Our Wedding Ceremony

Oath of Marriage Ceremony
By: Shawn Rowland


This is a personalized wedding rite based on traditional Germanic weddings, and modern inventions. It is written for the day of bonding myself and my love on Sept. 21st of 2002 e.v./2252 r.e.

The setting will be outside at my great uncle’s family cabin which he rebuilt. The needed materials will be as follows:

Ceremonial Hammer
Altar and altar cloth, preferably of a Celtic print
Two wedding glasses and one ceremonial drinking horn
Mead and a blot bowl
An evergreen sprig
Oath ring, wedding rings, and material to tie hands together
Incense
Blowing Horn

Groom down by the cabin sounds the horn to call the wedding into being.

When all find a place to sit, then the ceremony will begin.

The Godhi stands at the altar and performs a Hammer hallowing of the ritual area. The Godhi states: Hammer of Thor, mighty Mjolnir, I bless this land and the spirits within to the holy service of troth. The Godhi stands before participants again and says…

Godhi: Shall the two who wish to declare their troth to one another now walk down the aisle and present yourselves and your purposes.

The bride and groom walk down the aisle and turn to eachother and state their desires for this day.

Groom: I am here to state my worthiness and desire to be the husband of my love and to oath to her my fidelity, my passion, and my life eternal and to honour her above all else.

Bride: I am here to state my worthiness and desire to be the wife of my love and to oath to him my fidelity, my passion, and my life eternal and to honour him above all else.

Godhi: I hereby declare those purposes worthy, and will agree to bond you in sacred marriage.

Now the Godhi raises the burning incense and wafts it towards the Bride and Groom to bless them, and walks sun-wise around the participants to bless the area and goes back to the altar. During this, the Godhi states: Burning herbs, blessed spirits, hallow and hold this stead for troth. This is repeated during the blessings.

Godhi: Marriage is a sacred vow that takes place on many levels. It is not a mere political agreement, or monetary settlement, or romantic love afire with purpose. It is a willed and self-conscious agreement between two people whose love for eachother is not only a burning carnal passion, but also a cool and icy respect, and a joyous and loving friendship. It is a continual teaching and learning process, an avenue to achieve common goals and common ideals. It is the symbolic joining of two souls, two distinct ways of perceiving the universe into a holistic tapestry of wonder. It is an oath of honour, desire, and romance. It is an oath to not be taken lightly, and an oath which demands constant attention and care. It is an oath that calls for only the noblest and kindest of souls. It is in effect the ultimate sacrifice for a greater good. The sacrifice of the selfish ego to the holistic soul. Shawn Rowland, and Carrie Wade wish to make that sacrifice.

Godhi takes the “elhaz stance” and looks toward the sky and calls down the Gods and Ancestors.

Godhi: I call to Frigga, high power of marriage and household, of children and wisdom, of kith and kin, weaver of the clouds, Mother of the Gods, observe this ceremony and bless this union! I also call to Freyr, and Freyja, for blessings of passion and earthly delight, and to Var and Vor, Goddesses of trust, vows, and honour, I ask for you to bless this union! I call to Thorr, the friend of mankind to protect these kind folks who are present and to bless them with laughter and good times! I call to the honoured dead, the alfar and disir, ancestors of all here to witness this union and to give them your blessings! Hail to you all both higher and lower, Gods and humans, ancestors and landspirits, hail!

The Godhi now speaks to the Groom and Bride and asks: Are their any special souls you wish to call?

Groom: I call to my patron deity, Odhinn, God of wisdom and mystery, to witness my oath and to bless this union. I also call to my deceased mother, Karen Rowland, to journey beyond the veil of death and to witness my oath and bless this union.

Bride: I call to my matron deity, Freyja, Goddess of magic, passion, and treasures, to witness my oath and to bless this union. I also call to my deceased grandmother, Arlene Starkenburg, to journey beyond the veil of death and to witness my oath and bless this union.

Godhi(lifting a full horn of mead): I present this as a sacred offering to all present and to all who have been called from beyond our normal perceptions. We drink to the honour of kith and kin, of Gods and souls, of life and spirit.

Godhi drinks his draught.. The Godhi now pours the rest in the blot bowl then fills it up again to pass it on to the bride and groom.

Groom: I drink this in the honour of Odhinn and my mother.

Bride: I drink this in the honour of Freyja and my grandmother.

The Godhi then pours the rest from that horn into the blot bowl and dips the evergreen sprig into the mead and sprinkles the bride and groom and says: I bless you, Shawn and Carrie, in the name of all the Gods, spirits, and ancestors who were called. May your union be joyous, honourable, and lovingly complete. Now, the rings.

Rings are already on the altar table…best man/woman not needed.

Groom takes ring and places it on brides finger and says: With this ring, as a symbol of my love for you, I take you as my wife and oath to be a loving, faithful, wise, joyous, and worthy companion in this life, all other lives, and beyond the grave. So help me Frigga.

Bride takes ring and places it on grooms finger and says: With this ring, as a symbol of my love for you, I take you as my husband and oath to be a loving, faithful, wise, joyous, and worthy companion in this life, all other lives, and beyond the grave. So help me Frigga.

Godhi: With this cord I now bind your hands in sacred marriage(the godhi wraps the cord around clasping hands and ties it). Shawn, do you, as Carrie’s chosen companion oath to fulfill all that you have spoken?

Groom: It is my will to fulfill what I have spoken, and on my holy honour, I oath it to be true.

Godhi: Carrie, do you, as Shawn’s chosen companion oath to fulfill all that you have spoken?

Bride: It is my will to fulfill what I have spoken, and on my holy honour, I oath it to be true.

Godhi: Then by the powers vested in me, as a Priest of your chosen religion, and as a legal ordained minister of these United States, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Seal your oath with a kiss.

Bride and Groom kiss, and the Godhi takes off the binding cord. The Godhi then pours mead into the glasses and presents them to the husband and wife. They wrap arms and drink. The Godhi then thanks all present for witnessing this union, and gives thanks to the higher powers present and offers the mead in the blot bowl into the earth as an offering with bride and groom having one hand on each side of the bowl.

Godhi: Now…everyone…feast!