The house-wight’s fee
The tomten has received his yearly fee. A heaping bowl of oat-porridge with lots of butter and cinnamon (that’s his stone on the hearth, under the wood-holder). Gott nytt ar to all!
Month: December 2015
Reclaiming the term “Polytheist”
A lot has changed over the last couple of decades. Take, for example, the definition of the term “polytheist”. When I first came into Asatru, there were two types of polytheists – hard and soft. Hard polytheists believed in the literal existence of the Gods as distinct entities. Soft polytheists believed in the Gods as… Continue reading Reclaiming the term “Polytheist”
Interview with Joe Marek – godi, Gladsheim Hof
Joe Marek is godi of Gladsheim Kindred in Maryland, which also operates Gladsheim Hof in the town of Columbia, MD. Gladsheim is one of a few facilities in the United States dedicated to Asatru, and Joe was kind enough to do an interview with me concerning their hof, given the recent news out of Iceland… Continue reading Interview with Joe Marek – godi, Gladsheim Hof
Utgarda-Loki
One of the more interesting figures from Norse mythology is Utgarda-Loki (Útgarða-Loki in the original Old Norse, and Utgarthilocus in the Latinized version), whose name means “Loki of the Out-yard“). Found in both Snorri’s Prose Edda and Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (“History of the Danes”), Utgarda-Loki is a giant with god-like powers. Some contemporary Heathens contend that… Continue reading Utgarda-Loki
Mothers’ Night Part Two
Some photos from our family’s Mothers’ Night celebration. We also ended up singing along to Chase Hill’s song “Mother, Listen”, off their new CD “Sing the Sun’s Return” (accompanying booklet with music and lyrics available here) which coincidentally arrived today. Highly recommended! Eclipse awaits the setting of the feast The table is set The Feast… Continue reading Mothers’ Night Part Two
Mothers’ Night Part One
The Yuletide celebration is not just a single day, but a whole season of festivities lasting nearly two weeks. As our own tribal Yule celebration will be held on Saturday, January 2nd, the start of our Yuletide begins twelve days earlier, on Monday, December 21st. The traditional beginning of the season was called Mothers’ Night… Continue reading Mothers’ Night Part One
Welcome Yule-Lads!
Today marks the arrival of the first of the Yule-lads (IS jólasveinarnir); mischievous spirits who arrive one per day for the next twelve days, and each stays for exactly thirteen days, so on the 25th of December, they’re all present. They are the sons of the Icelandic trolls Grýla and Leppalúði, and each has a specific attribute.… Continue reading Welcome Yule-Lads!
Islam to Asatru: Convert or Die
Islam is quite obviously in the news lately, and discussions of whether or not Islam is compatible with Western values are commonplace. But what often gets lost in the shuffle is the fact that Islam treats “people of the book” (Jews and Christians) very differently from we Heathens. The people of the Book have three… Continue reading Islam to Asatru: Convert or Die
Blacksmithing, archery, and mead-brewing
There exists within the Asatru community a bunch of folks who look down on Asatruar who have the “wrong” hobbies. They seem to think that Asatruar who live in 21st century post-industrial societies should scorn popular culture, and have interests that only intersect with our Heathen faith. Mead brewing, archery, and blacksmithing are held to… Continue reading Blacksmithing, archery, and mead-brewing
An eyewitness account of a 10th century blót
The following comes from the Risala of Ibn Fadlan, a Muslim traveler who wrote of his adventures north of the Black Sea in the 10th century CE. Here, he is speaking of the Rus, a group of Norsemen who came from Sweden down the various rivers of western Russia as traders and eventually settlers, and… Continue reading An eyewitness account of a 10th century blót