# VII: They Gather to the Folk-Mote explained — The House of the Wolfings

> Chapter companion for The House of the Wolfings by William Morris.

## What happens

The host of the Markmen gathers at the Thing-stead of the Upper-mark for the Folk-Mote. Rituals are performed, including a torch-bearing circuit and sword-waving, and the War-horn is blown. Thiodolf stands unhelmed in the dwarf-wrought hauberk, having sworn to fight without helm or shield. The chapter also recounts the history of a past battle with Aliens, where Agni fell and his daughter was sacrificed for victory.

## Themes in this chapter

### Ritual and Custom

The chapter details the sacred rituals of the Folk-Mote: the torch-bearing circuit, sword-waving, horn-blowing, and the burnt offering of white horses, emphasizing the deep-rooted customs of the Markmen.

### Sacrifice and Loss

The historical account of Agni's daughter willingly going to sacrifice for victory, and the fall of many warriors, highlights the theme of sacrifice and loss.

### Tribal Identity and Kinship

The gathering of kindreds (Wolfings, Elkings, Beamings, Daylings) and the recitation of tribal history reinforce the bonds of kinship and tribal identity.

## Character check-ins

### Thiodolf

Stands unhelmed in the dwarf-wrought hauberk, having sworn to fight without helm or shield; described as a fell warrior, blithe of speech, and beloved by all.

### Wolfkettle

Rides with the Beaming and Elking men; reacts angrily to the old man's foreboding gesture and speaks a defiant rhyme about the Wolfing kindred.

### Agni

Mentioned in the historical account as the War-duke of the Markmen who fell in the battle against the Aliens; his daughter was sacrificed for victory.

## Key lines

> O warriors, the Wolfing kindred shall live or it shall die; And alive it shall be as the oak-tree when the summer storm goes by; But dead it shall be as its bole, that they hew for the corner-post Of some fair and mighty folk-hall, and the roof of a war-fain host.

Wolfkettle declares that the Wolfing kindred will either survive like an oak in a storm or fall to become the foundation of a great hall for a war-eager people.

_Wolfkettle's defiant rhyme in response to the old man's ominous gesture._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_of_the_wolfings_se/chapters/vii-they-gather-to-the-folk-mote
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_of_the_wolfings_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_of_the_wolfings_se/chapters