Woden’s Folk Kindred

Community InReach Program

Study Curriculum

The Community InReach Program of Woden’s Folk Kindred is designed to help offenders of the Asatru/Odinist/Heathen faith group learn more about their faith in order that they might become better men. We feel that the more that they understand about their faith, the more that they will be able to use that understanding of their faith to better help them make decisions that will build a better future for those men and everyone that they come into contact with.

One of the mission statements of Woden’s Folk Kindred is to build bridges between heathen communities in prison and the greater heathen community out here, and to promote a positive form of heathen belief behind the wire. We realize that there are some very misguided beliefs that pass under the mantle of our faith in prisons. We also realize that most of the offenders in prison will one day be released. In order to combat these radicalized offshoots of our faith, we volunteer to go into prisons and educate offenders about our faith. We named our ministry the Community InReach Program to highlight the fact that these offenders will one day be released to take part in the greater heathen community, and so we are reaching inside to help prepare them to take their part in that greater community.

The study curriculum that we have developed is based on the Heathen Handbook that we have published. This, in turn, is based on the Eddas and Sagas that are considered holy books to our faith, as well as dozens of books related to the subject by a wide variety of scholars and thinkers both ancient and modern.

The study questions in this curriculum are geared towards creating an understanding of our faith so that the offenders are able to use that understanding to make better decisions in everyday life. The myths of our faith are designed to be teaching tools, and they are just as relevant for instructing us in right conduct today as they were a thousand years ago.

Asatru/Odinism/Heathenry is the ancestral faith of the Northern European peoples. As such, it is generally but not exclusively practiced by people of Northern European descent. We realize that this factor is often exploited by hate groups, and that this is a very real concern in a prison setting. This creates a delicate situation where we feel the need to be very careful when handling the subject of our heritage. This is why in the very first section we outline the historical and genetic heritage of the northern peoples with an eye toward providing a factual background in a way that shows our distinct heritage and special relationship to our tribal Gods and Goddesses, without denigrating or demeaning other groups of people

The study questions are designed to be as open-ended as possible so that the offenders are required to actually think about the answers instead of just go and look them up in a book. We feel that this is especially useful in a prison setting where the offenders have plenty of time and very few external things to distinguish themselves. In a world where everyone wears the same clothes, all jobs pay the same, and nobody drives a car, men find other ways to distinguish themselves. It is hoped that the men who participate in these study groups will distinguish themselves by giving thoughtful answers to these questions in front of their peers. It is then our hope that these thoughtful insights will help these men and their peers to make better decisions that affect their lives inside the prison.

The heathen faith is and always has been centered on community. We feel that in a prison setting, community influence is the best way to enforce positive behavior in offenders so that they will internalize those positive changes. It is our hope that the Community InReach Program can be a part of that positive change in prison heathen communities. These study questions and the information contained in the Heathen Handbook can be tools to help offenders better themselves while inside and prepare for a successful life in the free world.

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 1

1. Why is heathenry considered a holistic faith? 2. How does a holistic faith differ from a narrowly religious or monotheistic faith? 3. What were the beginning steps of the heathen reawakening? 4. What are the differences between primary and secondary sources in researching a subject? Distinguish between the two in regards to heathen literature. 5. Why is history important to heathenry? 6. What sorts of physical traits distinguished our ancestors after the period in which the last glaciers receded in northern Europe? 7. Why is a hafted axe superior to what other peoples were using? Do we still use this tool today? 8. What were the core values that formed in the Indo-European societies? 9. What technologies distinguished the Aryans from their genetically identical Indo- European predecessors? 10. What were the social differences between the new Aryan culture and their Indo- European predecessors? 11. What is meant by the term Northlands? 12. What three cultures combined to produce the culture we call Celtic? 13. What are the Celtic homelands? 14. What are the Germanic homelands? 15. How can an archaeologist tell the difference between early Celtic and Germanic remains in the borderlands of these two regions? What does this say about the differences between Celts and Germans? 16. What is the Folkwandering? 17. What changes did the Germanic conquest of Rome bring to Germanic societies? 18. How did Christianity spread throughout Germania? How does this historical truth differ from what modern Christian evangelists would have one believe? 19. Who are the Slavs? 20. Where is their homeland? 21. What is the last heathen society to convert, and when did they do so? 22. Why is the issue of modern lineage so complex? 23. What is the difference between heathenry and monotheistic religions? 24. Discuss the importance of the differences that arise between the monotheistic ideal of an angry and jealous god removed from the Earth, and that of our heathen gods who are our blood kin and revere life here on . 25. How do the roots of our faith, as expressed by the well and the tree, influence us today, thus making history relevant?

