Many of you have asked for it, and now it's here, just in time for the Yule season - the rites of Asatru as practiced by members of the AFA! This book is a collaborative masterpiece made up of contributions from members and ordained clergy of the Asatru Folk Assembly.
Steve McNallen's Odin blot is included, as are blessings to Ostara, Thor, Ullr, Freya, Vidar and many other deities . There are ceremonies for blessing land, marrying couples, naming babies, recognizing comings-of-age, and much more! All in all, this brand-new book is filled with eighteen rites honoring the Gods and Goddesses of Asatru, as well as rituals for every occasion. You can use them as they are, customize them for your personal use, or let them inspire your own creativity.
The book is a solid 135 pages, and comes in a practical coil-bound paperback format that will lay flat for ease of use. Or you can download it as a PDF!
Order directly from -
http://stores.lulu.com/asatrufolkassembly
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Nine Noble Virtues
In writing the previous blog, it occurred to me that this would be a good time to restate the values of Asatru as demonstrated in our lore.
Probably the best known summary of these is found in the Nine Noble Virtues. In their original presentation, these were -
Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-Reliance
Perseverance
Different versions of this list have been written and published over the years, but the ones given here are the originals published by the Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite in the early 1970's.
These must not be mere words on paper, or on a computer screen - they must be the standards by which we live our lives!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Probably the best known summary of these is found in the Nine Noble Virtues. In their original presentation, these were -
Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-Reliance
Perseverance
Different versions of this list have been written and published over the years, but the ones given here are the originals published by the Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite in the early 1970's.
These must not be mere words on paper, or on a computer screen - they must be the standards by which we live our lives!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Veterans Day and the Feast of the Einherjar
Another Veterans Day has come and gone. Flags have been furled, taps have faded in the distance, and the flowers and flags are on the graves of the fallen. Many of us who follow Asatru are veterans, and even now Asatruar are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What is it about our faith that gives it such a martial air? Is it, as some assert, a warrior religion trapped in the values of an elder age? Or is there more to it than that?
Forty years ago, when I was first drawn to the Gods of the ancient Northlands, I was attracted by the way of the warrior. I was young, male, and filled with a determination to join the army. Today - after many years on active duty and in the reserve components, my vision is clearer: Warriors do not constitute a society by themselves. They are an essential part of a broader society that includes men and women of many callings. Without the warrior, the rest are vulnerable. The warrior stands between the tradesman, the farmer, and the artisan and all who threaten them.
Asatru is not a warrior religion, per se - though it is "warrior-friendly." It is a religion of mechanics and housewives, professors and factory workers, athletes and scholars. We praise not only grim Gods like Odin, but the loving and sustaining ones like Freya and Frigga. Asatru is for all of society, not just one segment.
Notwithstanding this, we have a special day for honoring the brave who have fallen in defense of their friends, their tribes, their way of life: the Feast of the Einherjar. The Einherjar are the chosen heroes who are taken into Odin's hall after death. There, they prepare for conflicts yet to come. Not all make it into these elite ranks, but it is only fitting that the Feast of the Einherjar is celebrated on Noember 11th, the same date as Veterans Day.
In honoring the Einherjar and our veterans, we are also honoring the values by which they lived and died - courage, strength, honor, and duty. These are the backbone not only of martial service, but - along with other virtues - of our faith, Asatru.
Hail the Fallen!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http:runestone.org
What is it about our faith that gives it such a martial air? Is it, as some assert, a warrior religion trapped in the values of an elder age? Or is there more to it than that?
Forty years ago, when I was first drawn to the Gods of the ancient Northlands, I was attracted by the way of the warrior. I was young, male, and filled with a determination to join the army. Today - after many years on active duty and in the reserve components, my vision is clearer: Warriors do not constitute a society by themselves. They are an essential part of a broader society that includes men and women of many callings. Without the warrior, the rest are vulnerable. The warrior stands between the tradesman, the farmer, and the artisan and all who threaten them.
Asatru is not a warrior religion, per se - though it is "warrior-friendly." It is a religion of mechanics and housewives, professors and factory workers, athletes and scholars. We praise not only grim Gods like Odin, but the loving and sustaining ones like Freya and Frigga. Asatru is for all of society, not just one segment.
Notwithstanding this, we have a special day for honoring the brave who have fallen in defense of their friends, their tribes, their way of life: the Feast of the Einherjar. The Einherjar are the chosen heroes who are taken into Odin's hall after death. There, they prepare for conflicts yet to come. Not all make it into these elite ranks, but it is only fitting that the Feast of the Einherjar is celebrated on Noember 11th, the same date as Veterans Day.
In honoring the Einherjar and our veterans, we are also honoring the values by which they lived and died - courage, strength, honor, and duty. These are the backbone not only of martial service, but - along with other virtues - of our faith, Asatru.
Hail the Fallen!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http:runestone.org
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