Hey There

Daughters and Sons of Yta has been active in the community since 2011 hosting public events and ceremonies. We host four seasonal rites, and Lore & Spirituality open discussions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Definitions:

Yta Synir: Synir means son and Yta refers' to Yggdrasil the Tree of Life, the cosmos. The term is used in the Havamal when the Allfather refers' to human beings and is often translated as "son of man." It is the oldest word in English and the Scandinavian languages for human being.
Forn Sidir: "forn" means old and "sidir" means way. Before Christianity came to Scandinavia our spirituality was simply "the way." After Christianity came it was referred to as the "old way."

What is Heathenry?

Basic Definition: to be of "the heath" or a peasant who had not accepted the gospel. It was a term used to refer to all non Christians, including those who remained true to the old Gods as well as Sami and others who did not follow the crown and the cross.

Nordic: The Nordic countries are the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Their "old way"are the Gods of Snorri Sturleson's Edda most are familiar with, the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir are closely associated with what is now Norway and Denmark and the Vanir with what is now Sweden. These Gods give consciousness to the elemental forces of Nature.

Slavic: Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and other nations in what is now referred to as Eastern Europe. At one time the lands of the Vends, Alans and Bulgars. Perun, the thunder God, Veles, the keeper of the dead and Zemyna, Mother Earth are a few of the High Gods who make up the natural world of slavic speakers.

Baltic: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Baltic states. The traditions still practiced today by Dievturība and Romuva. The sky illuminated by Perkūnas Dievas and Saulė keeping humankind safe on Mother Earth. Sung in the sacred verses of the land.'

Finnic: The Finns and Sami of the far north. Honoring the Haltija and siedis of the land. Ukko and Horagalles in the thunder. The four winds who watch and take care of us.

What does "earth based" teachings mean?

Earth based traditions are both the practice of working with the land, ie. hunting, fishing, gardening etc, and honoring the spirits that are inherent to it. In this way we honor the spirit of the four seasons in our four blots, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, the four winds which visit us each year. Our teachings and language unite with the Earth and the winds.

What is de-colonized heathenry?

Whiteness is something that our forefathers were forced to enter into at the expense of our traditional cultures. It rid us of our diversity and connections to our homelands creating an oppressive settler society. Even our understandings of our premigration forefathers is colored by the nation state and the Church. Many of us have little more than the Christian sect our for-fathers came from, if that even. However our roots go much deeper than that and traditions were carried on in a syncretic fashion for much longer than many of us know. Instead of taking one or two steps backwards, better to abandon the colonial/national/church project all together and step forward into a world where all human beings are the children of the Earth and Sky and each of us can trace ourselves back to our place of origin at the dawn of time.

Do I have to be of a certain background to attend?

No. We welcome people of any ethnicity or background. All our roots lead back to the Earth and Sky.