Redbad's Hall

Concerning Midwinter: Jorre from Belgian Heathen Heritage has translated this article about dating Midwinter, originally written by Swesaz. He has kindly allowed me to share it here. We have promised you to both look up the depth and share (a lot of) information about the background and practises around the Joel Age. Before we, from the 21st really pocket the magic, first this (long, but oh so fascinating) article with important background knowledge. When is it Joel, what nights are the twelve sacred nights and when is it Midwinter? If you've read our pieces in the past few days, you could already know a bit or maybe you already knew it. But it all remains complicated and difficult to understand. This is partly because terms have been mixed up over time and especially because of the important moments in time for the heathens have been moved by the church. Take for example our friend Snorri, the Icelandic poet and historian, born in 1179 who wrote a lot about the Norwegians and has therefore also been important to us, although we are not Norwegians. He announces that Joel's feast with the Norwegians was once at a different time, but has been moved to Christmas. That's why Christmas is now, in his time, called Joel. And that is still the case in the Scandinavian countries. Snorri also says the party originally lasted three nights and started with the NIGHT TO MIDWINTER: 'Hann setti það í lögum að hefja jólahald þann tíma sem kristnir menn og skyldi þá hver maður eiga mælis öl en gjalda ella fé og halda heilagt meðan öl ynist. En áður Var jólahald hafið hökunótt. Það var miðsvetrarnótt og haldin þriggja nátta jól.' The church wanted to dismantle the heathen Joel Feast on Midwinter. The event took place on Midwinter, but has been moved to Christmas and was then called Joel in many countries, but for example in Drenthe and Twente Christmas is now called Midwinter. The eighth-century Anglo-Saxon Monk Beda Venerabilis, noted facts about the time with the heathen Angels, who are even more related to us than the aforementioned Norwegians. Beda says about the Angels: 'They started their year on the eighth day before the calendars of January, on which we now celebrate the birth of the Lord. That same night, which we keep so holy, they used to call Modraniht by the heathen word, which means, Mother's Night, because (we suspect) the ceremonies they carried out throughout that night.” Mother's Night is therefore a starting point and it falls immediately with Christmas and Christmas is also called Joel (Geohol) by Beda. The same development as we saw with the Norwegians. Beda can tell us even more. He says: 'The twelfth day after Christmas is Epiphany. Ðý twelftan dæge ofer Geohol Epiphaniae A post from 878 tells of a Viking attack on Midwinter after the twelfth night: On Midnewinter ofer twelftan niht From the above we can conclude that it is twelve nights after Modraniht Midwinter and that the feast that was then celebrated was called Joel Feast. So this Joelfeast must have fallen equal to the Christian celebration of Epiphany, which is the same as Three Kings. Twelve nights, we encounter them everywhere in the transition from pagan to Christian times. The day at the end of the twelve nights is called Twelften in the oldest Middle Dutch sources. The neighbourhood languages of the Middle Dutch such as Old Frisian, Old High German and Old English also speak of the Tolifta dey, Twelftan dæg, Zwelfte tag. Later on, people spoke of the Thirteenth Day. Some sources also talk about the New Year to indicate this day. Twelve nights starting after Mother's Night 24 on December 25. The twelfth day is Midwinter and has the date January 6th, then it is Joel feast. The twelve-night period is the same as the period when the lunar year is shorter than the solar year. The twelve nights are in the popular faith for the twelve months of the year, for each month a day. Some people present this time as a situation where the sun is at a standstill in that period because he has to wait for the moon that is twelve nights behind.

