Tales from the Ironwood

Sometimes articles appear fully formed in my mind before I commit them to the page. At other times they develop chaotically through a strange creative dance of research and revelation. This one, appropriately, developed through the latter method. Nietzsche wrote in Also Sprach Zarathustra that "one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." This star appeared in the heavens during Yule 2020. ********* Even within Ásatrú circles, some of the least understood of mythic beings are the giants. While their role in Norse cosmogony, eschatology, and even magick is essential, most Ásatrúars take an overly simplistic and perhaps naïve approach to these figures. In fact, most kindreds and tribes that I know mandate that no giants be toasted—no horn may be raised during the ceremony of sumbel to these awesome beings. The basic line of reasoning is that giants are opposed to the Æsir gods, that they play a destructive role in the events of Ragnarök ...

I began work on this article on 28 June 2020. It has taken nearly four months to complete. During that time my views on the matters that served as the original catalyst for this article evolved. Initially I embraced an exclusive approach thereby seeking to eliminate texts that might be contaminated by non-Heathen poets. Perhaps the runes themselves suggested a better alternative. By the time I completed this article, I embraced an inclusive approach whereby not only are the ancient works utilized for their wisdom but inner work too is leveraged for increased clarity while seeking answers to these great mysteries. ********* While most academics embrace a profane explanation of the runes, many in the Heathen community believe that the runes possess a special power and may be used in magical ways. Such magical uses include divination and influencing or making actual change in the subjective and even objective universe. Runes may be called on for victory, for health and healing, or for a...

I wrote the following article between 12 and 18 July 2020. My thoughts had turned to my grandmother who would have turned 102 on the 13th. I never knew her but I've seen her face in the night sky among the stars while raising a horn to the disir. ********* Aut vincere aut mori is a well-known Latin phrase that has gained such popularity that it may be said to have attained the status of cliché. For me, this motto that brazenly announces "Victory or Death" is more significant than it is for most. It is emblazoned on the family crest of my mother's family –the McCabes. Through the years, I have researched my ancestral lines and spent many hours and dollars on genealogy websites. I submitted not one, but two DNA tests, as have a reported 26 million other people –a number predicted to rise to 100 million in the next two years.[1] The popular genealogy site Ancestry.com even partners with NBC Entertainment to produce a long-running television series, Who Do You Think You ...

The following article was written between 30 May and 13 June 2020. It is a reminder that actions have consequences and that as Ásatrúars we believe in free will despite the eternal weaving of the Norns. ********* The news of the past few days –of rioting and looting across our country –in the aftermath of watching the killing of George Floyd on national TV has been particularly emotional for me. For some the nationwide protests turned riots may seem unique or yet another indication that 2020 seems to be a year that is particularly damned. But I have known of such turmoil for as long as I can recall. I have become quite cynical that anything will change anytime soon. There was the Newark riots of 1967 and other similar race riots throughout the ‘60s. In 1970 Asbury Park suffered from riots that left that New Jersey shore town in misery for the next thirty plus years.   While there were many riots in the years that followed –Los Angeles in 1992 when Rodney King was beaten by the LAPD...

This largely autobiographical piece was written on Memorial Day 2020 with minor edits performed on 28 May 2022 and 24 May 2024. As a preface to this article, it is useful to consider the etymology of the word memorial . Memorative was the Middle English word for "having to do with memory." It was derived from the Old French word memoratif which in turn came from the Latin memorativis . All suggest "of, or belonging to, memory." The Proto-Indo-European (PIE) term is *(s)mer- "to remember." ********* As I sit here on Memorial Day 2020, I’ve just read a report in The Sun that less than half of the American population knows the true meaning of Memorial Day. It is not really surprising, but it is certainly a sad statistic. While I never considered my family to be a military family, I was raised with a respect for those who served in the Armed Forces—even if the wars they fought were the result of some politician’s failures or foibles. Memorial Day always ...

This is an edited version of an article that I originally wrote in May of 2019. My thoughts on the  fractures within Ásatrú coalesced following a viewing of the Penny Lane documentary, Hail Satan? This 2019 film reminded me of the importance of  educating people about our religion, reducing irrational fears, addressing  defamation, and protecting the civil rights of Heathens. ********* Ásatrú has a public relations problem. Most people aren’t even aware that anyone practices the pre-Christian religion of Northern Europe. Those who have heard the news are likely to have a negative view since the vast majority of stories mentioning the subject do so in a pejorative way. Perhaps we Heathens should be used to it by now. The early Church persuaded many Europeans to adopt the new faith by recasting our gods as devils. Indeed polytheists have long been a persecuted minority –at least since the days of the witch trials and the obligatory burnings that followed. While such me...