Yule Celebrations In Norway

Yule or Yule-tide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the Historical Germanic Peoples as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Some historians claim that the celebration is connected to the Wild Hunt or was influenced by Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to “Yule” are still used in the Nordic Countries for the Christian Christmas, but also for other religious holidays of the season. In modern times this has gradually led to a more secular Tradition under the same name as Christmas. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule. In modern times, Yule is observed as a cultural festival and also with religious rites by some Christians and by some Neopagans.

Although Yule proper starts with the chiming of the church-bells in the afternoon of julaften (“Yule Eve” or “Christmas Eve”) on December 24, the previous day lillejulaften (little Christmas Eve), when the tree is put up and decorated, is increasingly the actual start date for the 13 day long Yule celebration in Norway.

Julaften remains the main event, with a traditional lunch, dinner and the exchange of gifts. Traditional dishes vary by region, but ribbe (pork ribs), and pinnekjott, some places also codfish are eaten. As a continuation of older beliefs, a bowl of porridge is sometimes left outside for nisse that evening.

Throughout December many gather for a julebord, Christmas parties sponsored by companies and institutions for their employees and associates to eat and drink traditional dishes.

The time period between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, is called romjul. Occasionally children dress up in costumes and visit neighbours, where they sing Yuletide carols and receive treats like candy, nuts and clementines. This tradition is called julebukk.

In the old days in certain areas, primarily Setesdalen, adults commonly went from house to house drinking, an event called Toftirus, during the 13 days surrounding Christmas eve. Although increasingly rare and localized, this tradition had developed into today’s Drammebukk, where adults visit neighbors in the evening.

For some it is a tradition to watch television shows on Yule Eve. The popular shows are “Tre Notter Til Askepott” (Three Nuts for Cinderella), a Czech-German fairy-tale, and “Reisen til Julestjernen”, a Norwegian film.
Shetland Islands

In the Shetland Islands of Scotland the Yules are considered to last a month beginning on December 18 and ending January 18. The main Yules celebration occurs on December 31. The rest of Scotland eventually adopted “Hogmanay” (the name of the New Years presents) as the name for the festival.

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The Galdrabok An Icelandic Grimoire

Book: The Galdrabok An Icelandic Grimoire by Stephen Flowers

The so-called Galdrabok,' or "Book of Magic," is the single most important document for understanding the practice of magic in late medieval Iceland. It is especially important in that it give, a unique insight into the various religio-magical elements that went into a synthetic national magical tradition in Iceland all the time of its compilation. No other document of comparable age gives so many details of the preservation of the archaic Germanic gods, cosmology, and magical practices as does this little manuscript. Here we are not dependent on folktales or indirect reports through confessions exacted by the tortures of the Inquistion or other churchly authorities to reconstruct the magicoreligious views of the galdramenn (magicians) of the day; instead, we have direct evidence of actual practices written by the magicians' own hands. In many ways the Galdrabok is to the Icelandic folktales of magic' what the runic inscriptions are to the accounts of magic recorded in the sagas. They provide factual corroboration of what otherwise might have been considered, form of fantasy.

In this volume the reader will find not only an annotated translation of the complete Galdrabok but also a similar treatment of selections from other written sources of Germanic magical practice from all of the Germanic peoples. However, in no region did the old ways and the old Gods and goddesses survive so well as in Iceland. And because we are focusing on these texts for what is uniquely Germanic about them, leaving as secondary what is common to every European tradition, we will concentrate mainly on Icelandic sources in this study. Our two principal areas of interest will be the preservation of the Old Gods and the preservation of the unique forms of Germanic magical practice inherited from the heathen age.

In preparing this work for modern publication, I've made every effort to remain true to the original text of the Gaklrabok. Irregularities in capitalization and spelling are left as in the original as they may have special meaning or significance.

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Ask And Embla

"All men and women are descendants from Ask and Embla, the primordial man and women who were found, as tree trunks on the strand, by Odin, Hoenir and Lodur and given life. Thus, Asatru is the legacy of all humans."

