What is the Vé Stead?
Simply put, “Ve” roughly means “holy,” and “stead” refers to land. The Vé Stead, then, is a place sectioned out of the rest of the Northeast Thing site and used as a place for those who wish to individually connect with a number of beings from Norse cosmology. Most of these are gods and goddesses, the Aesir and the Vanir, but we also include entities like Sunna, Mani, and sometimes the ancestors.
Etiquette for the vé stead is common sense for a holy area. Talking and meeting are fine, but aside from ritual fires the stead should be approached as it is – a holy place set aside for community use. Please avoid leaving trash behind, and be aware of the people around you, who may want quiet contemplation or prayer. Please do not smoke in the vé stead.
As it stands now, at the Northeast Thing’s main ritual, offerings are presented to most of the entities in the vé stead. People are welcome to bring offerings for whichever begins they want to honor. Dry offerings are burned – so please use non-toxic offerings. Liquid offerings are also made; this can be any liquid. In terms of types of offerings, things that have been offered in the past include seeds, flowers, paintings (non toxic paint, please), stag heads, etc. Please do not offer food; while this is an acceptable offering in general terms, we do not wish the various animals, birds, and others local to the land to get sick consuming them. Please give some thought to your offerings; some people match the offerings they bring to specific deities (ie linen/woven goods for Frigga, amber for Freyja, etc.), but this is not necessary. Offerings themselves are neither necessary nor required, so please do not feel pressured.
What is a Ve?
A “ve,” in the sense used here, is a portable, traveling altar specific to a single entity/entities. Each ve goes through an approval process, and each has a keeper or team of keepers. Each ve is unique; there are only a few requirements for vé, and most are decorated by their keepers. This provides a cohesive but also individual look to each ve. Vé are considered sacred, and should be treated accordingly.
What are the Ve requirements?
Each ve must contain an icon/idol/statue relevant to the entity it belongs to. All vé must have a burnable basket for solid offerings, and a container (preferably with a lid to keep out insects) for liquid offerings. From there, each ve is individual. We recommend some type of covering/pop-up if your ve needs to be protected from bad weather. In general, each ve has a 10×10 space to use as desired.
Many, but not all, ve keepers present a ritual to their deity during the Thing. This is not required. Additionally, most vé participate in the Main Ritual, and as Keeper you will be expected to present your idol, and its offerings, during the ritual.
What entities are/are not allowed in the Vé Stead?
Each ve undergoes an approval process that involves the entire Vé Committee, which is made up of the Ve Keepers and a Vé Stead Chair. Vé vary from year to year, and are not always present from one year to the next. Typically, the Vé Stead is for the Aesir, Vanir, and assorted relevant entities. Each ve request will be treated individually, and while there is no single, set standard for who can/cannot be allowed, discussion will include the relevance of the entity to the current heathen cosmology as understood by the broader Northeast Heathen Community. This does mean that not all ve requests will be approved, but reason will be provided.
What is the Vé approval process?
The vé approval process has a couple of steps.
- The person wishing to host a ve contacts the Vé Stead Chair. The Chair may ask clarifying questions, but does not make the final decision.
- Within one week of the request being answered by the Chair, the Chair will present the request to the Vé Stead Committee, along with any information gathered from the questions they ask.
- The Vé Stead Committee, as a whole, will discuss the merits and weaknesses of the request. Clarifying questions may be asked – these will be sent to the querent from the Chair, and will be relayed back to the Committee.
- After one-two weeks (depending on the depth of the discussion), the Chair will propose a vote to approve/deny the request.
- One week from the vote opening, it will close. Approval/denial will be decided by majority vote.
- Once the vote is decided, the Chair will inform the querent of the results. If denied, a description of the decision will be provided.
- Once approved, the querent will become a member of the Vé Stead Committee.
Final Notes
While any person can apply to host a ve at any time, it is highly recommended that people come to the Thing for a year or two before asking. The reason for this is so that the newcomer can get to know the community and the Vé Stead and how it runs on a practical level before committing to a ve. Vé require focus and work, so please remember that the daily maintenance of your ve, and your participation in the Main Ritual are required. People wishing to help with the vé to get a sense of how things are done are welcome – please contact the Vé Committee Chair, or reach out to individual ve keepers at the Thing. Setting up/breaking down vé can also be a lot of work, so feel free to come to the Stead on the first or last day to lend a hand!