Ragnarok: What the Old Norse Sources Say [Video]
A cool video by Dr. Jackson Crawford about Ragnarok and what the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda say about it. Check it out.
What Draws You to Heathenism?
A Facebook friend and a well-known Heathen has announced that he may convert to Catholicism, or is at least considering it. While I can’t speak for his motivations, as a former Catholic, I can understand the appeal that the Church has for people, especially Heathens. At the same time, I can understand why Heathenry and paganism woo away Catholic followers. At some point, every Heathen must ask themselves if they’re in the right religion and whether they fit in. Although I have my reservations about Catholicism, I wish him well and I hope he finds what he seeks.Anyway, that got me to thinking about those who are thinking of becoming Heathens. There are plenty of reasons for becoming a Heathen, but there are also many reasons for not choosing this religion as well. It’s not for everyone, nor does it try to be. Unlike Catholicism and other Judaeo-Christian religions, it does not purport itself to be the only religion whereby one can attain “salvation” and the others are going to eternal damnation.
Ask Yourself What Draws You to Heathenism
I wonder sometimes what draws people to Heathenism. Heathenism isn’t for the Marvel fanboys or fangirls who fallen in love with the Thor movies or comics (or the actors therein) and expect the gods to behave like that. (Although there are Marvel fans among Heathens.) It isn’t for the white supremacists, though we seem to have our share of them. It isn’t for the people who are looking for a god or goddess who will come to their rescue the first sign of trouble. It isn’t for the person who wants to create spells and potions regularly. While we do have our share of “magic” — and I have a tough time labeling it as such — we’re not the put together a love potion or money incantation type of religion. It isn’t for the people who are looking for the all-knowing, all-powerful god of the Judaeo-Christian religions. It’s not a place to insist on whites only, or Northern ethnicities only, or require that what and where you were born makes a difference as to what religion you should follow. It is not a place for Nazis.
At the same time, it’s not for the people who want an excuse to drink and party. (Although drinking and partying is certainly an aspect of our religion.) It’s not SCA or a reason simply to reenact reconstructed rituals without belief, although there are plenty of recons and other Heathens who believe and don’t believe.
Lastly, It’s not a place to bully other people who have differing viewpoints. I add this sincerely because even if you disagree with my above statements, that is your right to disagree. I’ll caveat my statements to exclude the white supremacist and Nazi bullshit. Since white supremacists and Nazis are inherently bullies, we have no room for them.
So, Who is Heathenism For?
I’ve talked a lot about who isn’t suited for Heathenism, but perhaps I should talk more about who is suited for Heathenism. It’s surprising flexible, allowing for many different folks with different ideas.
Gods, Goddesses, Ancestors, and Wights
Heathenism is for those who hold reverence for the ancient gods and goddesses of the northern religions. Heathenism is for those who wish to revere their ancestors. Heathenism is for those who believe in wights, elves, and trolls. It is for those who hope to gain understanding of the past by learning all they can about those who were Heathen before us.
Heathens can be agnostic or even atheistic when it comes to supernatural entities, may believe in them fully, or maybe choose somewhere in between. They may look upon the gods as actual beings or as metaphors. Heathens may have a personal relationship with the gods or a god, or may never have had a single contact. Heathenry is often flexible because there is no Asa-pope to make pronouncements. Although we have the seidr and runecasting, so-called “magic” is extremely limited. A more magical form of paganism is Wicca.
Taking Responsibility
Heathens aren’t looking for the gods to solve all their problems. Rather, they look to the gods for moral strength and aid. When the gods help them out, they are grateful. They will offer gifts in exchange for help. Unlike the Christian god, the Heathen gods expect you to handle your own problems without running to them all the time. While there are no Ten Commandments of Heathenism, we do have the Nine Noble Virtues, the Havamal, and rules against oathbreaking. We expect other Heathens to act honorably.
For the Community and Individuals
Heathenism is for individuals and community. In the past, community was important because without it, an individual could not exist. Today with all our technology and the scarceness of Heathens, most Heathens are solitary practitioners. Despite this, there are some Heathens, most notably recons, who insist that you cannot be a solitary practitioner. I would argue that I and the majority of Heathens out there have proved otherwise. Most of us still rely on society and others — few of us are capable of living without any outside help — but the lack of Heathens, or those we wish to associate with, are few in number. That’s why like many things, Heathenry has changed. It must change, because we have changed. Just as we don’t condone human sacrifice (except those few loony-tune, fringe idiots who do condone it), we don’t have to be a group-or-nothing religion.
