Thurdvangr Kindred General Information

“Thurd” means strength, “Vangr” means fields. Founded in 2004, Thurdvangr Kindred works together to strengthen our members.

Thurdvangr Kindred is a multi-traditional group, offering its members instruction in the member’s choice of Heathen Oral Tradition, and/or the Old School Wiccan three degree system, as well as practical life skills, and advanced occult instruction.

The Kindred is dedicated to Thor and Freyja, and members are expected to attend our Heathen Eight Sabbat Wheel of the Year celebrations (as listed below), respect the Norse Rede of Honor, and practice the Nine Noble Virtues. All members are expected to attain a 1st Degree Initiation, but beyond that, further study on the Wiccan degree path is optional, and members may choose to pursue advanced study in Heathen Oral Tradition and/or non-magical skills as an alternative.

Practical life skills classes depend on the interests of our members and have included gourmet cooking, auto mechanics, survival shelter building, martial arts, and mead brewing to name a few. We emphasize ancestral homesteading skills such as organic gardening and animal husbandry as our Hearthstead is a working farm.

In addition to the basic Wiccan three degree system, our advanced members may receive training in Teutonic Shamanism, Feri Tradition, Vodun, Draconic High Majik, and traditional Japanese systems including Reiki and Nin as one or both of our Kindred Elders have received in person traditional training qualifying them to teach in each of these traditions.

Hearthstead

The Kindred Hearthstead is part of a thirty acre farm located about fifty miles northwest of Chattanooga, TN. With about a third of the property in woodlands, there is plenty of room for nature walks and tent camping on designated weekends. The Kindred also enjoys use of a large drumming and dancing circle with fire pit, separate cooking fire pit with roasting spit, and a private permanent circle for the Kindred Har.

At minimum, members are required to attend our eight Sabbat Celebration Rites each year.  Wheel of the Year for Thurdvangr Kindred are the same basic times as Wiccan Sabbats but we call some differently and celebrate them slightly differently.  Each Rite is followed by a Feast which is considered part of the Ritual so attendance is required.  Traditionally Heathens/ Asatru have week-long celebrations for several of these, but we generally condense them into 1-2 days for practical scheduling.

SABBATS:

• Samhain: Take down maypole and hold an Ancestor’s Rite with an actual crossing rite for those who died that year. 3rd Harvest Festival, the blood harvest; meat for winter. We mark the ending of the fertile time of the year by taking down the maypole and eating a feast of an animal grown at Hearthstead or venison from our October Hunt.


• Yule: Mother’s Night Vigil where we burn the Yule log, that year’s maypole. This is a twenty-four hour event, jam-packed with activities like a cross between a pajama party and a pre-exams “all-nighter” with rites, classes, Rune readings, feasting, a post-dawn brunch and the all-important nap time before people drive home!


• Charming: (Celtic Imbolc) (Heathen Charming of the Plow) Main prosperity blessing for the year, i.e., blessing of how we Kindred members earn our livings, also this is the standard season for Initiations for those being elevated on the Wiccan 3 Degree system path.


• Ostara: She is a Norse deity! Spring Equinox, Celebration of the beginning of planting time, awakening new life (eggs and seeds), renewal.


• Beltane: (Heathen Walspurgisnatch) Festival of Fertility which comes from sexuality so we raise the Maypole and bless the fields, crops, and the livestock. We mate a pair of rabbits at altar as the Maypole is being raised, for example.


• Midsummer: (Summer Solstice) We honor the etins & land wights, thanking them for their help in the growth and health of the crops and in our lives generally. The Kindred also typically holds a Sumul on this sabbat.


• Loaf Feast: (Celtic Lammas or Lughnasadh) 1st Harvest Festival (grain harvest). We share bread and give thanks via a sacrifice (Bread Man & mead).


• Winter Finding: (Celtic Mabon, Fall Equinox) 2nd Harvest Festival (main crops for the year’s food harvest time) where we: 1) give thanks for bounty received from Spring’s requests, 2) review where we each individually are in our goals for the year, 3) call for blessings for the rest of the harvest, especially the Fall Hunt.