Three Approaches to Ancestor Worship in Modern Heathenry

I was writing back and forth with Kari Tauring today about ancestor worship and cultural identity, and this brought to mind three different approaches to honoring our ancestors that exist within modern Heathenry.  Most heathens actually use all three approaches, but most focus in on one (or perhaps two) of them as their primary approach to honoring their ancestors.  I think there is value to examing all three approaches and discussing the benefits of each one.  I'm going to progress in order from the least personal to the most personal in nature.

THE IDEALIZED ANCESTOR APPROACH

In modern Heathenry, some Heathens honor what amounts to an idealized image of the unknown ancestor or cultural hero.  This approach tends to be pan-Germanic, with modern Heathens taking an interest in a wide variety of Northern European heroes and idealistic imagery, without regard for whether the individual heathen has a personal connection to the nationality or culture where the ideal or hero orignated.  It can focus on very specific heroes that we know by name from stories and legends, or it can focus on more of a general ideal archetype character.  For instance, there is great respect and attention given to the brave Germanic warrior fighting against the Roman Empire.  The strong Indo-European woman overcoming all the hardships and strife of her times to raise a family in difficult weather and conditions.  The Norse tradesman or viking, exploring the world, having adventures, and fighting for new wealth and new lands.  The Icelandic settler, carving a life out of a raw and challenging land and inspiring written Sagas that have stood the test of time.

It is this approach, with its connection to cultural ideals and heroes, that leads many heathens to speak of "our ancestors" rather than "my ancestors" when talking about ancestor worship.  I myself have done this in the first paragraph of this essay.  I may not share any specific ancestors with the reader, but we have a general shared respect for "our ancestors."  This most often refers to all those that came before us, with a specific focus on all those who honored our Gods and were true to our Folkway before the Christian conversions across Northern Europe.

In many Heathen homes you will find books, statues, paintings, posters, swords, axes, and symbols from a wide selection of Northern European history and culture.  These objects show our appreciation and connection with this idealized ancestor approach.  We may read to our children about the Vikings and have an image of a viking ship hung on the wall.  We may enjoy a history channel show on Herman the German and ensure that the beer we buy for our next kindred celebration is all German beer.  We may have a replica of a Danish sword hung over our fireplace, a reproduction of the Nebra Sky Disk hung in our child's room, a Francisca axe in the hallway, and an Icelandic style hammer hung around our neck, all while serving traditional Swedish food at a family dinner.  While we may not have a direct bloodline connection back to all of these individual areas and cultures, we feel a strong connection back to the wider culture represented by all of pre-Christian Northern Europe.

Among the benefits to this approach, is the fact that most of us have ancestors from various areas of Northern Europe, with really no way of knowing the names, personalities, or stories of specific ancestors from a 1000 years ago.  For nearly all of us, the records just don't go back far enough or with enough information to allow us to identify specific ancestors or even all of the areas from which our ancestors originated or lived.  The interest we have in various Northern European cultures, heroes, and archetype characters gives us a connection with the past where no specifically known connection exists. Another benefit is an acknowledgement of the richness and triumph of our history as a wider culture and a People.  Of course, one of the shortcomings of this approach, is the absense of a personal connection, a blood connection, and a memory connection with the idealized heroes or archetypes we are honoring.

THE CULTURAL IDENTITY APPROACH

At first glance, this may seem similar to the Idealized Ancestor approach, but there is a very clear difference.  With this approach the focus is narrowed to the cultural traditions, foods, songs, dances, legends, and values of the specific Northern European culture of your actual ancestors.  With this approach, you are honoring the specific culture and traditions of your immigrant ancestors (for those of us in the Untied States).  For instance, the individual Heathen, knowing that he or she is descended mostly from Swedish ancestry, fully or partially immerses themselves in learning about Swedish history, Swedish traditions, crafts, foods, etc.  Another individual Heathen, descended mostly from German ancestors, focuses in on all the cultural aspects of traditional German culture and history.

