The following text was written by Frank Ottosson, a board member of the Nordic Asa-Community, for a Facebook group associated with the Nordic Asa-Community. Oaths and Oath Rings – The Bonds of Honor and Law in the Old Norse Society In Old Norse society, an oath was one of the most binding actions a person could undertake. A promise was not merely a verbal assurance but a sacred obligation, a bond between individuals, the gods, and örlög (fate) itself. Swearing an oath meant placing one’s life, honor, and future in the hands of the gods, and breaking it was to defy both human and divine laws. Oaths permeated all aspects of society and were used in legal proceedings, alliances, trade, warfare, and daily life. At the thing (assembly), an oath could decide a dispute when evidence was lacking. The one swearing an oath before the legal assembly often had to place their hand on an oath ring, a sacred object made of silver or iron, which was kept in temples or carried by chieftains and jarls. These rings were not merely symbolic—archaeological finds from Uppsala, Uppåkra, and Torsbjerg bog show that such rings were indeed used in ritual and legal contexts. In Njál’s Saga, the law-speaker Hrut swore an oath before the thing to assert his right to an inheritance, and in Eyrbyggja Saga, an accused man attempted to prove his innocence through oath-taking. The oath functioned as a legal guarantee, and anyone who lied under such an oath risked not only their reputation but also the wrath of the gods. But oaths were not sworn only in court. In war, the oath was a way to bind men to one another and to their chieftain. Warrior bands swore oaths of loyalty by touching an oath ring, a custom mentioned in the Kings’ Sagas. Breaking such an oath was an insult to both men and gods and could lead to blood vengeance. In the Völsunga Saga, Sigurd swore loyalty to King Gunnar but broke his oath through deceit and manipulation, setting off a chain of vengeance and bloodshed. Similar themes appear in The Lay of Atli, where betrayal and broken oaths are described as the cause of King Atli’s downfall. For a Norseman, oaths were also part of everyday life. In marriage, vows of fidelity were made; in trade, oaths were sworn regarding the quality of goods; and between friends and foster brothers, oaths could seal eternal loyalty. In Laxdæla Saga, a broken oath of loyalty led to a prolonged feud where honor demanded bloody retribution. Those who broke their word risked being labeled a níðingr, an outcast with no rights or protection in society. Being called a níðingr was one of the worst insults a person could suffer, and there were few ways to restore one’s honor after such a disgrace. The gods do not look kindly upon oath-breakers. Loki, who once swore a blood-brother oath with Odin but later betrayed the gods, is destined to be bound in a cave while venom from a serpent slowly drips onto him. His fate reflects the inevitable justice that befalls those who break their oaths. The gods demand loyalty and honor, and those who violate their oaths can expect divine wrath to find them sooner or later. The oath was not only a promise between people but also a connection between humans and the gods. In the Landnámabók, an oath ring in the temple at Uppsala is mentioned, used in religious ceremonies and legal proceedings. Similar finds have been made in Norway, where large silver and iron rings connected to temples and chieftain seats have been discovered. In Heimskringla, it is told how kings and chieftains carried such rings and had their men swear oaths of loyalty by placing their hands upon them. Thus, oaths were more than just words. They were a link between people and gods, between the past, present, and future. Archaeological finds, sagas, and legal texts show how deeply rooted oath-taking was in Old Norse society. To swear an oath was to take örlög (fate) into one’s own hands, to place one’s life in the scales of the gods. Keeping one’s oath was to preserve one’s honor, one’s rights, and one’s place in the world. Breaking it was to lose everything. And even today, the gods watch over the oaths that are sworn, and those who break them do so to their own ruin. How do you view oaths today? How seriously do you take the promises you make? And what does it truly mean to keep one’s word in a world where oaths and promises have, in many ways, lost their value?

