Midsummer and the Þing
By Shade McCurdy, Lawspeaker
While many Heathens observe Midsummer at the solstice—when Sól travels her highest path across the sky—there are other ways for reckoning the timing of this holiday, such as the lunisolar method, which would place it on tomorrow’s full moon (July 29, 2026).
A Christian monk named the Venerable Bede wrote about Heathen Anglo-Saxon holidays in a book called De Temporum Ratione, or “The Reckoning of Time.” In it, he provides the names for each of the full moons, which he says were a central method by which the Heathens kept track of time. The pair of moons in June and July are called Ærra Līþa and Æftera Līþa, meaning “Earlier Navigable” and “Later Navigable.” This is because the summer months had good weather for traveling. Even today, the idea of a summer vacation is still quite popular.
During the Heathen Era, our ancestors might have travelled for a few reasons: to trade goods with other villages, to explore and claim new territory, to wage war, and to meet with other tribes to make important decisions and discuss plans for the future.
This last sort of occasion was a legal assembly known as a þing—or thing—and was meant for deliberating all kinds of public matters. At the þing, disputes were settled, new laws were enacted, public officials were elected, marriages were arranged, trade took place, and religious rites were observed. There were þings at the local, regional, and national levels, which each fulfilled a role in shaping the destiny of the tribes they served.
In the Icelandic Misseri calendar, Midsummer marked the point for convening the national Alþing. This body was established in 930CE, and though it lost its outwardly Heathen customs, it is the oldest continuously operating parliamentary government in the world.
Heathenry is one of the fastest growing religions today, though it is—admittedly—still somewhat niche. This is most likely due to the majority of practitioners being highly atomized. Thanks to the internet, more Heathens have had the opportunity to connect with each other and learn about our indigenous folkways, but by necessity, this can only be the first step in actually rebuilding a communal way of life which embodies the frith, wisdom, and strength of our ancestors. Creating families, kindreds, and greater communities must come next.
Fortunately, our modern tribes, both big and small, have been steadily approaching a great confluence. With every new relationship made between likeminded individuals and groups, another weft is woven into our tapestry of fate, and all of our ambitions seem ever more attainable through our collective effort.
Someday soon, we are sure to see the gathering of the greatest þing in generations, and together, we will make way for many bright summers in Midgard.
Hail the Gods!
Hail the Folk!
Hail Raven Folk United!
Happy Midsummer!