Heathen Fable #5 - The Wise Toad and the Fretting Dormouse

A Toad and a Dormouse lived very near to one another in two homes among the roots of a tree by a babbling stream.  In the Spring it rained heavily, and both the Toad and the Dormouse barely escaped to higher ground as the stream rose and flooded both their homes.  When the water fell, the Toad and the Dormouse returned together to survey the damage.  They were shocked to see all their belongings in both their homes jumbled every which way by the flood waters.  Everythng they owned was wet and covered in mud.

The Toad said to the Dormouse, "It is getting dark and we should rest.  We have a lot of work to do tomorrow cleaning up both our homes.  Let's find a comfortable place to sleep nearby."  The Dormouse nodded and followed the Toad, but the whole time he kept looking back at his home and wringing his hands.  "What will I do, what will I do?  Such a mess, such a mess.  I'll never get it cleaned up!"

The Toad led the Dormouse to a comfortable grassy spot, pulled some soft leaves over himself as a blanket, and fell promptly to sleep with a peaceful look upon his face.  He had a deep and restful sleep throughout the night.  But the Dormouse could not sit still.  He paced back and forth, muttering and tittering complaints under his breath about the horrible mess in his house and all the work he must do the next day.  He worried and fretted half the night before he collapsed into a fitfull sleep.

The Dormouse awoke late in the morning, and noticed that the Toad was gone from his makeshift bed.  He climbed to his feet, rubbed his tired eyes, and went looking for his friend.  He found the Toad quickly enough, sitting calming outside his home.  He was smiling and enjoying the warmth of the sun.  When the Toad saw the Dormouse approaching he said,  "Ah, there you are my furry friend.  While you were sleeping in late, I finished cleaning and straightening my home."  

The Dormouse was surprised.  "You're done cleaning up your home already?  I was so worried and upset about my own home, that I couldn't sleep at all!"

The Toad smiled a big grin and clapped his Dormouse friend on the back.  "Well no matter how much sleep you lose through fret and worry, your problems remain the same in the morning as they were the night before."

(Hávamál Stanza 23)

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com/

The Saga Hoard Volumes - 1550 Pages of Saga Translations

The Icelandic Sagas are prose histories, describing life and events that took place in Iceland, during the 10th and 11th centuries. They are stories of families, adventures, feuding, deal-making, wars, great journeys, history, and myth. They are stories of the Norse and Celtic settlers and their descendants in Iceland during what is sometimes called the Saga Age. 

For Asatruars and Heathens, there is indispensible knowledge to be gained here. These tales give us a window into the world of our heathen ancestors. What did they value? How did they resolve conflicts? How did they uphold their responsibilities to their famlies and their friends? How did they approach life and their places within the community? How did they view and honor their Gods and Ancestors?

The goal of the "The Saga Hoard" volumes is to present as much saga material as possible, in an clean readable format, at an affordable price.  These first 2 volumes are part of a planned 3 volume set. All profits go into a fund to build a Hof and Hall here in the Heartland.

THE SAGA HOARD - VOLUME 1 - Nearly 800 Pages

Paperback - $26.95

https://www.createspace.com/3449514

 Hardback - $34.95

http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-saga-hoard---volume-1/10660918

Digital Download - $9.95

http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-saga-hoard---volume-1/10789867

Volume 1 Contains:

• The Story of the Banded Men or Bandamanna Saga
• The Story of Burnt Njal or Njal's Saga
• Egil's Saga
• The Saga of Erik the Red
• The Saga of the Ere-Dwellers or Eyrbyggja Saga
• The Saga of Thrond of Gate or Færeyinga Saga
• The Saga of Gisli the Outlaw
• Grettir's Saga or The Saga of Grettir the Strong

THE SAGA HOARD - VOLUME 2 - Nearly 750 Pages

Paperback - $26.95

https://www.createspace.com/3592443

Hardback - $34.95

http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-saga-hoard---volume-2/15347742

Digital Download - $9.95

http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-saga-hoard---volume-2/15347741  

Volume 2 Contains:

