WILDERNESS ACTIVITY. Members and activists from Sweden’s Nest 5 visited the southwestern forests of Dalarna on Saturday 15 April to set up camp by one of the region’s lakes.

The comrades gathered in a forest outside Ludvika on Saturday to begin the trip. Before the initial briefing, everyone prepared their equipment for the long day ahead.

Next, the Nest’s wilderness activity organiser gathered the party for a joint briefing and went over the itinerary for the weekend. The briefing outlined the weekend’s schedule of hiking, navigation and camp-building, as well as emphasising the necessity of having a good mental attitude.

The first aspect that needed to be addressed was navigation. The organiser presented the map and used a compass to explain how to reach the intended destination. Everyone then had to quickly replicate what they had been taught to ensure the coming hike would go as smoothly as possible.

The march then got underway, leading the participants through varied terrain. Forest, swamps and clearings were passed as the men took turns using the compass. After many hours of walking and numerous studies of the map, the party finally arrived at the intended campsite.

Upon arrival at the site, the heavy packs were thrown to the ground and the camp-building got underway. The comrades were divided into their respective Activist Groups in order to be delegated specific areas of responsibility. The first and second group collected firewood, the third group began work on a large fireplace and the fourth group started constructing the main shelter.

After almost a full day of work in these endeavours, it started getting dark. The work groups had long since been reassigned so the necessary time could be spent on building the shelter and attending to everything else required during an overnight stay in the forest.

More of the comrades got closer to the campfire as the sun and temperature dropped significantly. By the time the fire had sufficiently provided everyone with food and a little warmth, it wasn’t long until midnight. All the participants then began to crawl into their sleeping bags in anticipation of the following day.

When morning came, the first thing the Resistance men did was start another fire. After the dew receded and breakfast had been consumed, all the personal equipment was packed away in preparation for departure. About an hour before lunchtime, the hike back to the cars began, with everyone walking back at a fast pace via the gravel roads winding through the forest.

Before parting ways, the organiser gave a brief summary of the trip, in which he summed up the weekend and invited the participants to describe what was good and bad about the trip. Afterwards, everyone said their farewells in anticipation of upcoming adventures!

RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. Members from Denmark’s Nest 1 gathered for their Social Days event last Saturday, which included team-building exercises, self-defence techniques and paintball.

Active members from Nest 1 in Denmark gathered for a Social Days event last weekend. The day consisted of various challenges and good comradeship.

The group spent the first few hours on a hike, which incorporated several cooperative exercises along the way.

The first exercise was to build a stretcher to transport an iron ball. The participants were only allowed to use two long sticks, four ropes and two small pieces of wood. The iron ball then had to be transported through the hilly countryside. If it was dropped, the exercise had to start over again.

The group also had to keep their eyes peeled from start till finish, as several objects had been hidden along the hiking route that needed to be found for use in later exercises.

After a successful hike carrying the iron ball, the group went on to practise self-defence techniques.

Members of the Nordic Resistance Movement have a fondness for boxing, but this time basic self-defence techniques were practised. This included low kicks, neck holds and many other exercises and techniques.

After the self-defence training, there was also a throwing contest, a campfire-building challenge and other informal competitions.

When the competitions were over, it was time to tally up all the points the participants had earned during the day’s exercises and competitions.

The winner was presented with a fine handmade wooden cutting board that had been branded with a Tiwaz rune.

The final part of the event took place elsewhere and came as a surprise to the participants. Excitedly, the group relocated and later arrived at a nearby paintball field. The mood among the comrades was high, with everyone looking forward to playing.

The group divided themselves into teams and the next few hours were spent running around in the mud, flanking opponents from the forest and conquering the terrain.

A pleasant day of comradeship and high spirits then came to an end. Satisfied and happy, everyone left with high expectations for the next Social Days event.

RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. Fredrik Vejdeland gave a speech for children and adults during the recent Ostara celebration in Sweden’s Nest 2.

Nest 2 arranged an Ostara celebration on Easter weekend with activities for both adults and children, with a particular focus on the latter. It was a full day of events, including festive games, a quiz walk, a sizable buffet and a market selling handicrafts and locally produced food.

“It was the best event of this kind that has been organised in the Nest since Nordic Days 2020,” said Fredrik Vejdeland.

