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22nd March  2007

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© Kith of Yggdrasil 2004

ISSN 1745 - 4891

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE KITH OF YGGDRASIL

Issue 4  Harvest  Edition                                September  2005

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

Next month sees our Gathering in London, with its opportunity for members of the Kith to get together, ask questions, listen to talks, participate in debates and even to buy heathenry-related goods (is a gathering truly a gathering without stalls?)

Although it is being held in the heart of London at a time when other groups seem to be abandoning their projected meetings, we thought it was important to continue with the event despite the potential threat. For one thing it is no part of our belief system to give in to those who want to limit our lives and cause fear – often because of what are at best half-truths, and are at worst distortions of how we function as a people.

Under these circumstances we consider it necessary to carry on with our intentions and not to bow to outside pressure – or even to our own natural hesitation.

So we hope that all those who can join us on October 1^st will do so, while respecting the decisions made by those who aren’t able to be there.

The important thing will be that we are continuing, knowing that we have the support of all the Kith.

In this edition we had hoped to have Part Two of Alan’s series on the Runes, but this has to be put on hold while he and Freya settle into their new house – which is always a total upheaval. I’m sure everyone will wish them all the best and happiness in their new home.

We also have what will probably be the last of Sven – unless he really does turn out to have been immortal. I haven’t actually calculated how old he must be by this episode, but he is venerable indeed….

Lyn

 HEARTH NEWS

London and the Home Counties

As some of you will know, Alan and Freya have moved from Harlow in the north of the area to Orpington in the south, and this has obliged us to rethink our activities in the area, quite simply thanks to the twin problems of time and travel.

So what we have decided to do is to cancel the monthly Mailcoach pub moot, for we could not guarantee our own attendance - and it would not be very bright to offer people a chance to meet us, and yet not be there ourselves!

Instead we are making the monthly Blot an open event, so that anyone interested in finding out about the Kith can come along, see what we do and also have a chat.

The Blots will be held in Highgate Woods, and we will meet in the Woodman Pub, either on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The actual dates will be shown in both Frostfire and Sunwheel, and also in the Stop Press section of our website.

The Kith Annual Gathering

Remember that tickets for the Gathering, to be held at Treadwell’s bookshop in central London on October 1^st, cannot be bought on the door.

To obtain yours, contact Mike at the address on the back of this magazine.

The old front cover motif appearing here for what will probably be its final outing.

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MAGAZINE SECTION

A Legend Too Far! By Mike Robertson

The other day I was asked the following by one of our members:-

“Why did Sif get associated with the harvest?”

Adding:

“I know the cutting of her hair is supposed to be the harvesty bit, but given that Loki did it, and Thor got very annoyed, it doesn’t seem to make a great deal of sense”.

The problem with such a question is that a search of our various legends does not answer the question, there are hints it is true, but all too often they are conflicting, and more conducive to further questions, if not a nervous breakdown, than helpful.

I’d therefore suggest that the problem all too often lies within ourselves, for we are looking for definitive source material, yet we are seeking it in a mish-mash of legendary material from a variety of ages, and written by those not of necessity sympathetic to our faith.

This at once leads to the realisation that to seek a comprehensive guide to our faith within the written sources is a waste of time. Rather we can look for clues, and from those clues develop the information we need. Here it might be an idea to think about our faith as a jigsaw, with the picture rather tattered and torn so the end result is not clear, and with some of the bits lost or damaged: hold this thought, for I will be returning to it.

There is something else as well: our faith is not a revealed religion where all the necessary information is laid out for us, and all we have to do is believe and obey. Rather it is a religion where though we share our faith, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to develop our own understanding in our own time and way: be that from study, our own experience, meditation or whatever.

It’s now that I get lynched, for I’d suggest that far too many of our faith fellows are seeking immutable facts within our legends and, whilst knowing everything of such facts, are not looking to our faith as a whole, or even beyond what is written in the various books. Too they are ignoring the fact that our legends are sourced in fragments from many lands and spread over many centuries, and as mentioned above are not of necessity written down by those in accord with our faith, or even comprehending of it. So rather than relying upon the legends of our faith, I’d suggest that those legends contain sufficient clues for each and every one of us to do our own work, and arrive at the answer that will enable us as individuals to progress upon our unique spiritual path. However they do not of necessity offer the easy answers we all too often seek.