• The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Rafn the Skald or Gunnlaugs Saga Ormstungu
• The Story of Hen-Thorir or Hænsna-Þóris Saga
• The Story of Howard the Halt or Hávarðar Saga Ísfirðings
• The Saga of the Heath Slayings or Heiðarvíga Saga
• The Story of Hrafnkell, Frey's Priest or Hrafnkels Saga Freysgoða
• The Saga of Cormac the Skald or Kormáks Saga
• The Laxdale Saga or Laxdæla Saga
• The Story of Thórðr Hreða or Þórðar Saga Hreðu
• The Saga of Viga-Glum or Víga-Glúms Saga
• The Saga of Viglund the Fair or Víglundar Saga
• The Story of the Volsungs or Völsunga Saga
• The Story of Hogni and Hedinn
• The Story of Roi the Fool or Hróa þáttr Heimska
• The Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son or Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar
• The Saga of Fridthjof the Bold or Tegnér’s Fridthjof’s Saga
• The Saga of the Greenlanders or Grænlendinga saga
• The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Smitten
• Introduction to the Orkneyingers' Saga 
• The Orkneyingers' Saga or History of the Earls of Orkney

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com/

Intentional Heathen Migration - An Ill-Conceived Idea

When we discuss Heathen communities...and actually working to establish physical Heathen communities, there are several ways to go.  Jotun's Bane Kindred is working enormously hard at gathering the funds necessary to buy tribal land here in the Midwest.  We will then build a Hof and Hall on our land and some of our kindred will live there as part of an intentional community.  This plan has a local grassroots focus, but will also provide a resource here in the Midwest for heathens in our region.  It is based on the strength of our tribe and the frith we share with one another.

Currently, there are Heathens on Facebook and the internet, proposing several different versions of what I would call a "planned heathen migration."   Basically, the concept is to choose a location somewhere in the country or the world, and then a bunch of Heathens move there and sort of slowly take over the town or county.  Some of these plans involve forming a "Heathen Homeland."  This concept does not have a local grassroots focus, and is somewhat ill-conceived.  

Personally, I would not and could not uproot myself to move to such a community or "homeland" for the following reasons:

1.  My Kindred is here in Kansas City.  I would never leave that.

2.  My kids go to good schools here.  I moved to my current house specifically so they could go to these schools.

3.  My career is here.  I have been a police officer since 2003, and I am less than a decade from retiring.

4.  Our famlies and friends are here.  We have roots, connections, and bonds here in Kansas City.

Jotun's Bane Kindred does plan on establishing a Heathen community right here where we are. But, it will be based on knowing one another...and having close bonds. In other words, it will be as safe and stable as we can possibly make it for our families.  We all have history with one another. Other Heathens can get to know us over time, and join the community, but again...that takes bond-building, time, and trust.

One of most important decisions about establishing an intentional community, is deciding how it will be populated. If it is on private property...and some controlling authority (an owner, a Kindred, etc.) decides who moves there and who does not, then it is possible something like this could work.

But the "planned migration" model proposed so often on the internet seems to have a "build it and they will come" mentality to it. It is this idea that you can announce a town or county, and then a bunch of Heathens move there and sort of take over. In this model, I do not see how anyone could control the sorts of people who move there. It is a complete crap-shoot.

Who will come to this sort of community? Let's assume for a minute that people really put their money where their mouth is, and move there. Let's move beyond the wishful thinking and internet-commitments, and assume there are Heathens that actually pack up everything they own and move there. What sort of people will they be? We cannot say for sure.

But, my first worry is that it will be mainly people who are rootless. People without jobs...or at least good jobs...where they currently are. People without families. People without any real ties, or friends, or Kindred where they are currently located.  What good will come from a Heathen community or nation made up of rootless people who were incapable of forming or maintaining a stable life of worth prior to their migration?

My second worry, is that many of the people we will not associate with will move there. People who currently work to twist and misuse our ancestral Folkway would certainly be interested in taking advantage of such an open invitation. White supremacists, chaos-bringing Jotun worshipers, and people of little worth. The wide-open model of populating such a Heathen community, has no real way of preventing these elements from flooding to the area.

My final worry, is that withdrawing from the world by planned migration into a purely heathen community or nation, we are withdrawing from the world and reinforcing our position as a "fringe" religion.  Our ancestors did not withdraw from the world. They were constantly traveling out into the world...interacting and trading with others, exploring, and adopting ideas and concepts they liked. They had a clear idea of Innangarth and Utangarth, but they did not withdraw from the world.

