Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year, and I always circle it well in advance, and plan my feast to our warriors and heroes down to the last detail. This rite and feast go by many names: Feast of the Einherjar, Odin's Day, etc..., but I prefer to call it Heroes Day. Anyone who has ever read my blog already knows that I have thrown convention to the wind and that I do things my way, and this rite and feast are no different for me. I celebrate everybody who is, or has been considered, a hero throughout the entire history of our religion and our nation. That includes the heroes from the Eddas, our soldiers, our firemen, our rescue workers, including doctors and nurses, policemen and of course our greatest heroes of all, our Gods and Goddesses !
I wrote and perform an elaborate Rite in all of their honor and raise, and drink, a toast to each of them. I take little sips because the list is very long ! In my family alone one ancestor fought in the Revolutionary War, my father was in the Air Force during the Korean War and my uncle was in the Army during peacetime. I also have two cousins who were in the Navy, a cousin who was in the Air Force and my brother was a Captain in the local police force. And thats after I honor all those in the Eddas ! Anyone and everyone who risks, or risked, their lives for us deserves to be honored on this day. I have a list of individuals that I honor and every year I add one more name from the hundreds that there are to choose from. This year I am adding the name of Todd Beamer to that list. He is the individual who said "let's roll" and then tried to take back Flight 93 from the terrorists on 9/11. He was a resident of a nearby town and I am very proud of his brave role in stopping the terrorists from hitting another building on that dark day.
The feast itself I try to make as elaborate as a man of my age can. I cook everything myself and make sure that there is a great variety of meats, vegetables, breads, and fruits. And of course you cannot honor heroes without a few bottles of mead and or wine. Ok, and a couple bottles of beer as well. I try to base my feast on what I imagine the Halls of Valhalla are like when the Einherjar are feasting on those hallowed benches. I of course do not have Valkyries to serve us, but the rest of the symbolism is there.
Remember to keep the Ritual of the Heroes solemn and respectful, but the feast afterwards should have a party atmosphere where everyone should just let there hair down and enjoy themselves. I hope you all enjoy your day tomorrow in which ever way you honor our great heroes. I'll even give a quick " skal " in advance for these great men and women ! Skal ! Enjoy !
Glenn Bergen
Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor' s protection !
I wrote and perform an elaborate Rite in all of their honor and raise, and drink, a toast to each of them. I take little sips because the list is very long ! In my family alone one ancestor fought in the Revolutionary War, my father was in the Air Force during the Korean War and my uncle was in the Army during peacetime. I also have two cousins who were in the Navy, a cousin who was in the Air Force and my brother was a Captain in the local police force. And thats after I honor all those in the Eddas ! Anyone and everyone who risks, or risked, their lives for us deserves to be honored on this day. I have a list of individuals that I honor and every year I add one more name from the hundreds that there are to choose from. This year I am adding the name of Todd Beamer to that list. He is the individual who said "let's roll" and then tried to take back Flight 93 from the terrorists on 9/11. He was a resident of a nearby town and I am very proud of his brave role in stopping the terrorists from hitting another building on that dark day.
The feast itself I try to make as elaborate as a man of my age can. I cook everything myself and make sure that there is a great variety of meats, vegetables, breads, and fruits. And of course you cannot honor heroes without a few bottles of mead and or wine. Ok, and a couple bottles of beer as well. I try to base my feast on what I imagine the Halls of Valhalla are like when the Einherjar are feasting on those hallowed benches. I of course do not have Valkyries to serve us, but the rest of the symbolism is there.
Remember to keep the Ritual of the Heroes solemn and respectful, but the feast afterwards should have a party atmosphere where everyone should just let there hair down and enjoy themselves. I hope you all enjoy your day tomorrow in which ever way you honor our great heroes. I'll even give a quick " skal " in advance for these great men and women ! Skal ! Enjoy !
Glenn Bergen
Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor' s protection !
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