Darraðarljóð in Context and Song – Annie Cúglas
Thursday, 8/21/2025, 9:30 am
The end of Njáls saga covers the Battle of Clontarf, which was fought in Dublin in 1014CE. This account tells supernatural portents of the battle, including Darraðarljóð (Dörruð’s Song), a vision by a man in Scotland of valkyries weaving a bloody loom of human entrails and heads. This eleven-stanza poem provides a fascinating window on Norse and Gaelic relations and the subversion of gender. Annie Cúglas will explain the historical context of Darraðarljóð, and then share their work so far on bringing the Old Norse poem to life in modern song.
Reconstructing Ēostre – Dan Bullard
Thursday, 8/21/2025, 11:00 am
Direct knowledge of the ancient worship of a goddess named Ēostre is limited to one short quote in a history book. Using techniques from linguistics and comparative mythology, we will reconstruct a vision of the goddess; her aspects, relations, and rituals. Who is she? What is she like? How should she be worshiped? Ultimately, how does she fit into the cadre of modern Germanic deities?
Telling Your Heathen Story – Kyle Aaron Reese
Thursday, 8/21/2025, 1:30 pm
We all have a story, often profound, about how we came to be heathens. This could be a story that spoke to us during a vulnerable time, or the interactions between heathens that made you feel welcome. Share as much or as little as you want – this will be an interactive format. Come armed with your favorite story from the lore!
Touching Grass and Hugging Trees: A Discussion on Essential Grounding Techniques – Phish Jeffrey S KnightMoore & Shawn King
Thursday, 8/21/2025, 3:00 pm
Northeast Thing can be an intense spiritual experience. Whether you are engaged in the opening, main or closing rituals, an activity at the vé stead, a powerful topic that resonates with you at a workshop or just moved by meaningful conversations with friends and new acquaintances, energy is sure to ebb and flow and you may find yourself experiencing a variety of new (or perhaps familiar) sensations. It is important for all of us to keep not only our physical and mental faculties in check but our spiritual ones as well. This discussion is meant to be an open form to discuss grounding techniques, those subtle but critical practices from deep breathing to walking barefoot in the grass that can help us refocus on the here and now and remind our spirit where home is. We will even try a few things so you can get in some practice.
Wyrd and Welcome: Creating Belonging in Heathen Spaces – Ray Acevedo
Friday, 8/22/2025, 9:30 am
In a tradition that honors ancestry, tribe, and the threads of fate, what happens when you feel like you don’t belong? This workshop explores the complexities of identity, inclusion, and self-acceptance in modern Heathen practice. Together, we’ll reflect on the concept of wyrd, the power of chosen kin, and how to build meaningful connection – whether you were raised at the hearth or arrived at the threshold later in life.
“How Ríg’d is the System?”: What Modern Heathens can Learn from the Rígsþula – Ristandi
Friday, 8/22/2025, 11:00 am
The Eddic poem Rígsþula, preserved (it would seem partially) in the latter pages of the Codex Wormianus, a 14th century Icelandic manuscript which is the only one to include this particular poem, though its contents are alluded to in other Eddic stanzas. The Rígsþula is one of our most beloved sacred texts, but also one of the most problematic, as it seems to established a divinely ordered “caste system” dividing Thralls, Carls, and Nobles. What are modern Heathens, particularly American Heathens, to do with a text that suggests that the poor are born to be poor? And that the noble and the wealthy are born to be just that? This workshop explores the Rígsþula – warts and all- and examines the way in which its interpretations might be used to justify social stratification in ways we might find distasteful. It also offers alternative esoteric interpretations that might suggest different ways this poem might be read that allow for both critical understandings of systems of power and privilege, the relationship between the secular and the sacred, and also provide a lens through which we can reconcile latter-day understandings of identity with those held by our sacred ancestors.
Order and Chaos: In Cosmology, Mythology, and Theology….Oh My! – Mike Smith
Friday, 8/22/2025, 1:30 pm
In this workshop presentation, Mike Smith will guide us to explore an overview of the concepts of Order and Chaos within the context of Cosmological, Theological, & Mythological thought. Although emphasis will be on Northern European and Old Norse Religion, examples from related comparative religious studies and scholarly/academic reconstructive theories will be utilized for understanding. Questions and discussion will follow as time allows.
Modular Asatru Ritual Design aka Build-A-Blot Workshop – David Carron
Friday, 8/22/2025, 3:00 pm
RKN has been doing rituals for years, which is awesome. But we have been doing the same rituals for many years, which is much less awesome. So, we as a group, came up with some ideas. The idea was to tear everything to brass tacks and basics in order to build a better whole. This class will outline my thoughts on ritual design, what we did previously and what and how we decided to come up with.
A Galdr of One’s Own – Using the Grógaldr to Get What you Need in Midgarð – Ristandi
Saturday, 8/23/2025, 9:30 am
“In the Eddic poem Grógaldr -first section of the longer Lay of Svipdagr- we witness a Mother, raised from her burial mound, reciting a list of needful spells for her son who is about to embark upon the bride-quest. This Eddic poem, together with parts of the Hávamál and Sigdrifumál, constitute a coherent Germanic tradition of “ formal recitations of magical skills” with analogs as well throughout the wider corpus of Indo-European poetry and mythology. Whether those skills are being taught by otherworldly female companions (as in Grógaldr and Sigdrifumál) or whether they’re the fruits of Runic Self-Initiation as in the Hávamál, their similarities suggest a common aesthetic – i.e. our ancestors liked to hear such things recited. Moreover, I’d like to consider the possibility that these lists are more than catalogs of spells. Rather, the lists themselves function as spells – as Galdr. They are powerful poetic stanzas that can, in their recitation, have both psychologically transformative (subjective) and sorcerous (objective) effects. In this workshop we’ll explore ways to use these traditional examples as templates to craft a “galdr of one’s own” – an individualized poem of power designed to shatter inner and outer obstacles and give victory in the accomplishment of some important “real world” task.”
Reciprocity, Gifts, & the Gods – Mike Smith
Saturday, 8/23/2025, 11:00 am
Worship, gifting, and reciprocity are all parts of the give and take between the holy powers and humankind throughout the millenia. And do I really need to offer Thor oats and herring to get his good favor? Find out as we explore through myth, legend, and comparative religion.
Demystifying Meadmaking – Kyle Aaron Reese
Saturday, 8/23/2025, 1:30 pm
Participants will learn the basics of meadmaking including safety and sterilization, materials, and ingredients. We’ll talk about flavors, balance, dry vs sweet, as well as ingredient sourcing. The group will create our batches simultaneously. Those with their own batches must be able to transport their mead home to ferment throughout the year. A supply list will be provided well in advance.
Presenter bios are available here.