PART 3: Section 18. Ring of Gilds

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18. Ring of Gilds

18.1 A gild is defined as two or more Freehold members who counsel on a regular basis to study, practice and/or teach a particular aspect of Germanic culture.

18.2 Gild fellows are Freehold members who are also members in any gild.

18.3 Any two members may form a new gild by applying to the Witan or at althing.

18.4 A gild is a subcommittee of the Witan, and is answerable to it and the althing of voting members. As such, a gild is provincial body and may have numerous centres of activity throughout the province.

18.5 Gilds are charged by the Freehold to learn, do, encourage and teach, each according to its craft or area of knowledge.

18.6 Gilds meet and govern themselves as they see fit in a manner consistent with these bylaws, according to their craft, so long as they continue to fulfill their purposes and the purposes of the Freehold.

18.7 A newly formed gild is equalitarian³⁴ by default and all the fellows of the gild who are trothed Freeholders are entitled to one vote on matters involving gild business.

18.8 An equalitarian gild may elect to adopt a hierarchy appropriate to their craft, and may therefore restrict the voting rights of its fellows accordingly, in regards to gild business, so long as all the voting fellows of a gild are given the opportunity to vote on the resolution to adopt such a hierarchy. However, any such restriction shall not impinge upon the fellow's right to a vote as a trothed Freeholder at thing, althing or shire moot.

18.9 Any Freehold member in good standing may apply to a gild for fellowship in it, but gilds may have reasonable entrance requirements and criterion, so fellowship in any gild cannot be guaranteed.

18.10 Rejected applications may be appealed to the Witan by way of the ombudsman, and as final recourse at the next thing or althing.

18.11 Gilds may at their discretion charge a reasonable membership fee, provided a fee or geld³⁵ is paid by the gild to the Freehold common hoard. Either the Witan and the althing have the right to determine the geld due, but not retroactively, or cap fees if they are deemed unreasonable.

18.12 Gilds may undertake business, on behalf of, and in the name of, the Freehold, by applying to the Witan or the althing, so long as:

a) no member personally profits in the course of a Gild undertaking,
b) a geld is paid to the Freehold common hoard,
c) any profits or other accretions to the Freehold or the gilds are used solely to further the Freehold’s purposes.

18.13 The geld due shall be set by the Witan or althing, and the remainder will be kept by the gild for its own purposes, so long as those purposes are in keeping with the Freehold's and are not inconsistent with these bylaws or Freehold thews or whatever other requirement which may be set by the Witan or voting members from time to time at althing.

18.14 These restrictions do not apply to individual gild fellows and their personal, private businesses, but only to business activities undertaken by a Freehold gild on behalf of, and in the name of, the Freehold.

18.15 Gilds shall be responsible for keeping their own financial records, and submit yearly financial statements to the Freehold hoarder six weeks prior to althing.

18.16 If the gild undertakes no business, or its activities undertake no expenses, it will simply submit a null report.

18.17 Each gild shall send at least one representative to the althing, who will report in writing and by by yelping about the gilds activities the previous year. Detail about specific accomplishments is expected. Each gild is also expected to boast, thus informing the althing what plans are for the coming year.

18.18 A Freehold member who is not in good standing for a period of longer than six months shall lose fellowship in any gilds he or she may belong to at the time Freehold membership is made inactive.

18.19 A gild, other than the Weoh Gild, inactive for a year, may be disbanded by the Witan, thing or althing. The Weoh Gild shall not be disbanded or inactive as long as the Freehold exists.