My What Is Disting?

Disting is a festival in the old runic calendars. The actual date for Disting is the 25th of January (I have a computer calendar of the old runic calendar and other holidays).

What Disting is all about is to herald the beginning of the return of the vital forces that had turned inward at the time of Winter Night (mid-October). It is a time when many local assemblies are held (the thing or ting). This is also a time when the ground is being made ready for the planting of new seed. It is a time of preparation for things to come.

First of all, let us break down the word "Disting". I’ll start with the "ting" part since more people may be familiar with the term. "Ting" is basically a another spelling of the word "thing ". It’s translation into ting from thing can be taken from the umlaut that look like a cursive "d" with a crossbar on the ascender.

The "thing" is a democratic assembly of the northern peoples. The thing is a time when laws were spoken and disputes settled. "Things" were often held during the times of religious ceremonies. This way all people could come together for the festival and take care of business at the same time.

So, what does the word "Dis" mean? I have had conflicts in my research as of this point but, the "Dis" or "Disir" are female supernatural beings. One source says that the Disir is the Norse guardian goddesses.

One referred to them as Hamingjur - lifelong guardians of humans. They appear to give warnings and advice by dreams. They are compared to guardian angels.

The Disir were referred to in Sweden as nine women dressed in black and carrying swords. They were worshipped during the beginning of winter in a ceremony called the disablot. The Disir brought good luck but they were also merciless in exacting justice.

Yet another source states that Freyja (mother earth, fertility goddess) was the leader of the Disir, a race of female demigods who presided over fertility in nature and humans. These are the Disir that "our" Feast of Disting is based on.


	Disting Disting is a festival in the old runic calendars. The actual date for Disting is the 25th of January (I have a computer calendar of the old runic calendar and other holidays). What Disting is all about is to herald the beginning of the return of the vital forces that had turned inward at the time of Winter Night (mid-October). It is a time when many local assemblies are held (the thing or ting). This is also a time when the ground is being made ready for the planting of new seed. It is a time of preparation for things to come. First of all, let us break down the word "Disting". I’ll start with the "ting" part since more people may be familiar with the term. "Ting" is basically a another spelling of the word "thing ". It’s translation into ting from thing can be taken from the umlaut that look like a cursive "d" with a crossbar on the ascender. The "thing" is a democratic assembly of the northern peoples. The thing is a time when laws were spoken and disputes settled. "Things" were often held during the times of religious ceremonies. This way all people could come together for the festival and take care of business at the same time. So, what does the word "Dis" mean? I have had conflicts in my research as of this point but, the "Dis" or "Disir" are female supernatural beings. One source says that the Disir is the Norse guardian goddesses. One referred to them as Hamingjur - lifelong guardians of humans. They appear to give warnings and advice by dreams. They are compared to guardian angels. The Disir were referred to in Sweden as nine women dressed in black and carrying swords. They were worshipped during the beginning of winter in a ceremony called the disablot. The Disir brought good luck but they were also merciless in exacting justice. Yet another source states that Freyja (mother earth, fertility goddess) was the leader of the Disir, a race of female demigods who presided over fertility in nature and humans. These are the Disir that "our" Feast of Disting is based on.