The Book of Blots Word Centered Wide English PDF

THE BOOK
OF BLOTS
Ceremonies, Rituals & Invocations

of the Odinic Rite
Composed and Edited

by Stubba
Published By Authority
ISBN 0 9504613 5 0
2
THE BOOK
OF BLOTS
Ceremonies, Rituals & Invocations

of the Odinic Rite
Composed and Edited

by Stubba
London: The Odinic Rite
3
First Collected Edition
Published 1991 by
The Odinic Rite
BM Edda
London WC1N 3XX
@©John Yeowell 1991
ISBN 0 9504613 5 0
4
Contents
Acknowledgements 6
Foreword 7
The Pattern of the Blot 9
Blots and Ceremonies: Memory Cup 15
Charming of the Plough 17
Vali 22
Summer Finding 30
Sigurd 37
Ragnar –Lodbrok 43
Midsummer 49
Sleipnir 55
Discovery of the Runes 61
Winter Finding 67
Hengest 73
Einheriar 79
Mother Night 88
Naming 95
Profession 103
Handfasting 106
Bael 114
Reception 118
Installation of Hofsgothi 120
Admission to Court of Gothar 121
Installation of a Director 122
Dedication of Hof, Garth or Hearth 124
Sword Naming 125
Dedication of a Banner 127
Short Blot 128
Invocations 130
Appendix A: Notes on Procedure 134
Appendix B: Table of Chief Festivals 135
5
Acknowledgements
THE EDITOR acknowledges with gratitude the work of the many

poets and writers whose words are used herein for
greater glory of the gods and the vision of mankind. Their
spirits live and will cont inue to inspire us, their kindred ,
to be ever ready to uphold and defend that which they have
bequeathed to us and which is o ur birthright and our herit -
age.
The Editor also wishes to express his thanks to the

following for permission to make use of copyright material
to Messrs Collins Ltd (for an extract from John Ardrey, the
Social Contract), the e xecutors of the estate of t he late
R G Collingwood (Thorste in of the Mere), the executors of
the estate of the late John Hargrave (The Confession of the
Kibbo Kift), Messrs George Allen and Unwin Ltd (J RR
Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings), the executors of the estate
of the late Edwin Muir (Poems) and the President and Council
of the Viking Society for Northern Research for permission
to reproduce an extract from the late Gabriel Turville -Petre
('The Cult of Odinn in Iceland', Nine Norse Studies).
Gratitude is due also to the late Jo hn Stewart Collis

who gave his personal approval for an extract from his The
Triumph of the Tree to be used in the Blots and, finally, to
Ingvar OR, Guardian of Hengest's Hearth and sometime member
of the Court of Gothar, a number of whose excellent and
helpful suggestions have been adopted or adapted in these
rituals.
6
Foreword
THE HOLY BLOT of the Odinic Rite inherits the rich
and formal qualities of English ritual language. It derives,
ultimately, from times when poetry was mantic and widely
used for magical purposes. Now, as in the elder days, it
introduces, interprets and celebrates within a magical con-
text the events and seasons of life and of the natural year.
The annual cycle of the Blots follows the wheel of the

year, the drama ritual used and the action forming a unity
with myth, with the spoken and the written word. The Blots
collectively take notice of the whole of life: sunrise and
sunset, birth and death, summer and winter, the ancestors,
ourselves, our descendants, the spiritual and the physical,
Past, present and future. They bring us into contact with
the gods so that those who understand the full significance
of their ceremonies and symbols may arrive at the mystery
that is within themselves. Yet even the uninitiated may
benefit from the Blot's message.
The pattern of the Blot (which means ‘to make holy") may be seen
as the preparation for an act of homage, culminating in the Memory
Cup. The object for which each Blot is offered is made clear in the
Call and in the advice, deriving from inherited experience, offered in
the Rede. The actions and words of the Blot relate to the spirit, to
the body, the mind, the soil, the gods. By it we renew and
strengthen our faith and vow to uphold the natural or Odinic
law.
The Blot effectively dramatises the complete mission of

the Odinic Rite. By enhancing the kinship of the community
it reinforces the bonds of union that we swore at our
profession. It is for the learned and for the unlearned, for
the young and for the old. For the child each Blot should be
a memory to be cherished, for all an experience
to be remembered.
The Festival of Sleipnir, 2241
7
The Pattern of the Blot
The Gothi
EVERY professed or apprenticed member of the Odinic Rite should be
capable of undertaking the duties of a Gothi (but see article 42 of
the Rite's Constitutions), able not only to conduct the Blot at
local hearth moots but to officiate at the rites of passage, at
Namings, Professions, Handfastings and at the Bael.
The approved dress for a Gothi is a white alb, worn with a hood
and belt of the same colour (members of the Court of Gothar wear a
black hood and belt) and a torc. The Gothi celebrating a Blot may
or may not wear the vestments but, if he has been professed, he
should always wear the torc, which is the badge of his priesthood
During the Blot the Gothi's head is covered (if he is wearing
vestments), reminding us that Odin is sometimes called Broadhat,
signifying that he is all-embracing, Allfather. He should face the
kindred throughout the ceremony and he should speak clearly and
unhurriedly.
There is no need for a quorum to be in attendance in order for
a Blot to be celebrated. (It is perfectly in order and is, indeed,
Praiseworthy for a person to celebrate it alone, modifying the
ritual requirements where necessary.) The kindred should make the
responses together. Two of them should be detailed as Readers (for
the Poetry and Prose Readings) before the Blot begins. It is
Possible that some of those present have no more than a vague idea
of what is taking place so it would be helpful to them if the Gothi
or some other person were to say a few words in explanation before
the start of the Blot.
It will have been noted that in the Odinist calendar those
Festivals that coincide with the solstices and equinoxes seem to be
shown a day early. This is because it is Odinist Practice to reckon
by nights rather than days; fortnight and the obsolete sennight
remind us of this. In the Odinic Rite liturgy therefore the eve is
regarded as the commencement, not the ending, of the day (Sunday
thus commences at sunset on Saturday)
The Altar
THE altar provides a focus for our attention during the Blot. It
8
9
should be of wood, stone or earth; a pile of stones, a flat rock
or, indoors, a domestic sideboard or trestle -table . An altar veil
may serve t o cover or protect an indoor altar bu t this
is not essential. Odinism is n ot idolatrous so statues or p ictures
of the gods are not placed on our altars, but figures or symbols
there may be in the m oot hall or other meeting place to remind ou r-
selves of them.
North is the mystical home of the gods and north is the point
on which our attenti o n is focused during the Blot. So the altar is
placed due north-and-south and the gothi speaks to the gathered
folk facing the south. But because it is not always for a
strict north -south orientation to be used, the altar mus t always be
taken to represent ‘mystic north’.
Altar Furniture
CERTAIN special items, each with its symbolic value and purpose,
are necessary in order to celebrate the ceremonies and rituals in a
dignified manner. The plan reproduced here shows the altar furni -
ings or regalia needed for an indoor Blot.
(1) The Armill or bracelet, made of silver or other metal, Is a

mark of the Gothic priesthood. when not in use it lies upon
the altar; it is worn by the Gothi during*the Blot. It is
also used in oat h-taking ceremonies. :
(2) The Sw ord is used in the Blots of Vali and the Einheriar, at
the Naming of a male child and Handfastings. At other times
it may rest, in its scabbard, upon the altar.
10
(3) Th e M e a d H o r n is u s ed f o r th e M emo r y Cu p . U n ti l i t is n e ed ed
in th e B lo t th e m ea d i s c o n ta in ed in a Ju g o r o th e r v es s e l o n
th e a lt a r
(4) P a pe r n a pk i ns s h o u ld b e a v a i la b l e fo r u s e wh en
th e m ea d h o r n is b e in g p a s s ed r o u n d d u r in g th e M emo r y Cu p .
(5) Th e T r yg i l l is a b o wl o r d is h co n ta in in g s o i l o f th e h o m ela n d
a n d is u s ed o n ly a t in d o o r r it es a n d in Na m in g B lo ts . Wh en
a ll h a v e d r u n k th e M emo r y Cu p s o m e m ea d s h o u l d b e le f t; th is
is th en p o u r ed in to th e t r y gi ll ( o r , in o p en -a ir B lo ts , o n to
th e gr o u n d ) a s a n o ff er in g ta th e E a r th M a th er .
(6) C a n d le s ( a nd c a n d le s t ick s ) . Ca n d le s - tw o o r m o r e - s h o u ld b e
li gh t ed w i th a wa x ta p er fr o m th e fla m e p r o v id ed b y a ‘ n i gh t
li gh t ' p la c ed wi th in th e t r y gi ll a n d l i t b efo r e th e s ta r t o f
th e B lo t. A t o p en -a ir B l o t s th e Sa cr ed Fla m e i s p r o v id ed b y a
fir e ( wh ich is p u t to th e t o r ch a t th e a p p r o p r ia te mo m en t) in
fr o n t o f th e a l ta r . :
R e ga l ia u s ed in th e B lo ts a n d o th er r itu a ls wi ll s o me t im es v a r y
a c co r d in g to th e fe s t iv a l o r o c ca s io n b ein g c el eb r a t ed . ( A ch ec k
lis t o f th es e i t e ms w il l b e fo u n d a t A p p en d i x A . )
T h e N a m in g B lo t ( wh i ch ma y b e s h o r t en ed , wh en d es ir ed , b y u s in g
th e 'N a min g ' s e c tio n o f t h e B lo t o n l y ) mu s t a l wa y s b e h e ld in th e

o p en . T h e tr y gi ll o n th is o c ca s io n s h o u ld co n ta in n o t s o il b u t
wa t er th a t h a s b e en ta k e n fr o m a f lo w in g s tr ea m o r r iv er ( n o t s t il l
wa t er fr o m a l a k e, p o n d , w el l o r ta p ) ; s a l t ( s y mb o l ic o f go o d
fa i th , w is d o m a n d in co r r u p tib il i ty ) s h o u ld h a v e b een a d d ed .
A s p r i g o f a tr ee , p r e f er a b ly a s h , o a k o r el m, s h o u ld b e u s ed fo r
h a llo w in g th e ch i ld w ith wa t er . T h e Sa cr ed F ir e fo r th i s B lo t
s h o u ld b e o f a s h . Fo ll o w i n g a n ci en t G er ma n i c p r a c ti c e th e ch i ld ' s
lip s a r e t o u ch ed b y th e mo th er w i th m ea d . G o d p a r en ts , if th er e a r e
to b e a n y , s h o u ld a l w a y s b e p r o f es s ed m emb er s o f th e Od in ic R i t e ;
th eir d u ti es mu s t n ev er b e r ega r d ed a s mer e ly n o min a l b u t r ema in
a s o l e mn u n d er ta k in g th r o u gh o u t l if e .
Fa mi lia r s y mb o ls a r e u s e d o n th e M o th er N igh t a n d d u r in g th e
T w elv e N i gh t s : th e Y u le t r ee, m is tl e to e a n d ev er gr een s . I d ea ll y ,
th e l igh ts o f th e mo o t h a ll o r r o o m in wh i ch th e M o th er N igh t B lo t
is b ein g c el eb r a ted s h o u l d b e d i m med u n t il th e k i n d lin g o f t h e
Sa cr ed F ir e . Ca n d l es ma y b e d is tr ib u t ed to th e k in d r ed b e fo r e th e
B lo t s o th a t th e y m a y s y mb o l ic a l ly " s p r ea d li gh t i n d a r k n e s s " a t
th e a p p o in t ed mo m en t. A s in gl e la r g e c a n d l e o f r ed wa x - th e Y u l e
ca n d l e - ma y b e p la c ed i n a win d o w a s a m es s a g e to th e w o r ld a n d
s h o u ld r ema in b u r n in g th r o u gh o u t th e n igh t ; th is i s l igh t ed b y th e
o ld e s t p er s o n p r e s en t a n d e xt in gu is h ed b y h im in th e mo r n in g .
Wh en ev er p r a c ti ca b l e i t wo u ld b e a p p r o p r ia t e fo r wo r s h ip p er s '
d o me s t i c p e t a n i ma ls to b e p r e s en t a t th e B lo t o f Sl eip n ir .
11
A Corn Mo th er is u se d a t th e B lot s o f W in t er F in d in g an d Ch a r m -
in g of th e P lou gh . At Wi n te r F in d in g a s en io r m e mb er p r e se n t s th e
Cor n M oth er to th e G ot h i; af te r war d s it s h ou l d b e su sp en d ed b eh in d
or o v er th e a ltar ( if at a n in d o or Bl ot) u n t il it s r e mo va l in
Jan u ary . W in t er Fi n d in g is th e fe s ti va l o f H ar v e s t E n d an d it w ou ld
b e fi ttin g fo r me mb e r s t o b ri n g it e m s o f fr e sh l y - gro wn fo od
wi th wh i ch to d ec ora te th e alt ar o r i t s su r rou n d in g s. A ft er w ard s
th e fo od cou l d b e c on su m ed a t th e sy mb el or it may b e tak en b y on e
or t wo m e mb er s to so m e p er so n or f a mil y in n e ed . At th e B lot f or
th e Ch a r min g o f th e P lo u gh th e Co rn Moth er i s p re s en t ed b y
th e G oth i to a y ou n g m e mb er of th e Rit e (th e Co rn M oth er i s a
sy mb o l o f f ert il ity , s o th e i mp li cat ion s of th i s p a rt o f t h e
ce r em on y a r e p l ain ), wh os e p rop er ty it th en b e c om e s.
Th e ce r e mon y o f th e D e d ica tio n o f a h o f, g arth or h ear th may
al so b e u s ed on th e p atr on al an n i v er s ary o r th e an n i v er sa ry o f t h e
grou p ' s fou n d at ion as a ritu a l o f p e r son a l an d c orp or at e r ed ed ica t -
ion .
Th e Bl o t
THE B lot b e gin s an d en d s wi th th e Si gn of th e H am m er, w h i ch i s al so
mad e fr eq u en tly th rou g h ou t th e Bl ot. (I t i s m ad e wi th th e le f t h an d ,
le av in g th e ri gh t h a n d fr e e to w ard of f fo e s. ) Th e moo t h o rn
si gn a l s th e st art o f th e Blo t.
Th e con s ec rat io n or H al l ow in g d e cl ar e s th e m oo t h al l o r me et in g
roo m t o b e a h oly p la c e. Th e Sa cr ed Fi re sh ou ld b e li gh t ed b y a wax
tap e r (n ev e r mat ch e s o r a p etro l li gh t er ) o r, in t h e op en ai r, b y a
fla m in g to rch . Th e fi re ' s li gh t sy mb o li s e s th e ma kin g an d k e ep in g
of oa th s, of g rat itu d e fo r vi ctor i e s, an d d eath , c le an sin g an d r e -
b irth . Th e Cal l, o r i n voc ation o f th e god s, sh ou l d b e ch an t ed . In
it w e r en d er th an ks to t h e god s fo r th ei r p r e s en ce an d fr i en d sh i p
an d h op e s a r e exp r e s s e d fo r a fu ll er u n d er sta n d in g an d clo s e r u n i on
wi th th e m. T h e Po et ic R ead in g r e min d s u s th at Od in i s th e p atr on o f
p oet s an d of p o etry . In re m e mb er in g th e An c e s tor s an d th e Su c c e s s -
or s we th i n k o f p a st an d fu tu r e g en er ati on s o f o u r f olk an d e mp h a s -
is e th e c on ti n u ity o f th e fa m ily an d ou r b el i ef in th e u n it y o f
ti me . Th e Re d e, or cou n s el lin g, is d i re ct ed at ou rs e l ve s, th e
kin d r ed , an d re m in d s u s of ou r r es p on si b il it ie s t o th e g od s,
to M id g arth , to ou r s el v e s an d to on e an o th e r. Th e P ro s e
Re ad in g con si s t s o f an e xc erp t fro m th e work o f an au th or of
ou r fol k wh i ch h e lp s to exp la in , o r to r e min d u s of, s o me sp i ritu al
or p r act ic al a sp e ct o f o u r’ r el ig ion or ou r cu l tu re an d i t s h i s tory .
Th e G eal d or, th e sin gi n g of th e ru n e, s h ou l d n or ma lly b e u n d erta ke n
b y an exp er i en c ed ru n o l ogi st ( wh o c ou ld b ri e fl y ex p la in i ts si gn i f -
12
icance beforehand). It may be rendered solo by the singer before
being sung together by the kindred and then repeated by the singer.
It would be appropriate for the Gealdor to be preceded by a period
of meditation. In the Bidding we a sk the Aesir and the Vanir to be
with us and to aid us in our determination to maintain standards,
to stand by and to defend our religio n and family and at the same
time to encourage us to be constructive and conciliatory. Our cry
for healers’ hands em phas ises the value that Odinism places on the
Principles of self -help, on education and meditation and it appeals
to all who find inadequate a purely physical view of life. In the
Jarl's Rally we reco gnise (in those Marks of the Rite where he or
she reigns as sovereign ruler; it may be omitted in other Marks)
the monarch as being literally of the blood divine and royal of
Odin, the god and warrior chief of the tribe.
The high point of the Blot is reached with the Memory Cup, the
moment for which all that has go ne before was a preparation. k The
hallowed mead symbo lises the spiritual food and drink without which
life cannot be sustained; hence the Gothi's assertion that 'we have
become one with the gods'. The Troth is a final, self -dedicatory,
Promise that we wil l retain the state of spiritual awareness that
we should have achiev ed in the Blot: made strong in the battle
that we are co nstantly engaged in, to defend our faith, o ur folk
and our families.
Ideally, each celebration of the Blot should be followed by

a Symbel (a feast or supper) but this may not always be practic -
able. Picnic-sty le repasts could be arranged for open -air events
and hofs or hearths, perhaps in combination with others, could |
organise traditional symbels on special occasions such as
the Mother Night, Twelfth Night and M idsummer Eve. For
Practical purposes, ho wever, the symbel will usually be represented |
by a distribution of the seasonal sweetmeats, symbolic of fruitful -
ness in offspring, that are customarily associated with them
(e.g., mincemeat pies at the Mother Night, hot cross buns at Summer
Finding, tharcakes or cream crowdy at Winter Finding, soul cakes at

Einheriar).
13
14
The Memory Cup
The Biddi ng
The Gothi shall say
In the name of the High Gods.
ALL shall say
Balder, inspire us with truth and the love of mercy

and justice, and grant ws strength to bear the
decrees of the Norns, for into close hearts they see.
Thor, endow us with courage and aid us in the fight
against the enemies o f our Faith, Folk and Family. -~
Odin, give us wisdom and words, and while we live give

us healers' hands. Freya, ensure our posterity, that
the corn be all one sheaf and the grapes be all one
vine. And Frey, grant our desire for the goo dwill of
our fellow men, and especially to surround ourselves
with a steadfast circle of faithful friends and
comrades.
The Jarl 's Rally

