September's Press Release
“Heathen Author Hails Success:
Goddess Book Celebrates Milestone as Faith Grows”
New Haven (18 Sep 2009) - Patricia Lafayllve is a heathen woman and proud of it.
Patty--as she is known to her friends--is widely recognized as an authority on Germanic heathenry, knowledgeable of both its historical roots and its contemporary rebirth. Also known as Asatru, the adherents of this faith seek to reconstruct the indigenous pre-Christian folkway of the Northern Europeans.
Three years ago this month, she published “Freyja, Lady, Vanadis: An Introduction To The Goddess,” a serious look at the existing lore concerning the goddess Freyja (pronounced “Fray-yah” and anglicized as Freya) as well as common practices among today’s faithful.
The U.S. Census Bureau published findings of a “Religious Landscape Survey” in 2007, which indicated that 0.4% of the population self-identify as being New Age, Wiccan, Pagan, or of other similar faith. Of these approximately 1.5 million people, Patty estimates there are several thousand heathens, perhaps upwards of 20,000.
“It’s a number that gets debated a lot,” she says, “but nobody really knows for sure. Census takers generally don’t ask anyone to break one’s religion down past ‘Pagan’ or ‘other similar faith,’ which means Asatru gets overlooked.”
There are several major heathen groups. Patty is the current Steerswoman, an elected office similar to ‘President,’ of The Troth, an international not-for-profit heathen organization. The Troth recently celebrated its 22nd year of existence and boasts some 500 members. In addition to her responsibilities as Steerswoman of The Troth, she also completed its rigorous requirements to become clergy and became a certified Godwoman by the organization in 2006. As such she has been called on to conduct weddings, funeral rites, and naming ceremonies for newborn, as well as leading regular private and public rituals.
Patty is a member of Two Ravens Kindred, a thriving faith community based in Connecticut. The kindred often gathers at her New Haven home for seasonal celebrations and feasts such as Yuletide and Midsummer.
“Many of the holidays that Americans routinely observe have Germanic roots,” she notes. “Newcomers to heathenry are often pleasantly surprised that they may continue to enjoy many of the same trappings… such as an evergreen tree & Yule log in the winter, and brightly decorated eggs in the spring.”
Heathenry is a polytheistic faith, meaning it honors a pantheon of gods and goddesses. People are most generally familiar with Thor, the thunder god, who protects Asgard and Midgard (the worlds of gods and men, respectively) with his mighty hammer from frost giants, trolls, and other monstrous creatures.
While heathens honor all of the Germanic gods, Patty felt called by the goddess Freyja in particular and decided to follow a path that would honor this complex female deity.
“In popular belief, Freyja is simply seen as a goddess of love,” Patty says. “That’s a gross over-simplification. We know from surviving lore such as the Eddas and Sagas that she is also concerned with matters of magic, sex, war, fertility, death, and many other things. It’s a mistake to limit any deity to one or two aspects, and Freyja is no exception. For instance, Odin is known as a god who is able to perform seidhr, a practice similar to shamanism. Freyja taught him that art, which says fascinating things about her prominent role in traditional societies.”
A long-time resident of the Elm City, Patty says that heathenry is flourishing in Connecticut and the northeastern U.S. “I am fortunate to live in an area that has both a long-time heathen population and a healthy attitude toward accepting newcomers. We are a community-oriented religious congregation, so having that sense of thriving community is vital to our continued growth.”
“We value reciprocity and hospitality,” she continues, “and consider our religious ethics in terms of reputation and positive actions. When I talk about this in my lectures I boil our ethical system down to one sentence: No one wants to be ‘that guy.’ You know, the one who never keeps his word, can’t be relied on, or is a real jerk. ‘That guy’ can be male or female; we all know that men and women both do good work and bad work. Our religious world view stresses the benefits of good reputation, and the hard work that requires.”
As further proof of the faith’s growth in our area, Patty cites two Troth members who recently relocated to New Haven from California. She also notes that the Connecticut Asatru Meetup Group run by one of her kindred members has grown from a handful of people to 37 members in just a few years (http://asatru.meetup.com/242/).
Patty plans to re-launch her book in Spring 2010 and hopes it will gain new readers in the pagan and non-pagan communities.
“Freyja is a popular and well-loved goddess among pagans of many stripes,” she says. “Unfortunately, there’s just not a lot of good information available about her. From the many workshops I’ve held and festivals I’ve attended, I know there is a real hunger out there for solid information.”
As for non-pagan readers, Patty says, “I am not here to proselytize. I’m here to educate. I think that an attitude of tolerance toward other beliefs should be encouraged, and one way to encourage tolerance is to read about, talk to, and learn from other people. My book is one way in which people who are not pagan can learn about what we do, and why.”
Patty is also working on a new book, “Toward a Heathen Ethic.” It will explore the origins of Germanic culture, virtue-driven ethical systems, and discusses how one may strive to live by its core values of courage, honesty, honor, generosity, and self-reliance in today’s world.
More details about the author, her writings, and upcoming events may be found at http://boarrider.com/.
About Patricia M. Lafayllve:
- earned her Masters of Arts degree in English at Southern Connecticut State University in 2008; her thesis, "Njal's Saga: Fanning the Embers" was published by ProQuest in 2008
- a frequent contributor to The Troth's quarterly journal, Idunna, and has contributed to Our Troth, Book One, The Troth's Book of Blots, and the Troth's Old Heathens Almanac
- created The Troth's Lore Program and currently serves as its Provost
- is a Troth Certified Godwoman, a seidhkona, and Freyjasgythja
- has officiated weddings, naming ceremonies, and funerals
- teaches courses covering a wide range of heathen/Asatru subjects at festivals, conventions, and seminars across the United States.
- performs public and private seidhr rituals, rune readings, and both public and private rituals
About “Freyja, Lady, Vanadis: An Introduction To The Goddess:”
It is hard to find a book with the word "goddess" in the title without being confronted with New-Age fluff, or politico-feminist propaganda.
This book is refreshingly different. Written by a real Viking lady, and a scholar of the literature, it contains a down-to-earth view of one of our favourite goddesses, based on an intimate knowledge of the surviving historical sources.
One thing I found particularly admirable, was that she keeps the speculative material for last, placing it in its own chapter. I can only hope that this will become a standard practice. Essential reading for Northern trad, or Goddess worshipers.
- Sweyn Plowright, Sydney, NSW Australia (author of The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes)
About “Toward a Heathen Ethic:”
- Patricia Lafayllve researched polytheist ethical systems from Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics to modern works on neopaganism, compared these philosophical positions to ancient lore and has come up with a careful look not only at what might have been the belief systems of the pre-Christian Northern Europeans, but what is also a way to examine the underlying ethics guiding the reconstructionist religion known as Heathenism and adapt them into daily life.