all 3 comments

[–]aleglad 2 points3 points ago


do you believe in the folk beliefs of the Edda and other source text as tangible or conceptual?

The stories that we have are the surviving myths of our peoples, and whether or not they can be demonstrated to be empirically factual they remain mythically true and spiritually true. They inform us about the nature of the gods, the cosmos, and the way in which the world works. For example, if we don't sit vigil at Yule to greet Sunna at dawn, the sun will cease to come up. What would happen instead is that a nearby star would crest the horizon. (Pratchett does a great job of explaining this in Hogfather. It's worth checking out if you don't get what I'm talking about here.)

Do you believe in a literal conference with the Aesir and Vanir through Blot?

If done right, absolutely. Also, with my ancestors and the local vaettir.

For North Americans, how do you see the larger Christian conception of influential in your own beliefs?

This is a question that should be broader than just North America but the answer would be different because of the ways in which the church is different in other places. That being said, it has had an influence that I believe is destructive. I don't just mean the history. I'm talking about the theological elements which have poisoned the minds of so many and created an environment where fundamentalism and other odd behaviors have entered into the system. On a personal level, having spent my early years in the Methodist church, I know that much of my approach is methodological rather than ecstatic. Certain parts of my own comfort zone are part of that early influence. Through understanding elements of Methodist theology in specific and Christian theology in general, I saw several areas where I needed to rewrite or abandon basic belief structures and assumptions. Some of these things you've identified and I'll address as I get to those questions.

I find that in conversation some Asatruar, though “polytheistic”, construct their truth as monotheistic...

You left out the all to common dualistic behaviors of good vs. evil. The gods are "always good" and the giants are "always evil." This is also the source of so much "Lokaphobia" that it makes me scratch my head and sad when I see such very Christian behavior. There are nuances and variations that are simply lost because of this. I'm not saying that we should be "worshipping" the giants. That's insanity for so many reasons but the dualistic perspective is also not part of a proper Germanic world view.

Do you believe in your worldview as absolute or relative?

This is the way of our folk. Others have their ways. Our ways aren't for them and their ways aren't for us. So long as they do not attempt to make us live by their ways, our customs are not in conflict. This is our way and that is enough for me.

Is truth relevant to faith?

For purpose of this question, you need to define both truth and faith. I know this seems like a pedantic thing but there are some vary widely differing meanings and what I would speak to might not even me related to your question.

I think that American Asatruar often approach the Edda as scripture...

You said a mouthful there.

[–]Tiurabo 0 points1 point ago


Speaking as an American (Texan!) Asatruar, though new to the faith, I'd have to say that I rejected the absolutism present in the large, monotheistic faiths present in the world today.

My faith is relative to the world, and my world relative to my faith. Truth, fact, honesty, whatever facet you choose, is a core tenet of how I practice my faith and live my daily life.

The Eddas are not scripture to me, in the sense that they record an absolute Right Way of Faith. I think of them as lessons, with as many interpretations as there are people to read them, and one can find a new lessons each time they read through, depending on their needs and frame of mind. This is similar to the Bible, of course, but the Eddas don't require you to bend your mind around the idea that everything in them is True, Right, and All.

A caveat, however. I find myself to be one of those most odd people, the sort who prefer to surround themselves with, and take comfort in, "Maybe?" Are the Eddas a tangible historical document? Maybe. Or are they simply folklore from which grew the greater community of Asatru? Maybe. Does it matter? It might, but what does matter, absolutely, is your self-reliance and self-knowledge. That is what I get from my faith.

Hope this inspires some new ideas, if it doesn't answer some old questions.

[–]PickleburpSparkle Pony 0 points1 point ago


For the record, I'm an American, but what does that really mean in a melting pot? I made a German chicken and beer stew on the 4th of July, and I was told by a family member that "that doesn't sound very American." What did they have for dinner? "Hot dogs." Oh! You mean meat shoved into a thin skin and cooked over a flame, like Bratwurst or sausages from Bavaria and other Germanic cultures? Okay, off the soap box...

I'll try to summarize as best as I can, but here goes:

A lot of my spirituality is based on experience and research on the topic. I've read a lot of information about Near Death Experiences, Past Life Regression, and mediumship. There are a lot of people out there, all with slightly different stories, but also most of them have some very common threads. If this is the case, then I have to believe that there is some truth there.

There came a point where I abandoned my beliefs (to an extent) and started over based on the things I had read. I wasn't Christian, I wasn't Asatru, I wasn't Pagan, I was just me. It was actually incredibly liberating. I believed in God, but I took a very agnostic stance of "I don't know who/what God is."

I very quickly began trying to figure out how I would define "God." If we don't really know what god is, then we need to find the mode that helps us best connect with our own spiritual self.

I've said it before, but it wasn't long after that, maybe two weeks, when I began researching German/Saxon history and found a picture of a statue of Odin on Sleipnirr, rearing, Odin with a spear in hand looking ready to battle. I thought - "that is awesome, if I can pick a version of how I want to picture god or the gods, this is pretty close."

Since then I've come to respect all of the Aesir, I put more focus on Thor, Freyr, and Baldur, than on Odin. At first I really struggled with the concept of taking the Eddas literally. We know the world isn't part of an actual giant tree, we know its made out of rock and we haven't found any "giant" DNA in it, etc. Science doesn't cooperate with a strict traditional view of most religious beliefs. When I began looking at things from a more symbolic aspect, I started to get much more out of it. I really enjoy Maria Kvilhaug's video series on YouTube and her approach to the Eddas and Aesir.

I still don't know if they're 100% real, 100% symbolic, or a mixture - varied concepts of the same god, sort of like how traditional Christianity believes that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are all the same god in different roles. I picture them as separate entities because that is completely within my realm of spiritual beliefs. The more I research Asatru and Heathenism, the more I find that my own beliefs are reflected in it. I came for cultural reasons, but I found that the spirituality fits me well. I think the Eddas are in large part allegorical and many of the stories are meant to be symbolic rather than literal. If we take them completely literally, we miss the spiritual in them.

((EDIT: I forgot to address a few things))