in the form of Gullveig the witch, overcomes death by surviving her various burnings and stabbings. She becomes an immortal. Rituals like this one exist in many mythologies and traditions. Experts call them “Pagan Shamanistic Initiation Rituals.” For the god or hero performing them, the transformation involves death, resurrection and restoration. A new name is given, along with a new role in society. Gullveig becomes Freya, a goddess of the Aesir. For humans performing a ritual, the death, resurrection and restoration are all metaphorical. Often, initiation rituals involve a young person’s introduction to the community and into adulthood through a series of tests. Young women might be initiated into a community of Norse witches by reenacting the trials of Freya. In some Native American tribes, a “Man Dance” was performed. Boys of a certain age were strung up and hit with sticks until they passed out. Once recovered, the boys were reintroduced as men, for they had overcome death. They earned a new place in their society and a new name. Religion and mythology experts are quick to point out that most modern societies lack these sorts of coming of age rituals. In the published transcript of their discussions, The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers lament that the young people of today have “no notion of having to give of themselves in order to achieve something.” They lack the instruction once provided by myth. While this is certainly true to an extent— most young people are not willing to be beaten with poles or set on fire—the remnants of these ancient induction rituals still exist. College sports provide an intriguing example. The VCU women’s and men’s rugby teams both award nicknames to new members, an act that is reminiscent as part of an induction ritual. Travis Solberg, a veteran men’s rugby team member, explains that players are awarded a nickname when “they do something stupid”—or rather, when they perform an action that is considered memorable and/ or humorous to the other players. Nick Lynn was given the nickname “Alpo” after he consumed an ALPO dog food sandwich. Rarely, a player may even be awarded a second nickname if he manages to outlive, outperform or out-stupid the first. Sometimes, of course, the nicknames created out of necessity or practicality. “The coach we had last year, Coach Vinnie, needed some way to remember everyone, so he just looked at [a player] and pulled out a characteristic about them. We had an Austin on the team that looked like Mike Meyers. So his name is Austin Powers,” says Solberg.

The women’s rugby team has a similar system. “People on the team get their nicknames in different ways. Some nicknames are actually just shortened versions of first names or last names,” says Team Captain Dominic Reynolds. “Other nicknames are given for unique physical attributes.”

However, many of the nicknames “are given for impressive feats out on the pitch,” continues Reynolds. The team’s toughest player is nicknamed “Killer” because she “displayed outstanding intensity during games.”

Similarly, the VCU men’s rugby team began referring to one of its members as “Brutal Todd,” for his ability to work himself into a frenzy upon entering the pitch. Before schools began cracking down on hazing in the late ‘90s, it is possible that collegiate sports like rugby had additional rituals surrounding new member induction. On some teams, new players once performed “Zulus”, where he or she ran stark naked around the pitch after completing his or her first try (goal).

Although the metaphorical death, resurrection and restoration are less prominent than in the trials once performed by Norse witches, the VCU rugby teams manage to nail the basics. Young men and women, on the cusp of adulthood, give of themselves and please a council of veterans. He or she is then inducted into the team as an equal, and given a new name and a new role within that micro-community.