Helgisiðir Deyjandis

THE RITES OF FUNERARY

Issued by High Keeper Ellenore Eiriksdóttir, on the 25th of SÓLSMANAÐR, IAÁ 528, AGE OF DRAGONSFYRE 

PREAMBLE

The Narvaukiaan peoples have a long & storied history on the topic of burial or funerary customs, the traditions of such beginning centuries before the Descension of the Allfather. The tribes of Mir practiced various ceremonies & rites to commemorate the death of kinsmen slain in battle or those who had fallen into the eitrsleep. Though the oral sagas of our people only detailed such momentous occasions amongst the ennobled few, Jarls, Thegns, Hersirs, & Seiðrs, the Keepers have few records of what the serf may’ve partaken of to rest their dearly departed. Most notably, there is only a singular ‘text’ that the Keepers have quoted to be accurate & of historical significance - the death & burial of Ruric yr Mir, engraved unto the stone & carved in the runic script of our ancestors, erected highly atop a hill upon the isle of Avar. Regardless, this event exists notably contrarian to the popular customs of highborn Narvaukiaans of that Age.

The most prominent practice of our forefathers upon Mir was the burial of the dead. Our ancestors believed death to be a ‘transitory’ affair, & that death itself was merely the passing from one world into the next. This tradition was further confounded by beliefs of material possessions & wealth being ‘possessable’ into the afterlife. Thus, the socially prominent, the ennobled man, had most often been buried within great crypts & barrows alongside their serfs, huskarls, & family. This served the dual purpose of offering leal warriors of a lordly man the chance of an honorable burial & continued service to his liege in life or death. Often, these dead warriors were buried with the intent for them to rise from entombment as draugr, spurred to undeath by the disturbance of their burial grounds. This would dissuade any would-be tomb raider from attempting to loot the graves of the honored dead.

The practice continued long after the Descension of the Allfather; the elders of our people & the Keepers had yet to reach a consensus on funerary rites. This tradition continued & lasted up to the Age of the High-rock, where the High Keeper Arthas interred the dead beneath the fortress-city of the Krag, within an elaborate complex of crypts deep into the earth’s rock.

The crypts of the Krag had begun to overflow with bodies of the many interred dead Ashguardsmen, Huskarls, & Thegns - the price paid for the Kingdom to endure the wrath of the Dvergr during the War of Grudges. And as the Keepers worked with great vigor to rest the many fallen warriors, not longer after would the first barrowwights soon emerge from the deep halls & sunken passages to possess the recently departed. Beneath the Krag rose legions of draugr, spurned from death by the whims of vile forces of darkness, much to the suffering of those living. The remaining Ashguard & the Purifiers began a mission to eradicate the darkness that had befallen their dead comrades - the Keepers; they had realized that this was a divine punishment set unto them from on high. By divine intervention, the Keepers had been given command that the dead must be burned, for only through fire might a man’s soul be freed from his vessel, & only through the Father’s mercy might salvation be had.

By no coincidence, High Keeper Arthas Ruric would be the first to decree that those who died lives of valor or virtue were to be cremated. Thus, the first funerary rites were born from an age of strife, alongside many other rituals & ceremonies scribed to ensure that those who’d follow knew what was righteous, & not fallacy taught by oral traditions. It is by no surprise that Arthas would be the one to undertake these efforts, a Keeper more pious & righteous before any other. He recognized the importance of having consistent traditions for marriage, ones which were in accordance with the scripture & in recognition of our Narvaukiaan ancestry. With the suddenness of the barrowwights & the rise of proper ceremonies, funerals were conducted solely by the authority of the Keepers & the High Hearth - no longer would the dead ever be entombed, less they were of an evil profound & profane.

