The Hof
One of the things that attracted me to the farm we now own was an old, drive through barn at the back of the lot, southeast of the main barn.
According to our contractor, the building itself has to be over 130 years old, having mostly hand hewn timber construction. It was moved to its current location sometime after 1910 – probably from the field immediately to our west. A good portion of the original foundation stones form the lining of the drainage ditch to our north west.
The way the building worked, one would drive a tractor (or, originally, a team) through the sliding front doors and out the back doors. This allowed you to pull a wagon into the center aisle of the barn, and pitch your corn or oats in the walled off sections on either side, which have slightly higher floors than the main aisle of the building.
The building is 22 feet long and 20 feet wide, facing north and south. There are no windows, but there is a small hatch attached to the back (south) wall. The back doors have long since been covered with sheet metal and nailed shut. There’s a shed attached to the east side of the barn that was built in the 1950’s. In fact, the concrete pad in front is signed by the builder – “Honk ‘58”. This was the parking place for machinery – when we bought the place it was filled with straw and an old vehicle frame.
Others saw an eyesore and a building filled with junk. I saw a temple to the Shining Gods and Goddesses.
One translation of the Icelandic word ‘hof’ is ‘temple'. Another is simply ‘farm’. Scholar’s doubt that our ancestors worshipped in a “church” at all – the sites of worship were mostly out of doors, in groves and fields, by river and fen. There has been only one confirmed finding of a Heathen “temple”, and that is, of course, at Gamla Uppsala in Sweden. Another may be uncovered at Yearvering in the UK, but for the most part, religious observances were affairs by invitation, on private land. A modern analog would perhaps be the “scripture study” groups so popular among evangelical types, rather than a Sunday morning church service.
In Iceland there is evidence that ‘hof’ was the generic term for a farm where religious observances were held. The farm usually contained a private temple (what we would call today a ‘chapel’), and served as a feasting hall and forum during the seasonal observations.
The first thing that had to come down were the walls on either side – the part that formed the “crib” of the original structure. These were oak planks, unfinished and unsanded, seven feet long by 6 inches wide. Each was held to three hardwood cross beams with ten penny nails. Note the plural – nails. The farms former owners/builders had been very fond of nails. They drove them everywhere, often for no apparent reason!
Pulling down the sides of the crib was very difficult. Crowbar, nail puller and hammer all had to work in tandem to get the boards down, but after a sold weekend of pulling, grunting and straining the interior frame was revealed.
This is what we looked like after everything was out and we were reday to start the real work:
I was going to burn the old oak boards, as many still had nails (or nail shards) embedded in them, and they would be a complete bitch to drive new nails into in any event. But, lucky for me, my wife refused to allow it, and forced me to place a classified ad for “barn wood” in the Indianapolis paper. Sold all of the wood for $250 in two days. Amazing.
A thorough cleaning with the pressure washer, brooms and the shop vac was the first order of business. Then the exterior walls.
After weathering for over a century, there was nary a straight beam in the place. All of them were out of plumb to some extent, most were warped and more than a couple were offset from the header base that attached them to the floor.
We tarpapered the walls, and attached some fiberglass roll insulation between the ‘studs’. That term (stud) is used loosely here, as they’re not really wall studs at all, just a bare skeleton of supporting structure for the car siding that covers the outside. I also used some clear silicon sealer to fill gaps – I wanted to maintain some barn ambience, and the clear silicon looks like there’s a few gaps in the wall, but no air can get through. This was especially important above the sliding doors, as we did no insulation up there.
I picked up 20 sheets of new cedar paneling from Lowes and went to it, cutting the sheets to match the walls. What a pain – after the back wall was done, we more or less gave up trying to cut the panel to fit the wall. There was no real good way to do it. We ended up leaving a 2 or three inch gap at the top of each wall, figuring we could cover it later with some trim or something.
Once the walls were in place, we put shoe moulding around the bottom to better hold the panels fast, and began wondering what to do about the gap.
Because the hand-hewn beams on the top of each outside wall were so uneven, the paneling looked very unsightly against it. We thought about putting up trim, but it would’ve had to have been at least three inches wide in spots, and we were afraid that the trim would only serve to draw attention to the uneven walls, rather than disguising them.
We finally settled on curtains – blue flipover valance type for the walls, and longer, maroon panel types for the corners. We had to “custom bend”some of the rods to get them to go around the corners, but once completed, it looks really nice.
Of course, we had to add electrical service - I fashion an entrance out of some piping left from the old dairy operation, sealed it and hung a fixture from the central beam. There's also an outlet at the rear of the building, suitable for warming trays. Perfect for 'buffet' style feasting.
Now we’re down to the finishing touches. We built table tops in between the beams on the sides, draped them with some green fabric and moved the stone harrow from our old stead into the front of the building. Moving a harrow is never a fun and easy task, but this one seemed to go quite smoothly. I fiiled the core with native stone from our pastures, and left the main, visibile portion as it was: constructed from some very flat Hoosier sandstone and clay sheets.