Heathenry Celebrates the Seasons and the Past
Heathenry is close to nature and celebrates times such as spring, planting, harvest, and the equinoxes.
We celebrate our ancestors who have gone before us, and the land spirits who guard our lands. We have many holidays and days of remembrance for those who have gone before us and for those gods and wights who are helping us.No Racism
Heathens know that the gods and goddesses consider humans as one species and do not look at “race” as a means of determining who is worthy. There have been Heathens of other ethnicities who have joined Northerners as Vikings. We have historical records and even genetics to prove that.
I hope I’ve given you a picture of who Heathenry is for. It is for anyone who is looking for a religion that embraces these principles. If this sounds like a religion you would follow, certainly, Heathenry is for you.
Aptrganga or Real Norse Zombies [Video]
Well, it’s getting closer to Halloween, and since I’ve been meaning to include an occasional video, I’ve decided to include a great video by Jackson Crawford about Aptrganga or “Again Walkers,” i.e., zombies or draugr .
In Viking times, it was believed that you could become a zombie if you died sitting up, died with your eyes open, died disappointed in your son, or died in your home. Apparently, even if you managed to get cremated, if another creature ingested the ashes, it could cause amazing mayhem. Anyway, check out the video!
Samhain — Or it’s Not My Holiday
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| Thanks to Magickal Graphics |
My husband asked me if Halloween was a special time for Heathens. I looked at him blankly, but then I realized that being pagan may make it appear that we celebrate other pagans’ holidays. I grinned and reassured him I’m not that kind of pagan. I then pointed out our version of Samhain — if we have a “version,” happens around the winter solstice. So, like everything in my life, I started researching Samhain.
What Samhain is for the Uninitiated
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| Thanks to Magickal Graphics |
Samhain (pronounced “sah-win” for those who don’t speak Celtic) is the Celtic New Year when the Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and dead was thinnest. I found that interesting because Heathens tend to think of that time as Winter Solstice. As an aside, I really do think our Yule is more correct with Mother’s Night, but Samhain a Wiccan holiday, so it’s theirs to argue about, not mine. It’s also the end of harvest for them, which is probably why they equate it with the end of the year and the beginning of the new year.
Samhain has the characteristic ancestor veneration that we do. It arrives on the sunset of October 31st and ends on the sunset of November 1st. It’s celebrated with bonfires (purportedly to keep the sun burning through winter), disguises (so evil spirits don’t recognize the people), and sacrifices and gifts made for the dead. There is a ritual of leaving doors open so that the spirits of kind ancestors can come into the home and visit.
Where Halloween Comes From
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| Courtesy of Magickal Graphics |
Not surprisingly, the Catholic Church snagged November 1st and made it All Saints Day. All Souls Day is November 2nd. If I recall my Catholic upbringing, I seem to remember it was a Holy Day of Obligation (Translation: Get your ass to church and fill the coffers.) which was intended to make the revelry around Halloween less popular. When they couldn’t do that, they came up with All Souls Day on November 2nd. Interestingly enough, people simply moved their pagan celebrations over to November 2nd since it was now Church sanctioned. People dressed up as angels, devils, and saints, and there were parades and bonfires. One tradition started in England which was most likely a precursor to trick or treating was that poor people would go door to door and beg for “soul cakes” in exchange for praying for the household’s dead.
Halloween gets it’s name from All Saints Day. In England, All Saints Day was known as All Hallowmas from the Middle English word, Alholowmesse, which means All Saints Day. Naturally, the day before was All Hallows Eve, which soon became our word for Halloween.
Halloween and America
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| Courtesy of Magickal Graphics |
Halloween traditions came over with the Irish in the early to mid 19th century. Going door to door asking for food and money, a Halloween tradition, was soon replaced with trick or treating. Parties soon became more the norm. To avoid frightening children too much, newspapers encouraged parents to tame the scary stuff. So, Halloween became a secular holiday by20th century.
Halloween was a community celebration, but was being plagued by vandalism. By the 1950s, politicians and community leaders directed Halloween festivities toward trick or treating and made it into a children’s holiday.
Nowadays, Halloween is for both kids and adults. Trick or Treating is still for the kids, but both kids and adults have fun dressing up and partying.
So, What Does This Have to Do with Heathenism?
