Víðarr Rising

If you don't kneel in respect do you even trad. Kjalnesinga saga (Saga of the People of Kjalarnes, 13th–14th century): Describes Thorstein groveling (implying prostration) before Thor's idol in a temple. In chapters 3–4, Bui refuses to prostrate before the gods' idols, leading to charges of blasphemy and outlawry (skóggangur). This shows prostration as an expected act of piety in temple worship. Harðar saga ok Hólmverja (Saga of Hardar and the People of Holm, 14th century): In chapter 38, Thorstein falls down and prays before a stone altar (harrow) in his hof (temple), interpreted as prostration or falling in reverence. Færeyinga saga (Saga of the Faroese, 13th century): In chapter 23, Jarl Hakon casts himself down at the feet of an idol of Thorgerd Holgabrud and lies there for a long time, clearly prostrating in petition. Óláfs saga helga (Saga of Saint Olaf, part of Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, 13th century): In chapter 113, heathens leap up and bow to a gilded idol of Thor during worship. Ibn Fadlan's Risala (10th-century Arabic travel account of the Rus'): In §85, a Rus trader prostrates himself before a wooden idol while praying for success in trade. Tacitus' Germania (1st-century Roman ethnography): Describes Germanic reverence in a sacred grove: worshippers enter bound by chains (symbolizing submission), and if they fall, they must crawl out without rising. This implies prostration-like humility before divine powers. Landnámabók (Book of Settlements, 12th–13th century): Mentions bowing to the east to hail the rising sun (possibly reverent toward solar or divine forces, though not directly to gods).

No argument against paganism is more common than that "it's invalid because the tradition has been broken." On the surface, this argument works. But when you look under the hood, you find that it commits us to assumptions that dissolve all authority, and ultimately evaporate all morality whatsoever. I want to admit, for the sake of argument, a total rupture in pagan practice and test this argument—that tradition must be continuous to be valid. When we apply a little pressure to this idea, it falls apart easily. What emerges in its place? More anti-authoritarianism. ✍️ NEW SUBSTACK: https://open.substack.com/pub/imperiumpress/p/the-worst-argument-against-paganism

The Sedian Heritage Foundation's first official Jól celebration is complete. While the weather was bitterly cold and snowing, we were fortunate to have space inside a garage to set up our Vé. As we continue to grow and build toward the future, we look forward to many opportunities to provide a place for families to come together to honor our heritage. We also look forward to Sumarmál and are planning a larger Midsummer event in July. We will keep everyone updated on the progress. Strength Through Tradition - The Sedian Heritage Foundation

Black Hills Heathenry is a heathen-owned shop offering culturally inspired art and goods rooted in Germanic tradition. Our heritage-focused art is meant to make culture visible in everyday life. Shop the collections here: www.blackhillsheathenry.com

Raven Folk members, join us tomorrow night for a reading of Þórsdrápa—the Lay of Þórr. In this week’s poem, we’ll recount the battle between Þórr and the jötun Geirrøðr. This duel was not arranged with honor, however, for Loki has misled Asgard’s greatest warrior into this trap unarmed… For those of you who have been tuning into our recent skaldic readings, you will enjoy the length and complexity of this poem. It is full of clever kennings and references for us to examine and unpack the deeper meaning—and we’ll do exactly that on our Lore Study call! Join us and share your perspective by becoming a free member of Raven Folk United! ⚡️ ravenfolkunited.org

Our website is back up! Reorganized and designed. Take a look and leave a 🔥 if you like it! www.blackhillsheathenry.com

My first book just came out. If you'd like to see my perspective on matters such as eschatology, cosmology, and the genealogy of the gods then this would be a good place to go. I attempted to take the many years of research and debates among members of the Norroena Society, and broader heathenry in general and simplify them. This isn't a typical research book but is meant to be a guide towards Sedian Belief and Practice. There's also some great artwork inside from artists such as Rúnar Hall and Drumspyder. This is the digital copy but the paperback should be outsoon. https://a.co/d/03AglgU