AND SO IT SHALL BE, BY THE WILL OF OUR ALLFATHER,

as High Regent of the House of Ruric, Regent of the Ashwood Throne, Master of the Order of the First Flame, High Keeper of the Red Faith & the Flame Imperishable, I, Ellenore Eiriksdóttir,

henceforth forbid the traditions of ‘burial’ & the entombment of the dead outside the will of the High Hearth. Any such barrows, tombs, or crypts containing the dead buried will be given the Father’s mercy. Only in cases that the most profound of evils unfold, might the dead be interred permanently in a rest cruel & terrible. Let it be known that the burial of the dead is an offense against the Faith & an offense against the Red Law. This is a crime whose victim is the very spirit, its dignity disregarded & essence corrupted by the parties involved.

CONTENTS

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNERALS
2. THE DUTIES OF THE CLERGY
3. THE RITUAL

THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNERALS

Over many centuries of the Red Faith’s storied history, few things have been so closely held to be of significance than laying the dead to rest. To the Narvaukiaan, death is a beginning. To die is not for one’s story to come to closure but for a new saga to be written. Thus, long have funerals been of great importance to the living, as ensuring the departed pass peacefully into the next life is one of the greatest honors. Often though, it is mistaken that the funeral’s importance stems from whatever dogmatic ritual or ceremony is ascribed to it. This is a misguided belief deeply rooted within Canon traditions that the rite itself is of divine import & that there is a divine intercession in occurrence, or the indulgent displays of grandeur to be played out by skálds & minstrels & all the attendees lavishly decorated in their ostentatious wealth is to somehow aid the dead in passing.

Death is one of the few great hardships that bears a weight both heavy on the mind & spirit. Through these times of doubt, the High Hearth deems it necessary to create means by which the faithful may come together. Thus, the funeral’s primary purpose within the Faith is to aid those yet still living with this burden. Be they friend, family, or lover, the death of a companion is a grief that only the most deranged of men may remain composed to. The funeral acts as a means of closure; for those gathered to come to terms with what has transpired.

Though it has been stated redundantly that the High Hearth does not formally recognize any rite or ceremony for the Red Faith, there is a singular aspect of every funeral that must be adhered to. The dead are to be cremated till naught but ashes remain. This is to ensure that the dead may peacefully depart from their corporeal vessel & be received in the afterlife.

THE DUTIES OF THE CLERGY

The High Hearth has concluded that the Rite of Funerary is ritual of the Faith & that all Keepers of the Flame should be able to recite its proper with a high degree of certainty. Further, all Hearths should have the supplies necessary to deliver these funerary rites & appropriate materials to build a pyre.

The Pyre,

a wood construction assembled by those who have decided to stand vigil, alongside a Keeper. The size of such may indicate the status of the deceased, but enough wood & kindling is needed to burn any potential offerings & the body properly.

The Vigil av Dawn,

a vigil shall be held throughout the day before the ceremony & after its conclusion. Amongst the friends, family, or companions, one will be named by the Keeper, if able, to be the Vigilite. If there is no such person available, the honor rests upon the Keeper to stand vigil through the day & night.

The Gjallarhorn,

a horn carved from the greatest ram available, & banded with Narvaukiaan Bronze inlaid with all varieties of decoration: bone, gemstones, precious metals & more. It will be tended to often by the presiding Hearth to ensure it remains in fair condition. It will be used at the final conclusion of the funeral, when the Keeper has determined that the departed’s soul has left.

The Votive Offerings,

an offering from the local Hearth, companions, or family of the deceased shall be given to the pyre. Often, the arms & armor of the deceased shall be sent with them to the Father’s Halls. These may be any variety of sentimental gifts, tools, food, & traditional trinkets that might aid in the dead’s journey.
 

THE RITUAL

The witnesses gather before the pyre upon the setting of dusk.

Any who stood vigil shall offer a final silent prayer before taking their places amongst the witnesses. The Vigilite shall stand before the Pyre, facing the gathering of mournful, & the ceremony will begin when the clerical attendant snuffs out the candle.

“Gathered here, before [deceased], who comes to pay homage?” the Vigilite will call.
 

The Vigilite will then allow anyone who wishes to step forward to speak or offer homage. Each doing so must announce themselves & be received by the Vigilite.