Gothi
In peace most mild, in battles dread, our Queen and
kith the gods defend. Have then no strife or
quarrelling, one with another, for Elizabeth, seed
of Odin's royal line, is warden of these lands, and
leader of the host.
The Memory Cup
Taking up the mead -filled Horn, the Gothi shall hallow it in the
following manner
Light down from high Asgarth descends, ether pure in
flowing bowls. Light up to Asgarth ascends, a mediator
15
for ou r sou l s . S ig n w e n ow th e b r igh t me ad ( wit h th e
Me ad Ho rn h e ma ke s th e Si gn o f t h e Ha m m er ): I n th e n a m e s o f
Od in , Ba ld er, F rey an d T h or. Fr o m H eid ru n ' s b r e ast an d
Le rath ' s b o u gh m ay we ob tain th e food o f Od in , wh ich
is w i sd o m, o f F io ln ir , w h ich i s b e i n g, an d th e b l ood
of K va si r, wh ich i s kn o w led g e. May w e h a ve th e p ow e r
of lu c k an d th e h on ou r of f el lo w sh i p , an d m ay w e b e
re wa rd ed wi th fin e h ar v e st s an d al l w el l -b e in g i n
Mid gar th .
He rai s e s t h e M ead Hor n .
Re c ei v e n ow th i s , th e H oly Cu p o f th e R a ven G o d , an d
d rin k in h ap p y h o u r. H e alth an d p ea ce b e with you at
y ou r goin g a n d at you r c om in g . W a s h a el !
Th e Got h i d rin ks , an d th os e p re s en t may a l so p a rtak e o f th e me ad ,

th e Horn b e in g p a s s ed r ou n d S u n -w i s e; th o s e wi th s p e ci al r eq u es t s
of t h e A e si r o r th e V an ir may , b ef or e d rin k in g , mak e a sh o rt vo w
or in v oc ati on o f th e ir ch oos in g. B ef or e r ep la cin g th e Hor n on th e
Alt ar th e G oth i sh al l p o u r an y re m ain in g m e ad on to th e g rou n d or
in to a Try gi ll con t ain in g so il o f th e Moth er Lan d , sa yin g
We p ra i se ou r Ho ly M o t h er, Jort h .
‘Th en h e sh al l say
All p ra i s e to th e H igh G od s . W e h a ve b eco m e o n e

wi th th e m a n d w e h a v e sh a re d th ei r glo ry.
Th e Tr oth
Got h i
In th e n a m e of th e H igh God s . L et u s n o w sp eak
th e w ord s t h at, y ea r b y yea r, ou r son s a n d ou r
d au gh t e r s mu st h ea r.
All sh al l say ( wi th h an d on h e art )
We s h al l n o t f ai l to d e f e n d Fa m ily an d Fol k an d ou r
Holy R el ig ion fr om th e f orc e of sp e ar s an d th e p ow er s
of fat e . In th e n a m e o f Th o r w e sh a ll h a ve s tr e n gth .
In F rey a' s n a m e w e sh al l k ee p fait h . I n th e n a m e
of Ty r w e s h al l h a v e ju st ic e. W e sh a ll ri s e a ga in !
Th is we s w ea r i n Od in ' s n am e !
Got h i
Th e Blo t i s en d ed .
16
Charming of the Plough
THE FESTIVAL OF LAB OUR
From a position before the Altar the Hornblower shall sound the
Moot Horn to Austri, to Sudri and to Vestri. T hen shall he turn to
the Altar and so und a long, triumphant blast in salute to Nordri.
Then the Gothi shall take up the Armill and place it on his left
arm.
The Cleansing
All present sho uld stand for at least two minutes' silent
meditation in order to s till the mind and to prepare it for the
Blot by expelling worldly thoughts.
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. We hallow
this place to the worship of the Aesir and the Vanir,
that we may truly understand, fully assimilate and
properly use the divine powers that are within us.
Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya: be our guides and our

comfort.
The Sacred Fire

As he lights the Sacred Fire (which, withi n doors, may be
represented by Candles) the Gothi shall say
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. As Earth

fades in flame and Sun and Moon bow down, we kindle
the fire of cleansing and creation, the first mystery
and the final mercy. L et flame be quickened by flame
that through the darkness we may come to the light. .
All shall say
Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun!
17
The Call
The Gothi shall chant ;
All hael to the High Gods; to Thor, Patron o f workers,
to thrall, guardian of those who labour, to Niord,
Protector of Commerce, to Odin, Father of All and the
Conferrer of Wealth. We hae l Sif, inmost Fire and
Image of our Spirits, and the cool -breathed Earth, the
Earth of shine and dark, the Earth of Black-v eiled
night. May it yield wheat and barley and may its trees
be laden with fr uit. And may the young of o ne o f our flocks
be strong and the sea give abundance of fish. Give
them nurture, great Thor and no ble Frey, who rule ove r
the rain and the shining of the Sun.
All shall say :

Thor, Hallower of Earth, be with us.
Gothi
Let us now harken to the stir which is rhythmic and
moves as a hear t-beat moves the blood, the gre at
mystery of the unseen Shaper, the power of the melting
fusing force: heat and light. Thor, lead us along
glittering paths to the Sun, out of the evening’s
empty hall and through to the red glow of morning. An d
through the windless whisper of leaves support, great
Thor, the silent labours of men and women in the
fields.
All shall say . ;

Thor, Lord of the Ham mer, be with us.
Gothi ;
Now let us Odin pray, into our minds to enter.
The Poetic Readi ng

Reader
Already I began t o love the Sun, Not as I since have
loved him, as a pledge and surety of our earthly life,
a light which we behold and feel we are aliv e, nor for
18
h i s b ou n ty to s o man y w orld s . B u t for th i s cau s e : th a t
I h ad s e en h im lay h i s b eau ty on t h e m orn in g h i ll s.
Wil li am Wo rd s wor th (1 7 70 - 18 50 )
Th e An c estor s an d th e S u cces sor s

Got h i
Lik e th e Win te r sky, in a zu r e g arb ed a n d g old en
cro wn ed , th e God s of V alh a lla s it en t h ron ed . w ith in
th e d oor w ay stan d s e ac h n ob l e N orn , to ge th er b ea rin g
d ate ' s ru n e -w ri tt en sh i e ld . Th ey ma d e la w s, an d ch o s e
li fe f or th e ch ild r en o f a ge s, an d Wyrd f or m en .
All sh al l say
In th e n a m e of th e H igh God s . Urd , Norn o f th e Pa st,

w e o f f er th an k s fo r th e b lood ti e s o f ou r h ou se an d
fa mi ly . V erd an d i, Nor n of t h e Pr e s en t, an d Sku l d , Norn
of t h e Fu tu r e : may w e n ot b e a fa il in g p e op l e an d a
Sp r in g l es s Au t u mn , Gr a n t th at we h old b y th e way s of
ou r fath e rs an d to th e ir m e mory, with e v e ry at o m o f

ou r b lood , an d may we s p eak ou r o wn No rth ton gu e u n t il
th e en d o f d ay s . No w, t o ou r s on s’ son s an d
th e ir so n s , we sen d ou r wo rd s a s m e s s en g er s, th e way
w e sh a ll n ot p a s s al on g : Kin s m en ! Un se en , u n b o rn ,
u n kn o wn ! S in c e w e can n e v er s e e you r fa ce an d n e v er
gra sp y ou r h an d , w e s en d ou r sp ir it s th rou gh t i m e an d
sp a c e, i n Od in ' s n a m e t o gr e et y ou .
Th e R ed e
Got h i
Hea r y ou my r ed e an d m y cou n s e l! H ae l t o th e m th at li st en !
A man i s mad e b y th r ea p in g an d th ol e - moo t, b y d oo min g

an d b eh es t, b y w atch in g an d d o in g , b y b id d in g a n d b od e.
E ls e i s h e w et cla y, u n fo rm ed an d u n f ir ed . Fo r h e i s
n ot mad e an d d o e s n o t kn o w: h e can u n d o, b u t h e can n o t d o,
An d h o w s h al l h e wo rs h i p th e star s i f h is
si gh t i s d i m, an d h o w sh all h e gl or ify th e gr ee n E arth
if h i s f ee t c an n ot su p p o rt h i m ?
So le t u s h a ll ow th e ma c h in es o f ou r tr ad e, c ra ft
or c h o s en o ccu p ati on . L et lab ou r h a v e it s d u e : p rai s e
19
the plo ughman tilling the hard ground, the miners
digging mines, the mechanics at their benches. Praise
the men that live among cattle or taste of the ocean
or the woods. Praise the builders and steerers of
ships and those who farm the sea for fish. P r aise the
wielders of axes and mauls, the roadmakers breaking
stones, the drivers of horses, and praise all those
who, in the Northland, since years beyond the reach of
song have laboured early and late. Yet in the day of
calamity all these must cease from work and rise to
slay. All save the ploughman. He must go on. For it is
said that he who drives the plough once carried the
standard.
Let our young be copy now to the gods of o ur folk: to

Dvalin who made Gungnir, to Wayland the Smith and to
Brock, who fas hioned the magic ring Draupnir. Let them
hold fast to what is good and true, defend precious
standards, be loyal to their craft. See to it that we
guide and cherish them and pass on the Sacred Flame.
By pic, axe and bow, by crook, hoe, plough and net,
with clear eye and wholesome body, let us make song.
For these are the sym bols of folk and work, upon which
all civilization is built.
All shall say

By Odin's power may these things be so .
The Prose Readi ng
Reader
The Northern lands were their homes. On sal t shores,
where farming alone could never thrive; on bleak
headlands among the seamews' nests; o n lo ne islands
veiled in the mist or girdled with the surf - homes
where any but a race of sailors would have hungered
slowly to death or pined into dismal sava gery ~ there
they bred and multiplied and sang through the Winter
and strove through the Summer; their wit and wisdom
and valour putting to shame (though little they knew
it) the fo llies and idleness of the South. It were
20
Long to reckon all we owe them, i n tho ught and speech
in law and custom, in arts and crafts. For w ithout
books they made themselves learned; without schools
they became artists; without examples they perfected
laws; and without bigotry they found freedom.
A wonderful people and greatly to be glorified in,
even yet, by their inheritors, still more by their own
children in the day of their strength. For a thousand
years ago it might well be said wherever a Northman's
keel strake strand there he found his kin to hand, be
it west-over-sea from old Norway, in Britain Pi
Ireland and the isles thereabo ut, or in Greenland or
Iceland or the Baltic coasts and thenceaway to
the Atlantic, from Finmark_and Denmark to Holland and
Valland. Everywhere the Northman's tongue was heard
and the Northman‘s hand feared.
Robin George Collingwood (1889 -1943)
Presentati on of the Corn Mother

The Gothi shall take the Corn Mother from the Altar and make with
it the Sign of the Ham mer, saying
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Frigga,
Nanna, Sif and Freya: be our guides and o ur comfort.
He shall proffer the Corn Mother to one of the assembled folk,
saying
Receive this, the Corn Mother, delivered to you in the
names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Now do we call
on Frey and Thor for a fruitful seaso n and sweet ra in,
that our fields bear good straw below, good ears above
and good grain within.
Accepting the Corn Mother, the recipient shall say
Hael to our Mother Jo rth! Hael to the fruitful lands!
Now shall the assembled folk answer, joyfully

Hael to Jorth! Hael to the fruitful lands!
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
21
Vali
THE FESTIVAL OF THE FAMILY
From a position before the altar the hornblower shall sound the
Moot Horn to Austri, to Sudri and to Vestri. Then shall he turn to
Then the Gothi shall take up the Armill and place it on his
left arm.
The Cleansing see

All present sho uld stand for at least two minutes ’ silent'
meditation in order to still the mind and to prepare it for the
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say
In the names of Odi n, Balder Frey and Thor. We hal low
Frigga, Nanna, Sif an d Freya: be our guides and our
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

As he lights the Sacred Fire (which, within doors, may be
represented by Candles) the Gothi shall say ma
and the final mercy. L et flame be quickened by flame,
that through the darkness we may come to the light.
All shall say : .

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun:
Receiving the Sw ord

the Sword Bearer sh all approach the Altar and proffer the sheathed
22
Sword to the Gothi. H olding it horiz ontally on the palms of both
hands he shall say
Receive (here speak the name of the Sword), delivered to y ou

in the na mes of Odin, B alder, Frey and T hor.
The Gothi, a cce pting the Sword, shall draw it f rom its scabbar d
(which sha ll then be laid upon the Altar) and hold it naked before
him, its blade pointing to E arth. Then he shall say
I receive (here spe ak the name of the Sw ord), in the names

of Odin, Balder, Frey and Th or.
The Sword shall be la id upon the Altar. T hen, with one hand re sting
on the Sw ord, the Gothi shall say
May this Swor d bestow renown upon all here assembled.

With it may we do j ustice, ‘stop the gr owth of iniquity
and ex tend the H oly Nation of Odin. T h at doing these
things we may be glorious in all virtue and so
faithfully serve Odin A llfather. i
All shall say

In the na mes of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor.
The Call
The Gothi shall chant

Hael to Odin, Fa ther of the Gods and of men, Pervader
of Asgarth a nd of Midgarth and of all be ings, the
first and elde st of the gods, Governor of all and
beholder of a ll things, of what has been and whatever
hereafter will be . Odin, mighty god, who changed the
ash a nd the elm into the bodies of our f orebe ars Ask
and Embla and did enable them to increase and multiply
and to live in Midgar th, which is the abode of men and
women, A s you, Odin, Shaper and Allfather, w ere
present the n, so likewise be with us now and until the

end of days.
All shall say

Odin hear us.
Gothi
Hael Freya, Pa trone ss of the Family , Lady of the Vanir
and noble Godde ss of L ove, who ensure s our posterity:
23
you are like the willow stem that leans aslant the
water's edge, and you are like the twilit dawn and the
shadowed pool.
All shall say

Freya be with us.
Gothi
Tyr Wolfbane, Bravest of the Wise and the Upholder of
Good Faith, help us to maintain our sacred oaths.
All shall say
Tyr aid us.
Gothi
Hael to Vali, Son of Odin and of Rind, who is his

family 's avenger and the slayer of Hother. Dw eller in
the homesteads of the father s and defender of the
family, be within our hearts.
All shall say

Vali, N ourisher, strengthen us.
Gothi
In a ges long a go we walked toge ther with hidden song
and wor shipped by oak and ash and e lm. We k new then
the wise se c rets and reached f or the sk ies. Now are we

met a gain to f oil once more the darkened pit and get
us strength to conquer . Now, at the setting of the Sun
and even until the end of day s, may the holy Norns
grant us their blessing and may each one of us hear
his own heart's history .
All shall say

Odin the H igh One, hear us.
Gothi
Now let us Odin pray, into our hearts to enter .
The Poetic Reading
Reader
I wish I could translate the hints about the de ad
young men a nd w omen, and the hints about old men and
24
mothers, and the offspring taken soon out of their
laps. What do you think has become of the women and
children? They are alive and well somewhere. The
smallest sprout shows there really is no death, and if
ever there was it led forward life, and does not wai t
at the end to arrest it, and ceas'd the moment life
appear'd. All goes onward and outward, no thing
collapses, and to die is different from what anyone
supposed.
Walt Whitman (1619 -92)
The Ancestors and the Successors
Gothi
Like the Winter sky, in azure garbed and go lden
crowned, the Gods of Valhalla sit enthroned. Within
the doorway stands each noble Norn, together bearing
date's rune -written Shield. They made laws and chose _
life for the children of ages, and Wyrd for m en.
All shall say
In the name of the High Gods, Urd, Norn of the Past,
we offer thanks for the blood ties of o ur ho use and
family. Verdandi, Norn of the Present, and Skuld, Norn
of the Future: may we not be a failing people and a
Springless Autumn. Grant that we hold by the ways of
our fathers and to their memory, with every atom of
our blood, and may we speak our own North tongue until
the end of days. Now, to our sons" sons and
their so ns, we send our words as messengers, the way
we shall not pass along: Kinsmen! Unseen, unborn,
unknown! Since we can never see your face and never
grasp your hand, we send our spirits thro ugh time and
space, in Odin's name to greet you.
The Rede
Gothi
Hear you my rede and my counsel! Hael to them that listen!
How full of meaning, sad or ho peful, for ever y
traveller were o nce the lights that pinpointed the
25
darkest night: there were homestead, life, war mth, food,
talk , la ughter, fa mily, children. For the lights were
the symbol of everything good, and light w as the fir st
friend men of Midgarth discovered, the ir first move
towards security. And then flamed the great beacons of
the spirit, and the se w ere hope and comrade ship and
wholene ss. But because of a physical enslave ment that
we know not of we hav e turned away from that which is
whole, tha t which is goo d, that which is liv ing. Now,
in order to live, we are constr ained to obey the laws
of dea th, w herein every man's hand is against his
neighbour and himself .
So let us remember not to f orsake delight in k in, in

honour, in Ear th, in he ritage, in the joyf ul sight of
home, of husband, w if e and children, And remember too
tha t the women are lef t when the warriors de part, to
guard the home w hile they win renow n, to f ind food and
beds whe n they shall return. Yet a time may come when
none returns. Then will there b e need of valour
without renow n, for none shall remember the deeds that
are done in the last def ence of our homes. Yet the
deeds sha ll not be le ss valiant because they ar e
unpraised.
All shall say

By Odin's power may these things be so.
The Prose Reading

Reader
The Viking took nothing more seriously than his f amily.
It is a continuing institution, Even though the
indiv idual within it die off, it is the man's master.
It can do without him, but not he w ithout it. The
members of it are bound to assist and , if need be,
avenge each other, and the honour of the family is

supreme. If a man commits a crime which inv olves
expulsion from the family he has condemned himself to

the wor st of fa tes: to be an outcast. For no man can
be an entity to himself, he is pa r t of the f abric of
26
the family . To belo ng to a family of high degree is
a rare blessing, but to belong to some family is a
human necessity. Not to belong is to be the lowest of
the species, the serf, the man who can scarcely be
said to have a soul .
Johannes Bréndsted (1 890 -1965)
The Renewal of Oaths

Then shall the Gothi say
This day and every day we give thanks to Odin and to
Vali for the light of the fields, the bright water in
the streams, the splashing in the pools, the shadows
deep in the woods, the smell of the grass, people
working and the tiredness of evening. But most of all
we give thanks for co mrades and for family.
For it is said that if you find a friend you fully

trust and wish for his good will, then exchange
thoughts, exchange gifts, go often to his ho use. But

if you deal with another you do not trust but wish for
his good will, be fair in speech but false in thought
and give him lie for lie. For to a false friend the
footpath winds though his house be on the highway. But

to a sure frien d there is a short cut, though he live
a long way off.
Professi on
The Gothi shall invite all who have been pro fessed to approach the
Altar, Then he shall take up the unsheathed Sword and hold its
pommel towards them . Then he shall say
Let us renew our Swo rd word.
Then the professed shall say to gether