This is part of the lore of the Northern people. There are thousands of such stories told by cultures both ancient and modern, from the Old Testament to the interior of the Amazon today.

Humans in their tribal state were extremely ethnocentric, and often their various groupings bear names that mean something like "the true people" or "the real human beings" to distinguish themselves from their neighbors. Likewise, their creation myths tend to be ethnocentric and to pertain only to themselves - not to all of humankind, with which they are not particularly concerned.

To argue that all humans are descended of Ask and Embla is to say that the myths of every other native culture are wrong, and that only ours is right. From the Australian Outback to the depths of Africa, groups have their own explanations for how they came to be. It is the
height of arrogance to assume that our stories apply to them, and that the sacred tales of their own people are false. Unless we assume that their lore is inferior and inaccurate, we are forced to the logical conclusion that each group is right - so long as it speaks to its own people, and no other.

Indeed, to say that our creation story is the only true one is to deny the existence and validity of other peoples' Gods - for it imposes Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur upon these other folk, shoving their Gods rudely out of the picture and negating their own religious explanations for the nature of things. Most Asatruar would not support such religious imperialism. To say that ours is the "one, true" story of human origin smacks not only of religious intolerance but...well, racism!

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Pertho Rune

Pertho is one of the most mysterious Runes of the Elder Futhark. Before all it represents passing into the unknown or even initiation, but the term “initiation” can just as well be connected to Eihwaz as the Rune of death. This Rune can represent the female womb and the fertility cauldron of the mother Goddess. Its shape reminds one of a chalice, which is another association to the womb of the Goddess. The Rune itself signifies mystery, a mysterious event that changes one's life and leads him into a new state of consciousness or a new way of being. Because of this Pertho besides the womb represents a gate or a passage of every kind, but most often the one that leads into the unknown. By passing Eihwaz we have reached an unknown ground, a field we're facing to the first time, which can be caused by a change that has come to being in Eihwaz. But, Pertho can act independent from us and our facing ourselves, so the unexpected change can ensue, enacted by unknown forces. In which ever way you fall under the influence of this Rune, it will always signify a new beginning and a new life.

Divination:

Positive meaning: destiny, fertility, new beginning.

Negative meaning: unpleasant surprise, discovering an unpleasant secret, dangers in experimenting with the occult.

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Seidr Magic

Book: Seidr Magic by Ed Richardson

Of all the reconstructed systems of archaic magickal practice, Seidr seems to be one of the most misunderstood. This is partly because of its sinister reputation, and partly because of sexist notions that only women ever practised divination. All too often Seidr is mistaken for the craft of the Volva, where in reality (if such a notion is useful) the Volvas were only part of a far wider practice. In order to make sense of the collection of beliefs and practices which make up Seidr, some definitions shall be considered, followed by a look at some of the practices involved and their implications. This whole essay shall illustrate examples found in the myths of Northern Europe.

Seidr literally means 'seething' or 'boiling' and has much in common with shamanism and other forms of primitive magick. Indeed it is highly likely that Seidr is an adaptation of shamanic practices to suit the culture and times, when primitive society evolved discovering religion, agriculture and metallurgy. However, Seidr is not a religious practice; it is a magickal practice which is where some of its sinister reputation originates. Jan Fries explains that the Seidr magickians would sell their craft, which makes them something akin to occult mercenaries. Its use is always pragmatic and is reflected as such in the myths. The myths play a vital role in understanding Northern magick as they show how the Aesir, Vanir, Giants and Humanity used magick to deal with problems, hinting at techniques that may be useful today.

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God Vidar Shoe

Vidar is tall, strong, and handsome, has a broad-bladed sword, and besides his armor wears a great leather shoe. Vidar's "thick shoe" consists of all the leather waste pieces that Northern cobblers have cut from their own shoes at the toe and heel, collected by the God throughout all time. As it was very important that the shoe should be large and strong enough to resist the Fenris wolf’s sharp teeth at the last day, it became a matter of religious observance among Northern shoe-makers to give away as many odds and ends of leather as possible.

