Parts:
D1 – A druid of the robed sort.
D2 – Another druid of the robed sort, but with different robes.
TYTBNOP – The yet to be named outdweller person who challenges the participants.
FT – The fire tender. Burn, baby burn. Druid inferno.
WK – The Well Keeper. A watery sort of person.
TK – The Tree Keeper. A general tree hugger.
Diviner – No, not a devotee of Divine.
Pre-Ritual
Here we brief everyone as to what is going up. We lay out food that we have brought to be blessed by
Freyr. Explain to new people the basics of a Druid ritual. Explain call and response. Personal meditation is
done here.
Musical Signal – Chime rung nine times, three groups of three.
Procession and Challenge
(Note: I want to do some sort of ritual drama here. You know. We work hard to harvest our crops, and
there’s always that measure of uncertainty as to whether or not we will get it in so we can celebrate. I will
work on the challenge, ‘cus I think it would add some really cool ritual drama here.)
Participants walk to the ritual space chanting either atonally or with an actual chant and are greeted by the
Fire Tender, the Well Keeper and the yet-to-be-named-Outdweller-person. The yet-to-be-named-Outdweller-person challenges the participants:
“Why have you come to this sacred space?”
D1 responds: “We have come to honour the Gods.”
FT: “Then enter, and be welcomed”
TYTBNOP steps aside to let the participants pass. FT and WK smudge and ausperge the participants. The
participants continue to process into the Grove, chanting and stuff. They circle thrice around the centre and
take up positions.
D1: “We are here to honour the Gods! Wir sind hier, die Götter zu ehren!”
All: We are here to honour the Gods!
Prayer to the Earth Mother
D2 kneels and kisses the Earth.
D2: “Earth Mother, Erde, you hold us within your arms as we traverse Midgard. Mother of All, it is harvest
time, and your ripe bounty spill forth. We honour and welcome you tonight as we celebrate the harvest and
as we celebrate your gifts to us. Be welcomed. Seien begrüßt Sie.”
D2 offers grain to the Earth.
Prayer to Bragi
D1: “Braig, we ask you tonight for the Mead of Inspiration. Oh Bragi, son of Odhinn, Bragi of poets, we
ask for the poets’ share of the mead. Loosen our tongues, open our lips, let us sing to the Æsir, let us sing to
the Vanir. Bragi, we honour you! Be welcome! Seien begrüßt Sie.”
D1 then offers a poem/song/story to Bragi.
Purpose and Precident:
D1: “We are gathered here, at the mid-point of autumn, to celebrate the height of the harvest. It has been
bountiful and plentiful. So we stand in the eyes of the Gods and call upon golden Freyr, Lord of Alfheim,
the god of the harvest, so that we may thank him for our blessings and honour hm tonight.”
Meditation
D2 leads the grounding and meditation. Prolly a tree meditation, though I do like Linda’s grain meditation
in the SFG Harvest rit on the ADF page.
Opening of the Gates
FT makes offering to the Fire/candles/Bic lighter
FT: “Look to the Fire,
The Bright, Shining Gate
Its’ warmth calls to us to gather
Around its’ golden flames
Shining fire, golden fire,
Open to us now.
Öffnen Sie sich zu uns jetzt!”
WK makes offering to the Well/Bowl/puddle
WK: “Look into the well
The Deep, Flowing Gate
Its’ waters flow below the Earth
Reaching to far-off lands
Deep well, cleansing well,
Open to us now.
Öffnen Sie sich zu uns jetzt!”
TK makes offering to the Tree/Pole/Big-honking stick
TK: “Look now to the Tree
The All-Reaching Gate
Within its branches, it catches the sun
Its roots hold up the land.
Towering tree, reaching up high, and roots reaching below
Be a path to all now!
Seien Sie ein Pfad zu allen jetzt!”
Gatekeeper addresses Heimdall: (note, I will prolly clean this up. Asking permission kinda rankles me, and
I haven’t put much in their about guarding the gates, so this will change. But hey, I’ve got months!)
GK: “I call upon Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost!
Keen-eared one we ask permission
To walk upon Bifrost
Keen-eyed one, we ask your permission
To open the Gates between the world
GK presents offering to Heimdall
“Heimdall, join your magic with mine as we walk Bifrost to meet the Kindred.
Accept this offering as a token of our good will and thanks.
Let the Gates be open! Lassen Sie die Gatter geöffnet werden!
Participants settle as the Gates are set and established.
Honouring the Triple Kindred and Outdweller Recognition.
Nature Spirits:
TK makes offering to the Nature Spirits.
TK: “Furred ones, hoofed ones
We call upon you, first of the Kindred
Join with us tonight
As we celebrate the harvest.
Spirits of the trees, of wheat, of all the land
Be with us in joy and celebration tonight.