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. We renew
our acceptance in heart and mind of a bonding
fellowship to those with whom we are linked by kinship
by blood and by hand. We renew our acceptance in hea rt
and mind of o ur solem n duty to continue sorrow and to
share joy with, and to avenge wrongs do ne to, those
with whom we are bo und by fellowship. We hereby pledge
27
ourselves and swear before our Holy Gods true loyalty
and fidelity to Odin Allfather and to the faith of our
forefathers.
May whosoever of us fails to observe and uphold these

things suffer the vengeance of the Gods in Asgarth. On
battlefield and on em pty plain may their wrath attend
him and his foot stum ble even though he be fleeing
leap on leap before his foe. On seas, eternal tempests
shall follow him. Wherever he wanders he shall be
accursed. Bitter co ld shall follow him to his dwelling
and even at its fire he shall be oppressed. All men
shall shun him, for through the world he shall go as
foul and hated as the plague. His days shall be like a
shadow that declines and he shall be as withered grass.
His heart shall be torn by ravens in the high places
and when he is cast into the deep the wrath of demons
shall fall upon him and ever will he be under our
curse, with Winter ev er in our hearts, until with
worship and Blots to the Gods their anger is appeased.
That doing these things we may be glorious in all
virtue and so faithfully serve Odin Allfather.
Then shall the Gothi hold the Sword that t he professed may touch it
as a sign of their continued loyalty to the Holy Natio n of Odin.
Handfasting
‘Then the Gothi shall ask whether there are any handfasted couples
present. who wish to renew their vows of handfasting. He shall
invite them to come f orward to the Altar. If none approaches then
the following should be omitted, but if any such approach, the
Gothi shall address them, saying
Odin has declared that a pledge should be given in all

things. Now swear you again your oath?
They shall answer, saying
In the name of the High Gods. We do swear continued

fealty and service, the one to the other, to speak and
to be silent, to do -and to let be, to come and to go,
in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or
dying, until death or the Ragnarok div ide us.
28
Then shall the Gothi hold the Sword that all handfasted couples may
touch it as a sign of their continued adherence to one another and
to the Holy Nation Odin. Then shall the Gothi replace the sword
upon the altar
The Gealdor
The Memory Cu p
29
Summer Finding
THE FESTIVAL OF REN EWAL
arm.
The Cleansing
All present sho uld stand for at least two minutes" silent
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

represented by candles) the Gothi shall say
fades in flame and Sun and Moon bow down, we kindl e
All shall say

Odin, hael? Hael to the Sun!
The Call
30
Balder, God of the Summer, arise. Nanna, awake and
rejoice, Ostara, hael, Sun, wonderful Eye of Odin, by
the power of the gods, we hael you. Odin, who through
your son Balder has kindled in us who are also your
sons and your daughters , the fire of your brightness,
grant that we be so inflamed with rightful desire that
we may, in the ful lness of days, come purified in mind
and spirit to the feast of never -ending light in brave
Valhalla. Freya, Go ddess of the Golden Sunshine,
lighten our darkness. And Frey: we know that in t he
elder days you saw Gerd and awakened her to your love
in the flowering grove. We call upon Thor, our God and
our Friend, who encourages growth, and fro m whose
mighty Miolnir comes a silver flash of light as from
the westward of a Summer night, the world unrolling
from frost, the forests foaming into green. Awake,
then, all you gods of Summer. For Jorth the Mother of
Earth has cast off the black cap of Winter and is
arrayed in the shining of Summer. So let in the light
which down from Asgarth descends. Ou r banners are
bright from the morning and Midgarth is glad.
All shall say

All hael to Freya: Lady, Mother and Queen.
Gothi
Now the green blade rises from the buried grain, wheat
that in the dark many nights has lain. Fire bursts
forth, Earth bears fruit , air is rich with the sound
of nine larks singing, son calls mother and m other
suckles son. For life is colour and warmth and light,
and a striving evermore for these. We have asked who
we are and why we are. And for answer the Earth -wise
man plucked a ha ndful of meadow grass and gave it to
us. So now let us sing to those who know where to cut
the willow wand, who count rightly the num ber of the
notches, and give thanks to those whose body -gleam
gives healing and strength. We shall follow them
because they have called us from deep down.
31
All shall say
Niord, Ruler of the Winds, favour us.
Gothi
Frigga, who is called Ostara, has kept watch over
our flocks and plants and we have seen grass freshen
where we trod, flower s spring from Earth's rim and
trees unfurl new foliage amid the splendid raiment of
new Summer. This is the time and the place of remaking:
the Son of Delling appears before o ur eyes in a
glorious form, the colours of the corn and the clover.
of plough and fa llow, of ice and water and sea and air.
Soon will the high Midsummer pomps come on and mind us
of the time, in years beyond recall, when Midgarth
knew only Summers, unlaborious Earth and oarless sea:
Like Brisingamen, Freya's shining torc and bright sign
of the fruitfulness of Earth, the trees and waters and
the hills have kept the sacred v igil while we slept
and laid a path of dew and flowers where our feet
shall tread. Now, for we pilgrims of Summer, holy
joy about green tracks is shed and holiness upon the
deep.
All shall say

Holda, Lady of the Rain, refresh us.
Gothi
Fairest Iduna, Consort of Bragi and Goddess of
Immortal Youth, who lives in the most radiant grove
of Asgarth, midst wing and leaf and pool of light:
Morning Star, silver witness to the visions of men and

women, your voice is th e voice of a garden at daybreak
which points us to life and the abundant energy of
life.
All shall say :

Shine down, Holy Goddess, upon us your kindred. Iduna,
join our praise,
Gothi
Now the dead heavy mass which was Gin nungagap has
32
vanished and in its place there flows onward, with the
running music of mighty waves, an eternal stream of
life and power and action which issues before
the roses and the longer day, from the first source of
life: from your life, Allfather, for all life is your
life and you are the Sun by whose light the soul is
enabled to see. Now sing we the glory of light. For we
shall be proud and perfect, even as the Morning Star
is perfect.
All shall say

Odin lives!
Gothi
Balder, Lord of the Sunrise, in passioned Summer dawns.
When Springtime glimmers but of dreams, we call to you.
Come you down from Asgarth.
All shall say

Balder, heed our call.
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
Mighty the deeds that the sagamen sing, do ne in the
days when the Earth was in Spring. Now, in full Summer,
what breezes will blo w, waking the heart into blossom
and show? Out of the Northland and over the sea,
filled with the hope of the day that shall be, Balder
the Beautiful coming again.
Laurence James Nicolso n (1847-1901)
Gothi
date's rune -written Shield, They made laws, and chose
life for the children of ages, and Wyrd for m en,
33
All shall say
In the name of the High Gods. Urd, Norn of the Past,

the end of days. Now, to our sons' sons and
their so ns, we send our wo rds as messengers, the way
unknown = Since we can never see your face and never
The Rede
Gothi
Let us now recall the beginning of time, when the Sun
knew not where were its halls, the Moon knew not what
Strength it had and the stars knew not where were
their places, Winter, the raven -locked, like young of
bears was sightless bo rn and darkness was his covering,
whose standard-bearing heralds are the stars of Spring,
and who himself preceded and produces holy Summer.
Beyond the guess of years were man and woman shaped

from the Ash and the Elm. But in each heart o f man
with Balder groweth up his brother Hother, the child
of Winter. Now, led by that which moves in the blood,
tread we the golden pathway to the Sun, and a voice
shall speak: Come up to the High places, to Yes Tor
and High Peak and D unkery Beacon. I sha ll not speak to
you in the filth of towns. For you are the offspring
of Asgarth and the children of light. No man may turn
aside from life and liv e. So empty out the lungs of
soot and smoke, take breath full torse, let Sun
ingang his rays of flesh, look st raight, stand upright.
34
Then let each man and woman and child of our folk say
aloud: IT am the upright animal. I can. For I will not
endure any human creature that cringes before me nor
any one of them that says: Why sho uld we do these

things?
Now shal l we go down from the high places singing

a great song and our v essels shall flow with red blood
and our muscles ripple and flex with new life and our
nerves respond with a new joy as we go down into the
low valleys. And this shall be called the cleansing of
flesh and of blood, which is the fruit of Iduna and
the dew of life. And they shall say of us that we saw
things as the Sun sees them. For on o ur eyes the
golden Sun has dawned, and we have passed from
darkness into light. Fo r they who have the Sun in
their face and in their body, they who have the Sun in
their breast and the M oon in their belly, they are
Children of the Sun and Lords of the Earth.
So Frey and Freya send us now and always sunshine and

freshing rain and a gleam of beauty, brave and rich
with life beyond that of mortal Summers. Let the holy
waters of pool and stream sing with co nstant lips of
the hand which gives rain. May the pastures ever
lighten in -the Springtime with passionate blossoming
and may sweet homes ever hallow the heart of the
passer -by with their pride of peaceful gladness. So
let us take boughs of blossom and sing, for the song
of praise is with us.
All shall say
By Odin's power may these things be so
The Prose Readi ng

Reader
The grey cub early discovered that one wall of hi s
world was different from the rest. This was the mouth
of the cave and the source of light. He had discovered
that it was different from the other walls long before
35
he had any thoughts o f his own, any conscio us
volitions. It had been an irresistible attr action
before ever his eyes opened and looked upo n it. The
light from it beat up o n his sealed lips and the eyes
and the optic nerves had pulsated to little, sparklike
flashes, warm -co loured and strangely pleasing. The
life of his body, and o f every fibre of his bo dy, the
| life that was the very substance of his body and that
| was apart from his o wn perso nal life, had yearned
toward this light and urged his bo dy toward it in the
same way that the cunning chemistry of a plant urges
it toward the Sun,

Jack London (1876-1916)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
36
Sigurd
THE FESTIVAL OF THE HOMELAND
Moot Horn to Austri, to Sudri and to Vestri. ‘Then shall he tu rn to
the Altar and so und a long, triump hant blast in salute to Nordri,
arm. :
The Cleansing
Blot by expelli ng worldly thoughts.
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say
comfort.
The Sacred Fire


and the final mercy, L et flame be quickened by flame,
All shall say

37
The Call
Sigurd, son of Vols ung, son of Sigmund, Guarder
of Victory and bringer of peace, we hael you. Slayer
of monsters, foe of the Midgarth Serpent, o ur champion
and defender of o ur sacred soil, we hael yo u.
All shall say

Sigurd, Guardian ef our Hearths and o ur Ho mes, we hael
you.
Gothi
Hael to Odin, Regent of Sun, of sight and of sound,
who gives strength, rules speech and understanding,

whose light flows downwards, covering green hill and
dale in a coro net of sunshine, spreading as far as eye
discovers, unfancied splendour and wondro us to the
sight. For us, your sons and daughters, the sound
of the names of places holds the spirit of the living
and that which is to be lies hidden in the old words.
we hear them again o n the lips of o ur kindred: hurst
and holt, thorp and thwaite, weald and ford, tor,
garth and ley . The spirit of our people is in these
sounds from the word -hoard of our tongue. They who
know will not pass by long barrow and beacon hill
without a leaping of the heart, a s hout of jo y and the
hand-grasp of the free man, and they will know without
knowing how they kno w,
All shall say

Ancient go ds, guard o ur land and people.
Gothi
Our fathers lived since ageless time in this land,
where days brought healing and not decay. Oa ths for us
they swore: now shall we fulfi ll them all, to Lord and
Land and League of Friendship. For now is the hour
come: foes are come from the dark places of the Earth
and ruffians who revel the night, rob, murder and
commit the oldest outrage in the new est kind of
38
ways. Fires are before us. Yet though we fight on
alien field or friendly the glory that we reap shall
be Sigurd's and Odin's for ever. So forth let us
ride, fear behind us, our Wyrd and our destiny before
us. Fealty we keep:
one will, o ne health, one law,
one soil, one tongue, one people.
All shall say

Sigurd, Protector of our Land, aid us
Gothi
So let our wills be harder, our courage keener, our
spirit grow great as our strength falls away . But let
not our folk, that was wont to conquer others, make
conquest of itself. For a man sho uld fear not hi s own
roof-beams nor a woman her hearth, The heroes of our
folk march still in spirit with us: Alfred the Great
and Hereward the Wake, Edward the Hammer and Hen ry of
Agincourt, Elizabeth o f England, Marbr o uck, Wolfe and
Wellington and all the brave defenders of o ur land and
soil. To them was o ur Northland bequeathed, ours n ow
to strongho ld and defend, and ours till M idgarth be
riven in the crash of Ragnarok. So Odin, Allfather a
Heriafather, aid us, yo ur sons a nd daughters, with the
Power that is yours alone. ; °
All shall say

Odin the High One, hear us.
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng

Reader
We stood upon the forehead of the hills and lifted up
our hearts in prayer; and as we halted, reverent
me seemed that nature o'er us bent, that she did bid us
sup from bread she gave and from her cup. There at her
large communion did we feast, herself the substance
and herself the priest. The immaterial wine she poured
and standing on the Cotswold sward administered to us :
39
beneath the unsuppor ted sky her sacrament of scenery.
Norman G ale (1862 -1942)
Gothi
crowned, the Gods of Valhalla sit enthroned. within
date’s rune -written shield. They made laws, and chose
All shall say

we offer thanks for the bl ood ties of o ur ho use and
of the Future: may we not be a failing people and
we shall not pass along. Kinsmen: Unseen, unborn,
unknown: Since we can never see your face an d never
grasp your hand, we s end our spirits thro ugh time and
The Rede
Gothi "
Hear you my rede and my counsel: Hael to them that listen:
Remember we now the good young days and the free land
and the times of plenty and the gladness and su nshine,
when we called o urselves brothers and swore a mighty
oath to cleanse the land of the evil that had come
upon it.
Though all things must come to an end in time, we

shall not perish yet; not though the walls be taken by
a reckless foe that will build a hill of carrion
between them. For ho pe and memory still shall live in
40
some hidden valley where the grass is green. For green
go the ways of the old Earth Heroes and green go
the way towards Sigurd's grave -mound.
So chant your songs, O wind of the East, O wind of the

West, that the sons of men may know. For there is a
high wrong yet to right, and green go the ways of the
threat of werewolves. Say it plainly, say it plainly,
that all may understand: even though we come to the
paths of the serpent, we mark th e way for those who
know what is wrong. Sun, Moon and stars give answer:
Green go the ways of the old Earth Heroes and green go
the ways towards the hollow land. Yet shall we stand,
even as now, wards and sentinels and lords of our
fathers" land. Arise the n, sons and daughters of Odin,
Spear shall be shaken and shield splintered ere the
Sun rises. Time is short: the beacons of our land are
alight and war is kindled. Be vigilant. r
All shall say

The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Deprived of the contest of weapons that was the only
bough he knew, man must descend to the cane -brakes of
a new mode of existence. There he must find new dreams,
new dynamics, new experiences to absorb him, new
means of resolving his issues and of pr otecting
whatever he regards as good. And he will find them; or
he will find himself lo st. Slowly his governm ents will
lose their force and his societies their integration.
Moral order, sheltered thro ughout all histo ry by the
judgment of arms, will fall aw ay in rot and erosion.
Insoluble quarrels will rend peoples once united by a
territorial purpose. Insoluble conflicts will split
nations once allied by a common dream. Anarchy,
ultimate enemy of social man, will spread its grey,
cancerous tissues thro ugh t he social corpus of our
kind. Bandit nations will hold the human will
41
a hostage, in perfect confidence that no superior
force can protect the victim. Bandit gods will have
their way along the so cial thoroughfare, in perfect
confidence that the declining order will find no means
to protect itself. Every night we shall build our
nostalgic family nests in tribute to ancestral
memories. Every day we shall pursue thro ugh the
fearful cane -brakes o ur unequal struggle with
extinctio n, It is the hard way, ending w ith a whimper.
…… Organized warfare, altho ugh an exercise
exclusively human in the vertebrate world, received in
truth reinforcement from natural law, whereas social
violence, the human expression replacing it, breaks
every rule of social species. Into lerable tho ugh the
damage of warfare might be, still it united societies,
strengthened social co ntracts, and gave outlet for
animal xenophobia. And if we are to prepare ourselves
for any profound understanding of sabotage, riot,
political assassination, th en we should inspect
carefully the concept of the stranger.
Robert Ardrey (1908 -80)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
42
Ragnar Lodbrok
COMMEMORATION OF THE VIKINGS
arm.
The Cleansing
Blot by expelling worldly thoughts,
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say
that we may t ruly understand, fully assimilate and

comfort.
The Sacred Fire

represented by Candles) the Go thi shall say
the fire of cleansing and creation,
the first mystery

and the final mercy.
Let flame be quickened by flame,

All shall say

43
The Call

All hael to the High Gods. Tyr hael, and hael to Vara,
who hears all oaths and who punishes the SSK IEEOE - All
hael to Ul1, the son of Sif and fair comra de-in-arms.
All shall say f

Thor, Steerer of Ships, guide us.
Gothi ; :
Hael to Odin, Governo r of the World, beautiful and
terrible as the morning and the night, dreadful a s the
storm and the lightning, stronger than the f oundations
of the Earth, from whom proceeds all enterprise in
peace and in war. Help us be copy now to Ragnar, who
died not upon the field of battle but no netheless for
whose great co urage the Valkyrie bore him to join the
Einheriar in Valhalla.
All shall say j

Thor and Modi, son of Thor, be with us.
Gothi
said that when the time comes for that mighty
band of warrior spirits to join the last great fight
of Ragnarok they will march to the warfield under the
leadership of Ragnar L odbrok. May we then, great Odin,
emulate his contempt for death and danger, he whose
exultant chant welco med the Norns* decrees which no
man can escape: ‘I hear them call, who bid me hence to
Odin's Hall, high seated in their blest abodes. I soon
shall quaff the drink o f gods: the hours of life
have glided by . I fall, but smiling shall I die: '
All shall say

Ragnar and Odin, be within us.
Gothi
44
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
High over the wild sea -border, on the furthest downs
to the West, is the green grave -mound of the No rseman,
with the yew tree gro ve on its crest. From the fiords
of the sunless Winter he came, till over the whole
world's seaboard the shadow of Odin passed. Till he
sped to the inland waters and under the Southland
skies. Then Odin called, and he fell, So they laid him
down to his rest, in his casque with the reindeer
antlers and the long grey beard on his breast. His
bier was the spoil of the islands, with a sail for
a shroud beneath and an oar of his blood -red galley
and his battle -brand in the sheath. An d they buried
his bow beside him and planted the grove of yew, where
the flowerless cliffs are sheerest, where the sea -
birds circle and swarm , and the rocks are at war with
the waters and the huge Atlantic billows sweep in. And
the mists enclose the hill with the grass -grown mound,
where the Norseman's yew tree grows.
Rennell Rodd (1858 -1941 )
Gothi
date's rune -written shield, They made laws, and chose
All shall say
Springless Autumn, Grant that we hold by the ways of
45
we shall not pass along: Kinsmen: Unseen, unborn,
unknown: Since we can never see your face and never
The Rede
Gothi
Now praise we all the heroes of our Folk and Nation.