IT'S A WARRIOR INSIDE YOU https://youtu.be/PyosKhN05JM

I'm happy to share with you new song and video. This is the cover of shooter's song, written in 1916 year and devoted to Warrior died in the battle on Lysonya mountain on the West of Ukraine. It says that: he shouldn't have died, instead of he was to marry with his beloved, and now his girl floriates his grave and the wind is spreading aroung this song about his glory https://youtu.be/h57tBsEp1WA

The past of my country is nearly closed. We have extreme lack of information. Currently there is a huge stream of history reconstruction. And we are like children with lost parts of puzzle, who even don"t have enough money for pencils to fix hypotheses. The main obstacle is the absence of key artifacts.. we couldn"t manage to keep in safe any grave of our ancient leaders. Here is the new expositions in Nation museum of History - "Ancient belief" and "Kyiv in 10-12th century". First presents artifacts of Scythians - their dishes, weapons, jewellery and second - artifacts concerning to the first huge christian church in Kyiv - Desyatynna(Tithe). As it was told in our "Povist vremenyh lit"(The Tale of Time) written by monks, this church was built on the place of some Warrior-Northman, who became a christian and who refused to sacrifice his son for the Ukrainian pagan god of thunder Perun. He was killed by anry pagans and then.. christians admitted him as saint and chose the place of his house for the church.. Several Princes including Volodymyr Velykyj were buried there according to the Tale. But there are no archeological proofs. In the end of 20th century there was found one origin wood sarcophagus with skeleton and weapon.. Very massive teeth.. Hope it could be studied thoroughly and may be reconstructed with scanning

A Warrior King rising from the central sun, bursting forth from a gloomy skull underneath that he was imprisoned and oppressed in. He has a couple swords. I think of these as my forge in a way. How I connect with and what I experience as the realm of the Æsir. I had an audio track I did today quickly for it but can't upload videos. Maybe I'll YouTube it later if I can get a minute to

This is a skry I did, it's a version of Freyja. Standing at the front of a longship, coming into land. In her center is the rune Ingwaz. So these banners of pure vibrations are all around. Bifrost is present. To me, knowing the rune Ingwaz, it challenges the stereotypes that if you saw longships coming, you were about to get brutally raided, and nothing more intellectual ever happened in history. That's just not true. There's pretty much no other alphabet I know of where a letter is the symbol for bringing peace and harmony and uniting once conflicting peoples. Even the warrior rune Tiwaz is strongly linked with diplomacy. Those who could be trusted with the battles were those who knew this and lived it. Vikings are some of the most openly diplomatic open hearted people who know you're only as strong as your weakest person among you. When you are that way, you are betrayed so often. Vikings weren't just out to be aggressive plunderers. They took on such a sadness from being so betrayed over and over in history often warped. When you feel betrayed because you were being open, warm, inviting, vulnerable showing your joy among those who are cold and predatorial, remember this. It will give you spirit and strength to keep going without betraying who you are. P.S. sorry about the watermark. I have no need for them here. This was done before I found you here.

Unnamed Celtic Tribal Ally. He holds a shield and that medicine shield is before the world, and made up of the world. Side profile, in guardian battle stance. In the background are waters he protects, seen as falls and mists that become streams, springs. In the shape-shifting that is going on, The top of his headdress is the bright red representative of the blood. In the blood is also the bright red of plant colors, as in the blood feeding the Earth. At the very front of the warrior side profile, you might make out, looking diagonally downward, the Bull, who's tongue comes out waving and twisting, issuing forth raging life and intense magic. Heaving primordial air. Sky element. A woad spiral emanates of his forehead, which is like the top of the waterfalls here. The red continues and you can see it is the mouth in the mask of the elements expressing and giving him an animal power. The antlers or horns point forward as a gesture, at the very top central in the space. You might see dragon or serpentine faces and presence throughout, making a complex knotwork. I'm sober, I like to mention. I often get asked 'so, what were you on, and can I have some?' With the amount of energies that come through, being not sober can actually be detrimental. That, and it's extremely hard to sit still and discipline. I couldn't tell you that unless I have tried in the past. Being more kinetic, if I'm not sober, I'll wander to and fro. I wanted to do something that marks the Spring transition and taps into the that aspect of my lineage of my personal tree. Woad is intentionally everywhere interacting with the vibrant green. It has elements of fertility mixed with battle. Medicine and healing mixed with power and strength.

