Essential Asatru Walking The Path Of Norse Paganism

Book: Essential Asatru Walking The Path Of Norse Paganism by Diana Paxson

Firstly, I wish this book came out years ago when I was looking around on 'Bambi-legs' for accesible intro material. Essentail Asatru serves as a very thorough introductory text. What especially impresses me is the 'airtime' Ms. Paxson gives to the history of Heathenry; and the explanations of different traditions exsisting under the banner of 'Heathenry'.

In addition to explaining the basic facts about Asatru, Ms. Paxson also guides the reader through a 'sumble' (an important Heathen ritual), as if we were an invited guest at the homestead of 'Raven Banner Kindred'. She also takes the time to expain proper ritual etiquette; and includes a comprehensive list of public Heathen organisations one may contact.

The book is both friendly and informative. Even if one is practicing solo, one really feels the connection to the greather Heathen community after reading this book. If you are new to Heathenry: read this book! If you are an experienced member of the Heathen community -pass this book onto others! A great learning and teaching tool!

Essential Asatru is indeed a different way of looking at Asatru. It does it from a practical standpoint with examples presented as you would find it happening within a group. This gives life and clarity to the theoretical presentations. in most books there is a stace which appears to be "This is what you should do and how we justify it". Not a problem of itself but it lacks the clarity that an example or demonstration provide. Here the talents of Diana Paxson fantasy writer, connects with the experience of the long time leader of the Troth and produce a work which gives clarity to a lot of areas of confusion and shows what a functioning kindred would look like.

It becomes clear from this that this is not simply a religion for magic users (although thy will have a place here too), but a relgion of the whole community, with students, housewives and many others represented.

THis book does present just one face of Asatru (though it does point the way to other references and organizations), but it is my feeling that it is the most common and most accessable face. If you want a more expansive introduction it is out there, but this will give the most clearest description and the one that will most likely allow someone to start their own kindred.

There are a few problems, including the fact that some of her contacts are out of date. This is not the most rigorously historically accurate book out there, but if you want a book tht will explain what Asatru is all about it is HIGHLY reccommended.

Buy Diana Paxson's book: Essential Asatru Walking The Path Of Norse Paganism

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Tacitus Germania A Revolutionary Text

"Ideas Are Viruses"

How Tacitus' Germania became the bible of German nationalism.

by

Adam Kirsch

July 25th, 2011

Slate

Perhaps the most fateful decision in all of European history was made by Augustus Caesar, when he chose to fix the border of the Roman Empire at the Rhine. As a result, the region known to the Romans as Germania would go without the products of Roman civilization-good roads and big cities and the Latin language and Christianity. But it would also remain vigorous and untamed enough to threaten Roman power, and finally destroy it in the fifth century A.D. For the next 1,500 years, the line where Roman writ ended would remain visible on the political and cultural map of Europe. The border between Romance and Germanic languages, between Catholicism and Protestantism, even between the Entente and the Central Powers in the First World War, all shadowed the border between Germania and Rome.

It is no wonder, then, that the sense of being "not-Rome," for good and ill, did so much to shape modern German identity. But the great irony, as Christopher Krebs shows in A Most Dangerous Book: Tacitus's Germania From the Roman Empire to the Third Reich, is that it was a Roman who did most to define and crystallize that proud German otherness. Cornelius Tacitus, best known for his grimly disillusioned history of Rome's wicked emperors, was also the author of a short ethnographic treatise on the German tribes, known as the Germania. This book, written in 98 A.D., was almost lost during the Middle Ages. But when it was rediscovered and disseminated in the 15th century, just as the Renaissance and Reformation were gathering force, it became something like the bible of German nationalism.

Given where that nationalism led, Krebs is quite justified in the title of his clever, learned new study, which synthesizes a great deal of classical scholarship and intellectual history into a concise, accessible story. To drive the point home, the book opens with a vignette from 1943, when SS troops were dispatched by Heinrich Himmler to a villa in Italy, ordered to retrieve the oldest extant copy of the Germania before it fell into Allied hands. They failed, but the Raiders of the Lost Ark-style mission shows just how much numinous power the Nazis attributed to this ancient book.

