The Year of Aun, 2023

[First written for Oak Leaves, ADF’s quarterly publication. To be published Spring 2023.] Dr. Rune Rasmussen, The Nordic Animist on YouTube and elsewhere online, has spent several years recreating animist calendars that reflect pre-Christian Nordic cultures and thinking. He had surmised that these groups added an additional year into their calendars, much like we have

Celebrating the Wonnezeit Season and Frau Holle

Frau Holle If you’re a Heathen, you may have heard about Frau Holle. She is most famous (even today in Germany) for a fairytale about her collected by the Brothers Grimm. Similar to figures like Baba Yaga, many people argue that in pre-Christian times she was a goddess. Many other-worldly beings in folktales have been

Urglaawe (Germanic Paganism): Entschtanning and Groundhog Day

Entschtanning is one of several important holiday seasons in the Urglaawe calendar. The word “Entschtanning” means “emerging” and the season lasts for twelve days/nights. It is referred to as the single busiest of all holidays in Urglaawe, and it comes with layers of lore to understand. But much like other Neopagan traditions, it is centered

The Real History of Yule

There’s a lot of talk about Yule within the pagan community. And sometimes history and modern customs are totally conflated. We need to keep in mind what is historically accurate and what is modern invention. Here’s the problem: We know very little about what Viking-age people (let alone people further back in time) did during

Sunwait (Väntljusstaken): Heathens Awaiting Yule

Yule will soon be upon us! And Heathens begin celebrating Yuletide earliest among Pagans because of a growing tradition called Sunwait. This modern tradition is maybe a few decades old, and it originated in Sweden. Sunwait is a mix between Christian Advent wreaths, the runes, and Thorsheldg, a Swedish Heathen tradition. It has only taken