Announcing the publication of my latest book:
Oaths, Shild, Frith, Luck & Wyrd: Five Essays Exploring Heathen Ethical Concepts and their Use Today, by Winifred Hodge Rose (164 pages).
Here are five essays that explore aspects of Heathen ethics, based on customs from Heathen times but adapted for modern use. For links to purchase the print or e-book, scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Oaths: What They Mean and Why They Matter
The Practice of Oathing
Threads of Wyrd and Shild: A Ninefold Rite of Life Renewal
Heathen Frith and Modern Ideals
Webs of Luck and Wyrd: Interplays and Impacts on Events
There are two areas of particular importance in Heathen ethics. One is the growth and maintenance of ethical personal power, or might and main: the inner strength and drive that is necessary to develop and sustain a good character and reputation, and to achieve worthy deeds during our life. The second is the pursuit of relationships and community life that promote individual, group, and community well-being and effective functionality.
Any thoughtful reading of Heathen history, old texts, tales, poems and sagas will show how important these two factors were in ancient Heathen life. This is generally illustrated by showing the painful, cascading disruptions that are caused by failures of, and transgressions against, these ethical values and aspirations.
Ethical ideals need to provide us with structure and stability as a basis for conducting our personal and social lives. Ethics are ideals that we strive toward, but must also be patterns that we can live with, without distortion of our inner or outer self.
Modern Heathens can benefit from a fuller understanding of ancient Heathen ethical views: both their strengths and their weaknesses, their pros and cons. Only by a thoughtful grasp of these concepts can we make the best use of the elder ways as Heathens living in today’s world. This book offers philosophical discussions of these foundational Heathen ethical concepts, as well as guidelines for using these concepts to live ethically strong and spiritually healthy lives as modern Heathens.
Overview of the contents:
Essays 1 & 2: Oaths and the practice of oathing. The metaphysical meanings of Heathen oathing practice are discussed, along with extensive guidelines and suggestions for wise, healthy and safe oathing practice. “Fulfilled oaths build Heathen might and main, increasing our personal power.”
Essay 3 discusses the concept of ‘shild’ or moral obligation, moral debt, guilt or wrongdoing. It examines the connections between shild and one’s wyrd, and provides a ritual framework with extensive guidelines to help one in a process of life-renewal by addressing one’s burden of shild. “Unpaid shild wounds our might and main; taking responsibility for shild heals personal power.”
Essay 4 deals with the concept of ‘frith,’ which means not only ‘peace,’ but the whole social fabric that maintains peace and good relationships among families, groups, communities. “Frith is a fabric of interwoven might and main, created and shared by many: the roots of relationship and community.”
Essay 5 examines old concepts of ‘luck’ and their relationship to wyrd, then proceeds to analyze the roles of luck and wyrd in some of the historical events surrounding the time of Heathen conversion, and draw ethical conclusions from this analysis. “Luck and wyrd can be expressed through flows of might and main, discovered along the hidden, complex paths that lead to Heathen wisdom.”
Taken together, these essays offer thought-provoking insights and suggestions for living an authentically ethical and spiritually healthy Heathen life today.
Here is the link to a detailed table of contents:
https://heathensoullore.net/detailed-table-of-contents-for-oaths-shild-frith-luck-wyrd/
Review:
“Oaths, Shild, Frith, Luck & Wyrd both provides tools for individual and collective healing, and articulates important questions and challenges that we must consider as we adapt the knowledge and life ways of our ancestors to our contemporary context.” Sara Axtell, Ph.D. Lecturer, Family Social Science, University of Minnesota and Teacher and Elder, Healing Roots.
The articles that comprise the bulk of this book are also available on this website. As with all of my books, I want to make sure that people who are interested in what I write have access to my work, whether they can afford the books or not. But if you can afford the book, your purchase is a great compliment and support to me, and I thank you! Though I’m delighted if you choose to purchase the book from any bookseller, in response to many queries I will mention that if you buy it from Lulu, I receive a larger portion of the proceeds.
Links to purchase this book from Lulu:
Paperback book:
E-Book:
