No tithe like the present - There's no subscription fee to be heathen

 Something that bothered me when I first began on my heathen path was the concept of "being heathen".  Once I'd proudly announced (online, naturally) that I was now a heathen there was a period afterward that asked a lot of questions.

"Now what?"

"What makes me heathen?"

"What is different about me now compared to before?"

So, I'd made the monumental decision to be heathen (rather than the nihilist I'd been in my twenties) and this was a big deal for me.  So why didn't I feel any different?  I knew I wanted to be heathen, so what could I do to make myself more heathen?

As we all have grown up in a capitalist. materialist society, the temptation is strong to ascribe heathen value to products and services.  If I buy this mjolnir pendant, that will make me more heathen.  If I buy this drinking horn, that will make me even more heathen.  Perhaps if I spend £100 on this, I'll be more heathen than if I only spend £10 on that.

Don't get me wrong, it is nice to see our heathen path reflected in what we wear and how we decorate our living spaces, but those things are just outward signs.  There's nothing inherently heathen in owning them.  If the Archbishop of Canterbury bought a mjolnir pendant, it wouldn't make him any more heathen - or any less christian.

With the advent of the information superhighway, we now have the opportunity to connect with other heathens across the globe.  Joining websites, facebook and chat groups allows us to identify with other heathens with a few clicks of a mouse.  But that can be a double edged sword, too.  Seeing other people post and chat about their heathen path can lead to feelings of inadequacy - as our heathen lives seem to pale in comparison.  This is a problem with the internet in general, not just for heathens.  Its important to bear in mind that the internet gives a very distorted view of reality. 

After a while, I began to realise, from under my mountain of viking paraphenalia, that what I knew and felt was far more important in defining what kind of heathen I am.  Furthermore, there was nothing to be gained from comparing my version of heathenry to anyone else's beliefs or deeds.

 

 

It is often said that heathenry is the religion with homework.  I can hear the groans now.  Who wants to spend hours poring over source texts by candlelight?  Noone has to spend years gaining a doctorate in early medieval history just to be a heathen. 

Gaining a cursory knowledge of the main stories and mythology can help to feel more secure in the state of "being heathen", though.  Many of the stories are very relatable and can give us the means whereby we can reflect on our own lives as heathens.  They also make for very interesting discussions when disparate heathens get together around the campfire.  Whether that fire is virtual or not.  A favourite icebreaker I have when meeting new heathens is "What's your favourite story from the eddas?"  It's a good way to get talking about how we each relate to the gods and other beings from the mythology.

Living Gods

I came across this post while reading back in my livejournal (http://5threplicant.livejournal.com) and thought it would be good to post here.


Here is something I posted to the Kith of Yggdrasil's member's forum about the nature of storytelling, mythology and the divine.

A theory I am developing to this day and which makes for great pub-pint conversation with anyone sharing a similar paganesque interest.



Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: Living gods

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I think one thing that is often a neglected part of our faith is one key difference between modern heathenry and its original form.

In times gone past, the stories of our faith were living things, evolving and growing with each progressive telling. Breeding, if you will, as new stories were created to join the old. Dying as less popular or lesser known stories were forgotten and blew away in the smoke of the campfire. When skalds told new tales of the gods and heroes, if those tales didn't sit right or were somehow wrong, then they simply would not be enjoyed and not remembered and retold. Good stories that added something to the fame of the god or hero or that simply entertained would be appreciated, remembered and retold.

These, however, were not the static, codified stories written in books like those we pore over today. They had no one true version so that each word of the story could be pored over, examined and argued over. They were tales told around the campfire. They'd be embellished and exaggerated with each telling. Altered at the whim of the storyteller or at the behest of his audience. Truly a living tale and, with the potential for other tales to be created in the future, they were tales that imbued the protagonist with life. What would Thor do upon the next telling? Or the next?

When I read the Eddas, they can feel like an obituary. A recounting of the deeds of someone from the past. Great and glorious deeds, for certain. Deeds providing us with something to aspire to and lessons to be learnt, but deeds which are a fait accompli. Over. Something that was done in a world of the past, involving the people and events of the past and something I need to reassess for application in my own, contemporary world.

This is why I am beginning to feel that we have lost something very important by relying on the same, almost canonical stories from our mythology. A great mythology it is with much to benefit those who study it. But it is not as vibrant as it was when it came in the form of an oral tradition.

However the stories came about, whether the work of one or more skalds with an incredible imagination, the codified knowledge of a venerable gothi, the chronicles of ancient kings, gods, or whatever - that all seems to be of secondary importance to me. I enjoy the great mysteries as much as anyone. Philosophy and theology provide manna for my intellect that I would hate to have to do without. But I feel the stories themselves are so much more to so many more people. Accessible and of value to all, they encapsulate all that is good about heathenry and tell a damn good tale to boot.

I feel the stories need to be told again. Need to breathe and evolve. To escape from their current bondage within the written word and roam free as evolving, breeding entities.

Now, one problem, I foresee is that any skald brave enough to create his own Lay would doubtless come under an immense amount of flak from those for whom his portrayal of the gods and heroes in question didn't ring true. That is the way of contemporary heathenry, it seems - 'what I don't like shouldn't be...'. I can't imagine this happened all those moons ago. As I stated earlier, I feel that those stories that were less popular would simply fade away through natural selection.

This would also help to reinterpret heathenry in a modern context by creating stories of the gods and heroes at large in the modern world. It also might help heathenry reach a wider audience, too.

Obviously, I am biased, fancying myself as something of a Skald, but what I'd like to know is what kinds of stories about the gods and heroes would people want to hear around the campfire?
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D.