What is the Freehold?

The Heathen Freehold Society (formerly the Asatru Freehold) was founded in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, during the spring of 2002. Since then, the Freehold has grown to include members from all over the province. Our greatest purpose is to assist in the contemporary revival of the elder culture and religion of the ancient Germanic, Teutonic and Nordic tribes. We are also dedicated to studying the many varieties of Germanic Heathenism which have arisen all over the world in the last half century, including Asatru, Odinism, Theodism, Forn Sed, and others, and teaching what we learn to interested others. The Freehold is a confederation of independent Heathen individuals, households, kindreds and tribes who have united around this historic purpose. Now registered as a charitable society, the Heathen Freehold Society is pioneering where no Canadian Heathen have gone before.

The Heathen Freehold Society is celebrating its 7th year of operation. Based in British Columbia, Canada, we are dedicated to the celebration and revival of the aboriginal culture and religion of the Germanic, Teutonic and Nordic tribes.

Welcome to the community website of the Freehold!

The Heathen Freehold Society of BC was conceived as a place where Heathens of all stripes could meet as equals in peace and good fellowship, regardless of path. This website intends to achieve that in an online incarnation (version?), as, spread out as we are, opportunities to meet face-to-face in a group are all too often few and far between.

This website allows us to take up the slack. It is a place where we can meet, chat, plan, and grow the ties that bind a community together.

Some of the forums are accessible to everyone who logs in; others can only be seen if you hold a up to date Freehold membership. Still others, for example, the various Guilds, can be seen by anyone, but can be only posted to by members of those guilds. To join one, simply request membership. A few others are private. To become a member of the Freehold, you have simply to ask a sworn Freeholder to stand for you. Contact our Ombudsman for details.

Please, enter and be welcome! Have a look around, post where you will, and see what we're all about. Someday we hope to meet you in person; in the meantime, join us here in the Freehold Community Website!

News:
Hail,
     As promised at last Althing, the Werman's and Wifman's guild leaders have completed their CPIC screening with the RCMP to make sure there are no offenses, including pardoned offenses, present in police files.  The Werman's guild is where men and boys discuss the issues of manhood, while the Wifman's guild is where girls and women discuss the issues of womanhood.  As these two areas represent the mentoring of the youth by the elders of their own gender, these halls must be held to the highest standards of trust and safety.

     While the Freehold is a place that prides itself on the honourable conduct of its members, we are also a family centred group that values the welfare of children and the vulnerable of our community most highly.  When seeking the standards of proof, we used the CPIC that volunteer and professional groups working with children are required to undergo.

      In our service to the community with the Canadian Rangers, Mikhail, Freydis and myself have had to undergo the full CPIC screening for criminal offenses to assure that we are fit to act in positions of responsibility with minor children.  As part of the transparency we strive for here in the Freehold, I have posted my own CPIC in the files section.

Submitted by John T Mainer


  Click "Read the rest" below for more details, pictures, and links!

Submitted by John T Mainer

[ Read the rest ... ]


On the weekend of May 9-10 the Heimdallsons are hosting a May Day celebration for the Heathen Freehold.  Festivities will include symbel in honour of the Maying, a baby shower for the new arrival of House Heimdallson, and a chance to indulge in a little Airsoft fun on the extensive property.

If anyone wants to come, but needs help with the ride, let's get some talk going on the forums and see how we can carpool more of the folk to the Maying.  May Day is the sacral twin to the Yuletide, and thus one of the most important holy rites of the Heathen year.

Submitted by John T Mainer

Cake or Death?  Inspired by Eddie Izzard's infamous skit, Cake or Death is the spaghetti social of the Heathen Freehold where all manner of Freeholders come together to feast, to vent, to laugh, and to enjoy the hospitality that is the very sinew of our community.  On Feb 15 Joy challenged the Freeholders to Cake or Death, and right readily was she answered.  Our thanks to our hostess for having all of us, and to all the Freeholders and those who aspired to join us, for attending.