The Yule Log We march on through the falling snow To a special place that only we know. There it lies in resplendent glory Telling the tree's final story. 'Yule Log o' Yule Log' It calls to us as we call to it Now to measure for perfect fit Be it year old beech or aged Oak? Those will warm you like a cloak. Perhaps scent is what you crave Then applewood shall you clave Or do you seek the Kingly wood? Then hallowed Ash is always good. Now cart it back into your home Sit you like a King upon a throne The dark descends and the cold does bite Light your Yule Log for all the night. - Arthur Powell

@Fyrgen is absolutely right here. While the kid in the video seems oblivious to the factor of racial demographics in Africa being a factor which would restrict its economic growth, it does have something Europe does not have — freedom from the burden of debt. Our greatest successes have become our own downfall and we take unwarranted pride in the soulless sprawling cities and detachment from nature which we have made with 'progress'. While we may laugh smugly at the failures of the Third World, the Third World does have a simplicity, a detachment from the 'system' into which we have been born, which modern European man longs to be separate from. All the pastoral paintings which we post with 'RETVRN' memes point to a deep-seated need to become disentangled from this system and seek simplicity in the soil. Even Leftists implicitly understand this when they go backpacking in the Third World, we all know that something is wrong with the world, but like the parable of the blind men touching the elephant, each interpreting an incomplete part of the whole, we all intuitively see different parts of this same problem. While nationalists are more correct in our observations of what this problem is, and whence it originates, many of us are still clinging to 'progress' as a measure of Western success and why "the west is the best." But look around you, we are sitting in ruins. Many of the achievements in which we take pride have ultimately killed us.

On the chestnut buds you’ll stick Buds of beech are sharp and prick Buds of ash are always put In tidy pairs as black as soot In a jumble oak buds grow A most untidy twig they show Reddish brown are buds of plane On the elm tree look again See the leaf buds, small and brown Growing up the twig and down Flower buds you’ll see as well Brown and bead, like as they swell Buds of sycamore show green A big one at the top is seen But smaller down the twig they grow Lime buds ruby red will glow Poplar buds in a single line Down the twig in crimson shine Thus may all the trees be known In winter by their buds alone. Unknown author, 1958.

Tinder No, not the sex app. This is an introduction to my top 5 tinders that are easy to identify and find that will catch a spark quickly and give you a roaring fire in no time. All of these tinders are suitable for use with flint and steel or a ferro rod. If you don't have a ferro rod I highly recommend you add one to your kit! 1. Birch bark This one is a favourite because it's easy to use, will ignite when wet and it's so easy to identify. Silver birch grows in abundance in northern Europe. Look for tall, thin trees with (you guessed it) silver-white bark and small leaves. As these trees age they develop black warts, usually towards the bottom of the trunk. The bark is better on younger trees and at certain times of the year you can just peel it off with your hands as it's so thin. This should catch a spark without any prep. To use thicker bark, scratch the bark up with your knife to build up a pile of resinous shavings. Strike your spark into the shavings and this will create an ember. 2. Cramp balls/coal fungus Also known as King Alfred's cakes. Growing in abundance on fallen ash trees, cramp balls are easy to spot. Look for a good firm one that's dry and pick it off with your hands. Once you're ready, cut the cramp ball in half to expose its concentric rings. Here you can strike a spark straight onto the rings and it will start to glow. Give it a gentle but steady blow and the ember will spread. These will slowly smoulder for a long time and can be used more than once. 3. Old man's beard This is the feathery seed head of the plant clematis and it's an excellent tinder that will catch a spark. However it burns very quickly so make sure you're ready with a tinder bundle of dried grass or dead bracken! 4. Thistle You want to collect thistle when it has the fluffy, cottonwool-like tops and just like old man's beard, it also burns rapidly. Strike a spark straight onto this tinder. 5. Char cloth This is something you will want to prepare at home and keep in your rucksack. Char cloth is great because its reliable, windproof and you can make as much as you want. - To make charcloth you first need to get a small metal tin, like an old tobacco tin, and punch a small hole in the top and bottom. - Grab yourself some cotton fabric - an old T shirt will do - and cut a bunch of squares that fit neatly into the tin. - Light a fire. Once you have a good bed of coals, place the tin onto the embers and let it cook. - Keep an eye on the smoke escaping from the hole in the tin. Once it stops smoking remove it from the fire and leave it to cool. - Open the tin and you should have some char cloth, ready to use. It should be completely black and not so brittle that it crumbles apart. If you don't want to make char cloth you can't really go wrong with a few cotton wool balls in your firelighting kit. Fluff them up a little before use. More on firelighting soon. 🜨