Úlfhéðnar: The Óðinnic Wolf Cult To preface this, this won't be a historical post on the Úlfhéðnar. This is something from my personal practice, inspired by history and used for the current modern time of Norse Paganism. For me and my journey Wolves have been a staple of my practice, and my own personality. Something I have embraced fully this past year. My middle name being Ulfr, and from a very young age I knowing my Fylgja. She is a black wolf that watches over me, I have seen her in a few dreams, but mostly others who dream of me see this wolf. My aunt most notably when I was a young boy. And today, most often when my fylgja is seen by others, they see the wolf in distress, and this has alerted a few within my circle of hard times I am dealing with, as I am not generally one to openly speak on what I am dealing with. Anyways, for a long time I was lead to believe the wolf was just bad, untrustworthy, angry, and dangerous, a force of destruction. I've been told many negative things through my life about the wolf, but I looked to the positive aspects of the wolf, protection, loyalty, and one huge factors for me, the untamed primal spirit, Freedom. Now onto this whole "Úlfhéðnar" and "Óðinnic Wolf Cult" thing. In 2022, I started my organization, Úlfung (Wolf Tribe) for all those following the Norse spirituality in my area, and over this last year I've worked on a sort is side project within my organization, The Óðinnic Wolf Cult, something we know somewhat of as we know about the Berserkir, the Úlfhéðnar, and the phenomena of the Germanic Männerbund (Koryos), that became what these warriors were. In general it's been common through history, for many shaman, and warriors alike to wear the pelts of animals and take on their aspects in rituals and battle. So one day I really sat down and asked myself, how would the Óðinnic Wolf Cult today look like? (And of course can't be called Wolf Tribe without some wolf stuff going on 🤣). Now of course, we as Norse pagans, are not warriors like they were in the Viking Age, and before. And we certainly are not Vikings. But the spirit of this Wolf Cult doesn't just die off. So I got to writing, and doing far more research on the subject of the old Koryos, and the Úlfhéðnar in the Viking Age, looking at the phenomena. We know little of what was really practiced, but we can make educated guesses, and interpretations. This is a Faith after all, and we are reconstructing day by day, so long as we don't try and change/rewrite the history and properly acknowledge our Personal Gnosis and Interpretations and make the right distinctions then all is well. So in my interpretation, it looks something like this: To start, it is a Männerbund, or Koryos, a Brotherhood or Band of men, so the first requirement for our group is of course being a man. (Sorry ladies! We also have female only positions within our organization though!) Now as stated we aren't Vikings, and we arent the Úlfhéðnar of legend either. Its 2025, we aren't 'berserking' into battle. So on that, we won't just allow any would be dude with anger issues, who bought same faux fur shoulder pelt all the dudes from the Beard Struggle wear off of Etsy, claiming that he 'See's red when he's angry' and nothing can stop him! (You can see I've had some personal experience there...) And being in America... For Helvede... It seems there's a plethora of guys who know nothing about the spirituality, but they saw something about Berserkers once and it was super MANLY so they become BerserkerVikingKing9000. Now I won't say that fighting is off the table within this though, My inspiration aside from wolves of course, does come along from my profession in Private Contracting. Fighting is kind of a big deal, and being capable of handling yourself and protecting others is a key factor. So we do take a dedication to fitness, and training, and believe each person who chooses to follow this, should be very capable even if it is not exactly necessary. For me, there is no separation between my faith and my work life or anything else. My faith is with me always, and in everything. Infact, my wolf pelt is sitting out on the passenger seat of my car while I'm at work, it's never far from me! Within our 'Wolf Cult' one of the biggest aspects is further embracing the Animistic aspect of the old ways, digging deep into the primal elements of ourselves. Heavily embracing the spirit in all things, and taking it upon ourselves to join efforts in cleaning up parks, wildlife areas and more. While we encourage all of our members to do so, as this faith being Animistic should drive one to that, being conscious of the natural world greatly, it is a Requirement for those in the wolf Cult to do so with their brothers. The Dedication to Óðinn. It is an Óðinnic Wolf Cult after all, and with that we swear not only oaths of fealty, and Loyalty to one another, but we swear to Óðinn, we fight for, learn and follow Óðinn's path. We follow the god of fury and frenzy, acting as his howling winds in the wild. Embracing the wild and primal wolf spirits! Many of our practices involve Utiseta, and trance dancing. Going to sit out in the woods which are most sacred to us in just Wolf Skins, as we work to connect and learn from the ancestors before us, or dancing wildly by the fire howling out in the woods and embracing the primal and free spirit of the wolf. Among all the other practices of Forn Seð. To avoid writing a book here, I am condensing a lot, and keeping it simple, but overall being a part of our Wolf Cult takes a lot of dedication and an unwavering faith in the Animistic ways of Forn Seð. And in terms of dedication, we also require that those who want to be part of it have a genuine wolf pelt to wear. We have ethical sources the pelts must be obtained from, and it benefits Wolf Conservations and efforts. And on the off chance a member hunts and kills a wolf, so long as it isn't them just going out targeting and killing a wolf for the sake of its pelt, and they actually had a reason they had to defend themselves or another from the wolf, we allow them to have that kill be made into a pelt to wear. Anyways, this may all sound silly to some, be an inspiration to others, or something that some don't care much for, and that is okay! But if it inspires you somewhat, than I am glad! Enjoy this fun video in the Koryos for further inspiration and learning as well: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LbIwi1HxmpE Image from the Torslunda Plates

