Yule reports are still being added to the page linked below as I start this new page.
Added 23 December FERAL HOUSE PRESS TO PUBLISH LORDS OF CHAOS
In January 1998 Feral House Press will be publishing a book entitled Lords of Chaos by American writer Michael Moynihan and Norwegian journalist Didrik Soderlind, on the subject of the now infamous Scandinavian churchburners. The book features a history of the Scandinavian black metal music genre, interviews with participants such as Varg Vikernes of Burzum, as well as theologians, sociologists, occultists and psychologists. The book is extensively illustrated, and explores a vast range of subject matter in its pages, with chapters touching upon the revival of Norse religion worldwide, Jungian theories of atavism and the Wotan archetype, among other areas of investigation. Even for those who find the behavior of the churchburners reprehensible, the book is a fascinating and disturbing piece of investigative and esoteric research. The cover price is $14.95 and the ISBN number is 0-922915-47-4. For more information, write to Feral House Press, 2532 Lincoln Blvd. #359, Venice, CA 90291 and request a catalog, or e-mail a catalog request to: [email protected] .
Added 23 December HEATHEN MUSIC INVADES SWEDEN
On November 15th, 1997 the heathen music group Blood Axis (two of the members of which also hail from the Tribe of the Wulfings kindred of the Asatru Alliance) played a special concert in Linkoping, Sweden. The show was arranged by a Scandinavian avant-garde record label, CMI, who brought Blood Axis all the way over from America in order to perform for the special event. After two days of adjusting to the new time zone and getting our bearings, the day of the show arrived. The concert was part of a 10 year anniversary celebration for the label, and earlier in the evening about 50 of their close friends (and some of ours) were invited to a special private banquet in the venue. People traveled from as far away as Norway, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Latvia to attend the show, and when the doors were finally opened to the public the small nightclub was quickly packed with an enthusiastic audience.
After a fine opening band from Sweden, Ordo Equilibrio, performed, Blood Axis took the stage. All the lights were turned off and the musicians were illuminated solely by three blazing torches. The concert began with a six minute invocatory mantra to Othin, accompanied by a simplified blot with home brewed mead (or mjod, as it's known in that part of the world) and the smoke of smoldering Alraune root. Other songs performed included Lord of Ages, based on Rudyard Kipling's stirring poem to the Indo-European sun god Mithras, a special cover version of Fire+Ice's Odinic hymn Seeker, and the traditional Irish instrumental March of Brian Boru. All the music was received with enthusiasm from the audience, which at times escalated to a fever pitch. One of the most dramatic reactions came at the point when a wooden Hammer was raised aloft for the song dedicated to Thor, Reign I Forever, as the crowd let out a roar of what seemed to be almost instinctual exaltation.
After the conclusion of the concert many hours were spent meeting and talking with members of the audience, sharing mead and ale, and discussing our ties to Europe and its culture. Many of those who attended were other musicians from all across Scandinavia. Many of them, such as the people from bands like Hagalaz Runedance and Ordo Equilibrio, share a strong interest in the heathen ways of their ancestors and are doing what they can to play a part in the revival of the faith, both with their songs and actions. Others, such as Arcana and The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud, play music that is completely centered on ancient European themes. Overall the caliber of people we met in Sweden was truly exceptional.
After the show was finished, we finally could relax and spend time taking in some of the magic of the country. Besides visiting famous sites like that of the Rok runestone, we spent an amazing day seeing the ancient burial mounds of Uppsala. For this we were grateful to have two professors from that city's renowned university as our guides. One is a professor of religious studies who is also a very high profile Asatruar in Sweden, and his colleague was an enthusiastic academic scholar of old Norse religion. Later that afternoon we were also introduced to other long-time activists in the Swedish Asatru revival.
In Stockholm we met old friends and made new ones, combed the bookstores for rare treasures, and visited the National Museum and other sites. Carl Abrahamsson, who republished the brilliant Cult of Othin book some years ago, and who also edits the Fenris Wolf journal, was a stellar host. We were fortunate enough to see our old friends from the Swedish Asatru group Unleashed as well, along with a whirlwind of other wonderful folks. The trip to Sweden was a complete success, and arrangements are being made now for a live recording of our concert to appear in the Spring on CD. Our only regret was that after a week we had to turn around and leave, just as we were starting to feel at home! Needless to say, we hope to return soon to the "land of ice"...
