A Ritual to Eostre

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The spring has just been flying by and I have not been on top of the blog! It seems I blinked and it was Ēosturdæg. The big post I’ve been working on will be delayed, I’m afraid. But, never fear, I do have more content coming. For now, I have a somewhat belated ritual to share with you. I composed following group ritual for a meet-up with other Fyrsideras this weekend. I’m posting it a bit late but there’s no rule that says we can’t hail Ēostre any time besides Ēosturdæg! It’s a little short and sweet but I hope y’all find it helpful.

A few important notes: I am assuming that the individual or group performing the ritual has their own preferences for ritual cleansing, and so jump straight into the hallowing. And while I do not personally include a gatekeeper in my personal praxis, I have included a section for those who do; feel free to skip it. As always, my hallowing and closing are borrowed from my friend Wind in the Worldtree. See my Geol ritual for more ritual notes.

For this ritual you will need:

  • Some sort of flat space for an altar. A table, big flat rock, a window sill. Doesn’t matter.
  • An images of Ēostre (optional)
  • Libation offerings. Water or juice is absolutely fine.
  • Birdseed or similar
  • Something to pour the libations into.
  • Incense (optional). I use loose with charcoal, but whatever type you prefer is just dandy.
  • Candles. LED work just as well.

Hallowing

May the gods guide us,
May our oaths keep us,
May our deeds free us,
May our ancestors aid us always.
May the gods banish from this place ill and wrong,
Hallow this space, shield us from all baneful wights,
Let the gods’ blessing be over our heads!

Action: Walk around the space with a flame such as a candle or lamp as the words are spoken. Light the altar candles.

Statement of Purpose

We have come together today to celebrate the coming of spring, the beginning of a season of warmth and growth. Hrēðe has defeated Old Man Winter, and now Ēostre dances across the land, coaxing all that is green and good from Eorthe’s rich soil.

Gatekeeper

Æled, radiant one, offering-bearer
We ask that you give life to this flame
That it may carry our gifts and prayers
Upon its rising smoke
Open the gate!

Action: Pour a libation or light incense for Æled

Invocation

Hail Ēostre, Bringer of Summer and Bearer of Blossoms

[All: Hail Ēostre]


You bring us to wakefulness with the dawn
As you rouse the Earth from her Winter slumber.
You know the timing of flowers and the dances of bees.

We come before you to celebrate your day,
Grateful for the waking world around us,
For he dandelions that grow plentiful around our feet,
The singing of birds and the buzzing of bees.
And the sweet scent of spring rain before the summer blooms.
We thank you for these signs of the turning season
And the warmer temperatures that bring them.

They are such beautiful gifts that you give us.

A gift calls for a gift, and so now we bring you our humble offerings.

Action: Pour libations and/or scatter birdseed (if outdoors). If in a group, allow time after the main offering for individual prayers and offerings. You may also allow time for additional toasts.

Closing

From the gods, to the earth, to us
From us, to the earth, to the gods
A gift has been given, may it be well received

Action: Blow out candles to signify the end of the ritual and dispose of the offerings appropriately.

The Etymology of Easter, a Primer

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I thought it was a bit early to be talking about Ēosturdæg, but Ostara gets celebrated earlier and the nonsense has started on social media already. So, here we are. This was not the post I was intending to write for Ēosturdæg (in fact, I have another one mostly written in drafts) but it is the one I feel compelled to write because I had the misfortune to be scrolling TikTok this morning.

There exists a certain pagan-phobic subset of Christians that refuse to use the word Easter. Some that I knew during my Christian days would stubbornly refuse to call the holiday anything other than “Resurrection Sunday” (despite the fact that other names for the holiday derived from Latin exist). And why would they do this? Because according to them, the word Easter comes from the name of the goddess Ishtar.

It’s funny, because they’re half right. Easter does come from the name of a pagan goddess… but not that one.

To understand the basic etymology of the name and why English speakers generally call the holiday Easter, we need look no further than the Venerable Bede1.

Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated as “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honored name of the old observance.

De temporum ratione (The Reckoning of Time), The Venerable Bede

For those unfamiliar with Latin, “Paschal” in this context is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this passage, Bede explains to us that an older English word has been grafted onto this celebration that is now dominate in England at the time of his writing.

So, Ēostre was a goddess in what we now called England who we know existed from this one singular reference from an English monk writing in the 700s CE. She may or may not have had cognates in other Germanic cultures, such as Jacob Grimm’s hypothesized Ostara. Honestly, this is an area of rather fascinating scholarly debate. I will save further discussion of that for my other upcoming post though.

Meanwhile, Ishtar (or Inanna, as she was known to the Sumerians) was a goddess worshiped by various cultures in and around Mesopotamia.2 The name Ishtar comes from Akkadian, a Semitic language.3

The probability that Ishtar influenced the development of Ēostre as a goddess or a linguistic concept in a completely different language family (Indo-European) is incredibly low. The Wiktionary entry for Ishtar even notes that this is a debunked modern folk-etymology.4 But if you want to explore the actual etymology of Ēostre in much greater depth (and gain a terrible headache) I suggest you check out the book I reviewed last month by Philip Shaw.