Long in the Northland their fame shall live. L et us,
like them, stand at the point of conflict, for there
is the ash Y ggdrasil and the Fountain of M imir, where
form enters chaos, where good faces ev il, where life
touches the shadows, where the red digger penetrates
the green field, where swings the way still by hollow
and hill. There is the creative instinct and the pivot
of stability. Let us then define the point of conflict
and give shape to shapelessness.
So let us remember this day the sons of Allfather and

Heriafather, who poured from the frozen loins of
the North to pass the Rhene or the Danaw, when they
came like a deluge on the South and spread beneath
Gibraltar and the desert sands. The blast of the
tempest helped their oars, and the bellowing of Thor,
The hurricane was their servant and drove them where
they wished to go and the ho wling of the thunder hurt
them not. From the crest of creation, from the noble
North, they came, fro m the majestic lands of valour.
Seaworthy cutters carried them, the force o f spears
took them and the po wer of the Norns and the blood -
stained weapo n. Now it is said that their time is
o'er, vanished under night's shade as it had never
been, But we who are branches of Yggdrasil, blood of
their blood and bone of their bone, we shall draw
nourishment of the acts of them,
Let us be glad to live, glad in our cu nning and in o ur
46
strength, glad that we are doers of things. For why
should we live if we believe not in ourselves and the
things that we do? For the man who stays by the hearth
grows not cunning or strong. Neither does the wisdom
of the stranger make u s wise. For if he is cunning
there is no need that we be and if need arise we go to
him for his cunning. We eat the meat of his kill and
it tastes unsweet and in it there is no delight.
So let us glory in our own Prowess. And may our

faithful comrades an d our commanders be inspired by
the exultant Ragnar, by Thorgest, by Gudroth and by
Drake, by Hudson, by Frobisher, by Baffin and by
Grenville of Revenge, by Hawke and Co llingwood and
Rodney, by Howard, Cook, Raleigh and Nelson of
Trafalgar and the Nile an d by all the great seamen,
pioneers and discoverers of our race, And there lived
others whose souls were tempered with fire: fervent,
loyal, heroic and just. For it is said that fire is
best among men's sons and the sight of the Sun, and
health and life wi thout blame.
All shall say

The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Was hael! Be tho u whole! This is the command of the
High Gods! But o ur kinsfolk have heard it not. We have
heard them psalming the soul to its eternal glory
while the very breath of the body was corrupt. They
turned away from the Sun, hid themselves in the shadow
and asked for spiritual light. And because their
body could not receive the sacred stream of metal
flowing from the Sun the anaemic spirit was starved.
The green tree bursting into budding resurrection
throbs with life: stand away from it, crawl away,
hide, back to the streets - it will kill you. Fo r
that which is vital kills the devitalised and even
the green of its leafage is too vital for them to
47
look upon with wonder. It is terrible with life and
their blood gives not counterpo ise in scarlet
contrast. But if the bo dy decay how shall the spirit
soar? Hai! We shout to waken the men in the long
barrow and the fire ship. Come awake! Your people can
no longe r keep their o wn laws. Cannot worship their
own gods and have fallen foul of their own bodies.
They think the Hammer of Thor is lost and the sword
Gram put away. But so me there are who know the hill
wherein Beowulf was buried and the runes that were
on his belt.
John Hargrave (1894 -1 982)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
48
Midsummer
THE FESTIVAL OF BALDER
arm.
The Cleansing
All present sho uld stand for at least two minutes! silent
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor, We hallow
properly use the divine pow ers that are within us.
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. As Eart h
All shall say

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun !
49
The Call

Hael to Balder, fair as the sea and the Sun and the
snow upon the mountains. Balder, whose so ul is pure as
water, sky, grass and wandering air and whose dwelling
is in Broad Shining, a blessed place in the best
of lands, w here evil runes are not. Balder, august,
immortal, white and holy, we passed days not dark
at your side. O, that o ur lives be clad like yo urs in
majesty and might.
All shall say

Balder, Son of Odin, be with us.
Gothi
For you are ‘Balder, whose hair is wh ite with fanning
the flames of life. You are younger than the young and
older than the old. Yo u are unfolded o n the stem of
time, like a flower. Yo ur roots are in the dark Winter.
You are the flower unfolded. You are new.
All shall say

Balder, Son of Frig ga, be with us.
Gothi
Odin, Father of All the Gods, hael. Hael to Balder and
hael to the Sun that arises in rebirth each morning,
that became man's first symbol of everlasting life.
So hael to light, the eternal holiness and offspring
of Asgarth first -born.
All shall say

Balder, Husband to Nanna, be with us.
Gothi
When the day grows old, through all the forest
wide which men call dark Mirkwood, we walk. But at the
rising of the Sun we rejoice. For it is said that
it befits a man to be merry and glad unti l the end of
days, for dawn is ever the hope of man, Let us then go
forth and take with us a heart that watches and
50
receives.
All shall say

Balder hear us.
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
Here, where the breath of the scented gorse floats
through the Sun-stained air, on a steep hillside, o n a
grassy ledge, I have lain ho urs long and heard
only the faint breeze pass in a whisper like a prayer,
and the river ripple by and the distant call o f a bird.
On the lone hillside, in the golden sunshine, I
will hush me and repo se, and the world fades into a
dream and a spell is cast on me. -And what was all the
strife about, for the m yrtle or the rose, and why have
I wept for a white girl's passing ivory.
Ernest Dowson ( 1867-1900)
Gothi
date's rune -written Shield. They made laws, and chose
All shall say

the end of days. Now, to our sons* sons and
their so ns, we send our words a s messengers, the way
51
space, in Odin‘s name to greet you.
The Rede
Gothi
Hear you my rede and my co unsel: Hael to them that listen!
Streaming from the stars through everlasting space,

whelming out of Earth herself, flowing thro ugh the
green life of the plant, breaking into the heart of
man: the voice of Balder the Holy. A voice as young
and ancient as Summer, like the song of a glad water
flowing down into the night from a bright m orning in
the hills, falling like silver, as the quiet rain
that drops down, leaf -drenching, from Asgarth. For
life is in the seed, and the ear ripens in the Sun,
and far faire r are the hills of morning.
So let us make bread and eat: the spark is there,
wheresoever we strike it. Kindle the spark and light

fire. Stick, clay and stone are there for building.
fake them, build a dwelling place and live in peace.
Of these things t here is an abundance. Why then have

they created a slum upon the Earth? So let us go about
our work with careful skill, helping one another. For
good rede is worth twenty hands.
Let us not forget that the day runs ever on the heels
of day and there are ma ny days. So shall we be
unforgetful of past glo ries, but face always to
the future, able to take hold of the moment of time
which is for ever now. For we hold the knowledge, in
thew and sinew, that he who moves out of time is the
bedfellow of him who rests in the narrow house, under
the tumulus. So Balder and the High Gods strengthen
and aid to the good whoever keeps these laws.
All shall say

By Odin ’s power may these things be so .
52
The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Thanks be to the Norns that the Christian m onks, whose
most zealous work it was to root out the memories of
the past and reduce the gods of o ur fathers to common -
Place demons, did not succeed in their devastating
mission. Thanks be to Shakespeare that he did not
forget the stern, majestic, impartial an d beautiful
Norns, even though he did change them into the
wrinkled witches that figure in Macbeth! That our
ancient religion, in spite of the wintry blasts that
have swept over it, in spite of the piercing cold to
which it has been exposed at the hand of those who
thought they came with healing for the natio ns, in
spite of all the persecution it has suffered from
monks and bishops, professors and kings; that in spite
of all these has been able to bud and blosso m in our
Northern folklore, our May Queens and popular life, is
proof of the strong vital force it contains and of the
vigorous thought of o ur forefathers who preserved it.
Entering the solemn halls and palaces of the gods,
where all is cordiality and purity, you will find
there perfectly reflected th e wild and tumultuous
conflict of the elements, strong rustic pictures, full
of earnest and deep thought, awe -inspiring and
wonderful. You will find that simple and martial
religion which gave the Norseman that restless
unconquerable spirit, apt to take fi re at the very
mention of subjection and restraint; that religion
which forged the instruments that broke the fetters
manufactured by the Roman emperors, destroyed tyrants
and slaves and taught men that nature having made all
free, no other reason but thei r mutual happiness co uld
be assigned for making them dependent.
Rasmus Bjorn Anderson (1846 -1936)
53
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
54
SLeipnir
THE FESTIVAL OF LIFE
arm,
The Cleansing
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

comfort,
The Sacred Fire


and the final mercy. L et flame be quickened by f lame,
All shall say

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun?
55
The Call

Odin, Father of All, Raven God, the First and Eldest
of the Aesir, Essence of Asgarth and of Midgarth, who
exists in all t hings and by whose guidance we extend
our own protection to our kindred of the wildwood and
to all life: we hael you.
All shall say

Hael to Odin the Allfather.
Gothi
We give thanks for the companionship of animals and
for their beauty, for their service and for
nourishment: for meat and for mead. Odin Allfather,
Rider of Sleipnir, we who receive food and shelter and
the service and friendship of our brothers and
sisters, if we know you not we are lost.
All shall say

Odin, Protector and Gelding, hear us.
Gothi
All hael to Freya, Lady of the Cats, and hael to Frey,
Boar Rider. Hael to Heimdall, Son of the Waves,
who was in seal guise victorious. May the Aesir and
the Vanir let go, with us, a great shout that shall
echo through Midgarth, from Thorshaven to Southern
Thule, from Land's End to John o' Groats, from
Vancouver to Cape Co d. Let Wayland the Smith awake,
put hand to bellows -shaft and shoe the White Horse.
For we too are kin to Odin and to Thor, to Freya, to
Balder and to Frey, to Geri and to Freki, t o Hugin and
to Munin, to Ratatosk and to Vedfiolnir, to Heidrun
and to Sleipnir, to Allwhite, to Swanwhite and to
Olrun.
All shall say

Odin, Protector and Allfather, hear us.
56
Gothi
Vidar, God of the Woodlands and God of the Forests: we
praise you, We g ive thanks for timber and for shelter.
We give thanks for water, for bread and for clothing
and for all those things that help us to live
our lives,
All shall say

Holy Gods: help us to understand these things.
Gothi
Now let us Odin pray, into our minds t o enter.
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
I think T could turn and live with animals. They are
so placid and self -contained: I stand and lo ok at them
long and long. They do not sweat and whine about their
condition, They do no t lie awake in the dark and weep
for their sins. They do not make me sick discussing
their duty to God. Not one is dissatisfied. Not one is
demented with the mania of owning things. Not one
kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived
thousands of years ago. Not one is respectable or
unhappy over the who le Earth. So they show their
relations to me and I accept them. They bring me
tokens of myself, They evince them plainly in their
possession. I wonder where they got those tokens? Did
I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop
them?
Walt Whitman (1819 -92)
Gothi
date's rune -written Shield. They made laws , and chose
57
All shall say
of the Future: may w e not be a failing people and a
the end of days. Now, to our sons ’ sons and
their so ns, we send ou r words as messengers, the way
The Rede
Gothi
Hear you my rede a nd my counsel! Hael to them that listen:
Now do we honour life. Let us have reverence for life:

reverence for persons, reverence for beetles, birds,
flowers, fish, trees, wolves and water: to the linnet
its flight and to the thrush its so ng. And let us ha ve
reverence for the sacred cosmos which cradled us out
of vanished years and to which we must o ne day return
through night, shadow, loud winds, Winter.
Let us, then, respect the right of all creatures to

live within the natural limits imposed by the righ ts
of others, to choose and mate with their own kind, of
their flesh, their blood and their bone. The goose
mates with the goose, Nor does the swan m ate with the
ringed duck. The king salmon does not mate with the
dog salmon nor the raven with the wolf: it were evil
mating, like the water with the sand, like the
snowflake with the Sun. And then there is the call of
kind. The land calls, to its children and all lands
call their children ho me again, as the wild goose and
the swan and the ringed duck are calle d.
58
And there are tree spirits. Do they remember the
forest where their seeds swelled and split? For a tree
lives as we live: it is brother and sister of m an.
From the sea it came, as he came, to look up into the
face of the Sun. And as the young fir tha t falls and
rots, having neither needles nor bark, so is the fate
of the friendless man.
And there is water, sunlight, soft airs, bright

colours: a lake, a pond, a mountain loch, a pool of
silence in the evening light. We look into them and we
see the depths of o ur own divinity, for they are holy.
kt us, then, see to it that they remain, like Mimir,
living fountains of water that regenerate and cleanse.
So let us give thanks for the friendship of these

things: of man and woman, of animals and o f birds, of
trees and of water, that through them our folk that
sprang from the forest of our land, armed with
thunder, clad with wings, shall still a wider world
command. For we are the people of one Folk and o ne Law
and one Kindred. We have seen a green country and
it is holy.
All shall say

The Prose Readi ng
Reader
And she felt a great woe =
unworthiness.
the woe of human
: The race of men judged in the
consciousness of the animals they have subdued, and
there found unworthy, ignoble. Ignoble man, unworthy
of the animals they have subjugated, bred the woe in
the spirit of their creatures. That bright horse, one
of the kings of creatio n, it had been a fulfil lment for
him to serve the brav e, reckless, perhaps cruel men
of the past , who had a flickering, rising flam e of
nobility in them, Nothing mattered, but that strange
flame of inborn nobility that obliges men to be brave
59
and onward plunging. And the horse will bear him
on. But where now is the flame of dangerous, forward -
pressing nobility in m an? And the horse, is he to go
on carrying man forward into this gutter? The horse,
born to serve no bly, had waited in vain for some
one nobler to serve. His spirit knew that nobility had
gone out of men.
DH Lawrence (1885 -1930)
The Geald or
The Memory Cup
60
Discovery of the Runes
THE FESTIVAL OF THE MIND
the Altar and so und a long, triumphant blast in sa lute to Nordri.
arm.
The Cleansing
Blot by expelling worldly thoughts .
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya, be our guides and our
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

that through the darkness we may come to the Light.
All shall say

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun
61
The Call

Odin, who possesses knowledge and the first of such as
merit worship; Raven God, Inventor of Poetry,
Discoverer of the Runes, Patron of So ng, God of
Eloquence, friend of Hugin and of Munin and giver of
the mead of inspiration: you are as a blaze of light
and a hand that becko ns.
All shall say

Odin, God of Wisdom, be within us.
Gothi
Mighty the marks shaped by the stave -smith, like some
knowledge deep in the blood, rist by the Rune God,
Odin the High One. Fo r we are akin in these things:
that we stand upri ght, need food and drink and a place
for sheltering, beget o ur kind in a like manner and,
at the last, pass into shadow and return to the bosom
of Jorth, o ur Holy Mother and the Mother of Thor.
All shall say

Odin, the Wise One, teach us.
Gothi
Immortal O din, whose High Seat lies in the depths of
human thought, we adjure your power by all that may
be, by all that we are not, by all that we hav e been
and yet must be. Thro ugh the unthinking, unsoiled mind
of childhood has the spirit risen. For when we look
upward into the branches of the towering oak we know
that it grew great and strong because it grew
slowly and well. May we too be inspired to send our
roots deep into the so il of life's enduring values,
that we may grow towards the stars of our o wn destiny.
So guide us, Allfather, to Mimir's Well, wherein are
stored wisdom and understanding.
All shall say

Odin, Knower of many Things, inform us.
62
Gothi
How many centuries o f Summers laying their sights
and so unds on the tissues of the brain have made that
faculty by which we m ight receive our heritage of the
green tracks of Midgarth? For by the past, man's mind
is made stro ng with beauty.
All shall say

Odin, Allfather, we praise you.
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
Out of the Northlands of ice and snow, down to the
valleys that lie below, giant men came bringing peace
through war. And leading them all rode Odin and Thor.
Hardened in life's most difficult test, over and over
they proved they were best suited to rule ov er all
the rest. Now that the ice and snow are no more, now
that the heroes' days are of yore, the strength is
gone, in peace as in war. Once struggle forged our
people great. Now softness and weakness seal our fate.
The leaders no longer know how t o lead: forgotten
are duty, devotion and deed. Out of the Northlands of
ice and snow, down to the valleys that lie below,
giant men came bringing peace through war. This is
the way culture began, long ago on the ancient strand,
spreading like fire fro m Odi n's land.
Robert Louis Stevenso n (1850 -94)
Gothi
date's rune -written s hield. They made laws, and chose
63
All shall say
family. Verdandi, Norn of the Present, and Skuld, Nor n
the end of days. Now, to our sons* sons an d
The Rede
Gothi
Hear you my rede and my counsel! Hael to them that listen:
Now do we honour mind and thought and those brave

heroic minds worthy of their people's name. And in
mind there is growth and there is diminishment. Both
must we accept, yet fight against di minishment. For,
nourished by the bread of Asgarth, intoxicated by the
mead of beauty, disciplined and made stro ng by the
human struggle, victory gives Odin, and wealth, wisdom
and words. They may win them who can, It is for each
one of us to learn to o pen the doors of our senses
that we may understand that wordless wisdom without
which we are as dead.
That man does not exist who can put aside his common
lot and proclaim: I am not of your clay. Upo n that,
which is indeed truth, is founded the untruth that
because of his brotherhood of the common lot, all men
are of the same value and should be valued equally.
For we have need to know that a crooked tree is not as
good as a straight tree and that the good fo rester
must give first place to the clean -limbed sa plings. So
let not the dark night sweep down, that wro ng
64
knowledge seal our hearts, minds and lips.
Let us remember that better gear than good sense a man

cannot carry. Never quarrel with a fool. Let those who
turn tables, speak with tongues, gaze into crystals,
cast out demons and do other tricks of a like kind be
sent away. They seek moonshine in a flood of sunlight.
They claim kinship with the heroes of Asgarth and
Valhalla, with Beowulf, Balder and Ragnar, yet they
taste the hemlock -drink of the so u l,
Out of the sleep moans the soul of our people

imprisoned, asleep in the rule of the strong machine,
their will to its will defected. Let us then arise.
Break through. Stand upright. That which is living
does not seek life. Let us not forget the words o f the
Valkyrie, who said: Let not thy mind be overmuch
crossed by unwise men at thronged moots of folk, for
luck will not ride long on the same horse with folly.
For if the mind decay shall the spirit soar? No! That
is the teaching of Loki. The bodies of m en shall be
pure and filled with vitality, so that they shine like
the god -heroes of old, delighting in their strength
and healthfulness and striving to maintain the
holiness of the flesh for the joy of life. For without
that the mind is poisoned and the s pirit defiled. But
the body at peace allo ws the mind to soar.
So ours it is to stack the wapentake, for these

forth-gang to fight and none shall see them, because
these are they that are marked with the rimstaff of
the Futhark, and what is to do is to rem ember the
word-runes, help-runes, bough -runes for wo und -healing,
book-runes, ale -runes and the runes for protection.
With these alone a man may go forward to stand by his
comrades and his kin and to make ready himself and his
gear for the last great strugg le against the bane of
the weregild. Kostbera was learned: she knew the
meaning of runes, spelt out the letters by the
bright fire. As he gives the boat breeze so he gives
65
the skald skill. But to each Odin gives the heart and
mind of man or woman.
All s hall say

The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Dreary will be the morning when you and I awake and
leopards are gone: when starlings in hordes no longer
chatter in the plane trees about the adventures of the
day to come, when the lone tomcat fails to return from
his night's excesses, when robins cease to cry out
their belligerent challenges to the bushes beyond the
lawn, when the skies lack larks and the shrubbery
lacks sex -obsessed rabbits hopping after each other,
when hawks cea se their eternal, circling searching
and the gulley by the rocks falls silent, when the
diversity of men has v anished like the last
dawn-afflicted star.
If this is to be the morning we must awaken to, then

may I have died in my sleep. Yet it is the mornin g
that, knowing or unknowing, we strive for: you, I,
capitalists, socialists, yellow, white, brown, It is
the morning that professors demand in common with
policemen, that the philosophers of two centuries
have praised, the morning of identicality, of
the commonly induced conditioned reflex, the morning
of egalitarian actuality.
Robert Ardrey (1908 -80)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
66
Winter Finding
THE FESTIVAL OF HARVEST END
Moot Horn to Austr i, to Sudri and to Vestri. Then shall he turn to
Then the Gothi shall take up the -Armill and place it on his left
arm.
The Cleansing
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

comfort.
The Sacred Fire

represented by Candles) the Got hi shall say
and the final mercy, L et flame be quickened by flame,
All shall say

