In the summer of 2019, 28 men from the whole world traveled to the Norwegian mountains for a remarkable week.

Heeding the call of the vast, open landscapes of Norway’s ancient mountains, the men showed up full of desire for Brotherhood and transformation.

For seven days, they went on break from their daily grind, put away their phones and screens, and stepped into the mythical world of Kings of the North.

They were there to seek an end to lies, limiting beliefs, loneliness, emotional numbness, addictions, and playing it small. In a time when so many of us have become utterly domesticated, their presence there was a revolutionary act.

These men must have felt that deep nutrients for their masculine soul awaited them among the mountains, lakes, rocks and trees. They must have wanted to reclaim the primal parts of them, reclaiming the positive parts of the brave and brutal northmen who once inhabited these lands.

So they shut off those damned phones that keep adult men slaves of their impulses and dove into presence, looking for more in life. 

And more in life they found.

Kings of the North is a different kind of men’s retreat. Not merely a remarkable and life-changing week, it gives you a seat in Noreting, the democratic gathering and council of men, modelled on the Viking thing of old.

In this unique building, men laugh and get rowdy, settle conflicts and pass laws. You will be challenged, blessed, celebrated, while being surrounded by irreverent men who will remind you of the joy of living.

You will review the Brotherhood code and laws established by last year’s participants, and amend or adjust them, as you see fit.

In other words, Kings of the North is a lineage, an ongoing interactive experience in creating a new men’s culture, one which embraces both the gentler and fiercer sides of life. 

And that may be needed, for as 21st century men, so many of us are lost. No longer needed as warriors or breadwinners, men’s well-worn paths to lives of purpose are all but lost.

Now, we are supposed to be vulnerable, but not too much. Strong, but not too much.

In fact, if you listen to the world’s definition of who you should be, you’ll be completely scr*wed, for a shared vision of what makes a good man no longer exists in our culture.

And without a clearly defined vision, we lose our sense of purpose, pursuing what little glimpses of joy life provides. Yet you may have noticed that few things ruin your self-respect more than living for yourself only. And if you try, you’ll be addicted out of your mind to compensate for how undignified and meaningless your life has become.

Author Warren Farrel calls this terrible situation the purpose void, and most of us on some level feel it. That pit in your belly, that void in your heart, those claws that dig into your sense of dignity late at night.

Our masculine lineage roots are rotting, and most of us are doing nothing about it.

But times are changing.

The world as we know it is dying. Everything we have come to take for granted is collapsing. The cultural roles of men are no exception. Everybody seems to know what men shouldn’t be, but hardly anyone has a vision for who we can become.

And that is why Kings of the North represents a metaphorical “journey West”, like our Viking ancestors of old, to a new world of plenty. 

Of course, you could go raiding or fishing – take your pick – along familiar shores. You could pray that you can keep doing what you’re doing without changing a thing, and that it’ll somehow be okay.

Yes, you could do that.

Or, you could build an inspiring life of meaning, brotherhood, impact. A life where you wake up in the morning, somehow knowing that your life matters, and that the world needs your gifts.

And so this July 6–12, we return to the Norwegian mountains and Noreting, where old and new friends and allies will support you in making it happen.

As a man looking to find your place in these strange times, you can no longer live a one-dimensional life, pretending to fit into the tiny molds of “traditional macho” or “postmodern progressive man”.

To become happy, on purpose, and powerfully alive, 21st century men must embrace our full selves, vulnerability and power both.

As Nordic men, living in one of the most politically correct regions of the world, that means paying our respects to our Viking roots.

Roots which are dark and brutal, but also full of light, beauty, vision, arts and crafts, honoring of both sexes and democratic rule through the tradition of the Ting.

With an amazing venue, beautiful surroundings (which we will take good time exploring), a dedicated kitchen staff, and connections you will treasure, this is set to be a hell of a summer week that’ll touch you in ways you will never forget.

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