I assert that the academics are wrong about the so-called “Viking age”. Germanics in ancient times recognized themselves as mostly a singular folk. There are rune stones in Sweden dedicated to Lombard kings who ruled what we now call Italy. In fact, many Heathen kings across Europe were related. They saw one another as kin despite regional cultures. Academics have asserted for years that the early raids such as Lindisfarne (793 CE) was an economic venture. They weren’t dummies. They knew where kingdoms kept their silver. And if one was in search of plunder, quality slaves or women, a monastery would be the last place to look. It was an intentional and righteous act of religious justice. Retaliation for the many blasphemies and acts of violence. Why else target a holy site? That is why I argue that the so-called “Viking age” was actually a Heathen Holy War. One that lasted several centuries and plunged Christendom into supplication. Of course Christian chroniclers wouldn’t record their biggest L. • 690s-720s: Frankish expansion into Frisia • 719 CE: Death of Radbod • 720s-730s: Conquest and Christianization of Frisia • 724 CE: Desecration of Donar’s Oak • 754 CE: Death of Boniface at Dokkum • 772 CE: Destruction of Irminsul • 772-804 CE: Saxon Wars • 782 CE: Massacre at Verden • 785 CE: Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae • 785-790s: Saxon refugee exodus to Scandinavia • Late 780s-early 790s: Christian missions penetrate Scandinavia • 793 CE: Lindisfarne raid​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ (Beginning of Heathen Holy War). Then for nearly 300 years, mainland Europe was under siege. Humiliated militarily by a force that lacked the resources, centralized power or numbers in comparison to Mongols or Islamic invasions. With that in mind, the sheer scale, longevity and dominance of the war made it the most crushing and successful Holy War in history. So I reject the so-called “Viking age” framing. It was clearly a Holy War.

Two expressions of the same ritual logic: Christianity inhabiting a seasonal system (left), and Yule operating on its own terms (right). Christmas as Ritual Season (Not Doctrinal Feast) Even among committed Christians, there is no consensus on the origins or historical grounding of Christmas symbols. What is defended is the season itself, not the accuracy of its explanations — further evidence that Christmas operates primarily as a ritual season, not a doctrinal feast. This becomes clear not through speculative “Pagan gotcha” arguments, but by listening to Christians themselves. Some explicitly acknowledge that Christmas customs were adapted from earlier seasonal practices to facilitate conversion. Others accept that the date does not correspond to the historical birth of Jesus, insisting instead that “it symbolizes it.” Still others reject pre-Christian continuities outright — while nevertheless continuing to observe the same seasonal behaviors. That word — symbolizes — is decisive. Symbols do not require historical precision; rituals require only repetition, timing, and social participation. Ritual Time vs. Historical Time Ethnographic and folkloric sources consistently show that midwinter was treated as a period of heightened ritual efficacy, long before Christian theology attached new narratives to it. Nils Lid documents Scandinavian Yule as a complex of ritual acts involving food left untouched for unseen guests, offerings to household and field spirits, fertility divination, and calendrical forecasting tied explicitly to Christmas night and morning. These practices persist well into the Christian period with little theological reinterpretation. In Finland and the wider Finno-Baltic sphere, Andreas Nordberg records Christmas as a threshold season used for agricultural omens, weather divination, and future prosperity — functions incompatible with a purely commemorative feast. Douglas Hill's broad comparative survey shows Christmas repeatedly appearing in European folk belief as a power-bearing date: • weather and harvest omens tied to Christmas moonlight and sunlight • beliefs about births on Christmas conferring special abilities • prohibitions against cutting certain trees or burning specific woods during the season • ritual bread baked on Christmas Day believed to cure illness None of these depend on the Nativity narrative. They depend on timing. Just as Italians name weekdays after planetary gods without conscious pagan intent (lunedì, martedì…), Yule — now called Christmas — operates as a functional inheritance rather than a remembered one. The ritual persists even when its older meanings are no longer articulated — or are actively denied. Hill notes this pattern explicitly: practices once embedded in Pagan seasonal rites are not erased by Christianity, but reframed, blessed, or tolerated as long as they no longer threaten doctrine. The blessing of ploughs, beating of bounds, and seasonal use of greenery survive precisely because they serve social and agricultural continuity, not theology. Even attempts to reinterpret symbols — such as identifying the evergreen tree with the biblical burning bush — confirm the point: the ritual object predates the explanation. Therefore it may be reasonably concluded that Christmas did not replace an earlier ritual season. It inhabited Yule. The Church supplied narrative and doctrine; the calendar supplied power. What endured was not belief, but practice — repeated annually at the moment when the year itself appeared most vulnerable. That is why Christmas still works, even when no one agrees on why. Sources: • Nils Lid: Joleband og vegetasjonsguddom (1928). • Andreas Nordberg: Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning (2006). • Douglas Hill: Magic and Superstition (1968). [ Wäinölä 🇫🇮 ]