In conclusion, Easter comes from an Anglo-Saxon name for an Anglo-Saxon goddess that attached to a Christian holiday as a localized name through the normal processes of syncretism and assimilation. While the name may be pagan in origin (if you believe Bede as I do), it has been used in a Christian context for a minimum of 1300 years. If it was good enough for Bede in 725, it’s probably fine. But if you’re going to be weird about words with pagan origins I’ve got some bad news about the days of the week…

Post-Easter Edit

I’ve see so many progressive Christian clergy slandering the Venerable Bede this week that it’s making my head spin. You do not have to accuse Bede of “making shit up” to make the case that the celebration of Easter as we know it is a Christian phenomenon. In case I was not clear above, having the local name stem from a possible pagan goddess does not make the holiday itself pagan. Easter is an entirely Christian holiday and not “stolen” from pagans. That doesn’t invalidate pagans who wish to celebrate Eosturdæg as a day devoted to Eostre or pagans who wish to celebrate the equinox as Ostara. Something doesn’t have to be ancient to be valid.

  1. Bede was a monk who lived from about 672 CE to 735 CE. He wrote an An Ecclesiastical History of the English People, as well The Reckoning of Time, which is the single best source for reconstructing the pagan Anglo-Saxon calendar. Here’s the Wikipedia entry if you want a jumping off point to read more about Bede. ↩︎
  2. Here’s the Wikipedia entry on Inanna if you again want a jumping off point for further reading. ↩︎
  3. Somewhat ironically, “paschal” from the Latin “pascha” actually comes from another language in the same family as Akkadian: Hebrew. ↩︎
  4. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ishtar ↩︎

Book Review: Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World

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The cover of Pagan Goddess in the Early Germanic World by Philip A. Shaw.

A quick note on the nature of this review. I am not an academic and I am not looking at this book from that perspective. I am examining this book from the angle of a reconstructing Fyrnsidere with no training as a historian or linguist. As such, I am not an expert and everything contained in this review are my opinions as a layperson.

I picked up Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World: Eostre, Hreda and the Cult of Matrons by Philip A. Shaw in preparation for an upcoming post on Eostre and Hrēðe. It was referenced by several sources I found during my initial research, and I decided that it would be worth picking up myself.

Was it worth it? … Kinda?

I’ll be honest, when I first pulled the box containing this book out of my mailbox we were already off to a bad start on first impressions. When I pay damn near $50 USD for a book, even a scholarly one, I expect it to be a little heftier than this. If you decide to read this book for yourself, I highly encourage you to look for it at the library, borrow it from a friend, or thrift it. Save your money.

Initial annoyance aside, the book is quite densely packed. The back blurb describes it as a “readable introduction to some ways in which linguistic evidence can be brought to bear on historical issues.” I suppose readable is a subjective adjective. If you are accustomed to reading dense, scholarly material it may be a fair assessment. If you are not, then your mileage may vary.

A picture of the side of the book showing how skinny it is.
The strange angle at which I took this picture makes the book appear taller than it is. But as you can see, it is quite skinny, and the internal text is not tiny.

If you’re looking for a deep dive on the linguistic arguments around Eostre and Hrēðe, this is your book. I will say that proponents of the Hrēðe-is-a-goddess-of-victory camp may not be pleased with his conclusions. His conclusions about Eostre are also… interesting. Personally, I agree and disagree with some of Shaw’s conclusions, but we’ll discuss my UPG in another post.

I do think Shaw’s point that scholars have focused too much on the roles of goddess too much vs their localities is an interesting one. He says in his conclusion on page 99 that “the goddesses of this book seem to point in the other direction, towards the tribal, the local, perhaps even the familial or personal.” Now, I highly doubt Shaw was intending to call out modern pagans with his statements. I am very much convinced that he was speaking to his fellow academics. But I do think this line perhaps gives food for thought about how we as modern Fyrnsideras approach our reconstruction and our gods. My thoughts on this are half formed at best, however, and I shall save them for a later discussion.

Aside from food for thought, my biggest takeaway from this book is perhaps its extensive bibliography. I suspect there’s more than one interesting gem in there.

In conclusion, do I think this book was worth the money I spent on it? No. Do I think it’s worth reading for my reconstruction journey? Yes.

Purchase Links

As I said above, I probably wouldn’t buy it new again, but here are some links if you would like to.

A bayberry candle burning in a ceramic holder

Should Fyrnsideras Celebrate Ewemeolc?

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The obvious answer to the title question is that Fyrnsideras can celebrate whatever holy days they want. I’m not your boss. Still, I’d like lay out as best I can the historical basis for an early February festival and why we should—or maybe shouldn’t—call it Ewemeolc.

What is Ewemeolc?

