John Gibbs-Bailey
“Hoskuld”
ᛉ May 22, 1913 - January 1, 2003 ᛦ
John Gibbs-Bailey, perhaps better known as Hoskuld, was born on the 22nd of May, 1913. He was an Englishman who, along with Stubba, founded the Odinic Rite and spearheaded the reforging of Ásatrú in Great Britain.
Very little is known about his personal life, outside of his clear devotion to the Æsir and his Folk. It is said that he found our Gods in the 1930s, and immediately recognized that Ásatrú is meant to be lived and practiced with the rest of the Folk. He met John Yeowell, Stubba, in the 1950s, and they stayed in touch about Ásatrú for the next 20 years before founding the precursor to the Odinic Rite in 1973.
In these early days of the Odinic Rite is when he adopted the name Hoskuld, which he took from 10th century Icelandic Goði Hoskuld Dalla-Kolson. He also spent this time formalizing the doctrine of the OR, as well as eight of the Nine Noble Virtues.
By the end of the 1970s, Hoskuld decided to step out of the public-facing role and let Stubba take the reins leading the Court of Goðar. He instead took on the duties of Treasurer and continued to keep his personal life to himself.
Beyond this, we know nothing about the remainder of Hoskuld’s time in Miðgarðr. He passed away on January 1st, 2003, right after the 12th day of Jól. While his personal life remains largely a mystery, his impact on the history of Ásatrú and our Folk does not. The very virtues we strive for today were coined by him, and countless Aryan men and women have come home to their native faith in the Æsir because of this alone. The noble people of Great Britain and beyond were given a chance to reconnect with their ancestors and the divine because of the 70 years of work done by Hoskuld.
Hail Hoskuld!