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 2

1. Describe heathenry as explained in this section. 2. Describe what a “worldview” is. 3. What is Heilagr? 4. Why is Heilagr so important to us today? 5. Describe how our ancestors viewed the world through the “well and the tree.” 6. Describe how each man can be seen as a tree. 7. What are: Orlog, , Hamingja, Maegin, and Gipta? How do all of these work together? 8. Are the individual and the universe the only things that can be described as trees? Describe your understanding of this metaphor. 9. Describe what happens if you mix your Wyrd with someone who is a liar, and what happens if you mix your Wyrd with someone known as noble and honest. 10. What is the term “Folk” used for? 11. What is the difference between the broad usage of “Folk” and the narrow definition? 12. What is the narrowest sense of “Folk?” 13. Describe the idea of Garth? 14. What is the definition of the word “law” where heathens are concerned? 15. What is Grith? 16. How do law and Grith work together? 17. What is Thew? 18. What is Frith? 19. How do Thew and Frith work together? 20. Explain the two concepts of Gifting. 21. Give and example of how gifting works in the heathen community. 22. Why is the idea of Garth so important to heathens? 23. Describe how the “Tree of the Garth” functions. 24. What makes a leader among our Folk? 25. What is “Utland?” 26. What is Honor, in your own words? 27. Describe heathen morality in your own words. 28. What are the three facets of honor? Describe each one. 29. What are the Nine Noble Virtues? 30. Which of the Nine Noble Virtues is the most important to you, and why? 31. What are the Theodish Wyns and Thews? 32. Where did these ethical models come from? 33. Why is individuality looked on as positive when we keep speaking of community and the need for it? 34. Why do we need to balance our individuality and the Folk? 35. Describe how oaths and actions affect us and our Folk.

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 3

1. Why is the idea that a myth is something untrue an inaccurate idea of the heathen concept of the myth? 2. What are the four ways to look at myths? 3. What is Euhemerism? 4. Why did the church use Euhemerism to discredit heathen beliefs? 5. What is a metaphor? 6. What are three ways that a metaphor works? 7. Why is seeing myth as a metaphor the way of conveying the deepest truths? 8. Who was Carl Jung? 9. According to Jung, what are the three parts of the mind of a man? 10. What it the unconscious? 11. What is Jung’s Collective Unconscious? 12. Why do heathens call Jung’s Collective Unconscious the Folksoul? 13. What is an archetype? 14. According to Joseph Campbell, what are the four functions of myth? 15. What is meant by the “journey of the hero?” 16. Describe the four parts of the Hero’s Journey. 17. What is the one, true definition of the Gods? 18. How can you use the four ways of looking at myth to examine ideas on the Gods? 19. How does the concept of the Bloodgift make us like our Gods? 20. How does this idea differ from that of the monotheistic faiths? 21. What are Georges Dumeziel’s three-fold functions of the Gods? 22. What is the difference between the ancient concept of cult and the modern popular meaning of the term? 23. Explain the heathen cosmogenesis. 24. How did the families of the Gods come about from giantkin? 25. How does the heathen cosmology show that all life is interconnected and inspire a respect for all life that is lacking in other worldviews?

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 4

1. Give a brief description of . 2. How do Odin and his brothers’ actions differ from those of previous beings? What is the meaning of these actions? 3. What gifts did Odin give to his Folk? 4. How does the war between the Aesir and the Vanir explain conflict and its causes? 5. What are Odin’s aspects with regards to warfare? 6. How does Odin’s agenda drive his quest for wisdom? 7. Why is Odin’s winning of the runes important? 8. How does Mimir’s Well and its wisdom relate to our modern conception of history? 9. Why is Odroerir such an important part of Odin’s identity? 10. How is Odin’s wisdom an example to leaders in Midgard? 11. What sort of scientific explanations can you think of for Odin’s magic? How does this complement the mythical aspect? 12. Discuss some of the misconceptions about Odin. 13. In what ways does Odin live and work with us today? 14. How does the story of Tyr binding Fenris explain honor in the true warrior’s life? 15. How does Tyr’s role as honor-bound upholder of the law match up with the American Constitution’s system of checks and balances? 16. How do Tyrsmen and Odinsmen differ, and how do their respective styles of leadership benefit the Folk? 17. How are our mothers like Frigga? 18. How does Frigga’s assertiveness contrast with the Biblical role of women, and what does this say about the true role of women in a healthy heathen society? 19. How can you point to Frigga and say that our women’s places are in our homes, and yet not in the least be demeaning to women? 20. How does Sif relate to Frigga? 21. How is most like the men of Midgard? 22. Why was it Thor in the van of the struggle against the White Christ and not Odin? 23. What are the uses of Thor’s Hammer and their significance? 24. How is Heimdall’s role as a Culture Bearer explained in the Lay of Rig? 25. What is the significance of the story of Balder, and how does his death and rebirth differ from that of the Christ myth?