According to most sources, Ewemeolc is a celebration of the lambing seasons and the return of lactation among the animals that Anglo-Saxons and their neighbors relied on. It is the very first celebration of the coming season of abundance after a season of deprivation. To quote Alaric Albertsson, “This is what we celebrate each year at Ewemeolc—renewal and sustenance.”1

Many readers may be completely unfamiliar with this term, or think it sounds suspiciously similar to the name of another pagan holiday, and I can’t really blame them. Researching for this post was, in a word, frustrating. The word “Ewemeolc” does not appear to be widely attested, or even really discussed as far as I can tell. The Venerable Bede, our main source for Anglo-Saxon calendar information, certainly doesn’t mention it at all. Alaric Albertsson lists it as a holy tide in Travels Through Middle Earth quoted above, and every other reference I’ve found so far usually turns out to be citing him. Really, the name is nothing more than a semi-plausible Old English moniker for Imbolc, a celebration of Celtic origin.

Imbolc itself is also somewhat contested, with several theories as to the origin of its name. The most commonly accepted of these today is the idea that Imbolc or Imbolg means “in the belly” and refers to the pregnancy of sheep. Meanwhile, the construction of “Ewemeolc” is based on is a linguistic theory that it meant “Ewe’s milk” from the 10th century that has been discredited.2

With this information we can see that calling the holiday by the name Ewemeolc is a somewhat dubious proposition. It can be argued that there is no need to construct an old sounding name for a reconstruction of a festival that may—or may not—have existed. On the other hand, I have yet to hear anyone suggested a better name for Fyrnsideras to use. But even if we dispatch with the term Ewemeolc, there is no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater; we can still have our early spring festival.

Why Celebrate It?

So, if Ewemeolc isn’t an explicitly attested celebration, why should we consider including it in our sacred calendars?

  1. We do know that the Anglo-Saxons were doing something at that time of year since Bede specifically mentions they offered cakes during Solmōnaþ (roughly February in our calendar).3
  2. Imbolc for all we can debate its etymology is well established as a holiday among modern pagans. A tradition doesn’t have to be old to be valid.

Many Fyrnsideras live in families and communities of mixed traditions. For some of us, a group like the ADF4 provide the only in-person fellowship we can participate in regularly. Finding common ground in our holidays is often a necessity.

Constructing a Fyrnsidish Early Spring Festival

If we want to start with the evidence, we must begin with Bede and his cakes. The hearth cakes of the Anglo-Saxons were more akin to flatbread than what modern readers probably think of when they see “cake.”5 An appropriate modern substitute would probably be some form of oatcake or bannock. (I don’t think the gods would object if you wanted to make a modern cake with tasty buttercream frosting though.)

While digging in to modern Imbolc and Candlemas traditions, another possible modern alternative also caught my eye: pancakes. Personally, I kind of adore the idea of waking up on a chilly February morning and diving into a stack of thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes. This is also the time of year when trees are tapped for syrup, so it seems very on trend for the season.

Bede tells us nothing about why the cakes were offered, of course. Nor does he give us any indication how those cakes may have differed from the everyday hearth cakes. My personal theory is that they were giving back part of their remaining winter stores to the Earth or some other agricultural deity to ensure the return of spring and the growing season. There was real sacrifice in giving up any part of your food supply this late in the winter.

And so, to go any further in our reconstruction we must look to other celebrations that take place in the early, early spring. Here we can find a few interesting threads to pull: fertility, cleansing, weather prediction, and the increasing light.

Fertility

The source of the sustenance and renewal that Albertsson eloquently discusses in Travels Through Middle Earth is specifically the milk brought about by the lambing seasons, a results of the ewes’ pregnancy. Likewise, this same theme is found in the Imbolc celebrations. It should be noted here that one of the products of this milk—fresh, salty soft cheese—was commonly eaten with hearth cakes. Hmm, did we just solve the mystery of Bede’s cakes?

Many Fyrnsideras do syncretize with Religio Romana, so we can also look to Lupercalia, the Roman festival in mid-February for evidence of a fertility theme. Although, I don’t in any way recommend recreating the Roman method of ensuring human fertility. Getting smacked on the hand with a thong of goat’s hide after it was sacrificed holds zero appeal for me.6

Plutarch also mentions that Lupercalia was said to have been celebrated by shepherds in ancient times (from his perspective). I don’t think this has any bearing on Imbolc celebrations, but I do think it’s a fun coincidence.

Cleansing

Another thread we find in common among other early spring festivals is a focus on purification or cleansing. Spring cleaning continues to be a traditional activity for this time of year into the modern day.

Candlemas, which is a Christian holiday, focuses on the purification of Mary following Jesus’s birth. It’s possible that could have also melded with other local traditions in areas where Candlemas is still celebrated to this day.

Looking back to the Romans again, we also find the February and Lupercalia have cleansing associations.

Weather Prediction

I’ve been calling this an early spring festival, but you could by all rights also say this is a late winter festival. In some places I believe it’s even referred to as midwinter.7 So, spring isn’t really quite here yet with the coming of the lambs. Figuring out just how much longer the winter weather is going to last was therefore top of mind for our agriculturally focused forbearers.

The methods of doing this weather divination vary across the world, and within our geographic areas of concern for our reconstruction purposes. Many involve hibernating animals, while others simply say that foul weather on Imbloc bodes well for an early spring8.

One practice did make its way across the pond to the United States, however. German settlers in Pennsylvania particularly brought with them a custom of looking to a hedgehog or a badger to see what the future weather might hold. Well, their new home didn’t quite have those same animals, and so the tradition of Groundhog’s Day on February 2nd was born.

