Our story (expanded)

Hello my name is Jacob and I am a Norse pagan…

Something I have been saying for quite some time now, and something I never expected to grow this much. It feels like yesterday that I put out the first call for people to come and worship the old gods with me here in Kentucky. I remember sitting there on the edge of the lake where that first gathering was held, and I was thinking to myself; “Isn’t this what religion should be?” Friends that you would consider family, happily talking about their experiences with the gods, all while coming together for a night of feasting, drinking, and celebration? I knew I wanted to have such a gathering again, and when the original 9 left that piece of land we were all already planning the next one.

And then the world stopped…

We held that first gathering in March of 2020, one week before the country went on near complete lockdown. Like many we retreated to our homes, watched Tiger King, and ordered far too much take out. For two months we waited patiently as we all figured out what was happening in the world, and for two months people were watching the video that was made from that first gathering, and asking the question: “When is the next gathering?”

I personally returned back to work in May of 2020, and most of Kentucky’s lockdowns/restrictions were lifted by the end of the month. All while that question kept being asked by people around the country, and even around the world.

So a plan was made, and in June of 2020 we held our second gathering with 25 people gathering at an Air BnB in the rolling hills of Kentucky. It was at this gathering that I met many of the people who would become leaders in the community, many of which now sit on the board of directors for this very organization.

We would go to hold 4 more gatherings in 2020, and the foundation of the Fellowship was created. In 2021 we expanded ourselves to several regions of the United States and held over 20 more gatherings that year. In the last quarter of 2021 it was announced that the fellowship was taking the step forward to becoming a formalized organization, with the main goal of building a hall for pagans to gather more permanently. We asked for $5,000 over a Gofundme campaign to help with the start up cost of the Non-Profit. We chose to pay for a lawyer to assist us in the paperwork, and guide us through the process. We also paid for our logo to be designed by a heathen designer, which you can now see on this website, and on our merchandise. The final cost went to the set up of this very website.

And now here we are, two years in the making. We have a lot ahead of us, and all of us here at The Fellowship of Northern Traditions are glad you are joining us in this next chapter.

Until the hall!