The Northeast Thing is an annual event organized by individuals from regional Heathen communities and kindreds that offers the wider Northeast Heathen Community (and beyond) a safe, inclusive space to practice the religious traditions of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, centered around the deities collectively known in English as the Aesir and the Vanir. It grew out of the East Coast Thing in 2021, which had been a regional community building event since 1999. The Northeast Thing continues those traditions.
The Northeast Thing is a volunteer run event, supported by members from within the community and representing a variety of kindreds and other groups. The event takes place in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of PA and takes place from Wednesday until Sunday in late August. The event features workshops, rituals, and other events celebrating aspects of Heathen religion, including:
- Sacred space dedicated to our gods and goddesses, known within the event as the Vé Stead.
- Workshops and classes on music, art, history, literature, and Heathen religion and practice presented by members of the community.
- A variety of children’s activities, including crafting and games.
- Vendors with a variety of Heathen-themed crafts, jewelry, and art.
- Community-sponsored auction, the proceeds of which cover the entry fees and programming for children attending the event each year.
- Contests and competitions featuring fun prizes for winners.
Our beliefs and stances:
We call ourselves Norse Heathens as our religious touchstones date back to the polytheists from the Bronze Age through the Viking Age throughout Europe – the historic places of the Celtic and Germanic peoples of Europe, the Nordic countries, and the British Isles. We seek to take those religious inspirations, mindsets, and ethics from those peoples and bring them into the relevance of the modern day.
As Heathens, we celebrate the deities, traditions, myths, and symbols of the traditional Scandinavian and Northern European gods and related beneficial beings. Heathenism is non-dogmatic and decentralized, so groups and individuals relate to these traditions as they see fit. The Northeast Thing has developed its own set of community traditions over the years that are central to the operation of the event and we look forward to sharing that experience with attendees, both new and returning.
We believe Heathenism as a religious identity is open to all people. We ask that all attendees abide by frith to ensure the Northeast Thing is welcoming to people of all ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities, and continues to be a safe, hospitable place of joy and fellowship. We do not permit racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia. We reserve the right to reject registrations or attendees based on our own discretion to maintain this frith.