WHITE MARSH PRESS

White Marsh Press, the publishing arm of White Marsh Theod, is currently under way developing and editing several works related to Germanic Paganism in general (with an emphasis on the Anglo-Saxon variant), and Theodish Belief in particular. We will also be republishing the older works of Eric Wódening that appeared on the now defunct THEOD PRESS. 

Our releases include:

The White Marsh Gealdorbook 

A collection of prayers and songs in New and Old English for use in private or group celebrations. This book contains over twenty prayers and songs, a pronunciation guide, and musical notation for the now famous "Wéonde Song".

Order The White Marsh Gealdrabóc today

We Are Our Deeds: The Elder Heathenry its Ethic and Thew

 


by Eric Wódening

Good and evil. Right and wrong. Law and sin. All of these words can be found in the ancient Germanic languages and all of them are still used today. But what did they originally mean? In We Are Our Deeds, these words are traced back to their original meanings and significances, revealing the sophisticated system of ethics possessed by the ancient Germanic tribes.

Rampaging barbarians sacking Rome; Viking hordes descending on helpless monasteries... these are a few of the images people associate with the ancient Germanic tribes. And while there is some truth in these stereotypes, they are not entirely accurate. Most of recorded history's early commentators, after all, were foreign foes, who only knew the Germanics at a sword's edge, or else Christians, only interested in anathemizing and condemning the Germanic folkways and folk, all down through the bloody centuries of trying to convert them. The result has inevitably been to leave us with an impossibly distorted picture of a remarkable ancient culture.

In truth, while the ancient Germanic warrior tradition was certainly a splendid and spectacular one, the ancient Germanic tribes were nonetheless normal people like anyone else, for whom the family and the local community formed the real nexus of their society. The were farmers, blacksmiths, weavers, traders, artists and poets as well as warriors, the great majority of whom would have been as well content with crafting a beautiful work of art or pushing a plough as wielding a sword. Nor should we be too surprised to discover that they were also ethicists, philosophers and thinkers, in their own right.

Looking past the brutal savage stereotype, we soon discover that in fact the ancient Germanic peoples had a strong sense of right and wrong, good and evil, their own unique metaphysical world view and their own epistemologically sophisticated and highly developed code of ethics, very distinct from the Judaeo-Christian morality we take for granted today, and especially emphasizing individual human worth and the importance of family and community.

Unhappily, for history, none of this wisdom ever found its way into any direct literary tradition, which the ancient Germanics did not possess; instead, it is all to be discovered in a close analytical consideration of what we know of their ideas and folkways, the words they used and how they used them. In We Are Our Deeds, Eric Wódening examines the words, customs and laws of the ancient Germanic tribes, with an eye to the more accurate reconstruction from such materials of the true elder pre-Christian heathen ethic.

This long lost but not forgotten classic is returning, with a new cleaner layout, and for the first time: a limited edition hardbound format. This seminal work discusses the ancient notions of good and evil, right and wrong, and lays out a solid foundation for recreating the ancient pagan ethic through an exploration of language and comparative religious studies. This edition has been years in the making, and we are excited to make this available for the first time in over a decade. 

Order Hardbound Edition    Order Softbound Edition

The Old English Rune Poem: Translation and Interpretation

by Eric Wódening

Order The Old English Rune Poem Today

The Trial of Loki: A Study in Nordic Heathen Morality

Iceland, about 1270 AD. A Christian scribe writes down a heathen poem composed three centuries earlier. He probably thinks the verse exposes the inadequacies of the old gods and goddesses. But does it? 

Alan James' interpretation of the Lokasenna suggests that the scribe failed to recognize this poem's potential to subvert centuries of received morality - and vindicate the ancient deities-  through its explication of the concept of cosmic "Fate". 

Be warned: this new reading of the heathen poem might shock and dismay traditionalists.

by Alan James ORA

Order the Trial of Loki Today

FUTURE RELEASES

TO OUR FRIENDS AND LOYAL CUSTOMERS:

We are sorry to inform you that our scheduled release dates for the following have had to be pushed back a bit. We still plan to release these works by the end of the year, and appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Gods of the World: The Vanir in Ancient Heathenry

by Eric Wódening

A reprint of the 1996 classic, that explores the role of the Vanir in ancient heathenry.

Coming in September 2011

Chanting Around the High Seat: An Exploration of SeiðR

by Eric Wódening

An unbiased work that explores the mysterious world of SeiðR, examines the lore, and attempts to shed light on a world obfuscated by pop-Shamanism and neo-pagan fantasy. A must have for those interested in the art. 

Coming in October 2011

INGWAZ: An Examination and Exploration

by Brian Patrick Smith

The static edifice of *Ingwaz (Yngvi FreyR, Ingui Fréa) is torn away, turned upside down, and new understandings of this enigmatic god are revealed. The author challenges long held assumptions, offers alternate translations and explores different avenues to the existing corpus, and gleans new insights into the foggy past of the deity.

Coming the Winter of 2011

The Early Works of Eric Wódening

by Eric Wódening

A collection of short essays and articles written prior to 1995, most of which have not seen the light of day since. Formally a two volume work, White Marsh Press has compiled them together for the first time into one volume.

Coming in December 2011