The Norns’ Prophecy

One day, when Vidar had joined his peers in Valhalla, they welcomed him gaily, for they all loved him and placed their reliance upon him, for they knew he would use his great strength in their favor in time of need. But after he had quaffed the golden mead, Allfather bade him accompany him to the Urdar fountain, where the Norns were busy weaving their web. When questioned by Odin concerning his future and Vidar’s destiny, the three sisters answered oracularly each by the following short sentences:

“Early begun.”
“Further spun.”
“One day done.”

To which their mother, Wyrd, the primitive goddess of fate, added: “With joy once more won.”

These mysterious answers would have remained totally unintelligible to the Gods, had she not gone on to explain that time progresses, that all must change, but that even if the father fell in the last battle, his son Vidar would be his avenger, and would live to rule over a regenerated world, after having conquered all his enemies.

“There sits Odin’s
Son on the horse’s back;
He will avenge his father.” - NORSE mythology (R. B. Anderson)

At Wyrd’s words the leaves of the world tree began to flutter as if agitated by a breeze, the eagle on its topmost bough flapped its wings, and the serpent Nidhug for a moment suspended its work of destruction at the roots of the tree. Grid, joining the father and son, rejoiced with Odin when she heard that their son was destined to survive the older Gods and to rule over the new heaven and earth.

“There dwell Vidar and Vale
In the gods’ holy seats,
When the fire of Surt is slaked.” - NORSE mythology (R. B. Anderson)

Vidar, however, said not a word, but slowly wended his way back to his palace Landvidi, in the heart of the primeval forest, where, sitting down upon his throne, he pondered long about eternity, futurity, and infinity. If he fathomed their secrets he never revealed them, for the ancients averred that he was “as silent as the grave” — a silence which indicated that no man knows what awaits him in the life to come.

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Your Ancestors Matter

We Asatruar acknowledge our link to the clan, the family line of which we are a part. This article is intended to facilitate just such a remembrance. It is adapted from a new brochure available from the AFA - one of a series designed to make the central elements of Asatru more accessible to ordinary men and women.

There is a widespread belief in the modern Western world that Ancestors don't matter very much. This is particularly true of the Ancestors of European-Americans; among some writers and academics, "dead White male" is synonymous with irrelevance.

Luckily for us (and for the generations to come), a healthy interest in genealogy and family history defies this rootless, alienated worldview. Why do we care about our ancestors in a world that values self-satisfaction above all else? What does the deeper wisdom of our soul say about this? And just what is our relationship to those who have gone before us? Why does it all matter?

Native cultures in every part of the world revere their forebears. The American Indians, the Australian natives, African tribes, Asian peoples - all give special place to their kin who preceded them. Only in so-called modern societies, those most locked into the pursuit of material things and most distanced from the world of nature, have we forgotten the importance of the ancestral connection.

By ancient tradition, the barrier between the dead and the living is thinner at certain times of the year: Yule is one of these occasions, and the old Celtic festival of Samhain (popularly known as Halloween) is another. At these times, watch your dreams, and listen with your inner ear for the whispers of those of your line who have gone before.

There is much to be gained from the ancestors, and we have barely touched the possibilities in this short essay. Of course, they gave us the greatest gift of all, life itself - for if that golden chain of generations had been broken at any point, we would not be here! But we have our responsibilities, too. Above all, the family honor must be kept intact and the ancestors themselves must be given the high status they deserve. Obviously, we should do all we can to ensure that we have healthy children to continue the line into the future.

Once we understand the bond extending down the generations, we know that we can never truly be without family. Always there are the unseen ones, affecting events and reminding us that we are a part of a great stream of lives, seeking ever to express who and what we are.

Honoring the ancestors (who are, after all, us as we were before) is one of the three key principles to the European soul. The other ones are, respectively, the living of a life of courage and truth, and the right relationship with the Mighty Powers themselves.

The spiritual wisdom of the bold and free European tribes did not die out. It was suppressed - but it cannot be hidden forever, for it exists within us, the people who share this noble heritage!

