Buy Ben’s new book Our Troth: Heathen History today! Dan Halloran was the first public big name Heathen, who served on the New York City Council, a position that is more powerful than many state government jobs. He was also the founder of what was once the largest Theodish groups in North America. What happened […]
Buy Ben’s new book Our Troth: Heathen History today! You may not know the name Thomas Germain. His Wiccan name was Merlin Solomon, but most modern Heathens know him as Garman Lord, founder of Theodish Belief. Join us as we chronicle his journey from Christian to Wiccan to founding one of the earliest Heathen Traditions. […]
Buy Ben’s new book Our Troth: Heathen History today! On August 15, Lauren and Ben were joined by Esteban Sevilla of Asociación Ásatrú Yggdrasil de Costa Rica to discuss how Heathenry has grown in Costa Rica since the founding of his group in 2010. What are the challenges of being Heathen in a country where […]
The audio is wonky, and for that we apologize. Buy Ben’s new book Our Troth: Heathen History today! Christopher Columbus was not a good dude, but his “discovery” of America gave millions of Italian and Catholic Americans a homemaking myth to call their own. However, this wasn’t without controversy. The backlash to Columbus lead to […]
Buy Ben’s new book Our Troth: Heathen History today! Starting in the 1840’s, Viking Mania swept America. Did Leif Erikson really discover Massachusetts? Was a Phonecian Sailor found in New Engalnd? Why did Henry Longfellow decide Native Americans sang the same cadence as Finnish folk songs? And most importantly, what does this all have to […]
Ben and Lauren are back from their summer vacation! They are live at Trothmoot 2020 to discuss a frank history of racism in America, and how this racism shaped modern Heathenry, and even Heathenry abroad. They are joined by their good friend and moderator for this session Jan from Gifts of the Wyrd. Check out […]
Guido Von List may seem like an obscure Austrian occultist, but his legacy lives on in many aspects of Modern Heathenry, especially for those who practice any kind of Rune lore. Many apologies, but Ben yodels. Sources: Asbjørn Jøn, A. (1999). “‘Skeggøld, Skálmöld; Vindöld, Vergöld’: Alexander Rud Mills and the Ásatrú Faith in the […]
NUDE GERMANS! Lauren is on pain pills, and Ben drinks an entire bottle of wine during this live show where we talk about Germany at the turn of the century. Douglass, Paul F. God Among the Germans. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1935. Fahrenkrog, Ludwig. Das Deutsche Buch. 3rd ed. Leipzig: Wilhelm Hartung, 1923. […]
The unification of Germany along with the industrial revolution lead to an explosion of interest in German folk tales and mythology. In this episode, we will explore what happened and how it influences modern Heathenry. Spoiler Alert: Horned Helmets. Arvidsson, Stefan. Aryan Idols: Indo-European Mythology as Ideology and Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, […]
The British romantic era Viking revival has had a huge influence on not just the Victorian era, but also how VIkings are perceived in modern media. Many of the beliefs of the earliest Heathen organizations can be directly traced to this – but how correct were they? Deep dive into what drove Norsemania in the […]
How about a second helping of PIE? Ben and Lauren continue their talk, and get into Marija Gimbutas and her theories on Old Europe and the patriarchy, as well as how all of these ideas influenced later racist Germanic thought. Sources: Anthony, David W. The Horse, The Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the […]
Who wants some PIE? Welcome to part one of our two part series Proto-Indo-European language and people. Who were they? Where did they originate? And why is Ben talking about sheep and horses? Sources: Anthony, David W. The Horse, The Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. Princeton, […]
What does the German Reformation have to do with Heathenry? Lauren will ask Ben this very question in this episode, but just know it all leads to Tacitus’ Germania. Plus, Ben’s bad handwriting leads to some wacky hi jinks on this episode of the Heathen History Podcast! Sources Kelley, Donald R. “Tacitus noster: The Germania […]
The Odenic Rite is one of the oldest Norse Pagan organizations in Britain. In this installment, we will be talking about the origins of the organization and their founder, John Yeowell. Harvey, Graham. “Heathenism: a North European Pagan tradition.” Graham Harvey and Charlotte Hardman, eds. Paganism Today. London: Thorsons, 1995. Pp. 49–64. Heimgest DCG. […]
This week we are finishing our series on Wicca! Why Wicca? Because no matter how you slice it, Wicca is the single most influential modern Pagan religion. Many early Heathen practices were very influenced by Wicca. Join us as we talk about Gerald Gardener, Alex Sanders, and the influence on Wicca in early Heathenry Mathiesen, […]
This week we are talking Wicca! Why Wicca? Because no matter how you slice it, Wicca is the single most influential modern Pagan religion. Many early Heathen practices were very influenced by Wicca. Join us as we talk about why Wicca was so influential, and how this religion came into being. We will be discussing […]
This week we will be talking about the Asatru Folk Assembly and Steve McNallen’s later life, including his work for Soldier of Fortune and his Kennewick Man lawsuit. Sources “Asatru Sect Honors Kennewick Man.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, August 28, 1997, p. 1. Edred Thorsson. History of the Rune-Gild. The Reawakening of the Gild, 1980-2018. North […]
Please enjoy part two of our very first live episode at Trothmoot at beautiful Fort Flagler State Park in Washington! Ben and Lauren are joined by Diana Paxson and Melodi Grundy, two long time Troth members, for their recollections about Heathenry in the 90’s, the SCA, and the formation of The Troth. No real sources […]
It’s our very first live episode at Trothmoot at beautiful Fort Flagler State Park in Washington! Ben and Lauren are joined by Diana Paxson and Melodi Grundy, two long time Troth members, for their recollections about Heathenry in the 90’s, the SCA, and the formation of The Troth. No real sources this week, except our […]
In episode 4, we dive into one of the most interesting and influential people in modern Heathenry – Steve McNallen. Sources “Asatru Sect Honors Kennewick Man.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, August 28, 1997, p. 1. Edred Thorsson. History of the Rune-Gild. The Reawakening of the Gild, 1980-2018. North Augusta, S. C.: Arcana Europa, 2018. Harden, Doyle. […]
Welcome to Episode 3 of the Heathen History Podcast! In the second of our two episode series on Else Christensen, we will dive into Else’s later life, including her arrest, imprisonment and her work after her release and deportment to Canada. Sources: “A Reply to a Reply: Letters to the Editor.” Liberty Bell, vol. 11, […]
Welcome to Episode 2 of the Heathen History Podcast! The next two episode will focus on Else Christensen, who is called the Folk Mother by many Odinists in the United States, Canada, and Spain. This first episode will dive into her early life, how she found Odinism, and the formation of the Odinist Felllowship. Plus […]
Our very first Heathen History podcast looks at the work of the first person in the English-speaking world to found a modern version of Old Norse religion. An eccentric lawyer, poet, religious visionary, and open Nazi sympathizer, his founding of the Anglecyn Church of Odin (yes, that’s how he spelled it) might have been just […]
Follow us on Twitter @HeathenHistory Coming up on the Heathen History Podcast, Ben and Lauren give you a sneak peak into what is coming up on the first episode, as well as why examining our history is important and how our history shapes the modern Heathen religion. Theme Music: Happy Viking by Roland Music