So now that I’ve talked about Halloween and Samhain, it’s time for me to talk about how Samhain isn’t really a Heathen holiday. Unless you’re Irish or venerate the Irish pantheon (I find the word “worship” a little too strong), I’d say Samhain doesn’t have any real religious significance for those who follow the Norse gods. I find the idea sweet — venerating the ancestors — but we do this already during Álfablót and Disablót. Depending on what you read, Álfablót could be celebrated on Halloween, but honestly, what we know about Álfablót tends to make it more of a private holiday with the family, rather than being a huge community party or trick and treating.
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| Courtesy of Magickal Graphics |
I’m Not a Fan of Halloween
I’ll be honest with you: I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween because of the overtly commercialism. I sigh and shake my head when I pass by homes with Halloween lights and even inflatable ghosts and ghouls because, let’s face it, its commercialism rivals Christmas. Which isn’t a far off statement. It’s the second biggest holiday behind Christmas with Americans spending some $6 Billion USD each year on the holiday. That’s billion with a B. And one fourth of all candy sales over the year is Halloween candy.
Now, you might point to Christmas and say the same thing on how commercial it is. Yeah, but I celebrate Yule, which is vastly superior, in my book. Also, I like Christmas caroles, even though many are modern, relatively speaking. The fact that today’s Christmas is a 19th century contrivance doesn’t necessary bother me. But that is for another time.
Álfablót
Álfablót is usually celebrated at the last harvest. Which could be at the end of October. When I think about harvest, I generally think about it as being something in late September or even early October. The closest thing to Álfablót we might have in American culture might be Thanksgiving. I really don’t think of it as Samhain or Halloween, but maybe you do? I’d like your thoughts on it.
What to Do as a Heathen
Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate Samhain as a holiday. It doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halloween as a holiday. We’re the party-hardy kind of religion to begin with, so I think it’s quite appropriate to celebrate either if you want to. I’m pretty certain that Northern pagans didn’t say “oh, I’m not celebrating that because it’s not traditional” when it came to holidays. Now, if you’re a recon, you may be thinking something different, but seeing as I’m not, I don’t have a problem with it.
How Skadi Works, or a Dog Story
This is a dog story. This is also a goddess story. This is what happens when a goddess thinks you need help. READ MORE of my premium content for just $1More Conversations with Bob the Car Wight
I was walking by the SUV the other day when I saw Bob the Car Wight sitting on the hood. This time, he had a very mismatched red and green plaid coat, orange hunting cap (which suspiciously looked like the one I had lost last season), and a fuchsia scarf striped with purple. He was rubbing his hands together and blowing on gardening gloves he was wearing that were way too big for his fingers. Now, imagine this all contrasting with his blue skin. Eeek. All in all, a sight to make sore eyes.
“Whoa, Bob! Are you trying to blind me with your fashion sense?” I quipped.
Bob rubbed his hands together and blew on the gloves’ fingertips as if he were trying to get warm. “Like you know anything about fashion, mismatched girl,” he snorted. He rubbed his hands some more. “These gloves suck.”
I let the jab slide. “What, are you cold?”
“What gave you the first hint, Einstein?” Bob glared at me.
“Well normally I’d say the blue skin, but seeing as that’s normal for you, I’d guess the weird get-up.” I grinned at him. “Don’t like our weather?”
“The weather was fine until it went from summer to winter in one day.”
“Well, that’s the Rockies for you. I’d thought you’d be used to it by now since you’ve lived up here for years.”
“I’m used to garages. You know, like indoors? When are you cleaning out the garage so I can have a decent place to live?”
“It’s a little cluttered,” I admitted. “But you’re a wight. You’re supposed to be able to live damn near anywhere. Well there’s no reason why you couldn’t stay there now.”
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“Herman the roof rat doesn’t like me.” Bob held up his hands. “Do you have some spare mittens?”
I pondered that for a moment. “The roof rat has a name?”
“Of course he does. Everything does. You just might not know it yet.”
“And his name is Herman?”
“Well, that was his name in a previous life.” He wiggled his fingers at me. “Mittens?”
“I’ll see what I can do. I might be able to find some for you next time I go into town.” I paused. “But Herman?”
“Yeah, Hel decided she didn’t want him in Helheim so she sent him back to live as a rat. She does that a lot with people who she really hates.”
“You mean they don’t go to Nástrǫnd and get chewed on by Níðhöggr?”
“Well, some of the really bad ones were giving the dragon gas. You wouldn’t believe how much damage to Niflheim it was causing when those farts light off. One of those set fire to Hel’s hall some years back. She really wasn’t amused.”
