Southern Hemisphere Asatru Calendar |
King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway executed Raud by making him swallow a snake. His crime was refusing to give up Asatru. Tryggvason then confiscated Raud's land and all his other wealth. Praise Raud by lifting a horn (or cup or glass) in his honor, and by doing something deliberate to spread the religion King Olaf tried so hard to stamp out.
Eyvind was another Asatru martyr. King Olaf tortured him to death by placing a bowl of red-hot embers on his stomach. Eyvind died, and Valhalla recieved another hero. Salute his courage the same way you did that of Raud the Strong.
Valentine's Day? Nor really...rather, a day devoted to Vali, a God connected with rebirth. Meditate on the following question for Vali: If we are born again into the family line, as our ancestors thought, how should this affect our actions here and now?
Olvir was a Norwegian who organized sacrifices to the Gods in defiance of King Olaf Tryggvason. When Olaf caught him planning Ostara celebrations, he killed him. Olvir's co-conspirators were murdered, mutilated, exiled, or fined, depending on their degree of complicity. Honor this Asatru martyr by observing Ostara, thus proving that Olaf did not, in the long run, succeed.
Also called Winter Finding, this is the time when day and night are of equal length. Today is a harvest festival, and you can celebrate it with a meal at which you express thanks to the Gods for the powers of the soil. Raise a horn of your favorite drink to the Freya, and to her brother Frey.
Ragnar was one of legend's most famous vikings. On this date in the year 845, he raided Paris. It just happened to be Easter Sunday. Toast Ragnar with a raised glass, and read from his saga.
Hakon restored the worship of the Gods after it had been suppressed by Christian kings. Celebrate the abilty to honor the Gods and Goddesses without persecution.
This date on our calendar is in honor of the disir, female fertility spirits ruled over by Freya. Our female ancestors are also counted among the disir, so this is a good time to recall outstanding women in your family line. Do you have photos of them you can look at? The mood of Winter Nights is one of conserving resources against the scarcities of the coming cold season. A libation of ale, milk, or mead is traditionally poured onto the earth as an offering to the disir.
This Teutonic Goddess safeguards the dead heroes who sleep in the burial mound, and harbors deeds yet to bear fruit. Pour a libation to the bold ones awaiting rebirth, and think on how your own acts will live after you.
This Norwegian martyr spoke out against the tyranny of the Christian fanatic Tryggvason, and urged others to resist him. For this, the king had his tongue cut out. Call an Asa-friend today - use your tongue to participate in Asatru!
No Teutonic hero outshines Sigmund's noble son. His courage and nobility won him fame shining through the centuries. Recall his glory by listening to Wagner's Ring operas, or by doing something generous, in imitation of Sigurd's goodness of heart.
Coming just before the winter solstice, Mother Night is when the new year is born. The traditional twelve days of Yule begin now. This is a season for honoring the family line and rejoicing in the sun's renewal. Celebrate Yule with all the ancient trimmings, such as wreaths of evergreen, a "Christmas" tree, and good cheer. Visit kin. Tell your children family stories and show them photos of their ancestors. Drink a toast to the God Frey, and to the reborn sun.
As Mother's Night is the beginning of Yuletide, Twelfth Night is its culmination. Meditate on the past year - what you did, what you wish you had done. Take stock and set a course for the future. Making New Year's resolutions is an old Teutonic custom that goes back at least to the Viking Age, and perhaps much earlier. In the old days, these oaths were sworn on a boar sacred to Frey.
Unn was a strong-willed matriarch who established dynasties in the Orkneys, Faroes, and Iceland. Do something to make your family line stronger and more permanent. Recall the deep-minded women of your clan today.
Coming in the depths of winter, when we all need our spirits lifted, Thorrablot is our obvious antidote to the blues. Thor is its cheery, gregarious patron. Go winter camping, or have a party. Take a walk without your coat, mentally accept winter, and go back to your house for a shot of brandy.
This Frisian king ejected Christian missionaries and upheld Asatru in his country against great pressure. Pour a libation to the ancient Frisian Goddess Friagabi, "Giver of Freedom." Like Radbod, you can renounce the alien faith. Here are some words reversing the Christian oath the Saxons were made to swear: "I forsake the Christian God, and I forsake all worship of him, and I renounce all his works! I take up the words and work and worship of our Gods and Goddesses, of Thor and Odin and Tyr and all who are their companions!"
Herman learned the art of war under the Romans, then deserted the Imperial eagles to lead his tribe in revolt against the Mediterranean intruders. In the fall of the year 9, he annihilated three legions in the Teutobergerwald, a victory which saved Germania from Roman occupation . Plant an oak tree, eat in a German restaurant, and remember Herman with a glass of fine beer from the Fatherland.
Praise this Saxon Goddess of the springtime and the dawn, and revel in the rebirth of life at winter's end. "Easter" is a corruption of Ostara's name, and you can celebrate her day with bunnies, eggs, and the other heathen symbols that usually characterise this holiday.
In addition to being father of Leif Erikson, Erik was a stalwart fan of the strongest of the Gods, Thor. Recall Leif's sire with a toast, and by praising Thor for such robust Vikings. Do something for a friend, in imitation of Thor, friendliest of the Gods!
This was the first day of summer in the Icelandic calendar. It falls at about the same time as the annual sacrifice to Odin, for success in the upcoming raiding season. Welcome the warm months, and make an offering to the Father of Victory!
From the gloom of Walburg we enter the sunshine of November Day. Think on Freya, take a walk in the forest or send flowers to a friend.
Sigrith, the widow of King Erik the Victorious of Sweden, was offered marriage by Olaf Tryggvason...on the condition that she become a Christian. She refused, saying "I do not mean to abandon the faith I have had, and my kinsmen before me." Olaf swore at her and struck her with a glove, an act she repaid years later when she incited the battle in which Olaf died. Do five things for Asatru, one for each finger of Olaf's glove. Meditate on the qualities of a suitable mate.
These are the chosen heroes who sit in Odin's hall.. Honor your dead kin, or the famous heroes, who gave their lives for family and Folk. Celebrate Veteran's Day. If you have friends or relatives who died in battle, visit their graves. If that is not possible, offer a toast in their memory. Consecrate your personal weapon in a ritual of your devising.
Warrior, poet, and devout follower of Odin, Egil's complex character is mirrored by the paradoxical nature of his one-eyed mentor among the Gods. Read excerpts from Egil's saga on this day (or look him up in your collection of books on the Vikings). Write a poem, or do something bold!
This is the sun's moment of greatest glory, and the time of longest daylight. After today, the sun's decline begins. Decorate you house with sunwheels, and burn a candle in her honor.