Lesser Feasts
(Days of Remembrance)
There are a number of lesser feasts or holy days that Heathens of modern time keep, as well as holding the traditional ones. Most of these are “Days of Remembrance” for great heroes and heroines of Germanic Heathenry.
January 9 – Remembrance for Raud the Strong (a Norwegian chieftain whom Olaf Tryggvason killed for refusing to convert. The end of a metal horn was put down Raud’s throat; a poisonous snake was then put into the horn and the other end heated to drive it along…).
February 9 – Remembrance for Eyvind kinnrifi (whom Olaf Tryggvason tortured to death when he refused to convert, by putting a metal brazier filled with burning coals on his belly).
February 14 – Folk etymology has led to this day being called ‘Feast of Vali’ in modern Asatru. Actually, St. Valentine has no demonstrable associations with Vali, nor to the thinly disguised heathen Lupercalia rites which take place on this day. Nevertheless, many Heathens make blessing to this god at this time.
March 28 – Ragnar Lodbrok’s day, when we celebrate this famous Viking’s sack of Paris.
April 9 – Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, a great defender of Heathenism in Norway during the brutal period of forced conversion to Christianity.
May 9 – Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, whose tongue was cut out by the Norwegian king ‘St. Olaf’ (not to be confused with Olaf Tryggvason despite the similarity of names and methods. St. Olaf, otherwise known as ‘Olaf the Fat’ or ‘Olaf the Big-Mouthed’, was canonized for his efforts to convert Norway by fear, murder and torture).
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.
June 9 – Remembrance for Sigurd the Dragonslayer (known in German versions of the story as Siegfried).
July 9 – Remembrance for Unn the Deep-Minded, a woman who was one of the great chieftains of the Icelandic settlement.
July 29 – death-date of Olaf the Fat.
August 9 – Remembrance for King Radbod of Frisia, who, standing at the baptismal font, changed his mind and refused conversion when told that his place in the Christian Heaven would mean his separation from the souls of his ancestors.
September 9 – Remembrance for Hermann the Cheruscan, embodiment of German freedom, who kept Germany from being over run by the Romans and suffering destruction of their culture and language such as was experienced by occupied Celtic Gaul.
October 9 – Leif Eriksson Day – Remembrance for Leif Eriksson and his sister Freydis Eriksdottir, leaders of the earliest known European settlement in America.
October 28 – Remembrance for Erik the Red.
November 9 – Remembrance for Queen Sigrid of Sweden. Wooed by Olaf Tryggvason, the relationship ended sharply when she told him that she had no intention of leaving the gods of her fathers and he slapped her across the face. She was the chief arranger of the alliance that brought him down.
November 11th – Feast of the Einherjar, in which the fallen heroes in Valhalla, and in the halls of the other Gods and Goddesses are remembered.
November 27 – Feast of Ullr and Skadi, Weyland Smith’s Day celebrating the greatest of Germanic craftsmen.
December 9 – Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson, great Viking Age poet, warrior and rune magician.
OTHER BLESSINGS:In addition to the yearly feasts, there are a number of rites of passage which we celebrate as holy. They are generally family and community based rituals. These include; birth, coming of age rites at puberty, marriage, and death. All of these rites are largely based on folk tradition as much Heathenry survived in the customs in the more rural areas of the Northern Germanic world. The central rite of birth is the name-giving, whereby the child is accepted into the family line and given a soul and fate. For marriage, the central rite is the swearing of oaths before the Gods, Goddesses and folk and the hallowing of the bride with the Hammer. The chief rites of death include the wake by the dead and the drinking of the memorial ale after the funeral, as well as the cremation or burial itself. For those not born into the Troth, we also have a ritual slightly adapted from the customary name – and soul-giving of the birth-rites, by which someone wishing to declare him/herself for the Northern way may either be brought into the ring of a group or hallow her/himself alone before the gods and goddesses. Special blessings are sometimes held at need, either to ask the holy folk for help or to thank them for giving help. There are also the small daily blessings of our lives. Of these, the making of the Hammer-sign to hallow food and/or drink is the most common. Some folk bless the Sun at midday or at her four stations (dawn, midday, sunset, and midnight). The welcoming of a guest or friend into one’s house, especially at a holy feast, is marked by the ritual offering of drinks and the blessing of the host by the guest. Milk, beer, and/or porridge are often put out for the land and house spirits who looks after ones home, family and the earth.
January 9 – Remembrance for Raud the Strong (a Norwegian chieftain whom Olaf Tryggvason killed for refusing to convert. The end of a metal horn was put down Raud’s throat; a poisonous snake was then put into the horn and the other end heated to drive it along…).
February 9 – Remembrance for Eyvind kinnrifi (whom Olaf Tryggvason tortured to death when he refused to convert, by putting a metal brazier filled with burning coals on his belly).