Based on these three concerns, I would not be able to participate in such a wide-open effort at populating a community, or purposely migrating to a community or nation. I will not expose my family or children to that. I do not gamble with them. The intentional community we build in the Midwest, will be people we know personally. People we trust, and who trust us. But that is our choice. Our approach.

Obviously, other heathens will have differing points-of-view on this.  So, this post should not be considered a personal attack on those putting forward plans for a "planned migration.”   I simply wanted to share my concerns and ideas about the various "planned heathen migration" models, and illustrate how our plans for an intentional community are enormously different.  If the "planned migration" concept is a good idea, I am sure my thoughts and concerns about it will not really have any impact on it what-so-ever.

One thing I do worry about regarding the various grandiose internet plans and efforts that are constantly starting and failing on Facebook, is that they burn people out.  One month people are all fired up about a "new National Organization" that is starting...and the next month that effort has faded away or fatally crashed.  A couple of months later, people get all fired up about a "new Heathen Nation" that is going to be formed...and the next month no one is posting in that Facebook page anymore.  And as each grand, grand effort starts (on the internet only) and crashes on the digital reef of meaninglessness, I think it has the tendency of disillusioning Heathens and making them cynical.

The key to success for any Heathen effort, is building something meaningful and real, with flesh & blood people whom you actually know and trust.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com/

Why Attend a Regional Heathen Gathering?

This note is really for those of you that have never attended a regional heathen gathering.  I was at the Northern Folk Gathering up in Minnesota this weekend, talking and laughing with other heathens, watching my children play, and experiencing our religion and our Folkway as part of our larger regional community...and I realized I really needed to write something about this.  Here are the top reasons to attend a regional heathen gathering...

IT IS FUN - Plain and simple, heathen gatherings are a good time.  There is so much laughter at a heathen gathering, and pure and simply joy in gathering as a greater community.  Jokes are told, funny stories, and people share what is going on in their lives, and their kindreds.  There are usually games and contests to watch or participate in, as well as heathen-oriented entertainment such as singing, dancing, or poetry.  Every heathen event I have gone to would have been fun for drinker and non-drinkers, alike.  A heathen gathering is about our Folk and our Community, and the joy or gathering together as a People.

IT IS A GREAT ADVENTURE - Traveling to a regional heathen gathering with your family and/or your kindred, is an adventure all in and of itself.  The packing and planning, the road-trip, the bonds you build traveling together and being among other heathens as a group can really help define and deepen the bonds within a family or a kindred.  Inside jokes and funny stories that you will still be telling years from now are often the result of such a trip.  There is a certain wander-lust that is appeased by a big trip to gather with other heathens.

GREAT FOOD AND MEAD - Some heathen gatherings provide one, two, or more meals...and some don't.  Even at the gatherings that don't provide meals, people often share what they have to eat with others, and there is an exchange of some of the food that people have brought.  You'll often find traditional food at the heathen gatherings, or food particular to the region where it is held.  You'll also find some of the best meads at a heathen gathering.  Many heathens enjoy making their own mead, and I've had some amazing meads at heathen gatherings.  Home-brewed beers as well.

HEATHEN VENDORS AND GOODS - There are opportunities at nearly all heathen gatherings to buy heathen-oriented and hand-crafted items, that you would have a hard time finding anywhere else.  You also get to look at and hold the items in your hand before buying them, and you don't have to pay shipping!   There is also something fairly special about meeting the person who crafted something you are going to wear or use as part of our Folkway, rather than just ordering it on-line.  Some heathen gatherings also have a heathen auction, and you can buy things in these auctions that you just can't get elsewhere.

BUILDING BONDS - "Knowing" someone on the internet is not the same as meeting them face-to-face, talking with them, shaking their hand, joking with them, and getting to know them in person.  Meeting their spouse, watching your children play with their children, exchanging ideas about crafting, heathenry, and kindred-building in-person, around a table or a roaring fire.  You build bonds face-to-face that you would likely never build on-line, and over time after going to a number of gatherings, you build real friendships with real people who travel to real events on a regular basis.  If was to truly stand together and help each other in real life, we need to know each other in real life.  And heathen gatherings are the way to make this happen.