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 5

1. How can the joining of the Aesir and the Vanir be viewed as a synthesis of the cultures that came together to form the Folk? 2. Why was Njord so important to our ancestors? 3. What is the role of the sacral king? 4. How does the wedding of Njord and Skadi reflect the cultural mixing through myth? 5. If the Vanir represent an earlier element from our cultural past, how is this reflected by the proscription of iron in the cult of Nerthus? 6. The English word for Vanir is Wanes, meaning wagons. Why is this an important symbol in the Vanic cults? 7. How do Njord and Nerthus fulfill Dumeziel’s third function of kingship? 8. What are the differences between the Asa-queen Frigga and the Vanic queen Nerthus? 9. How do Frey’s gifts benefit the happiness and prosperity of the Folk? 10. What is the difference between an Odinic king and Frey’s kingly rule? 11. Why is Frey known as the Frith Lord? 12. How does the story of Frey and Gerd symbolize the differences or trade-offs between an Odinic and a Vanic kingship? 13. Both Odin and Frey are closely associated with the horse, but Frey is also symbolized by the boar. How do their relationships with these animals symbolize their styles or functions of kingship? 14. How is Frey’s sword like a Corvette and the stag’s horn like a mini-van? 15. What are the differences if Frey’s hallowing and prosperity and Thor’s? 16. How is this symbolized by the Hammer of Thor and the gold ring of Frodi? 17. Why is Freya the most sought-after of Goddesses? 18. How can it be that Loki accuses Freya of sleeping with all of the Aesir and , and yet throughout all of the lore she is seen not as a slut but as the epitome of desire? 19. Njord says, “little sin it seemeth to me, if beside her mate a wedded wife have a lover.” How is it that this statement is not an inducement towards infidelity? 20. Why is the role of Frey and Freya so important to our Folk’s prosperity? 21. What is Freya’s role in Frith? 22. In the story of Svipdag, this mortal man marries Freya. How does this coincide with the mythic ideas presented in questions 18 and 19 to show that each man sees a goddess in his bride? 23. Freya’s animal is the sow, a defensive fighter, and it is said that she receives half of the honorable battle-slain. Why do they not go to Tyr? 24. Snorri said that even in his time Freya’s cult was still alive, and in Hyndlasjoth the warrior Ottar worships at her reddened altar. What does this say about the power of her cult within our Folk? 25. How is the Vanic aspect of our culture asserting itself with our Folk today?

Heathen Handbook Study Questions

Section 6

1. Who are the giants? 2. What are the different types of giants, and what are their roles in the lore? 3. Why are giants such excellent players in myth? 4. What are the landwights? 5. Why have the landwights never lost their worship amongst our Folk? 6. Who are the Elves, and what is their relationship to the landwights? 7. Why did our people revere smiths? 8. Why is the Ivalde clan so central to our people’s mythology? 9. Who are the Disir? 10. Why are the Disir so prominent in our lore? 11. In St. Olaf’s Saga, it relates how Christians were barred from a Disir Blot, yet in other places Christians were welcomed to festivities. How do you think this relates to the Christian idea of consigning one’s heathen ancestors, and thus their Disir, to hell? 12. How have our Disir stayed with our people despite Christianity? 13. How can you connect with your Disir? 14. Why is Viktor Rydberg so important to our understanding of the Doom of the Dead? 15. What is the Helroad? 16. What is the role of the Disir in the Doom of the Dead? 17. What are some of the dooms pronounced at the Hel-? 18. How did Hel come to be Hell? 19. Why did our ancestors stress the care for the dead, and how does this manifest itself today in spite of the Christian influence? 20. Explain the Germanic concepts of rebirth. 21. What is Ragnarok? 22. How does Ragnarok begin? 23. How is the world born again? 24. What does the story of Ragnarok tell us about our ancestors’ view of life as opposed to the destruction of the world in the Christian Revelation? 25. How do all of these myths serve to highlight life’s value and teach us how we should strive to live?