These are some of the pictures I took during my weekend at the gathering. The gathering is called Tinget (The þing) and is the yearly gathering and official meeting for the organization Åsatrufellesskapet Bifrost (The Asatrufellowship Bifrost). I can’t show you the others, because there are people in them, and I haven’t cleared it with them (Norwegian law: You need consent, preferably written, to publish pictures with people in them).

The weekend consisted of:

  • Lots of hugs (In the words of one of my friends: All shall receive)
  • Great conversations
  • Lots of humor (later into the night, the humor wasn’t suitable for the more sensitive, but the kids were sleeping anyway)
  • Lots of songs and other impromptu performances
  • Great food
  • 3 rituals plus one improvised
  • A quiz
  • A skald competition
  • A live reading of the Lokasenna (Loki’s argument with the other gods and goddesses)
  • A theological diskussion about values
  • A feast with roasted Reindeer
  • An excursion to the top of a mountain where we checked out a rock and a stone circle
  • A mead competition (I got 5th place)
  • Plus of course, the official meeting, where we diskuss the ongoing projects, the rules and get to hear what’s been going on within the organization.

We also had guests: 

  • a master student researching how different Asatru groups relate to the same material. He interviewed as many of us as he had time for, and collected names of others he could talk to later.
  • a visitor from Bulgaria.
  • a Norwegian poet, playwriter and author called Erling Kittelsen. (If you’ve read anything on Norse poetry, you may have noticed his name in the source list.) He stayed the rest of the weekend after his lecture because he enjoyed the company.
  • Two of the founders of Yggdrasils Skov in Denmark

I had a great time this weekend, as usual, and I can’t wait to see these people again. They’re an amazing group of people, and accept you as you are.

PS. I talk more about it in this week’s Conjure Queen Show on Cackle Boom Radio

10 Comments

  1. kimberly

    Sounds wonderful. Time away with people working on the same life work themes rejuvenates us, doesn’t it?. I’m an astrologer and feel the same when I go to astrology conferences. But where those can be quite large gatherings, this sounded so intimate. Thank you for telling us about it. And I love the law that says not to publish pics without permission, its so respectful.

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      It was wonderful 🙂 and yes it does. We were almost 70 at this one. So it’s not huge. The privacy protection act here is pretty strict, just as it should be.

      Reply
  2. Tessa

    It sounds like an interesting gathering. Sort of like the church retreats I used to go on as a child. Nice to get away.

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      It is very interesting and fun, but I think it’s a fair bit wilder than a church gathering 😀 at least when it comes to mead and humor.

      Reply
  3. Deborah Weber

    How fun to see a peek at your weekend – and it sounds like you had a fabulous time. And it’s certainly good to be accepted for who you truly are. Yay to that always.

    Reply
  4. Hema Unnoop

    Thank you for sharing your weekend with us. This place is mindblowingly beautiful and looks so peaceful. It’s amazing how you can get away and at the same time discuss your projects. That must feel good and inspire awesome ideas I suppose:) Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      Thanks Herna 🙂 There are lots of beautiful places here. One of the perks of living in Norway 🙂 It feels great. Have a lovely weekend.

      Reply
  5. Jessica

    What is Skald?

    This reminds me of beautiful swiss countryside – a former home. We have similar rules here in the US about people – but if they are on public property, you can. Totally understand!

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      The term skald (or skáld) means poet

      Here you can if they’re in a crowd and can’t be singled out

      Reply

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