“Who approaches?” the Vigilite shall speak.

“I, [companion/kinsman], [relation] of [deceased].” the companion/kinsman replies.

“Then come,” the Vigilite accepts.
 

The Vigilite will allow all to pay homage & make offerings. When concluded, the Vigilite will approach the pyre & begin to speak the final offerings. There, the Vigilite will lay upon the deceased three votive offerings from the High Hearth.

“To satiate you during your journey, might your thirst be quenched.” The Vigilite will pour a bottle of distilled Ashwood spirit upon the body.

“To guard you when the darkness encroaches, let it taste the foe.” The Vigilite will lay upon the chest of the departed a sword of Narvaukiaan Bronze.

“And when the dark steps forth & the shadows lengthen, may it ward away the cold of night.” The Vigilite will lay upon the entirety of the body a cloak made of ram’s wool & dyed with Rauðr.
 

If the Vigilite was not a Keeper of the Red Faith, then they would step aside to allow one standing by to come forth. The Keeper of the Flame will then speak the final invocation & set ablaze the pyre.

“I, [the Keeper’s name], Keeper of the Flame Imperishable, speak now, as it has been avowed before the Flame of the Alföðr. This dawning, [day] of [month], [year] IAÁ; [Age], proclaim that [deceased] shall join with He on High, the Dawnlord, and forever devote his soul to the Father’s Sacred Cause within Verðrhölla!”

“For it was the Alföðr’s light which guided you along the darkened path, to the steps of Verðrhölla.”
 

Those who originally stood vigil may continue to do so; the Vigilite will remain alongside the Keeper throughout the night. They will tend to the pyre to ensure it burns well & properly. When the fire has finally died down, the Keeper will blow the Gjallarhorn, announcing to all those within its call that the deceased has finally departed into the afterlife.

AND SO IT SHALL BE, BY THE WILL OF OUR ALLFATHER,
HER EMINENCE, Ellenore Eiriksdóttir,

High Regent of the House of Ruric, Regent of the Ashwood Throne, Master of the Order of the First Flame, High Keeper of the Red Faith & the Flame Imperishable

Scribed by,

Brother-Purifier Ægir Edvardsson av Ruric

Helgisiðir Brúðhlaups

THE RITES OF MATRIMONY

Issued by High Keeper Ellenore Eiriksdóttir, on the 17th of EDVARDSAWND, IAÁ 522; AGE OF DRAGONFYRE 

PREAMBLE

Centuries before the Descension of the Allfather, Narvaukiaan tribes practiced various ceremonies & rites for marriage, passed orally through their peoples by their elders. Few ‘texts’ exist that detail the ancient traditions of our forefathers, with those few being ancient, runic tablets that more or less say who was married & not how they were married. Even then, the sagas are known well enough that the Keepers of our Faith have concluded that Narvaukiaan peoples did not have a unified consensus on marriage rites.

Even after the Descension of the Allfather, the elders of our peoples & the Keepers had not established any form of consistent marriage rite. Often, unofficial unions were had, sometimes with a Keeper or Chieftain presiding over them, & sometimes in witness of the Flame. During this time, it was still common practice to sire children with several women, often something done solely by the Chieftains of Clans & was predominantly known to be done by the Rurikkid, even dubbed as having ‘ashwives,’ unwed women who would bear bastard children. This tradition continued actively for two centuries after the establishment of the Kingdom of Norland.

The first consistent & written marriage rite of the Red Faith was done during the Age of the High-Rock, by the High Keeper Arthas Ruric. Uncoincidentally, this was the period where the Faith had begun to establish its lore in written texts as opposed to the standard oral traditions. The High Keeper Arthas had scribed many scrolls containing various rituals, ceremonies, heresies, & standards of the Red Faith. Of course, he recognized the importance of having consistent rites for marriage in accordance with the scripture of the Red Scroll & in recognition of our Narvaukiaan ancestry. With the rise of proper marriage traditions recognized by the faith, unions started to be conducted solely by the authority of the Keepers & the High Hearth. In time, ‘ashwives’ & unions outside of marriage slowly became uncommon & even taboo.

