Northwoods Kindred April 16th Gathering Report

Day before gathering finally arrived with a flurry of kinsmen ready to work hard and play even harder.  Sindri had actually arrived Thorsday to help Bodvarr and I with any last minute plans before the rest of our kin and our invited guests were to arrive.  Frejyasday dawned and with it came our tribe rolling in from as far away as Montana & the rest from Washington.  Stig and his friend Erik were the first to arrive and Stig's truck was laden with provisions for the weekend.

Anthony was up next followed closely by Leif & Aurie.  Nicodemus was the next to arrive along with our kids Egil & Sasha both of whom were picked up at school by Nic. Last but not least Vidarr arrived and we were finally all back together again.  

Once everyone got settled in and dropped their gear in their chosen spots they all got quickly to work preparing for gathering day.  Later in the afternoon Sindri began grilling a stack of bacon jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwiches while Anthony whipped up a tater tot casserole to accompany it.  

While the casserole was baking, Anthony ran back out to the Ve to continue it’s “Spring” cleaning and seasonal beautification.  Sindri tirelessly made sandwich after sandwich with Vidarr hanging out and keeping him company.  

After a very delicious dinner, which I had no part in, I wrangled up the kids and set them to the task of dyeing our Ostara eggs, and then I gave a brief instruction to Erik on how to make & sew a quest hood  for himself. 

While I was running around giving everyone jobs, Bodvarr was making a strawberry rhubarb crisp in his dutch oven for dessert.  While the crisp was baking we gathered the oathed members and began our monthly kindred meeting. 

Once that business was taken care of we all grabbed a warm bowl of steamy strawberry rhubarb goodness and sat down to study the Havamal with as many translations as we could find ( I think we had eight)  and really go in depth with the meanings of each stanza and our interpretations of it, thus ending day 1 of Ostara gathering weekend.

Day 2 began with gallons of fresh brewed coffee, 5 dozen eggs and a couple pounds of bacon and sausage links  Stig cooked up breakfast for everyone with a quick assist by Bodvarr to help cook the eggs on the blackstone and to keep them from running down the back of the grill and into the grease trap.  This lesson was learned at a previous gathering. 

After breakfast was over the guys went back outside to continue the cleanup of the Ve and to begin building up, repairing and decorating our ve fence now that the winter season was over.  I set the girls to preparing & decorating the Ostara offering basket with colored raw eggs and sharpies for the upcoming ritual.  

Soon after breakfast our final 3 guests arrived, they are a local heathen family looking to learn the ways and build their own kindred.  They reached out to Bodvarr and I through social media and after a first meet & greet at a coffee house, we put the vote to our kinsmen as to whether or not they would be invited to Ostara.   Of course we have the most generous kinsmen and they graciously agreed to share Ostara with folk they had not yet met and based solely on mine and  Bodvarr opinions.  Due to being all over social media from Facebook, to YouTube to TikTok among other platforms our kindred is not actively looking for new members although we are never opposed to meeting up for coffee cause you never know where or who the Norns might lead you too. 

Our guests came loaded with an assortment of yummy foods to add to the feast and after a quick introduction to the rest of the kindred and a quick tour of the land, the brothers jumped right in to help us return our beloved Ve back to her previous glory before the harsh winter had beat her down.

  As soon as all  the wood was stacked & chopped and lit on fire and the fence was built up strong again and decorated with evergreen, Sindri did a final rake on the ground before we all headed back to the house to prepare for Sigrblot, a ritual dedicated to Odin & to Victory.

After  brief instructions to our kin & our guests about the purpose of the procession, we all fell in line behind our Gothi as he led us out to the Ve.  

Once offerings were given to Odin and his blessings were shared among the folk, we began the ritual of personally decorating the colored Ostara eggs with runes.  Once everyone drew the runes on their eggs, we buried them in the Ve to plant the seeds of our hopes and desires for the coming year so that they may grow and blossom throughout the year.  Once the eggs were buried and we each threw a handful of dirt on them we got back into the circle to continue on with ritual.

