Here’s an important update:
Sunday, March 29th
Ian Punnet welcomes geologist and researcher Scott Wolter, who’ll discuss the historic Kensington Runestone and how its discovery changes everything we know about America.
http://www/coasttocoastam.com/shows/schedule.html
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Kensington Runestone Authentic?
The Kensington Runestone, found in Minnesota in the late 1800’s, has been denounced by most mainstream scholars as a fake. However, new study suggests the stone may be authentic, after all! Clearly, anything so tied to Norse culture is of interest to those of us who follow Asatru.
In 1898, Olof Ohman, a Minnesota farmer from Sweden, reportedly found a 202-pound carved stone on his farm. It was covered with runes, telling the story of a Norse expedition that met a violent end on that location in 1362. The stone was denounced as a fraud, but the controversy has simmered for more than a century.
A book by Richard Nielsen and Scott F. Wolter, titled The Kensington Runestone - Compelling New Evidence claims to have proven the authenticity of Ohman’s find. Wolter, who does petrographic analysis for a living, conducted a study of the Kensington stone and concluded that its degree of weathering was not consistent with the theory that it had been carved in the 1800’s.
Other objections were reportedly overcome when a heretofore unknown rune variant found on the stone was discovered in inscriptions from the Swedish island of Gotland. And to top things off, the year 1362 was found to be encoded in the runic inscription, using a medieval Easter calendar.
Is all this true? I have no idea. But you might want to go to the website http://kensingtonrunestone.com/ and order their book. While you’re there, take a look at the video from the local TV station, which gives an excellent overview of the argument. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/cng3db .
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
In 1898, Olof Ohman, a Minnesota farmer from Sweden, reportedly found a 202-pound carved stone on his farm. It was covered with runes, telling the story of a Norse expedition that met a violent end on that location in 1362. The stone was denounced as a fraud, but the controversy has simmered for more than a century.
A book by Richard Nielsen and Scott F. Wolter, titled The Kensington Runestone - Compelling New Evidence claims to have proven the authenticity of Ohman’s find. Wolter, who does petrographic analysis for a living, conducted a study of the Kensington stone and concluded that its degree of weathering was not consistent with the theory that it had been carved in the 1800’s.
Other objections were reportedly overcome when a heretofore unknown rune variant found on the stone was discovered in inscriptions from the Swedish island of Gotland. And to top things off, the year 1362 was found to be encoded in the runic inscription, using a medieval Easter calendar.
Is all this true? I have no idea. But you might want to go to the website http://kensingtonrunestone.com/ and order their book. While you’re there, take a look at the video from the local TV station, which gives an excellent overview of the argument. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/cng3db .
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Asatru Mentioned in Cremation Article
Asatru got a brief mention recently in an online article titled “Hindus in Britain Demand Traditional Cremation.” Regardless of your view on open-air cremations, it is good to see Asatru listed right there with other “real” religions ranging from Christianity and Buddhism to the Unitarians. I don’t think this necessarily means we’ve “arrived,” but it may be another step on the journey.
As for me, I don’t feel very dogmatic about the methods of cremation. A roaring open-air fire of the sort the Hindus want certainly has a dramatic appeal, but I’d probably be just as happy being turned to ashes in a modern crematorium. However it’s accomplished, I think it needs to be tasteful and efficient.
You can find the above-referenced article at http://tinyurl.com/dganz6 .
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
As for me, I don’t feel very dogmatic about the methods of cremation. A roaring open-air fire of the sort the Hindus want certainly has a dramatic appeal, but I’d probably be just as happy being turned to ashes in a modern crematorium. However it’s accomplished, I think it needs to be tasteful and efficient.
You can find the above-referenced article at http://tinyurl.com/dganz6 .
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Monday, March 23, 2009
Update on AFA's Midsummer Gathering
AFA members, don’t forget to mark your calendars! Our national gathering now comes in Midsummer, rather than at Winter Nights as it has for the last several years. The move resulted from a need to make it easier for families to attend, and to make camping more practical for those who wish to save some money.
This year’s event will last from Friday, June 19 to Monday, June 22. The location is a beautiful private camp in the Sierras, surrounded by tall trees and taller mountains. You can stay in one of the comfortable rooms, but there’s plenty of room for camping if that’s what you prefer. Getting there is easy; it’s just over an hour out of either Sacramento or Reno (making for more flexible flying) and it’s just far enough off of Highway 80 so there’s no road noise!
Our theme this year is Age of Migrations. We all know about the Migration Age that sent Germanic tribes wandering all across Europe, and today we face a time of similar tumult - not only of physical movement, but inner migration and considerable social, political, and economic turmoil as well.
We’ve got a special guest lined up for this June. David James was one of the pioneers. Let me put it this way…He was invited to speak at Althing One, in 1980, because he had established a reputation as a scholar and an activist. He has a lot of insight and experience to pass on to us, and you won’t be disappointed at his wisdom and sense of humor.
More on David in a future post.
