One of the heartfelt wishes of the Flame for Frith is the planting of trees. Back at the Ostara gathering of Eldaring in Germany in 2019, during the Flame of Frith ritual, we made a pledge to plant a tree. Permission had kindly been granted to do this on the grounds of Burg Ludwigstein. But then the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and our plans had to be put aside. Still, a word is word. To honour it, a donation was made to Trees for Life — a gesture to carry the intention forward. In 2024, at the Great Heathen Gathering of Asatru-UK, more funds were raised and gifted to the cause. As Ostara 2025 approached, the theme was Midgard — and what better way to honour this world, our shared home, than by planting a tree? We reached out to Rheingold, the Eldaring Stammtisch Köln, who would be leading the Ostara blot on the Saturday night. They warmly embraced the idea and were happy to take part. So the Flame of Friendship ritual that year took its shape around trees — their wisdom. The tree, though still only in spirit, found its place upon the altar of the Flame oF Frith ritual and the Ostara blot.
Wurzeln und Weisheit der Wälder
Yggdrasil der Weise,
wo Welten Weisheit gewinnen,
weiß den Wert des Lebens.
Leben wird geboren
am Urdbrunnen,
wo Welten und Wesen
ins Schicksalsnetz
verwoben sind.
Wo Weise Weisheit teilen,
spüren Suchende Besinnung.
Willkommen Birke,
Weide, Buche, Eiche,
Linde, Eibe, Holunder,
Vogelbeere und Esche:
Wir begrüßen alle Bäume in dir.
Seid willkommen
und bitte teilt eure Weisheit mit uns.
Wenn die Bäume sprechen,
schweigen die Menschen.
Roots and Wisdom of Woods
Yggdrasil the Wise
Where worlds win wisdom,
Knows the worth of life.
Which is born
At Urd’s well,
Where worlds and beings
Are intertwined
In the web of wyrd.
Where wise ones share wisdom,
And seekers sense serenity.
Welcome birch,
Willow, beech, oak,
Lime tree, yew, elder,
Rowan and ash:
We greet all trees within you.
Be welcome!
Share your wisdom with us:
When trees speak,
Humans fall silent.
The trees surrounding the castle already know that next year, a new tree will be planted among them — and they have given their blessing. One of Eldaring’s own, a tree expert, has kindly agreed to take on the task of finding a suitable tree. This tree will be planted in February next year with care and respect for the land. Back in the autumn of 2024, we had gathered tree seeds. One of the trees reminded us of something beautiful: trees travel through their seeds. Some of those seeds journeyed with us to Germany. Half have already been offered; the other half will be planted together with a frigh cord, a community connection cord, a Midgard cord, and other sacred gifts — all to be placed into the earth where the tree will one day take root.
Then, at the Ostara gathering of 2026, a ritual will follow — to honour the planting, a gift for the earth and future generation and the bond between us all.