Ásatrú Holidays - December 2025
Episode Stats
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Summary
Eil Skalagrimson was an Icelandic poet, warrior, farmer, and runemaster. His skills as both a scald and berserker showed early on in life and would be carried with him for the rest of his days.
Transcript
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and folk of all ages, you know what time it is.
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It's time for the Holidays, Holy Days, and Days of Remembrance for the month of December.
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It is December. It is Yuletide coming up very soon.
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Get your stockings ready, your trees put up, and hang that tassels.
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First up this month, though, is the Day of Remembrance for our hero, El Skullergrimson, on December 9th.
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And we follow that up on the 18th for the first Day of Remembrance for brand new hero, King Seward.
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The 20th through the 31st, the 12 days of Yule.
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And, as I said, on December the 9th, just about a week away, the Day of Remembrance for Eil Skalagrimson, born 904, Common Era, passed away 995, Common Era, he lived a long life.
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Eil Skalgrimson, born in 1904 Common Era, was an Icelandic poet, warrior, farmer, and
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His parents were Skalgrimr Kveldolfsson and Bera Ingvar's daughter.
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Skalgrimr was a renowned and respected chieftain back in Norway, but migrated to Iceland with
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his wife and four children so he could be free from the influence of King Harald Ferherr.
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He composed his first poem at the age of three and took revenge on another boy for cheating
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His skills as both a scald and berserker showed early on in life and would be carried
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Here I am at the hearth of my host Dingvar, the generous who grants gold to heroic men.
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Three handed fosterer, you'll find no three year babe among bards more brilliant than
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His most famous tale of rune magic involves healing a deathly sick woman.
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A local landowner had attempted to cast a love spell with runes carved into a bone,
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which was placed under her pillow, but had mistakenly cast a spell of illness on the
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El burned the illness runes and carved a healing spell instead.
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Upon healing the sick woman, he recited a poem and famously said,
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Runes none should drave ever, who knows not to read them.
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Later in his life, Eilus killed a retainer of King Erik Bloodaxe and Queen Gudhildr,
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starting a blood feud that would last for the rest of their lives.
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Queen Gudhildr sent her two brothers to take vengeance on Eilus,
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but they were quickly sent to join their ancestors in Hell's Hall.
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Once Erik Bloodaxe became king of Norway soon after, he declared Eil an outlaw and sent a company of men after him.
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They too were killed in their attempt to subdue the war poets.
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Before finally leaving Norway, Eil killed King Eiriker's son, Rögenvald, and placed a horse's head on a nitting pole, saying,
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Here I set up a neet pole, and declare this neet against King Ereker and King Gunhildr.
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I declare this neet that the land spirits there, and the land itself, so that all will
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fare astray, not to hold nor find their places, not until they wreck King Ereker and Gunhildr
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After Eirik and Guthildr found themselves ruling the kingdom of Northumbria in England,
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Eirik soon found himself shipwrecked in their new realm.
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Eirik went to the home of his friend Ernenbjörn,
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who advised him to offer his head to King Eirik in hopes that he would spare his life.
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Arnborn made a case for Eirik, while Eirik himself composed a short poem for the king.
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Erik and Gudhildr were not swayed by this and told Eil that his offenses against them
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His execution was ordered to take place the following morning.
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Over what was supposed to be his last night on this side of the vale, Eil composed a twenty-stanza
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When morning came, Eil recited the poem for the king, who was so impressed that he let
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After fighting for the Saxon king Athelstan at the famous Battle of Brunnenburg, Eil
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was rewarded two chests of silver for his service and returned to his farm in Iceland.
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He remained prominent in local politics as he had truly become a legend among his folk.
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He lived to the age of 90 and passed beyond the Vale just before Iceland began converting
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He was revived by five children, all of which he had with his wife, Asgirður Björnsdóttur.
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Erskalgrímsson lived a legendary life of adventure and poetry, of love and war.
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His might and skill as a warrior helped win the most famous battle in Anglo-Saxon history,
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and his prowess in poetry was the height of long tradition of Nordic verse.
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His legacy has lasted over 1,000 years, and it will last thousands more.
