This morning I woke up and my spouse, Jamie, told me our friend Rod Landreth had died. And by the gods, will he be missed! I write this now because the world was richer for knowing Rod, and I lay these words down to honor a man who should be remembered.
I only met Rod once face-to-face, at the 2013 Carolina Moot. It was the first ever Carolina Moot, and he attended as the guest of honor. He gave a lecture on the Heathen soul complex, breaking down the different parts of the soul as they were understood by ancient Germanic societies, and his lecture was both erudite and accessible. He would use metaphors that related to geek culture, bringing up Doctor Who for example, but also would explain the way different aspects of the physical body and incorporeal self related and their importance, using specific terminology from medieval Germanic languages. On the night of the main blót, he held a spae-rite, and the words spoken by his lips that night while he sat deep in trance still affect me. In one weekend, he demonstrated his knowledge of lore, his immense hospitality, a joyous wit, and his personal familiarity with respected leaders in the Heathen community. And while I have not been present in many spae-rites, his was the most moving and personally significant I have ever witnessed or been a part of.
In the years since, I continued to get to know Rod through emails and social media. We would chat occasionally on Facebook, and write multi-page emails that covered a myriad of topics. When I moved to Japan, he agreed to help guide me in learning seidhr from afar, which I need not say is no small task.
Rod will be remembered as a leader in the Heathen community. Others who knew him better can say more about his influence than I can, and no doubt will. But he had a no-nonsense approach to life, being able to live an ideal while never diminishing the importance of the world’s realities. In our conversations, he would discuss everything from the speech of birds to understanding Ragnarok as a phenomena in the past, present, and future all at once, a series of endings that had happened, were happening, and would one day occur. I would discuss a book I had where his opinions were cited in one email, and whatever his answer was, he always wrote words that helped expand not just my understanding, but my very consciousness. His discussions likening Kami to Landvaettir, or the different shamanistic cultures, were a testament to his academic knowledge as well as his experiential wisdom. He was a teacher who helped me immensely, though I feel my lessons with him had only just begun. He never gave me easy answers, but always gave me good answers (or good questions and riddles as the times dictated). Now that he is in the halls of the gods, I will continue to remember him and fare forth on the path of wisdom he helped set me along.
But he was more than a Heathen or a teacher. He was an LGBTQ advocate, a geek, and a strong believer in the importance of human rights. His love of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, roleplaying games, and geek culture, as well as his wry (and often bawdy) sense of humor ensured he always had something interesting to say. He spoke what he meant, and considered words like “friend” and “brother” to have real meaning that he didn’t waste on anyone undeserving of the terms.
I began this blog as part of a promise to Rod. After the spae-rite, I said I would write essays that might help the Heathen community. He could have asked for another form of payment, but instead, he sought to help others.
He lived with his husband Jason. They had enjoyed fifteen years together, and while I never met Jason, I wish they could have shared thirty.
Tonight, I did my best to honor him. I chanted the runes that spell his name, raised a memory-cup to him, and set out a bowl of plum wine for him to enjoy in the life after (since I don’t have any mead readily available to me right now). I will carry Rod’s memory, and his wisdom, until I too reside in the halls of the Aesir.
Hail, Rod Landreth! You dwell in the halls of the gods now, and there may you be forever remembered for the great man you were!
The Modern Skald 