Category: Lore & Ritual
Getting to know your Fetch
By Volksieg AOR
The Fetch, as many of you may know, is an entity who is with you, throughout all your incarnations, acting as a guide to greater spiritual development and, when the relationship between Odinist and Fetch is fully developed, it is entirely possible that it can act as a protector in this realm also. Continue reading
Yggdrasil – Interconnections and Dependency
By Ulfhethnar Odinsen AOR
The tree is a common motif in our sacred mythology as well as in that of various cultures world-wide. Yet nowhere does it seem to have left such an indelible mark as it has in the Nordic cultures of Europe. From the mighty ash tree Yggdrasil to our progenitors Askr and Embla, the Ash and Elm. Continue reading
Runic Name Analysis: Living up to your name
by Shawn E AOR
I have found that using the runes to analyze and interpret various aspect of people’s names is an interesting exercise in growing in personal runic understanding. It has also been rather fruitful in helping others see themselves in a new light. Continue reading
John Barleycorn Must Die
By Reginhard OR
John Barleycorn is a character in English folksong and is a personification of barley and more importantly of the beer made from it. In the song he is subjected to a number of assaults which correspond to the harvest milling and brewing of beer. John Barleycorn encounters great suffering and death so that others may benefit. Continue reading
A War Of Words And Wit: A Literary Analysis Of The Hárbarðsljóð
by Casey AOR
Contrary to mainstream belief of Old Norse culture, intelligence was a highly valued characteristic of men, sometimes even more so than strength and power. Therefore, it is no surprise that the chief god of the Norse, Odin, disguised here as the ferryman Harbarth, is the patron of not only warriors but also the wise. Continue reading
Winter Nights and the Healing of the Soul
by Hyndla OR
For the past 10 years, Donar’s Hearth and the Odinic Rite Vinland have hosted a Winter Night’s party that was open to the “public”. We have always combined the spiritual with the fun. We have the traditional …
Wights and Our Folkway
by Juliegh Howard- Hobson AOR
The care and keeping of landwight relations is underemphasized in the many writings on Northern European folkways. Yet, it is the wights, (disir, alfar, house wights, land wights, tompts) who actively strengthen—even more than our ancestors, and more than our gods–our vital link, our holy bond, to Nerthus, the earth, this place we occupy day and night until we leave. Continue reading
Spirit: Instinct, Intellect and Emotion PART 1
By Tyrsegil Bloodketil
Spirit is the vitality of being, the essence of existence without which life would not be possible. Conversely, spirit cannot exist without matter, marking the reliance of the physical body and spirit upon one another as integral. In the purest Pan-Aryan spiritual systems the significance of the spirit comprises the core of sacred teachings from the Old Norse önd and odh (Germanic wod) to the Sanskrit prana and atman (Germanic athem) representing the Breath of Life and Self respectively.
Donar Chant
By Juleigh Howard Hobson AOR
For Hallowing the house and hall
And every one who comes to call
An iron nail is in the wall.
Hail Thor! Continue reading
Preparing a Ritual Drinking Horn: A folk recipe of sorts
by Dave Hobson AOR
Every ritual object that we fashion for ourselves is charged with much more power than a purchased object could possible contain. This power, in turn, charges both the liquid that it will hold and the folk who will pass it in Sumble or in Blot. It is a very simple task to create your own drinking horn—don’t be intimidated by the magical significance. Like all things, the result is far more impressive than the method. Continue reading