While feasting and merriment were the order of the day, we did have the honour of accepting the oaths of both Cam and Kate into our ranks as Freeholders.  Thanks to Aaron for being able to get away from the Navy and the Island long enough to join us in person, and thanks to the Heimdallsons for joining us by webcam chat so that all could join in the discussions, even the most far flung.  Many brave burgers and drinkables were added to the ranks of fallen cakes as much fine food and drink was consumed, but the food however splendid was but a side dish, as the main course was the conversation.  As much as the online community is a way to stay in touch with people, the reality of human bonds is forged face to face.

We have events coming up in May to again gather the Freeholders, and meet our newest Freeholder to (quite shortly) be, and the Poetic Edda reading group, but this is not enough.   The cry of Cake or Death will again ring out in the halls, and we will again assemble the folk to meet and mingle, sharing joys, frustrations, fixations, and fellowship.
Submitted by John T Mainer

The Heathen Freehold, in cooperation with Grimoire's Books, is proud to announce our Norse Discussion Group, or Poetic Edda Reading Group.  Lead by our own Weoh Guildmistress, Cheryl Price, the group has so far fared through the Voluspa and the Havamal, and discussed and galdored runes such as Uruz.

Blessed with a variety of backgrounds and interests, the group has enough depth to give a much greater perspective on the wisdom of the Edda and the mysteries of the runes.  As our hostess Pixie is tolerant when conversations run long, we have been able to go deep into those matters which really catch the interest and tie meaningfully into the lives of the group.

To study the words of the gods and the meaning of the runes is to learn about yourself.  To do it in a company of fellow Heathens is to benefit from the community wisdom that was for so many centuries the foundation of our folk.  If any are interested in attending, please feel free to join us!
Submitted by John T Mainer

Witangamot 2009 is concluded as of Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:07 pm.

A complete record of the discussion of our excutive officers is available here as well as the:

- Agenda;
- Minutes;
- Witan / Executive Officer Roster.

This was our first executive meeting held completely over an electronic medium, in a purely text format. It allowed participation from all our witan no matter the physical location (I personally contributed while up a ladder on a job site while testing someones internet connection), unrushed by limits of meeting time, and allowed a complete record of the entire discussion, and facilitated an easy creation of minutes.

I would encourage all to view the results, and would suggest that the membership was well served by the efforts of their Witan.

-Submitted by Mikhail Heimdallson.
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Heill all!  

With incorporation, the Freehold has entered a new era of responsibility! And with the passing of records to the new Treasurer, we got to see just how, er, shall we say ‘incomplete’ the old records were.

Frankly, things are a bit of a mess, and our coffers, despite the few dollars that are listed on paper, are empty.  

But fear not, brave Freeholders! There is something that you can do to help!  

As it ends up, membership dues have not actually been collected from members for quite some time. Therefore, if you are a sworn Freeholder and have not paid dues (reminders will be sent out shortly, but why wait?), please do so now. You can drop off cash with our Treasurer, or mail him a cheque, or, if you like, you can drop it off in person at any Bank of Montreal. We even take PayPal!  

Membership dues are now only $20.00 per person! That’s right, for less than $1.70 a month you can help support the Heathen Freehold in its objectives of being a place of learning and a friendly meeting place for Heathens of all stripes and flavours!  

If you aren’t a sworn Freeholder, then why not consider swearing? If you’ve been a Friend for more than six months, then all you have to do is find a Freeholder to witness your oath, and you’re in!  

If you’d rather stay a Friend, then why not consider making a donation? With a minimum $20.00 donation, you get the spiffy title of “Contributing Member” added to your profile here, so that with every post, all can see your ring-giving generosity! At $30.00, you get a spiffy graphic added as well, so all may recognise just how awesome you are. That’s still only $2.50 a month! Wow!!  

Want to know how else YOU can HELP? Click on "Read the rest" below!!