Goddesses to Honor for Ewemeolc

Pagans of more Celtic leanings often venerate Brigid or St. Brigid during Imbolc. If you are a Fyrnsidere who has some syncretism with Celtic polytheism and venerates Brigid, this may be your go-to. I’m not, so I won’t really go into further detail on that here.

The Earth Mother

I think Mother Earth gives Woden a run for his money when it comes to who has the most names. In Fyrnsidu she is known as Eorthe or Folde. Nerthus and Hludana are names for her from other Germanic traditions. And of course, the Norse call her Jorð. You can find her in Greek traditions as Gaia, and to the Romans she was Terra. Modern druids in the ADF include an invocation to the Earth Mother in every single one of their public rituals.

I think it might be fair to say that Mother Earth or the personification of the Earth is the most widely worshiped entity in modern paganism. In my personal opinion, you could make a case for her being one of the most important deities, because it is through her that we receive many of the gods’ gifts, such as the nourishment for our bodies, the clothes that protect us, and the materials to build our shelters.

At this time of the year in the northern hemisphere, Eorthe is just waking up from her long sleep. Unseen beneath the snow and mud seeds are starting their slow progress towards germination. You could say they are safe in Eorthe’s belly, waiting to be born. Much like the lambs in the bellies of the ewes, no?

Frīg

This is probably a less obvious choice. However, if you venerate Frīg and want to lean into the spring cleaning and human fertility aspects of the season, inviting her to your celebrations just makes sense.

There are several ways to understand Frīg. Personally, I lean more into some of the associations from Norse mythology. I see her as concerned with maintaining order in the home, textile crafts, motherhood, child-bearing, and magic. She is a seer, a weaver of Wyrd and friþ. Beofeld from Wind in the Worldtree has laid out a reconstruction of Anglo-Saxon Frīg that leans more into the Roman interpretatio germanica of her as a Venus figure.9 Beauty, sex, and even war. I don’t actually think this conflicts with my view of her at all, since I see her and the Norse Freyja as the same figure (you can disagree with me, that’s okay).

Suggestions for Celebration

  • Have a paganized Æcerbot10 (if you garden).
  • Have a ritual to bless your gardening tools (if you garden).
  • Have a fertility ritual for your local farmers’ market vendors’ gardens.
  • Have a fertility ritual for yourself and your partner, if that’s something you’re interested in.
  • Consider adding a representation of Eorthe to your altar space if you don’t already have one.
  • Eat and offer goat cheese.
  • Bake little offering cakes or rolls.
  • Have pancakes.
  • Do some weather divination, groundhog or badger optional.
  • Do some spring cleaning
  • Take a ritual bath or an ice bath
  1. Alaric Albertsson, Travels Through Middle Earth, Chapter 10 Holy Tides. ↩︎
  2. The reconstruction is on an older theory of the origin of the word Imbolc, which appears in Cormac’s Glossary. Special thanks to Rob Holman of Ingwine.org for pointing me to this.
    

I did not have time personally track down copies of the correct sources for discrediting it, but the Wikipedia article for Imbolc is extremely well footnoted for those who would like to pursue this further. ↩︎
  3. The Venerable Bede, The Reckoning of Time ↩︎
  4. Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship ↩︎
  5. The Early English Bread Project explains what Anglo-Saxon bread or hearth cakes were like and how to make your own. ↩︎
  6. Plutarch describes the Lupercalia festivities observed by Ceaser in Life of Ceaser. ↩︎
  7. Bex from The witches’ cookery definitely refers to it as midwinter in her Imbolc videos, which you should definitely check out for some fun, witchy food and craft ideas. ↩︎
  8. Here again the Wikipedia article for Imbolc is well footnoted for this subject. I am not any kind of expert on Imbolc and will not pretend to be. ↩︎
  9. Frīg reconstruction from Wind in the Worldtree. ↩︎
  10. The Æcerbot is an Old English charm from after the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons that seems to have some pagan undertones. It’s a popular choice for adapting to more pagan language. Here are some examples from Wind in the Worldtree and Silver Well Hearth. ↩︎

Further Reading

Eorthe

Frīg

Heathen Offerings in Modern Context

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Disclaimer: While my blog focus is the modern practice of Fyrnsidu and Anglo-Saxon heathenry, this post will be pulling quite a bit from Norse heathen sources and authors because this topic is somewhat universal to the greater modern heathen experience.

If you asked me what I think is the singular, most important concept in all of heathenry, I would be compelled to say that it is thus: reciprocity. And I don’t believe I am alone in that assertion. Many (if not most) contemporary heathen writers spend at least some time on the subject.1 Indeed, it is often discussed in modern pagan circles more broadly. If there is one thing I think a new heathen should have a basic understanding of before entering praxis, it is this fundamental concept.

What is Reciprocity?

Be a friend to your friend, and repay each gift with a gift.