There will be other talks, and rituals to the Gods and Goddesses, and meals taken together. We’ll swim in the pool and talk late around the fire ring. In this age of storm and change, we need to build our bonds tighter than ever.
AFA members, come and be with us.
And if you’re not a member yet, perhaps you should consider becoming part of our community. Are you ready to come home? http://runestone.org/
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Asssembly
This year’s event will last from Friday, June 19 to Monday, June 22. The location is a beautiful private camp in the Sierras, surrounded by tall trees and taller mountains. You can stay in one of the comfortable rooms, but there’s plenty of room for camping if that’s what you prefer. Getting there is easy; it’s just over an hour out of either Sacramento or Reno (making for more flexible flying) and it’s just far enough off of Highway 80 so there’s no road noise!
Our theme this year is Age of Migrations. We all know about the Migration Age that sent Germanic tribes wandering all across Europe, and today we face a time of similar tumult - not only of physical movement, but inner migration and considerable social, political, and economic turmoil as well.
We’ve got a special guest lined up for this June. David James was one of the pioneers. Let me put it this way…He was invited to speak at Althing One, in 1980, because he had established a reputation as a scholar and an activist. He has a lot of insight and experience to pass on to us, and you won’t be disappointed at his wisdom and sense of humor.
More on David in a future post.
There will be other talks, and rituals to the Gods and Goddesses, and meals taken together. We’ll swim in the pool and talk late around the fire ring. In this age of storm and change, we need to build our bonds tighter than ever.
AFA members, come and be with us.
And if you’re not a member yet, perhaps you should consider becoming part of our community. Are you ready to come home? http://runestone.org/
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Asssembly
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Bat Shows Us How to Die...and Live!!
When the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off last Sunday, it had an unexpected passenger on board. A small bat had attached himself to the shuttle’s tank, and held on as the huge rocket began its flight into space. Photographs show him still hanging on when the shuttle cleared the launch tower. (You can see him at http://tinyurl.com/cx8ney .)
The tiny animal couldn’t have made it much longer; the aerodynamic stresses no doubt quickly swept him from the tank surface and blew him into the fiery blast of the roaring engines.
But there’s more to the story: "Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist," NASA officials said. So, this little bat didn’t have much of a future in any case. Bats with broken wings don’t catch many bugs.
I know I’m anthropomorphizing like crazy, but surely there’s a lesson in this tale for those of us who follow Asatru. Which is better, a death from starvation and lingering pain, or the bright incineration of a fiery ascent at a speed greater than any bat has ever known?
Go, little bat, go!
Jack London would have understood:
"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy, permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days. I shall use my time." - Jack London, 1876-1916
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
The tiny animal couldn’t have made it much longer; the aerodynamic stresses no doubt quickly swept him from the tank surface and blew him into the fiery blast of the roaring engines.
But there’s more to the story: "Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist," NASA officials said. So, this little bat didn’t have much of a future in any case. Bats with broken wings don’t catch many bugs.
I know I’m anthropomorphizing like crazy, but surely there’s a lesson in this tale for those of us who follow Asatru. Which is better, a death from starvation and lingering pain, or the bright incineration of a fiery ascent at a speed greater than any bat has ever known?
Go, little bat, go!
Jack London would have understood:
"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy, permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days. I shall use my time." - Jack London, 1876-1916
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The AFA's Military Family Support Program
The Asatru Folk Assembly wants to take care of its uniformed members, as well as their families. AFA member and Folkbuilder Judy Floyd has stepped forward to accomplish this mission.
In a message yesterday on the AFA’s members Yahoo group, Judy outlined several major aims. The first item on her list is persuading the Department of Veterans Affairs to include Thor’s hammer, a prominent symbol of the Asatru religion, on the list of designs for veterans’ headstones provided by the DVA. The Wiccan religion won a similar battle for their symbol, the pentagram, two years ago.
Another goal is to provide family support through a website offering information on benefits, help with job search, and even a section for children. Spiritual counseling and social support are also a priority. The military is not particularly inclined to meet the religious needs of AFA members, so we need to make up the difference until we can convince the armed forces to give us the same consideration allowed to other faith groups.
The Asatru Folk Assembly’s effort in support of its members in uniform is motivated by several factors: The warrior ethic and an appreciation for the values of courage, loyalty, and sacrifice is certainly part of it, but hardly the whole picture. We also believe in maintaining sound families - and the stresses on military families are intense. We want to keep these families together!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
In a message yesterday on the AFA’s members Yahoo group, Judy outlined several major aims. The first item on her list is persuading the Department of Veterans Affairs to include Thor’s hammer, a prominent symbol of the Asatru religion, on the list of designs for veterans’ headstones provided by the DVA. The Wiccan religion won a similar battle for their symbol, the pentagram, two years ago.
Another goal is to provide family support through a website offering information on benefits, help with job search, and even a section for children. Spiritual counseling and social support are also a priority. The military is not particularly inclined to meet the religious needs of AFA members, so we need to make up the difference until we can convince the armed forces to give us the same consideration allowed to other faith groups.
