Hammerhof

Whole may you be [Be well] earth, mother of men! May you be growing in God’s embrace, with food filled for the needs of men. For many heathens, this is the time of year where they honor and celebrate the Charming of the Plough or Disting one of the eight holy tides that comprise the Wheel of the Year. Many Heathens at this time of year are celebrating the Charming of the Plough. According to Bede’s De temporum ratione , the Anglo-Saxon month of February was known as Solmonad, and meant month of mud. Most likely mud month refers to the act of ploughing the fields. According to Bede, this was a time celebrated by people offering cakes to their Gods. Heathens today take inspiration from the Anglo-Saxon land ritual the Æcerbot to help form part of their celebrations. While the Æcerbot as it is recorded references Christian belief, many believers and scholars believe it was adapted from pre-Christian practices. The daylong ritual was intended to act as a means to restore fe

What is mythology and why do we as Ásatrúar use the word to describe our religion? The word myth has come o represent a body of lies, a tall-tale like Paul Bunyan and his blue ox or Johnny Appleseed. This is not to say that myths are just stories devoid of any truth. Oral histories passed down for generations, long before they were written, tend to become exaggerated and a bit skewed over time (I think we have all played the telephone game as children.). This does not mean that they are any less valuable to the listener than the 100% truth. The ancient orators who told the histories to the people used poetry, artistic license, and other means in order to educate and entertain. The Eddas of Ásatrú were written in the 13th century by Christians. Based upon this they are corrupted with Christian influence and we must take that into account when using them. They are NOT an Ásatrú bible. The 13th century was not a time when Christians were kind to heathens and "devil" worshipe

Frigga (Frih-gah) is the matron goddess of the home and of the mysteries of the married woman. She is the goddess of motherhood, fertility, love, marriage and housework. Particularly concerned with keeping social order. She is called on for blessings when women are giving birth and for help in matters of traditional women's crafts (spinning, weaving, cooking, sewing) and the magic worked thereby. Mothers who want to protect their children can also call on Frigga. In olden days, this was especially the case with sons going out to battle, for whom their mothers would weave or sew special protective items. Matron of good, strong marriage, childbirth and child rearing, as well as the various necessary crafts of the home- spinning is especially attributed to her care, hence the distaff/spindle are long-held symbols of the beloved Goddess from Heathen times. She is also a seeress, who knows the destiny and fate of all, although she seldom reveals it. While Freyja seems to enjoy the gr

There are very few sources on the subject of Anglo-Saxon Heathenry. There few books, mostly by the same authors, and even few web sources. Although the Kindred Hall of Hammerhof is not truly an Anglo-Saxon Theod I thought it necessary to give a brief history and explanation of the practices of Anglo-Saxon Heathens.  Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is a modern religion based on the ancient heathen tribal religions of the Germanic tribes that moved into what is today known as England. In the 5th century after the Romans left Britain the tribes of the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons migrated from northern Europe to southern and eastern parts of the island. Their initial intent may have been plundering the island for its riches, but they soon began to settle on the island.  Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is a polytheistic religion, which is it has many Gods and Goddesses Anglo-and is closely related to the ancient Norse Heathen religion commonly known as Ásatrú. The ancient Anglo-Saxon heathens shared

There is been some debate over the validity of tribalism in this modern society we live in today. Is it even possible to build and maintain a tribe in today’s world? I will be he first to tell you that it not an easy task and that a modern tribe will never be the same as an ancient tribe. However, it is possible to the build bonds and community of tribal society within a modern world. Our biggest obstacle today is geography and logistics. Many of us Heathens are separated by distance making getting together regularly extremely difficult. We do not live in a Heathen community where we are surrounded by mostly other Heathen families and individuals. Like most Americans we live in neighborhoods with people we hardly know who have mostly Christian backgrounds and depending upon the region we live in we may find ourselves in a very Christianized area. As Heathens we are separated by vast seas of Christendom.  The second obstacle we have is time. We all have day jobs that take up a

Raud the Strong was a Norse Seiðr priest and seafaring warrior, who resisted conversion to Christianity in the late 10th century AD.  Olaf Tryggvason was King of Norway from 995 to 1000 AD. He played an important part in the conversion of the Vikings to Christianity. Olaf traveled to the parts of Norway that had been under the rule of the King of Denmark. He demanded that the citizenry be baptized, and most reluctantly agreed. Those that did not were tortured or killed. Despite King Olaf's persuasive efforts, many of the Vikings were reluctant to renounce their Gods and adopt Christianity. New and increasingly painful tortures and executions were devised by Olaf and his men. One of the most famous incidents of recalcitrance to Olaf's attempts at coerced conversion to Christianity is that of Raud the Strong.  Raud the Strong was a large landowner, a leader-priest of Seiðr (an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft that was practiced by the pre-Christian N