The Rowan tree had a magic which was once known to keep evil magic and witches at bay and there was even a name for a wand made from Rowan, ON reynivǫndr. It takes it’s name from the root word for red (h₁rewd) after its berries. We also know this tree by its other names, Mountain Ash, Witchbane and Quickbeam. To reach Geirröds home, Thunor had to cross the Vimur River, but Geirröd’s daughter Gjalp tried to drown him. She urinated into the river creating a great rapid. Thunor was able to stem the flow of the river with a huge boulder he flung into the current, but the river was swollen and still to wide to cross, that is until a Rowan on the other bank held out a branch and aided Thunor across the water, hence the tree is also known as Thor’s Helper. Pictured Thor's Journey to Geirrodsgard (1906) by Lorenz Frølich.

The Gods-doom (2) To conclude this chapter I will summarize the most important elements of the legal process we know of. The basis of the oath- and Gods-doom-system is that every member of the folk is credible unless the opposite is known. The oath-helpers serve to assert the conviction of this credibility. This is an important difference between the justice system of afore and the justice system of today. The modern witness states the facts about the committed act, to his knowledge, whereas the antique witness pronounces his conviction about the credibility of the one he supports. So when the credibility of both parties had been confirmed with the aid of the oath-helpers, the testimonies were heard. The judge didn’t examine the material truth, as is the case nowadays: he trusted that that which was sworn by oath was the truth. So at this point a problem would arise, when both parties had succesfully sworn, and the verdict would have to be delivered by Gods-doom. The God of Right would then point out he who was right without any doubt. It seems quite likely to me that the Gods-doom was only used in the most exceptional cases, and that most legal disputes were settled before the oath-help was complete. After all, if the folk had any clue about what had happened and who was the guilty party, very few would risk swearing a false oath as oath-helper to the guilty one. “In the role of the witnesses in the antique sense the legal position of the free man was expressed, who could assume onto himself his right to be treated as an honest and credible human. As honest and worthy member of the folk he had the right to swear his oaths, which had to be accepted and between him and his counterparty no man, but God himself would do right.” - A. de Goede An excerpt of my article on Heathen Law, find the full text in the pinned messages of the channel.

The Gods-doom (1) Fosite was probably the God called upon during the Gods-doom. This was a sort of test which in exceptional cases had to decide who was guilty. The Gods-doom by way of the drawing of lots is described very clearly in the Lex Frisionum: Title XIIII On manslaughter during a riot Article 1 [...] These lots must be as follows: two rods of a broken twig, which are called tenos [wickers or willow-withe], one of which will be marked with the sign of the cross, while the other remains unmarked, and they are wrapped in pure wool and put on the altar or on the relics; and the priest if he is there, or, if there is no priest, an innocent boy, must take one of these lots from the altar; and meanwhile God is called upon, if He will give a sign to prove that these seven, who swore because of the killing, swore truthfully. If he takes the lot, that is marked with the cross, the ones who swore are not guilty; if however he takes the other one, than each of the seven makes his lot, that is a wicker, from a twig, an draws on it his sign, which he and the ones around him can recognise; and they must be wrapped in pure wool and laid on the altar or on the relics; and the priest, if he is there, or otherwise an innocent boy, as above, takes the lots one by one from the altar and asks for the one who recognises his lot. He whose lot happens to be last, must pay the fine for the killing, while the ones whose lots were picked up before are absolved. But there were also other, more dangerous tests, such as taking a stone from a bowl of boiling water, walking over red-hot ploughshares, holding red-hot ploughshares and even tossing someone in the water while bound. The duel was also considered a form of Gods-doom. The motivating idea was the the innocent man’s wounds would heal more quickly, or even that he wouldn’t suffer any injuries at all. The aforementioned tests also appear in the Lex Frisionum: Title III Article 8 If someone is caught stealing, and is being accused of theft by the one who caught him, and he denies, then each of them swears alone, and they must be judged in an ordeal with boiling water; if the guilt of the accused is proven, he pays his wergeld to the king and redeems his hand with 60 solidi and pays the single fine for theft. Again note that the hand of the guilty man has to be bought free. A. de Goede suggests that the motivation behind the Gods-doom was mainly psychological. Just as we can use a lie detector to prove when someone is lying, an experienced judge in antiquity would’ve noticed the unintended signals one sends out when he isn’t speaking the truth. Without a doubt even the slyest liar would have had trouble controlling his nerves when faced with the Divine test. Perhaps the judge could even point out the guilty one before the test was executed. To a certain extent this depends on faith. The faith and trust of the innocent man in the God of Right is undoubtedly stronger than the slyness and nerves of the liar. A. de Goede also notes that in the modern era experiments were held in which folks walked over glowing embers without wounding themselves. They always entered into a prayer before attempting this. It seems quite possible to me that this happened in ancient times too: the tested men both entered intense prayer to make it through the test, but in the end it would only be the innocent man who would receive the Divine help. The Gods-doom was an exceptionally strong practice, one that with very clear acts and results demonstrated the existence and presence of the Gods. The church allowed this practice to continue for many centuries, but with the Christian God and churchly relics, to consequently try to show the power of the new God using the old customs.