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Yule Celebrations In Great Britain

Yule or Yule-tide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Some historians claim that the celebration is connected to the Wild Hunt or was influenced by Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to “Yule” are still used in the Nordic Countries for the Christian Christmas, but also for other religious holidays of the season. In modern times this has gradually led to a more secular tradition under the same name as Christmas. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule. In modern times, Yule is observed as a cultural festival and also with religious rites by some Christians and by some Neopagans.

In Britain and other parts of the British Influenced world, the modern Yule or Yuletide is more commonly associated with Christmas (along with Christmastide) which generally supplanted it around the 11th century other than in North East England where it remained the usual word (and had the variants of yel and yul), possibly being reinforced by the Norse influence (see Danelaw) on that region. It was revived in regular use in standard English during the 19th century however the name Yule log was recorded earlier in the 17th century.

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Germanic And Celtic Religions

The only real differences between Germanic and Celtic religion seem to be the names by which the Gods are called. A viking of the tenth century would likely have felt quite comfortable in a Celtic ritual among the Gauls a thousand years earlier. Celtic religion deviates from the "Asatru norm" no more than do, for example, a priestess of Freya in Iceland and a warrior pledged to Wotan in Germany in Herman's time. Indeed, one is inclined to say that there is only "European religion" - and that the Germanic and Celtic beliefs are two expressions of it.

So what are the implications of all this? Well, it means that the Irishman need not feel out-of-place calling on Gods more often associated with Norway's fjords than the Emerald Isles hills and valleys. Ultimately all us Northfolk are spiritual as well as genetic kin.

Also Celtic-Germanic unity flies in the face of the sometimes-herard assertions that since Europeans often boast roots in different countries we're somehow mixed ancestry. How often have you heard someone say "I'm a Heinz 57 blend...part Irish, part Swedish, with some Englis h and German thrown in?" Clearly that's not mixed at all, because the Northern peoples are essentially one, in both their physical aspects and in their ancient relgiions. We musn't let people divided us on the basis of superficialities!

Thirdly, the catalog of our similarities measn we can use the one to fill gaps in our knowldge of the other.l As we reconstitute the tapestry of our ancient Asatru beliefs, there will be holes where the moths of time and persecution have done their work. But if we know the common pattern and how it's woven in the Celtic material, we can patch the holes with greater confidence.

Enough! All this scholarship makes thirsty work! I'm going to pour a fine bottle of Guiness into my mead horn, and toast all things Celtic/Nordic...Skoal, and Slainte, to you!

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Norse Mythology Legends Of Gods And Heroes

Book: Norse Mythology Legends Of Gods And Heroes by Peter Andreas Munch

The Norwegian original on which the present translation is based was written by Peter Andreas Munch, the founder of the Norwegian school of history. Munch’s scholarly interests embraced also many related subjects, such as general history, archaeology, geography, ethnography, linguistics, and jurisprudence. His varied labors have in large part stood the test of time. His most important work, the “History of the Norwegian People” (Det norske folks historie, 8 vols. 1851–63) covering the period of Norway’s ancient independence ending with the Kalmar Union of 1397, still remains a source book and a point of departure for historians. The great significance of Munch’s scholarship lies in its influence upon the modern renascence of Norwegian culture. In the middle of the nineteenth century he was the most conspicuous intellectual force in the country, as Wergeland had been before him and as Bjornson came to be after him. The national spirit in Norway, which has steadily gained strength, owes a heavy debt to the gifted leaders of an earlier generation, not least among whom was Munch. As an historian, as an editor of Old Norse poetry and saga, as a recorder of the venerable myths and legends of the race, he did yeoman service in establishing a sense of historical continuity between the Norway of the past and the Norway of the present. Since his day, Norwegians have labored in the fields of history, folklore, and related subjects, deepening and strengthening that fruitful sense of national consciousness which he did so much to awaken.