Rather than the more pan-Germanic approach to the wider Northern European traditions, in this approach the modern Heathen individual is more focused on the culture of a majority of their own ancestors or bloodline.  Among the benefits of this approach, is the ability to delve much deeper into a specific culture.  Oftentimes, because it is the individual Heathens own cultural heritage, much of the cultural traditions, foods, etc. may have been passed down to him/her by parents or grandparents.  In some areas of the country, where large concentrations of a particular cultural background exist, there may also be communities or businesses that promote or instruct on various aspect of that specific cultural heritage.  In this sense, the modern Heathen using this approach in the United States is preserving this specific cultural heritage from the "old country" of his immigrant ancestors, and is then ready to pass that heritage on to his/her children or grandchildren.

This approach can have much deeper meaning for the Heathen pursuing it, because there is a more specific connection between his/her own cultural background and ancestral history.  But, this approach is still not a personal as our next approach.

THE PERSONAL ANCESTORS APPROACH

While the two approaches above involve a connection to either a wider pan-Germanic culture or a Heathens own specific ancestral culture, this approach focuses on specific personal ancestors.  These are ancestors we know by name and may have actually met.  We may know stories about them, and we may know something about their personality, their accomplishments in life, their personal values, quirks, beliefs, and other details that tell us a little or a lot about the kind of person they were.  Their existance among our ancestors or our personal contact with them may influence, inspire, or help shape who we are individually as a person.  

We are connected with these personal ancestors by family, by blood, by history, and by our Orlog, a part of our soul that is passed from parent to child down through one's line.  That connection or relationship with our personal ancestors can be strengthened and honored in a variety of ways.  One way is to get to know them as best you can, by collecting and seeking out stories and information about them from living relatives and other sources.  You can investigate your family tree from a geneological approach, or even DNA testing.  It has never been easier to bring all of that information together into one place, and self-publish it or archive it in some other way, so that the information can be passed down through you family to your descendents.  Preserving and honoring the memory of your personal ancestors is another method of building and strengthening that relationship.  Teach your children about their specific ancestors, create artwork or poetry that memorializes them, set aside an ancestors plate a family dinners and set aside time to welcome and share your appreciation with your personal ancestors. Speak of them in Symbel and create an ancestors' altar in your home.  You can then gift your ancestors at this altar, and show them through your memory of them that you truly value them.  Another way of honoring personal ancestors that is often over-looked, is living your life in a way that would make them proud.  

For me, there are several personal ancestors that I honor more often than others.  My relationship with them is stronger.  First, there is my father, Glen Stinson.  He was a WWII veteran, an amazing father, and a very strong and ambitious man who gained great wisdom over his lifetime.  There is my great-grandfather Ludwig Schweiger, a German by blood but Hungarian by nationality, who came to the United States in the early 1900's to make a better life for his future family.  There is also my grandmother, Elizabeth Shoop (Ludwig's daughter), who was a fun-loving, imaginative, and nurturing influence on me as a child.

With the Personal Ancestor approach, the individual heathen can focus on specific knowledge or activities that are directly tied to these personal ancestors.  You can learn crafts these personal ancestors excelled at or enjoyed.  Cook food following recipes passed down from these personal ancestors.  Sing songs to your children, that these personal ancestors sang to their children.  You can keep and cherish objects that belonged to them, and preserve family traditions that they started or passed down through the family.  You can even ask them for advice or a little nudge in the right direction when you need it, and then have the respect to listen and consider whatever guidance they give in whatever form it takes.  

The strong benefit of this approach to honoring one's ancestors is the close personal relationship you can establish with these personal ancestors.  Of all the forces in the world that might help you, none are closer to you or have more of a vested interest in assisting you, than those ancestors you have a personal relationship with...and honor regularly.  You carry their Orlog, their blood, and their memory with you always.

A HEALTHY COMBINATION OF THE THREE APPROACHES

As I said at the beginning of this essay, most Heathens actually participate to varying degrees in all three approaches.  Depending on an individual Heathen's personality and knowledge of family history, as well as his/her personal interests, circumstances, and experience in life, each Heathen will tend to focus more on one or two of these approaches more than the others.  It is such a personal matter, that it is impossible to identify one perfect ratio of these three approaches that would work best for everyone.   

