Þórshof District

Alexander Rud Mills is one of our AFA Heroes and the Hof Hero of Þórshof.

Born in 1885 in Tasmania, Australia, Alexander Rud Mills was a barrister, author, and early proponent for the revival of our ancestral faith. The Asatru Folk Assembly honors him with a Day of Remembrance every year on the 9th of July, and now Þórshof has a Hero’s Shrine in his name! While there is not a great deal of knowledge on his early life, we do know that Mills attempted to serve in the Australian armed forces in World War I, but was rejected on medical grounds. Regardless of this rejection, he devoted his life to serving our Folk, and honoring our Gods, by establishing the Anglecyn Church of Odin. Alexander Rud Mills was something of an outlier among our Folk Heroes, as he was one of the first people to embrace what we call “forward-facing Asatru”. Rather than playing Viking in his backyard, he established a real church with hymns, vigils, virtues, and communion, and with an authentic English flavor reminiscent of the faith of his Anglo-Saxon ancestors. On May 7th, 1942, he was placed in an internment camp for his folkish beliefs, due to the political climate of the Second World War. He was interned until December of the same year. While many men would crumble and hide after something like this, the Hero of Þórshof did no such thing. After his release, he immediately returned to sharing his love for the Æsir, publishing numerous works honoring our Gods and Folk. He was so devoted that he did not marry until the age of 65! Alexander Rud Mills passed away on April 8th, 1964, just 13 years after he married. His loving wife Evelyn passed away nine years later, and was laid to rest next to her husband in a Church of England cemetery. Although Mills left this world nearly 60 years ago, his legacy is stronger than ever! His portrait, as well as an original print of his book Hael, Odin!, have been immortalized in a shrine inside the temple of our very own Þórshof! This shrine sits mere feet away from the mural of Þórr that our members worship at on a regular basis, in a real Hof dedicated to one of the Gods that Mills devoted his life to. He may have been forgotten by many of his folk, but the Asatru Folk Assembly honors and remembers this Hero! Hail Alexander Rud Mills, Hero of Þórshof!