Wayland the Smith

This past Sunday our kindred (Swesaz) celebrated Winter Nights. We hiked through the ancient landscape of Drenthe, past dolmens, mysterious bogs, Gallow-mounds, grave fields and so-called "Celtic" fields. We finished the afternoon with a ceremony to the Disir, including a sacrifice of horse meat. You can read the full report of the day in Dutch below. https://t.me/yngrsum/66

For those looking for a folkish artist and craftsman, go ahead and check out Wessex Woodcrafts. He is a gifted craftsman, practicing heathen and a solid guy. If you want idols but can't/don't want to make them yourself, always buy from within our circles. Don't give your money to grifters that import bulk shit and try to make money off our culture and history. Support folk economy!

Many of the folk in the pagan spheres are familiar with me. I've been in the community for a long time and am very proud of my contributions to the growth of our faith. If my words hold weight for you in this regard then please hear me. We have come a long way. I am so very proud of us. We are beginning to establish ourselves as real respectable advocates for a real living religious tradition. We are debating real theology. Real philosophy. Doing real research and understanding real sources in ways that can put scholarship back into pagan hands where it belongs. We still have a long way to go but our future is very bright. What MUST happen is in the many, many debates to come that we are holding ourselves to standard of conduct that is reflective of high-mindedness and nobility. Not the septic putridity of internet troll culture. We are here to serve the Gods. Our actions and conduct must please them or else we are doing it wrong. Those whom you are debating, who are real theistic devotional and right-handed pagans are not dogs to be beaten and abused. They are your kinfolk who you are trying to convince in an arena of ideas in order to distill the most authentic truths. Accusing an opponent of being secretly Christian is not an argument. Accusing an opponent of being secretly Jewish is not an argument. Accusing an opponent of being a fed or a glow or double agent is not an argument. Slandering an opponent's family or friends is absolutely not an argument. These are not noble or high-minded tactics. These are ergi. They are the exact tactics that aforementioned bad actors would use and have used. It makes the associated positions look clownish, amateur and contaminated with low IQ white trash behavior. This is unfortunately how we learn debate tactics on the internet. But we are ABOVE such conduct. So, many of us have behaved like this in the past. But we MUST purge this malignant behavior from both ourselves and our circles. It doesn't mean that there are never bad actors. There certainly are. But bad actors aren't championing that which they love. They are trying to destroy what they hate. They are DEgenerate. And we are generative. Battle forth with righteous fervor and determination. But do so with love for your ancestors and the high holy Gods in your heart. Show them and the world that we are as noble, good and true as we say we are with honor and sophistication. It is their will. Don't believe me? Read your Havamal again.