So now I will try to offer an explanation which makes sense to me: but my explanation might not be your explanation, so I expect contradiction and argument - which is a good thing, for it enables us to refine and clarify our own thoughts. Please also accept that I’ll be drawing upon a variety of sources and ideas, and in the space of this article cannot develop each and every one of them fully.

First we must accept that our legends are based upon an oral tradition which sought to offer a good memorable story. Further that such kennings as ‘Golden Hair’, can easily be seen as a reference to the golden corn of the harvest. We must also accept that in a pre-scientific age, our legends sought to give an explanation for what was going on in the world, be it the march of the seasons, or the simple changing of night and day.

Secondly, Thor. He is the great maintainer of Midgard, always doing battle with those kin of our deities, the giants - the giants being those implacable forces of nature which if uncontrolled would destroy this earth and its ability to support life. Yet at the same time those forces of nature are, when controlled, necessary for that same life: hence their continuing relationship and intermarriage, socialisation etc with our deities. So Thor spends much of his time maintaining the necessary balance that will enable life: this leads to the products of that balance such as the golden harvest, as signified by Sif’s golden hair. This in turn leads to the idea that Sif is the ideal symbolical partner or wife of Thor. At this point it is worth thinking about the deaths of the Midgard Serpent and Thor at Raganarok, which were possibly necessary to permit the end of the balance which had been so long maintained. This in turn allows the chaos a time of supremacy, from which will emerge the new post Raganarok state of being.

Now to that most vital of beings, Loki. I do not see Loki as a deity, rather as the inspiration that imbues all things and can, depending upon the circumstances, be good or bad. This is why he was the constant companion of our deities and both gets them into trouble and out of it again. Yet despite all the problems he continued to be their companion - which seems rather odd, but isn’t really odd at all, since he was the inspiration necessary to progress. Yet that inspiration needed to be controlled, just as it needs to be controlled today: think on why he was bound and not slain when he went a bit too far.

A simple story to illustrate this, as true today as it was when the legends were first spoken: that of the binding of Fenris Wolf. Envisage now Fenris as being nuclear energy: an energy which can offer light, heat and medical treatment, yet on the other hand can destroy whole civilisations. This is an energy which must be bound, if its benefits are to be reaped, yet that binding comes at a cost, and as we know that cost was the hand of Tyr. The clue here is that instead of taking the easy option and slipping a killing spear into Fenris he was bound even at great cost to Tyr.

To take this a step further, Fenris was the offspring of Loki, the product in fact of that inspiration which is so necessary for all things: hence the continuing relationship between Loki and our deities. Now linked to the concept of inspiration is also the idea of chaos should that inspiration not be controlled. So Loki is often rightly seen in our legends as a combination of those two factors: inspiration and chaos. Hold that thought, for I’d suggest it is essential to an understanding of many of our legends: certainly those involving Loki. Here I must make it clear that I do not see that which is represented by Loki as being good or bad: rather as a potential which must be controlled, be it the Loki in our own being, or the Loki accompanying our deities.

From the above it is, I’d suggest, a simple step to account for the loss of Sif’s hair, by attributing it to the actions of Loki: for something must have caused the arrival of autumn and, in that pre-scientific age, why not blame Loki: for after the good times of summer will come the chaos that is winter?

It is at this point that we get back to Thor, and he with his role of maintaining the balance of this earth, so ensuring the turning of the year and a new spring, and of course a new harvest (that is a re-growth of the golden hair) puts the frighteners on Loki and they all live happily ever after!

For us however it is not quite so simple, for the reasoning I’ve cobbled together tells us much about our faith and of course this world we inhabit.

An example here would be the ‘golden wig’. Now a wig can be removed at night and put on in the morning: thus the micro of day and night can be replicated by the macro of the turning year, which in turn leads us to the end of this state of being that is Raganarok, and the emergence from chaos of a new state, which will be the post- Raganarok creation which we know of from our legends.

