Founded in 1996, the Ulfhethnar Kindred is an independent organization devoted to the practice and study of the ancient Northern European folkish religion of Asatru.

In the years since its inception the Ulfhethnar Kindred has been actively conducting the rites and rituals of Asatru, regularly celebrating the holy days and festivals of this religion in various locations throughout Northern California – though primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Asatru is the ancient ethnic religion of Northern Europe.  It is sometimes referred to as a nature religion, not because we worship nature but because our rites and rituals take place primarily outdoors in areas of natural beauty.  The deities we honor are those of the Aesir and Vanir - ancient gods and goddesses such as Odin, Thor, and Freya among others.  Our rites and rituals are based on ancient lore and we attempt to be as historically accurate as possible, unlike some of the other "New Age" religions that claim ancient origin.  However, some minor adaptations are included to make the religion relevant to modern practitioners.

Unlike some other Asatru groups, the Ulfhethnar Kindred doesn't wear "costumes" or period garb during our gatherings, preferring instead to wear the clothing of this era.  We do so because we wish to keep out the theatrical influences we've witnessed among other groups in the past and to remind ourselves that we live in the present.  This is not to say that we necessarily disagree with the wearing of ritual garb by Gothis and Gythias (our "priests" for lack of a better word).  We've just noticed that others in attendance at some of these gatherings sometimes seem to be more caught up in their costumes and appearance than in the spirituality of the ritual in which they are participating.  Plus, it's just not our thing!

The Ulfhethnar Kindred also does not have a hierarchy in regards conducting our gatherings.  Any full, official member can serve as Gothi or Gythia if they feel the calling to do so, and we encourage all our members to attempt this if they are comfortable.  This is one of our strengths, as new insights can often be gained by another's take on a deity or holy day.

Our kindred is democratic in nature, meaning that all Ulfhethnar business is approved by a vote of the official members and all official members can serve as a spokesperson for the kindred in whatever forum they choose.  Thus we take membership seriously and all potential members must be voted in by the existing active membership after a probationary period.

As far as our activities, we focus mainly on the holy days of our religion and the appropriate blots and sumbels connected with them.  We do little in the way of rune workings save for how they relate to the holy days and the deities honored on those occasions, and we do not practice Seid.  This is not to say we do not find these subjects worthwhile or, as individuals, find them worth exploring.  We have just found through experience that it is better to not spread ourselves too thin as a kindred in regards to which activities we involve ourselves.  This has worked well for us, and our blots have benefited greatly from this focus.  If your interest in Asatru lies primarily in the subject of runes or Seid, we are probably not the kindred for you - though we can likely point you in the direction of groups you may wish to contact.

If you think you might be interested in attending one of our functions, we should also point out that we are a folkish kindred.  We believe that Asatru is the ethnic religion of those of Northern European descent and, as such, we only invite those people to our events.  However, we would like to state that we are not a political organization and political activities or discussions are not a part of our activities.  Our members are free to practice any political activities they so choose on their own time, but when we gather our focus is purely spiritual.

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