I laughed.
“I’m not joking. You wouldn’t believe the cussing. I think Hel invented new words just for that.” Bob shuddered. “She’s scary when she’s angry.”
“I bet,” I said. I certainly had no desire to get on Hel’s bad side. “Okay, so Herman the roof rat is being punished for..?”
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me. But he tried to goosestep in your garage.”
“Great, I have a Nazi rat.” I sighed. “Guess Hel won’t be upset when I trap his ass.”
Bob shrugged. “She’ll just send him back as another rat.”
“Great, well maybe this time he’ll go to New York City instead of here.”
“Then you’ll have no excuse for cleaning out the garage,” Bob quipped.
“I’ll get right to it.” I said, walking back to the house.
“Oh, and don’t forget the mittens!” Bob called after me.
The Gods and Goddesses of Autumn
Now that the Equinox has passed, you can feel the changing of the guard, especially if you live in the northern states. This year, it’s almost as if the gods and goddesses have had enough of the fires out here. It is as though we’ve gone from summer to winter in one day and then the actual fall settles in.
A Time of Change
Autumn is a time of change. It heralds the coming of winter and the urgent need to prepare for it. For those of you who buy foods from the grocery stores, chances are the changes you’ll see is more pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween candy. For me, it’s a time to search for upland birds, can my harvest, and run my dehydrator 24/7. I’m looking at my livestock and wondering who I’ll be slaughtering so I can have more meat in my freezer. I’m considering how I’m going to keep the fresh stuff preserved so that I can enjoy it when it is cold and snowy. And I’m waiting for general hunting season where I can hunt deer and elk.
I truly feel that our gods and goddesses are linked to the seasons. This makes a lot of sense because our planet is governed by the laws of physics — even at the tiniest level. This makes a lot of sense if you’ve ever contemplated the overall nature of the universe.
The Gods and Goddesses of Autumn
I did some basic research, and I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t a lot written about what Northern gods go with what season. We can make obvious guesses for winter and spring, but fall may be a little bit questionable simply because it is a time of transition. Even so, I’m going to share with you my insights, and hopefully you have some insights as well.
Skadi
Probably the biggest goddess of autumn (and also of winter) is Skadi, the Norse goddess of the hunt and of winter. She’s the one I pretty much go to when it comes to hunting, and I feel more in tuned with her every year. She is not an easy goddess to deal with, but she is honorable and very powerful. The story about Skadi seeking retribution for her father’s death is a story which shows how far she is willing to go if you fail to heed her.
Ullr
Ullr is the god of hunting, of snow and skiing, and of snowshoes. Ullr was considered an important god among the Scandinavians, no doubt since snow plays a major part in their weather. I’ve read various claims that Ullr is Skadi’s second husband after Njord. The story goes that Skadi could not abide Njord’s home near the sea, and he could not accept the high
mountain tops and snow, so they divorced and Skadi married Ullr.
Tyr
Tyr is the god of laws, justice, and the sky. While it seems odd to associate Tyr with a season, I believe he has power over the solstices and equinoxes, given his role as the sky god and lawmaker. It has been my experience (and you can take this as an unverified personal gnosis) that Tyr governs the laws of physics. When we deal with the movements of our planet in relation to the sun, it is really all physics.
I also ran across an interesting point that in some heathen segments Ullr may be an aspect of Tyr. It seems far-fetched, but apparently Ullr was invoked during duels, which was often used to determine who was right and who was wrong. Furthermore, there is an episode in the Atlakviða which has the swearing of an oath on Ullr’s ring. I can sort of see how this might fit together, but unless I have another UPG, it’s unlikely, at least in my own mind that Ullr is Tyr.
Freyr
Although it seems somewhat out of place, I’m putting Freyr as one of the autumn gods. The reason I am putting him in the autumn gods is quite obvious: he is the god of the harvest. The final harvest usually occurs sometime around the equinox, or maybe just a little later. Sometime in the fall farmers tended to slaughter livestock that they were not keeping over the winter, and preserving them. It makes sense that Freyr would preside over all of this.
Frigg
It may seem to be another stretch to put Frigg as a goddess of autumn, but I don’t think so. Frigg is a goddess of the hearth and home, of the distaff, and the wife of Odin. She has ties to Frau Holle and appears to be important in all manners of the home. To me, it makes sense that as the weather gets cooler, people are more inclined to stay indoors. So, I’m likely to think that preserving food and caring for the home falls right into Frigg’s domain.