An essay I wrote called "Honoring One's Ancestors" dovetails very well with this current essay, and it is available by clicking here.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Our Relationship With Our Gods and Goddesses

Do the Gods and Goddesses care about us?  Do they notice us?  What is the nature of our relationship with them?  For any religion or worldview that acknowledges the existence of Divinity, these are some fairly basic questions.  Like so many other topics within Asatru or Heathenry there are many different beliefs and opinions held on this topic, covering a wide spectrum, existing between two positions at the extreme. Just to be clear, in calling these two positions "extremes," I don't mean that in a negative way.  I just mean, these two positions are at the extreme ends of a wide and varied spectrum of belief.

THE "GODS DON'T EVEN NOTICE US" EXTREME

This extreme take many forms, and is expressed in a variety of ways by the Heathens that take this position.  There are Heathens that talk of how significant and powerful the Gods are, and how insignificant a human must seem to to the Gods.  There are heathens that say the Gods are "too busy" with important work and solving important problems, for them to actually notice or spend any time on the problems of a single man or woman.  There are Heathens that point out that in the Lore, the Gods focus their time on great heroes and kings, and like to point out that the Gods have no need or motivation to interact with the common man.  Heathens at this end of the spectrum believe the Gods and Goddesses are too important, too busy, or too distant to have contact with them, give them advice, or any sort of direction.

THE "GODS ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN OUR LIVES"  EXTREME

This extreme takes many forms and is expressed in a variety of ways by the Heathens that take this position.  There are Heathens that refer to themselves as "Brides of Odin," and mean that quite literally.  There are Heathens that believe that Odin or one of the other Gods is their personal mentor, and speaks to them on a daily basis, giving them frequent advice on even the most mundane matters.  Many of these Heathens believe they receive frequent signs from our Gods, directing nearly every aspect of their lives.  Heathens at this end of the belief spectrum believe the Gods and Goddesses are in direct contact with them, mentoring them, guiding them, and giving them advice and direction on a frequent basis.

THE VAST MAJORITY ARE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE SPECTRUM

As with almost every topic, it is complete inaccurate to think that all heathens fall into one of these two extreme positions.  The vast majority of heathens fall somewhere along the spectrum. The nature of our relationship with Divinity is a complex issue, and the Truth of the matter, is unknowable...or at least unprovable in any acceptable way acknowledged by all.  So, each Heathen will have his/her own views of the matter.  Within a kindred over time, common beliefs or at least similarities in belief on the issue will develop.  But, an expectation that everyone should or will agree with anyone else's point of view on this subject is unrealistic.

Among our ancestors the beliefs regarding this topic varied.  And so it is with modern Heathens.  

MORE OF A PERSONAL MATTER

From my point of view, one's relationship with the Gods and Goddesses, is a personal issue.  I'm always a little amazed when I see people posting on a public message board or social networking site about their relationship with the Gods.  Why on earth would I care what Frejya supposedly told some Heathen that lives 500 miles from me?  What is my interest in what Odin reportedly communicated in a dream to a Heathen that lives six states away from me?  What business is it of mine what "sign" was interpretted by a Heathen I've never met, and will likely never meet?  I'm always a bit suspicious of the background motivations of those that publicly boast to strangers on-line about a communication or message they believe they've received from the Gods and Goddesses.  

What I've written above does not even consider the wide spectrum of belief regarding the Nature of our Gods and Goddesses.  The subject of whether our Gods are literal beings, archetypes, personified forces of nature, or some else altogether is the subject for some other essay.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com 

The Voluspa in Very Plain English...1-8, 17-18

Sometimes the poetic language and archaic words used in translation of the Voluspa can be a barrier preventing young children (and many adults as well) from truly enjoying and understanding the beautiful imagery and meaning of the poem.  What I've done below is provide very plain English "tellings" of each stanza.  You can copy and paste this and print it out to share with your children (or an adult friend who could benefit from it).  It is best to read the actual stanza first, then read the plain English version, and then go back and read the actual stanza again.  It can be helpful to then discuss the stanza with your child, and have them put into their own words what it means.