67
The Call

Odin, the Great and Wise, God of the Winter and God of
the Skies, we hael you. Hael to Frey, Go d of the
Harvest, the Son of Niord and God of the Vanir, who
rules over the rain and the shining of the Sun, the hi
fruit of Midgarth and the prosperity of men and women.
We hael Sif, whose golden hair has veiled the fields i
of our land. To Fulla we offer thanks for plentiful
harvests. And we hael Freya, most renown ed of all
goddesses, who is called Mardoll and Horn, Gef and
Syr, Lady of the Vanir and Go ddess of the Slain.
All shall say

Freya, be with us.
Gothi
Protect us, great U11, and Thrym, High Priest of the
Frost Giants: spare o ur fields. Though none can resi st
Elli and the lo ng years, yet we dance and we sing an
holy song of Balder, how by Hother's dart he fell, how
Earth and sea lament. The spirit of the White God has
journeyed beyond Midgarth and through the forests of
darkness which we call Mirkwood, over Bifrost, beyond
the bright place of the Sun and far away to the heart
of Asgarth, Now, in the pace of the Summer Chariot,
shall we await his coming when, down the morning, a
far golden horn shall in the silver trees ring out.
All shall say

Balder, God of the Summer, forget us not.
Gothi
Odin, worshipped by gods and men, who makes strong
whom you choose and makes them holy and wise; Raven i
God, from whom comes all knowledge: we hael you, Odin,
Chief Ruler of the Go ds, all hael to you. For you are ?
Earth and Air, Fire and Ice and Water; and it is by
these things that man and the spirit of man exist.
And therein is the Foundation of Life.
68
All shall say
Odin hear us,
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
I saw the pallid corpse of the dead Sun borne through
the Northern sky: Balder the Beautiful, God of the
Summer Sun, fairest of all the go ds. L ight from his
forehead beamed, runes were upon his tongue, as on the
warrior's Sword. Balder the Beautiful is dead. They
laid him in his ship with horse and harness, as on
a funeral pyre. Odin placed a ring upon his finger and
whispered in his ear. They launched the burning ship.
It floated away over the misty sea till, like the Sun,
it seemed sinking beneath the waves and Ba lder
returned no more,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 -82)
Gothi
crowned, the Gods of Valhalla sit enthroned, Within
date's rune-written Shield. They made laws, and chose
All shall say

family. Verdandi, Norn of the Presen t, and Skuld, Norn
69
space, in Odin's name to gr eet you.
The Rede
Gothi
Now Midgarth is blended with bright Valhalla we give

thanks for go od harvest and fruitfulness, in stall and
in field, and for memory of mornings of unhallowed Sun,
the eastering Sun and the westering Sun. Many times
have the red leaves fallen in Midgarth since first we
saw the eastward Sun. When Winter comes and darkness
falls man is able to look into himself and read his
own heart. But with the coming again of the Summer an d
of light, then are his eyes blinded. Yet even so,
though deep is the abyss that is spanned by the Bridge
of Bifrost, men‘s hearts look forward after the long
Northern Winter to a Spring of joy, to the smell
of green leaves and dry leaves, of the shore an d sea
rocks and of hay in the barn, when we can trace the
rainbow thro ugh the rain.
But above all shadows rises the Sun, and stars for
ever dwell. And he that has light within his own clear
breast may stand in the centre and enjoy bright day,
like the you ng frost in the morning. But he that hides
a dark soul and foul thoughts, benighted walks under
the midday Sun. They say that Midgarth is sustained by
breath of the young, so let us not say that day is
done, nor bid the stars farewell. For though dark they
stand, all woods there be must usher night, night
usher the morrow, month follow month with woe and year
wake year with sorrow, Then shall we see the open Sun
go past, the setting Sun, the rising Sun, the day's
end or the day begun.
All shall say

By Odin 's power may these things be so .
70
The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Whereas under polytheism the gods were intimately
connected with the Earth, and stimulated veneratio n
for it, under monotheism deity was extracted from the
Earth. God was promoted to higher regio ns. He went
completely out of sight. It became possible to fear
god witho ut fearing nature - nay, to love god
(whatever that meant) and to hate his creations. This
attitude reached its climax with what is called
puritanism, In the history of mankind there is nothing
more shameful than the spectacle of human beings
perspiring with religio us fervour and at the same time
turning away with horror and loathing from a fresh
green leaf or a naked body. That frenzy passed. Then
the deity began to be secretly hated, But this did not
mean the restoration of the gods and a renewal of
respect for the creation. Science came in and began to
‘conquer‘ nature. The gods were dead and God was dead;
into what channel no w would energy flow? Into the
exploitation of the Earth. Al l respect for every
living thing was abandoned, The Golden Bough was
turned into boughs of gold; the once god -informed
trees became ‘tim ber'; and the way was made straight
for the princes of industry and the kings of commerce.
John Stewart Co llis (1900 -64)
Presentati on of the Corn Mother
Now shall one of the kindred proffer a Corn Mother to the Gothi,
saying
Receive this Corn Mother, delivered to you in the
names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Now give we
thanks to Freya and to Frey and to Thor, for a
fruitful seaso n and go od rain, that our fields bear
good straw below, go od ears above and good grain
within.
The Gothi, taking the Corn Mother, shall hold it on high and make
with it the Sign of the Hammer, saying
71
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Soon the
green splendour of the field is fled. But to gods and
men, soon or late, will come the hour when Freya's
mouldering spark into fierce flame must break. Then
will rise up Balder bright, the Summer fair, with
golden hair. All hael to Jorth! Hael to the fruitful
lands:
All shall say

Hael to our Mother Jo rth! Hael to the fruitful lands!
Then the Gothi shall place the Corn Mother upon the Altar. He shall
say
Frigga and Nanna and Jorth, be with us. Sif and Freya
hear us. Be o ur guides and o ur comfort .
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
72
Hengest
THE FESTIVAL OF SETTLEMENT
the Altar and so und a long, triumphant blast in salut e to Nordri.
arm.
The Cleansing
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

Properly use the divine powers that are within us.
Frigga, Nann a, Sif and Freya: be our guides and our
comfort.
The Sacred Fire


fades in flame and Sun and Moon bo w down, we kindle
that through the darkness we may come to the light,
All shall say

73
The Call

All hael to Odin, who avenges murder, protects the
sanctity of the oath, subdues hatred and dispels
sorrow. Haro! Haro! M ay all our folk, whose fury broke
upon the fro nt of Caesar's legions, now rise up before
us in a mighty procession.
All shall say

Their spirit lives,
Gothi
Hengest came, and he was the son of Wichtgisel, whose
father was Wicht. And Wicht's father was the son of
Odin. And with his bro ther Horsa he came and with -them
their iron will and their iro n people, conquerors, our
steel-shod, mail-clad folk, the law -giver and world-
maker among the families of men. We see it dawn, red -
flickering across the dark forests and sullen seas,
From hamlet and hall we see it blaze, bloody and red,
to full and triumphant noon. And down the graded slope
we see the blood -red sands dro pping into night.
All shall say

Hengest, King and Chief, you are with us yet.
Gothi
And through it all they observed the law, pitiless and
potent, ever unswerving and ever ordaining, greater
than the motes of men who fulfilled it or were crushed
by it. So let us now rejoice in our kinship to the
Seven Kings of the Sev en Kingdoms: to Hengest and Ella
and Uffa, to Erkenwine and Ida, to Cerdic and to Crida
and to all who possess the royal blood of Odin, God
and King.
All shall say

May we be worthy of them.
Gothi
So shall we deem ourselves frith -men or men of peace.
74
For freedom is wherev er we can live as lo ng as
it pleases a brave heart, where we can live according
to the laws and custo ms of our fathers, where we are
made happy by that which made our fathers happy. So
shall we wander all this land till ocean cease.
All shall say

Horsa, King and Chief, you are with us yet.
Gothi
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
This is our native land, By anc ient inheritance our
lives are free, though a hand strange to us set us
here, ordained this liberty and gave us hope and fear
and the turning maze of chance. To our unquestioned
rule no bound is set. We were made for this work
alone, This is our native air , We could not lease
these fields. And when time is grown beneath our
countless hands they say this kingdom shall be stable
and beautiful.
Edwin M uir (1887 -1959)
Gothi
crowned, the Gods of Valhalla sit enthroned, Within
date's rune -written shield. They made laws, and chose
All shall say

our fathers and to their memory , with every atom of
75
space, in Odin's name to greet you,
The Rede
Gothi
Honour we now our fo refathers who under Valfather Odin

and the swords o f Hengest and of Horsa extended our
holy nation into these lands. For this land is ours
and nothing shall com e between us and the Sun, for we
are godfolk, the sons and daughters of Odin. So stand
forth, you berserkers, bear -sarks of old, bearshirts
invulnerable to fire and to iron, wild cham pions of
the gods.
So fared they on. And they were among the Hreth Goths
and among Swedes, among Geats and among Danes. Among
Verns they were, amo ng Vikings and among Vendels.
Among Gepids they were, among Gefflegs and among
Angles, among Swaefe and among Aenenes. Among Saxo ns
they were, among Seggs and among Swordm en. Among
Whalemen they were, among Deans and among War Reams.
With the men of Trondheim they -were and with
Thuringians and among the Burgundians. With Franks
they were, with Frisians and among Frumtings. With
Rugians they were, with Gloms and among Rome -Welsh.
As Saga, M unin -inspired Goddess of History, lingers by

the stream of time we see the downland terraces of the
one-field tillings and the vestiges of an cient roads.
Know you all that there is something hidden in the
kistvaen, something buried in the tumulus that is with
us yet. And it is from here that the thing that is
with us resurrects. A wondrous great smithying, and
76
deftly done, welded o ur people from the noble North.
And here, where time, custom, grief, toil, age,
memory, service, love and blood have rooted us, here
in native soil, here may we ever have one speech, one
law, one soul, one sword. On Hengest Dun, on Hengist
Down, on Hengston Hill, i n Fridaythorpe and Horsington
and Fretherne, by Orwell's brink, by Waveney, Thames,
Ouse, Tyne and Severn, by the Signal Elm that looks on
Ilsey Downs, from the White Horse Stone to Berwick
Bounds, from Mousehold Heath to Milford Bay, o'er
Stubba's Grove a nd Cranbourne's oaks, at sunsinking
they assemble, treading the measured time at
the appointed place with the wind -tossed banners of
the Raven and the White Horse wind -folding. They hew
out Asgarth timber fro m the quickbeam of their own
body-wit by the sta ve that runs in the blood, their
conquerors’ blood that runs cool as a deep river in
shadow. They receive a choir -chant from the stars on a
still night after rain, a great song and a good song,
a flowing lay, full -sounding. Lasting hono ur shall be
theirs and a name that shall never die beneath the
skies.
All shall say

In Odin's name may these things be so.
The Prose Readi ng
Reader
In the year 449 Mauritius and Valentinus succeeded to
the thro ne and ruled for seven years. And in their
days Vortigern invited the English hither, and they
then came in three ships to Britain at the place
Ebbsfleet, King Vortigern gave them land in the south -—
east of this land o n condition that they should fight
against the Picts. They then fo ught against the Picts
and had the v ictory wherever they came. They then sent
to Angeln (in the north of Germany), bidding them send
more help, and had them informed of the co wardice of
the Brito ns and the excellence of the land. They then
77
immediately sent hither a greater force to the help of
the others. Those men came from three tribes of
Germany: from the Old Saxons, from the Angles, from
the Jutes. From the Jutes came the people of Kent and
of the Isle of Wight, namely the tribe which
now inhabits the Isle of Wight, and that race
in Wessex which is still called the race of the Jutes,
From the Old Saxons came the East Saxons, the South
Saxons and the West Saxons. From Angeln, which ever
after remained waste, between the Jutes and the
Saxons, came the East Angles, the Middle Angles, the
Mercians and all the Northumbrians, Their leaders were
two brothers, Hengest and Horsa, who were the sons of
Wichtgisel, Wichtgisel was the son of Wicht, the son
of Wecta, the son of Woden. From that Wo den has
descended all our royal family and that of the So uth-
umbrians also.
The Anglo-Saxon Chr onicle
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
78
Einheriar
THE FESTIVAL OF HEROES
Moot Horn to Austri, to Sudri and to Vestri., Then shall he turn to
arm,
The Cleansing
meditation in order to still the mind and to prepare it f or the
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

properly use the di vine powers that are within us.
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

All shall say

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun !
79
Receiving the Sw ord
The Sword Bearer shall approach the Altar and proffer the sheathed
Sword to the Gothi. Holding it horizontally on the palms of both
hands he shall say
Receive (here speak the name of the Sword), delivered to
you in the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor.
The Gothi, accepting the Sword, shall draw it fram its scabbard
(which shall then be laid upon the Altar) and hold it naked before
him, its blade po inting to Earth. Then he shall say
I receive (here speak the name of the S word), in the

names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor.
The Sword shall be laid upon the Altar, Then, with one hand resting
on the Sword, the Gothi shall say
May this Sword bestow renown upon all here assembled.

With it may we do justice, stop the growth of iniquity
and extend the Holy Nation of Odin. That do ing these
things we may be glorious in all v irtue and so
faithfully serve Odin Allfather.
All shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor.
Receiving the Banner
Then shall the Banner Bearer appr oach the Altar and halt when he is
distant one arm's length from the Gothi. He shall say
I deliver this Banner to you in the names of Odin,
Balder, Frey and Thor.
The Gothi shall take a corner of the Banner's fabric into his
left hand and, raising his rig ht hand, shall say
I receive this Banner in the names of Odin, Balder,

Frey and Thor. May it recall to all who serve beneath
it their solemn undertaking: to protect Family and
Folk and our Holy Faith from the force of spears and
the powers of fate. M ay it proclaim to the enemy our
resolve to oppose the bloodstained weapons of their
hate. That doing these things we may be glorious in
all virtue and so faithfully serve Allfather Odin.
80
Then the Banner Bearer, with the Banner, shall take up a
position near t he Altar.
The Call

Hael to Odin, Heriafather and Valfather, Father of
Heroes and Father of the Slain. Valfreya, who dwells
in Battle Plain, we hael you. And hael to Tyr Saxnot,
God of the Sun, whose shining sword reflects the rays
of coming Summer, Tyr, most daring and best in stout —
ness of heart, will help us to victory in battle.
When, from the cosmic power of Muspelheim, was shaped

our world so will it at the end of days bring forth
Ragnarok, and Surt shall fan the red flames of
destruction until gods and men are no more. Then shall
the heat of the Sun decline, Earth grow cold, Summers
grow weaker and Winters more stern and the pale -grown
stars fall and into ocean sink. Earth shall o pen and
the seas o'erwhelm. Then birds shall forg et to fly,
the shoreless sea turn to dry pastures and rivers
cease to flow.
For shall the age of Midgarth be ended, men shall grow

poorer, their power of action, their courage,
confidence, frith and mutual feeling shall be scorched
away. The drums shall r oll and brother fight brother.
On that warfield shall no man spare another, though
dawn be theirs and the colours of the Earth.
Then when Midgarth is ice and the Sun is vanished and

black, when the dust of star and planet has ceased to
fall o n other world s, then shall the mighty band
of the Einheriar fight the great battle of Ragnarok,
And Odin, Allfather and Valfather, the Bringer
of Victory, Father of the Slain and the Inspirer of
Heroes, shall lead us against the forces of ev il.
All shall say

The Gods of Peace and Renewal aid us.
81
Gothi
The Sword of Surt is a burning flame by which Asgarth
and Midgarth shall be consumed, to be replaced by a
new Asgarth and a new Midgarth. For shall justice and
that love which is the spirit. of the Mother -heart
shine, th rough red death and smoke, through the deep
and dreadful night. And upon the Shining Plains of Ida
gods and men once more shall flo urish. Then by quieter
ways shall we stride and, like Spring after Winter
and the sorrow of the evening sky and the Sun on th e
leaves, the sea, the Earth and the warm clov er,
shall a new age begin. And a new Midgarth shall raise
from ocean its flower -adorned head and wandering stars
renewed, take their silent course. And the rune -writ
golden tablets lost in early dawn of time sh all again
be found by Midgarth ’s reconciled race. Then not day
only shall be loved but night shall be beautiful and
all it shall fear pass away.
All shall say

Odin, God of Light everlasting, lead us.
The Names of Odi n
Gothi
Let us now hael Odin, Allfather , Heriafather
and Valfather, Father of Heroes and Father of
the Slain.
All shall say

Odin, we praise you.
The Gothi shall say All shall say

All hael to Odin. Allfather.
Lord of Hosts. Heriafather.
Lord of Spears. Valfather.
Knower of Many Things. Allfather.
Striker. Heriafather.
Who puts Armies to Flight. Valfather.
Fulfiller of Wishes. Allfather.
The Shaker. Heriafather.
82
The Burner. Valfather.
Far-seeing One. Allfather.
Raven God. Heriafather.
Prince of Valhalla. Valfather.
Friend of Mimir. Allfather.
Lord of the Warfield. Heriafather.
Helmet Bearer. Valfather.
Wanderer. Allfather.
Overthrower. Heriafather.
The Rider. Valfather.
High One. Allfather.
The Protector. Heriafather.
The Destroyer. Valfather.
Broadhat. Allfather.
Ruler of All. Heriafather.
The Changer. Valfather.
God of Wisdom. Allfather.
The Fighter. Heriafather.
God of the Hanged. Valfather.
God of Charms. Allfather.
Thunderer. Heriafather.
God of Gods. Valfather.
Long Bearded. Allfather.
The Hooded. Heriafather.
The Flaming Eyed. Valfather.
God of Cargoes. Allfather.
Ruler of Keels. Heriafather.
Lord of Men and Women. Valfather.
Patron of Skalds. Allfather.
The Gothi shall say

All hael to Odin: the Earth is his daughter and his
Wife
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
Blow out, you bugles, over the rich dead. There's none
of these so lonely and poor of old but, dying, has
made us rarer gifts than gold. These laid the world
83
away, poured out the red sweet wine of youth, gave up
the years to be of work and joy and that unhoped
serene that men call age. And those who would have
been, their sons, they gave their immortality. They
brought us, for o ur dearth, holiness, lacked so long,
and love and pain. Ho nour has come back as a king to
Earth, and paid his subjects with a royal wage, and
nobleness walks in our ways again, and we have come
into our heritage.
Rupert Brook (1887 -1915)
Gothi
Like the Winter sky, i n azure garbed and go lden
All shall say

