This page is about our gods and goddesses. Not one of them is a ninja.
No, really. It’s true. Nary a ninja to be found in Northern Europe during the Viking Age. And we were really looking.
Seriously – Two Ravens Kindred is a heathen kindred. We follow the gods and goddesses of the Norse pantheon. They are roughly divided into two tribes. The Aesir more or less correspond to human social order – Odin is a god of war, wisdom, poetry, knowledge, magic and heroic death. Frigga, his wife, is in charge of the household and all matters of hearth and home; she knows a great deal but has learned that most important lesson – when to stay silent. Mighty Asa-Thor, thunder-god, wields his hammer Mjolnir in defense of Midgard and it’s his chariot wheels we hear when his goats pulls him across the worlds. Sif, Thor’s wife, she of the beautiful golden hair. Tyr, one-handed god of justice and war. Idunna, whose apples keep the gods young and vital. Then there are the Vanir. We know fewer of them. Njord, god of the boatyard, merchants, wealth and the sea. Freyr, his son, who gave up his sword to woo his wife Gerd, the radiant, shining jotun. Frey is also the lord of the alfar, landwights and those male ancestors who live on in their mounds. He also governs fertility and the land Lovely Freyja, the Vanadis, chooser of half the slain warriors and lady of seidhr, sex, death, and war. Like her brother she, too, enhances the fertility and abundance of life everywhere.
There are many more deities in the pantheon – Balder and Nanna, Bragi, Skadhi, Var, Syn, Lofn, Gefion, Vor, Sjofn. Nerthus, Ostara, Forseti, Villi, Ve, Aegir, Ran, Loki, Hodur, Weyland the smith... the list goes on and on. We honor the deities of pre-Christian Northern Europe in all their names, from Iceland and Greenland, England and Norway, Switzerland and Continental Germany... the tribes of humans living in those times honored the heathen gods and goddesses, and so do we!
The internet is a wonderful thing. In crafting this website, Two Ravens Kindred has included a number of educational and informative links. Most of those links engage in discussion about the Norse pantheon. We decided that, rather than give another page full of facts that can be found elsewhere, we would try for a more personal touch. There’s a lot of variation in heathen belief systems, and often even between kindreds there is a wide range of personal views. So we came up with five basic questions that we’re most often asked about our gods and goddesses. Then each of us took a turn answering them from our own points of view. It is our sincere hope that you, Gentle Reader, will get a better idea of who we are, what we think, and where we stand by seeing what it is we think. Pull up a chair, relax, and let us play the hosts, telling you stories about the gods and goddesses, and how they impact our lives.
Remember, you’re only safe from Ninjas. Our gods and goddesses are known to be feisty.
Below are our responses.
