![[Whirl]](images/mitsu.gif){kind=small}
To the Reeves Hall
Formerly, important public oaths were sworn on oath rings, which had religious significance. We don't know many details of how these rings were used, but they seem to have been commonplace enough that references to them would be understood. Western society preserves a reminder of oath rings in the wedding ring.
As far as we can glean, they were used on any occasion that required a public swearing of oaths, such as marriage ceremonies and law courts.
Most oath rings were made of gold and either left on the gods' images in the hof or worn by the godhi. The were either neckrings or armrings. Some of them, at least, were huge (500-1000 grams).
Ullr is called the god of the oath-ring somewhere and Odhin swears a (false) oath on a ring in Havamal.
[In the middle of the hof was] a raised platform like an altar. On this platform lay a solid ring weighing twenty ounces, upon which people had to swear all their oaths. It was the business of the temple priest to wear this ring on his arm at every public meeting.
In Chapter 16, there is a court case at the local Thing:
Arnkel the Priest approached the court and swore an oath on the altar ring that Geirrid was not responsible for Gunnlaug's injuries, and Thorarin along with ten other men took the same oath.
(Palsson and Edwards translation)
On the altar [in the hof] must be a great ring, made of silver, which the temple godi should have on his hand at every meeting of men, and on it all men should swear oaths at any witness giving.(Gywn Jones translation)
I [use them], in a couple of different ways. I keep one permanently on the altar in the Odhinsve (there used to be one in the Vanave, too, but it was stolen - may Freyr treat the thief as s/he deserves). I wear one when I am performing some kind of public role at a blot. And, I have one ring in particular that commemorates the oath between me and my blood-brother - I usually wear it whenever he and I get together.
It seems like a lot of modern heathens use a ring to commemorate a particular oath, sort of like an extended significance of wedding rings. I get the sense, though, that in the past, swearing on the ring was more like swearing on the Bible for Christians in a modern court, and the oath ring was generic rather than specific to a particular oath.
So when you go into court and they shove that bible in your face, you should pull out your Kindred's Oath Ring instead? Works for me.
Stormerne and I clutched an oath ring while speaking our marriage vows. The oath ring now sits on the altar in our Hof. It is, so to speak, a magically charged item. It is a physical container for our spoken oath.
If either, or both, of us should take vows to other heathens (declaration of kinship or such) in future, we will contain them within the same ring. I think the point is that transfering an abstract spoken oath to a physically real and testibly strong metal ring (impossible to break without a hacksaw) makes the oath concrete, brings it from the verbal realm of abstraction to the physical realm.
Our godhi wears a neckring that is used for such oaths as are given in marriages.
We also have a ring made of rope which has had the ends spliced together to make it whole which is used for those who are joining our group to oath to the gods and goddesses. It lives on the algiz which we use as part of our set-up. It is our group's oath ring. Upon occasion in assisting people who wished to oath themselves to something in particular (dedicating themselves to a year's worth of training, for example), an oath ring made of rope was used specifically for the purpose. The ring represented the oath.
Blood siblinghood is a strong, irrevocable oath of kinship between two individuals. It is the most powerful and binding oath an Asatruer can take. Traditionally, it is considered much more binding than marriage (although modern Asatruers commonly incorporate elements of blood sib oaths into their marriage ceremonies.) References to oaths of blood siblinghood can be found in Gisli's Saga (which has the most complete description of a ritual), in the Volsungasaga, and in Lokasenna (where Loki and Odin refer to having "mixed their blood together"). It might also be valuable to look in Jomsvikingasaga at the oath that the warriors swore to each other.
There is no reference in the lore to adoption ceremonies, and it is not done commonly now, so you are pretty much on your own. It seems reasonable to design an adoption ceremony with elements from baby-naming and blood-siblinghood (weighted according to the age of the adoptee).
Either way of joining a family will enmesh you in a whole nest of interlocking relationships and mutual obligations. Here are some notes on the model of kin obligations we see in the eddas and sagas. You could incorporate references to something like these in a blood sib or adoption ceremony.
The term "profession" is used by different Asatruers in somewhat different ways. Very generally, to profess is to formally swear some kind of lifelong oath that binds you to all the Aesir (and Vanir, etc.) or to one or more specific gods from the pantheon. Some people also use the term to include oaths required for membership in a kindred. In any case, it is just about the most serious step you can take in your lifetime, since these oaths are usually designed to be irrevocable and quite broad.
There is no single formula for profession oaths. Some people swear these oaths privately; some prefer a public swearing ceremony. You may choose to have separate ceremonies and oaths for profession of general loyalty to the gods, dedication to a particular god, and membership in an oath-based kindred. Or you may choose to combine one or more elements into a single ceremony.
Depending on the exact terms of what you swear, you may swear additional profession oaths to additional gods or beings or groups in the future, as well.
Some also Asatruers also feel the need to formally cancel or forswear some previous similar bonds (such as Catholic confirmation). You can explicitly list them or simply refer to them generally, depending on your circumstances.
The two most common models for a formal profession oath are adoption or siblinghood (as described above) and fealty.
Fealty is a two-sided, but asymmetric, relationship. On the human side, it is an oath of service and obedience. On the god's side, it is an oath to support and protect. This is the most common model for patronage oaths. It is a contract: be clear, be explicit, be prepared to be faithful to the exact terms.
Adoption and siblinghood are natural patterns for a general oath of loyalty to all the gods or for membership in a kindred. Some Asatruers feel that they have this relationship with a particular god and swear an oath that emphasises kinship rather than service.
Many Asatruers never feel the need for formal profession or siblinghood oaths at all, preferring to let their actions speak for themselves. The following passages in Havamal suggest another kind of relationship, simple friendship, that does not call for a formal oath:
With presents friends should please each other,
With a shield or a costly coat:
Mutual giving makes for friendship,
So long as life goes well,
A man should be loyal through life to friends,
To them and to friends of theirs,
But never shall a man make offer
Of friendship to his foes.
A man should be loyal through life to friends,
And return gift for gift,
Laugh when they laugh,
but with lies repay
A false foe who lies.
If you find a friend you fully trust
And wish for his good-will,
exchange thoughts,
exchange gifts,
Go often to his house.
Translated by William Bainbridge
I name all gathered here as witnesses that I swear this solemn oath upon the sacred ring:
Last Modified 1 December 1999.
Comments to Manny Olds,
oldsma@pobox.com