I've used Hollander's translation below.  Stanzas 9-16 are about the Dwarves, and Hollander puts these stanzas into an Appendix at the back of his book, because he feels they were a later addition and not an original part of the poem.  I've followed his lead, and left stanzas 9-16 out as well.

I do not translate Old Norse myself, and I will fully admit that 10 different people could come up with 10 different plain English versions of each of these stanzas.  I tried to keep this very basic, and had my 9-year-old in mind when I wrote my plain English versions.  So, with that disclaimer you will have to excuse anything you disagree with here.  If someone else wants to give this a try, and they do it better, I won't be upset at all.  Please feel free to give suggestions regarding the wording of the very plain English version and the notes sections.  I will actually be incorporating good suggestions.

VOLUSPÁ - The Prophecy of the Seeress

Before the poem begins, Odin has travelled to Hel (where the dead go), and he has used magic to bring a dead giant-woman up out of her grave.  This dead giant-woman is a Seeress or Volva, which is someone who can use magic to see the future.  The dead giant woman is very old, and Odin wants her to use her magic to tell him what will happen in the future.  But, to prove she is indeed magical and knows a lot of stuff, she first tells Odin about the beginning of the world.   A lot of this poem is the dead giant woman speaking, and telling Odin things.  So, it is the Volva speaking beginning with this first stanza.

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Stanza 1

Hear me, all ye hallowed beings,

Both high and low of Heimdall's children:

Thou wilt, Valfather, that I well set forth

The fates of the world which as first I recall.

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Plain English 1

Everybody listen to what I have to say,

whether you are rich and powerful, or poor and weak.

Odin, you have asked me to tell you about the world.

I'm very old, so I remember and know many things.

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NOTE 1:  The dead giant-woman is a Volva, and she is very very old.  Odin has asked her to tell him things, and so this poem represents the Volva telling Odin about the beginning of the world, things the Gods have done, and she finishes out her story to Odin by telling him how the world will end...and then be reborn.  Odin, with his magic, is making her tell him these things.

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Stanza 2

I call to mind the kin of etins

Which long ago did give me life.

Nine worlds I know, the nine abodes

Of the glorious world-tree the ground beneath.

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Plain English 2

First, I remember the giants..all the giants.

I am very old, and was born a giant myself.

I know all about the nine worlds,

Which are in the branches of Yggdrasil, the world-tree

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NOTE 2:  The Volva tells Odin very clearly here that she is a giant.  Our ancestors called giants "Jotuns" or "Etins," among other names for them.  In this stanza the Volva is bragging about all the things that she knows, and mentions the nine worlds and the world-tree Yggdrasil.  Our ancestors envisioned that there were nine worlds, and that these nine worlds were in the branches of a huge tree...called Yggdrasil.  "Yggdrasil" means, "Odin's Horse."  It was called "Odin's Horse," because Odin once hung himself on Yggdrasil for nine days...and in the process was able to learn about the runes.  It is just one example of Odin doing amazing and very brave things so that he could grow in wisdom in knowledge.

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CLICK HERE to continue to the rest of the Stanzas...

Business Cards for Your Kindred can be Helpful

Now and again we run into people wearing Thor's Hammer around their neck.  Some of them are Heathens here in Kansas City that we're meeting for the first time.  Some are interested in the culture of our Ancestors, and see Mjolnir as a "cool thing to wear."  Some are into fans of Viking Metal, a very loud growl-heavy music. Regardless, we'll often introduce ourselves and tell them about the Temple of Our Heathen Gods website at http://www.heathengods.com.  We'll tell them about Jotun's Bane Kindred, and an upcoming Open Event that we are hosting.  But, that's a lot of information to express in an introductory conversation.

