About Haukafell Kindred
 
On this page you can learn more about our kindred and what we stand for. To learn more about our members, scroll down further.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------
 
Our Statement of Purpose

One mission of Haukafell Kindred is to provide the Folk with a solid, cohesive, family-oriented organization in which to practice our faith and growth in Heathenry. Some of our goals are:

  • As a family, to bring the human into a positive relationship with the Gods, and by doing this to build frith within the worlds of being.

  • To help each individual to gain worthiness. That is, to grow in the eyes of the Folk and the eyes of the Gods and grow to fulfill our greatest spiritual potential.

  • To strengthen our ways, support the Heathen community, and help build public awareness of Germanic and Scandinavian heathenry.
Thus have we woven our Wyrd together by holy oath and our time together.
 
 
Our Guiding Principles

Spiritual as well as material strength is defined by one's deeds and worth. We feel the luck of the group is derived from that of each individual's actions and those of the group as a whole. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Generally speaking, we believe the life goal of the individual is to work to build worth and strong bonds. Such worth as one can attain benefits him or her now as well as in the afterlife. More so, this worth also benefits the family and community he or she leaves behind here in Midgard. For this reason (as a side note), we are also supporters of the "Seventh Generation" philosophy.
 
Our Beliefs and Practices
 
1. Our religion is branched within a faith commonly referred to as Asatru. We are Germanic and Scandinavian Heathens.We stand by the Gods of our pre-Christian Germanic/Scandinavian ancestors.  
 
2. No less important to us are our Ancestors and the Vaettir, or Wights (Spirits of place). Honoring and sharing our gifts with Them is just as important to us as is with our Gods. 
 
3. We draw our cultural models, heritage, wisdom and lessons of right and wrong from the ancient, living lore of our ancestors including the Germanic/Scandinavian Myths as described in the Eddas, the stories of our forebearers as told in the Sagas and epics such as Beowulf and Egil's Saga, and the folk wisdom handed down to us orally through our families. However, we have no set dogma, no holy sacrosanct books of knowledge (nor does any Heathen group). Our Lore is a starting point to wisdom, not the be-all-end-all. We learn also from history, archaeology, psychology - but also the present world we live in, and from each other. We learn and grow by living and doing.
 
4. The Folk gather to celebrate the high holy days of the year including: Idis-Þing (The Charming of the Plow), Ostara, Walpurg, Sunna's Day, Freyfaxi, Winternights and Jul. During these times our Kindred joins together to honor and provide offerings to our Gods in the manner of our ancient ancestors, through the hands and age of the 21st century.
 
5. The Folk believe that our children are the foundation of the future. Therefore it is our responsibility to encourage their spiritual growth by our example in both word and deed.
 
6. Out of our beliefs is born a deep respect, love and awe for Nature. Therefore, the Folk strive to live in harmony with it. To the extent that our means and circumstances allow, we live and promote a naturalistic, ecologically responsible lifestyle. We feel sustainability is key to the future of all life on earth.
 
7. The Folk believe in, and actively promote, the modern Heathen moral and ethical codes of our Heathen ancestors. One fair, but modern inflection is the "Nine Noble Virtues." These virtues include: Courage, Troth, Honor, Discipline, Generosity/Hospitality, Self-Reliance, Perseverance, Industriousness and Fidelity.
 
8. We also value and strive for Freedom of Conscience, Right Good Will and personal Wisdom.
 
Read more on our kindred and members' individual bio-snippets below. 
 
 
 
Haukafell kindred has been together as a kindred since the Yuletide of 2007. But as close families getting to know each other, we have been together for more than double that time. Our children have grown together from infancy and our families have bonded well. We learn together, experience, travel, and grow wiser together. Sometimes we have days where we are laid back and chat...other times we are together with a purpose (such as our Dyeing day). To learn more about our members individually, continue on below.
 
*************
 
Eric 
It is cliché to say it, but I have been a seeker all my life. No really! When I was a teen, I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to be other than "a wise man." I am still trying to figure out what exactly I meant by that.

Thanks to my wonderful bohemian parents, I have never felt I had to escape from my family's religion the way so many others do. They always encouraged me to find answers for myself. I have studied a good deal of eastern philosophy and Buddhism and these still inform my path as does Native American folklore and wisdom. I majored in English and Anthropology in school. I found my way home to Asatru around 2002. Not long afterwards I first bloted in private to Freyr. About a month after that offering, I had landed a new job. And about a month after that, I found out my wife was expecting our first child. (D'oh!) I think this helps maintain the old "preponderance of suspicious coincidences" theory of paganism.