  Sindi had other business than needed attending to and asked Bodvarr to bless his favorite blade so that he may gift it to Nicodemus in gratitude for services provided and in the hopes that it will serve him well in his new and upcoming travels.

 

Now that all the work had been finished Bodvarr closed out the Sigrblot and we all filed back inside the house to anxiously await our 2nd annual Ostara Quest.

This year's quest is currently in the editor and will be released soon but in the meantime….here is last year's (2021) Ostara Quest for you to enjoy. 

 While waiting for Bodvarr and I to tie up some last minute secret quest loose ends, Stig began making his lunch board for everyone to enjoy while waiting for the much anticipated Ostara Quest to begin .  Piled high was pepperoni, summer sausage, prosciutto, pepper jack cheese, smoked cheddar, goat cheese, spinach artichoke dip, green olives, habanero huckleberry jam, and assorted crackers.

I don’t want to go into much detail about the Quest and spoil it for you, all I can say is, it was a most epic Ostara Quest!  Here’s a few pictures for you to enjoy and to get your imagination going.  

Once the quest was won and the MVP of the Quest was announced and awarded the coveted 2022 Ostara Quest map, we all shared in the spoils on our way back to reality.  Now that we were all back in the house, we began setting up for a “build your own kabob” feast.  We had 3 different types of unseasoned beef cubes, another bowl with marinated beef, sriracha venison, cajun shrimp, meatballs, smoked sausage and veggies galore.  There were sweet peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, pineapple, mandarin oranges and that was just the food we put on sticks. 

 Also on the table was Mediterranean bean sprout salad, homemade canned baked beans, colored deviled Ostara eggs, cottage cheese, green grapes and farmhouse rolls.  Bodvarr fired up both the Weber & the Blackstone and while the gods' food was being cooked everyone else got busy building their kabobs and waiting for the grills to become available. 

Once that feeding frenzy was over we all got ready for our three rounds of Sumble to begin, both Vidarr and Leif generously brought mead that they had recently bottled, to offer in Sumble. 

Shortly after Sumble ended our guests took their leave as the gathering had come to a close, the rest of us on the other hand devoured the beautiful & delicious apple cupcakes with honeycomb candy for dessert made by Leif & Aurie and then we all finished off the night just being kin.

Happy Ostara,

Skogul Allensdatter 

Gydia of Northwoods Kindred

Northwoods Kindred March 19th Gathering Report

With the wet weather, mud and snow still on the ground in some places, we sadly postponed our Ostara gathering until April.  Once we made that decision we threw the word out to the kindred that we were now having a craft gathering.  Stig and his boy showed up Thorsday afternoon to get started on their quest baskets that they were unable to make last year with us.  Stig brought a bunch of ground venison and got right to work making burgers, or as he likes to call them "protein pucks".  We threw them on the blackstone along with a couple of diced onions.  As soon as we finished eating. Stig & Jackson began cutting the reeds for their quest baskets while I dyed a dozen or so reed strips so they could make their baskets unique and colorful.   

They got the bottoms started and a few rows weaved in and then we called it a night and would resume the craft in the morning.  After a quick & delicious breakfast scramble the guys got back to work on their baskets and began adding rows of pretty colors in fun patterns.  

Once the baskets were built we moved them out to the shop to build the straps that would complete their quest baskets. 

 Shortly after the baskets were finished Sindri showed up and began making lamb burgers for dinner. 

 Anthony, David, Kayla and Nicodemus soon followed, with Anthony bringing a bunch of sweet potatoes fries to bake while I whipped together a corn casserole (my sister Gondul's recipe) to complete the meal.  After a great dinner with even greater company, we all went to bed looking forward to gathering the next day. 

 

The next day breakfast was an amazing casserole of leftovers cooked in cast iron by Bodarr.  It was made with sautéed onions, protein pucks, ham, cheese, eggs, jalapenos and sweet potato fries and it was delish!

Leif & Aurie were only minutes from arriving so we held off breakfast until they got here.  After helping them bring in their stuff and with the greeting out of the way we all grabbed a plate.  After we all had our fill of breakfast we scattered to the four corners of the kitchen to prep for feast.  Sindri had brought 3 legs of lamb for the smoker and a lamb roast for the crockpot.  I quickly fired up the Trager while the lamb was being prepared and then got to work throwing together some scalloped potatoes and ham.  