Munch’s handbook of Norse Mythology, which first appeared in 1840, was originally written as a supplementary volume to a school text on the history of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. As a book for students and as a work of general reference it has maintained its popularity. The third edition (1922) from which the translation is made, was prepared by Professor Magnus Olsen of the University of Oslo, in response to the demand for an up-to-date treatment of the entire subject. He found it advisable, however, to revise Munch’s work rather than to attempt a wholly original book, since he was thus able to incorporate the results of later research in a volume which had long enjoyed both popular and scholarly approval. The value of Munch’s work has been greatly increased through Professor Olsen’s revision.

The English translation is intended as a companion volume to two other books published in the SCANDINAVIAN CLASSICS series, The Prose Edda, translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, and The Poetic Edda, translated by Henry Adams Bellows. Norse mythology will serve alike the student of Old Norse literature, and the general reader who seeks an authoritative guide through the world of Northern myth and legend. My thanks are due to Professor Magnus Olsen for permission to translate the work, and to Professor William Witherle Lawrence, of Columbia University, Chairman of the Publications Committee of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, for many valuable suggestions. - S. B. H.

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Runes For Transformation Using Ancient Symbols To Change Your Life

Book: Runes For Transformation Using Ancient Symbols To Change Your Life by Kaedrich Olsen

Runes have long been used as vital tools for transformation. The Norse employed them as tools for communication, and the Vikings would use them as wisdom before embarking on a journey or entering battle. Runic scholar Kaedrich Olsen reclaims the transformative power of the runes for readers today as a key to unlocking our potential for personal growth and our life's vision. Runes for Transformation is unlike any other rune book on the market, with Olsen's unique techniques and applications for this ancient alphabet including affirmations, NLP, visualizations, and meditation, as well as the historical background essential to embarking on this path. A highly respected teacher and transpersonal path worker, Kaedrich Olsen posits that the time for this "deeper working" of the runes has come and this will aid readers in both personal and collective evolution. Runes for Transformation is a rich resource and excellent guide for readers to take the steps to change their lives with a boldly modern approach to the ancient runes and for "change that really matters."

While runes are commonly used for divination, this book delves more deeply into their mysteries. It is an excellent resource for someone who wishes to use them in magic and provides helpful exercises for developing a personal connection with them. I found the section on bindrunes and runic power words to be particularly useful. If you are solely focused on using runes in divination, this may not be ideal for you at this point in your studies, although it does give excellent perspectives on the the runes from different angles, which will improve your understanding of their meanings. The primary focus of this book is on using the runes for personal growth and the discussion of their divinatory use is limited to only a couple of pages. If you are new to the runes, this may not be the best place to start, as it seems a bit more advanced to me. If you are someone who is looking for something beyond the new age fluff books on runes that are floating around out there, this may be perfect for you.

Kaedrich Olson has provided a new perspective on runeology for the students of runelore. While many have looked for magik within the Runes, Kaedrich brings us a method for finding the magik within ourselves, and using these combined powers to transform our lives, and the lives of others. This is a "must read" for students and scholars alike.

Kaedrich Olsen has studied the runes and Northern mysteries for over 20 years. He also studied spiritually based hypnotherapy and Shamanism in order to become a transpersonal hypnotherapist. Within this practice, he applies runic wisdom to develop powerful techniques his clients use to transform their lives. Kaedrich lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two daughters, where he is an accomplished leader in the Nordic spiritual community.

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Asatru Holidays February Horning

Horning 2,
Barri: This is the day we celebrate the wooing by Ingvi Freyr of the maiden Gerd, a symbolic marriage of the Vanir God of Fertility with the mother Earth. It is a festival of fertility, the planted seed and the plowed furrow. For those of you who garden, this is the time to plant seeds indoors, to later be transplanted in the summer garden.

Horning 9,
Day of Remembrance for Eyvind Kinnrifi: Olaf tortured him to death by placing a bowl of red-hot embers on his stomach until his body burst open. Eyvind’s crime was a steadfast loyalty to the Old Gods. A good day to reflect on kristjan kindness.

Horning 14,
Feast of Vali: This feast originally celebrated the death of Hothr at the hands of Vali. This late winter festival relates to the triumphant return of the light of the sun over the dark days of winter. Today it is traditional celebration of the family. A time for the customary exchange of cards and gifts with loved ones. It is also a time for the renewal of marriage vows and an occasion for marriages.

