Talk:Torvaldsland (Luther)

Torvaldsland Festival Calendar

This calendar contains only Torvaldsland and Eddic Holidays. All modern heathen and asatru holidays have been removed from prior calenders. However, I have left in the agricultural details from my research of historical accounts of Iceland and northern Scandinavia, mileage may vary.

Most of the dates have been matched up to the beginning of a Gorean month when possible, unless the festival makes sense to be during a passage hand. Gor Calendar

If you would like ideas of what to do during a festival, I will have notes/outlines available for any who ask a few weeks before each event. ~ Branwyn Emerald

Torvaldsland Festivals

• Fest-season of Odin (in the fall)
• Harvest Festival (in the fall), followed in one month by the Planting Season.
• New Year (spring equinox)
• hing-fair (summer)

Eddic Festivals

• Victory-Sacrifice aka Sigrblót
• Winter Nights aka Vetrnætr
• Mid-Winter

Festival Dates

New Year (Gorean)

The new year in torvaldsland begins at the spring equinox, after the end of the waiting hand, En'Kara (March 20).

Victory-Sacrifice aka Sigrblót (Viking)

Spring Equinox, En'Kara (March 20), or, preferably, four weeks after the spring equinox (April 19) on the first day of summer. See Below.

The first day of summer (agricultural)

Based on Icelandic tradition, the first day of summer is the Thursday after April 18. That worked out really well for my research on the Victory Festival and the fact that first day of the first week of the second month is: (April 19).

Growing Season Begins (agricultural)

Approximately (May 19).

Thing-Fair (Gorean)

The thing-fair begins less then a month after the sa-tarna has pushed thru the ground, reaching a height of 10 inches, and other summer crops have been planted. Recommended: First Day of En'Var Jun 18th (or June 20/21 for the Summer Solstice)

Harvest Festival (Gorean)

The harvest festival would happen at the time of the harvest, Septemberish. Recommended: Beginning of Se'Kara (Sept 16), or the passage hand leading up to it, opens the Fest Season of Odin.

Fest-Season of Odin (Gorean)

The fest-season of Odin would occur after the harvest festival and end a month later with the planting.

Winter Nights aka Vetrnætr (Viking)

Seventh Passage hand (Oct 11-15), this viking festival can be used to close the Fest-Season of Odin, and lead into the planting.

Planting (agricultural)

To begin the first week after the the seventh hand, approx (Oct 16). See Below.

Slaughter of animals (agricultural)

Animals not likely to survive the winter would begin after the planting has been completed, and their food set for long term storage; frozen, salted, pickled and smoked. (Mid Oct-Mid Nov).

Se'Var - The tenth month - Winter Solstice

Its is likely some holiday occurred around this time, (Dec 16). See Below.

Mid-Winter (Viking)

For growth, during the height of winter. 10th Passage Hand, (Jan 9-13).

Gorean Months

En'Kara - The first month of the year, beginning with the Spring or Vernal Equinox (Mar 20)

En'Var - The fourth month - Summer Solstice (June 18)

Se'Kara - The seventh month - Autumnal Equinox (Sept 16)

Se'Var - The tenth month - Winter Solstice (Dec 16)

Facts/Bibliography

• Based off the average temperatures in Iceland: https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/information/about-iceland/useful-information, the growing season is June, July, Aug and Sept, give or take two weeks.
• Based on the details of Winter Wheat, the primary crop of Denmark, it is planted between Sept and November. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_wheat
• The period of time from planting to harvest is 11 months (earth counting).
• We do not know if there is a planting feast in Torvaldsland, the one in southern Gor is in the spring.
• Tarl arrived at Ivar's Landfall in summer. "There were only a few bosk visible, and they were milk bosk. The sheds I saw would accommodate many more animals. I surmised, as is common in Torvaldsland, most of the cattle had been driven higher into the mountains, to graze wild during the summer, to be fetched back to the shed only in the fall, with the coming of winter." Marauders
• The fest-season of Odin is in the fall

Three Annual (Viking) Festivals

Three annual festivals appear to have been known and celebrated throughout Viking Age Scandinavia. The Heimskringla of Icelander Snorri Sturluson records these festivals in Ynglingasaga, chapter 8, saying:

Þá skyldi blóta í móti vetri til árs en að miðjum vetri blóta til gróðrar, hið þriðja að sumri. Það var sigurblót.

[A sacrifice was to be made for a good season at the beginning of winter, and one in midwinter for good crops, and a third one begin in summer, for victory.]

Victory-Sacrifice

"The Summer blót was undertaken in the middle of April (about four weeks after the spring equinox) and it was given to Odin. Then, they drank for victory in war and this blót was the starting date for Viking expeditions and wars." (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blót#Dates

I wish this wiki article had more citations, but it does seem to match up well to what I know of the dates listed. Most specifically, four weeks after the spring equinox is the Icelandic First Day of Summer. I like to have a lot of opportunities for celebration, so I do something on both the New Year and then the Victory Blot a gorean month later.

Mid Winter

Before Midwinter became known as Yule it was celebrated in mid-January, afterwards it shifted to mid November to mid December, and then was established at the more traditional time of Christmas. Given how hard it can be to celebrate Yule during the Christmas holidays in Gor, I choose to use the January dates, and suggest that Mother's Night is celebrated mid-December on the equinox, allowing more modern/traditional Yule celebrations not to interfere with the more historical Midwinter.

Winter Solstice

I do not think this tradition would have survived, even if it made it to Gor. But if you are looking to do something to honor female ancestors, then Mother's Night is a nice ritual. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mōdraniht If this doesn't appeal to you, a simply night event to acknowledge the Solstice is nice.

Planting

If you have scheduling challenges with the Fest-Season of Odin or the Harvest, you can do a blot that borrows from the anglo-saxon tradition of Charming of the Plow or the planting festival done in southern Gor. http://www.thegoreancave.com/research/festivals.php?offset=300#plantfeast