OR Vinland Moot 2256

Report by Kathy AOR

First published in ORB 203, Autumn 2006

The ORV Moot started for Donar’s Hearth OR early in the week with the visit from Hengest OR. It has been two years since the last time I had seen him and it was nice to welcome him to the Pacific Northwest and Vinland. We spent the week giving Hengest a mini tour of local sites. We started with Multnomah Falls, one of the many waterfall parks in the Oregon area. It was quite a beautiful site, our first trip there as well. Our next stop was the Maryhill monument which is a full-size reproduction of Stonehenge. It was built as a World War I memorial for Klickitat County. Hengest was treated to the various landscape features of The Scenic Gorge. From a temperate rainforest to dry desert, the Gorge is one of the most beautiful areas in the Northwest.

The next couple of days we spent making last minute preparations for the Moot. Asrekyr and Hengest spent the night with Monica and Derek AOR, so we could secure our spot on the beach. Typically the Oregon coast is cloudy and cold, but the Gods smiled upon us and ensured a beautiful weekend. After they set up the Moot area, they also set up the camp grounds, which ended up being simply sleeping quarters. Much of our time was spent at the beach.

On that Friday, I had the pleasure of picking up Somerled OR, Micheal AOR and Anthony AOR from Odainsacre Hearth OR. Upon their arrival, Odainsacre Hearth OR presented Donar’s Hearth OR with a hand painted Moot Horn. Thora AOR has proved to be a master at blowing it. After a quick stop to gather some last minute items for the Moot, we were off to the Moot site. Friday was spent meeting folks, finding campsites, setting up and socializing. It was great meeting folks for the first time, but also seeing Folk again after so long! We were treated to friends from England, Canada, North Carolina, California and many from the local Pacific Northwest. As the tide came in, we made our way back to camp for good night’s sleep.

Saturday, we officially started the Moot with everyone having a good breakfast. Asrekyr had the duty of driving folks back and forth from the meeting point at the access point. Washington beaches allow those with the ability to drive right up to the water and down the beach. It was a shame not being able to camp on the beach. The tide and fog rolled in, in the late evening and proved to be quite perilous. Asrekyr and Fritz laughed in the face of danger as the waves were crashing on the wheels of their 4x4s as they shuttled guests back to the camp sites. The Moot goers were treated to the flight of our country’s national symbol: the bald eagle. Two of these magnificent birds were constantly visiting our gathering, a sign of the positive energy emanating from the area. Heoginn AOR tried many times, but capturing a picture of these birds proved to be quite difficult.

The day was spent with many fun activities for both children and adults. The most popular by far was the axe throwing. After some instruction from Asrekyr, everyone was throwing like pros! As the weather warmed Monica and Derek took many of the older children out to the ocean for boogy boarding and surfing. The younger children built sandcastles, buried each other in the sand, and climbed rocks. The afternoon was filled with volleyball, badminton and the caber toss. Many took the opportunity to discover the beautiful Washington Coast with its rocky cliffs, evergreens and sand dunes. Folks really enjoyed the hiking and rock climbing opportunities. The babies enjoyed digging in the sand and feasting upon it. We also opened up a table to sell some OR books that Hengest brought over and special Moot t-shirts. We also handed out the annual Children’s Moot Booklet for the kids to keep as a memoir from the event. Special thanks to Carlee AOR for creating such a keepsake.

In the late afternoon, Somerled allowed the Moot attendees to witness his profession into Odins Holy Nation. It was the first time I had the honor of attending a profession and was very touched by the ceremony, and all were proud of Somerled and congratulated him accordingly. Somerled’s report will more fully explore this portion of the Moot.

As evening arrived, we all started preparing for the Midsummer Blot and Monica and Derek’s Handfasting. This was truly a Folk Building event with each member of our Hearth contributing to the ritual. From Monica’s wedding dress (made by Carlee Murphy AOR) to the very Sunwheel burnt during the ceremony, which I believe everyone had a hand in making! Monica, Derek, and Magnus all beamed as Heimgest and Eowyn conducted their handfasting at dusk. The Blot was unique since both the Midsummer Blot and Handfasting were combined. It was performed on the rocks overlooking the ocean. Nothing is more beautiful than the sun setting over the ocean, except a husband and wife swearing oaths in the presence of their Folk and their Gods.

The evening ended with a late dinner of pork shoulders (another thank you to the Murphy clan!) and various side dishes prepared by Asrekyr and saved by Anthony. After everything was packed up, Heimgest conducted the ever popular Snap Dragon that has become a solstice tradition. The acoustics of the cliffs surrounding the Moot area really added to the galdor. Words cannot capture the awakening nature of this ritual, needless to say everyone walked away energized. We made our way back to camp for another good nights sleep, fighting our ways into our tents through flesh eating mosquitoes.

Sunday we were greeted with a grand breakfast that everyone pitched in and helped cook. This was the day for our ORV Annual General Meeting. Donar’s Hearth OR, Odainsacre Hearth OR, Wal Vlastmir Hama OR, Hunter’s Moon Hearth OR, Fylfot Hearth OR, and Drakes-Ygg Hama OR. This turn out for our meeting was quite inspiring and positive for the growth of the Odinic Rite Vinland. We voted in our new bylaws and Board of Directors for the new and improved ORV. Each Hearth and Hama presented short reports describing their activities. It was great to hear all the awesome activism around the world. The OR is definitely *the* cutting edge Odinist group in the world.

Our Moot ended with the attendees partaking in a tradition carried on by the Communita Odinista called the Friendship Cup. Packing up and saying our sad good byes to our comrades. It was an action packed weekend that exceeded our expectations. Although there are things we want to do better, we are excited to plan the next Moot at the same location. Many thanks to all Donar’s Hearth OR members for their tireless work at creating a festive environment. Also, a heartfelt thank you to all the ORV members and friends that made this such a success. We hope that all will be able to attend future Moots and our many other events throughout the year. Without such a great organization and dedicated members, we would not have been able to produce this event. Till next year!

Faith, Folk, and Family
Kathy AOR