Hávamál 42 – Jackson Crawford’s translation

Diana Paxson sums it up well, I think, in Essential Asatru when she says “Friendship provides a useful model for our relationship with the gods and goddesses and other wights. Like any other relationship, friendship with a god requires mutual respect and attention.”2

Reciprocity, also known as the gifting cycle, is the means by which we build that relationship with our gods. They bless us, and we give them good gifts. Christians do it, too, although I don’t think most of them conceive of it in such terms. They offer their god their time, their money (tithes), their praise, and their faith. In return, they are granted blessings in this life and the hereafter, or so their doctrine goes.

Heathen gifting tends to look a lot more like actual gifts. Some pagans have altars cluttered with votive offerings, while other tend to stick to incense or libations. Praise in the form of poetry or song can also make a worthy gift. Offerings can range from humble to extravagant, and vary by occasion. For example, you might offer a glass of water with your daily devotions. You also might offer an entire bottle of expensive liquor when you get that big promotion you’ve been chasing.

In Fyrnsidu, the exact what you’re gifting is far less important than the fact that you’re actually doing it. Although, I think there is something to be said for selecting a gift for your gods with the same care you would select a gift for a dear friend.

But why, tho?

If you have a good friend,
and really trust him,
and want good to come of your friendship,
you should speak your mind with him,
exchange gifts,
visit him often.

Hávamál 44 – Jackson Crawford’s translation

I want to be really clear that the purpose of the gifting cycle is not bribery.3 When you begin the process of building a relationship with a spirit (be they a god, an ancestor, or a wight) you should not be doing so with the expectation of immediate return on investment. For one thing, they are not obligated to return the favor if there is no interest on their end in having this relationship. That first gift should be because you are interested and want to engage with them, or perhaps thank them for a perceived gift you’ve already received.

Once a relationship is established, then of course the gods become a source of strength, comfort and support in our times of need, much like our human friends. What issues you bring to a deity will depend upon your individual relationship with them. Like different friends sometimes fulfill different roles in our lives, so too may different spirits.

For many of us, these relationships themselves are the entire point of praxis. We want to feel that connection to something beyond ourselves. Whether the emphasis your praxis is on building relationships with gods/goddesses, ancestors, or landwights is a personal decision.

Offerings for Modern Praxis

There has already been a lot of ink spilled on the subject of why blood offerings are no longer appropriate in modern praxis4 (the possible exception being if you are actually a farmer who processes their own livestock as a regular part of your profession) so I am not going to spend a ton of time rehashing that discussion. Just don’t do it, m’kay?

Having said that, burning incense and purchasing items for offering aren’t always practical. Here I’d like to suggest a few alternatives:

  • Use a wax warmer to offer pleasing scents at your altar. This can be a great alternative to burning incense, and can avoid flames entirely if you select an electric option.
  • Spend time doing an activity that brings you closer to your deity. If you are a crafter, this could be time spent making something for your altar. If you worship a hearth goddess, physically cleaning and cleansing your home could be considered a devotional act.
  • If you cook a special meal, set some aside before you eat. This is an especially great option for ancestors if you’re preparing a family recipe.
  • If you are a wordsmith or musically inclined, write a poem or song for your deity’s glorification or amusement.

A Real-Life Example

A statue of Frig using a drop-spindle and surrounded by children sits on a white cloth. Light blue candles flank the statue. A vase of baby's breath is to the left and a wax warmer to the right. An incense bowl filled with sand and ashes sits in front of the statue.

Ignoring the eye-blinding color of my accent wall, this is a small altar to Frīg near my kitchen. I theoretically tend to it on a weekly basis, but let’s face it, I’m not the world’s most consistent Fyrnsidere.

On Frīg’s Day (Fridays), I change the flowers and light the wax warmer. On special occasions, I burn loose incense, but the wax warmer generally works best for me.

Whenever the urge comes over me, I also make libation offerings. Usually for me this looks like making Frīg a cup of tea, and then making myself one, too. My prayer will sound something like this:

Hail Frīg, hearth mother, spinning goddess
[Some thanks or other acknowledgement]
[A petition if I have one]

Sometimes I may talk more about whatever is weighing on my heart while I sip my tea with her. Often times, I sit quietly and listen with my inner self for her responses. On rare occasions I will do divination. None of this is pre-scripted, and there’s very little ritual to it. Since this is a permanent altar in my space, I don’t feel the need for a hallowing every time.

If this reminds you of inviting a friend or a relative over for tea and a deep talk about important things, well, that’s sort of exactly what it is. This is how I build reciprocity with this goddess. From talking with others, sharing tea with Frīg or Frigg (Norse) seems to be a common practice.

My set-up for my ancestor altar is actually quite similar, and includes a different wax warmer. I often offer coffee and break out my oracle deck when talking with my ancestors.

The “Broom Closet”

Not all of us can practice as openly as we would like for numerous reasons, and I think it is important to take a moment to acknowledge that. Some of my suggested alternative offerings are more suitable for people in this situation than others. I think the wax warmer and the devotional acts are probably the safest options, aside from simply leaving out glasses of water, as I’ve seen other pagan creators suggest.

If this is you, just do your best. I strongly believe that the gods will not fault you for earnest gifts, even if they are a bit stealthy and lacking in ceremony.