Springless Autumn. Grant that we hold by the ways o f
the end of days. Now, to our sons‘ sons and
unknown ! Since we can never see your face and never
The Rede
Gothi
Though we hold that a warrior should h ave more skills

than o nly the craft of weapons, yet must we esteem him
84
above men of other crafts, May he always be like Odin,
swift as the flowing wind, beautiful and terrible as
the morning and the night, dreadful as the storm. For
if there is a wrong -doing it must be set right and, by
every god that passes the hundred gates, if there is
an evil -doing it must be ended. Yet although Earth -
peace may dwell in the heart of man, still the
Einheriar, Valhalla‘s favoured sons, long to ride to
native skies and , being kin to the gods, seek Odin' s
abode.. And when next we ride to war and are come into
the battle then shall we look about us o n the right
and on the left and we shall know that they were our
comrades and our strength,
For the battle -word has sounde d and war has taken its
own and the flower of man has fallen down. And some
rest still in the Teutoburg, at Crecy and Agincourt,
at Poitiers and Calais, where armour on arm our shone
and drum to drum did groan and the very Earth did
shake, And some are by t he Delhi walls and in the
Afghan land, by Chindwin banks, in Flanders fields, on
Naga hill and some there be where the Ganges falls
through seven mouths of shifting sand. And some are in
the Desert, in veld and kopje or in the frozen North,
China, Corunna, Plassey, Blenheim, Waterloo, Balaclava
and L ucknow, by Narvik's fiords, o n the Heights by
Mount Royal, by Archangel's shores and on Talavera
Plain, where trumpet to trumpet spake like thunder to
thunder. They were taken from the pleasant day and
comfort left them alo ne and heavy as Winter.
Alas, alas, for the glory of princes, it is unlawful

for a man to ride in co mpany with his brother's
enemies or for friend to be at war with friend or
brother with brother, with loyalty divided and
confusion of hearts. F or there is no peace, no peace,
where every man goes about to the undoing of his
fellow men and there is the sharp sting of unbrother -
liness, That we know, that is revealed, that is plain.
85
How we look out over the fields of Midgarth with
gladness and we ask: Why do men look upo n the pavement
and children at birds in the sky? Why does blood and
sweat drip in agony where poppies had grown and corn?
Why are metal disks o f gold esteemed before the Sun -
disks of dandelions? And for answer we say that the
peace of Midgarth, that is the peace of the world,
will not be by the word -makers but by the doers.
So let us who remain ever recall the example of the

Einheriar and copy their spirit of service and the
selflessness of their lo ve. So hael to the brave who
have won Valhalla. Bragi holds high the bright
meadhorn to greet them, the Norns" herald of peace
from the North, and nightly the skies flame with the
Valkyries’ splendour. So let us tread softly over the
grass that springs out of the blood and bodies of
these heroes of o ur race and kindred. To them we say,
in sacred union: Like you shall we give ourselves,
across the ages that divide us, across the glories
that unite us. We look into your eyes and to you this
vow we give: :
The Banner shall be lo wered in salu te and the Moot Horn shall sound
as all say :
Comrades of our dead battalions, we shall be true:
Today, tomorrow, for ever!
Gothi
Now go you, our comrades and our kin. Go to your
Valhalla. So long as future time succeeds the past we
shall keep troth.
All shall say

This we swear!
The Banner shall be raised to an upright position and the Moot Horn
shall sound as the Gothi says
86
The Prose Readi ng
Reader
Odin can stop a spear in flight by the glare o f his
eye alone and, when he chants under the rims of the
shields of his friends, they march to battle assured
of victory. It is plain that Odin is go d of war and
god of warriors, He is patron and protector of the
most renowned heroes. As is told time and again in the
heroic sagas, Odin chose the horse Grani for Sigurd
and accompanied Sigurd when he went to attack the
dragon Fafnir. In the same way Harald Wartooth lived
under the protection of Odin for a century and a half.
Such a spell was cast on King Harald that no weap on
got a hold of him. When at last these heroes fell dead
it was not because Odin had deserted them but rather
because he loved them more than the others. He could
not be without them in Valhalla, where they became
Einheriar and passed their days in sports ev en until
the Ragnarok. Then the dead heroes will march out of
Valhalla in military formation to fight against the -
wolf at the side of Odin. We cannot know when this
terrible day will come, but we know this, that the
grey wolf, Fenrir, is breaking his bonds, ready to
spring and fall upon us.
Gabriel Turville -Petre (1908 -78)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
87
The Mother Night
THE MIDWINTER FESTI VAL
Moot Horn to Austri, to Sudri and to Vestri. The n shall he turn to
arm.
The Cleansing
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

that we may truly understand, fully assimi late and
comfort.
The Sacred Fire

In the names of O din, Balder, Frey and Thor. As Earth

The Spreading of Light
Now the Candles (or Torches) held by the assembled folk should be
lighted, o ne from another, the first light being taken from the
88
Gothi. The Yule Candle may also be lighted (and Candles may be
lighted on the Yule Tree, if there be one), Then the Gothi shall
say
I bid you a happy Yuletide, a merry feast and

a wish -fulfilled new year. And to every one of our
kindred, wherever they be, I send our greeting and
best wishes for a merry feast, good luck and a safe
return.
The Call
The Gothi sha ll chant

Hael, holy fire, sent like Odin's ravens as herald of
dawn and a new year. Odin Allfather, we will sing you
a song: for you are, yo u have been and you will be.
Yours is Asgarth and Midgarth and where we turn you
are there. You are God of the Sky a nd God of Midgarth
and Go d of Life. You are G od of War and God of Wisdom
and Go d of the Hanged. You are God of Cargoes and Go d
of Victory. You are like the wind and the breath of
life, the eye that sees and is not seen, like the
stars by day. You are the A llfather that watches
behind the wind, as the stars beyond the blue of day
and like the rainbow in the storm.
All shall say

Odin, be within us.
Gothi
This night, through wasting wood and hollowing hill,
we see set in the field of Asgarth, the great ash.
Yggdrasil stands out against the white North sky,
the Hall of the Sun. From its rune -risted branches
Odin fashioned Gungnir. Most no ble tree, none in
foliage is your equal. There is peace in you and there
is wisdom in you. So may we likewise be sustained by
the holy Norns who, through the life -giving water of
Urd, keep ever fresh the Sacred Tree,
All shall say

Odin, Lord of Hosts, hear us.
89
Gothi.
In the wild places the mound, the well and the green
trysting tree, they are forgotten. Yet wind and Sun
and Earth remain and the birds sing still, Spring
comes, messenger of the gods o n the mountain top. And
mighty Summer, child of wolf -dark Winter, the joy
of the serpent, co nceived on this the Mother Night of
a new year, streams from the stars through everlasti ng
Space, whelming out o f the waving locks of Sif,
flowing thro ugh the green life of the plant, breaking
into the heart of man, replenishing the Pivot of
fadeless fire that has no death. Mountains with
caverned breast and channelled brow, slow -hollowed by
many tears, forests and Autumns fading in their eyes:
we marvel at their countless years. For they fled not
our ever-dy ing song. Yet what would this Midgarth be,
bereft of wet and wilderness? Let them be left! Let
them remain, wildness and wet: As Heimdall guards and
protects Asgarth and Midgarth let us guard and defend
them. For truly is Earth, our holy Midgarth, the wife
of Odin and the mother of man. Woe be to us when that
truth shall be overlaid and forgotten,
All shall say

Thor, Son of Earth, strength en us.
Gothi
So on this night, in hall or cottage or wherever
rejoicing rings lo udest, let us sing still. For we
have kept the faith through kingdoms lost in time and
a man in his gladness is dear to his kinsmen. Yet we
know that an end and a beginning are at hand. We may
go down rose -crowned into shadow but, like hills at
noon or sunlight’ on a tree, like the golden Summer
which follows the Winter, we shall rise again.
All shall say

We shall rise again.
90
Gothi
Now let us Odi n pray, into our minds to en ter.
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
I am the go d Thor. I am the war god. I am the
Thunderer, Here in my Northland, my fastness and
fortress, reign I for ever. Here amid icebergs rule I
the nations. This is my hammer, Miol nir, the mighty
giants and sorcerers can not withstand it. These are
the gauntlets wherewith I wield it and hurl it afar
off. This is my belt, whenever I brace it strength is
redoubled. The light thou beholdest stream through the
heavens in flashes of crimson is but my red beard
blown by the nigh t wind, affrighting the nations.
Jove is my brother. Mine eyes are the lightning.
The wheels of my chariot roll in the thunder. The
blows of my hammer ring in the earthquake. Force rules
the world still, has ruled it, shall rule it. Meekness
is weakness, s trength is triumphant. Over the whole
Earth still is Thor's day.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 -82)
Gothi
the doorway sta nds each noble Norn, together bearing
All shall say

family, Verdandi, Norn of the Present, and Skuld, Norn
our blood, and may we speak our own Nor th tongue until
91
end of days. Now, to our sons" sons and
The Rede
Gothi
Now that Winter stands wild and drear and shadowless,

like silence listening to silence, where are the songs
of Summer? We stand as in a shaft of light encircled
by a mighty ring of mo ving darkness full of things yet
to be: unformed, unshaped, chaotic. Yet if power arise
within us to act, with the power to let go, to go on,
to renew, to reshape, to outlast, to sow and break
again into fr esh bud year by year, then will shade and
Winter silence waken up as one and Summer will sing
once more with a warm mouth. Then shall we go where
the great trees stand, deep into the half -light of the
woods, whelming upo n the giant bodies of oak and ash
and elm.
We, who are of the blood of Sigurd Fafnir's bane, have

knowledge of Yggqdrasil and for us this kno wledge is
better than conference and talk. So let the tongue be
still. For where all men talk none is heard. But we
that are born of Frigga and Odin s ing of the thing
that no man knows, that breaks out, that escapes the
word, that moves in the blood. So let us on this night
be ever mindful of the real and eternal presence of
the mystics and the visionaries: of Chaucer and
Kipling, Shelley and Shakespear e, of Elgar and Arne,
of Wren and Lutyens, Constable and Turner and of all
the poets, writers and artists, remembered
and unremembered, o f our folk. For if there is to be a
renewing and a healing it will not be by the antics of
92
the mind, making new theo ries, new logic, new
philosophies, new systems, But rather by the
tempered spirit upthronging in singing buds from the
mysterious undersong of Earth life: dark and
unfathomable and quickening in the elements of the
soil, slow and deeply flowing until the v ery end of
days. So let in the healing of the Earth and let not a
harvest of doubts spring up, like the draught of the
Volsungs or a sorcerer's garden of weeds that stifles
the vision of the soul.
We know by the sign they made at Grim's Dyke that

every go od and every harm comes from the gods, like
sunshine and like storm, like Summer and like Winter.
But on this Mother Night, standing under the sacred
mistletoe, we remember the places of shelter, of fire
and light and warmth, We remember the places of
feasting and the pleasant hall of old. Glad now should
a man be at home, generous to the guest and gentle. Be
glad towards him and forget not gifts for him. Neither
forget to relieve the aged, the lonely and the —
wretched and help the luckless. Nor let kind d eed be
checked by cold co unsel, like bindweed in the garden
of the spirit.
All shall say

The Prose Readi ng
Reader
For we have our origin in the old, dark heart of
Earth, We are full of echoes as a rocky wood, echoes
of the past, reflex echoes of the future and echoes of
the soil, like the sound of thunder in a blossoming
orchard. The echoes are in us of great voices long
gone hence, the unknown cries of huge beasts on the
mountains, the sullen aims of creatures in th e slime,
the love-call of the bittern, We know echoes of things
outside our ken: the thought that shapes itself in the
93
bee's brain and becomes a waxen box of sweets, the
tyranny of youth stirring in the womb, the terror of
small slaughtered beasts, the up ward push of folded
grass and how the leaf feels in all its veins the cold
rain. The ceremonial that passes yearly in the emerald
temple of bud and calyx. And the future floats on the
current of our blood like a secret argosy. We hear the
ideals of our des cendants, like songs in the night,
long before our first -born is begotten. We, in whom
the pollen and the dust, sprouting grain and falling
berry, the dark past and the dark future, cry and
call. We ask: who is this Singer that sends his voice
through the dark forest and sets the long echoes
rolling for evermore?
Mary Webb (1881 -1927)
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
94
Naming
arm.
The Cleansing
All present sho uld stand for at least two minutes" silent.
meditation in order to still the mind and to p repare it for the
The Hallowing
‘The Gothi shall say

comfort.
The Sacred Fire

In the names of Odin, Balder, Fre y and Thor. As Earth
All shall say

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun :
The Poetic Readi ng

(To be c hosen)
95
The Call

We hael Odin and Frigga, Nanna and Balder, Sif and
Thor, Frey a and Frey and all the great family of the
gods.
All shall say

May they be our guides and our comfort.
Gothi
We have asked who we are and why we are. And for
answer the Earth -wise man plucked a handful of meadow
grass and gave it to us. So let us sing. Fire bursts
forth, Earth bears fruit, air is rich with the sound
of nine larks singing, the child calls mothe r and
mother suckles child. For life is colour and warmth
and light, and a striving ever more for these.
All shall say

Odin, Father of All, be with us.
Gothi
When we look upward into the branches of the towering
oak we know that it grew great and strong because it
grew slowly and well. May this child be inspired to
send his (her) roots deep into the soil of life's
enduring values, that he (she) may grow towards the
stars of his (her) own destiny. So guide him (her),
Allfather Odin, to the Spring of Mimir, from which
comes understanding and wisdom,
All shall say

Odin hear us.
Gothi ;
the doorway stands each noble Norn, togeth er bearing
96

family. Verdandi, Norn of the Pre sent, and Skuld, Norn
the end of days. Now, to our sons‘ sons and
space, in Odin's name to greet you,
The Rede
The Gothi shall say

The gods are within us and we within them. Within the

balance of each one's life Odin has two weights: each
counterpoises each when fairly stands the scale, and
they are named the Lo ve of Asgarth and the Might of
Midgarth. Odin Allfather teaches everyone that
in youth there must needs be self -sacrifice of great
account, so that wisdo m and power may be obtained. So
teach this child to be glad and ho nest as Fre y in his
(her) thought and to be prudent in co unsel, that he
(she) be prized by the best and noblest of m en and
women.
Teach him (her) that in the Sun there are faith, life,
virtue, and that peace comes from behind the Sun, Let
him (her) fear not to sail the ship of the soul across
seas where dreams lure the unoceaned explorer, and to
listen. For silence is not lonely. So let him
(her) imitate the trees, that speak no word. Tell him
(her) of the mysteries of this ancient land, revealing
a secret but number less secrets keeping, that this is
97
our own still valley, our Midgarth and o ur home,
Let him (her) guard well the garth his (her) fathers
built, they who mounted up on the wings of the day.
And if he (she) fares by the way where bide evil
things, see to i t that he (she) is well aware o f
himself (herself). So let savages and their kind alone
to drum their rhythms, for they have forgotten kindred
and great is the confusion among them,
Teach him (her) steadfast to be and to remember that

no thing on Earth is so deathless as the fame of
a good name, Guide him (her) therefore what is right
and what is noble to do. So naught shall make him
(her) rue if he (she) to himself (herself) do rest but
true, for he (she) is royal of the gods.
A parent (or other person) may now fasten a symbolic Thor's Hammer
or other talisman abo ut the child's neck as a reminder of this day.
Then, turning to the child, the Gothi shall say
The Norns already by your cradle have sung of life to

come. Their decrees, however they fall, striv e we or
grieve we, we cannot withstand. For none can turn
aside their rage and o ur doom we cannot escape. The
Norns twist the thread of our Wyrd: of gold they
made the warp of the web and fastened it under the
Moon. The ends are hid in the East and in the West.
The Raven God the skills of men and women bestows
through Earth to each one of our kind whose destiny is
mighty. So may Allfather and the Aesir and the Vanir
shape you that you m ay have store of money and
chattels.
All shall say

As the Norns have or dered, so shall it be.
The Naming
Gothi
May Allfather Odin grant speech and wisdo m to
this child. May Thor give him (her) strength and
98
courage. May Prey giv e him (her) glory and good
fortune. May he (she) be eloquent as Bragi and may
Frigga, Queen of As garth and Go ddess of the New -born,
and Freya, Goddess of Motherly Love, guide him (her)
throughout life.
Using a branch or twig of a tree (preferably of ash, oak or elm),

the Gothi shall sprinkle water over the child's head, saying
In the names of Odin, B alder, Frey and Thor. By water
must he (she) live, to grow and flo urish. Through
it we get all things that support life. Receive it.
(The water should not be wiped from the child's face but left to
evaporate naturally.)
Then, indicating with one hand the Sacred Fire, the Gothi shall say
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Behold
the fire, from which all things came and to which they
must return.
Standing by the child, the Gothi shall say

The spirit of his (her) ancestors is born again: it is
with him (her) and in him (her) it lives still. (The
Gothi shall breathe upon the child.) Urd, let not his (her)
memory fail, for by the past our minds are made strong
and holy.
Now shall one of the parents (or their representative) lift the
child and place h im (her) barefoot upon the Earth, that the fertile
vigour of the holy soil may pass into his (her) body.
The Gothi shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Prey and Thor. All
vigour is of Earth, fro m corpse of Ymer sprung. From
its veins the waters flow an d its sinews are of brazen
metal forged. Receive it.
Now the child shall be placed upon, or near to, the Altar.
[If the child be a girl the following shall be omitted.]

faking the Sword and unsheathing it, the Go thi shall place
the pommel within the palm of the child's right hand. He
shall say
All shall be yours that you can win by the
99
sword, Hut never quarrel with a fool. A wise
man will often refrain from fighting whereas
a fool will fight witho ut cause or reaso n,
The Sword shall be replaced upon the Al tar.
The Gothi shall say

In the name of the High Gods. From hencefo rth shall
this child be called (here shall be spoken the child's
given name), I wish that luck may go with the name.
Odin, Father of All, give to him (her) success and

true belief, that wi th your invisible shield he (she)
may fend off the dealers in crime. May he (she) ever
be true: to family, to friends and to kin. As a green
bud awaking at the breathing of the Summer, a sapling
of oak, of ash or of elm, the fruit of fertility from
the nob le tree, may he (she) in his (her) turn
develop leaves and buds and flowers with the
nourishment drawn from the holy Spring of Mimir.
The Charge to Godpar ents
The Gothi shall address the godparent(s) (if any), saying

Do you (here speak their name(s)) accep t the honour and
the obligations of godparent(s)?
The godparent(s) shall answer

I do.
Gothi
Do you solemnly swear to aid and nurture the spiritual
growth of (here speak the name of the child) that in youth he
(she) is given knowledge of his (her) heritag e and is
made aware of the overlordship of Odin and the gods
of Asgarth and Vanaheim, of his (her) duties of loyalty
to parents and kin and obligations of service to his
folk and to his Holy Religion?
The godparent(s) shall reply

In the names of Odin, of Balder, of Frey and of Thor,
I do solemnly swear these things. Frigga, Nanna, Sif
and Freya be my witnesses.
100
Gothi
In Odin's name may these things be so.
The Gealdor
The Biddi ng
Gothi
All shall say

