Hey SoM go-ers! I plan on making an article fairley soon on a Heathen F.A.Q to answer the most commonly asked questions about Heathenry. I present this thread to you as an oppritunity to ask your question and have it answered in the upcoming article. If you have any questions or concerns about heathenry, how it works, or how to start out, leave your questions below! Many thanks and brightest blessings!
P.S I apologize if this needs to be in the advertising forums instead of the Norse Paganism forum.
I think it would be helpfull for outsiders to explain the different pathes within Norse Paganism, from Runelore, to germanic shamanism, from Seidr to Rokkatru etc.
After reading the last post, I'm compelled to comment...
I was born into and have practiced the Northern Ways for more than 60 years. That should be sufficient to assume some mastery of the subject. The above descriptors are nothing even close to what this actual faith entails. The modern versions of America and England that were created as a revival in the 60's are purely speculative. I can also say that Von List et all are equally faulted and the wartime German compilation is also a far off tangent. It is unfortunate that most of the written accounts of our ways are skewed in some manner to fit one of these narratives.
We are not pagans, heathens nor supremacists. Those are terms coined by other groups to denigrate members of the Northern Faith. No one should study a Furtharkor the Lore and Legend to find a way to practice. The Furtharkis a quasi-scientific acronym to describe the runic writings found with artifacts of the period. The Lore and Legend are surviving accounts of tales of the time period as are the Icelandic Sagas. There is no "Bible" for this particular faith as much as some of the Folk wish for it to be.
There are only three paths to this faith. The Gods have theirs, Nature has its own and there is the path of Mankind.The Northern faith is one's ability to correlate and understand the combination of the three. This faith is quite simplistic, one needs no special accoutrements or special abilities to participate. One only needs to accept that what happens in life is a product of nature, consequences of our own doing or in special cases, guidance or interference from deity.
An appropriate course of study for a new acolyte would be to read of the Pantheon and get a basic understanding of what each of the named deities is associated with. Then study the cycles of nature and getin tune with the seasonal order of the world we live in. Lastly, take a hard look at historical accounts and compile a list of behavioral norms and observances that a person of this faith would assume in normal life. An example would be that loyalty is a series of concentric circles with the family unit at it's core. Transgression (misdeeds) have no forgiveness, one can only strive to do better in the future. As an agrarian society, we are tied somewhat to the land so we must manage it properly and observe change with reverence. Celebration and custom have regional flavors worldwide.
Read everything and listen to everyone's accounts. Afterwards, you simple agree or disagree. There is value in all opinions.
I feel like many actually practice a corruption of the old faith and it's been Wiccanized. I'm not against Wicca, but there is no evidence that any pre Christian faith practiced every full moon or celebrated solstice/equinox. I'm not a big Troth supporter as it's been Wiccanized and I saw some misinformation. I'm bad with misinformation, I see it, I leave a site.
I liked the Sagas, it helps to piece together what was done in the past. There is a site for Aldistu that I found pretty credible it's not in the new age type.
There's a saying within the groups that follow the Northern Ways; its origin and author unknown to me. If you put nine followers in a room together, you will have nine different interpretations of how to correctly follow the path. Some assume that this is a result of not having a historical structure to the processes of worship but in reality it is the very essence of the faith. Like anything ancient, the travels and experiences of the tribes had influence on their ways. There were many new ideas that were incorporated along the way because of similarity and novelty of experience. These adaptations change with geography and with the basic flexibility of the tribes in general. A polytheistic outlook found that adding a deity or adopting new names from one in commonality was not something prohibitive. What worked well then to achieve harmony and create a pleasant atmosphere within differing groups should be an insight today on how to handle those types of issues.
Some are attracted to ritual and others to lifestyle interpretation. What is most important is that all appear to have a core system of belief. It's ok that we splinter off to our own personal needs. For this path to succeed, all need to be somewhat supportive of alternate views and not become isolationist in nature. To truly understand the path, one must do as our ancestors did. Travel to new places and peoples and experience those alternate views. One will observe that we all have more in common than we think.
I can agree with the above. I do think the culture played a large part in the faith. It's natural to slaughter animals at a specific time, so it made sense to have a blot on a specific moon. Few things in any pre christian faith are can be viewed as authentic and our northern ancestors adopted things from others. I don't mind acknowledging something is not authentic, I mind when I read places say, this is the way it was, when it simply wasn't.