Finally, we applied a fresh coat of paint to the outside front. We didn’t do the sides, as they’re corrugated tin sheets now, and we kept the original color scheme – classic red and white.
We started the reconstruction on Labor Day weekend, and finished it a month later, on October 6th. The Hof was dedicated on October 11th, 2003.
Hof and Harrow Dedication
A Blót of the Haxton Household
1. Hallowing
The speaker, grasping the Hammer and signing, says:
Hail Thor – Lord of the Thundar, Master of the Winds, Protector of Asgard and Midgard, we ask the blessing of Mjollnir to ward our holy stead!
The speaker fills a horn with beer, then steps to the door of the hof and addresses the east:
Hear me, all you wights unhallowed, Jotuns, trolls and all the Outlanders,
Thurses, enemies of Gods and men, here we give you proper honor.
Take this gift, here freely given, trouble not our holy working,
For our grove will be well-warded, by the Redbeard's mighty hammer.
The speaker re-enters the Hof , refills the horn and faces north out of the door:
To those holy beings that dwell in this place; in the rocks and stones,
In the grasses and trees, in the wind and the waters. Landwights, we offer
you welcome.
We call to you as neighbors, in friendship and respect, to join us in our
worship. Come to our stead, wights, and meet us at the boundaries of our lands and of our souls. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
2. Rede – The Dedication
Facing the harrow (north) the speaker says:
Hallowed harrow set in stone,
starlit stair to Asgard's throne.
Hammer warded, blessings sown
wrapped in mysteries unknown.
Bifrost Bridge here terminates;
World Tree's holy, sacred gates.
Fair folk held in altered states.
Gods to men and men to fates.
Hallowed harrow stands alone
Midgard's blessed cornerstone.
All we know and all we own,
Mother Earth's enchanted bone.
Well of Wyrd helps to create
sacred space to liberate.
Harrow stands to quell debate,
all our dreams to consecrate.
The speaker faces the assembled folk and says:
We believe in the Holy Ones, the Powers That Be, and we will pray to them for harvest and peace, victory and health. We dedicate this Hof to their honor.
If folk so agree, they may answer with Hail!
We believe in the holy ancestors who gave us birth and who, even now,
watch over us with love, and we will show them the respect which they
are due. We dedicate this Hof to their service.
If folk so agree, they may answer with Hail!
We believe in the Nine Worlds, and in the holy wights who live in the rocks and stones, grass and trees, wind and water, and whos’ numbers are endless. We dedicate this Hof to their hospitality.
If folk so agree, they may answer with Hail!
We believe in the holiness of Our Folk, created by the Powers That Be and therefore divine. We dedicate this Hof to their loyalty.
If folk so agree, they may answer with Hail!
3. Loading
The speaker addresses the folk and lights the candle:
Here at the center of the Nine Worlds, is the holy flame of the fires of creation kindled.
The speaker, dips into the pitcher of water, extracting an ice cube Holding the cube over the candle (careful not to let the melting drops extinguish the flame), he and addresses the assembled folk:
Here at the center of the Nine Worlds, has the fire found ice, and kindled creation itself.
The speaker move the ice cube back over the pitcher, letting the droplets fall within, and then dropping the remaining ice back into the water.
Holding the bowl aloft over the harrow, the speaker calls upon the Powers:
Hear me Holy Ones, As and Van, ancestor and wight, folk and friend! We offer this Hof to your honor, service, hospitality and loyalty! We ask only your blessing in return! Fill the Waters of Creation with your blessings that the folk may receive them!
4. Blessing
The speaker pours a bit of the water from the pitcher into the bowl, and taking the wand and walks sunwise around the gathered folk, dipping the wand into the blessing bowl and blessing each in the name of the Holy Powers, and thanking them for witnessing this dedication.
5. Reading
The speaker addresses the assembly:
Like the waters newly melted from ice have our folk been reawakened, for like the holy fire our honor was never extinguished. As we walk this ancient path, it does our hearts good to know that others walk with us, some ahead, some behind, some close by our side.
As we grow, as we emerge from the shadows and walk again in the sunlight, let us remember our kith and kin, let us remember those who walk with us, and let us give honor to the Shining Gods and Goddesses of our Folk, asking them always to guide our paths and ward our steads.
6. Closing
The speaker turns away from the harrow and addresses the folk:
Once again, let me express my heartfelt thanks for your presence here today. I invite you to stop by the harrow over the course of the evening, and contemplate the waters created today, perhaps adding a bit to your horn and tasting them for yourself.
Facing North and looking over the harrow the speaker announces:
The Hof is sanctified, the harrow is hallowed. The rite is ended, the Folk go on.
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