Asatru Holidays - January 2024 - Raud the Strong ｜ Þorrablót
Episode Stats
Harmful content
Toxicity
1
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Hate speech
5
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Summary
On January 9th and 20th, we celebrate the Day of Remembrance for Rauld the Strong and Thorblot, and remember the hero who refused to turn his back on his gods, despite being tortured and killed for doing so.
Transcript
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and folk of all ages,
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We're going to talk about the Days of Remembrance and Holidays
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that are celebrated and honored in the Aussie True Folk Assembly
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January holds two special days recognized by the Aussie True Folk Assembly.
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The 9th of the month, as always, holds a Day of Remembrance, and this month it is Rauld the Strong.
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And then we follow that up on January 20th with Thorablot.
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So, let's learn a little bit about these two very special days.
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On January 9th, we celebrate the Day of Remembrance for Rauld the Strong.
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So well known was the hero, Raad the Strong, that his story comes to us from several Icelandic
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sagas, the most common of which is the Heimskringla, a chronicle of the kings of Norway by Snorri
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The story tells of a great seafaring warrior who had Thor and Seder on his side.
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Around the year 1000, the zealous Norwegian king, Olaf Tryggvason, began an expedition
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to North Norway to continue his Christianization of the pagan people.
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Olaf found much success in his efforts, owing largely to his brutal methods of both torturing
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and killing those who refused, but not all were swayed.
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In Godoy, near present-day Bodo, lived the man Raud the Strong.
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Raud was known to have a strong connection with the Sami people, and to own a remarkable
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longship that was larger than any that Olaf himself owned.
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The gold-plated dragon head is what many suppose the popular viking longship designs are based
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Upon hearing that Olaf was heading his way, Raad gathered as many men as he could and
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Despite everything, however, Raad found himself overwhelmed and had to retreat from the battle.
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The story says that Roud was able to sue Seder to call on the winds to speed him home safely while also blocking Orof Tryggvason's chase.
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Though he made it home, Roud was eventually caught by Orof Tryggvason.
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Despite the king's efforts, however, Raoul refused to turn his back on his gods despite
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In the end, he was killed when a live snake was forced down his throat.
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Many of Raoul's men following his example were also killed after refusing to convert.
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Some might make the argument that it is better to fight and die rather than retreat in shame.
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For every one of us sitting here reading this, however, one of our ancestors made a different
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For many of our ancestors, death was the best option.
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Which of us ever chooses to be killed in a horrible, painful way?
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To convert was to turn his back on his heritage, to turn on his honor, and to turn on his courage
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They lived in a world in which men and women could be killed for choosing to remain loyal
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We are exceptionally lucky that we live in a society that allows us the freedom to worship
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The very same society that allows us to worship our gods, however, does not do so without
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That society, so unlike the sort of tribal society our ancestors lived in, would tell
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They would tell us who is allowed to worship our gods, and if society would try to harm
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us for choosing to be doing it differently, then they tell us we are allowed to do it.
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We don't face the same torture and death as Raoul Destron for choosing to worship our
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gods our way, but we do face the possibility of austerization from society.
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Or even our families can turn their backs on us for disagreeing with the rules they've given us.
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We are not free from the effects of the multicultural paradigm, but we don't have to bow to it.
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Like Raad the Strong, we can stand tall and be proud of who and what we are.
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We are as the true are, but rather strong, we can stand against those who would tell
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us to turn our backs on what we know to be true.
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We can live with honesty, with courage, and with honor.
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Thoroblot is an Icelandic mid-winter festival, dedicated to, as the name describes, Thor.
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Thoroblot is named after the Icelandic month of Dori, from the historic calendar, and ran
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Though Thorblot is a relatively modern social celebration in Iceland, there is reference
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in the Fláteir book that states that the Kvinns offer a yearly sacrifice to Thóri
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Typically, Thorblot is celebrated by gathering together and eating many of Iceland's traditional
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foods and by singing, reciting poems, and telling stories.
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Some good ways to celebrate Thorbrot include eating traditional Icelandic foods such as
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Hecaro, putrefied shark, Blothmull, blood suet, filled sausage or black pudding,
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Hruitsbrunger, ram's scrotum with testicles, Rundabagi, lamb's fat or sheep's fat, or
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sweet buttered sheep's head. Don't worry if these are unavailable or simply not
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to your taste, eating goat and goat products such as goat cheese or goat
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milk are also appropriate options. Called by some as the cabin fever holiday,
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Thoroblot is a great way to liven up the doldrums of midwinter.
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So take some time to light a fire and make merry.
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Have the folk tell stories or recite poems about Thor.
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Eat, drink, and enjoy the company of folk and family.