by Harvald Odinson Jones, 1519-CG

Even before I started walking down the Northern road, that is Odinism, I had heard the phrase “free man’s religion” many times. The phrase is one of the things that drew me to this path. Now Odinism isn’t a path that is absolutely free of all guidelines and dogma’s, for it does have a few. But, it is a path where one is allowed quite a bit of leeway when it comes to one’s interpretation of the lore. Does this mean that one could “go rogue” and interpret things just anyway that he see’s fit to? He could, but people tend to be drawn to other people who have similar interpretations as their own. So, when one has a “unique” interpretation he/she soon finds out how right or wrong their theories really are. Some may even base what they do upon the Havamal (Sayings of the High-one,) and follow it to the strictest letter of the law. Even if they were to do that, it wouldn’t be right or wrong, just how they choose to honor and respect their Gods. And if this were the case it would only be a “spiritual law”, because they chose to make it so.

After I started learning and walking the path of Odinism, I soon started hearing “free man’s religion” with a different tone. One where people were using it to excuse their drinking and/or drug habits. They had come up with an image of our ancestors as a bunch of mead guzzling drunks who did whatever they wanted, wherever and whenever. They got this image from a handful of passages from the lore, comic books and the stereotypical image from the idiot box. They meshed it all together and said, “Hey, this is how my ancestor’s lived, so that’s how I’m gonna, buuurp!”

Now, I figured that this was just a prison attitude. I thought this because let’s face it, prison for the most part is filled with “bad little boys who do whatever they want.” And I could start to see why people on the streets, in their kindred’s full of family and friends didn’t want a bunch of rowdy yahoos around to disturb what they had going on out there. I never agreed with the total shunning that most civilians do to convicts (unless money was involved), but could see why if that was how they acted. I had always thought that it would be a good idea if people on the streets, in their attempt to promote the Odinist path, could “adopt a convict”. In doing this, stronger ties could be forged through out our Nation and that growth could occur from people sharing their interpretations and things that they had learned.

In the late nineties, a couple of brothers of mine asked if I would like to read some Odinist magazines and I gave my typical approval answer, “sure”. Just having started my walk on the Northern path, I was always looking to learn as much as I could, whenever I could. So, I tore through the maga­zines. I found excellent articles, ritual items for sale, a yearly event calendar and kindred reports. Ahhh.. kindred reports, a look into the free persons way of following our wonderful path. A chance to see how they did things, that was supposedly so much better than how we did them. The main magazine at the time was World Tree’s “Vor Tru”. This magazine had quite a few photo’s, photo’s of people sitting around drinking. Now, I’m not talking about during blot, but around fires, at picnic tables, etc. I was seeing a lot of the same behavior throughout these magazines that I was here in Fetter’s Grove. When it came down to it, it seemed that people whether they were or not in Fetter’s Grove were acting the same, burp!!

I’m not here to talk down to anyone, but how I see it as a funda­mental Odinist, is that we should follow our spiritual path how our ancestors would’ve, as a spiritual path. Lucky for us and thanks to Snorri Sturluson, we have a glimpse of how they did things back then, in the Eddas and other saga’s. And it would appear that sometimes great, great Grandpa Sven also liked the taste of the honey wine a little too much. So much so, that they had to warn against draining too many drinking horn’s in one night, in the Havamal.

Stanza 11
No better burden can a man
carry on the road
than a store of common sense;
a worse journey provisioning he couldn’t carry
over the land than to be too drunk on ale.

Stanza 12
It isn’t as good as it’s said to be,
ale, for the sons of men;
for the more he drinks,
the less he knows
about the nature of men.

Stanza 13
The heron of forgetfulness hovers
over the ale-drinking; he steals men’s wits;
with the feathers of this bird
I was fettered in the court of Gunnlod.

Stanza 14
Drunk I was, I was more than
drunk at wise Fialar’s; that’s the best sort of
ale-drinking when afterwards every man gets
his mind back again.

Stanza 17
The fool gapes when
he comes on a visit,
he mutters to himself or keeps silent;
but it’s all up with him
if he gets a swig of drink;
the man’s mind is exposed.

Stanza 19
A man shouldn’t hold onto the cup but
drink mead in moderation,
it’s necessary to speak or be silent;
no man will blame you for impoliteness
if you go early to bed.
(Larrington translation)

Now, I have been called a teetotaler before by my brothers and friends and that’s alright, but that wasn’t always the case I can guarantee you that. I sacrificed my love of the drink so that I could become who I was meant to be and to do my part in strengthening Odin’s Holy Nation. And I will always keep the wisdom of the Havamal in my mind next to the first stanza of the rede of honor! 1. In all that you do, always consider its benefit or harm upon yourself, your children & your folk. Also, the 14 codes of the Aryan ethics:
3. Act nobly and courageously, always considering the consequences of your actions, as the effects of your deeds live on after you pass from Midgard.
So, let me ask you a question, did you start walking the Northern road because of it’s spiritual freedom or because you thought that it gave you a freedom to enjoy your spirits?

Always for the growth and strengthening of Odin’s Holy Nation
and the Fourteen words!
HAIL ODIN!