Category: Ranting Recon

The Rocky Road to Hel

By Xander

On July 17, 2017

Hel is frequently presented as a dreary, gray realm; ruled by an unforgiving goddess of the same name. A cold and thankless land for those who die of old age or illness. There's even a pit where the vilest souls who enter that domain are kept. Firmly undesirable real estate, to say the least! There's just one problem. There is only ONE source for this narrative, and it conflicts with just about every other source we have....

Editorials , Ranting Recon

Reconstructing Runic Magic (Part 2)

By Xander

On May 15, 2017

After our previous article on reconstructing historically accurate Pre-Christian runic magic, I got a lot of requests for a follow-up. Our 'practical application' section on that article was pretty s

Editorials , Ranting Recon

Reconstructing Pre-Christian Runic Magic

By Xander

On April 11, 2017

It's no secret that the subjects of magic and mysticism are a bit of a hot-button topic among Heathens. Arguments for or against aside, one thing I think most Heathens of any persuasion can agree upon

The Reconstructionist Method

By Xander

In Editorials , Ranting Recon

On October 27, 2016

Reconstructionist Heathenry. For a phrase that's so widely used throughout our community, there seems to be an awful lot of misconceptions about what it actually means.

Editorials , Ranting Recon

How To Write Old Norse In Runes

By Xander

On September 15, 2016

An in-depth guide on transcribing Old Norse into runes!

Editorials , Ranting Recon

The Younger Futhark Runes: An Instructive Guide

By Xander

On August 10, 2016

Last time we covered the Elder Runes, which are the ones most people learn first. This is primarily because they have enough characters with similar sounds to function as letters in modern English. Th

“What is Valhalla, and who goes there?”

By Xander

In Editorials , Ranting Recon

On July 30, 2016

Many aspects if our tradition end up getting oversimplified into easy to swallow 'Christianized' binaries. This is most evident in the modern concept of Valhalla. I so often see Valhalla, or in Old Norse: Valhöll, described as this kind of glorious "Heathen Heaven”; a golden hall in Asgard where every day is filled with Fighting and Feasting and Fff....'Frolicking'... The idea of Valhöll goes so much deeper than that, and it's such a shame to see this fundamental part of our tradition's worldview so often be either misunderstood or blatantly misrepresented.

Editorials , Ranting Recon

The Elder Futhark Runes: An Instructive Guide

By Xander

On July 22, 2016

The Elder Futhark are the runes that just about everybody learns first, and they're what you'll see on just about every set of divinitory runes you'll likely ever see in a shop. We're going to take th

Editorials , Ranting Recon

Did the Vikings Have Totem Animals?

By Xander

On July 18, 2016

Did the ancient Heathens have some concept of a 'spirit guide' or 'totem animal'? The answer might surprise you.

Ranting Recon: Becoming The Beast

By Xander

In Editorials , Ranting Recon

On June 9, 2016

Heathenry has always had a fascination with wolves. From ancient sagas to modern Facebook groups, the image of the wolf is ubiquitous. Among most modern Heathen groups the wolf is often seen as a symbol of strength, willpower, and fierce loyalty. However, while the wolf as a symbol might be a constant in our traditions, its meaning is not. Far from being a positive totem of our community, the wolf was the quintessential 'monster to the ancient Germanic cultures. So in a community that's rather focused on preserving the old Lore, how and why did this shift manage to occur?

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