The Asatru Folk Assembly’s effort in support of its members in uniform is motivated by several factors: The warrior ethic and an appreciation for the values of courage, loyalty, and sacrifice is certainly part of it, but hardly the whole picture. We also believe in maintaining sound families - and the stresses on military families are intense. We want to keep these families together!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A St. Patrick's Day Curiosity
Though devoted heart and soul to native European belief, and most particularly to Asatru, Sheila and I celebrate the day that all our friends call St. Patrick’s Day. We don’t drink to Patrick, a Roman and a slave, of course; we drink to the heroes of Old Ireland, and to our blood. Most especially, I drink to “Fergus, son of Nellan, who died at Emain Macha” in 563 CE…the man who gave my blood a name.
Sheila never fails to use the day to promote the culture of the Celts to her kindergarteners, who come to school to find that a leprechaun has left green footprints all over the classroom, and was apparently dancing to Irish music when the sound of the children interrupted him! There’s the CD still playing, to prove it!
This morning, she was gathering up all the things she wanted to show the children - books on Ireland, a bit of peat, and the bottle of Jameson…well, no, forget that one…But one thing, very special, that she meant to take to school was a roof slate. Not any roof slate, mind you, but one from the rubble of a house in the little village of Aughatarra, from whence Patrick McAnallen set out to Amerikay in the 1700’s. It is one of my most prized possessions, as you can imagine.
Sheila took it out of the box and went to get something else. Back literally in a minute, she was surprised to find it had disappeared. She looked in nearby boxes and on the floor, in case it had fallen, to no avail. The tile was nowhere to be found and, as of this writing, it has not reappeared.
I am confident that it will be back. Were it otherwise, I would be in a panic. Maybe it was too precious to be paraded before kindergarteners, even with the best of intentions. Maybe the ancestors are being playful. Perhaps this was their way of reminding Sheila and I that these simple tiles are very, very precious.
Much like the ancestors themselves.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
Sheila never fails to use the day to promote the culture of the Celts to her kindergarteners, who come to school to find that a leprechaun has left green footprints all over the classroom, and was apparently dancing to Irish music when the sound of the children interrupted him! There’s the CD still playing, to prove it!
This morning, she was gathering up all the things she wanted to show the children - books on Ireland, a bit of peat, and the bottle of Jameson…well, no, forget that one…But one thing, very special, that she meant to take to school was a roof slate. Not any roof slate, mind you, but one from the rubble of a house in the little village of Aughatarra, from whence Patrick McAnallen set out to Amerikay in the 1700’s. It is one of my most prized possessions, as you can imagine.
Sheila took it out of the box and went to get something else. Back literally in a minute, she was surprised to find it had disappeared. She looked in nearby boxes and on the floor, in case it had fallen, to no avail. The tile was nowhere to be found and, as of this writing, it has not reappeared.
I am confident that it will be back. Were it otherwise, I would be in a panic. Maybe it was too precious to be paraded before kindergarteners, even with the best of intentions. Maybe the ancestors are being playful. Perhaps this was their way of reminding Sheila and I that these simple tiles are very, very precious.
Much like the ancestors themselves.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Putting Things in Perspective
My ancestors were Christians for perhaps 1,500 years. This is approximately two percent of our existence as an identifiable biological group in Europe. For the other 38,000 years or so, we were something else, something native, something sprung from the forests, the mountains, the unforgiving climate of our homeland.
A few centuries from now, we may look back on the Christian interregnum as a passing fad. There is no proof that something so new is here to stay. However, the forests and mountains are with us always, engraved in our very souls. The glaciers etched our essence as surely as they scored the granite of Europe. Asatru, and all versions of our organic faith, slumber beneath the thin topsoil of modernity.
I honor my Christian ancestors as well as the pagan ones, of course. They, too, gave me live. And, looking ahead, I peer at the hundreds of generations to come that will carry the torch of our indigenous, pre-Christian ways into the future.
Fifteen hundred years from now, Eurofolk - following Asatru and all our native religions - will be scattered among the twinkling stars we see in the night sky.
Only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles.
- “The existence of my people is not negotiable.” Steve McNallen
A few centuries from now, we may look back on the Christian interregnum as a passing fad. There is no proof that something so new is here to stay. However, the forests and mountains are with us always, engraved in our very souls. The glaciers etched our essence as surely as they scored the granite of Europe. Asatru, and all versions of our organic faith, slumber beneath the thin topsoil of modernity.
I honor my Christian ancestors as well as the pagan ones, of course. They, too, gave me live. And, looking ahead, I peer at the hundreds of generations to come that will carry the torch of our indigenous, pre-Christian ways into the future.
Fifteen hundred years from now, Eurofolk - following Asatru and all our native religions - will be scattered among the twinkling stars we see in the night sky.
Only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles.
- “The existence of my people is not negotiable.” Steve McNallen
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