And they were not alone. Krebs, a German-born classicist who teaches at Harvard, shows that just about every important German intellectual movement, starting with the Reformation, made a fetish out of the Germania. Based on a simple reading of the text-and Krebs' one failing is that, in concentrating on the Germania's afterlife, he does not say enough about what it actually contains-this might seem surprising. Tacitus is hardly flattering about either the land or its people. It is "a region hideous and rude, under a rigorous climate, dismal to behold or to cultivate." The men are undisciplined and lazy, leaving all manual labor to the women, and they drink so much that "if you will but humor their excess in drinking, and supply them with as much as they covet, it will be no less easy to vanquish them by vices than by arms."

Yet if these are the vices of primitives, the Germans are also credited with the primitive virtues. They are tall, handsome, and vigorous, excellent warriors, jealous of their liberty, and sexually chaste. In short, they are the diametric opposites of the luxurious aristocrats of Rome, who were Tacitus' original readers. The historian turned the Germans into noble savages, just as later European writers would do with the American Indians, in order to reproach the excesses of his own society. As Krebs summarizes, "Freedom, fortitude, morality, and simplicity... could still, it seemed, be found, if not in Rome, at least in Germanien."

Fifteen hundred years later, when the Germania resurfaced in the library of a German monastery, it was again Romans who were most eager to read it. With a scholar's sense of the drama of bibliophily, Krebs details the quest of the Italian humanists to recover lost and unknown works of antiquity. He thrills to the brief note in the diary of a papal secretary that announces, "Cornelius Tacitus' book on 'the origin and situation of Germany' is found; seen in Rome in 1455."

But while Italians rediscovered the Germania, Germans made it a Renaissance best-seller. In an intellectual judo-flip, this Roman treatise on German primitivism was taken over by Germans who wanted to assert their historical and moral superiority to Rome. Followers of Martin Luther "produced their own Latin editions, the first German translation, and an extensive commentary" on Tacitus' work. The leading Lutheran Philip Melanchthon hoped the work would help readers "contemplate... the strength and virtuousness of ancient Germany."

Over the centuries, Krebs shows, certain themes repeated themselves in the way German intellectuals used and misused the Germania. Tacitus speculates that the German tribes were autochthonous-that they sprung from the German soil, and never mixed with any other people. After all, he reasoned, who would voluntarily leave the Mediterranean lands to live in swamps and forests? But German writers chose to ignore the insult; they loved the idea of primeval Germanness, and built towers of fantastic speculation on Tacitus' flimsy foundation.

"Some proposed that German rather than Hebrew was the primary language and that 'Adam was a German man.' " Others, noting that the Jews had borrowed the name of one of Noah's great-grandsons, Ashkenaz, to refer to Germany, suggested that this Ashkenaz was the founder of the German tribes, and that his name was a corruption of Tuisco, the god worshipped by Tacitus' Germans. When Justus M"oser, the 18th-century writer-statesman, wanted to emphasize that the ancient German constitution was democratic, he turned to Tacitus' account of popular assemblies. Did Tacitus also say that the Germans were poor farmers? Never mind, Moser replied-here, the Roman was simply misreading the evidence.

In this way, Krebs shows, the Germania could be made to say just about anything an interpreter wanted. But the most fateful misreading of Tacitus emerged in the 19th century, with the rise of "scientific" racism. Now the proposition that the ancient Germans were an autochthonous people blended into the idea that they were an unmixed race, of pure Aryan stock, blessed with the long skulls that quack phrenology made the index of all virtue.