Michael and Annabel (A wide selection of music, including Blood Axis' The Gospel of Inhumanity, is available from Storm Records, P.O. Box 3527, Portland, OR 97208 USA--Hnikar).
Added 23 December GRAMSON AOR INTERVIEWED BY NEW YORK TIMES
Gramson AOR, East Coast Area Reeve of the Odinic Rite Vinland, was interviewed recently by the New York Times. The interview lasted 45 minutes and he also shared with them the text of the OR's Mother Night ritual from the Book of Blotar. Unfortunately, when the resultant article, entitled Solstice, Hannukah and Kwanzaa, was published, there was little about the faith included. Mention was made of the Spiritualist church where Gramson often gives presentations on Odinic thought and practice.
Hnikar
Added 24 December VICTORY FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN GERMANY
A German heathen named Freki has had to endure several years of legal battles because he publicly displayed a bumpersticker that read "The Nation of Odin", flanked by a sunwheel and an Odal rune.
The prosecution claimed that since the Odal rune was an emblem of the Bund Nationaler Studenten in the Fifties and said organization was outlawed in 1961 (before Freki was born!), this makes the rune an illegal emblem as well. In fact, the Odal rune was never pictured or mentioned in any BNS publications. It was only the recommended emblem of another student organization (KNJ) which was never mentioned in the trial. Recent examples of the rune being used by nationalist groups such as the also illegal Wiking Jugend were not brought up either.
His acquittal on the 23rd of March, 1995, was quickly declared invalid because of supposed "procedural errors".
At the retrial on the 28th of June, 1996, the tables quickly turned, various evidence was not admitted and Freki was convicted. The prosecution offered Freki a deal. A judgement against him would be legally binding without being on the books or involving a fine- meaning that Freki would have no criminal record. However, he would have to bear the costs of the trial. Realizing that the judgement would set an important precedent that would allow further harrassment of "rune users", Freki declined. His fine was to be DM 1500 and the legal expenses were about DM 20,000 at this point. Freki decided to appeal.
The appeal was heard on October 7, 1997, and was successful. It remains incredible that this travesty of justice was even possible considering that the Odal rune is a rank insignia of the German Army.
Markus (Info from several issues of Hugin and Munin)
Added 26 December NEW WEBSITE FOR WORLD TREE
World Tree Publications, the non-profit outreach ministry of the Asatru Alliance, has a new website. World Tree offers books and booklets about the faith, everything from the Eddas and sagas to modern works on the faith. Videotapes focusing on the Alliance's Althings and an interview with Sveinbjorn, among other things, are offered as are cassette tapes with a variety of themes. T-shirts, mead horns, rune sets, the justly famous Alliance calendar, and the largest selection of Thorr's Hammers in Midgard (each pictured and its history noted), and all money spent goes to promote the faith. World Tree is a central part of the Asatru revival.
Added 27 December EXCAVATION HALTED IN THE ALTAI
Officials in the Gorny Altai region, where the borders of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhistan meet, have prevented further excavation on the Ukok plateau of the burial mounds of the vanished Pazyryk people. The Pazyryks, who flourished there from 600-300 BCE, quite possibly offer clues on the confluence of various peoples in Asia, as they were at least for part of their existence an ethnically mixed group of Europoid and Mongoloid ancestry. While the Pazyryk culture was far too recent to offer clues about the Caucasoid peopling of North America by the people represented by Kennewick Man, Spirit Cave Man, and other remains, it is possible that clues will be found on the common origin of these two peoples, and we may learn more of the eastward migrations of our Folk which they represent.
It will be interesting also to learn of the connection between these remains and the clearly Europoid remains recovered in China's Xinjiang province, often refered to as the Tarim Basin mummies. These mummies, dating from 2,000 BCE to 300 BCE, numbering well over 100, were described by Discover magazine as having "obvious Caucasian, or European, features- blond hair, long noses, deep-set eyes and long skulls". Chinese texts from the 2nd century BCE refer to peoples known as the Yuezhi and the Wusun.
