Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
Why Do Blue Jeans Have That Extra Little Pocket on the Right?
You've probably noticed that every pair of blue jeans has an extra little side pocket sewn in above the right-hand pocket.
You may have heard this called a “watch pocket,” a vestigial sartorial left-over from the days of pocket watches.
Don't believe it. Here's the real story.
Among the ancient Norse, for obvious reasons, it was customary to carry a small image of one's luck-god on one's person. This hlutr-god (hlutr is cousin to English lot, as in drawing lots) would be suspended from the belt in a little pouch of its own.
(Possibly the most famous story about a lot-god in the lore is that of Einarr Skálarglam. Einarr, a Norwegian, was considering a move to Iceland, but hadn't yet made up his mind. In the meantime, the little silver image of his luck-god Frey, which he carried with him at all times, disappeared. Frey appears to Einarr in a dream, and tells him to settle in Iceland after all. “When you dig the hole for your house's king-post, there you'll find my hlutr,” he tells him. Of course, everything turns out exactly as the god says.)
(Incidentally, Einarr's descendants still live on that same farm in Iceland.)
So, now you know.
Sure, you can call your god-pocket a “watch-pocket,” if you want to.
But—as every good god-bearing pagan knows—that's just the cover story.
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