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Our Kin
A brief biography about each of our members (not in any particular order).
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 “Lorelei Ranveig” 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. 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!).
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!
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
Hail there!
Let’s see… I’m 25 yrs old, wife of
Jesse, and mother of two boys, Draven (6 yrs) and Rowan (4 yrs). I’m presently
working on my R.N., and a Bachelor's degree in Medical Sciences. Upon
graduation, I’ll enroll in the
Univ. of Bridgeport's Naturopathic to ultimately become a Naturopathic Family
Physician (similar to an M.D., but with a concentration on alternative medicine). I greatly aspire to be a teacher and scientist in the field. 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.
As a kid I was into writing and implementing plays and essays from encyclopedia's for fun. I
still do the same thing with Herbalism and Manual therapies...and more recently
the medicinal benefits of Apitherapy, and even Metheglins. Some hobbies include textile arts
(sewing, clothing reconstruction, quilting, knitting & [most recently]
naalbinding & weaving), general crafting, painting, researching,
cooking/baking, mead brewing, gardening, yoga, camping & hiking, and
spending time with my husband and two boys. 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 "Events & Field Trips Coordinator" of the Reading Pagans & Witches organization. This basically means I help organize field trips,
charity events, social gatherings, and festivals (such as the PA May Faire,
Imbolc Expo & Gathering, and Pagan Pride Day) for the local Pagan
community. I hold Rune classes for those interested. I'm currently learning and working with journeying, and beginning a life-long journey into Shamanism and journeying.
I'm adventurous, inquisitive, innovative (at least I try to be!),
spontaneous, and frithful. Come join me [us!] in a good conversation, and have a cup of tea or a horn of mead, and spiced pumpkin bread I'll bake just for the occasion!
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