I wish everyone a wonderful Winterfylleth and a happy first day of winter! May it be a good season of reflection and inner work. I am celebrating with my kindred next weekend due to practical reasons, but I'm already very excited. Hail and blessings to all!

Barrow Poem Earthen halls, high towards heavens; Noble lords lie within. Upon the ridge, a reverent guard Reminding of glories gained. Words may wither, winters pass Forgotten songs sung of thy splendour, Yet firm ye remain, most famous forebears Distinguished dryhtens of great deeds.

Bushcraft Tip: Fatwood This is nature's cheat code when it comes to firestarting. Fatwood is dead wood from evergreen trees saturated with resin. You can find it anywhere evergreens grow, but I've found it mostly in stands of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris). It will occur in young dead standing trees (pictured), in dead stumps/roots, or in dead branches on living trees. The best way to recognize it is of course the strong smell that releases when you cut into the wood, the dark, glassy and sometimes almost transparent texture of the wood (see pictures), and the fact that the sawdust will gum up and dull your saw. Because it's super saturated with resin, the wood becomes almost rot resistant and more importantly, highly flammable. Fatwood curls will burn hot and bright and can easily set larger pieces of wood alight. The sawdust will also catch sparks well and turn them into proper fire. This stuff makes lighting fires a breeze in almost all weather conditions, a great and reliable survival tool.

On Oaths (2) So ‘meineed’ or perjury is literally the swearing of a ‘mean’ (false) oath, and from the sources it’s clear that the hand which was used for swearing this (false) oath, had become unclean because of it. Since an oath was often sworn on a sacred object (such as a ring, later Christianized to relics), the oath-hand can’t possibly be profane! In some cases one had to dip their index and middle finger in salt, to cleanse them, before the sacred object was touched. So to free the unclean hand, one had to pay a fine. In the Frisian sources one had to pay his weregild (more on this and the oath-helpers later), but it is very well possible that with other tribes or in centuries before, much harsher punishments existed for perjury. And the hand which was used for swearing oaths, was always the right hand. Whether the naming of that hand comes from the judicial purpose or is unrelated, I won’t draw any conclusions on. Just like religious ceremonies, legal matter were tied to a strict formality. The swearing of an oath happened as follows: the first part was taking the oath, which means hearing the formula-bound oath being recited by the asega or judge or another authority. The next part was swearing the oath; the formula had to be repeated without mistakes, in a clear and articulated manner. If one stuttered, or messed up the formula, it’s probable that the oath was invalid or at least viewed as less powerful.[...] Refer to the pinned messages to find the full PDF of my article.

