The Yamnaya documentary is ready and will Premiere at 4pm UK time (10 mins) https://youtu.be/d48bhkOiEuA

“For omens and the casting of lots they have the highest regard. Their procedure in casting lots is always the same. They cut off a branch of a nut-bearing tree and slice it into strips; these they mark with different signs and throw them completely at random onto a white cloth. Then the priest of the state, if the consultation is a public one, or the father of the family if it is private, offers a prayer to the gods, and looking up at the sky picks up three strips, one at a time, and reads their meaning from the signs previously scored on them. If the lots forbid an enterprise, there is no deliberation that day on the matter in question ;' if they allow it, confirmation by the taking of auspices is required.”

-Tacitus, Germania

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

It’s literally now or never.

The two-fingered salute & flipping someone off?

The Spirit of Robin Hood?

Hálettend
pronounced /ˈhɑː.let.tend/

The Old English word referring the the middle finger, by which a sign of greeting was made.

Referring to the Norman invasion, when the Normans captured Anglo-Saxon archers, they would cut the archer's index and middle fingers off. So, as a act of defiance, Anglo-Saxon archers would rebelliously stick those two fingers up at the Normans.

Centuries later, when the outnumbered English faced the French at the Battle of Agincourt, they were armed with a relatively new weapon, the longbow.

The French vowed to cut off the middle finger of each British archer.

When the longbows won the day, the English jeered the retreating French by raising their middle finger in a gesture that still means what it does today.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

The 12 days of Yule’s Christian origin

The 12 days of “Christmas” was established as an official festival at the Council of Tours in 567 A.D., a council held by Roman Catholic bishops.

For many, the 12 days of “Christmas” were still working days. Then King Alfred the Great (849-899) outlawed "legal proceedings, work, and fighting" during the festivities.

This was followed by king Haakon of Norway who established the observance of the 12 days of “Christmas” in the mid 10th century.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Saturday, from Roman Dies Saturni, Saturn’s Day. Saturn is the god of agriculture. When Rome moved into Germanic lands, the Teutons folk utilized Interpretatio germanica, the practice of replacing Roman names with Germanic names. A theory posits that Saturn replaced Ingwine-Fréa by means of Romano interpretato (the reverse of Interpretatio germanica). Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, stated that the English were the Ingvæones, i.e. the children of Ing, so why isn’t one of the days of the week named after him, considering that Wóden, Þunor, and Ingwine-Fréa are the holy trinity of gods. Saturn is a God of fertility, crops, and frith; just like Ingwine-Fréa. After the forced conversion to Christianity, and it being too difficult to remove the peoples devotion to their founding god, the use of his name possibly became taboo. So, instead of making Saturday 'Ingedæġ', ‘Ingsday’, they used the Romano interpretato form of Saturn’s day, Saturday.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Feed Conversion Ratio

The feed conversion ratio (FCR) is the rate at which 1lb of meat is produced for however many pounds of feed.

It comes as no surprise that the little critters, with their fast turnaround rate, are proficient protein factories.

Chickens actually win out over rabbits in terms of efficiency, however, other traits of an animal can be a deciding factor over the FCR. The rabbit takes up much less space than the chicken and it's also a quiet animal, which can be its selling point to urban dwellers.

The pig is demanding, however it provides a vital resource that's hard to get on a scale any smaller: large amounts of precious fat.

Sheep and cows are quite high, yet provide still other valuable resources. If one has a suitable amount of pasture, these larger animals can definitely be worth it.

Goats, though not listed, have a similar FCR to sheep.

Note: FCRs are variable depending on breed, purpose, and quality of feed. These are high estimates for the hobby farmer.

Kvasir, a poet and the wisest of all men; born of the saliva of two rival groups of Gods, the Ésa and the Wanas, when they performed the ancient peace ritual of spitting into a common vessel. He wandered around teaching and instructing, never failing to give the right answer to a question. Two Dweorgas, Fjalar and Galar, killed Kvasir and distilled his blood in Odhrǫrir, the magic cauldron. When mixed with honey by the giant Suttung, his blood formed mead that gave wisdom and poetic inspiration to those who drank it.

Kvasir appears in Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Scotland's genetic landscape is remarkably similar to Dark Age populations, according to Scots researchers. The findings mean people still live in the same areas as their direct ancestors. Experts at Edinburgh University found six clusters of genetically-similar people dotted around the country. This is because people married and stayed locally, preserving their genetic identity. The experts said the DNA of Scottish people still reflected the country's ancient kingdoms, proving that people had not really moved around much. The findings show about six clusters of genetically-similar people in the Borders (angles), Strathclyde (britons), the Northeast (picts), the Hebrides (norse-gael), Orkney and Shetland (norse)

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-49563887?fbclid=IwAR3cGJAeAUcSOvX0LC6dp3IaGDuNSSxs9RhAIGMzCbOr8EQ_Z1gX6OnNpl0

What have you been doing to get stronger?

Dan Capp, of Wolcensmen, is a great artist. Check out his music.

In the run up to the release of Fire in the White Stone in 2019, we released a series of very short videos where I discussed aspects of the vision, the story, the symbolism and the process of making the album. I thought I'd provide links to them for those of you who didn't catch them at the time.

Part 1: The Concept Album
Part 2: Short Story
Part 3: Alchemy
Part 4: Artwork
Part 5: Producer
Part 6: Aims
Part 7: Guest Musicians
Part 8: The Swans of Gar's Edge

For the kids:

https://youtu.be/evHRKRrOH1I

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead