Gods, wights and ancestors - Or is that the wrong way around?

One of the side effects of heathens bringing their christian sensibilities into heathenry is the over-emphasis on the Aesir and Vanir. The Gods and Goddesses star in our mythology, cosmology and campfire stories. They inspire us and teach us important lessons about the nine worlds and the importance of being a good heathen. Being active in all the nine worlds and having great stories and quests to complete means that they have little time to spend dealing with the whims and fancies of the average everyday heathen.

Perhaps one of the things that was new and appealing about christianity at the time of the conversion was the idea of a god who took interest in each worshipper's life. One who watched over them and cared for them - offering protection and blessings to that individual worshipper, rather than to the collective community as a whole.

For heathens, gods weren't required to offer personal service to each individual. Our ancestors, being part of our own family line and having loved us in life would have been the ones who took care of personal fortune, luck and prosperity. After all, it is in the ancestors' own interests for you to succeed and gain fame and fortune. For they live on in you and they are in turn remembered by you. As the Havamal says, "...one thing never will die, the fame of one who has done well". They are your protection and the source of your wyrd. To understand them is to understand yourself. To recount their stories is a foundational part of your fame and carving your own story that your descendents in turn will remember for you.

Similarly, wights or vaettir are closer to the individual heathen than the Aesir and Vanir. This is because, while they are not part of your family and do not have any vested interest in you in that sense, they do share your little corner of Midgard with you. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement to have good dealings with the vaettir of your home and surrounding area. They are like your neighbours. Getting on well with your neighbours can significantly improve your quality of life. Just as being embroiled in a dispute with your neighbours can cause considerable detriment. Therefore, it is wise to make offerings to the wights/vaettir of your local area and home.

Other members of my family share my ancestors and so we could (were any of them heathen) blot together in their honour. My friends live in my neighbourhood and so we share some vaettir between us, and those of us who are heathen blot to them. However, when dealing with heathens who aren't family or local to me, my ancestors and local vaettir mean nothing to them. This is where gods and goddesses help bring us together. I can meet my fellow heathens from the south of England and offer a toast to Thor, knowing they will join me. If I offer a toast to my grandfather Harry, what would that really mean to them? Equally, if I offer a toast to the vaettir from Rivington Pike, how will they understand what that means? Gods and goddesses are more likely to take an interest in heathenry as a whole, or larger communities of heathens. So, when I mix with my fellow heathens at Sumarrblot 2021, it will be to them that I drink.

For a better, more educated and erudite explanation of this, I heartily recommend checking out Arith Harger's video on Tribal Heathenry.

Archived Blog post: Finding gods...

Whole browsing some old haunts in various corners of the Internet, I came across another old blog entry that I'd written quite some time ago.

Rereading it and finding it mostly still applies to how I feel, I thought it might be nice to share:

Finding Gods In Strange Little Places

Entry posted by (me!) · December 4, 2013

Well you have heard of my beliefs on gods. How they exist as much within my consciousness as they are extant in the universe. (Mainly because I can only experience the universe itself within the confines of my own mind and senses - but let's not get into that).

 

There are times, though, when I feel closest to being able to communicate with any divinities that might be out there. One of those times, for instance, is when I am socialising in the pub with friends. In those gaps in the conversation, as each of us laughs, takes another draught and considers our next words. It feels almost as though I'm part of a ritual that has been conducted as long as man has found delight in his fellow man. Rather than just a few friends drinking in Manchester before an NMA gig, we could be anyone else from any other time speaking similar words, drinking similar brews, feeling similar drives.

 

In that gap in the conversation, I become acutely aware of my being simply one of a long line of individuals, stretching off into both the past and the future. All subjected to the same whims of fate, all with the same concerns and troubles. All eventually meeting the same end (but mostly ignoring that fact, for the time being).

 

Sometimes, even this atheist will try to extend his hearing up and over the din of chatter from other revellers to see if there is anything else to be heard. Any message on the wind or another point of view to be given from some invisible guest.

 

If they ever do chip in their twopenneth, though, I never seem to notice... ;)

Article of mine from around 2007

Here is a response to a forum thread that I posted in around 2007. Back then, I had been a heathen for a few years, but was new to researching it on the internet - prior to that I had simply been "experiencing my heathenry" in Sweden and the UK.

Original post was on the Kindred UK pagan / heathen forum.

How do you see the Gods?

I have to say I fall heavily on the side of their being anthropomorphic representations of the forces of nature/the cosmos or abstract concepts promoted in a form that people can more readily understand. Explaining renewal/order/'justice'/culture to people even today is pretty hard. Explain that there are gods and goddesses who personify these roles and people can relate to them. Especially with the teutonic gods who are peculiarly more 'human' than many others.

But, more than this, I see there is a counterpoint to this in that the gods can also represent similar aspects of our own psyches. Thor might represent my protective instinct, my pragmatic side and also my no-nonsense approach to problem solving. Freyja might represent the my sexual side. Loki my mischevious side. The stories in the eddas and other sources can be seen as a guide to how these various aspects of ourselves interact and/or how they should be viewed/nurtured.

But, then on another level entirely, I think by following the gods, honouring them in our day to day lives, we breathe a life/more life into them. To all intents and purposes they become independent beings. All we ever know of each-other (as humans) is what our eyes see, our ears hear and, essentially, what our brains process about that person. It is the same when we bring the gods and goddesses into our lives. We see them active in the world and they have an effect on and through us.

Whether what I have reasoned means they are or are not actual, real entities, I am not yet sure. I have only just come to heathenism, but I hope through studying diligently on the evidence of how our faith was practiced traditionally, by reasoning how that should be interpreted in a modern context, and maybe with the odd moment of spiritual enlightenment, I might find out one day.

Also, please note, my knowledge of the gods and goddesses is very primitive at the moment. Forgive me if I have made any inappropriate connections or somesuch 'newbie mistake' ;)

My views differed a little back then to what they have evolved into these days. Naturally, you might say. Opinions and beliefs should always be tested and subject to change and development.

Good to see how, even back then, I was still very accepting that my way (whatever that turned out to be) would not be the only way. If only others - especially new seekers - could accept that.

Inspiration and self improvement

I've been meditating on the gods (specifically Tyr and his rune) with the aim of helping me improve my discipline.  I have wanted to do this to help me stick to a training regime that will help my baguazhang classes and generally improve my health and fitness.  In turn, I hope, that will help me be a better father as I grow older and increase my ability to protect my family.  All good stuff, I'm sure whatever readers (if any) that this blog might enjoy would agree on that.

And, despite my lack of convicition regarding the existence of those same gods (or, at least, what form they take), I am finding that it works.  I can rationalise this by accepting what I am doing as a form of self hypnosis - but what does it matter if I involve gods (imaginary or otherwise) in improving myself?  Especially if the improvements themselves are considerable - as I hope to find they will be in this case.

Neopaganism has room for atheists, agnostics, animists and all kinds of others who differ from the traditional theist/polytheist demographic.  If I later find that gods do actually exist, then I am sure they will forgive me being a touch skeptical in the beginning.  If not, do I really want to associate with any being, no matter how powerful or influencial in my life, if all they want is for me to believe unquestioningly?