In the past we had some very simple business cards, but recently Johnny Whitebread came up with some very nice looking business cards that he had designed.  They were very eye-catching and professional, and packed with information.  This prompted me to come up with a business card design for myself, and here is the front and back of it:

This card was inexpensive enough to produce that I'm now working on making cards for every member of our kindred, with their information on them...rather than mine.  That way, whenever any of our kindred members has that chance run-in with a new Heathen or potential Heathen, we can keep the conversation less overwhelming but still give them the information they need to get in touch with us if they want, ask questions, and learn more about who we are and what we believe.

You can have fairly inexpensive business cards made at a FedEx/Kinko's store, Office Depot, Office Max, or any print shop.  You can buy pre-cut cards you can print on your own printer at home.  Or you can really save some money by buying 500 sheets of cardstock, printing your own cards, and then cutting them yourself with a paper-cutter.  It really depends on how much time you want to spend on them.  Make sure that your business card design is clear, easy to read, and that it communicates exactly what you want to communicate to whomever it is you will be giving them.  Once you have the printed up, you can buy a small business card case to carry them in for anywhere from $2 to $5 at nearly any office supply store.  That way they are always with you.

If you are working on starting, maintaining, or growing a kindred in your area...having some nice business cards printed up and keeping them with you, is a good way to make the best of those random encounters with individuals and families that may be interested in being a part of your efforts.  They are also enormously useful when new Heathens show up at your open events.  You can introduce yourself, talk with them a bit, answer any questions they have, and give them a business card to take home with them so that they can more easily get in touch with you in the future.  Giving these to Heathens you meet at Heathen gatherings is an excellent way to make and keep connections with other Heathens.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

What it Takes to Maintain a Good Kindred

I think a kindred is like any meaningful friendship or even like a marriage.  It takes good judgement, commitment, hard-work, and generosity to make it work.

You have to have the good judgement to choose people who are capable of working hard on building and maintaining the kindred with you.  They have to be stable enough, hard-working enough, and generous enough to make it work, despite glitches and growing pains that are naturally going to develop.  The people and families involved in the kindred need to be compatible.  "Compatible" can mean a lot of different things, but it does not mean being exactly alike.  Like any friendship or marriage, if you choose the wrong people to partner with...they will fail you, and thus destroy or greatly harm the mutual effort.

You have to be committed to making it work, and stable enough to not just wander off whenever the going gets a little rough.  You have to really believe in what you are doing, and willing to do what it takes to make it happen...and maintain it over time.

You have to be willing to work-hard at it.  You can't procrastinate fixing problems or doing necessary work.  You have to put in the time and effort to maintain the necessary connections and frith that holds the kindred together.

There is a level of generosity that is necessary to make a friendship, marriage or kindred work.  There is a give and take.  You have to offer trust, and also be trustworthy.  You have to believe in people, and also maintain your own credibility.  You have to be willing to listen to other people, and also share your own ideas.  You have to be willing to compromise at times, or better yet, work towards a group consensus that makes everyone satisfied with the direction your group is going.  Selfishness does not fit well into this equation.

All of this good judgement, commitment, hard-work, and generosity can come together, in the right time, the right place, and the right people into a frithful, lucky group...that is able to accomplish much more than the sum of its individual members.  Like a good marriage, in a good kindred relationship all the hard work and effort is well worth it.  It pays out to everyone involved, at least as much as they put in...if not more.

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Books by Mark Ludwig Stinson

I've updated my book page in our Temple Library to include Heathen Families and Heathen Tribes, along with Heathen Gods.

All three books are available as a paperback, a hardcover, or a free PDF download. Click here to check it out...

http://www.heathengods.com/library/book/

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Give a Priceless Yule Gift This Year Even if You Are Broke

A little while ago, I was reading a status update on Facebook written by someone that is broke this year.  She doesn't have the money to buy gifts for her family and friends, and you could read the sadness in what she wrote.  I've been in that position before, and I've had past Yules that were really financially difficult.  Yule (or whatever Holiday you observe this time of year) can be an expensive proposition.  And these past couple years have been some difficult years for many people.

I sent the author of that status update a suggestion, and I thought I would share that suggestion with some additional information in an essay here on Facebook for others that may be struggling this year. 

