January Book Review: Sheathenry by Alvilldr in fagra

Sheathenry Volume I: Ritual Practices of Modern Heathen Women is a book that came out pretty recently. It's written by Alvilldr in fagra, alternating between first person stories from the author and excerpts from interviews with 20 or so Heathen women (and one gender-neutral person). At just over 200 pages, the book is just long enough to be satisfying.

I purchased this book in paperback from lulu.com for $14.99. Using a coupon code for a discount, my purchase came out to about $12, shipping included. Overall, I would say that this book is definitely worth the purchase. The quality of the book itself is good. I didn't notice any spelling errors or the formatting problems that are common in self-published books. IT has obviously been produced with care. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but this book makes no pretense of being beginner friendly - it assumes that the reader comes to the table with a working knowledge of Heathenry.

One of the best things about Sheathenry is it's diversity. The author made a big effort to interview a wide variety of individuals, and it shows. When discussing the various topics, the author always presents multiple viewpoints, demonstrating both the similarities and the variations between different practices. The takeaway seems to be that there is no wrong way to be a heathen woman, or at least, that there are many right ways to be a Heathen woman. The author never pushes her own opinions on the reader, and she never endorses one point of view over another. Additionally, as a lesbian woman, it's fantastic to see a book featuring people on the LGBTQ spectrum. While the number of LGBTQ Heathens is certainly growing, it's still uncommon to see us represented in Heathen media.

Another thing I liked about Sheathenry was the distinct lack of scholarly research and pandering to academia. It's very readable and accessible to the average person. While I have read and loved the standard Heathen reading list, a huge drawback to most Heathen books is that for the average joe, they tend to be difficult to read and understand. Heathenry and Asatru have been referred to as "the religion with homework" for years, but it's nice to see a departure from that mindset. After all, we can't all be scholars. I think perhaps it's better sometimes to focus on what modern heathens are actually doing rather than rehashing the same old discussions about ethics and worldview.

I would recommend this book for anyone with a basic understanding of Heathenry. It's an asset to any Heathen's library, regardless of gender. I would definitely buy this book again, and when Volume 2 comes out, I'll be first in line to purchase it!

If you'd like to read Sheathenry, you can purchase the paperback or the ebook here!

This year I will be reading and reviewing one Heathenry-related book per month. If you'd like to recommend a book, let me know in the comments! If you read Sheathenry, let me know what you think of it!