This must inevitably lead us to think about our own death and rebirth, and the mechanics of life and death.

When the time is right Thor must release chaos through the mutual death of himself and the Midgard Serpent, and make possible the birth of what comes after; when the time is right for us, our inner Thor force must mutually die with our inner Midgard Serpent, and from the chaos of our own death will come our subsequent rebirth into our next stage of being.

So what on the face of it is a great story about our faith, is in fact a repository of much that is essential to our comprehension of our religion and what it is all about. This in turn leads to the bad news: whether you agree with me or not about its meaning is of little consequence as there is no escaping the fact that each of us will find it necessary to do our own work, and so develop our own comprehension of the truths within the legend.

Sorry but it gets worse, for as we all find, as our comprehension of our faith develops, so our understanding changes: here to use the above as an example, when I first came to the legend it was a great fun story telling me about the passing of the seasons. Now it is a much deeper thing, leading me to struggle with a comprehension of the meaning behind our deities, and of course the mysteries of life and death. Whilst it is still an amusing story, it has become a portal to much more: and I think that as I delve further, there will be new depths to be explored, depths which in turn will change my understanding of our faith.

Yet this is but one of many legends, each with their multifaceted depths: and where will they lead me?

I’d mentioned the jigsaw, I now hope that the above shows how, to my own satisfaction of today, I’ve assembled a part of the jigsaw by combining various bits gleaned from reading, my own observations and meditation. However I do not yet know where that part assembly fits within the entire jigsaw: that will be the product of further work, and if I’m really being honest, areas of our faith which I have not yet studied – there are so many legends and so little time.

Because I’m at a particular point upon my own spiritual journey, the revelations to be sought within the jigsaw will relate to myself, and myself alone. The effect of this is that others sharing the same faith, will be seeking and finding the revelations that are right for them at this point in their unique spiritual journey. So whilst we can share ideas and information, we cannot always share the same revelation.

So what does this mean for our faith?

Quite simply we must eschew the so called experts, or those who would set themselves up as priests/priestesses, and rather look towards the eastern religions where spiritual leadership is based upon the fostering of debate, the sharing of knowledge, and encouraging each other to progress upon our individual path to that shared destination.

Which means in turn that I’ve not answered the question that was put to me; rather I’ve offered some thoughts that are entirely relevant to myself, and my own development. Leaving it to my questioner to test those thoughts, and relate them to their own experience and spiritual development: the cosmic joke being that if they think them a load of rot, my contribution has been to make them think about their faith.

©JMR 8^th August 2005

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Book Review

The Viking Trilogy by Tim Severin

I have just read the second volume of the trilogy, VIKING: Sworn Brother, and would say that it is not just a good fun read, it also tells much about the ways of our ancestors with particular reference to their faith, and such aspects as the runes and seidr.

Tim Severin has a feeling for the life and times of our ancestors, and this enables the spiritual aspects of the story to be set against a realistic perspective, which is something all too often missed in books that, on the face of it, are more directly relevant to our faith.

The book itself is loosely based upon Grettir's Saga, although it is in fact the story of his oath brother Thorgils Leifsson.

VIKING; Sworn Brother by Tim Severin Publisher: Macmillan 2005 ISBN: 1 4050 4114 5

The first book in the trilogy was: VIKING: Odinn's Child.

On Being a Heathen By Lyn

Our hearth was recently confronted with a situation which was hard to understand, but which at the same time caused us to look again at what our boundaries are, and what lies within, and what without, even our very flexible limits. I thought it might be worth sharing, as it raises questions which I guess are a part of most followers of the northern tradition living within a culture which is not aware (largely) of our existence and tends to blur the lines between all spiritual paths.

We are based in the west country – an area not famous for its hearths, but definitely containing more than its fair share of pagans of most types. The Witches’ Museum in Boscastle is perhaps the most famous aspect of this amongst the wider community.

