Heatherly Bontrager

Norse Pagan Viking Ceremony

Thank you for gathering here today, as we begin this Celebration of Marriage for Adrian & Kaylea. This marks the beginning of their new saga, joined before the Old Gods & yourselves.

Today we shall weave Ways of the Old aspects, with nods to common traditions into Adrian’s and Kaylea’s ceremony. As in the olden days of the Viking times, Community was at the heart of all challenges and celebrations, with mutual sharing of moments like this, gathered together, sharing elations & merriment. It is not just the joining of the couple who stands before us, but a uniting of the families to fortify their strength & allegiances.

Adrian & Kaylea, is it your wish before the Old Gods, and these witnesses, to declare your marriage to one another?

COUPLE: Yes

Adrian & Kaylea, the promises you make today are sacred. They are the groundwork from which your marriage will grow and blossom over time.

Always keep one another close to your hearts, especially when you must journey apart. Respect and honor one another, your partnership, family, & hearth.

With your hearts true, may you weather any storms. May the Gods watch over you both and always guide you safely home.

READING: Fairest Frigg, Fensalir’s Lady, friend of families, matron of marriage, most gracious of goddesses, hear my hailing. May their love last through the long years. May there be patience on both their parts that they may salve each other’s sight. May there be aid when anger burns, and baleful words come forth to fire each other’s false suspicions. Help them to turn once again to trust and come with courtesy to the table, and find a fairer road to walk. O Frigg who keeps their cord knotted, show them the shared road through the thorns.

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DECLARATION OF INTENT

Adrian & Kaylea, it’s time to join hands, now. After I read your declaration of intent, please answer, “I do.”

_______, before Odin & the Old Gods, do you take _______ as your beloved wife/husband, to have and to hold through laughter and in sadness, through challenges and successes, poverty or riches, to love, honor, & respect, so long as you both shall live?

BRIDE/GROOM: I DO

EXCHANGE OF RINGS:

Wedding rings are symbols of a couple’s journey taken together, a completion of one story and beginning of another. They are forged by the fires of compassion, compromise, and love, and cannot be easily destroyed.

The circle of each ring represents your infinite love for one another and is an outward symbol of our love for all the world to see. As I hold these rings, may they be Blessed, and may they carry our eternal love with them.

Please repeat after me (please recite your vows), then place the ring on your spouse’s finger.

VOWS

May Odin give us knowledge on our way to come. May Thor bless our union with strength and courage. May Frigg grant us family and prosperity. May Loki never deny us laughter. With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup shall never be empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. And with this ring, I ask you to be mine.

HANDFASTING CEREMONY:

Please join your right hands. It is also your wish today that your hands be fast, in the Ways of Old?

COUPLE: Yes

You were asked to choose cords in 3 colors for your handfast cord, to be woven together as a tangible symbol of the values and virtues that you hold dear in your lives and in your union. You chose Black, Purple, & Blue.

You are bound with:

Black—symbolic of pure love, wisdom, success, and strength; as a charred log gains strength from the fire it endured.

Purple—symbolic of royalty, that your union may be worthy of respect and loyalty.

Blue—symbolic of fidelity that you may be steadfast and your union unbroken.

TIE HANDS

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief racks your mind. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will give you support and encourage you to chase your dreams. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.

This handfast of three braided cords symbolizes so much. It is your life, your love, and the eternal connection that the two of you have found with one another. The true bonds of this handfasting are not formed by these cords, or even by the knot connecting them. They are formed instead by your vows, by your pledge, your souls, and your two hearts, now bound together as one.

May your hands be forever clasped in friendship, and your hearts joined forever in love!

PULL THE CORD

Pick up the urn!

CLOSING BLESSING

Blessed Be this marriage, with the gifts from the four cardinal directions:

Blessed Be this marriage with the gifts from

The East—new beginnings that come each day with the rising sun.

The South—the light of the heart, the heat of passion, and the warmth of a loving home.

The West—the rushing excitement of a raging river, the soft & pure cleansing of a rainstorm, & a commitment as deep as the ocean itself.

The North—a solid foundation on which to build your lives, abundance, and growth of your home, & the stability to be found by holding one another at the end of the day.

The circle is now open, but never broken.

As above, So below. As within, So without.

PRONOUNCEMENT

Adrian & Kaylea, by the power vested in me by the State of Georgia, and before the Universe & Old Gods, I happily declare you officially husband and wife and partners for life! You may kiss!

It is my greatest honor to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Adrian Northcutt.

ALL: Til Valhalla, SKAL!