Be welcome! Wilkommen!”
Ancestors:
WK makes offering to the Ancestors.
WK: “From the mists of time
We call upon you, our ancestors.
Join with us tonight
And celebrate the crisp fall nights.
Ancestors, teachers, blood-kin
Be with us tonight at the height of harvest-time.
Be welcome! Wilkommen!”
Gods
FT makes offering to the Gods.
FT: “And to the Gods I speak
Æsir and Vanir both
Join with us tonight
In mead and song and story.
Mighty, stalwart gods, come down from your hallowed halls
And raise your cups with us to the harvest.
Be welcome! Wilkommen!”
Outdwellers
The yet-to-be-named-Outdweller-person faces away from the fire, and takes out gift to the Outdwellers.
TYTBNOP: “And to those who dwell beyond the fires
Wolves and giants and trolls
Bother us not in our celebrations
Bother us not in our thoughts.
So this we give to you (Throws offering to ODs)
And as a gift demands a gift
Stay beyond the light of the fire
And bother us not tonight.”
Participants settle with the cosmos established, the Kindred called and wait for the calling of Freyr.
Main Prayer and Invocation:
D1: “It is the height of the harvest. The fields are gold with ripe grain. The trees are heavy with ripe,
lucious fruit. In the markets, farmers, stewards of the land, bring the fruits of their labour to us.
Creamy corn, crisp carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cheese – all manner of foods they provide
for us.
And so we call upon Freyr, golden Freyr of the Vanir, Lord of bright Alfheim. We call him down
to us tonight so that we may thank him for the blessings of the harvest. Freyr, we thank-you for the
blessings that grace our tables and honour you tonight! Freyr, danken wir Ihnen für die Segnen
denen Anmut unsere Tabellen und Sie heute abend ehren!”
Praise Offerings:
D2: “If anyone has an offering that they wish to give, you may do so now.”
Participants do the offering two-step.
Divination:
D2: “We have given offerings to Freyr and the Kindred Three. We ask that they give unto us their
words and blessings in return. Oh Freyr, Oh Kindred, speak to us of what we must harvest at this
time of plenty.”
Diviner does that runic thing.
If we require further clarification, then D1 asks:
D1: “The Gods have spoken. Would we offer to know more.”
Do this three times. If it is bad. End the rit. If it is good, or we accept it, then on to the Sharing of the
blessings.
Sharing of Blessings
D2: “The Kindred have given their blessings and golden Freyr as well. As we drink from this cup, let
us remember the bounty that is given to us. Let us honour those that have given to us and honour
them in return.”
Drink, drink, DRINK!
Thanking of Powers.
D1: “We have been blessed by the Gods of Old. As we walk from this sacred place, let us carry some
of its strength into our lives. As we continue to worship the Gods, they become stronger and more
aware of our need. Let us thank them for the bounty they have given to us.
Freyr, Lord of Alfheim, you have blessed us with the harvest and honoured us with your presence
tonight. Viel dank.”
FT: “Gods of the Vanir, God of the Æsir, you have honoured us tonight an warmed our hearth with
your presence. We honour you as you have honoured us. Viel dank.”
WK: “Ancestors, blood-kin, you have joined with us tonight in songs and luaghter. Your wisdom passes
to us and your insight is within us. We tahnk-you and honour you as you have honoured us. Viel
dank.”
TK: “Hoofed ones, horned ones, furred ones. Spirits of the land, of the plants, tress. Your quiet wisdom
have been our guide tonight. For this we thank-you and honour you as you have honoured us. Viel
dank.”
Closing of the Gates
GK: “We have walked Bifrost, the rainbow bridge and have met witht he Gods and the Kindred. And
now Heimdall, we ask that the gates be closed. Let the fire be fire, let the well be water and let the
tree be a tree. Heimdall, let the gates be closed! Heimdall, ließ die Gatter geschlossen sein!”
Regrounding of Energies
D2 leads the group in the re-grounding.
Thanking of Bragi
D1: “Bragi, your drops of mead has loosened our tongue, opened our lips and your inspiration has
poured forth from us. For this we thank-you and honour you as you have honoured us. Viel dank.”
Thanking of the Mother
D2: “Erde, Earth Mother, you hold us in your arms and give to us of your body. For this we thank-you
and honour you as you have honoured us. Viel dank.”
Affirmation of Success:
D1: “The harvest is bountiful and we continue to bring it in. It is as it should be. Es ist, während es sein
sollte.”
Recession.
The particpants process out, chanting.
Commission:
D1: “The gates are closed, the boundaries are down. The rite has ended. Let us go in peace and enjoy
and celebrate the harvest. Lassen Sie uns in Frieden gehen und die Ernte genießen und feiern. “
Post-ritual
Ensure that people are properly grounded and down to earth. Enjoy the feast that we have prepared.