Þunorrád þēod

About us

The following page should give an idea into the thoughts, concepts and ideas at the centre of Þunorrád þēod. It should also illustrate some of the research and work that Þunorrád þēod and similar groups practicing a form of Heathenry are doing to gain as great an understanding as we can about pre-Christian worldview.

Þunorrád




The word "þunorrád" and it's meaning can be described as "a roll of thunder" or "þunor riding" in Old English. We have adopted this into our group's appelation as þunor, the Anglo-Saxon god of thunder, rain and the heavens, has a place in our hearts.  He, perhaps above all other Anglo-Saxon gods, provides the most enduring links with our past, be it in the name of the fourth day of the week, place names such as "Thundersley" and "Thundridge", or even our awe of the thunderstorm.  Indeed, anyone witnessing "þunor riding" in the modern day can still be reminded of the potency of the natural forces and the importance of it's place in our ancestor's world.



Þēaw


"At times they prepared sacrifice in temples,
war-idol offerings, said old words aloud ,
that the great soul-slayer, might bring some comfort,
in their country's disaster. Such was their custom,
the hope of the heathen."

"Hwilum hie gehēton æt hærg-trafum,
wig-weorþunga wordum bædon,
þæt him gast-bona gēoce gefremede,
wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra,
hæþenra hyht;"

Beowulf: 175 - 179 - H. D. Chickering translation


The Old English word "þēaw" can be translated into Modern English as "custom", "conduct" and "morality". The word encapsulated what was deemed the 'correct' and 'proper' way that things were done, be it religious practices, etiquette in social settings or behaving in general. It informs members of a community what standards are in place and how to act appropriately within the group. It also serves as the foundation of a collective identity, and a reference point for which a person, and their actions, can be judged. What is illustrative of this last point is the connection between þēaw and the Old English word ár, which meant "honour". Ár was gained by adhering to þēaw, again, highlighting the key importance of the concept of þēaw in the Germanic Heathen worldview. It must be stressed that þēaw is not rigid, nor is it taught from a book. It is something organic, and grows along with the community. It is taught via interaction, reinforced through practice and influenced by the group's locality and it's people.


Our þēaw


The þēaw of þunorrád þēod begins with the reconstruction of Anglo-Saxon þēaw, or as near to this as practicable. Primarly, this concerns various rituals that take place at specific times of the year, as well as certain ways of understanding the world, and appropriate actions in certain situations.

When gifting to the gods, the primary and most significant communal ritual is called "blót", an Old English word meaning "sacrifice". From the few accounts availiable to us on the nature of this ritual, the use of blood appears important. Further, it can be argued that the Old English verb "bletsian", meaning "to bless", is etmoylogically linked with Old English "blod", meaning "blood". Therefore, within the blót ritual the sacrifice is offered to the god or gods and the assembled folk are sprinkled with it's blood and consume it's cooked flesh in a communal feast. At this feast, a place is set for the god/s and other honoured guests and they are apportioned their share, the best cuts of the meat. Within þunorrád þēod, blót is very important and something to be planned and conducted carefully. We understand the practical, legal and ethical difficultues and implications of such a ritual, and to this date, we have attempted no such thing. Nor have we used any symbolic alternative to the blood such as other heathens have done. We do not consider blót as anything other than the offering of a living/once living creature and it's blood.

Sacrifice does not only take the form of animals. Votive offerings such as bread, butter, milk, mead as well crafted items are offered by means of leaving them at particular trees, idols, moors, stones and springs. Within þunorrád þēod, making an offering such as this is called "faining". The rituals behind these offerings are not necessarily communal, nor are they directed solely at gods. A persons ancestors as well as "hidden folk" such as elves ( in Old English "ælfas", who's cooperation is desired as they can be both benevolant and malevolent) may also be gifted to.

As well as sacrifice, the other important communal ritual is "Symbel", a form of ritualised drinking. The purpose of this ritual is focused not around the gods, but around the members of the group, who join each other in the remembering of good deeds they have committed in the past, make boasts of deeds that they shall accomplish in the future, and then swear their oaths in front of all. This occurs within rounds of drinking, typically, mead or ale drunk from a cup passed around in a hierarchical order. The ritual therefore serves another function; to reaffirm the established hierarchy, which is done by way of seating placement at the symbel. Traditionally, symbel takes place indoors and before symbel has begun, the doors are shut, and those attending must act with docorum so as not to disrupt the atmosphere. What is said and what is done at symbel is highly significant, not least of which is due to the implications for the groups luck and wholeness.

In all verbal elements of ritual, þunorrád þēod seeks to incorporate the oratory tradition of the Anglo-Saxons by using the vocabulary, imagery and poetic style evidenced in Old English literature. Not only does this serve to bring about a sense of connection to a cultural and ancestral past, but it is also an act that demonstrates our desire to approach the gods on their terms rather than our own, as well as the notion that the god's are worthy of our respect, and that it is good to worship in a way that is familiar to them.

Wíh and Hálig



Two important concepts that permeate into the þēaw of þunorrád þēod are "wíh" and "hálig". These Old English words have cognates through many other Germanic languages and their meanings can roughly be described as "that which is seperate" and "that which is whole; healthy" respectively.

The word "wíh" is used in Old English to mean "sacred site", and is also linked to the word "weoh", which means "idol". "Wíh", then, refers to that which is sacred and is seperate from the everyday; outside of man, the realm of the gods. Within þunorrád þēod, particular spaces and idols are therefore regarded as sacred and are treated as such; i.e. they have been designated as belonging/being of the gods.

"Hálig" is a state of being, and relates to that which is good within the world of men. It is a quality sought after by the group, and by acting in accordance with þēaw and futhering the group's success, wellbeing and prosperity, it collects and maintains "Hál". Hál is luck, fame, honour and all things deemed good by the Heathen. It could manifest in such ways as the ability to sail a ship well or the ability for the community to feed itself. Of what can be discerned from surviving lore, hál was passed down from the gods to those they favoured, and this is then passed down to their dependents. In Heathen times, this would have manifested on a local scale by the head of a household, the benefits of whose hál was passed through him and to his family and servents. On a much larger social network, further tiers would include lords, and at the top, kings (who, so possessed of hál, were able to make claims that they were decended from the gods themselves!) Furthermore, hál was also imbued into objects, be they well crafted (or "lucky") swords, or the bones of a prosperous king.

Seperate þēaw



Although the þēaw of þunorrád þēod is something that every member is expected to adhere to, there is space for individual and familial þēaw. A household may develop it's own customs and it's own cult, as long as:


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