I hope you enjoyed this piece. No doubt, you can think of some other gods and goddesses of autumn. I’d be interested to hear what you have to say and who you would recommend.
When the Muse is a Bitch, or Equinox, Chickens, and Flipping the Switch
It had been miserably hot and smoky here in the Rational Heathen’s neck of the woods. With all the fires, no rain, and hot temperatures, the whole area could go up in flames with a spark. That’s how tinder dry the Northern Rockies have been. So, when the weather shamans at the National Weather Service said we were in for a change, it was none too soon…
Wiccatru — Or Should We Take Another Look at the Other Pagans?
I ran across this rather interesting post on Patheos entitled Wicca: A New Major Religion, and yeah, it got me thinking. If Wicca could be considered a major religion, are we doing Heathenism a genuine disservice by not occasionally courting it? Here are my thoughts and why we may want to consider a bigger tent when it comes to our religion.The Article and Why the Numbers Might Be Important
If anything, the article reaffirmed my belief in the big tent model when it comes to Heathenism. If the numbers are correct (and I suspect they might be), we need to treat our pagan brethren with a little more respect. The tl;dr version is that Wicca may have, by low estimates, around 2 million practitioners in the United States, making it the third largest religion in the US, after Judaism. (Atheists and agnostics make up a larger percentage than Judaism, but since they are not a religion, they aren’t factored in.) Now granted, when compared to more that 300 million people, that may not seem like many, but the reality is that 2 million votes can sway an election quite handily. Which brings us to Heathenism.
Heathenism by the Numbers
I’m not going to tell you that the numbers I give you are definitive. For one thing, no one has done a completely accurate census and counted every single Heathen on the planet. The current census counts were done on a strictly volunteer basis and most required some sort of participation in social media. That being said, the Norse Mythology Blog came up with a number 16,700 in 2013. This seems a little low to me, undoubtedly because I suspect that some Heathens, for whatever reasons, don’t bother answering polls. I suspect the number is bigger because the piece I wrote, The Gods are Not Your Bitches, got a whopping 13,062 views. Now, granted, some folks may have gone back and reread it, and some folks may have read it who were not Heathen, but the idea that one of my posts reached nearly all Heathens is ludicrous.I’ve seen likes on various Heathen groups on the web, and have seen numbers in the 60K to 100K. That to me seems more likely with a guessimation of maybe 150K to 200K total Heathens in the world at the top end, when you count crossovers from Wiccans and goosestepping moron Odinist Nazis.
Why We Need to Ally Ourselves with the Wiccans, or My Big Tent Belief
So, for argument sake, let’s say we have about 100K to 200K Heathens worldwide. Personally, I think it is around 100,000, but let’s go with that bigger number, for argument sake. That means that we maybe have a tenth of the numbers Wiccans have, if Wiccans have a conservative 2 million in the United States alone. And our numbers are worldwide, not the United States, alone. So, we have 2 million people who could easily be on our side because they’re polytheistic. Granted, they worship all sorts of gods and goddesses, but the reality is that they could strengthen Heathenism if we let them.
I’ve proposed this big tent belief in an earlier post which has met with some derision from the recon segment. Wiccans are not our enemies here. In fact, you’re likely to find allies from Wiccans who worship Freyja and Freyr, or any of our other gods and goddesses. We can find more Heathens there who will help us politically when it comes to issues we have. Plus, if we’re inclusive, we have a lot more Heathens who can help shape Heathenry.
To Those Who Want to Exclude Wiccans
Those who want to exclude Wiccans, even though they worship our gods, are being shortsighted. Heathenry should be open to bringing in others, not just those who are willing to do the homework and speak the gibberish some Heathens do. We need the Lokeans, the Rokkatru, and yes, even the Wiccatru.Why? you may ask.
Do you really want Heathenry to stay small? Do you really want it to be taken over by racists? Do you really think it’s a good idea to stay exclusive and not inclusive? Look at the Wiccans. They really don’t have a lot of dogma, and thus have big numbers. Maybe Heathenry could learn something from Wiccans. And Hels bells, I don’t even believe in magic.
When the Muse is a Bitch, or Sickness, Wildfires, and Hurricanes
I’ve been enduring the wildfires here in the Northern Rockies. On top of that, I’ve gotten a summer cold. So, life sucks for me right now.
But, I have nothing compared to the folks fleeing Irma. I want to put that in perspective… READ MY PREMIUM CONTENT FOR JUST $1…