I am a professional writer working in advertising. I guess I have been writing for most of my life, though I have yet to do the novel thing. I am more of an essayist. That explains my site "Munson's Mead Hall". Very informal, it documents some of my early experiences as a Heathen and is meant to serve as a resource for new folks.

I am an avid amateur historian and participate in living history activities with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) which is how Jen and I met. Thanks to the SCA, I have a modicum of experience doing public and private events and with assisting new members. I am hoping to use these skills to help boost Heathenry.

If you have time to waste and the stamina, ask me about…Japanese gardening, bonsai, ikebana, Zen, pulp novels and retro SF, Victorian England, fogeyism, men's fashion, camping, ska, tiki bar culture and drinks.

Cheers!
 
Jesse
My name is Jesse, but on-line, I go by “The Little Viking.”  I’m a Father to 2 young boys.  My Wife is Rebecca (below).  I was raised in a Roman Catholic house-hold.  I started straying towards paganism in early college, for a long time considering myself to be Wiccan.  I was also attracted to Native-American style tribalism and considered following that type of path for awhile before a friend of mine in college said, “Why follow another peoples way when you have your own tradition?” and went on to give me my first exposure to Asatru.  I realized it was what I had been looking for all the while, and have considered myself Asatru ever since.  The Gods had called me home.
 
I studied History at Temple University, earning a Bachelors degree in History & Liberal Arts.  I play guitar, make Mead, and soon, hope to start Blacksmithing. My current employer is East Penn Manufacturing, one of the larger producers of automotive batteries, as well as various other applications, like mines, telecommunications, and locomotive. As a family, we hope, someday, to own a medium-sized heathen home-stead, and be relatively self-sufficient and ecological (and organic!).
 
 
 
Jen
Jen has considered herself Asatru since 2006. Of all the Aesir she feels closest to Frigga because of her associations with spinning and other textile arts. She is especially interested in drawing inspiration from women in the Lore and enhancing the modern female role in the Heathen community. Along with costuming and many textile arts, she enjoys cooking and bread baking and spending time with her family on day hikes and camping trips.
 
Academically she has a Bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College in Latin American Studies. She presented a paper entitled "Only Rock and Reel" on Medieval Spinning Technique at the 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies. She also loves to teach classes in the SCA and within the Heathen community.
 
At work she is a Unix Systems Administrator who just played a major part in a large Nagios implementation and is gradually improving her Perl skills. In the SCA she is known as Mistress AnneLiese Wolkenhaar and is a member of the Order of the Laurel for her textile work.
 
  
 
 
Rebecca
I think it's fair to say that for those who know me, I am a tad quirky. I grew up a child of the woods deep in the heart of PA German culture in PA - playing at the running well in our back yard, inquisitor-extraordinaire, healer-in-progress, and wild plant forager from childhood. Never really interested in the mainstream, I've been largely drawn to mysterious and obscure crafts, and ideas (sometimes to a fault!).
 
As a child, I was not exposed to religion - in any sense. I was not baptized, nor taught to worship. I stepped into a church for the first time at the age of 9 for a wedding, and thus began my search in this new concept of "religion." I quickly came to the conclusion that I had no interest in Christianity by 10 years old. Shortly after I stumbled on neo-Pagan texts. Knowing I wasn't Wiccan or eclectic, I continued my search until I found Heathenry in my late teen years, and have been comfortably nestled "at home" here ever since.
 
I'm currently in my mid-20s. With my husband, Jesse, I have two boys, Draven (7 yrs) and Rowan (5 yrs). My current career path is moving towards being a Naturopathic/Holistic Scientist and Teacher [majoring in Herbalism]. On a more personal note, I think I've always aspired to teach others, and hope to someday be considered an Elder in the ways of natural healing and in our Spirituality and Faith. Some hobbies include sewing, quilting, embroidering, sketching, cooking/baking, brewing mead, gardening, yoga, tai chi, camping & hiking, foraging, herbalism, and spending time with my family. I've also been studying the Runes for many years, and have begun teaching the wider, local community. Our family’s long-term goal is to have a homestead in which we can live self-sufficiently, and indeed remain "wealthy" in our prosperous simplicity that is farming and living.
 
In the Pagan community, I am the "Events & Field Trips Coordinator" of the Reading Pagans & Witches non-profit organization. In addition to the aforementioned Rune classes and studies, Jen and I maintain a bi-weekly Rune Study together with friends of Haukafell kindred. I'm currently learning and working with journeying, and beginning a life-long exploration in Shamanism. Humble and curious, I continue to explore history, time, and the mysteries! 
Wæs thu hal!