“Well planned, many cultural activities and possibly the tastiest and most well-prepared buffet I have ever eaten.”

Vejdeland gave a talk that was primarily aimed at children. About twenty children were present to listen to what he had to say about Ostara and the origins of Easter.

So both the event and the speech were aimed at children? Why was that?

Yes, exactly. Or rather, children and adults, but with the greater focus on children. I spoke on the theme of the day – Ostara – which is our people’s original Easter holy day. The aim is to strengthen a sense of identity in young children, who have been taught in school that they have nothing to be proud of because of their origins, that all progress comes from abroad and that they are to blame for other people’s shortcomings.

The goal of those in power is to deconstruct our children from a young age; our goal must be to strengthen them and build them up. We can do this partly by telling them about their history, myths and festivals.

Ultimately, it can be said that both the cultural and biological struggles are just as important as the political.

So what was the talk about more specifically?

I talked about the four major holy days in the four seasons of the year – Midsummer, the autumnal equinox, Yule and of course Easter – and why these were important to our ancestors. Easter, or Ostara, is the holy day upon which we celebrate the return of the sun and can sow and grow crops again. Ostara is a Germanic goddess of spring, probably connected to our own Nordic goddess Freya, who is a symbol of the sun and fertility and was celebrated with large fires and dances. I also talked about the Easter Hare, Easter eggs and Easter witches and what they signify.

I used several sources, but the most helpful was Jacob Grimm’s work Teutonic Mythology, which I have in its English translation. Grimm had a lot to say about Easter witches, which he described as “radiant mothers” and “maidens clothed in white”, who danced around the sacred fires on Ostara and were then subjected to a campaign of vilification and persecuted for refusing to stop celebrating the old holy day.

What I wanted to highlight above all else was our ancestors’ celebration of nature and the sun, family and people.

How was it giving a speech for children?

Difficult, but fun! When the audience consists of young children, older children, teenagers and adults, it’s hard to find a level that allows you to speak to everyone. I revised the speech several times to avoid talking too long or using overly advanced words, while also ensuring it wasn’t too childish or dumbed down. I tried to use a little humour and refer to a few things children know about, such as Snow White and Cinderella when I was talking about Grimm’s interpretations. I’m pretty satisfied because no one fell asleep, and both the children and adults seemed to be receptive to it. However, I noticed it was a little too advanced for the young children, so I hope we can recruit a good storyteller for the smallest of those among us in the future.

Will there be more activities for children?

Yes, the idea is to hold four big celebrations during the year, with Midsummer being the second. My goal is to give talks at all of these festivals. To those reading this who want to take part, it’s something I really recommend. There will be good food, pleasant company and activities in the true Nordic spirit.

RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. Nest 2 members and activists gathered with their families for a monthly meeting and long-awaited celebrations on Easter weekend.

The comrades and their relatives arrived at the venue just before lunchtime and were given a warm welcome by the event organiser, who invited everyone to take their places at the table for the start of the monthly meeting.

After about two hours, the items on the meeting agenda had been dealt with and it was time for dinner. The day’s menu consisted of nothing less than a formidably delicious buffet that had been single-handedly home-cooked by a comrade. Of particular note in this context was that all the meat dishes in the buffet consisted of locally produced beef, pork and venison that had been hunted and butchered by two comrades.

After all the attendees had eaten their fill, they expressed their utmost contentment and applauded the sterling efforts of the chef. The premises were then cleared in order to hold the market. The comrades had brought all kinds of useful things to trade, including intellectual literature, aesthetic crafts, clothing and wilderness equipment, as well as locally produced food and household wares.

As the market is of more interest to adults than children, a guided walk and festive activities were also organised for the young ones outside in the spring sun.

After some hours had passed, it was time to reposition the chairs in front of the stage and listen to National Council member Fredrik Vejdeland’s somewhat controversial but positive speech. The talk was chiefly prepared for the children present and highlighted the Easter celebration in pre-Christian times, which was called Ostara. A more in-depth article on the speech will be published in the near future.

The presentation, with its light-hearted and inventive approach, was appreciated by both young and old, and Vejdeland was thanked by the audience with resounding applause. Next, the meeting organiser returned to the stage and thanked the participants for the genial spirit of folk community they had created together, before bringing the activity to an end.