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Gods And Goddesses Real But Different

To say that the Gods and Goddesses are real is not to tell us much. The next question is...what are they like?
Aside from the odd personal encounter and rare representations as statues or on old tapestries, the only descriptions we have of the Holy Powers are in the myths. When we look at the stories, we find Thor pictured as a muscular fellow with a red beard and flashing blue eyes. Odin is a tall, older man with a gray beard and one eye, and he sometimes travels in the company of his two wolves and ravens. Freyr - well, he's a fertility God, with the appropriate physical attributes.

Are we to take these vivid, dramatic images literally? That depends on how you want to think of the Gods and the myths in which they appear. Here are two possibilities:

We can think of myth as metaphor. In this scheme, the myths are symbolic ways of transmitting spiritual truths. They have multiple layers of meaning. On the most obvious and superficial level, they are entertaining tales that often make a moral point or illustrate virtues like the love of wisdom, sacrifice, and bravery.

Below this level, things get trickier. Some mythologists (not themselves followers of our ancestral religion) will say they are allegories describing natural phenomena such as lightning, or the warming of the land with the departure of winter, or the cycle by which vegetation grows, dies in the winter, and comes to life again in the spring.

Psychologists, particularly those who are students of Dr. Carl Jung, interpret the myths as depictions of psychic realities rather than external ones. In this model, the ancient stories tell us important things about the personal and collective unconscious. The heroic quest and the growth and maturation of the individual are typical themes. The Gods and goddesses are thought of as psychic forces in the person and in society, but are not considered objectively real.

We can admit the value of these viewpoints in a technical or analytical sense, while not conceding they represent the whole truth. Many Asatruar consider the myths to be true - not in the literal sense but in the sense of tales which tell spiritual truths, "those things which never happened, but always are." The tales of Gods become allegories, some of which can be deciphered by reason. Others cannot be interpreted in terms of logic, because they speak a deeper, non-linear "meta-language," the secret code of the unconscious. In this case, the myths communicate with us subtly, without words, influencing our mind and spirit.

For Asatruar who think of the myths as metaphor, the Gods and Goddesses are real, but the anthropomorphic images of them presented in the old lore are strictly symbolic. Thor is not really a gigantic, muscular, man-like figure with a red beard, any more than Jehovah is a human-shaped entity in a white gown sitting on a golden throne, surrounded by clouds. The description of Thor we find in the stories gives us a way to relate to the very real force in the cosmos that we call Thor, but it is not him.

The Gods and Goddesses are not limited by the constraints of flesh and blood. So while it is convenient for us to picture Freya as a beautiful woman wearing a shining necklace, or Heimdal as having golden teeth, these are allegorical. The Gods and Goddesses themselves are mighty spiritual powers, existing within us and without us, capable of manifesting to humans in any form they wish.

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Fehu Rune

This is the Rune of wealth and expansive energy. It represents a new beginning, so it is used to enable the beginning of a project. Its number is One, the number of the beginning. In its original interpretation Fehu means cattle. If we imagine an agricultural community, we will easily realize that the livestock plays a vital role in life within the community. Fehu represents possessions, earned or deserved, so it also represents material gains. Since bulls were sacrificed to Frey, which we know from some Sagas as well, we can directly connect Fehu to him, although it's often connected to his sister Freya. Seeing that Frey and Freya are fertility Gods, Fehu is also connected to this phenomenon. The aspect of Fehu must always be present in our life if we want to live it in a good way. Because if we're not materially set, if we don't have good employment or a place of residence, we can hardly advance in a spiritual way. Fehu is also connected to Gulveig, the deity of gold, i.e. material wealth. Gulveig is actually just another aspect of Freya.

Divination:

Positive meaning: financial strength, power, wealth, success, fertility, new beginning.

Negative meaning: material losses, greed, sexual frustration.