A gift can be many things.  It does not have to be a somewhat impersonal commercial product that you have spent money on.  The old cliche of "it is the thought that counts," is one of those cliches that are absolutely true.  Showing your friendship or love for another person is a gift.  Doing a favor for someone without them having to ask can be a gift.  Something handmade can be a gift.  And expressing how important someone is to you can be a gift.

GIVING SOMETHING YOU ALREADY OWN

I'm not talking about "regifting" here.  I'm also not talking about taking some random item off a shelf and giving it to someone.  And I am definitely not talking about gving away something you don't like, and never wanted.

It is important when you give someone something you already own, that it is something they will truly enjoy.  Sometimes you own something that one of your family members or friends seems to like even more than you do.  Perhaps you noticed their excitement when they saw you owned this item.  Perhaps they even expressed some envy regarding the item.  That is the perfect sort of thing to give to them from among your possessions.

Perhaps it is an old rare book you own.  Or a specific Thor's hammer necklace.  Maybe its is an axe, a knife, a statue of one of our Gods, a tool, a banner, a framed picture...whatever the item is, you are giving it because you know they will appreciate the item more than you do.  You may like the item quite a bit, but you know that they will cherish it more than you, and so you give it freely.

This sort of gift takes some thought, but the right gift from among your possessions will express your generosity and love toward your friend or loved one.

AN UNEXPECTED FAVOR

Giving of your time and effort to perform a favor for a friend shows them how you feel about them.  When this favor is unexpected the gift is even more meaningful.  Everyone you know could use some help now and again.

Perhaps they have a room that needs painting, but they've been procratinating it.  Or their backyard or garage is an absolute mess, and they haven't had time to tackle the clean-up effort.  Maybe they have a number of children, but can never find babysitters so they can have some time alone with their spouse.  The possibilities are endless, but it takes some insight and thought to choose the correct favor to do for a friend or loved one.

When you've decided on a favor, you can offer it verbally or with some sort of home-made certificate.  People are not used to receiving favors in this way, so be ready for the receiver of the gift to say, "Oh, you don't need to do that...that's too much."  If they say this, insist that not only are you willing to do the favor, but you want to do the favor for them and it is important to you.

Some favors you can just do...as a surprise. There is nothing like having something completely done for you and it only being revealed to you after the fact.  Of course, you need to be sure that whatever you do for the person is something they actually want done!  

CREATE SOMETHING WITH YOUR OWN HANDS

Handmade gifts are filled with your time, your effort, and your skill.  You can put more meaning into a handmade gift by making it something specifically aimed at the interests or needs of the person to whom you are giving the handmade gift.

A drawing, a poem, a painting, something knitted, beaded jewelry, a carving, wood-burning, and leather-working are all wonderful gifts when made with your own hands.  But, you can also give cookies, candy, special breads, or other foods made in your own kitchen.  Some of the best gifts I've been given have been simple handmade gifts. 

EXPRESSING HOW YOU FEEL

A true exression of how you feel can be an enormously meaningful gift.  Basically, sit down and take the time to write individual letters to each of your family, your friends, and your loved-ones. Tell them exactly how you feel about them. Tell them what you love about them. Tell them their strengths. Tell them moments you always think about from your past with them. 

Don't blow smoke. Write TRUE words, and heartfelt words, and give that as your gift to each of them. You can write this on a piece of notebook paper, stationary, or even handmade paper.  Once it is written you can do something as simple as folding it up to give it to them, or you can package it up in a hand-decorated envelope.

This is a gift that will floor each and every one of them, and if you pour your heart and soul into those letters, you won't feel any shame or guilt for not having the money to buy them something.

IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY

Money's been tight the past couple years, but the giving of gifts during Yule is not about Money.  It is about puting into action the fondness and frith we share with our friends and loved ones.  It is about expressing their importance to us, by giving them a heartfelt and thoughtful gift.  So, if you are short of money this year...don't get down about not being able to buy a commercial gift.  Just get to work, and give something even better than a commercial gift.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temole of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com