  1. Alaric Albertsson discusses reciprocity briefly in Chapter 3 of Travels Through Middle Earth: The Path of a Saxon Pagan (revised edition), which discusses the wéofod and giving offerings.
    “Heathens believe that the exchanges of gifts—in the form of offerings—are ways to develop long-term relationships with the gods, ancestors, or landvaettir.” Patricia M. Lafayllve, A Practical Heathen’s Guide to Asatru. This quote is from the beginning of Chapter 13. ↩︎
  2. Diana Paxson discusses how our relationships to our gods are akin to friendships in Chapter 8: Ways of Devotion in her revised edition of Essential Asatru: A Modern Guide to Norse Paganism. ↩︎
  3. There is such a thing as propitiation, but this is different than the gifting cycle and serves a different purpose. Wind in the Worldtree has a post on this subject titled “Propitiation.” ↩︎
  4. Wind in the Worldtree covers this topic well and in-depth in this post, “Blood Sacrifice.” ↩︎

Further Reading

A top-whorl drop spindle and a bottom-whorl drop spindle crossed and resting against brown and cream wool roving and blue-gray hand-spun yarn.

Who Was Going to Tell Me About Distaff Day?

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My first post for Forþ-weard was about about tailoring your personal sacred calendar to your own praxis. Well, I have a new example for you happening in my own praxis in real time.

I recently—as in, during the last 48 hours—learned of the concept of Distaff Day (this is the part where you can all point and laugh at the silly American). Anyway, as someone whose praxis is largely dominated by Frīg, I am enamoured of this concept. Now, as far as I’m aware, this holiday is wholly Christian in origin1, being the day following the feast of the Epiphany, but it’s also been taken up secularly by people in fiber arts communities (which is how I came to learn of it)2.

In continuing on with that first post about fleshing out your own holiday calendar, I’m thinking I want to find some ways to incorporate Distaff Day into my rotation. Here are the traditions I’m considering starting for myself:

  • I didn’t spin at all during Geol this year more out of coincidence than conscious choice, but I’m thinking having an intentional fiber arts hiatus from Mother’s Night through Distaff Day in the future. There’s precedence for this practice, too.3
  • Scheduling a vacation day from work if January 7th happens to fall during the week and I have the time available.
  • Designating Distaff Day as when I will begin my first project of the new year.
  • Making an offering of my first spun yarn of the new year to ask Frīg’s blessing on my new endeavors.
  • Joining a local yarn spinning event, class or workshop that day if one is available.
  • Treating myself to a new distaff or spindle if needed4

These may seem like small things, but recently I’ve decided that I want to get more serious about devotional craft work—and just generally becoming better at spinning. I love the idea of formalizing and ritualizing the beginning of my crafting year just a little bit to help me in these goals.

So, who wants to join me in celebrating a heathen-ified version of Distaff Day? Let me know if you have any other ideas on how we could celebrate!

  1. If I’m wrong about this, please feel free to point me to some sources in the comments. I’d love to see them! ↩︎
  2. Specifically, I saw this video on YouTube by JillianEve. ↩︎
  3. Jacob Grimm states in Teutonic Mythology V.1 that “In the North too, from Yule-day to New-year’s day, neither wheel nor windlass must go round.” ↩︎
  4. I don’t actually own a distaff of any kind at the moment, and it’s something of a hinderance to my progress with my drop spindles. ↩︎
3 books in a row from left to right: The Far Traveler by Nancy Marie Brown, The Word Hord by Hana Videen, Beowulf translated by Maria Dahvana Headley

My Favorite “Heathen-ish” Reads of 2023

Rose2 Comments

I’m starting this off with a disclaimer that none of these books are explicitly “heathen.” They aren’t written for a heathen or pagan audience, nor are they about the religion itself. But they are adjacent, covering areas of history and literature that are interesting to people with heathen leanings. I should also note most of these books are not new, I just happened to read them this year. With that out of the way, here’s some of the best books I read in 2023:

Beowulf, A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley

This was barely a 2023 read for me, considering I received it as a holiday gift, but it was a quick read. I have never laughed so hard while reading a Beowulf translation. I’m totally here for the vibes. Perhaps not the most accurate translation of Beowulf on the market (I wouldn’t use it for reconstruction purposes, for sure) but definitely one of the most entertaining. 5/5

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown

This book is a mix of travel diary and popular archeology that is certainly interesting. It could be a little slow in places, and it wasn’t as much biography as I was expecting based on the synopsis. Still, it was an enjoyable and interesting read. 3.75/5

Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker

Full disclosure, I haven’t actually finished this one quite yet, but I am enjoying it. The book is of course dealing with Christian Anglo-Saxon England, but there’s still little nuggets there for the interested Fyrnsidere to uncover. As someone who is trying to get back in touch with natural cycles and rhythms, this was an interesting book to dive into.

My 2024 TBR

I also received The Word Hord: Daily Life in Old English by Hana Videen as a holiday gift this year. I haven’t gotten a chance to dive into it just yet, but I am absolutely stoked to do so. Let me know if y’all would like a review of it when I’m finished.