February 14 – Folk etymology has led to this day being called ‘Feast of Vali’ in modern Asatru. Actually, St. Valentine has no demonstrable associations with Vali, nor to the thinly disguised heathen Lupercalia rites which take place on this day. Nevertheless, many Heathens make blessing to this god at this time.
March 28 – Ragnar Lodbrok’s day, when we celebrate this famous Viking’s sack of Paris.
April 9 – Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, a great defender of Heathenism in Norway during the brutal period of forced conversion to Christianity.
May 9 – Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, whose tongue was cut out by the Norwegian king ‘St. Olaf’ (not to be confused with Olaf Tryggvason despite the similarity of names and methods. St. Olaf, otherwise known as ‘Olaf the Fat’ or ‘Olaf the Big-Mouthed’, was canonized for his efforts to convert Norway by fear, murder and torture).
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.
June 9 – Remembrance for Sigurd the Dragonslayer (known in German versions of the story as Siegfried).
July 9 – Remembrance for Unn the Deep-Minded, a woman who was one of the great chieftains of the Icelandic settlement.
July 29 – death-date of Olaf the Fat.
August 9 – Remembrance for King Radbod of Frisia, who, standing at the baptismal font, changed his mind and refused conversion when told that his place in the Christian Heaven would mean his separation from the souls of his ancestors.
September 9 – Remembrance for Hermann the Cheruscan, embodiment of German freedom, who kept Germany from being over run by the Romans and suffering destruction of their culture and language such as was experienced by occupied Celtic Gaul.
October 9 – Leif Eriksson Day – Remembrance for Leif Eriksson and his sister Freydis Eriksdottir, leaders of the earliest known European settlement in America.
October 28 – Remembrance for Erik the Red.
November 9 – Remembrance for Queen Sigrid of Sweden. Wooed by Olaf Tryggvason, the relationship ended sharply when she told him that she had no intention of leaving the gods of her fathers and he slapped her across the face. She was the chief arranger of the alliance that brought him down.
November 11th – Feast of the Einherjar, in which the fallen heroes in Valhalla, and in the halls of the other Gods and Goddesses are remembered.
November 27 – Feast of Ullr and Skadi, Weyland Smith’s Day celebrating the greatest of Germanic craftsmen.
December 9 – Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson, great Viking Age poet, warrior and rune magician.
OTHER BLESSINGS:In addition to the yearly feasts, there are a number of rites of passage which we celebrate as holy. They are generally family and community based rituals. These include; birth, coming of age rites at puberty, marriage, and death. All of these rites are largely based on folk tradition as much Heathenry survived in the customs in the more rural areas of the Northern Germanic world. The central rite of birth is the name-giving, whereby the child is accepted into the family line and given a soul and fate. For marriage, the central rite is the swearing of oaths before the Gods, Goddesses and folk and the hallowing of the bride with the Hammer. The chief rites of death include the wake by the dead and the drinking of the memorial ale after the funeral, as well as the cremation or burial itself. For those not born into the Troth, we also have a ritual slightly adapted from the customary name – and soul-giving of the birth-rites, by which someone wishing to declare him/herself for the Northern way may either be brought into the ring of a group or hallow her/himself alone before the gods and goddesses. Special blessings are sometimes held at need, either to ask the holy folk for help or to thank them for giving help. There are also the small daily blessings of our lives. Of these, the making of the Hammer-sign to hallow food and/or drink is the most common. Some folk bless the Sun at midday or at her four stations (dawn, midday, sunset, and midnight). The welcoming of a guest or friend into one’s house, especially at a holy feast, is marked by the ritual offering of drinks and the blessing of the host by the guest. Milk, beer, and/or porridge are often put out for the land and house spirits who looks after ones home, family and the earth.
Thurseblot
Full Moon of January
Minor feast honoring Thor, the protector of Midgard. During this time, the height of the Storm season, Thor's power is invoked to drive back the frost Jotuns so that Spring may return to Midgard.
Valisblot
February 14th
Many modern Asatru celebrate Valisblot, or Vali's Feast, even though there is no historical precedent for associating Odin's youngest son with this festival; other than the name Vali associated with "Valentine." The hero Svenfjotli, son of Sigimund, was reputed to have been born at this time, and often blots are drunk to him as well.
Thrimilci
May 1st
May 1 is the festival of Thrimilci; the beginning of Summer. Thrimilci is a festival of joy and fertility, much like Ostara; however, most of the Northern World is finally escaping from the snow at this time.
Einherjar
May 30th
Minor modern Asatru festival honoring the warriors who fell during battle and who ascended to Valhalla's halls. Corresponds with the modern American holiday of Memorial Day. Alternate sources say November 11th which coincides with the American Veterans day. Both are to honour the fallen warriors who now drink in the halls of Valhalla.
Sigurdsblot
June 9th
Minor festival honoring Sigurd (Sigifrith or Siegfreid), the great hero who slayed the dragon Fafnir and won back the treasure of the Rhine.