The Troth

The Troth, formerly the Ring of Troth, is an American-based international heathen organization.[1][2] It is prominent in the inclusionary, as opposed to folkish, sector of heathenry. The organization was founded on December 20 (Mothers' Night), 1987 by former Ásatrú Free Assembly members Edred Thorsson and James Chisholm.[3] Chisholm remains associated with the organization as an Elder Emeritus.[4] The current Steer is Lauren Crow.[5]

The Troth is registered as a non-profit corporation in the state of New York with federal 501(c)(3) status as a public charity. It hosts a yearly June meeting called Trothmoot. Trothmoot 2022 was held at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park near Memphis, Tennessee.

  1. ^ On its main page (retrieved July 26, 2013), the organization says: "There are several modern names for various forms of our religion: Asatru, Forn Sed, Urglaawe, Theodism, and others. Historically, we were called Heathens, and we still use that name now, too."
  2. ^ Jenny Blain, Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0-203-39876-9 pp. 8, 160, note 1 refers to it as "an organisation of Heathens based in the US."
  3. ^ Jeffrey Kaplan, "Chapter Nine: The Reconstruction of the Ásatrú and Odinist Traditions" in Lewis, James R. (1996) Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft SUNY Press, ISBN 0-7914-2890-7, p. 213 and p. 231, note 41: According to Thorsson, "Only Thorsson and Chisholm were present. . . . Thorsson 'invested' Chisholm with the steersmanship of the RoT . . . . This ended with the declaration that the Ring of Troth was hereby founded with the aim of reestablishing the ancestral faith of the Germanic peoples." Kaplan emphasizes Thorsson's role, calling the Ring of Troth "[v]ery much the brainchild of Edred Thorsson" (p. 213).
  4. ^ "The Troth Clergy Program". thetroth.org. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
  5. ^ "Trothmoot 2022 | Rede News | The Troth". thetroth.org. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-15.