Carved Aspen Mjolnir #2

This is a Thor's Hammer I recently finished carving from aspen wood.  It will be available for sale at http://heathengods.storenvy.com/.

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

Gear Bind-Rune Design

Gear Bind-Rune Design

I was just messing around with design elements...and this idea of combining a gear image with our bind-rune came to mind. For me...it is just such a clear design element. And it communicates (for me at least) the interconnected nature of our kindred with other kindreds and heathens families. It also communicates a certain working-class frame of mind that I don't mind communicating about our kindred as well.  Click here to see the various designs.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

Lightning Across the Plains...Almost Here!

The Lightning Across the Plains regional gathering and Thing is coming up fast on Sept 20-23, 2012.  Heathen Kindreds, families, and individuals from across the Midwest will be traveling 3 hours, 8 hours, and some 16 hours or more to attend.  Over 200 Heathens will participate together in religious activities, workshops, games, and social interaction.  They will watch their children play together, they will share meals, exchange stories, laugh together and form bonds of friendship.

In the true spirit of regional cooperation, many kindreds and individuals work on making sure LATP is a productive and successful events.  The workshops are presented by a wide range of people, each sharing information about a topic from their point of view.  Manning the gate, preparing the meals, and setting up for various activities are shared tasks.  Even the religious activities are performed by several different kindreds.

Across the Midwest, Heathens are getting ready for LATP.  The finishing touches are being put on workshops and Fainings.  Crafts and artwork are being completed.  Heathens are getting their camping gear ready, and packing for their roadtrip to the gathering.  Jotun's Bane Kindred is in the final stretch of getting things ready for our guests.  And what's the payoff?

The payoff is an incredible weekend of information sharing.  Old friends seen...and new friends made.  A weekend where bonds are formed between kindreds and individuals from across our region.  And as our kids play and learn together a foundation is put in place for the future of Heathenry in our region.  LATP is fun, it is uplifting, it is enriching.  And it honors our Gods and our Ancestors.

The basic weekend registration price for LATP has not changed since we began in 2009.  For more details about the event or to register, visit http://latpgathering.com

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods

Temple of Our Heathen Gods - Version 2.0

In August of 2007, we started the Temple of Our Heathen Gods resource website.  While content has been added continuously over the past 5 years, the format and structure of the website has remained unchanged.

A Screenshot of the New Version of our Website

In August of 2012, our hosting service stopped supporting and running the version of PHP that our aging content management system depended on...causing our website to break and stop working.  So, to fix this problem and to celebrate our 5th Anniversary, we've been working on Temple of Our Heathen Gods, version 2.0.

Much of the content available on the old page has already been made available on the new website.  But, we're making the new website more mobile (phones, tablets, etc.) friendly, including a modern message board that is streamlined and user-friendly.  The message board even allows you to register using your Facebook account!  We're also making the new website more approachable for new heathens.

Please take a look at our work-in-progress, and check back in the coming weeks as we finish up our efforts in completely rebuilding our resource website.

http://www.heathengods.com

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

Sif's Field

Click on the image to see a larger version...

"In Norse mythology, Sif is a goddess associated with earth.  In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Sif is the wife of the god Thor and is known for her golden hair.  In the Prose Edda, Sif is named as the mother of the goddess Þrúðr by Thor and of Ullr with a father whose name is not recorded. The Prose Edda also recounts that Sif once had her hair shorn by Loki, and that Thor forced Loki to have a golden headpiece made for Sif, resulting in not only Sif's golden tresses but also five other objects for other gods.  Scholars have proposed that Sif's hair may represent fields of golden wheat, that she may be associated with fertility, family, wedlock..."

This image was created in Photoshop, bringing together several photographs, and doing quite a bit of digital work to make the image have the look and feeling for which I was going.

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

The Power of Thor

Click on the Image to See a Larger Version

Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his high popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer, Mjölnir, were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity. Into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Germanic regions. Thor is frequently referred to in place names, the day of the week Thursday ("Thor's day") bears his name, and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be used today.

I created this image of Thor on my Wacom tablet...and then quite a bit of digital work in Photoshop.  I wanted to create an image of Thor that wasn't too specific about what he looks like, so that the person viewing it would fill in the details with their own thoughts about Thor.  But, I wanted the image to communicate the raw power of Thor.


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

Mead Competition at Lightning Across the Plains 2012

At every LATP there have been some amazing mead-makers in attendance. This year, at Lightning Across the Plains near Kansas City on September 20-23, 2012 we'll have a mead competition on Saturday afternoon.  Anyone attending LATP can enter the contest, and below you will find all the details you need to know.  To learn more about LATP or to register for the event, visit http://www.latpgathering.com.

You can sign up for the mead-making contest at the registration table when you arrive at LATP.  Each mead-maker is allowed to enter one or more mead varieties for the competition.  You must supply two bottles of each mead variety in order to enter.  For example, if you are entering only one type of mead in the competition then you need only supply two bottles of it.  But, if you are entering three mead varieties, then you will need to supply 2 bottles of each, for a total of six bottles.

There are two awards available in the mead competition.

MEAD MASTER 2012 - Seven judges from across the Midwest will be chosen based on their experience, pallet, and understanding of mead.  These seven judges will taste each mead in the competition rating each on a wide variety of factors.  The final result will be the selection of one winner who will be declared the Mead Master of LATP 2012.  The Mead Master will receive a beautifully made woodburned plaque to take home with them for bragging rights.

FOLK FAVORITE 2012 - Scores of LATP attendees will have an opportunity to sample the meads that have been entered in the competition, and will then vote for their favorite mead by putting a chip in a voting box for that mead.  At the end of this sampling and voting process the final result will be the selection of one winner who will be declared the Folk Favorite of LATP 2012.  The Folk Favorite will also receive a beautifully made woodburned plaque to take home with them for bragging rights.

Both the Mead Master and the Folk Favorite will get their name on the Lightning Across the Plains website as a standing record of their accomplishment.  The Mead Master and Folk Favorite will be announced and receive their awards at the end of the public Thing meeting.

So, if you are a mead-maker and you are attending Lightning Across the Plains, step up, enter the mead competition, and claim your title!  To learn more about LATP or to register for the event, visit http://www.latpgathering.com.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com