"Weofod" an Old English term for "sacred table", or "altar". "Thane" means a servant or an officer. Thus a "weofodthane" is a "servant of the altar", that is to say a priest.

Dan Ralph, pictured at right, is at this point the kindred's only oath-sworn priest, or weofodthane. He coordinates the traditional religious aspects of kindred events, and is our lore-man. Self-trained in Heathen priest-craft, Dan Ralph has devoutly worshipped the Germanic Gods and Goddesses for nearly seventeen years.

Kindred elder Ralph Dudley is our "hlaford", or "lord", that is to say our chieftan and spiritual leader.

The Millerstead Kindred was founded eight years ago with the coming together of the Miller and the Stead families with the birth of Eldin Heath. In this coming together, some six families are brought together, united by our blood-ties, our oaths, and our love for each other. As a kindred we are on a journey of discovery, curious to learn as much as we can about our theodish belief - our tribal belief - the ways of our distant pre-Christian, Germanic ancestors.

Many of us live in a small island community, and come together daily as a matter of course. When we gather for the Heathen Holy-Days, we observe the old traditions of "blot" (votive offering), "husel" (sacred feast), and "symble" (formal ritual toasting), hail the Old Gods and our ancestors, and learn the lore.

Dan Ralph is also a volunteer for a ground-breaking non-profit society called "The Asatru Freehold of British Columbia," leading up the priest's guild and coordinating public and private religious rites for the organization. Many members of our kindred have also volunteered work and resources towards the society's events on the island, bringing good renown to the Freehold locally.

As time allows, we will be adding more information about Heathenism to the kindred website. Check back to this page monthly for new missives.