Balder, inspire (here speak the child's name) with truth
and the love of mercy and justice, and grant him (her)
strength to bear the decrees of the Norns, for into
close hearts they see. Thor endow him (her) with
courage and aid him (her) in the fight against the
enemies of our Faith, Folk and Family. Odin, give him
(her) wisdom and words, and while he (she) lives give
him (her) healers" hands, Freya, ensure his (her)
posterity, that the corn be all one sheaf and the
grapes be all one v ine, And Frey, give him (her)
the goodwill of his (her) sisters and brothers in
Odin, that he (she) be ever surrounded by a steadfast
circle of faithful friends and comrades,
The Memory Cup
Taking up the mead -filled Horn, the Gothi shall hallow it in the
following manner
Light down from high Asgar th descends, ether pure in

flowing bowls. Light up to Asgarth ascends, a mediator
for our souls, Sign we now the bright Mead (with the
Mead Horn he makes the Sign of the Hammer): In the names of
Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. From Heidrun's
breast and Lerath 's bough may we obtain the food of
Odin, which is wisdom, of Fiolnir, which is being,
and the blood of Kvasir, which is knowledge. May
we have the power of luck and the ho nour o f fellowship,
and may we be rewarded with fine harvests and all
101
well-being in Midgarth,
He raises the Mead Ho rn.
Receive now this, the Holy Cup of the Raven God, and
drink in happy hour. Health and peace be with you at
your going and at your coming. Was hael!
The Gothi drinks, follo wed by the parents, the mother with her
fingers moistening the child's lips with the mead. Then the god -
parent(s) shall drink and others present may also partake of the
mead. Before replacing the Horn on the Altar the Gothi shall
pour the remaining mead on to the ground, saying
We praise our Ho ly Moth er, Jorth.
Then he shall say

All praise to the High Gods. We have become one with
them and we have shared their glory.
The Troth
Gothi
In the name of the High Gods. Let us now speak
the words that, year by year, our sons and o ur
daughters must hear.
All shall say

We shall not fail to defend Family and Folk and our
Holy Religion from the force of spears and the powers
of fate. In the name o f Thor we shall have strength.
In Freya's name we shall keep faith. In the name of
Tyr we shall have justice. We shall rise again! This
we swear in Odin's name!
Gothi
The Blot is ended,
All shall say

102
Profession
The Candidate, to gether with his sponsor (if present), shall stand
facing North, The Gothi shall face the Candid ate. The assembled
kindred shall say
The Gothi shall say to the Candidate

Do you accept in heart and mind a bonding fellowship
to those with whom you are linked by kinship?
Candidate
I do accept.
Gothi
in blood?
Candidate
I do accept,
Gothi and Candidate shall grasp each other by the right hand.
The Gothi shall say

to those with whom you are linked by kinship, by oath,
by blood and by hand?
Candidate
I do accept.
Gothi
Do you accept in heart and mind a solemn duty to
continue sorrow, and to share joy with, and to avenge
wrongs done to, those with whom you are about to be
bound in fellowship?
103
Candidate
I do accept.
Gothi
Repeat after me:
I spurn and reject the gods and prophets : the creeds
and doctrines : the priests and ministers : of the
Christian religion in all its forms : I believe their
teachings to be false : and co ntrary to the true
interest s of mankind : and of the whole of nature : IT
therefore pledge myself and swear before o ur holy gods
: true loyalty and fidelity : to Odin Allfather :
to the Aesir and the Vanir ; and to the faith of my
forefathers : and to none other : for as long as I
shall live : so help me, Odin and all the company of
gods.
The Gothi shall turn to face North and, with arms outstretched, say
By the grace of Odin's Royal Throne, the golden Sun's
bright disk. May the powers of Earth give us food,
strength and wholeness. May the powers of water
refresh us and fill us with love and mercy. May the
blood run clean in our veins and may salt flo w from
our brows and fire light up our path with creativity
and co urage and ho nour.
Then shall the Gothi invest the Candidate with the Torc, saying
All hael to the High Gods and glory to those who wear
the Armour of Odin, by whose power may your mind be
filled with knowledge and wisdom, Now have you sworn
comradeship with us. From henceforth shall we be as
one family, the one with the ot her, on land or on
loch, on ship or on skate, on sea or on steed, at meat
and at drink, at market and moot, within the kindred's
garth and wherever else men and women meet together.
May whosoever of us fails to observe and uphold these

things never remain in the company of good men and
women. May he (she) have the wrath of the gods and the
name of an oath-breaker.
104
Once more have we grown . Welcome to the Fellowship and
Nation of Odin.
The assembled kindred shall join in saying

a In the names of Odin, Ba lder, Frey and Thor.
105
Handfasting
[Passages that ar e br acketed shoul d be omitted
when their i nclusion is deemed i nappr opriate. ]
Then the Gothi shall take up the Armil l and place it on his left
arm.
The Cleansing
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

comfort.
The Sacred Fire

In the names of Odin, Bal der, Frey and Thor. As Earth
All shall say

106
The Call
The Gothi shall chant.

We hael you, Odin, Father of All. Be within us on this
day. Freya, noble Go ddess of Love, and Vali, son
of Odin and Defender of the Family, be within our
hearts. May we ever find delight in th e joyful sight
of home, of husband, wife and children. Grant us your
blessing, most holy No rns, that each one of us may
hear his own heart's history.
Odin, mighty god and Allfather, who changed the ash

and the elm into the bodies of our forebears Ask and
Embla and did enable them to increase and multiply
and to live in Midgarth, which is the abode of men and
women: as you, Odin, great Shaper and Father of
all, were present then so likewise be present here now
with your invisible Shield and inspire those wh o are _
about to be handfasted.
All shall say

Odin the High One, be in their minds.
Gothi
Frey, God of Fruitfulness, help them to attain joy and
harmony [and Freya, Goddess of Beauty and of Love,
ensure their posterity].
All shall say

Frey and Freya, be in their hearts.
Gothi
Sif, golden-haired Go ddess of Love, who delights in
turning the hearts of men and women, be with them now
and remain with them always. Var, who hears and
records oaths and who wreaks vengeance on per jurors,
be this day their witne ss. Tyr, the upholder of good
faith, help them to maintain their sacred oaths. May
their vows by Lof be heard and may gentle Nanna, the
wife of Balder, give them strength to keep fealty.
107
All shall say
May the High Go ds be with them,
Gothi
Skuld, Norn of the Future, be their guide and their
friend. Bragi, sing their wedding song for ev er.
All shall say

Odin the High One, defend them with the strength of
your power.
Gothi
Now let us Odin pray, into our hearts and minds to
enter.
The Poetic Readi ng

(to be chosen)
Gothi
Odin, make us your own by hallowing us anew with the
Spear called Gungnir. Protect especially tho se
who are abo ut to be handfasted here this day and
vouchsafe to them a life full of peace [and give to
them long-lived seed and gratitude for their posterity]
as we now give thanks to the forefathers of our folk
for their courage and fortitude in defending
and extending our Holy Nation. Let us not despise the
love that has come down from distant years. And may we
all keep in memory word of things that are needful for
the wise to know.
The Rede
Gothi
Hear. you my rede and my counsel! Hael to them that listen?
Nine times noble are they that honour and worship Odin
Allfather and who ride in his paths. They shall eat
of the fruit of their work and happy shall they be. A
marvellous thing it is to love, and your love should
be better to you than furs or gold.
108
The Handfasting
The Gothi shall ask Bride and Groom together

Do you (here speak the Groom's given name) and you (here speak
the Bride's given name), call upo n all here present to
witness that you do pledge yourselves to each other
with holden hands, to finish and fulfi ll your whole
engagement, both trusted and true?
Bride and Groom shall answer together

I do.
The Gothi shall address the Groom, saying

Do you (here speak the Groom's given name) make a solemn vow
and take the gods who rule over all things to witness
that (here speak the Bride's given name) you will have as
your own?
The Groom shall answer

I do swear it.
Gothi
Then get from her love like your love and give her a
ring in token thereof,
Then the Groom shall place a finger -ring upon the third finger of
the Bride's left hand, The Gothi shall ask the Bride
Do you (here speak the Bride's given name) make a solemn vow
and take the gods who rule over all things to witness
that (here speak the Groom's given name) you will have as
your own?
The Bride shall answer

I do swear it.
Gothi
Then get from him lov e like your love and give him a
ring in token thereof.
Then the Bride shall place a finger -ring upon the third finger of
the Groom's left hand. The Gothi shall say
Allfather Odin, do you establish and make stable in
faith and in oneness of mind, in truth and in love,
109
your kin and our brother and sister (here speak the
couple's given names). For Odin has declared that a pledge
should be given and confirmed in all things. As trees
from Earth together grow, if Thor with lightning
strike the o ne, the other fades. If one grow green the
other shares its leafy sheen. So care and joy may they
know and share.
Then shall the Gothi take the unsheathed Sword and hold it before
him, its blade po inting to Earth. Bride and Groom each shall rest
one hand upon the Sword's pommel. Then shall the Gothi say (and
Bride and Groom r epeat thereafter together)
We now swear : Loyalty and service : the one to the

other : To speak and to be silent : To do and to let
be : To come and to go : In need or plenty : In
living or dy ing : From this hour henceforth : Until
death or the Ragnarok d ivide us.
Then shall the Gothi say

May Odin and the High Gods reward that which is given:
loyalty with love, valour with hono ur, oathbreaking
with vengeance.
-Then the Gothi shall give the Sword to the Sword bearer. Now he
shall take up the Thor's Hammer and, holding it on high before him,
hallow the bridal pair with the following wo rds:
May great Odin stretch out his hand from his throne in
Asgarth and unite you both in one mind and wed you to
one flesh: for pleasure and delight, so that each may
please the other according to the ways of nature [that
you be granted the procreation of fair children, of
your blood and of your bone). May each o ne of you be
the answer to the other's call, like a cloud
to lightning, Earth to rain, the fuel to fire. M ay.
your house be filled with meat and mead and with every
good thing, that you may bestow in turn upon
your kinsmen in their need. And may your lo ve be like
Draupnir, the token without change nor end, no change
and no beginning.
Then he shall say, with great delib eration

This Handfasting is fairly done. In the sacred names
110
of Odin, of Frigga and of Thor, I proclaim you husband
and wife.
He shall place the Hammer upon the Altar (or give it to

an assistant), Now Bride and Gro om turn to one another and share
the Kiss of Balder (signifying their pledge to share their physical
life).
The Biddi ng
Gothi
All shall say

Odin Allfather, first and eldest of the gods, protect
these your faithful kindred who, thro ugh the weave of
the holy Norns, are no w united in handfasted wedlock.
Balder, inspire them with truth and the lov e of mercy
and justice and grant them faith to bear the decrees
of the Norns. Thor endow them with courage and aid
them in the fight against the enemies of our Faith,
our Folk and o ur Families. Odin, give wisdom and words
to them and while they live give them healers" hands,
(Freya, ensure their posterity, that the corn be all
one sheaf and the grapes be all one v ine.] Frey, grant
them the goodwill of their fellow men and wome n and
especially to surround themselves with a steadfast
circle of devoted kinsmen and faithful friends and
comrades.
And grant, Odin Allfather, to all of us here present

this day every petition that may be good for our
protection and liberation.
Gothi
The Gealdor
The Memory Cup
. ‘The Gothi shall take up the Mead, in the Mead Horn, and hallo w it
111
in the following manner
Light down from high Asgarth descends, ether pure in
flowing bowls, Light up to Asgarth ascend s, a mediator
for our souls. Sign we now the bright Mead (with the
Mead Horn he makes the Sign of the Hammer): In the names of
Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. From Heidrun's breast
and Lerath’s bough m ay we obtain the food of Odin,
which is wisdom, of Fiolnir , which is being, and the
blood of Kvasir, which is knowledge. May we have the
power of luck and the honour of fellowship, and may we
be rewarded with fine harvests and all well -being in
Midgarth.
He raises the Mead Ho rn.

Receive now this, the Holy Cup of the Raven God,
and drink in happy ho ur. Health and peace be with you
at your going and at your coming. Was hael!
The Gothi drinks. Then Bride and Groom partake of the Mead (thus
signifying their pledge to share spiritual things), followed by
others of the assembled folk who wish to share their communion.
Before replacing the Horn upon the Altar (or passing it to an
assistant) the Gothi shall pour any remaining Mead on to the ground
or into a Try gill containing soil of the Mother Land, saying
We praise our Ho ly Mother, Jorth.
Then he shall say

All praise to the High Gods. We have become one with
them and we have shared their glory.
The Troth
Gothi
In the name of the High Gods. Let us now speak the
words that, year by year, our sons and our daughters
must hear. :
All shall say

We shall not fail to defend Family and Folk and our
Holy Religion from the force of spears and the
powers of fate. In the name of Thor we shall have
strength, In Freya's name we shall keep faith, In the
name of Tyr we shall have justi ce. We shall rise
again! This we swear in Odin's name?
112
Gothi
The Blot is ended,
All shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Prey and Thor,
The Bride and Groom may now step together over a token obstacle
(wood, rock or a rope stretched across their path way), symbolising
their embarkatio n on a new Phase of their lives, determination to
overcome difficulties together and to leave behind those things
of the Past that are best left in the past. Then, followed by all
the kindred, they may proceed to their all otted places for the
Symbel, Feast or Breakfast, or to a suitable dispersal point,
113
Bael
The Hallowing
The Gothi shall say

comfort.
The Call

Odin, Father of all the Gods, Allfather. Father of the
Slain, Valfather: hael. H ael to the brave who win
Valhalla. Odin, the great and wise, Go d of the Winter
and Go d of the Skies, the first and eldest of the gods
.and father of men and of women. Think we now on our
friend and our comrade (here speak the dead perso n's full
names), who lived and has passed into shadow.
The Poetic Readi ng
Reader
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn
that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk,
and the bright hair flo wing? Where is the hand on the
harpstring, and the red fire glowin g? Where is the
Spring and the harvest and the tall corn gro wing? They
have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in
the meadow; the days have gone down in the West behind
the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of
the dead wood burning, or behold the flowing years
from the sea returning?
H RR Tolkien (1892 -1975)
114
The Rede
Gothi
Now has our friend and our comrade (here speak the dead
person's first or familiar name) overcome Odin 's Crag. But
in Odin all death is birth. In death is the raising of
life. For it is not death that kills but a new life
that bursts forth into fresh unfolding. For death and
birth are but the struggle of life with itself to
assume a more glorious form.
Even because nature destroys us must she animate us

anew. It is another life unfolding itself in
her before our present life can disappear. And what
men call death is the visible appearance of this
continuing life. Thus death is a ladder by which our
spiritu al vision rides to a new life and a new nature.
Every one of our kin who leaves this earthly brother -

hood draws our thoughts after him (her). He (she) is
still, and to him (her) belongs a place. Even though
we mourn for him (her), here there is still rejo icing
that he (she) is born again into this world elsewhere,
just as we receive with joy those that are born to us.
And when we one day shall follow, it will be but joy

for us. For now is the flower of our strength lasting
awhile. Yet soon sickness or the sword, fire or flood,
the arrow's flight or blinding age, shall take away
our might. Sorrow then shall remain behind in the
Place that we shall have left. Thus do we liv e and
thus we are. And thus are we immortal, firm and whole
for ever and ever. For thi s is no existence assumed
from outside. It is our own true, essential life and
being.
Odin lives and o ur co mrade, tho ugh passed into shadow,

lives, For it is said that gods perish, friends
perish, a man himself perishes, but fame never dies
to him that has won it worthily.
115
The Tribute
Now may be spoken a brief account of the dead person's life and
deeds. While this is being read the Gothi shall move to a position
next to the coffin.
The Bael
Gothi
Our eyes will strain towards the bright North Star,
which, unchanging, keeps its watch over our fathers’
burial places. Valhalla's son (daughter) lo ngs to rise
to native skies and seek the gods" abode.
When next we ride to war and are come into the battle,
then shall we look abo ut on the right and o n the left,
and we shall know that he (she) was our good comrade
and our strength. When to strife the warriors go
through silver portals, as they ride we'll gaze on you
(here speak the dead person's first or familiar name), a trusty
comrade, and sit rejoicing by your si de. Odin, Bragi,
Heimdall, Tyr, Freya, U11 and all the Company of Gods,
Norns and Valkyries: receive him (her) into your
ranks.
All shall say

Facing the assembly, the Gothi shall say

Time devours all things: birds, beasts, trees,
flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stone
to meal, slays king, ruins town and beats high
mountain down.
Yet the tree that was withered shall be renewed and it

shall be planted in the high places and Asgarth and
Midgarth shall be blessed. And at the Autumn, when the
leaves are gold before they fall, we shall look for
him (her) in the woods of the land.
He (she) is not dead and does not sleep but has

awakened from the dream of life. He (she) has
outsoared the shadow of our night an d has passed
through the silver gates into the Valhalla of
116
renown.
Now cast off grief and take up gladness, for our

comrade lives. Go now and say this of him (her):
He (she) lives!
All shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Frigga,
_________________________________________
The Committal
If Sea or Earth burial is taking place the following shall be said

as the body is lowered into the grave. If cremation has taken
place the ashes of the dead person may be scattered at the Sunset
hour, at same holy place, or in a tidal river at the ebb of tide or
at Sea, This should be done by the nearest kin or by a close
friend. While this is taking place the Poetic Reading, above, or
some other appro pr iate passage, may be read.
All present shall face towards the West. They shall say together
Now the ashes shall be cast, or the coffin lo wered into Earth or
Sea.
The Gothi shall say

Go now and say this of me: He (she) lives!
All shall remain for so me while in silent meditation. Then the

Gothi shall say
He (she) is not dead and does not sleep but has

awakened from the dream of life. He (she) has
outsoared the shadow of our night. Now cast off grief
and take u p gladness, for our comrade lives !
All shall say

In the names o f Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Frigga,
117
Reception
The Candidate for membership of Hof, Garth or Hearth shall hold an Armill,
or he may touch an unsheathed Sword throughout the ceremony.
The Gothi shall say

Having been led by the spirit of Odin and the High Gods, do
you now freely request admission to (here speak the name of Hof,
Garth or Hearth)?
The Candidate shall answer

I do.
Gothi
Will you strive for the advancement of the Odinic Rite, to
promote its prosperity and spirituality and to sustain its
worship, ordinances and discipline?
Candidate.
I will.
Gothi
Do you promise and swear to maintain family loyalty (where
applicable: to edu cate your children in the spirit of the
Odinic Rite) and in all ways to be zealous in your efforts
to advance the interests of our Holy Religion?
Candidate
These things I swear to do.
Gothi
Do you further swear to regard your fellow members
as comrades , to aid them in sickness and distress,
to maintain courtesy of speech, to be slow to take offence
but always ready for reconciliation, and that without
delay?
Candidate
All these things I swear, in the names of Odin, Balder, Frey
and Thor. Frigga, Manna, Sif and Freya: be my witnesses, my
guides and my comfort.
118
Gothi
Welcome to the fello wship of (here speak the name of Hof, Garth or
Hearth).
119
Installation of a Hofsgothi
This shall take place following the Dedicatio n of a Hof or, otherwise,
immediately after the Gealdor.
Gothi:
I now present to you the chosen chief of your Hof, (here name
the Hofsgothi), not do ubting of his capacity and wisdom eo care
and preserve the principles and traditions with which it is
enshrined. May Odin and the gods be e ver with him and aid
him in his duties.
Now shall the Gothi, and the Hofsgothi, take the Mead Horn in procession
round the Hof (on the outside where this is possible), in a sunwise direct -
ion, and chanting the words of the Hammer Signing, The newly -appointed
Hofsgothi shall then speak to the folk, addressing himself to the
hallowing Gothi, to the Hof members and to other guests. f The Hofsgothi
shall preside over the remaining part of the Blot and administer the Memory
cup.
120
Admission to Membership
of the
Court of Gothar
The ceremony shall take place at a moot of the Court. The nominated
Candidate, properly v ested, shall stand before the Director of the
Court (or his appointed deputy). The Director shall say
In the name of the High Gods. Do yo u, (here shall be spoken the
Candidate's name), now accept your appointment and admission to
membership of the Co urt of Gothar of the Odinic Rite?
The Candidate, his right hand resting upon the Sword's p ommel, shall say
I, (name), do accept my call and ap pointment to membership of
the Court of Gothar. In the presence of the High God s and of
this Co urt I do solemnly promise and swear that I will never
reveal any of the proceedings of the Court o f Gothar unless
it be to him to whom the same may lawfully belo ng,
I solemnly pledge myself to adhere to the duties enacted by

the Court of Gothar co ncerning ministrations to the members
of the Odinic Rite and I promise fealty to the Director of
the Court of Gothar and to his successor s lawfully appointed.
I’ furthe r solemnly engage myself to maintain and uphold the