We also have a lot of new age people who are seeking a place to belong, but who are undecided about their beliefs and enjoy trying out new things (no problem with that – I guess we’ve all been there), and who eventually settle on eclecticism as an acceptable spiritual path. Isis mingles with Astarte, Brigid rubs shoulders with Pan, and if anybody had ever heard of him Tapio would be taking tea with Ganesh.

Given our own version of eclecticism (the discerning among you will recall our recent article on Zen Odinism) at this point you might be wondering at my tone. I will deal with this, she said severely, later! But the difficulty arose for us when we had someone who wanted to join the hearth and who, despite our kindly informing her about the required reading list – totally northern – and despite our mentioning constantly that we were an Odinist hearth, appeared to be afflicted with deafness. After some time, however, we were forced to point out to her that her dislike of the runes was, whilst not definitive, perhaps a hint about her general direction in life and that the Golden Dawn was not, strictly speaking, an Odinist organisation.

We parted company at that point, but it was a strange time, and probably one which can only occur in smaller groups.

Our boundaries, as I’ve said, are flexible and we aren’t enthusiastic about trying to wipe away a thousand years of additions to the collective unconscious, but we discovered that we had limits. “A breakthrough”, the more traditional of you will be saying with relief. True, but even before this we knew a couple of things – one of the most important of which is that if you start mixing your pantheons you can easily cause offence, especially if you mix them out of ignorance. The Northern gods are the Northern gods – they aren’t the Celtic branch, and they aren’t the Egyptians either. There might appear to be similarities, but there are reasons why they have different names and live in different places – they aren’t interchangeable. The Northern gods aren’t even fully compatible with the Finnish gods – and they live next door.

To believe anything other than this is, probably, to be more than half way to monotheism – if Freya = Venus then why bother with both (or all their sisters)? Why not total up all the ‘war’ gods and use one name? In the end, why not mix the whole lot together, because these days gender has no real meaning, and just have one god? You might argue, with some justification, that I exaggerate the case, but the point I’d like to raise is that we need to know why we are with the Northern gods, why it matters that they have their own names and their own qualities and attributes.

We belong to an organisation which is about exploring what we believe and why we believe it, and why we accept no substitutes. Initially, of course, we might belong with our gods because we felt that it was the right place to be; we might continue with them because we come to believe that loyalty and commitment is more important than gratification, or because this path satisfies our souls in a way we haven’t found before; but we need to know why this path and not any of the others, and we need to open up the discussion of this, within ourselves as individuals and within our group.

Our departed hearth member gave us this impetus, so we should be grateful to her – and to the Golden Dawn (or ‘final straw’ as I like to think of it!).

Oh yes, about the Zen bit. Odinism has a lot of strengths, it induces strength of purpose, makes us take personal responsibility for our actions, introduces us to a lot of interesting people, and means that we have a framework which makes sense of the real world, rather than giving us notions about how nice the world could be if only..[fill in your own wish list].. and so on. It also gives us unparalleled opportunities to drink a lot of mead and carry out much toasting and boasting, which is good up to a point.

The point beyond, however, is the space which interests us. We regard it as a frame of mind which most resembles the thing which is called Zen, and which could be called something else if we could find an appropriate Norse word for it.

A Buddhist would be looking for loss of ego, we’re looking for Odin the Wanderer.

Which is another article….

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As Above: So Below By Mike Robertson

A problem with our faith is that so many of its adherents have been raised in a Christian environment, and to some extent have a Christian mind set. The consequence of this is that all too often our deities are seen as but heathen replicants of the Christian deity, although there are rather more of them. This approach will naturally influence heathen thought and ways, and lead in turn to a focus upon the deity rather than the individual whereas I would suggest that the focus should be upon the individual rather than the deity. This leads to the first question: why?

In the Christian tradition, if the individual believes the right things as laid down by their faith and obeys the precepts, they will attain heaven. This is I know an oversimplification, but it will suffice for the moment.

However as heathens we are engaged upon a spiritual quest to access the god force that is latent within all of us, so that in due time we attain unity with the mystery.

Thus as a heathen it is my task not just to obey the rules and think the right thoughts: rather I must work and study to access that latent inner god force, and this puts the onus entirely upon myself.