Also a question is the relationship of these remains to the Tocharian people. The language, preserved in texts of the early part of this millenium in Central Asia, was Indo-European. Inscriptions of that culture depict warriors with red beards and European faces.
In 1993 a female mummy was discovered by Natalya Polosmak. The burial mounds- of which hundreds in that region are those of the Pazyryks- have acted over the years as freezers, preserving the remains within. The female, called "The Princess" because of the wealth of her burial, was less than 30 years old when she died, and tattoos of beasts, described as partly griffin, goat and deer, are still visible along the length of one arm. She wore an elaborate headdress and had gold-leaf ornaments of snow leopards and griffins. Buried with her were six sacrificed horses and, according to one source, "a small ceremonial container of cannabis" (many sources refer to the ceremonial use of cannabis by "Scythian" peoples).
In 1995, Polosmak's husband, Vyacheslav Molodin, head of the archaeology institute of Novosibirsk, recovered a male mummy from the site as well. Both mummies are now in Novosibirsk. Among the stated scientific goals is to determine their genetic origin. Tanya Balueva, who has reconstructed the face of the Princess, said, "She's a clear-cut representative of the Europoid race with no typically Mongoloid features", but her conclusions are disputed, particularly by the Mongoloid inhabitants of the modern Altai.
Authorities in the Altai have responded by forbidding further excavation. Rimma Erkinova of Gorny Altai's museum, was quoted by ABC news as saying, "Our ancestors are buried in these mounds. There are sacred items there. The Altai people never disturb the repose of their ancestors". The return of the mummies has been demanded.
There is a familiar ring to this tale.
Hnikar Link: Transcript of the BBC's The Ice Princess (which gives an idea of the ethnic quarreling and which states that the substance thought to be cannabis was in fact coriander).
Link: Depictions of the Pazyryk tattoos
Link: Images #7 and #8 are of Pazyryk artwork
Added 28 December RUNE BAN PROPOSED IN SWEDEN
Sketchy reports from Sweden indicate that some are proposing a rune ban there along the lines of the laws in force already in Germany. Proposition DS 1996:33, I am informed, has been put forth by the Department of Justice. This proposition would ban "racist symbols", including the wolf's hook , the sunwheel, and the runes elhaz, sowilo, and othala, in addition to the swastika. This law has not yet been amended to Chapter 16 of the Swedish Penal Code, but has been sent back for reworking. If enacted, violaters could face stiff fines and up to six months imprisonment.
Chapter 16, entitled Crimes Against Public Order, prohibits agitation against an ethnic group. In a recent case before the Swedish Supreme Court, its use was upheld in the conviction of a nationalist from Vimmerby in Smaland for wearing "racist symbols". The court document apparently does not specify which symbols are to be considered such, raising concerns of arbitrary enforcement of Chapter 16. One source has reported that the convicted nationalist was wearing the othala rune, the double sowilo rune used by the SS, Mjollnir and a pentagram.
Certainly the application of the law to date has been arbitrary. While the vast majority of nationalists adhere to the Christian faith and utilize Christian symbology, there has been no talk of banning the display of the cross as a racist symbol. And yet, because Vit Arisk Motstand uses the ancient wolf's hook, it is on the hit list. This clearly indicates the application of the law arbitrarily against the symbols of our faith.
Sweden has a very long history of religious tolerance, so there is hope that opposition to the enactment of bans against our holy symbols will be successful. Within the Swedish Penal Code itself, this spirit is attested by Chapter 5, which criminalizes insulting conduct where the insult alludes to, among other things, religious creed. We Asatruar must raise our objection to any law which would forbid the free practice of our faith and the display of our holy symbols.
Hnikar
Added 29 December HASTINGS AMENDMENT TO NAGPRA STILL IN COMMITTEE
As 1997 nears its end (and what a year it has been- the AFA's Kennewick Man ceremony and international news coverage, the Althing sponsored by the Asatru Alliance and the birth of the International Asatru/Odinic Alliance, and the formation of the Vinland branch of the Odinic Rite), just a quick update on the status of the amendment proposed to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Essentially, this is a no-news news update, as the bill remains in committee.