Another book I’m hoping to get to in 2024 is The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey (I read part of it, but then my library loan expired. Whoops).

I’m always on the hunt for more books to add to my TBR (to be read) pile, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

A sideboard with a deep red table runner. Each end has red, white and natural beeswax candles. On the left are statues of Ing, Frig, and Woden. On the right is a picture frame with black paper in it and a wax warmer.

A Ritual for Geol

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The following is a ritual to Frīg and Woden that I recently composed for a group Geol celebration. It can easily be adapted for a solo practitioner by replacing some plural pronouns and optionally dropping the Statement of Purpose section. Originally, I wrote the ritual to fit the requirements for my local mixed-faith group, but this version is stripped down to what I would consider the necessary components for a Fyrnsidere’s praxis. And yes, this ritual has footnotes, haha. I’ve also included a further reading section for more information about ritual format in Fyrnsidu and Anglo-Saxon heathenry. Please note that how I structure my rituals may vary from the sources I’ve linked to. Every individual and group’s praxis will look a little different. Please feel free to adapt this to your needs.

For this ritual you will need:

  • Some sort of flat space for an altar. A table, big flat rock, a window sill. Doesn’t matter.
  • Images of Frīg and Woden (optional)
  • Libation offerings. Water or juice is absolutely fine.
  • Something to pour the libations into.
  • Incense (optional). I use loose with charcoal, but whatever type you prefer is just dandy.
  • Candles. LED work just as well.

Hallowing1

May the gods guide us,
May our oaths keep us,
May our deeds free us,
May our ancestors aid us always.
May the gods banish from this place ill and wrong,
Hallow this space, shield us from all baneful wights,
Let the gods’ blessing be over our heads!2

Action: Walk around the space with a flame such as a candle or lamp as the words are spoken. Light the altar candles.

Statement of Purpose

As the year wanes, Sunne’s light grows faint. The nights loom long as her strength fades. In the lengthened shadows, the Wild Hunt rides. And in this liminal time we gather as our ancestors did, pushing away winter’s chill in the warmth of fire and frith. We anticipate Sunne’s triumphant return, and give thanks to Woden & Frīg that the death has passed us by another year. Together we make merry and give good gifts, that we may bring the light of joy into this cold midwinter night. 

Gatekeeper3

Æled4, radiant one, offering-bearer
We ask that you give life to this flame
That it may carry our gifts and prayers
Upon its rising smoke
Open the gate!

Action: Pour a libation or light incense for Æled

Invitations

Good neighbors, we call to you. This land is cold and sleeping. The nights have grown long and chill. We invite all spirits of good will who dwell here to join us at our fire and feast with us at our table. Be merry with us in this place of frith.
Hail the Landwights!
(All: Hail the Landwights!)

Honored ones who have gone before us. Beloved ancestors of body and of spirit, we call to you through the generations, back into the mists of time. As the wild hunt rides and the veil is thin, we invite you to our fire. Feast with us, laugh with us. Celebrate with us on this longest night.
Hail our Honored Ancestors!
(All: Hail our Honored Ancestors!)

Hail the Gods and Goddesses, the mighty ones. The year is dying, and it is time we remember your many gifts. Join us at our fire and feast. Receive what we have brought for you. Hear our words of thanks and witness our oaths.
Hail the Gods and Goddesses!
(All: Hail the Gods and Goddesses!)

Action: Pour a small libation for each group as they are invited in.

Main Invocations

Hail to the Heorþmōdor, blessed Hearth-mother, Frīg
Hail to the weaver of frith and weaver of wyrd
Come sit at our table and weave your peace amongst us
That we may strengthen our bonds.
Hail Frīg!
(All: Hail Frīg)

Action: Present offerings for Frīg. Suggestion: a fruit wine.

Hail to the Hygeferigend, wise Soul-Bearer, Woden.
Hail to the wander on his mighty steed
Shake the snow from your cloak and hang it by the fire (or heater)
Let us fill your cup and heap your plate.
Hail Woden!
(All: Hail Woden!)

Action: Present offerings for Woden. Suggestions: whiskey or brandy. And of course, mead is an excellent choice.

Closing

From the gods, to the earth, to us
From us, to the earth, to the gods
A gift has been given, may it be well received 5

Þa godas bletsien eow þissum geare. Glæd Gēol!6

Action: Blow out candles to signify the end of the ritual and dispose of the offerings appropriately.

