Introduction

Stav is the name given to the collected cul­tu­ral teachings passed down in the Nor­we­gi­an Haf­skjold family, whose current head is Ivar Haf­skjold. He began teach­ing outside of the family in 1992. The name Stav comes from the Nor­we­gian »sette stav», which was the expression used for the performing of the rune stan­ces as Ivar grew up. Today the term Stav is used for the tra­di­tion as a whole.

Stav is a system of recommendations, crafted from the ex­pe­ri­en­ces of many ge­ne­ra­tions. It encompasses rune lore, mar­ti­al arts, healing and a world view rooted in pre-Christian north­ern tradition. Stav in itself is not a religion, but can be­come a part of one's own personal religion, if one so chooses. From a Stav point of view the practitioner's religion is not of im­por­tance, and everyone is welcome to train and learn more about the parts of the tradition he or she takes an interest in.

For more detailed descriptions on the various parts of Stav, please re­fer to the available articles on the homepages of the individual houses and study groups reachable through the links below. If you have any questions, feel welcome to ask them in the Yahoo! group Stav-Web!