I’ve noticed that there’s a funny thing that happens when I fall down a research rabbit hole. Ideas I encounter somehow start to become part of my outlook. It seems like when my brain discovers a concept that makes sense on some level, it just gets adopted without a lot of conscious contemplation of it. I’ve begun joking that I’m getting sort of oddly Germanic Middle Ages-ish in my approach to the world and that’s wholly a reflection of where my personal studies have led me recently. One way this is manifesting is through my approach to language.
My current area of fascination is the Bronze and Middle Age cultures of ancient Scandinavia, Iceland, and Germanic Europe. This means I spend a fair bit of time exploring the sagas, stories, chronicles and associated folklore from those regions. One of the ideas that I find really interesting from these cultures is how language was conceptualized and approached.
For ancient Nordic and Germanic European peoples, it appears that the power of breath, and therefore the ability to shape words and speak them, was considered a sacred gift. In the creation story from that part of the world, humans were made from driftwood found on the shore by the sea. That driftwood was given breath first, then intellect, then perception. It’s understandable how words were so important to a culture that held the ability to speak as the first gift given by the gods that created humans.
This concept of the importance of words appears in multiple places. The written form of language we associate with these cultures are runes. There are a few different alphabet systems within runic writing and it appears that the runes were used as both a form of written communication and as a magical system. Rune scripts can be found on large stones that commemorate big moments in history or simply the loss of a beloved family member or friend. Rune scripts that do not make sense as words can also be found on tools, weapons, and more, indicating that these same letters could be used for magical purposes. When a system of language has that kind of power – the ability to create words that stay to convey information and to influence the outcomes of various actions – it’s understandable how language came to carry so much gravity.
The Saga of the Volsungs, one of the legendary sagas, indicates that language through runes was the basis of all reality. In the Saga, the hero Sigurd wakes a valkyrie named Brynhild from an enchanted sleep. She then teaches him about the runes. In the saga, she says:
“Runes were carved on the shield that stood before the shining sun,
On the ears and hooves of the horses that draw the sun
…
They were carved on a bear’s paw and a poet’s tongue
On a wolf’s claw and an eagle’s beak
On bloody wings and a bridges beams
On a helper’s palm and a healer’s footprint.”
(translation by Jackson Crawford)
The saga goes on to say that all these runes engraved in pretty much everything were then shaved off, stirred into a sacred brew, and given to the powerful spirits of the world. Words that became magic in order to shape and support the connection between reality and the beings that dwell within it.
Despite some use of written language through runes, it’s also worth remembering that the majority of Nordic and Germanic European cultures at that point in time used oral communication rather than written. We have good written records from Iceland in the form of the Icelandic Sagas that indicate just how powerfully words governed society. Early Iceland was governed by laws, memorized by someone known as a law-speaker who would then recite those laws from memory at large annual gatherings called Althings. New laws would be developed at these gatherings and likewise spoken aloud for all to hear.
Think about the potency of that for a moment – the words a lawspeaker said governed how society functioned. Those words determined whether someone could seek justice for a slight, how money could be made, and which acts were punishable by the state, up to and including by death. Gatherings like these reflect the mythology as well – the gods of early Nordic cultures were described as meeting to hold court and determine the path forward. These assemblies of people where the law was spoken were therefore a combination of sacred and mundane. A living example of the way the power of language continued to govern the reality of the culture.
Where this really hits for me is in a handful of references to spoken language from a few different sources. There was concern and care taken when it came to what was spoken into reality. It’s even reflected in the magic of the day. A seeress didn’t only look into the future. She set that future in motion by speaking about what she saw. The words she selected were the ones that set the law – the pattern – into reality. So having one’s fortune told was a powerful and dangerous thing. There are references in different stories to someone trying to force a seeress to speak, or trying to force a seeress to be silent, all in the service of shaping a desired future.
This comes up in more casual conversations as well. In one of the sagas, one man jokingly asks another what the outcome would be if they fought. The second man answers “I would not even speak that idea into being.” The power of language to directly impact outcome wasn’t limited to powerful people in the society – the potency of words was something that belonged to everyone.
At this point you’re probably wondering how long your history lesson is going to last this morning, and the truth is that I’d love to keep quoting sources at you, but I also respect your time. So let’s pivot.
One of my own journeys with language has involved self-talk. Like so many other people you know, I am a member of your community who lives with mental illness. This means that from roughly puberty onward, I’ve had a brain that gets a little odd at times. I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, some PTSD from a really screwed up first marriage, and some issues related to depression that are blessedly intermittent. All of these neurological patterns can mean that my self-talk – the words I say whether aloud or silently to myself, can be absolutely awful. Learning tools and techniques to modify those messages made a huge difference in my life.