From there it was a short step to the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, by which the Nazis banned marriage between Germans and Jews. "Ideologically aligned readers of the Germania considered the laws... as the 'most recent effort' to restore the racial purity Tacitus mentioned," Krebs writes. The guidebook for the Hitler Youth carried an epigraph from the Germania: "It is the greatest honor, the greatest power to be at all times surrounded by a huge band of chosen young men." That Himmler himself-like Hitler, Goering, and Goebbels-presented a highly un-Aryan appearance didn't diminish his enthusiasm for turning the SS into a latter-day German aristocracy, as blond, tall, and warlike as Tacitus' chieftains.

Can all this be laid at Tacitus's doorstep? Was the book itself "dangerous," or were its readers simply using it to reinforce beliefs and prejudices that came from elsewhere? Krebs, writing with the full horror of recent German history in mind, delivers a harsh verdict. "Ideas are viruses. They depend on minds as their hosts, they replicate and mutate... and they gang up together to form ideologies," he writes in his introduction. And "the Germania virus... after 350 years of incubation... progressed to a systemic infection culminating in the major crisis of the twentieth century." Modern readers have often wished that more classical texts could have survived the Dark Ages, but the Germania may be the rare exception. If the last surviving manuscript had been eaten by rats in a monk's library a thousand years ago, the world might have been better off.

Germania

A Most Dangerous Book: Tacitus's Germania from the Roman Empire to the Third Reich

by

Christopher B. Krebs

ISBN-10: 0393062651

ISBN-13: 978-0393062656

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Warriorship

WARRIORSHIP by Swein Runestaff

There has been much written on warriorship in recent times and interest in the subject shows no sign of diminishing. As Pagans we must come to understand our warrior ancestry and, more importantly, adapt its principles to modern life. If we fail in this task, we face the prospect of becoming either meek and herded sheep, or branded outlaws, condemned as were our ancestors, for our heresy.

Although I have read widely on the historical evidence, my own understanding comes mainly from my training in a living Norwegian tradition and in the Rune- Gild. There are many academic theories and conjectures about the role of the warrior in Pagan society but very few academics who understand warriorship. We Pagans do not have the luxury of theorizing, no matter how clever those theories may seem. If they are not of practical benefit to us in daily life, they amount to nothing more than intellectual wankery.

Paganism is about freedom. Freedom from dogma, freedom from our negative conditioning, habits, and inhibitions, freedom from our self-limiting beliefs.
We must not think that we can improve our situation if we break the bonds of the Judeo-Christian chastity belt merely to adopt fetters forged from the twisted scrap of a bygone age. Christianity became fossilized before it reached the wisdom and tolerance of maturity, let us not make the same mistake.

Paganism has always had its strength in its diversity and fluidity, constantly adapting according to time and location. The form is always evolving but the essence remains. This fluidity is indeed part of the essence, and differentiates us from the anachronists who seek only relief from reality. To the Pagan, reality is not the tiresome mud of everyday, but colourful clay to be moulded lovingly in our hands.

Paganism is our way and warriorship is our vehicle. Without warriorship, Paganism becomes quaint anachronism. In my tradition warriorship is not about aggression, in fact a warrior has gone beyond the need for aggression.
Warriorship is actually magick, the art of manifesting the True Will. An aspect of this is illustrated in our understanding of the Berserk.

The word "berserk" comes from two words, "bare" and "sark" (a shirt). A berserk was originally one who fought without a shirt, bare from the waist up. Not only did they scorn body armour, they even went without the psychological advantage of a layer of clothing between their skin and the enemy's sword.

In our tradition, the symbolism of removing the armour is of great importance, but before it is safe to do so, one must be adept at doing battle with the armour on. Whether on the battlefield or in the marketplace we all wear some sort of armour against "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune", or more to the point, the barbs of our fellow humans. In order to operate efficiently we must know our strengths and weaknesses, and become aware of the style and construction of our armour.

As our movements become increasingly efficient, we find that we can afford to shed some of our armour. We then find that our movements become even more efficient with the resulting freedom. Eventually we find ourselves totally open to the world. No longer encumbered with layers of protection we are free to be our true selves. Every act becomes a spontaneous and joyous act of pure will. We become a vortex of pure will force.