FEELS LIKE A FAMILY REUNION, ONLY BETTER - My wife, Jennifer, said this past weekend that heathen gatherings are like attending a family reunion.  You get to see all these people you know and care about.  Your children get all excited to see the other heathen children that they also know and care about.    Between gatherings I miss these people dearly.  At the gathering, I feel enormously comfortable and at home with these good and worthy people.  I trust these people and they trust me, and that is a relationship we've worked hard to earn and maintain.  But, when I'm with Volkshof Kindred, or Northwoods, or Winterhof, or Tyr's Helm, I feel like I am among family.  And more and more, there are other kindreds that we are seeing often enough to start building similar bonds with...

Lightning Across the Plains 2009

YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING - Sure you could read books all day, every day, and sort of stay in your world for a year...and not learn as much as you would going to one heathen gathering and being among your Folk.  The conversations have depth and meaning.  Watching how other kindreds perform blots, fainings, and symbels is an amazing learning experience.  Interacting with other heathens, in a heathen environment and at an event with an established heathen tone and culture, can be eye-opening for many.  I learn something important at every gathering I go to.

SPIRITUAL DEPTH - I have participated in enormously meaningful fainings or blots with just a handful of people.  And I have participated in symbels with my kindred that felt enormously important and spiritual.  So, the last thing I would suggest is that you have to have "big numbers" to attain spiritual importance of depth.  But, there is also something to be said for honoring our Gods, our Ancestors, and the Vaettir with a group of 70 people, or 150 people, or 250 people.  Hearing the roar of "Hail!" coming from a large gathering of our Folk, and then echoing back from across the Plains or a beautiful lake.  A High Symbel attended by members of multiple kindreds within a region can bring together people in a way like nothing else can.  There are spiritual experiences at a regional heathen gathering, that are different than what you can experience elsewhere.

FOR YOUR CHILDREN - Our children absolutely love going to heathen gatherings.  They have so many friends there, from our past trips to these gatherings.  They know these children of other kindreds by name.  They know their likes and dislikes, and their personalities.  The kids love playing, and crafting, and playing games with the other heathen children.  They learn about our Lore and our Ways, by watching how the adults interact...and through their own interactions with other heathen children.  It also provides our children with a context, that there are other heathens out there.  Its not just our family, or our kindred.  There is a whole region here, filled with kindreds, that are filled with children.  They are not alone.

FOR THE FUTURE OF HEATHENRY - On the way back from the Northern Folk Gatherhing my six-year-old, Joshua, asked me, "is little Gunnar my cousin?"  Since "little Gunnar" is the son of "big Gunnar," the Chieftain of Volkshof Kindred...a kindred with which our kindred is very close, and with which we share an oathed alliance, I told him that he should definitely treat "little Gunnar" as his cousin, because for all practical purposes he is his cousin.  And he should look at "big Gunnar" as his Uncle.  The fact my six-year-old asked this question, is a strong indicator of how important our attendance at heathen gatherings is to my children.  They are building relationships and friendships with heathen children from other kindreds, and some of these relationships will shape the heathenry of the future.  These bonds they build will influence how our children approach heathenry as they mature into adulthood.

Here in the Midwest, we have Lightning Across the Plains coming up September 23-25, 2011.  Last year's LATP was attended by 240 people...170 adults and 70 children.  Volkshof Kindred, the Franks, Tyr's Helm Tribe, Winterhof Kindred, Hammer-Tree Hearth, Mjolnir Kindred, Fimbul Winter Kindred, Hridgar Kindred, Bifrost Way Kindred, Golden Shield Kindred, Sigruna Kindred, Bifrost Bridge Kindred, Frith Home, Wolf Tree Kindred, Wolves' Wod Kindred, Third Raven Kindred, Sacred Oak, and Jotun's Bane Kindred were some of the kindreds, hearths, and families represented there.  There were heathens there from across the Heartland.  Minnesota to Texas.  Utah to Indiana.  You are welcome and invited to attend!  http://www.lightningacrosstheplains.com

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Lightning Across the Plains 2010

Heathen Fable #4 - The Young Rabbit Receives Unexpected Help

The young Rabbit burst through the wall of brambles into a hollow spot in a large patch of thorn bushes near a pond.   He was huffing and puffing and his heart was racing at an incredible speed.  It was there he met an old Hedgehog, a tiny Mole, a ringed Snake, and a three-legged Rat.  The Rat lifted his one front paw and asked, "What's your hurry, friend?"