On Oaths (1) [...] Before I discuss the importance of this story for better understanding the nature of Tiw, I first have to talk about another essential part of Right, namely the oath and its massive importance. From the aforementioned Sigrdrífumál comes the following advice of Sigrdrífa (a Valkyrie) to Sigurd: “That I advise you secondly, that you do not swear an oath unless it is truly kept; terrible fate-bonds attach to the oath-tearer; wretched is the pledge-criminal.” (Larrington) I’d like to point out the words “terrible fate-bonds”, which clearly refer to the terrible consequences upon the fate of he who breaks an oath. The Dutch translation of De Vries goes as follows: “Dat raad ik ten andere, dat geen eed gij zweert, wanneer die geen waarheid bevat; gestraft wordt wie breekt zijn woord; wee de geloftenwolf.” Here I’d like to point out the beautiful choice of words in “geloftenwolf” (“vow-wolf”), relating to the story about Tiw and Fenrir above. Furthermore, in Old-Frisian sources we find the so called “Eternity-formulas”, which are highly poetic descriptions of the eternal duration and power of an oath. A good example goes as follows, in Old-Frisian and modern English: Thi freedeed Soe i thisse lioden, ther i alheer under ede ladeth zijn um her N daedbannede, ende alla da jenne, ther i hana, willeth halda mit festa trouwen ende een fulle ende festen ferde alanch ende alderlang ende alsoe langhe, soe di wynd fan dae ulkenum wayth ende ghers groyt ende baem bloyt ende dyo sonne optijocht ende dyo wrald steed; dat i dat ne lete um mannis rede, om frouwen sponste ner um ju selvis tochta ner om nene seckum, ther joe framia jef scadia moghe. The ‘frith-oath’ (Do you swear) that to these fellows, who are summoned here (in support of you) to swear an oath because of the manslaughter-charge of sir N. [the victim], and all those whom you charge, (you want to be) unbreakably loyal and (with them) want to maintain a full and lasting frith, for ever and always so long the wind blows from the clouds and the grass grows and the tree blossoms and the sun rises and the world exists; that you will not neglect that by suggestion of a man, by seduction of a woman or based on your own considerations or because of any matter which may benefit or harm you. Clearly this formula pertains to an oath sworn during a legal proceeding. As is evident from this source and many others, swearing an oath was an integral part of ancestral judicial practice. From the Leges Barbarorum we know of the so-called oath-helpers, who had to support the accused or the accuser. Let’s have a look at some examples from the Lex Frisionum: Title I On Manslaughter Article 3 If a noble man kills a freeman, he pays 53 solidi and 1 denarius; and if he denies, he swears with 7 oath-helpers. Title X On Witnesses Article 1 If a man swears a false oath on the relics, he pays to the king his weregild and he redeems his hand with another weregild; each one of his oath-helpers pays his weregild. Smaller, less significant oaths also existed: Title XII On crimes by slaves Articles 1 & 2 1. If a slave is being accused of stealing some large thing or of having committed a major crime, then his lord must swear for this on the relics of the saints. 2. However, if he [the lord] is called in for a smaller theft or crime committed by the slave, he can swear on vestment or material. These are just a few examples in the text wherein the essence returns again and again: the essence being the swearing of an oath, oath-helpers who are required to assist the one who swears, and having to free the hand after a false oath has been sworn. To explain the latter here, it is useful to refer to the Dutch word for perjury, ‘meineed’. The root ‘mein’ is related to the word ‘mean’ in modern English, and ‘eed’ means ‘oath’.

Strange times are afoot! 16 year olds now cut down age-old trees to get their fix of destructive rebelliousness, ancient standing stones are cleared to make way for do-it-yourself stores and monumental archeological finds are swept under the rug in favour of distribution centers. We must steel ourselves and prepare; as we grow in strength, so do the challenges that rise to meet us. We will persevere but it will not be easy. Heads high and onwards! PS: Thank you all for subscribing, it really means a lot to me. I have some exciting things planned but I also need to dedicate time to my new responsibilities at uni. As always my goal is to bring you quality and not necessarily quantity.

ᛇ It's fair to say, like most, I'm pretty dumbfounded by the destruction of the sycamore of Sycamore Gap. Not only is it a treasured landmark, but many over generations have significant & potent memories of that place & tree. There is not too much more I can add to the discussion (which others have more eloquently put) other than I seconded that this is no one off act of vandalism. Anyone who holds an inkling of knowledge of our actual past, the workings of Abrahamic religions & the continual war upon all native & Pagan peoples, will see this as such. Important trees such as this have always been desecrated since Their Faiths have raised their vile heads upon our lands & unfortunately will continue to do so. Only 3 years ago was the 'tree of the year' (the White Leaved Oak in Herefordshire) burnt down to name but one. Some will argue that this attack on the sycamore wasn't done with a religious intent, but I say that's a myopic viewpoint without understanding the direct consequences within the deep-seated beliefs & systems in place. Sadly, our landscape & landmarks will continue to be eroded & pummeled until Their Faiths & all the countless adjoining tentacles are vanquished or take the same fate. Meanwhile, we must continue to gather, adhere together & keep casting fires within us, one another & the future generations, across landscapes so we are strong for their final fall. X