The Forest is our Cathedral. The Rocks are our Altar. Our Ancestors are our Inspiration. The Next Generation is our Purpose. The Founding of a Vé.

Setting a Higher Standard: How we present ourselves to the world reflects how we see ourselves and the ancestors who came before us. Set a higher standard. Don’t glorify degeneracy or thrall culture. Carry yourself with respect, discipline, and dignity.

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These are our newest pieces of art and apparel, with more designs on the way. We’re also working on handcrafted cultural items, including miniature nine-square grid altars, ritual bowls, and other pieces that honor our Tradition. Explore the shop here: Shop – Ticket Store https://share.google/LXwLtlQgHMky8hFvd Thank you for supporting us!

Hailsa folk! https://gofund.me/32490a0c1 Our kinsman fell to his death trying to get his wife a mistletoe out of a tree on Monday. We are trying to get his body home from California so we can give him a propper send off. The mortuary down there want 2500 and the transport wants over 4,000. We need him home so we can prepare his body in the traditional ways of our ancestors. This means washing his body, carving Mal Runes, cutting his nails, ensuring he has weapons and food for the hell road. We will also be preparing a water rite. Kiah will lead the archers in lighting the pyre as we set him off. For any of this we need him home. Attached is his wife’s link

□ Mythic Timeline □ Join us on the 25th of November, at 6:30 eastern time, as we interview acclaimed author & researcher William P Reaves, as well as the Norrœna Society's scholars on the Mythic Timeline & Viktor Rydberg's Epic Method! In January we talked about Who in relation to Germanic faith. In March we talked about the Where in relation to Germanic faith. This coming show will discuss the When in Germanic faith! We will recap Who Viktor Rydberg is (you can listen to his full story in the Who interview). We will establish why the epic exists, what is the epic method, and we will also go through the legends of the Poetic Edda and show where on the timeline they fit and why! This is a show you will not want to miss, as we discover the Great Epic of our Ancestors, as we go into detail about when each legend occurred, as we uncover our grand Mythic Timeline!

The 2026 Sedish Calendar is here! Available for purchase! The misseri calendar, reconstructed from primary sources, details how the Germanic peoples reckoned time through the week-based and solar-lunar timekeeping methods, shows the yearly ordering of the seasonal festivals and blóts, and monthly moon phases. Sedish belief is more than a religion - it's a way of life! Buy the physical calendar here! Brought to you by The Frithstead and Norroena Society

Coming soon: Traditional Heathenry: A Guide To Sedian Belief and Practice This book explores Sedian Heathenry and the traditional Germanic worldview that shaped it. It is written with the hope of making complex ideas easier to understand and of presenting ancient belief in a way that is practical for modern readers. Rather than treating the subject as strict research or abstract theory, Traditional Heathenry: A Guide to Sedian Faith and Practice aims to offer context for how faith, ritual, and custom may have worked together to form a living tradition. It considers the purpose behind blóts, rites, and observances, and how these practices might reflect the ongoing relationship between gods, folk, and the world. The hope is that readers will gain a clearer view of the beliefs and customs that once shaped our ancestors’ lives and find value in how those traditions can still offer meaning today.