Please join us for a Norse rite in honor of the Vanir for our Walpurgisnacht at Beltane. We will be calling on Freyr and Freyja, the twin gods of prosperity, peace, magic, and war. We will then do a Gebeorscipe in honor of the godden, ancestors, and our own toasts! We hope you can be there!

Location: RSVP at bit.ly/HVADFBeltane for location

Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025

Schedule: 

• 6 PM Gather and Prep

• 6:30 PM Beltane Rite

• 7 PM Gebeorscipe

• 7:20 - 9 PM Social Time

Gebeorscipe is an Old English term for a feast or gathering where ale and mead were served. They were times for people to connect, restore bonds of friendship and loyalty, and to build community. Many modern Pagans have turned it into a semi-formal toasting tradition done over mead, beer, juice, or anything other than water. There are usually 3 toasts: 1 to the gods, 1 to the ancestors, 1 open for people to boast or toast together. Each person will get a chance to make a toast each round. It is a great practice and helps to build both piety and communitas. It is often said with the phrase Wassail or Hail in response to each toast. It is also just a lot of fun!

Freyr and Freyja are the twin children of Njörðr, king of the Vanir gods. They are part of the hostage exchange that led to peace after the long war between the Vanir and Æsir gods. Freyja would teach magic to the Æsir and is the goddess of war, magic, desire, sexuality, and beauty. Her twin brother, Freyr, is god of peace, plenty, good kingship, fertility, agriculture, and weather. Together we call on them for blessings as we enter the period when animals and plants bring life back into the world after Winter. We will be honoring these twin with our rite and toast to them in peace and joy!