Leif & Aurie brought homemade sugar cookies that were to be topped with fresh fruit.  They both began dicing up the fresh raspberries, strawberries and blueberries and Nicodemus jumped in to help them frost and decorate.  Also, filled to the brim in that gigantic bowl sitting in front of them was chocolate mushrooms that they brought for snacking.

After all the food was prepped, the oathed members of Northwoods all sat down for our kindred meeting.  We of course opened the meeting with a swearing of frith on the oath ring.

Once the meeting was over we all found projects to occupy us until it was time for ritual.    Leif & Anthony began cutting out their rune set from the branches of some trees.  

Once all the runes were cut and sanded to their liking they began penciling the runes on.

Stig was finally able to cut out and start grinding on his 1st knife.  He bought a chunk of steel called Thor Damascus  to make Bodvarr's HOG 4.5 knife design that he has with Tops Knives. 

 Jackson picked out his set of runes from a container of glass beads that we keep in the shop and he began painting on them with some red paint.

I of course spent my time running around, getting in peoples faces with the camera and  being a general nuisance so that I could record this for all of you ;)

Finally it was time to blot and honor the gods.  Today was all in honor of Heimdall the patron of Northwoods kindred, the teacher of  crafts and the creator of the race of man.  We all gathered for the procession with Anthony drumming us out to the Ve'.

Sasha opened the four corners by sounding the horn.

Bodvarr lead us in blot and gave out both the external & internal blessings to the folk.

Also given a blessing of mead was this beautiful new idol of Heimdall that was gifted to Bodvarr from Leif  for his upcoming birthday.

This blot was to be even more unique and special because we were giving heathen names to two of our kinsmen. David was given the name of  Vidarr and Leif because he was born already with a heathen name we just added on to it with Leif the longhorn.   Although we have also called him Leif the longbone.....the  longshanks,.....the tall.....and I am sure there will be many more added on to our good natured kinsmen.  Leif & Vidarr were both gifted with a kindred arm ring to commemorate the occasion.

After the naming ritual was done Bodvarr closed out the blot and we finished with a kindred group hug and a few quick pictures.

Once back in the house Stig began putting together a lunch board for us to snack on.  Piled high on the board was dried salami, prosciutto, smoked ham, Chinese BBQ pork with hot mustard,  munster and pepperjack cheese, a cheese ball covered in almonds, venison snack sticks, green olives stuffed with blue cheese, marinated mushrooms, hard boiled eggs and fresh pineapple chunks.  It was amazing to say the least.

After we devoured that mini feast of finger foods we spent the next few hours continuing our crafts and just enjoyed being together again. Many hours later we all gathered in the kitchen for feast so that Bodvarr could bless the food.

Before anyone dug in to the amazing food set before them, a god plate was fixed first with a cold IPA to wash down the meal.  

Unfortunately Anthony had a prior commitment that he needed to honor so he left early but we did manage to send him off with some lamb and cookies to enjoy. 

 

Once feast was over and the kitchen was cleaned up, we pulled out the deck of cards and got into a game of euchre.  About halfway through a game Egil came down and asked if we were still going to have sumble tonight as it was already pretty late in the evening.  Bodvarr gave Egil the decision on whether or not we would have it but Egil baulked at making that kind of a decision that would effect everyone, so instead Bodvarr flipped a coin to let the gods decide.  Heads we sumble and tails we don't.  Of course the gods would never turn down hornfuls of mead raised in their honor and listen to stories of gratitude for their existence in our lives.....so we sumbled. 

After sumble was closed and the ritual tools were taken care of, Leif & Aurie pulled out their sugar cookies for dessert.  

Last but not least, Bodvarr read Sasha's runes as she had pulled out Fehu.

  After the rune reading which made total sense to Sasha and left the rest of us in the dark, Bodvarr, Sindri, Stig and I resumed our card game to close out the evening on another successful gathering of Northwoods Kindred.  

In Frith,

Skogul Allensdatter

Gydia of Northwoods Kindred