Today we take a few moments to honour Jarl Haakon, king of Norway from 975 to 995. He is a man definitely deserving of a horn or two. He was a strong follower of the Ancestral Gods of his people; he was said to have even claimed descent from Odin Himself.
Haakon was a mighty warrior and at one time helped his neighbor to the South, Harald Bluetooth, do battle with Otto II the holy Roman Emperor. For his help Harald forcibly converted Haakon to christianity and wanted to send priests back to Norway with Haakon. Haakon played along until his boats were away from the shore.......then, just like a true son of Odin, Haakon ordered the priests overboard and sailed home free of the middle eastern taint. For almost 20 more years Haakon ruled his lands and allowed the old ways to thrive there.
Maybe we can't throw priests overboard these days, but we can do our utmost to not allow monotheism or its sister creed, political correctedness, to creep into our lives. We can stand strong in our beliefs even when it might not be the easiest thing to do. We can, maybe, give our children a life without the alien influences so prevalent today.....turn off the TV and the phone and get outside for the afternoon. By staying tru and standing up for our Ancestral ways maybe we can be the example that brings others home to our noble faith.
Hail Jarl Haakon!