Today we live in a world far removed from our ancestors, a world where we find ourselves spending less and less time enjoying the company of our fellow heathens. As Heathenry is a communal faith it is just as important for us to come together now as it was for our Ancestors. The internet cannot replace the feeling of shaking a friends hand or seeing their smiles, as we share our time together, it is in this coming together that the communal bonds are formed that will see us flourish as a community, Healthy and Strong.

 

It is from this ideal that the Hammer Troth Fellowship was formed. The Hammer Troth Fellowship welcomes All forms of Heathenry, but for the sake of the communities Frith, the Fellowship cannot be All inclusive.

 

Our primary goal is to provide a place for Heathens in the Greater Boston area to come together for observances, fellowship, and to learn more about our Folkway, from the Lore and from each other. We feel that Heathenry is the natural spiritual heritage of those of Northern European descent; even so, we acknowledge that occasionally, the Gods call who they will to join our Folk, and we do not gainsay our Elder Kin their choice. For that reason, we are apolitical. The Fellowship is open to anyone who shares the desire to build a strong and heathy Heathen community that is focused on our Families, our Gods, our Ancestors, regardless of gender, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, language, sexual orientation, or other divisive criteria.  

 

If you are interested in meeting the Fellowship please contact us so we can arrange a meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Upcoming Observances

 

  Asatru:

 

March 21-23rd
Ostara - Spring Equinox

Named for the early Goddess of Spring, Ostara the white-clad maiden, this festival marks the end of Winter and the beginning of the season of rebirth. Today many honor Frigga, Freya and Nerthus. Libations of mead are poured onto the Earth. Personally, I like to think of Idis-thing as the birth of a new green earth and Ostara as her coming of age. Conveniently enough for me, i can then see May Day as her wedding day.

March 28th
Day of Remembrance for Ragnar Lodbrok
... one of the legends' most famous Vikings. On this day in RunicYear 1145, he raided Paris. It just happened to be Easter Sunday. Today Asatruar toast Ragnar, and read from his Saga.

April 9th
Day of Remembrance for Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson of Norway
As ruler of the western part of the realm, Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, restored the worship of the Old Gods. In the process, the common folk regained political liberties which were erased under Christian rule. It may be that Hakon's defense of our ancestral ways helped encourage the survival of our traditions in Iceland, where they eventually became the seeds of modern-day Asatru. On this day, Asatruar reflect an how the actions of the individual can impact world events and Orlog.

April Full Moon (or 19th)
Sigrblot/Sumarsdag (Summer's Day)
Today many celebrate the first day of Summer in the old Icelandic calendar. In Iceland it had strong agricultural overtones, but elsewhere throughout the Nordic world, mid-April was a time to sacrifice to Odin for victory, called the Sigrblot . The ships were leaving port to seek trade, new lands, and plunder (whether this is honorable or not is a matter of opinion). It is a time to consider new projects and life choices. Remember that your life is an adventure - it is what you make of it. Where do you wish to sail and how will you win victory?

April 25th
Yggdrasil Day
A modern holiday that coincides with Arbor Day in the USA - the last Friday in April. On this day we realize the great significance that the World Tree plays in our culture, heritage and native spirituality. It is from the World Tree that we came. It shelters and nutures all of us and will offer refuge come Ragnarok. Trees are the lungs as well as the soul of Midard. Plant a tree today, nuture it, and protect it.

April 30th (May Eve)
Walpurgisnacht

Walburg was an iconic wise woman and Seid worker (a witch, in the vernacular) who was later transmogrified somehow by the Christians into a saint. Nevertheless, even after this happened people remembered that this night was a holy night for wise women. Thus, Christians were taught to fear it, and them. In Heathenry, this night is one of mystical power as it comes on the eve of May Day, the greatest of the fertility holidays. It was (and still is) used as an occasion for future-casting and other mystical rites. Many choose to reflect on Freya's sinister side, on Hel, and on Frigga; those Goddesses who harbor the dead. It is rather the inverse of the bright fertility and exuberence to come on the morrow and a reminder that life is a cycle.

  

 

Irminenschaft:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thor's Hammer

 

 TThe Hammer is primarily a symbol and an instrument of hallowing or "making sacred." Thor is one of the most loved and honoured of the ancient Germanic Gods, due to his controll over the seasons. The hammer of Thor mighty hammer, Mjolnir ("the crusher") is one of the God's most precious treasures, and represents life bringing fertility and is the weapon with which Thor defends the Gods, Goddesses, mankind and their allies from the bringers of chaos and destruction, the Giants. The hammer of Thor has come to represent the whole of the Asatru religion and some modern Heathen groups use blessed Hammers to hallow ritual space in all directions before rites.

 

Historically the Hammer has been used in the hallowing of hearth and home, the Hammer has also been used at weddings where the Hammer was placed in the lap of the bride to bless her with fertility.