Yuletide in the Ozarks
By Shade McCurdy
When the original plans for Raven Folk United’s Yule event fell through at the last minute, starting over from scratch was a daunting task. However, in a gesture of true hospitality, one of our members opened his home to dozens of our folk to celebrate this special time of year. Thanks to the perseverance and dedication of our folk, this became a very merry and profoundly authentic gathering in the name of our faith. The only effect adversity had was making it all the more memorable.
First, we learned just how cold an Ozark winter night can be. Howling winds and bone-chilling fog seemed to tell us that the Wild Hunt was riding directly over our tents. But our folk were not discouraged. We learned from our experience and knew how to better prepare for tomorrow! From meal-prep to brush-clearing, many preparations had to be made.
The land we all stayed on was a tract of hundred of acres of beautiful mountain slopes and forests. To travel from the house to the blót site, we had to descend a 250 foot elevation change on a rugged rocky path that stretched over half a mile in length. At the bottom was a quiet grove surrounded by bluffs, covered by towering sycamores, and peppered with gravel from past floods in the meandering creek.
Here, beneath the full moon, we held a blót to Heimdall, opening the gates between Midgard and the halls of our gods and ancestors, so that they might partake in the frith of our gathering. Goði Cato’s recital of praised kennings and lore in Old Norse was echoed in English by Desiree Alwine, masterfully weaving the meaning and clarity that both languages have to offer. Rune lots cast a fortuitous new year for our folk, assuring us that our continual efforts would be rewarded.
Hail Heimdall! The steadfast watchman of Asgard, bringer of culture, and warder of the bridge between gods and man!
Soon after, with the full moon even higher in the sky, we had a Dísablót led by Desiree. She prefaced the ritual with a reading from the Merseburg Charms, speaking about some of the powers of the Idisi, for which they would be invoked. We each called out names of departed maternal ancestors, welcoming them into the blót circle to receive our loving gifts.
Hail the Dísir! Honored mothers, protectors, and weavers of fate!
In the morning, the strange and beautiful frost flowers had bloomed under the stems of all the plants in the valley.
It was a day of continued preparations, as well as cheerful conversations around campfires and tables. Folk from all over the region took some time getting to know one another. For some of our members, it was a reunion with familiar faces. For others, it was the first time they had gotten to shake hands with those they had only spoken to online. For others still, this was the first in-person event they’d ever attended with other heathens. Camaraderie fueled visions about what could be accomplished in a community of our own.
In the afternoon, men sparred while women practiced archery. In the evening, we all enjoyed a hearty home-cooked meal together.
At Óðinnsblót, we returned once again to the deep dark grove and ignited the sun wheel, which is always a brightly blazing spectacle that seems to bring Sunna’s very own might and warmth into our vé. Goði McCurdy hallowed the circle with a bellowing voice, and invoked Óðinn with poetic prowess. As our folk galdred, each of us took turns approaching our honored guest, Rom the goat, whispering messages into his ear for him to take across the veil. His blood was collected in a bowl and offered into the fire, along with etched runes and ashes of the late Goði Mike Hunter. The moment was filled with reverence—one that is sure to have a lasting impression on those who were gathered to witness it.
Hail Óðinn! Father of the slain, great sacrificer, and guide to wandering spirits!
We returned once more to the gravelly grove the next morning for a blót to Njörðr. Our host led us to a natural spring, where we collected pure water from within the earth while the children searched for fossilized shells and other eye-catching stones in the creek to place on the altar, along with our offerings of four kinds of incense. We then asked for Njörðr’s blessings as Goði McCurdy ladled the water into our cupped hands—a rite intended to wash away the weight of any woes from the past year.
Hail Njörðr! God of the winds and waves, and bringer of wealth and joy!
That evening, our folk feasted on deer chili and smoked meat from Rom the goat. Then we trekked out to the woods with dried orange slices, baubles, candy canes, and strings of popcorn to adorn a chosen tree with gifts to the land wights.
At that moment, a cloaked wanderer appeared beside a flickering lantern. He read aloud to the children from pages that glowed, reminding them of the magical meaning to this time of year and the importance of their actions.
We returned from the cold outdoors and toasted our most hospitable hosts with a round of warm wassail. While the children assembled gingerbread houses, the adults partook in a gift exchange and an auction of handmade crafts and donated items. This came to a climax with a bidding war over a hand-burned wooden bowl, only for the winner to give the bowl to his competing bidder in a show of Yuletide frith. Cheerful spirits caused laughter and applause to fill the house.
Finally, the night concluded with a sumbel, which always gives rise to some of the deepest parts of ourselves for all to see. Even under the frigid night sky, there was warmth in the acknowledgment of one another’s words about those they hold dear. The days had passed quickly, but we all would have precious gifts to return home with.
I am honored to call these men and women my folk. Together, we make sacrifices so that we may become wiser, stronger, and bolder. Every in-person event reminds us of the kinds of communities we should be living in. Our ancestors knew the Way. Though it has been gone for quite some time, the Way did not die out. Like the winter sun, it will rise again. This is the beginning of our renewal.
May you and yours enjoy the bright blessings of this Yuletide season!