Which leads to the next question: in that case what is the point of the deities?

To answer this I must point to certain similarities between the realm of the gods and that of our own being:-

In each case there is a creation: be it the creation legends of our gods, or our own conception and birth.

For both there is a time of development, learning and exploration, even the bringing together of the various aspects of a personality to become entire. Here I would cite the war between the Aesir and Vanir, and our own struggles to become an entire individual throughout our lives.

Then there are the various struggles of life, it could be Loki creating a problem for the gods, or our own over-enthusiasm for speed leading us to crash the car. So just as the deities were obliged to develop their own discipline (as evidenced by the binding of Loki and the sacrifice involved) so we too must develop our own self-discipline, and face the sacrifice of binding some of our own urges and desires.

This in turn leads to the maintenance of the being: as an individual it is their own body, and the environment in which it operates. For the deities it is the maintenance of the entirety of Midgard, and the worlds of the mystery might in which it operates.

Also we can look at the qualities of the gods: Odin’s desire for knowledge and experience, or Thor’s strength and dependability; Sif telling us of the seasons, or Nanna the constant spouse. All these things are replicated in our own lives, and all have lessons for us.

Then, as with our deities at Raganarok, we too will one day face our own death and dissolution: when we, like the gods, will return to the mystery. Think here about the necessity of Thor’s death - he with his strength held Asgard together and defended it, until the time came for him to die. Like him, we too must allow our strength to stand aside and allow our death.

However, that is not the end since our legends tell how certain aspects of the god force remain after Raganarok and embark upon a new state of being. In the same way, people also survive Raganarok by sheltering in Yggdrasil the world tree, that repository of the spirit. This is not the paper to debate the post mortem experience, re-incarnation even, but the concept of some form of continuation is made clear in our legends, and is true for both our deities and ourselves.

I appreciate that the above is a gross over simplification, but it does show a clear parallel between our existence as individuals and the greater, or macro, existence of our deities.

Hence the heading to this paper, with its suggestion that each and every one of us is treading the same path as that of our deities. To put this another way, our gods are all aspects, and forces of one inspiration - an inspiration which exists to ensure the continuation and development of the realm of the worlds linked by Yggdrasil, just as we  are an ‘inspiration’ intended to ensure the continuation and development of that being which is ones self.

This suggests that within us are all the forces of the gods, though we might not be aware of that fact or have access to that force: thus Loki will be inspiring us to good and bad ideas, Thor will be giving us strength, common sense and defence against the frost giants of say disease, Frigga will be developing our caring side, and so on.

So as an adherent of our faith I’m trying to access these inner god forces, for they might be termed the tools with which I should be working, and to use those tools I must develop the necessary skills. Though by study and meditation, rather than in a workshop. To do this I also have a manual, the legends of our faith: for those legends will guide my faltering steps upon my quest to be one with the mystery. Odin will tell of knowledge, and experience, Tyr of the need to sacrifice in order to overcome (as in the legend of Fenris Wolf). Though a man I will study the feminine mysteries with Freya, and seek to preserve my health with Idunna: just as Thor will show me how to be a man and defend that which is mine. Yet Thor, as with the legend of his recovering Mjollnir, will also show me that manhood is not just macho posturing.

The deities are exemplars for my own life. Through them I can work towards becoming a complete being. However they do much more, for they tell me of my spiritual path, the path which will one day unite me with the mystery. As a simple illustration of this, it was Heimdall who discovered the runes, as in our own time we must all discover them, but that is not enough. Merely to discover the runes is to have some rather nice symbols and not much more: it was Odin who by his sacrifice of self to self discovered the inner meaning of the runes.

Or I can look to Thor who did not take the easy road, but struggled through the mighty river to his destination: showing that my way ahead is not that of taking the soft option. The lesson here is that it is not enough to merely worship our deities, I must emulate their struggles to learn and develop my powers: for such powers are not handed out as some sort of gift, rather they must be worked for.

