Main Hall

Practices of making offerings and giving gifts and toasts at sumbel in contemporary Canadian Heathen practice enact a relational ontology, or way of being, and create a gift ethic that sustains a distributed network of social ecological relations that Heathens understand as the web of wyrd. While “wyrd” is often translated as “fate” Heathens understand it as the bonds that sustain us, and through which we sustain the world in gifting relations.

Tradition remains a broadly misused term that is mobilized against innovation in favour of pre-existing social and religious communities, organizations, and hierarchies across much of North American and European society, especially throughout the cultural upheavals of Modernism in the 20^th century.

Raven's Knoll  is a unique Heathen owned campground and event centre located in Eganville Ontario Canada. It is also home to the region's inclusive Heathen community. This site was intended to be the location for Frith Forge 2020 until Covid-19 hit. We hope to host the next in-person Frith Forge there when it is safe to do so. Auz Lawrence will provide and overview of the history of Raven's Knoll and the community it supports. 

Heathenry today is often called “following the old ways”. Heathens generally tend to look back to antique times 1000 years ago or more. While the lore is certainly inspiring and it also may be considered good to rely on solid academic historical knowledge, today’s heathens are living now. They also have to face today’s political, societal and environmental problems and crises.

Before the conversion to Christianity, Heathen understandings of “right” and “wrong” were negotiated, lived out, and passed down in societies that were profoundly different from our own. These cultural differences can create confusion and misunderstanding when modern Heathens look to “the lore” for ethical guidance. This session will start with an overview of how ethical thinking in Western Europe has changed over time and how that has created unconscious assumptions that many of us carry.

Join us for a live taping of the Heathen History Podcast where we will be interviewing Esteban Sevilla about the growth of Heathenry in Costa Rica and South America!

Fundamentalism and extremism exist in every religion, and today we are aware of the common divide that exists in Heathenry between Folkish and Inclusive practice. This lecture will illustrate the origin and development of Folkish Heathen ideology, appropriation by external extremist groups, and some of the ways in which we can create a safe and inclusive environment for worship, practice, and community.

Latin America is a region where Heathenry has gained an impressive amount of popularity in recent years, but Latin Americans face many problems attempting to engage the practice, such as language barriers, weather differences, bigotry and availability for outdoor ritual spaces. In this presentation we will cover how Latin Americans practice Heathenry in an ethnically diverse but mostly conservative society.

Subjects:

Jade Pichette (Panel Moderator) - Vindisir Kindred based in Ontario Canada, as well as a member of the Raven’s Knoll community. (They/Them)

This introductory session will provide an overview of what Frith Forge is about and why we are inclusive.