Theodism is more than just “religion”, it is the building of a society. This includes political and religious structure, and a social structure. Theodism is much like a caste system and for many Theods the system is different depending on which tribe they are reconstructing. Rank is based on one's deeds that have been done to build the community, and further the religious beliefs of the Theod. Ultimately it comes down to this, there is a man at the top who rules the theod and below him there are other people with various degrees of power based upon years of service and loyalty. Something to remember is that in ancient pagan Anglo-Saxon England, everyone was upwardly mobile, and downwardly as well. The same holds true in Theodism. At Hammerhof we are looking at the Saxons and the Danelaw. We draw from pre-Christian Saxon society and the Scandinavian (Vikings) who ruled northern England from about 860 AD to 960 AD. At the time of the Danelaw most Saxons had converted to Christ

In 1984 when I was really just getting my start in American Asatru I encounter a name in a Wiccan publication, Stephan McNallen and the Asatru Free Assembly. Back then before the internet, social media, and all this we found out about things through magazines, newspapers, the radio, and television. In the case of “new age religions” it was a magazine or word of mouth if you were luck enough to live near some “freaky witch shop”. MCNallen use to advertise in Soldier of Fortune magazine, being a 14-year-old in the 1980s it is possible I saw the add hee. McNallen was running the Asatru Free Assemble so I sent a letter, got a membership form and I joined. It was all pretty low budget. I think I receive a few copies of a newsletter over the two years I was a member, but not much else. Then POOF! it was gone. 1in 1986 the Asatru Free Assemble split becoming the Asatru Alliance and The Ring of Troth. In 1987 I found The Ring of Troth and joined up with them. Again, I received a few newsl

Theodism is a difficult concept to understand, never mind relaying that concept to someone else. Theodism is a religious movement began in 1976 by Garman Lord. Theodism comes from the Old English Þéodisc Geléafa meaning “the belief of the tribe” and is a religious movement striving to reconstruct pre-Christian Germanic heathenry. [1] In its original for Theodism has roots in Wicca and Germanic Paganism, based upon historic Anglo-Saxon pagan society. Over the years it has evolved to encompass other Germanic tribes and incorporate Asatru into its belief system. Theodism is attempting to reconstruct ancient ways of the Germanic tribes that migrated into Europe in the fourth century AD. Here is where the problem lies, Theodism is the reconstruction of a particular Germanic tribe based on historical data to reconstruct its culture, social system, politics, religion, etc., we know surprising little about most of these areas when it comes to these tribes. Historians and archeologists can

Our introductory pamphlet reads, "Hammerhof Hall is tribal kindred based upon Saxon-Norse Theodish traditions commonly known as the Ásatrú religion. We believe in and honor the Gods and Goddesses of our Germanic ancestors, the Aesir and Vanir. We believe that they hold special value for us. We seek their good fortune and we work to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with them. We honor the Aesir with our dedication and spirituality; we honor the Vanir with our deep respect and dedication to preserving and protecting Midgard. We believe that through ritual, dedication, generosity, honor, and hard work, our lives and consciousness will be touched by the Holy Powers. We are family based tribal kindred comprised of blood related family and close friends. Hammerhof Hall is a kindred based upon tribalist theory and practice of our ancestral past. Hammerhof Hall believes that all are welcome and free to worship in the Asatru ways. Hammerhof Hall is not open for g

Wes ð u Hāl! Wes ðu Hāl! or Hail and bel welcome in Old English. This is my blog about all things Asatru. It is about heathen things, Theodish notions, and tribal being. What does all that mean? Well, I will try to explain... In 1984 I left the Christian church officially. I was fourteen years old. I had left the church long before that, but it was not until 84 that I explained to my parents. Of course, I am still not sure that fully understand or even believe I have any sort of "real" religion. I assure you, my beliefs are real. Ásatrú is a religion which believes in the ancient Germanic spirits and Gods. The term Heathen means someone who is not Christian and is generally an umbrella term for those of us who follow the Northern Tradition or Asatru. Theodism is a division of Asatru which seeks to reconstruct the beliefs and practices of several historic Northern European tribes. Much like Christianity Asatru has different sects that have slightly different