  1. I am making the assumption here that the reader has their own preferences for cleansing and am jumping straight to the hallowing. ↩︎
  2. This section has been borrowed from Wind in the Worldtree. ↩︎
  3. I personally don’t usually include a gatekeeper when doing private offerings by myself, but I wanted to include this for others who may find this step important. ↩︎
  4. Æled is a reconstruction, a best guess at a sacred fire deity based on the language, how we believe fire was thought of, and comparative study of other Indo-European religions. I think he makes the most sense to use as a gatekeeper in this context. Pronunciation: IPA /ˈæː.led/. Æ is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘mat’ and the e is pronounced like ‘ay’ in ‘may’. Read more at Wind in the Worldtree. ↩︎
  5. This is also borrowed from Wind in the Worldtree ↩︎
  6. Old English for “May the gods blessings be upon you [all] this year. Glad Geol.” Credit to T Patrick Snyder for the OE translation. ↩︎

Further Reading

Anglo-Saxon Heathen Ritual Format

Bonus Reading Suggestions

Finding Your Holy Days

Rose2 Comments

One of the interesting and—dare I say it—fun things about developing your own pagan practice is deciding what holy days you will mark and how to celebrate each occasion. Just choosing which days to observe—never mind the how—there exists a dizzying array of choices. Odds are that you will not observe exactly the same holidays as another pagan in your social circle, even if you nominally follow the same tradition. (If you doubt me, just look up the Anglo-Saxon and Norse heathen debates on the correct dating of Gēol/Yule). Because of this, I think it is important to note that you do not have to observe every holiday ever conceived of. You do not have to observe a holy day just because it has historical attestation, nor because it’s what “all the other [x] pagans do.”

Personally, I don’t celebrate all the holidays on the common Wheel of the Year, nor all the holidays you might find listed by various heathen organizations. My big holidays for the year are as follows:

  • Ēosturdæg
  • Midsumor
  • Winterfylleþ
  • Módraniht/Gēol

I list Modraniht and Gēol together because Modraniht is very much a subsection of the ongoing Gēol festivities for me that take up the entire month of December. In fact, you could almost say that Winterfylleþ kicks off my Gēol season, and Modraniht is my early New Year. But as you can see, this is a very abbreviated calendar compared to other lists you may find. They also line-up in time and culture with big observances going on around me: Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. Which brings me to my next point…

Modern Observances

It’s also okay to weave in wholly modern observations. Sometimes the old holy days just don’t quite line up with the schedules and rhythms of our modern lives, especially for those of us who aren’t deeply connected to agriculture. Incorporating our heathenry into holidays our culture is already celebrating is a great way to start knitting these pieces of our identities together. For example, I have been trying to work the secular Earth Day into my own spiritual calendar. Is there an attested Eorthedæg in Anglo-Saxon heathenry? Not that I’m aware of. But there’s certainly enough precedence for the worship of an Earth Mother. To me, it makes sense to dedicate time to this important figure, and lining it up with a pre-existing modern secular holiday makes sense.

Here’s some ideas for other modern holidays (as observed in the US) that you could give a heathen spin:

Earth Day – A húsel or blot to Eorthe or another earth mother goddess is an obvious option. Perhaps less obvious is signing up for some volunteer opportunities and showing the goddess your love through service. Park cleanups and tree plantings can be fun events that help tie you not only to the Earth, but also to your local community.

Mother’s Day / Father’s Day – These holidays are an excellent opportunity to incorporate ancestor veneration into your praxis. A húsel celebrating the mothers/fathers from which you come can be a lovely way to mark the occasion. You could hold a symbel and give everyone an opportunity to share stories about Great-Grandma Evie and Great Aunt Maude. Even if your living family do not share your faith, you can still give an offering on your own. 

Memorial Day – Particularly if you come from a military family, Memorial Day can be a wonderful time to incorporate ancestor veneration. You could also petition gods and ancestors for peace in ongoing conflicts. Many of us do this regularly anyway, but Memorial Day may be a time for special emphasis. Deities to consider might be Twi, Woden, or Hella.

Valentine’s Day or Sweetest’s Day – These days can be made into an opportunity to honor a god or goddess of love. Perhaps an offering to Frīg? Or if you’re of the witchy persuasion, maybe a spell or ritual to spice up the bedroom (with your partner’s consent, of course).

This is hardly an exhaustive list, of course, and rather US centric, but the principle applies to any special observation, really.

Timing & Dates

Depending on how heavily you get into reconstruction, determining the date of certain holidays can be… fraught. My advice to you is to decide how much you care about historical accuracy vs what fits into your life. Personally, I’m fairly confident that the gods are happy that you make offerings around the time of certain observances, regardless of whether you do it Tuesday or Thursday.

If you want to celebrate Gēol on December 21st every year, regardless of the exact date of the astronomical solstice, go for it. If you would prefer to celebrate Gēol on the 25th when the rest of your family is observing Christmas, I think that’s grand, too. (For the record, not all Christians agree on the dates of some of their holidays either and calculating Easter used to be basically a science).

So what holy days do I observe?

Putting all of this together, here’s how my spiritual calendar has shaped up:

  • Ēosturdæg – Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox
  • Arbor Day/Earth Day
  • Mother’s Day 
  • Father’s Day 
  • Midsommer – Summer Solstice (Around June 21st)
  • Winterfylleþ – Full Moon following the Autumn Equinox
  • Módraniht – (Around December 20th)
  • Gēola – Winter Solstice (Around December 21st)

As you can see, it’s a mix of shifting and fixed dates, historical and modern observances. I don’t mind working out the shifting holidays and making plans around them, so that’s what I do.

But I want to hear from you. What holidays do you incorporate into your spiritual calendar? What’s one of your favorite traditions? Tell me in the comments!

Suggested Reading

This may seem like an Albertsson heavy recommendation list, but he was extra relevant!