Welcome

Eplagarðr Kindred

Eplagarðr Kindred is a group of family and close friends who have joined together to honor and worship the Norse Gods and Goddesses, the Ancestors and the Landvaettir. We are a diverse group with varying backgrounds and interests (see below), but we are united in our bonds with each other and in our desire to follow the path of our Northern ancestors. Among us, we have those who are drawn primarily to the Ancestors, those who are drawn more to the Landvaettir, and those who have close connections with the Gods and Goddesses, so we honor each equally.

Eplagarðr Kindred formed in August, 2004 and currently has 7 members. We hold monthly lore meetings and regular blots - including 3 or 4 public blots a year.

We also have some avid (and very skilled) brewers among us and quite enjoy the fruits of their labors. Every event we have features mead made by our Kin.

For more information on the setup and organization of our Kindred, you can read our Bylaws here.

Ratatask Thora

I am Ratatask Thora. I am the the Gythja of the Kindred and a Steward for The Troth.

I am a follower of the Norse Gods and have a strong connection with the Disir and Alfar - the ancestors. I have always been drawn to the deities of pre-Christian Europe as well as to Nature. My Physics & Astronomy background just made my reverence of Nature and observance of the changes of the season stronger. The more I have learned about Heathenism, the more I find what has always been a part of me. It just makes sense to me.

North
Hey I'm North.

I am Husband to Ratatask and Blood brother to SpiralDancer. I run the c0ampground where Epladalr Winternights Gathering is held. I have a strong connection with nature and my ancesters.

Aesa
Aesa I am.

My blood from my Father is Scottish & Irish. My blood from my Mother is Russian & German. I am the third generation born on this soil on both sides.

I honor the cultures of my Ancestors, while I hear their voices but faintly. In my time on this path I have founded an ADF Grove which I serve as Senior Druid, and in many areas of my life I find myself in the position of a teacher. I am sure my beliefs have something to do with all of the above.

Andy
Hello, I'm Andy. I came to Heathenism partially because my family is of German and English descent, but mostly because Freyja smacked me in the head with a blunt instrument and this is where I found myself when I woke up. I recently started brewing, and have been pleased with what I have produced so far. I have also spent a good bit of time studying the runes, which I'm sure I will begin to understand properly any day now. Despite my best efforts to integrate myself with humanity, I still identify more with cats.

StormCrow

I am Stormcrow.

I do not really believe anything. Belief has never made much sense to me.

I am of Danish/English blood for the most part, and the flavor of the Norse has entrenched itself in my bones. I speak to the norse gods throughout the day as though they were my friends and boon companions, and they speak back to me in many ways. They have become a very rich part of my life and help me to maintain a magical mystical frame of mind even before the cold onslaught of my programming carreer.

This does not cause any conflict in my mind to me. I do not feel the need to make sense of it. It just is. Instinctual. This is me.

SpiralDancer

Hi, I'm SpiralDancer, the captured Celtic bride of Stormcrow *grin*. Former practitioner of Celtic religion and senior druid emeritus of Little Acorn Grove, ADF, my beliefs are fluid and like most choices we make, subject to change. And so it is not belief in the Gods but a song in my bones which calls me to the northern ways. My heritage is Irish, Scottish and Norwegian. For me the pull of Norse culture and religion is in the pull of hearth and kin, and in the voices of ancestors I haven't met, but merely felt the presence of in cairn and on hilltop.