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And following after the very interesting and magnanimous life of Eil, we have the Day of
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Remembrance on December 18th for King Sauard, who passed away in 626 of Common Era.
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During the turbulent times of the English Heptarchy, the seven Saxon kingdoms had begun their unfortunate
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conversions to the foreign faith of Christianity. The kingdom of the East Saxons was not unaffected
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by this, with the bishop Meltus attending to the Christians in the Essex city of London.
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King Sebert, father of Sextraith and Saurd, abandoned his troth to the Iser in 604, becoming
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When he died in 616, his two sons took over as kings and ruled the East Saxons jointly.
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Neither of them accepted Christianity, but openly and proudly continued hailing the Aesir
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and rightly restricting Christianity among their people.
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When the kings happened upon Meltus, bishop of London, they were quite annoyed when he
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would give the Eucharist to Christians but not to his kings. Allegedly they said
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to him, Why do you not offer us the white bread that you used to give to our
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father and which you still give to the people? Malthus told them that unless
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they would be baptized in the name of Christ, the white bread would do them no
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good. They responded that they did not need to bathe, but they did want some of the bread
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being handed out to their people. The bishop continued to refuse until the kings became
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very angry and banished him from their kingdom altogether. While these heroes were later
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killed in battle with the West Saxons, their dauntlessness in the face of encroaching Christianity
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is admirable. When the world around them, and even their own father, abandoned the holy
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Isir, King Sexred and King Saurd stood loyal and true. May we all find the courage to keep
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on the path that is true. Hail King Saurd. Hail the Alcetru Folk Assembly.
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And after the Days of Remembrance for this month, we have the Yuletide season. Our biggest,
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brightest and best holiday of the year, 12 Days of Celebration.
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YOL is the 12-day period in December in which we hold our biggest celebrations.
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During the YOL season, we celebrate our families and our tribes and the bonds that hold us
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We celebrate the bright fires of the hearth that keeps us warm
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We have made it halfway through the harshest time of the year
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The sun begins to stay in the sky a little longer each day
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Moving us closer and closer to the fruitful and warm summer
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We celebrate by gathering together to feast and sing songs
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We build strong bonds and traditions that our children remember and pass on.
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We begin the yule season on the 20th of December, called Mother's Night.
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During Mother's Night, we celebrate our ancient mothers, the Desir,
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who kept the hearth flames burning bright.
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One way to celebrate this is distinguish all the lights in the house.
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And if you have children, give them pots and pans.
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Starting at the central part of your home, or the hearth,
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usually the kitchen and the stove, which can be a literal hearth if you have a fireplace,
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let the children chase the ill-whites, or the bad energy, from each room
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by running through the house and banging the pots and pans.
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As you go through each room, light a waiting candle.
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You are bringing the light of the hearth, of the goddess Frigg, of the Dessir, into each room to bless it.
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You can say something simple with each candle you light.
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Like, the goddess Frigg bring love and light into this room.
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Or, the Dessir bless this home and all who live within it.
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Yol ends on December 31st, a time when people can make oaths for themselves for the coming year.
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An AFA tradition started by our esteemed founder, Stephen McNallan, focuses on celebrating 12
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also true virtues, industriousness, justice, courage, generosity, hospitality, moderation,
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community, individuality, truth, steadfastness, loyalty, and wisdom.
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Each night, we light a candle in honor of each of these virtues.
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Founder McNallon has videos for each of these days on our YouTube channel,
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and we recommend that everyone take some time to watch them.
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That is the end of the descriptions and the talks about the holidays, holy days, and days of remembrance for the month of December.
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But you know, I can't leave you without one last plug.
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Coming up this weekend, this Saturday, December 6th,
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dedication for our Hof, the 5th Hof of the Auschwitz Folk Assembly,
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I'll be there, the Ausheria Gothi, many of the Witten, the Gotar,
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the folk builders, apprentices, the founder of our church,
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and his wonderful wife, Founder McNallan, and Githya McNallan will be there,
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At this point, as I'm speaking to you, 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
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If everybody shows up, that is a fabulous thought.
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And just about, only 20 short of an AFA record for attendance at one of our events.
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I bet you we can get there if you guys come out.
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hail the afa and hail victory have a good one y'all