AND SO IT SHALL BE, BY THE WILL OF OUR ALLFATHER,

as High Regent of the House of Ruric, Regent of the Ashwood Throne, Master of the Order of the First Flame, High Keeper of the Red Faith & the Flame Imperishable, I, Ellenore Eiriksdóttir,

henceforth forbid the traditions of ‘ashwives’ & the siring of children outside of matrimonial union. Any such children produced outside of holy marriage will be bastards, & their surname shall be ‘Eldrsson’ or ‘Eldrsdóttir’; till the parents of the children are brought together in union. In cases of nuance, the presiding High Keeper may come to a decision, or a Hearth Council might convene. Let it be known that the siring of children outside of matrimonial union is an offense against the Faith & an offense against the Red Law. This is a crime whose victim is the child, their dignity disregarded by the parties involved in their conception. 

henceforth forbid any union between man with elf, man with dwarf, man with orc, elf with dwarf, elf with orc, & dwarf with orc. Any such children produced through such union will be known as bastards, & their surname shall be ‘Eitrsson’ or ‘Eitrsdóttir’. Let it be known that the siring of such children is not only outside of matrimony, an offense already, but also an additional offense against the Faith & an offense against the Red Law. This is a crime whose victim is the child, their dignity & blood disregarded by the parties involved in their conception.

CONTENTS

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE
2. THE DUTIES OF THE CLERGY
3. THE RITUAL

THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE

The Rite of Matrimony is a most sacred covenant between husband and wife, a sacred vow of fidelity before the Light of the Allfather. To put aside personal goals and aspirations as individuals to pursue the hearth and the rearing of children. It is a commitment that two once estranged souls make together in love, to keep one another in the light of the Allfather. As iron might sharpen iron, so too does the matrimonial union.

THE DUTIES OF THE CLERGY

The High Hearth has determined that the Rite of Matrimony is an essential ritual of the Faith, and that all Keepers of the faith should be able to recite its proper ceremony with a high degree of certainty. Further, all Hearths should have the supplies necessary to ordain marriages, and an appropriate site that is ready to be used within.

The Alisian Altar,

a site ordained by a Keeper of the Flame and dedicated to Paragon Alisa Camian, the ‘Matriarch’. A shrine, roofed and walled, of lacquered mangrove wood. No larger than what is needed to house an altar of blackstone, beset with a decorative, crimson tablecloth. A menhir will back it. Within the shrine upon the altar are two candles made of wolfslard and votive offerings made by the local Hearth or gifted by the leal faithful. The altar will have an iron strongbox containing various items for ceremony. In this case, the relevant being; a Krumkniv, a Rauðrblíat, a Borðker, and a bottle of consecrated Vín yr Camian

The Krumkniv,

a small, angular knife made entirely of a Narvakiaan Bronze having no handle but the tang, curved about on itself.

The Rauðrblíat,

a ribbon long enough to be wrapped about two hands held together several times. It will be no thicker than the common tunic and be of fine sheep wool, dyed with the red of the Ashwood Tree’s leaves.

The Borðker,

a ritual chalice made of silver. It will be made for the occasion by a proficient silversmith and decorated in the heraldry of the two families brought together.

THE RITUAL

The witnesses gather before an Alisian Altar at the setting of dusk.

A Keeper of the Flame Imperishable stands at the altar in prayer, holding the Borðker, and the gathered will keep silence. Once the Keeper has concluded their prayer, the flame bearer will turn to face the congregation, and the ceremony will begin with the sound of a lyre’s song. The bride starts towards the altar at its call, and her father will escort her. Once the bride stands before the altar by her father, the Keeper will speak:

“Who comes before the Flame this night?” the Keeper demands.

“I, [the bride], daughter of [bride’s father], of [bride’s surname]. She comes to beg the blessings of the Alföðr and the Einherjar,” the bride replies.