There is something else, a Christian might look to their god to get them out of a bad situation but the deities of our faith will not come to our aid. They have given us the free will to make or not make mistakes, to be responsible for our own lives and for the decisions we make. However, they have shown us how to lead our lives, and develop upon our spiritual quest. They enable us to see how in a world of free will there will be occasions when things go badly for us and there is nothing at all we can do about it: war, famine, flood, for example. But whilst they will not rescue us, they have shown us how to respond with courage and fortitude, so that even if we should die out of this state of being, there is a further state, and the lessons learnt here will not have been wasted.

The above is very different indeed to the Christian concept where there is an all powerful deity in control of everything, where there is conflict between faith and the actuality when disaster strikes which carries with it the suggestion that God has turned his back upon his people, and that they have displeased him.

This means that whilst engaged upon a spiritual quest, we are in fact alone and will not be saved, or for that matter abandoned by a deity. Rather we are given free will, and the chance to make of it what we will: however we are also given the resources to face adversity with courage, and guidance as to how to develop upon the spiritual plane. This suggests to my mind that we do have a strong and coherent faith, which is capable of withstanding the questions and doubts that always arise. Our deities can never fail us, for having given us free will and their own powers in potential, it is up to us, and us alone. However I would suggest that our deities have in fact given us rather more than the Christian God offers his adherents. For whilst they have to face the struggle for life dependent upon an apparently capricious all- powerful deity, we have been given the tools with which to tackle those self same problems.

©JMR September 2004

Portrait Gallery

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing what some of us actually look like (and need to know before arriving on October 1^st!) we present a small portrait gallery.

I believe that being photographed steals part of the soul, so I’m not presented here… (Trust me – you’re better off not knowing). All the photographs in this section are © Mike Robertson, 2005

Captured on film – Mike concealed by his cloak, and clutching his spear and drinking horn, as dusk gathers. Note the traditional ‘knee’ motif.

Assembled in the woods are Alan, Claire, Freya and Warwick – and looking very cheerful.

From Mike’s Stonehenge adventure comes this group of German pipers and drummers.
Unfortunately we can’t bring you the music, but I’m assured it was as impressive as the musicians look.

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THE SVEN SAGA CONTINUES…

The publication of further extracts from the Saga were put in jeopardy when Mavis Cuttlebright vanished earlier this year: sadly it is now almost certain that she met her doom whilst a guest of the Lord of Summerisle. Confirmation of this must wait upon the forensic examination of the burnt wickerwork and remains, certainly animal and possibly human, discovered in the ashes found upon a headland overlooking the Minch.

Hamish Donnachaidh thinks that her visit to the island was in some way a consequence of her entering the Black Room of Ben Dhui, which had not been entered since it was sealed after the battle of Culloden by the 13^th Laird. The 13^th Laird was as you will recall a devout Mason and Master of the Royal Highland Lodge with its connections to Rosslyn Chapel and was mentioned by name in the Da Vinci Code.

The good news for us is that, amongst her effects, Mavis had left enough information for her work to be continued by her sister Sharon (who has given up her work in a call-centre, so that she can commemorate her sister in this way).

Hamish Donnachaidh is delighted that this further extract can now be published, for it possibly resolves the question of Sven’s apparent longevity. For scholars have been debating whether Sven was in fact just one man, or if the sagas attributed to him reflect the lives of several.

The saga confirms that Sven did make his way to what is now Holland, and spent several nomadic years in Europe and perhaps the story of those years will come to light at some later date. However it is clear that at some point he was residing in Nurenberg, where after the closure of his wild boar and sauerkraut cheese business by the authorities, he took employment with one Albericht, as what we might now call a butler and general factotum. Albericht at the time was famous throughout the central Germanic States for his love philtres and, according to the Green Book of Munchen it was his philtres that enabled the House of Hapsburg to persist and rise to fame.

However there was another side to Albericht and he is today widely famed as the father of alchemy, thanks to his search for the philosophers stone and the secret of the well of immortality*.

*Editor’s note: the records of his work are now held in the state archives in Baden Baden, and by a decree of the Bundesstag are not available for consultation.