Proposed by Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington on 7 November, it was referred to the House Committee on Resources. On the 13th of November, the Committee requested executive comment from the Department of the Interior. On 26 November, Committee chairman, Rep. Don Young of Alaska, notified Committee members that there would be no further scheduled business for 1997.
The stated purpose of the amendment is "to provide for appropriate study and repatriation of remains for which a cultural affiliation is not readily ascertainable". In essence it is rectifying the NAGPRA's reliance on location to determine affiliation, and establishing such affiliation on the basis of cultural data and scientific inquiry.
Efforts have been made by various Native American organizations to claim remains from tribal lands which they have occupied in some cases for only a few hundred years, even when the remains claimed are clearly not of the same ethnic origin and predate the tribal occupation of that region by thousands of years. These claims, combined with an adherence to fundamentalist doctrines, have been used to stifle scientific inquiry.
The best known case, of course, is the Kennewick Man, which was found in Hastings' district, but NAGPRA and similar legislation has been used to conceal the past in other cases, as with the Buhl remains, another non-Mongoloid claimed and buried by Native Americans. The Asatru Folk Assembly, as adherents also of an ancestral religion, have sought to counter the claims of the Indians in the Kennewick Man case. The Indian claims are based on a combination of ancestry and religion, the question of ancestry based exclusively on the location of tribal lands and a religious doctrine which states they have always been on this continent. The Asatru claim is also based on ancestry and religion, but with much firmer ground to stand on. What scientific inquiry has taken place to date indicates that Kennewick Man is of Caucasoid ancestry, not of Mongoloid ancestry as are the Indians, and the scientific record clearly demonstrates that the Indians arrived from Asia in refutation of their fundamentalist claims. The AFA has urged scientific study to determine which claim is valid, while the Indians have for the most part sought to prevent such study of the remains.
Predictably, the amendment has met opposition. John Dossett, general counsel of the National Congress of American Indians, was quoted as saying, "It places scientific study in a place of greater importance than the protection of the graves of Indian ancestors", a statement contradicted by the text of the proposed legislation (see the link below). The question appears to be not so much whether Indian ancestors are granted respect, which the bill ensures, but whether the Indians can lay claim to remains which are either of unknown affiliation or, as in the case of Kennewick Man, are demonstrably of a different folk than the Indians. Whether by making such claims, an inquiry into the prehistory of the Americas can be suppressed. I am one who thinks we should never hide from the truth, nor keep the truth hidden.
Hnikar Tri-City Herald report on the Hastings amendment
Added 29 December OPENING DOORS TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
One immensely successful local project of the Asatru Folk Assembly has been the Asatru Community Church. That's right- public church services, held on a bi-weekly basis in the community room at the Nevada County (California) Library!
Our goals are to expose more people to Asatru, and to establish ourselves as a respectable, accepted voice in this county and in northern California in general. To do this, we have deliberately tailored our services to be within the "comfort zone" of more or less ordinary people. Services consist of a talk (much like a sermon!), followed by a blot which has been extended with quite a lot of other material. A reading from the Eddas is included, and I tell one of the myths, which I relate to a specific moral point. There's even a church bulletin!
The results have been outstandng! The Grass Valley Union wrote a great article on our first service- certainly positive and complimentary. Another one appeared this week, on our Yule celebration. We're listed on the weekly church page, too, along with all the mainstream religious groups. So far, there has been no negative publicity whatsoever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Asatru Community Church, a project of the Asatru Folk Assembly, held its third public service on Sunday, December 28. A Frey-blot made up the central portion of the ceremony. About twenty-three people attended, most of them were local people who had never before been to an Asatru ceremony.
Some of the newcomers had been drawn to the rite by an article in the local newspaper describing how the ACC intended to celebrate the Yule season.
After the ritual, the crowd adjourned to a private residence for a potluck meal, discussion, and a recounting of some of our mythological lore.
Services of the Asatru Community Church will continue to be held on a biweekly schedule.
Steve McNallen
� 1997 [email protected]
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