Paradoxically, while a novice stripped of armour would be instantly slain, an adept becomes impervious to steel. The berserk ceases to be a target by becoming as if devoid of gross substance. The Ynglinga Saga describes the Berserks when inspired by Odin, "They cut down the enemy, while neither fire nor iron could make an impression on them." That which offers no resistance cannot be cut. That which is flexible cannot be broken.

Anyone who has been in combat situations will realize that uncontrolled anger is rarely a friend in battle. Such emotion may well stimulate enthusiasm and fearlessness, but at the cost of judgment and precision. There is a Samurai saying- "The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life." The true berserk rage is certainly not blind anger. An angry warrior may be frightening and deadly but is unlikely to come out of a battle alive, let alone unscathed.

The secret of the berserk's invulnerability is the ability to let the True Will flow unimpeded. This requires the warrior to be totally calm and centred while at the same time unleashing the destructive forces of the Will. This is a form of meditation infinitely more difficult than being calm and centred in a quiet room (something most people find almost impossible anyway). The slightest distracting thought can be fatal. By not letting thoughts interfere with the flow of Will, the berserk is always in the right place at the right time. Action flows, there is no rigidity or predictability, there is nowhere a blade can strike.

The berserk acts without hesitation and is always in harmony with any situation.
Harmony in this case means being true to the self and interacting with the situation in a way which is honest with the self. This can only be done when there is no barrier between the self and the situation. One becomes a fluid part of the situation without losing one's individuality, an indispensable and autonomous part of the whole, every movement being a vital adjustment of one's position in the universe.

It is only through warriorship that we will be able to practice our varied traditions without fear of persecution, for this fear betrays a lack of confidence in one's own magickal ability and in the power of one's tradition.
Like the berserk, those who truly practice warriorship or magick will find themselves beyond the reach of any attack, and extremely unlikely to be attacked in the first place.

Judeo-Christian culture has taught us that we are powerless as individuals, that we must follow the mob to be saved. Pagan culture has always taught that we should accept responsibility for ourselves. Our power or lack of it is our own choice. Freedom is ours, taking responsibility for ourselves is the price. Many are not ready to pay it, let them join the sheep of a herd religion until they are ready, they too have a valid place in the greater whole. This is why Paganism does not seek to make converts.

Ultimately warriorship is a path of compassion. When we no longer fear others, we are free to sense their real needs. This is not sympathy or just being nice, sometimes a harsh lesson will be far more beneficial in the long run. Only fearless openness allows one to see the best way to interact. Without fear we can be more tolerant and less defensive, less inclined to take things personally, or become offended when others do things a little differently, or moralize and interfere with others because we feel threatened by their strangeness. Only fear prevents us from achieving our potential. Only warriorship will defeat the fears which divide us.

(Swein Runestaff is Steward of the South Pacific Region of the Rune Guild)

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God Ullr

Ullr is God of the Winter. He is the son of Sif and the stepson of Thor. He is god of archery and snowshoeing and skiing. All those sports and arts of the wintertime are his. He is also god of single combat, and those who go into it should call upon him. He might also be viewed as god of those Things requiring precision. He is sometimes the consort of the Goddess Holle, or Huldra.

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Berkana Rune Of Fertility And A New Start

The Rune Berkana (also known as "Berkano") is the Rune of fertility, growth, rebirth, the birch tree and a new positive start.

BERKANA MEANING

To many Berkana is seen as the female Rune only as it is said to represent the internal goddess energy, female fertility, and the relationship between a mother and her child. By looking at the Occult symbol one can see that the female nature / symbolism of the symbol, maybe implying the breasts of a women on the side when in pregnancy or after birth. As it is said to represent a new start in fertility or new beginning it is probably more so after child birth.