The Keeper will then give the Borðker to the bride, who shall receive it. The bride and her father will turn to face the crowd, and the groom will approach steadfastly from among those gathered. Words of challenge shall be spoken:

“Who approaches?” the father shall speak.

“I, [the groom], son of [groom’s father], of [groom’s surname]. He comes to beg the blessings of the Alföðr and the Einherjar. He bids her hand in marriage,” the groom.

“If you are to have her hand, you must first face my steel,” the father challenges.

“Then you will receive mine,” the groom accepts the challenge.

The father and the groom will face each other in unaided combat, to meet steel with one another. If the father cannot meet in honorable holmgang, an exception may be given for a stand-in. The duel concludes when first blood is made or when one side concedes; murder is not permitted during the holmgang. If the bride's father has won, he may choose to decline the marriage. If the groom has won, he may attempt to receive the bride’s hand in marriage. To decline the marriage, the father need not move from the altar. Then, the Keeper will bid that the ceremony has concluded.

Should the marriage continue, the groom will now approach the altar, the father having left to join the crowd. The bride, holding the Borðker, will face the groom. Should the bride wish to accept the groom’s hand in marriage, then she will offer the groom to drink Vín yr Camian from the Borðker:

“Drink, [the groom], taste the hearth’s bounty,” the bride will offer the Borðker.

“I thank you for this bounty,” the groom will drink from the Borðker held by the bride.

Once the groom has drunk of the Borðker, the bride will bring such back to herself, and the two to wed will stand facing one another still. The Keeper shall then speak the opening invocation:

“Here, this darkened eve, we gather before the Flame Imperishable.

Congregated about an Altar to Alisa, Einherjar of the Alföðr.

Alföðr, I bid your blessing this night. 

For these two profess before your Flame vows of matrimony.

Give unto them your guidance and the light of your flame.”

The bride and the groom will offer their right hands to the Keeper, who will bear a Krumkniv of Narvaukiaan bronze. The Keeper will cut into the hands of the bride and then the groom, speaking to each respectively: 

“The blood of your foremothers, [bride’s surname],” the Keeper cuts into the hand of the bride.

“The blood of your forefathers, [groom’s surname],” the Keeper cuts into the hand of the groom.

The Keeper will procure the Rauðrblíat and begin to wrap its length about the now bloodied hands of the bride and groom, binding them together. As the Keeper starts to bind, the following dialogues are thus:

“[groom’s name], do you swear upon the [groom’s surname] line, upon the blood of your ancestors, and upon the Alföðr to uphold all oaths you swear true and in honor?” The Keeper asks of the groom.

“I swear it upon the name of [groom’s chosen paragon],” the groom answers.

“[bride’s name], do you swear upon the [bride’s surname] line, upon the blood of your ancestors, and upon the Alföðr to uphold all oaths you swear true and in honor?” The Keeper asks of the bride.

“I swear it upon the name of [bride’s chosen paragon],” the bride answers.

Once the Rauðrblíat has been bound about the hands of the bride and groom, the Keeper will speak the final invocation, and by the will of the Allfather, the binding shall be alight in furious flame, akin to thunderous lightning:

“I, [the Keeper’s name], Keeper of the Red Faith and the Flame Imperishable speak now, as it has been avowed before the Flame of the Alföðr. This night, [day] of [month], [year] IAÁ; [Age], proclaim these two to be wed. [husband’s name] and [wife’s name] shall be husband and wife - witnessed by the Essence of our Red-Lord.”

“May the Alföðr’s light guide you along the darkened path, to the steps of Verðrhölla.”

((Kissing optional))

AND SO IT SHALL BE, BY THE WILL OF OUR ALLFATHER,
HER EMINENCE, Ellenore Eiriksdóttir,

High Regent of the House of Ruric, Regent of the Ashwood Throne, Master of the Order of the First Flame, High Keeper of the Red Faith & the Flame Imperishable

Scribed by,
Brother-Purifier Aegir Edvardsson av Ruric