In between gasps for air, the Rabbit answered, "I'm being tracked by a Wolf that wants to eat me.  The Wolf cut me off from my burrow, and while I'm very fast, he's still after me and I'm getting too tired to run."

The three-legged Rat immediatly offered his help along with the help of his three friends, the Hedgehog, the Mole, and the Snake.  The old Hedgehog, who was apparently deaf, said in a loud voice, "What's that you said?  You'll have to speak up you know!"  

The Rabbit was in complete disbelief as to the Rat's offer and answered, "What could an deaf old Hedgehog, a blind little Mole, a legless Snake, and an crippled Rat do to protect me from a hungry Wolf?"

The Rat smiled a toothy grin, and began squeaking out a plan to his three friends.  Following the Rat's instructions, the blind little Mole warned them when when the wolf was close, because he could feel the earth shake.  The deaf old Hedgehog was hidden on the trail and tripped the Wolf as he made his way into the bramble patch.  And finally, as the Wolf lay sprawled on the ground, the ringed Snake bit the Wolf on his nose as hard as he could.  The Wolf leapt into the air, fell into the brambles, struggled through the thorns, and ran off into the woods yelping loudly. 

On that day the young Rabbit learned what all wise men know.  That despite a man's hardships or flaws, whether he be lame, handless, blind, or deaf, he can still have skills, a purpose, and great worth to his family and community.

(Hávamál Stanza 71)

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Discussions Welcome...

I enjoy discussions.  I enjoy discussions with people that don't necessarily agree with me or who see things from a different point of view.  Discussions of that nature, allow both points-of-view to be explored and for the people involved to compare where they are coming from on a topic. 

What I don't enjoy, is people who are angry and bitter.  They name-call.  They compare you to Wiccan's, or Christians, or some other belief system in an attempt to smear you.  They believe that their point of view is 100% correct and everyone else's is 100% wrong.  They somehow believe that they have the key to Truth and that everyone else is just making it up as they go along.  They use a mocking tone and insults.  And when you call them on any of these things, they accuse you of "not tolerating another's opinion."  Or of "not allowing open discussion on a topic."

Now, this sort of behavior takes place in discussions of political issues, culture, and other religions.  But in Heathenry, it is especially interesting to observe.  Here we are with no Holy Book or central authority.  We are a tribal way of life and are attempting to reconstruct for ourselves a world-view from materials that are somewhat imperfect in their completeness and quality.  And yet, almost miraculously, we still manage to create fundamentalist Heathens that feel it is their task in life to express their singular correct point-of-view, and tear down anyone who doesn't share an appreciation for their brilliant correctness.

Yes I do express my point-of-view and the point-of-view of my kindred.  But, I don't go to other Heathens blogs, or message boards, or internet postings and tell them how wrong they are.  And I certainly don't do so with a mocking, insulting, angry bitterness.  I've been around long enough to understand that there are intelligent, reasonable, and thoughtful people who hold widely divergent points-of-view.  So, I don't spend my time attempting to tear down or vilify people who have a different point of view than mine.  And I don't feel obligated to entertain those who would seek to do that to me.

Discussions are welcome...

Afterall, I have discussions with scores of Heathens on Facebook, Google+, the Heathen Gods Message Board, and many other places and rarely do we all agree.  But everything seems to go just fine.  

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Heathen Fable #3 - Four Mice Attend the Feast

Late one night, four Mice approached a house where humans had held a big feast earlier in the night.  From three fields away the Mice had smelled the left-over food and drink still out on the feasting tables, and they knew the humans were in bed at this time of night.  Reaching the house, the four little Mice climbed up some vines and reached an open window.

Hungry for the left-over food, three of the Mice rushed through the window and ran for the tables.  But one careful Mouse remained on the window sill looking back and forth, and all around the room.  The careful Mouse felt a bit silly being left behind on the window sill while his friends rushed ahead, but he worried what else might be in the house besides left-over food and the sleeping humans.

In the dim light of the room, the careful Mouse watched as three clever Cats pounced on his friends and gobbleed them up.  He had no time to warn them, and they were all gone with hardly a squeak.  The careful Mouse crept quietly away, sad for his friends but glad for his caution.

(Hávamál Stanza 1)

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com