As mentioned above within the Runes meaning is the meaning of nurturing when shown in a reading or rune cast. In other meanings to do with other aspects of life such as business it would represent the nurturing of the business and maybe a new start in the business as well. Like a new idea.

The rune is also said to symbolize the importance and power of the Birch Tree. The regrowing and fertility shown here could be its representation as well.

Other ways of looking at the rune Berkana is that it symbolizes growth and rebirth in all matters, a fresh start, a new journey and success. It is a very positive rune for many. It is also believed many feminine mysteries are within Berkana, however this does not totally mean that it is only solely for females only, rather that it can mean a nurturing aspect of a supportive protective male as well.

BERKANA REVERSED

The reversed meaning of Berkana in a casting or similar usually means not a good start, a bad beginning to a new task or maybe not a good idea venture into what you were thinking of doing. In relation to business it may refer to not making a business decision just yet and wait.

As a rune, I believe Berkana would of been used around child bearing times, planting time (harvest) and times where nurturing was needed. Also, it may of been used in the form of a wand or necklace.

The Sons Of Odin A Heroic Analysis Of The Volsunga Saga

Book: The Sons Of Odin A Heroic Analysis Of The Volsunga Saga by Devyn Christopher Gillette

Without the lasting power of the story, especially in the sharing of myths and legends, a society functions ethically or with much hope of retaining its individual culture. In addition to being a vehicle for spiritual and psychological illumination, myths are the means by which a culture identifies its relationship to the universe, how it defines its processes of ritual, and how significant events warrant rites of passage.

The Saga of the Volsungs, an oral account written during the latter period between 1200 and 1270 in the Codex Regius (Book of Kings) and discovered later in a burning barn, accounts for events that likely occurred during the transformative Indo-European migration era of the third through fifth centuries. Fortunately, unlike most other European examples of pre-Christian lore, its translation seems to be free of the "corrective" biases liberally administered by Benedictine pens. scholars have suggested that the myth specifically reflects the wars among the Burgundians, Huns, and Goths, and the saga treats many of the same legends as the Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied written circa 1200. The legends were later immortalized for contemporary audiences through Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen tetralogy composed between 1853 and 1874.

This presentation attempts to isolate and analyze elements within this saga that are common to most hero myths. These commonalities include unusual birth of the hero, the concept of the mother as symbolic of the Great Goddess, a search for the father, a threat to the young hero, quest, the notion of the dragon slayer, guides on the hero's path, and the final confrontation with death.

This analysis is mutually fashioned in the cultural anthropological character of Levi- Strauss and the interpretive manner of Jung and Campbell. It is important then for the reader to understand that references to the text need not occur in any particular order, at all, or to a particular personage for the analysis to convey its visceral points. This approach is in league with the idea that linear interpretation functions well in logical deduction, but plays little role in mythological thinking. This is not to suggest that I am attempting to reduce the myth into impotent component parts, but the analytic process itself has much to offer.

Download Devyn Christopher Gillette's eBook: The Sons Of Odin A Heroic Analysis Of The Volsunga Saga

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Devyn Christopher Gillette - The Sons Of Odin A Heroic Analysis Of The Volsunga Saga

Common Germanic Deities

One of the Wodin chorus chanting Spam in the caf'e

In the original 1887 poem, Wednesday's child is loving and giving.

Wednesday - the name comes from the Middle English Wednes dei, which is from Old English Wednes daeg, meaning the day of the Germanic god Woden (Wodan) who was a god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until about the 7th century.

Wednes daeg is like the Old Norse Odinsdagr ("Odin's day"), which is an early translation of the Latin dies Mercurii ("Mercury's day"). Though Mercury (the messenger of the gods) and Woden (the king of the Germanic gods) are not equivalent in most regards.

Russian does not use pagan names but instead uses sred'a, meaning "middle," similar to the German Mittwoch. Portuguese uses the word quarta-feira, meaning "fourth day."

Hope that clears that up. There's not much of the day left.

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