[ Read the rest ... ]



Dan Ralph Miller, former Heathen Freehold member, Lawspeaker, Weoh Guildmaster having resigned all membership and place amongst us has since attainted himself oathbreaker.

Before folk, sacred ancestors and gods sworn as Freeholder to obey the laws,  and as Witan to uphold the Witans Oath, whose protections are not forfeit when the Wita has stepped aside (Freehold Law 16.11).

Removed as Guild Leader for non-payment of dues, unpaid debts to Society, entering into debt in the Societies name without prior consent of the Witan in violation of Freehold law, Dan ceased to be eligible to act as Freeholder, as Guild member or leader, Wita, or Lawspeaker (18.18). Rather than honour his debts he offered his resignation from the Freehold to the Freyr ceasing to be Freeholder (per 1.7).

Refusing to meet with the Wita at Witagamot before removal, refusal to meet with Wita in Maethal to settle the dispute after removal, Dan turned his back on the Society.

He has since violated his Witans Oath to protect the secrecy of the members (32.1-2), and held the Freehold up to disrepute and offering slanders and defamation against the Society and its Directors.

By judgement of the Witan of the Freehold, in accordance with Freehold law, Dan Ralph Miller is attainted Oathbreaker!

By the words and vows offered before the folk, the sacred ancestors, and the gods, let him suffer the punshments owed to Oathbreakers of the Witan's Oath.

Dan Ralph Miller, Oathbreaker!
Let all worldly strength be stricken from you!
Let you be a wretch in the eyes of the Freehold and the gods of the Folk!
Betraying this oath has brought dishonour upon your name which will be remembered so long as Freeholders still gang to the Althing!

Submitted by John T Mainer, Freyr.

Would you know more?...click 'Read the rest'...


[ Read the rest ... ]



Welcome my friends to a new era for the Freehold.  Over the past few years we have grown from a small isolated society to a vital community.  We have moved from relative isolation to active participation in the larger community. We have taken the very great step in becoming an official society.  We stand on the cusp of publishing our second revenue generating and fame spreading childrens book.

When I came to the Freehold it took me a while to learn who my fellows were, and what we believed, the resources we shared.  When I joined the Witan, I found to our great sorrow that the first portion of any meeting seemed to be a largely vain attempt to recall what had gone before.  These are understandable first struggling steps of a newborn.

Now we have a tool that allows us to archive all we have to share, a tool that has made more and more ambitious projects not only possibilities, but acheivable realities.  For future Witan we have an archive that will allow all previous rulings to be easily found, all previous discussions reexamined with ease, even if the turning of the years has seen the Witan of the people naturally pass into the hands of the next generation of Heathens.

For purposes of the Society Act, record keeping is not an option, but a requirement, and in this forum we have the tool for not only the archiving of these records, but doing so in such a way as to leave each generation of Freeholder and Wita able to move forward, without needlessly recreating what has already been forged.

For the sake of simplicity, and central archiving, I am going to suggest to the Witan that this forum replace the email list, and I will see if we can retreive any of the old guild hall information from the old Yahoo sites so that these records too can be preserved.

The site has been up and running for some time now, and I am pleased to see more contributions from more members than at any time in our past.  I feel this is indeed the direction for the Freehold to move, and will so ask the Witan to agree.

If there are any questions or concerns, please, lets discuss them now, that the Witan can hear them before the vote is called.
Submitted by John T Mainer

Starting January 10 6-9pm at Grimoires Books will be running Norse Discussion groups.  Organized by our own Cheryl Price, the groups will be a study of the Edda and other great works of Norse culture, and their importance to us now. I invite other Freeholders who are able to join me at Grimoirs Books #102-319 Governors Court New Westminster, (also known as the fortress looking old BC Pen). Alone among the Pagan Book stores of the Lower Mainland, Grimoirs Books has always striven to give Asatru its rightful place, and has been eager to learn our needs, and respond to them.  If Asatru is rightly named the faith that comes with homework, Grimoires Books would be not only be our local library, but hosting our tutorials as well. Submitted by John T Mainer