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Asatru As A Warrior Religion

Asatru also has strong warrior ethics embodied in it. Nearly all of the Gods and goddesses have battle proficiencies of one sort or another. Ancient warriors called upon these war Gods and Goddesses to bless them in their battles.

Odin, sitting on Hlidskialf, proficient with the spear, magic and deception, represented intelligence warfare. Thor and his mighty Mjolnir represented fierce hand-to-hand combat. Many of the Goddesses also exhibited martial virtues. Frigga also shared Hlidskialf with Odin and was proficient in magic and deception. Freya garnered half of the fallen warriors to take back to her hall. The Valkyries, women warriors serving Odin, were known as fierce fighters as well. Without doubt, Asatru embodies a strong warrior ethic.

Perhaps most obvious of Asatru’s warrior spirit is embodied in one of its most recognized and used symbols: the hammer. The hammer represents Thor’s Mjollnir with which he smites the foes of the Aesir and Vanir. This symbol is almost universally recognized as Asatru’s symbol and shows that Asatru sees conflict as a key theme of the universe and being prepared for it and dealing with it are central obligations.

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Important For Every Gothi

It is important for every Gothi to have a library, for study and reference, but also to share with others who seek knowledge of their precious heritage. This, of course, like all of the other requirements of the job, is a life's work. Begin with the Elder Edda, study The Havamal daily, but also learn the ancient myths of our Gods and Goddesses. Learn the myths and unlock the keys to the Nine Worlds. Study the Runes and obtain a set of them, or better yet, make your own. Learn the Runes, and use them. Read the wealth of information about our heroes in the Sagas, and obtain and read every possible book about the history, culture, customs, and lore of our ancestors. Of course study the Viking Age, but don't forget that the history of our people began with Ask and Embla, and continues on today. Where are you going to find time to do all of this reading? Why don't you start by selling your television and using the proceeds to buy books? And please, list your library in your Will so that when you die your precious book hoard doesn't wind up in the Goodwill box! You must acquire all of the knowledge that you can, because the Folk with come to you with their questions. Be prepared to answer them.

It is also important for the aspiring Gothi or Gythia to obtain the ritual tools necessary for your work. I know that it will take many years to obtain or build them, but you must do it all the same. Since the beginning of our people's spiritual awareness, the most precious possession of our holy men and women was the ritual bowl. Pronounced Bowli in Old Norse. It is symbolized in the shape of the Perthro Rune. It contains the power of our Gods, the luck and fortune of the tribe, the receptacle of our will and aspirations, and the holy offerings that we make to our Gods. It is the primal possession of the Shaman and the priest. It is sacred.

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Seeking Kindred Membership In The Asatru Alliance

Whereas the Asatru Alliance is not a mail order church, there are no provisions for individual membership in the Alliance. To be a member of the Alliance, you must belong to an official Alliance kindred that is, a Kindred that has met all criteria for membership in the Alliance and has petitioned the Thing for full membership, and has been accepted by an official vote of the Thing.

The Alliance has provisions for people who are trying to form Kindreds. You need to write the secretary/treasurer of the Alliance and outline your request to form a Formational Kindred with the Alliance. In this letter you must declare that you will uphold the By Laws of the Alliance, and make an honest effort to respond to all inquires that you may receive of people wishi ng to make contact with you for possible Kindred membership. That does not imply that you have to accept any or all of the people who contact you, it just means that you at least have the courtesy to respond to their request for information.

Your Kindred will then be listed in the Kindred Listings of the Alliance in the Formational Kindred section. This allows our many Vor Tru readers to seek out a Kindred in their area for possible membership. When you eventually are ready for Official Kindred status, you then send your delegate with membership petition to the AlThing.

I might add at this point that it is very important to have a permanent and secure mailing address. I do not advise using your home address, but rather a Post Office box, for security reasons. You do not want some psyched out Jesus Freak paying you a midnight visit to vandalize or terrorize you. The worst that they can do to your Post Office box is to scratch your numbers off, or write you a hate letter. It is also important that this be a permanent address, for it is very confusing for everyone when a Kindred changes its address.