Apparently Sven prospered in his new career, and soon became Albericht’s right hand man, and a confidant of the family: especially of the beautiful Rapuntzal. Rapuntzal is a noteworthy figure in her own right, for she was the custodian of her father’s library, and used a special high chair to reach the upper shelves: a chair which had to be lowered so she could converse with Sven and other visitors to the library. The story being remembered in a bowdlerised version to this day, in the saying ‘Rapuntzal let down your hair’. As we now know, instead of hair it should really be ‘chair’.

Sadly for Sven his affair with Rapuntzal was unable to advance, possibly as a result of the ravages of his earlier life, and the demands that Helga the Hot Headed and Morning Dew had made upon his once robust constitution. As you will appreciate, this caused Sven no little concern, while Rapuntzal entered upon a veritable decline.

It was then that Sven took the fateful decision which would lead to his longevity and to our knowledge of his life and times: he would purloin a potion from Albericht and so ensure his vitality and restore the fair Rapuntzal to her former happiness.

It was then that, misled by his imperfect grasp of Germanic lettering, Sven confused the words for ‘endurance’ with ‘long-lasting’, and so with virility untreated, yet longevity assured, he entered upon the next stage of his long and interesting life. For it transpired that Rapuntzal was with child, and that without the aid of any potion or philtre: an event that filled Albericht with a rare and towering rage.

Poor Rapuntzal, her name changed to Heloise, was consigned to a nunnery, and the new born infant given the name Schicklegrubber was despatched to a poor but honest family in the Austrian town of Linz*.

And Sven was once more obliged to embark upon his travels.

*Editor’s Note: this last is causing considerable interest amongst historians, for it is possible that Sven was the originator of the line that lead to the most famous of Austrians and without whom World War 2 would not have been possible.

It is at this point that the saga no longer continues. Sharon was persuaded to abandon her historical enquiries in order that she might help a middle-aged, but ruggedly attractive, professor of Symbological Synergy decode a text which, if allowed to be publicly known would cause the downfall of the Mothers’ Union and the Townswomen’s Guild.

It is alleged that the life of excitement promised by this pursuit - including being chased across desolate mountains by the armed branch of these organisations, chained up in caves opening on to tidal lochs by albinos (a type of rabbit), and stealing an array of hitherto unknown stealth jets from the U.S. military – turned poor Sharon’s head.

Mavis’s life-work is lost.  We are left in ignorance.  Blame Sharon

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Sunwheel is the house journal of the Kith of Yggdrasil and is entirely concerned with providing a service consistent with the aims of the Kith. While actively seeking contributions from authors or illustrators, the editor reserves the right not to publish material inconsistent with these aims.

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CONTRIBUTIONS

Contributions in the form of articles, letters and poetry can be accepted as written material, ‘MS Word’ attachments to Emails or as ‘MS Word’ documents on disc. The decision to publish or not will be based on editorial assessment of the value of the material to our readers.

There is no minimum or maximum size to contributions. Submissions exceeding 1200 words in length may be serialised over two or more issues: in such cases authors are advised to consult with the editor prior to submission. Contributors planning a series of articles should liaise with the editor in advance of submitting their work.

Sunwheel has limited facilities for the publication of artwork/pictures. Although these are welcomed, their suitability for publication should also be discussed with the editor prior to submission.

The editor reserves the right to publish extracts from letters subject to preservation of their original intent.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Kith of Yggdrasil: Please address all communications and surface mail for Sunwheel, Frostfire and the SIGs to:

Kith of Yggdrasil, 24 Palewell Close,  St. Paul's Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3BX
E-Mail:freyaandalan@btinternet.com

Parenting SIG

Contact David Hodges by E-Mail: freyaandalan@btinternet.com

Kith Website Technical Problems   Contact webmaster by E-Mail: siegrune@sefafell.myzen.co.uk

Journal Editors

Sunwheel Lyn’s E-mail: siegrune@sefafell.myzen.co.uk

Frostfire Alan’s E-Mail: frostfireuk@hotmail.com
 

Sunwheel is produced in London, UK by the Kith of Yggdrasil

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 "Exchange thoughts, exchange gifts."