Odinic Charges and to encourage the Noble Virtues in act
and in spirit.
That my hand, given to a kinsman in Odin, ever shall be a

sure pledge of comradeship.
All shall say

By Odin's power may these thi ngs be so .
Then shall the new Member of the Court grasp with his right hand the hand
of the Director and of each Member of the Court of Gothar present.
121
Installation of a Director of
the Court of Gothar
The Gothi shall say to the assembled kindred
an hour it lacks and an hour it lacks to the rising of the
Moon. So are we gathered here at this place which was made
holy by our forefathers, and inspired by tho se of our
kindred whose dust lies hereabout, to insta ll a Chief Fo r our
Rite. Let me now present to you (he speaks the name of the D irector
elect), the chosen Director of the Court of Gothar. Then Turning
to the Director elect, he shall ask Are you willing to take the
oath?
The Director elect, his right hand resting o n the Sword's pommel, shall
answer
I am willing to take the oath.
Gothi :
Will you solemnly pro mise and swear to gov ern the Odinic Rite
according to its laws, customs and Constitutions?
Director elect
I solemnly promise and swear so to do .
Gothi
Will you to your power cause law and justice to be executed
within the Odinic Rite in all your judgments?
Director elect
I will.
Gothi
Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the
Constitutions of the Odinic Rite and the true profession of
the Odinist Religion?
Director elect
In the names of Odi n and the High Gods, all this I promise
to do and all things which I have before pro mised I will
perform and keep.
The Gothi shall invest the Director elect with Torc and Armill. He shall
say.
122
Receive this Torc, the Armour of Odin, and this Armill, the
ensigns of priestly dignity. Odin Allfather, do you confirm
and establish (here speak the name of the Director -elect) as our
Director, Give him wisdom and strength and the spirit of
true knowledge. Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya: be his guides
and his comfort ,
Now each member of the Court of Gothar and each Director of a Mark
or Province shall stand before the Director, newly -installed, and with one
hand resting on the Sword's pommel, swear an oath in the manner following
In the presence of the High Gods and of the assembled
kindred, I (each one speaks his name), do solemnly promise and
swear that I pledge myself to the duties enacted by the
Court of Gothar concerning ministrations to the members of
the Odinic Rite and I promise fealty to the Director of the
Court of Gothar and to his successors lawfully appointed,
I do further promise and swear that I will never reveal any
of the proceedings of the Court of Gothar or of the Courts
of any of the Marks and Provinces of the Odinic Rite unless
it be to him to whom the same may properly belong. I further
solemnly engage to m aintain and uphold the Odinic Charges
and to encourage the Noble Virtues in act and in spirit.
That my hand, given to a kinsman in Odin, ever shall be a
sure pledge of comradeship.
Together the assembled folk shall say

By Odin's power may these things be so,
123
The Dedication of a
Hof, Garth or Hearth
Gothi
All shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Having been led
by the Aesir and the v anir we do now enter into covenant to
strive for the advancement of the Odinic Rite, to promote
its prosperity and spirituality and to sustain its worship,
ordinances and discipline under the name and style of (here
name the Hof, Garth o r Hearth). we swear to mai ntain family
loyalty, to educate our children in the spirit of Odinism,
to be zealo us in our efforts to advance the interests of our
Holy Religion, to regard each other a s comrades, to aid one
another in sickness or distress and to be slo w to
take offence, the one against the other, but always ready
for reconciliation, and that without delay. These things we
swear, in the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. Frigga,
Gothi
In the names of the Aesir and t he Vanir. I now hallow and
dedicate the (here speak the name of Hof, Garth or Hearth),
on behalf of all the so ns and daughters of Odin here
assembled, to the worship of the High Gods. We swear to
protect our Hof (Garth or Hearth) from the forces of
evil. May we be hallowed that worship together. That doing
these things we may be glorious in all virtue and so
faithfully serve Odin Allfather. So help us Frigga, Nanna,
Sif and Freya.
All shall say

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. May the High —
Gods be ever with us and in this Hof (Garth or Hearth).
124
Sword Naming
Taking up the Sword the Gothi shall draw it from its scabbard (which shall
then be laid upon the Altar) and hold it naked before him, its blade
pointing to Earth, the cross -hilt level w ith his eyes. He shall say
May this Sword bestow renown upon all here assembled. With
it may we do justice, stop the growth of iniquity and extend
the Holy Nation of Odin.
Let vigour ever be our sentinel and peace dwell within, our
aim not to scathe but t o shelter. For we should love not the
bright Sword for its s harpness, nor the Shield for it s
strength, nor the warrior for his glory, but be ever
watchful in guarding that which is most sacred: our Holy
Religion and the Land of our Fathers. And we would ha ve
these loved for their memory, their ancientry, their beauty
and their wisdom. Not feared, save as men fear the dignity
of a man old and wise. May the Valkyries grant this
blessing.
May this Sword be like the Spear Gungnir, the best of all
spears, that was made by Dvalin as a gift for Odin, and like
the Sword that wa s made by Wayland, whose art was so perfect
that it was wrought by power not mortal but divine. May it
gleam with twigs of venom and chant a greedy song in battle.
May it be a good friend, mi ghty in warfare and a s smooth as
a mirror, doughty of edge and all -conquering. But let us not
draw out its blade tho ughtlessly, pleasing though it s beauty
may be, but always truly serve Odin Allfather that it may be
given both life and skill of hand at th e coming of an enemy.
That doing these things we may be glorious in all virtue and
so faithfully serve Odin Allfather, Valfather and
Heriafather. So help us Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya.
The Sword's blade shall now be passed thro ugh flame, into water and into
soil (this in the Trygill if the Naming is taking place indoors), hallo wing
it by introduction to air, fire, water and Earth. As he does this the Gothi
shall say
In the presence of the High Gods, I name this Sword (he now
speaks the chosen name), Us e it well.
125
Then the Gothi shall hold the Sword with its pommel forward, that all who
wish to do so may touch the Sword as a sign of their co ntinued fealty to
the Holy Nation of Odin. Then the Sword shall be placed upon the Altar.
126
Dedication of a Banner
The Banner -bearer shall approach the Altar. Halting when he is distant one
arm's length from the Gothi, he shall say
I deliver this Banne r to you in the names of Odin, Balder,
Frey and Thor.
The Gothi shall take part of the Banner's fabric in hi s hand. He shall say
In the names of Odin, Balder, Prey and Thor. May this Banner
ever recall to those who serve beneath it their solemn
undertaking: to protect kin and kith and our Holy Religion
from the force of spears and the powers of fate. May it
always remind us that honour never sits nameless at the
feast. For frank and o pen is its visage and its fabric
bright as day . May it proclaim to our enemies our firm
resolve to oppose the bloodstained weapons of their hate.
In the name of the High God s, I dedicate this Banner to the

service of the Odinic Rite and of (here speak the name of the Hof,
Garth, Hearth or other body), that its members will carry it, if
need arise, over the Western Waves and to the very gates of
death,
That doing these things they ma y be glorious in all virtue

and so faithfully serve Odin Allfather. So help us Frigga,
Nanna, Sif and Freya.
After some moments the Banner shall be carried to a positio n by the Altar
or returned to an alternative place of honour,
127
Short Blot
Form of Blot to open a moot of the Court of Gothar, a Mark or
Provincial moot, a Court of Arbitration, linksmoots and moots
of committees and other bodies.
Gothi
All shall say

Balder, inspire us with the love of mercy and justice,
and grant us strength to bear the decrees of the Norns, for
into close hearts they see. Thor endow us with courage and
aid us in the fight against the enemies of our Faith, Folk
and Family . Odin, give us wisdom and words, and while we
live give us healers’ hands . Freya, ensure o ur posterity,
that the corn be all one sheaf and the grapes be all one
vine. Prey, grant our desire for the goodwill of our fellow
men, and especially to surro und ourselves with a steadfast
circle of devoted kinsmen and faithful friends an d comrades.
And may the High Council of the Gods in Asgarth be with us,
that our discussions and deliberations this day and always
shall be undertaken in a spirit of mutual toleration and o ur
conclusions and judgments sound and in the best interests of
our Holy Faith.
Then, taking up the Mead, the Gothi shall say

Sign we now the bright Mead: In the names of Odin, Balder,
Frey and Thor. From Heidrun's breast and Lerath's bo ugh may
we obtain the food of Odin, which is wisdom, of Fiolnir,
which is being, and the blood of Kvasir, which is knowledge.
May we have the power of luck and the honour of fellowship,
and may we be rewarded with fine harvests and all well -being
in Midgarth.
Receive now this, the Holy Cup of the Raven God, and drink
in happy hour. Health and peace be with you at your going
and at your coming. Was hael!
Each person present shal l drink the Memory Cup. Then all shall say
In the name of the High Gods. We shall not fail to defend
Family and Folk and o ur Holy Religion from the force of
spears and the powers of fate. In the name o f Thor we shall
128
have strength. In Freya's name we shall keep faith, In
name of Tyr we shall have justice. We shall rise again!
we swear in Odin's name!
129
Invocations
The Sig n of the Hammer
This is made by touchi ng with the left hand, first the forehead (signifying
the mind, for Odin), the chest (the heart, for Balder) and the right and
left sho ulders (loyalty and strength, for Frey and Thor respectively) in
that order, at the sam e time saying
In the names of Odin , Balder, Frey and Thor.
The Torc
Every person who has been professed should put on the Torc daily, even if
only for a few minutes. Whenever the Torc is put on the following Call is
made.
All hael to the High Gods, who glory that we wear the Armour
of Odin .
Mor ning
Hael to the Sun, Light of Odin Allfather. I giv e praise for

the dawn and I worship you that you may pour your light into
my mind. O Golden Go d, how no ble and how fair you are.
Evening
Hael night. Let my petitions be directed as flames, and the

lifting of my hands as the evening Blot. (Taking off the Torc:)
As I take off this Tore I put away the day that is gone from
upon me and stand with heart uncovered in the night of the
gods.
Grace befor e Meat
In the name of the High God s. For food and friends we give
thanks.
Form of Oath
Holding in his right hand an Armill, the oath -taker shall say
Odin and Forsete record this my vow to speak the truth.
So help me first my favouring Norn, by the powers of the
morning Sun and Odin ’s mound and the good faith of men
and women.
130
Hallowing of Reg alia
In the name of the High Gods . May this (Trygill, Mead Horn, etc)
be made holy so that whoever uses it according to Odin's
will and law may, through the invoking of his holy name,
receive health of body and safety of sp irit. By Odin's power
may this be so,
For Victory in Battle
All hael to the High Gods. To Odin Allfather and Odin Heria -
father and to Valfreya, to Tyr and to the no ble Einheriar,
hael. May our landsmen and our comrades win victory at (or
in) (speak the na me of the place or territory), for we are
one in spirit with them. Gracious Valkyries, grant them
victory. Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya, be their guides and
their comfort, that they may be Preserved from the perils
of defeat. For Odin sings under their shi elds as the
warriors stride with might. So und they go to the battle,
sound from the battle and so und may they return to their
native hearth. By Odin's power may this be so.
Reclaiming an Holy Place or Site
Our fathers lived since ageless time in this land. Here

(name the place or site) they stood, one in speech and worship
with their gods. They have sent their spirits this day to
greet us, their children, for we have kept faith. Now to
them and to our gods a gift we bring, thi s place restored,
our oaths ful filled, So fealty we keep and no w we stand,
wards and sentinels of this our fathers" land. By Odin's
power may this be ever so.
Earth Breaki ng
(On cutting the first turf at a new building site)

Hael to Jorth and to the Earth of shine and dark, and hael
to the Mother of Earth, May she yield good food and beauty
and may she uphold our dwelling places and make them holy.
Richt fest
(Topping Out)
This ritual marks the completion of the highest part of a building by

adding the final brick, slate, sto ne or timber , It is an offering on behalf
of those who laboured in its constructio n as well as those who will use it
in future. A branch or bough of a tree bearing leaves and adored with
ribbons is placed o n the completed section. A more elaborate offering may
consist of a crown-shaped “bough”, up to 3ft in diameter, which is hoisted
131
on a pole to an even greater height.
May Jorth, the Mother of Earth, uphold our dwelling places
and our places of work and of play, our places of healing
and our places of worship. May th e High Gods protect this
building from the forces of evil and hallow all who stay
within it. In Odin's name may these things be so.
Shi p Naming
Worthy be this wavecutter. In the name of Odin, Ruler of

Keels, be the waves of storm closed off from her path, and
the clash of weapons. Hard in by headland, happy be her
faring, riding like the raven over sea and riv er. Good be
her fortune and glory her reward. May it go as I say: to
gainsay it let no man need. (Then shall a bo ttle or other vessel of
hallowed Mead be bro ken upon the ship's bows.) I name her (here speak
the chosen name). May the gods go with her and with all who
sail in her.
Faring
(The Stirr up Cup)
May (here speak the name of the departing quest or other person) sail
with good fortune, May the door of victory be open for him
and the door of favourable journeying. May the door of storm
waves be shut to him and the wind be ever at his back. May
-the Sun shine warm upon his face and, until we meet again,
may Odin guide and protect him. May it go as we say.
Burial of a Domestic Animal
Now give we thanks fo r the life and companionship of (here

speak the name), In the name of Odin Allfather, by whose
guidance we extend our protection of all liv ing things, we
return the body to the soil from whence it came, that the
soul may begin its journey to the Land of Happiness. In the
names of Freya, of Thor, of Frey and of Odin, we shall
remember you.
A Child's I nvocati on
Odin be my Allfather and sweet Freya lead m e in the ways of

the gods. May I ever be faithful and true: to my family, to
my kin, to my gods. Teach me to understand the animals, the
trees, the gods. Let me feel with each blade of grass and
make a friend of every bud as though it kno ws and loves me.
132
Form of Hallowing
to be used in Blots celebrated at the White Horse Stone
In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. We are gathered
here at this place made holy by our forefathers and inspired
by those of our kindred and faith whose dust lies hereabo ut,
to worship the Aesir and the Vanir, that we may tru ly under-
stand, fully assimilate and properly use the divine powers
that are within us. Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya: be our
guides and o ur comfort.
133
Appendix A
NOTES ON PROCEDURE FOR CERTAIN BLOTS AND CEREMONIES
A trygill, candles (if indoors), mead horn and Armill should

be on the altar at all Blots; the sword may also be present,
although it is used only at the Blots of Vali, Einheriar,
Handfasting and, when the child is a boy, at Naming.
BLOT or CEREMONY NOTES
Plough Charming Presentation of the Corn Mother

Vali Presentation of the sword
Midsummer Altar may be decorated with summer flowers.
Sleipnir Domestic animals may be present.
Winter Finding Presentation of the Corn Mother; home-grown
food may be brought by the kindred and
placed on or near the altar.
Einheriar Presentation of sword and banner.
Mother Night Distribution of torches or candles to the
kindred before the Blot; seasonal decor-
ations and Yule Tree (optional)
Naming Sprig of ash or other tree for sprinkling;
salted water; sword (if the child is a
male).
Profession Torc for candidate.
Handfasting Sword; Thor's Hammer; rings for bride and
groom
134
Appendix B
THE CHIEF FESTIVALS OF THE ODINIC RITE
Snowmoon (January) 17 THE CHARMING OF THE PLOUGH

Horning (February) 14 VALI
Lenting (March) 20 SUMMER FINDING
Ostara (April) 23 SIGURD
Merrymoon (May) 22 RAGNAR LODBROK
Fallow (June) 20 MIDSUMMER
Haymoon (July) 26 SLEIPNIR
Harvest (August) 25 DISCOVERY OF THE RUNES
Shedding (September) 20 WINTER FINDING
Hunting (October) 12 HENGEST
Fogmoon (November) 11 EINHERJAR
Wolfmoon (December) 20 THE MOTHER NIGHT
135

The Book of Blots Word Centered Wide English PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Book of Blots Word Centered Wide English PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE BOOK

Ceremonies, Rituals & Invocations

Composed and Edited

Ceremonies, Rituals & Invocations

Composed and Edited

London: The Odinic Rite

@©John Yeowell 1991

THE EDITOR acknowledges with gratitude the work of the many

The Editor also wishes to express his thanks to the

Gratitude is due also to the late Jo hn Stewart Collis

The annual cycle of the Blots follows the wheel of the

The Blot effectively dramatises the complete mission of

The Festival of Sleipnir, 2241

(1) The Armill or bracelet, made of silver or other metal, Is a

th e 'N a min g ' s e c tio n o f t h e B lo t o n l y ) mu s t a l wa y s b e h e ld in th e

Ideally, each celebration of the Blot should be followed by

Finding, tharcakes or cream crowdy at Winter Finding, soul cakes at

ALL shall say

Balder, inspire us with truth and the love of mercy

against the enemies o f our Faith, Folk and Family. -~

Odin, give us wisdom and words, and while we live give

The Jarl 's Rally

The Memory Cup

He rai s e s t h e M ead Hor n .

Th e Got h i d rin ks , an d th os e p re s en t may a l so p a rtak e o f th e me ad ,

All p ra i s e to th e H igh G od s . W e h a ve b eco m e o n e

All sh al l say ( wi th h an d on h e art )

Frigga, Nanna, Sif and Freya: be our guides and our

The Sacred Fire

In the names of Odin, Balder, Frey and Thor. As Earth

Odin, hael! Hael to the Sun!

All shall say :

All shall say . ;

The Poetic Readi ng

Th e An c estor s an d th e S u cces sor s

In th e n a m e of th e H igh God s . Urd , Norn o f th e Pa st,

ou r fath e rs an d to th e ir m e mory, with e v e ry at o m o f

A man i s mad e b y th r ea p in g an d th ol e - moo t, b y d oo min g

Let our young be copy now to the gods of o ur folk: to

All shall say

The Prose Readi ng

Presentati on of the Corn Mother

Now shall the assembled folk answer, joyfully

The Memory Cup

The Cleansing see

The Sacred Fire

All shall say : .

Receiving the Sw ord

Receive (here speak the name of the Sword), delivered to y ou

I receive (here spe ak the name of the Sw ord), in the names

May this Swor d bestow renown upon all here assembled.

All shall say

The Gothi shall chant

present the n, so likewise be with us now and until the

All shall say

All shall say

All shall say

Tyr aid us.

Hael to Vali, Son of Odin and of Rind, who is his

All shall say

the wise se c rets and reached f or the sk ies. Now are we

All shall say

The Poetic Reading