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Asatru Modern Fantasy

"Asatru is a religion, and joining it is no different than becoming an Episcopalian, a Muslim, or a Wiccan. Asatru is no more 'European' than Islam is 'Arabic' or Buddhism is 'Asian.'"

This is a modern fantasy. No indigenous group really believes that its religion is just a set of practices and abstract concepts, separate from membership in the community, to be adopted or set aside at will by outsiders. People may decide to become a Baptist or a Lutheran, but no one looks in the mirror while brushing their teeth in the morning, and thinks "Hey, I'm tired of being a Catholic. I think I'll become a Lakota Sioux."

Native religion is not something apart from the life of the tribe. Religion, politics, economics, values and customs are all part of one thing. There is no real separation among them. Taken as a whole, this aggregate is the "Way" of the group; religion becomes one particular fraction of "the way the tribe is in the world, and what the tribe does."

Some religions, in contrast, are not based on the experience of a particular group, but on abstract philosophy or a revelation divorced from any tribal or national group. The monotheistic religions are the best examples of these. One can drift from Methodism to Mormonism, or
from Catholicism to Islam, based on abstract reasoning or emotional attachment. It is here, not in indigenous belief, that the proposition of our critics finds its natural home. Those who attack
Asatru because of its Folkish basis still carry with them the mental assumptions of Christianity and the other philosophical, universalist sects.

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Stories From Northern Myths

Book: Stories From Northern Myths by Emilie Kip Baker

"Stories from Northern Myth" written in 1914 by Emilie Kip Baker. Most of the existing records on Norse mythology date from the 11th to 18th century, having gone through more than two centuries of oral preservation in what was at least officially a Christian society. At this point scholars started recording it, particularly in the Eddas and the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, who believed that pre-Christian deities trace real historical people. There is also the Danish Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, where the Norse gods are more strongly Euhemerized. The Prose or Younger Edda was written in the early 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, who was a leading skald, chieftain, and diplomat in Iceland. It may be thought of primarily as a handbook for aspiring skalds. It contains prose explications of traditional "kennings," or compressed metaphors found in poetry. These prose retellings make the various tales of the Norse gods systematic and coherent.

The mythological literature relates the legends of heroes and kings, as well as supernatural creatures. These clan and kingdom founding figures possessed great importance as illustrations of proper action or national origins. The heroic literature may have fulfilled the same function as the national epic in other European literatures, or it may have been more nearly related to tribal identity. Many of the legendary figures probably existed, and generations of Scandinavian scholars have tried to extract history from myth in the sagas.

Sometimes the same hero resurfaces in several forms depending on which part of the Germanic world the epics survived such as Weyland/Volund and Siegfried/Sigurd, and probably Beowulf/Bodvar Bjarki. Other notable heroes are Hagbard, Starkad, Ragnar Lodbrok, Sigurd Ring, Ivar Vidfamne and Harald Hildetand. Notable are also the shieldmaidens who were ordinary women who had chosen the path of the warrior. These women function both as heroines and as obstacles to the heroic journey.

Download Emilie Kip Baker's eBook: Stories From Northern Myths

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Shedding The Psychic Remnants Of Christianity

Most of the lore-based arguments against our Folkish worldview are based on the four presented above. In general, they show a common thread - namely, Christian thinking!

First, the idea that all humans spring from Ask and Embla may be appealing from a simplistic viewpoint, but it implies the non- existence of other peoples' Gods and thus reflects the same religious imperialism we find in historical Christianity.

Likewise, to propose that the Aesir and Vanir have sex outside their "race" (species?) is to use the Eddic texts in the literal way that fundamentalist Christian uses the Bible.

Finally, to suggest that religions can be chosen in the same way one chooses a hat or a new car is to divorce the group of people from their Way, which is characteristic of the monotheistic religions.

Those who reject the Folkish viewpoint often accuse us of not really being true to the Aesir and Vanir. Ironically, though, a closer look shows their arguments against us to be much more in line with Christianity than with the inherently tribal and ethnocentric nature of indigenous religions!

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