Words do have power. Today, over a thousand years since Sigurd talked to a Valkyrie, our words still shape reality. One of the best techniques I learned for adjusting self-talk was developing a counter-statement that made the original words neutral rather than happy. Many times if we just interject some sort of positive thinking into a harmful thought cycle, we’ll reject the sugar coating. But rephrasing a thought to be neutral has proven effective for me and many other people.
One thing I used to say to myself a lot anytime I became exhausted or overwhelmed was “I am so lazy.” The counter-statement I developed for that one was “I am doing what I can with the energy I have right now. That’s all anyone gets to do.”
And here’s the amazing part. I countered the harmful statement so many times that my brain stopped sending it. It’s been years since I tried to tell myself that my own exhaustion meant I was lazy. This ability to reshape a thought pattern is referred to as neuroplasticity, and is at the base of a lot of mental health treatment. That countering technique has proven very effective for me over the years. When I catch a repeating thought that’s harmful or irrational, I almost immediately develop a counter-statement now. Because of this and other measures, my mental health is currently managed at the best level it’s ever been.
I used language to change my reality. I selected the words I spoke to myself carefully, and they literally changed how I exist in the world.
Now let’s zoom out.
Right now, we are subjected to more words from more people than at any point in history prior to this one. Without firm guardrails, there’s an endless firehose of language, images, and subtle forms of messaging aimed directly at us. Capitalism functions by convincing us we are lacking enough that we need to buy something to fix the problem. Political power is reinforced by the endless repetition of sound bites – complex ideas boiled down to the point that they no longer really mean anything. Even our personal relationships are part of this pattern. What our closest friends and loved ones say to us influences everything from our moods to the activities we choose to engage in to large decisions like where to live or work.
Language is everywhere and we are drowning in it. There’s so much information surrounding us that we’ve forgotten what older cultures who lived in less sensorily overwhelming times knew well: the words we hear and the words we speak have power. They can shape perception, which shapes reality. Words can inspire people to better themselves and their society. And, words can stoke fear and division. We’re experiencing a masterclass in that lattermost point right now.
So how do we bring this all together?
I have long been what I consider to be an impulsive speaker. I was a theater kid in high school and then a radio DJ when I was in the Marine Corps, which means my impulse is to find witty rejoinders for pretty much everything. I like making people laugh. I use comedy to help break up tension. And that impulse has its place – it can be a good thing. But I’m thinking a lot more about phrasing. What am I speaking into reality? When I crack a joke, am I punching up or punching down? What are we laughing at, exactly? I’ve noticed that I use self-deprecating humor a lot, and I’m trying to change that.
I also love to share my opinion. Giving sermons is a fantastic illustration of that point. I’m a teacher and a writer, all forms of communication involving words. I’m not about to change the fact that on a deep level I want to share my ideas and experiences with others. But I’m thinking a lot more about the balance of conversation. Does something being said really need my comment on it? When I engage with a topic, what does that do to the topic? Am I okay with granting something legitimacy with my attention? What pieces of reality am I reinforcing with my own words? Am I using language in a way that is consistent with the world I want to build?
This is creeping into my media consumption as well. A friend of mine has a saying that I love, which is “what you do repeatedly is who you are.” If I spend a lot of my day doom scrolling or getting in fights with strangers on the internet, who am I becoming? What are those words doing to me in addition to everyone else? Whether we want them to or not, words we are exposed to do influence us. Words we use contribute to how we move forward in the world.
Where I’m focusing right now is on bringing more intention and deliberacy to how I engage with language. Sometimes that does mean catching a verbal quip after I’ve already said it – I am evolving, as always. But it’s beginning to show in conversations where I once would have waded in without a second thought. I’m thinking more about how much news I consume, from which sources, and how best to stay informed without also opening myself up to the harmful manipulation that is being deliberately inflicted by the political powers in this country.
Words do underpin reality. Maybe not in the “carved into an owl’s beak and then made into a potion” sense of things, but definitely in the way words influence how we and others interact with the world. Words can literally change how we think.
As we continue to live our values and work to build the beloved community, remember the power of language. What words are you hearing, and do they serve your vision? What words do you speak in silence to yourself, and are they helping you? And, what are you speaking aloud into reality? What future are you shaping when you use the breath of life to place an idea into the world?
We do not need to wake up a valkyrie to appreciate what language can do. We just need to remember: the words we speak help shape the story to come. Language is, and has always been, more than just letters.
This sermon was first offered to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on Sunday, August 23rd, 2026.
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