Introduction Over the years, there have been multiple attempts by various writers in the Heathen and Pagan communities to explain the matter of ‘soul’ to other Heathens and Pagans. Explanations have ranged from the complex and suspiciously Kabbalistic-feeling ‘9 part soul complex’, to a form of non-dualism in which there is no detachable soul. It …
(This essay copyrighted to Jeremy Baer. This is a personal opinion piece from the individual author meant to share experience and insight. It is not intended as a scholarly article, nor is its ethos necessarily endorsed in whole by the Kindred. Anyone wishing to share experiences are free to do so by e-mailing GVK kindred …
One thing that differentiates GVK from some other Heathen groups is its oath of frith. People can stand shoulder to shoulder within the same ritual space to honor the gods, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have frith. Frith is something more. It is a sacred sentiment that turns a kindred from a church into …
The spring sun warmly embraces us as I stand outside with the others. We have gathered at the edge of the farmhouse property. The air is an interesting mixture of flora in full bloom and pungent scents wafting in from the nearby barn. Just beyond us lay a copse of woods; hiding within are a …
Great Valley Kindred often finds itself in opposition to sentiments in mainstream Asatru/Heathenry. One of these areas where we find ourselves nonplussed is the topic of a Heathen afterlife. The very obsession with death and afterlife is misplaced, as we will discuss. But more immediately, the common conceptions of afterlife that grip modern Heathenry (as …
This article seeks to provide a brief overview of the place of the Meadhall within the Anglo-Saxon tradition, as well as its central rite, the symbel. This piece is to be understood as a continuation of, and final sequel to, larger articles on Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Saxon Heathenry. Prologue: Early Germans At the dawn of …
Between 600 and 700 CE, the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had converted to Christianity. While it would take some time for the new religion to filter down from the royal courts to the commoners, Anglo-Saxon Heathenry as a cultural religion was doomed. The reasons that the kings had converted, as well as the particularly crafted brand of …
The English Before They Were English The Angles, Jutes and Saxons most probably lived in Jutland and northern Germany (P. H. Blair 9). The Roman writer Tacitus refers to a tribe called the Anglii. The Anglii and six other Germanic tribes were notable for adhering to a religious confederation that honored the terrestrial goddess Nerthus. …
(copyright Jeremy Baer) Origin of the Futhorc Runes For some time, the Germanic peoples had traded and raided amongst their literate Mediterranean neighbors. In the first century Before the Common Era, the earliest known attempt of Germanic literacy transpired in the Alpine region. The Negau Helmet, whose inscribed text dates to c. 55 BCE, was …
by Catherine Heath Introduction As an Anglo Saxon inspired kindred, we at Great Valley Kindred have always kind of skirted around the topic of Loki. After all, we have no actual evidence of him anywhere outside of Scandinavia that was not brought by Viking Age Scandinavians. However, while it is nice to be able to …