Fairly recent work of mine. About 2 weeks ago. The music is also my own. I am saving up for frostwaveaudio VSTI. Even if they offered it to me for free, I would want to support the project. I look forward to Tagelharpa happening soon. The drums I'm working with now are 246 one shot samples that I crafted myself into a more Viking sound. The video upload here is also to show my layers and some of what goes on behind the scenes. My art is not simple AI prompt downloads. As a designer I feel that is important to share. I love traditional mediums, but when it comes to specifically anything energy working graphic design helps me move mountains in a matter of hours. Simply because I've been doing it so long as a discipline. My methods are self-taught. You may be able to see a face right in the center, a face of a warrior who was slain long ago who is revived in my craft. The runes are also my work. So they look like my versions of going and downloading them from somewhere. I am Kráka

Today, on International Women's Day, we honor women – those who have borne, shaped, and guided our world throughout history. But to fully understand and appreciate the strength and role of women, we must look back to the societies of our ancestors. In the Old Norse countries, women were not a shadow in the men’s world – they were a force, creators, and decision-makers. Their voices carried weight, their hands governed the farm and household, and their will shaped the future of the clan. Our foremothers held a position that, in many respects, was stronger than in many contemporary societies in Europe. They could own land, engage in trade, and even negotiate and participate in legal disputes. Widows or single women could assume full responsibility and manage their own affairs without a guardian. In the legal compilation Grágás, clear provisions exist regarding women's rights to own property and seek divorce. Women who were housewives ruled the household and were responsible for the finances within the home. They held the keys to the storerooms, a symbol of their authority. But women were not just household managers – they could, for example, be warriors, gyðja, and experienced traders. Stories of women like Freydís Eiríksdóttir, who, according to the Greenland Saga, took up arms and defended her people, or Lagertha, the sharp-witted and feared shield-maiden mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus, show that women were not confined to the home. Archaeological finds, such as the graves in Birka, testify to female warriors and women in trade. This shows that women not only possibly participated in warfare but likely held high military ranks. Saga literature, such as the saga of Egil Skallagrimsson, mentions strong and decisive women like Egil's grandfather Myrkjartan and his sister Thorgerd, who did not hesitate to make their own decisions and put men in their place. But then came Christianity. With missionaries and swords, the new faith spread across the Nordic countries, and with it, the position of women changed. The old customs, where women had influence and could exercise power, were deemed heathen and should be replaced by the church's order. The Catholic Church brought laws that restricted women's freedoms, such as making them legally subordinate to their husbands and limiting their rights to own land. Women lost the right to be leaders in spiritual life – the völvas disappeared into the shadows. With Christian legislation, such as the Norwegian Kristinréttir laws from the 1200s, it was established that women must submit to their husbands, and their previous rights were curtailed. But the strength of women can never be suppressed. Our strong foremothers live on in today’s women – in those who dare, in those who fight, in those who refuse to be silenced. Every woman who raises her voice for justice, every woman who refuses to be chained by norms, is an heir to the pagan women who once ruled, defended, and shaped their own destiny. So, on this day, International Women's Day, let us honor the women who came before us and the women who today carry forward the legacy of strength, wisdom, and courage. Let us remember the völvas who whispered the words of fate, the housewives who ruled with a firm hand, the shield-maidens who lifted the sword, and the women who refused to bow to a world that sought to make them small. Hail our foremothers! Hail the women of today! May your strength never fade, may your voices never be silenced!