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Iron Oak Kindred is a Heathen community rooted in the East Mountain region of New Mexico, serving the greater Central NM area.
The oak was chosen for its deep German folk connections, tied to the old worship that took place in sacred groves long before churches stood in their place. Iron was chosen because it was the metal of working people, the farmers and smiths who shaped their world with their own hands rather than relying on gold or silver reserved for the wealthy few.
For those new to this, Heathenry is a modern reconnection to pre Christian Germanic culture, spanning the Continental Germanic, Anglo Saxon, and Scandinavian peoples. The focus here leans toward Continental Germanic tradition, tracing back to the founder's own family roots. This practice draws on the surviving sagas and eddas, on outside accounts from Roman and medieval writers, and on folk custom passed down through generations, to build a living practice centered on honoring the old gods, our ancestors, and the land we stand on.
A kindred is the heart of that practice. Historically, sacred rites were not always led by a central religious figure. Sagas and other sources describe farm owners holding blót on their own land for household and neighbors, a practice rooted in home and family rather than a distant temple. This kindred follows that same spirit. The hausherr and hausfrau, meaning household lord and household lady, or any combination thereof, lead their own celebrations and rites for their extended friends and family.
This kindred does not use the title "goði." Historically, a goði held a formal office in Iceland, combining chieftain and priest, with authority over a temple, a regional assembly, and the farmers loyal to him. It was a position of real political and legal power built on land, wealth, and standing within a system that no longer exists. Taking on that title today, without the structure that gave it meaning, would claim an authority this kindred does not believe belongs to any one person. The household model reflects that belief.