Most blest is he who lives free and bold
and nurses never a grief,
for the fearful man is dismayed by aught,
and the mean one mourns over giving.
( Hávamál )
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Woodharrow Curriculum
One of the most important aspects of the Woodharrow Institute is
the eventual development of an actual school for the dissemination
of traditional Indo-European studies. This school will be called the
Lore-House. The Lore-House will consist of four major branches:
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Coming Soon:
Introduction to the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European Studies.
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1) General studies- These studies will encompass the ideological and material aspects
of culture. Such studies should ideally be preceded by a general introduction to culture and
the history of ideas with an emphasis on religious ideas. A foundation in Indo-European studies
is essential to a deep level of understanding of Germanic culture. Germanic culture cannot be
thought of as a general monolith, but must be understood in its regional variations over the major
epochs of time: the Early Germanic period, the Migration Age, the Viking Age, and the medieval
and modern periods.
2) Literature- All literature in the form of any written documents, regardless of aesthetic value, is to be considered. The curriculum provides a survey of the whole of Germanic literature before 1500, along with more specialized studies of Old English poetry and prose, Old Norse poetry, and a separate study of the Old Norse Eddas. This would be followed by a historical survey of
literature after 1500 in Scandinavia, Germany, and England.
3) Runology- By runology it is meant objective, scientific runology, and not operative runology as
expressed in popular or esoteric works. Concerns of historical “rune magic” are, however, addressed in objective scientific studies. Generally we are greatly hampered by the lack of quality materials in English. A large part of the mission of Woodharrow will be to produce and distribute quality material of this type.
4) Linguistics- Languages are to our field of study what mathematics is to the natural sciences.
The languages that should be learned are the two “classical” tongues of ancient Germanic :
Old Norse and Old English. The essential secondary languages are English, German, and one of the
three Scandinavian languages ( Danish, Swedish and Norwegian).
A summary of the curriculum of the Lore-House is as follows:
Languages: German, Old Norse (Old Icelandic), Old English, Scandinavian
Culture: Indo-European, History of Religious Ideas, Early Germanic, Migration Age, Viking Age, Medieval, Modern
Literature: Germanic Literature Pre-1500, Old Norse Poetry, Old Norse Prose, Eddas, Old English Poetry, Old English Prose, Romanticism, Neo-Romanticism
Runology: Elder, Younger and Medieval, Anglo-Frisian, Modern
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In order to fulfill its purpose and expand its operations as described, the Woodharrow Institute counts on membership from individuals. Our sole purpose is the research and expansion of traditional cultural knowledge through Germanic Studies, Indo-European Studies, and related scholarly disciplines.
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