Hiatus

[lokavinr-blog]

What the Heathen Community Needs to Know

Hello. Yes, it’s me again. You might have noticed I’ve been gone a while, and there’s a reason for that. I held on when it seemed like there were just a few bad eggs, a few racists poisoning Heathenry for everyone else. But now, after watching our country elect a Nazi sympathizer and waking up to the deep-seated white nationalism underpinning most heathen discourse online, I gave up wanting anything to do with it. I still believe in the Norse gods, but I cannot, will not, align myself with racists and racist sympathizers. The heathen community is fundamentally broken, and before everyone comes to terms with these key issues it will not get better:

 The broader heathen community is racist– it isn’t just a few rotten apples. Nothing makes me more suspicious than when I see high-profile heathens losing their mind about a news story or organization calling out racism in the community. Those who are quick to cry “Those are fake heathens! Real heathens wouldn’t do that!” are missing the point. There are a lot of far-right Neo Nazis and other white nationalists who practice Heathenry, in real organizations and following widespread rituals and beliefs. There were AFA members and affiliates at Charlottesville. Troth leadership interacts with Nazi-loving extremists on social media. Two of the three biggest heathen orgs in the US- the Odinic Rite and the AFA- have been flagged and investigated by the SPLC. And even for those who are quick to say “I’m a universalist heathen, I don’t interact with people like that!” it’s rare to find a single kindred in this country that doesn’t have someone crying about the “loss of our ancestral traditions” or the “need to go back to our roots!” And you know, that isn’t an inherently evil sentiment, but it easily, so easily, treads a line, which brings me to my next point–

When you say you are ridding our culture of “Judeo-Christian influence,” you sound a lot like anti-Semites. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be a Christian, and no one should have to be a Christian just because it's dominant in their society. But I feel like a lot of heathens need to take a step back and really listen to what they're saying sometimes. Christianity isn’t inherently incompatible with European culture because it comes from the Middle East. There isn’t some Abrahamic conspiracy to steal pagan holidays or keep those of Northern European descent from their culture. Our gods are not an endangered species, and we are not living in a post-colonial society. The Catholic church didn’t like people being pagans a thousand years ago for political reasons and that is it. No “woe how hard it is to be Northern European displaced from our native traditions.” No “everything is a Christian conspiracy to keep us from the truth.” When you say things like that, you sound like white nationalists. You okay the racist, anti-Semitic notion that Europeans and Middle Easterners are inherently different and parrot centuries-old anti-Jewish propaganda that claims widespread conspiracies exist to control the white population. Yet these ideas are so common in heathen circles that I shrugged them off for years, and I've seen them repeated on almost every heathen page and social media group I’ve ever encountered. Claiming “Ostara was stolen from us” or Europeans are just “better suited” for the old pagan beliefs isn’t just bad scholarship– it’s racist. Pure and simple. Which leads me to, finally–

A lot of heathens okay “racism lite” without a second thought, but it was low-key racism that got us into this disaster in the first place.  The same people who cry “those aren’t real heathens” every time a heathen commits an act of terrorism often okay a kind of “racism lite” that  makes this religion a gateway to more extreme groups and mindsets. Most people aren’t going to go from upstanding citizens to swastika-waving neo nazis overnight, but heathen discourse– a discourse that triumphs “honoring the folk,” “protecting our people,” being a real heathen man or woman, claiming “heritage not hate” about symbols and runes used by extremist groups– paves the road from normal to nazi, and it’s something we all need to face. You don’t need to be “trying to reclaim” swastikas, for example; you need to be focusing on the kind of damage swastika-wearers have done and still do and try to fix the problem. You shouldn’t be yelling on the sidelines and insisting that you have a right to your culture, too, while native people and other PoC are trying to talk about how their cultures were actively erased and appropriated. You shouldn’t use totally justified news articles about extremism in the heathen community to call your religion oppressed while most of you just shrug at the idea of a Muslim ban.

 If you think not being able to wear a swastika or othala rune even though ~it’s our heritage~ is on par with the actual discrimination PoC face, you are part of the problem. “Taking back the swastika” hasn’t reclaimed the symbol; it has normalized it. Narratives of European nativism and cries to protect European heritage in the heathen community might not always be at the level of Stormfront material, but they sure look like stepping stone in that direction. And you know, the shit that has gone down these past few years– the rise of the alt-right, the election of Donald Trump and other far-right leaders worldwide– it hasn’t all been “Heil Hitler!” types causing these issues. For every one extremist there’s hundreds who are kind of in the “I just want to protect white people” boat, or even the “I will look the other way when I see racism because I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker” boat. And you know what? Those people are just as much to blame for what’s happened as the ones out there waving Nazi flags.  

In short, the bottom line is “keeping frith” with racists or supporting the idea that white culture and gods are somehow in danger is just as bad as being a Neo Nazi. And there’s a lot of it, a disgusting amount of it, in the heathen community.

So you want to worship the heathen gods and not be a racist? Don’t spread the idea that white culture is endangered. Don’t act like heritage should be instantly divorced from the hate it fed for centuries. Don’t put frith over calling out goddamn Nazis. And think real hard about the groups, people, and beliefs you are standing beside. Because even if you aren’t out there driving your car into protesters or using a religion to actively recruit people to the racist far-right,  if you look the other way, if you care more about the heathen community’s reputation or your right to wear a symbol without “being mistaken as a Nazi” than the real, tangible oppression PoC, Jewish people, Muslims, and the LGBT community face in this country, then there’s blood on your hands, too. 

[lokavinr-blog]

Oops

[lokavinr-blog]

Walpurgisnacht isn’t a heathen holiday

PASS IT ON

[wrathfulclam]

Just a reminder that Ostara was about two weeks ago. The upcoming holiday is Easter which is the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ and marks the end of Lent. Easter’s date is based around the Jewish Passover and Christ is often referred to as the Passover Lamb. The word for Easter in most other languages is based off the Hebrew word for Passover. Religions incorporate local traditions through the conversion process, and in America a lot of holidays have had their traditions enhanced and secularized, as well as commercialized.

[lokavinr-blog]

All of this. And also a bonus reminder that Ostara itself is a fake “old Saxon” word Jakob Grimm created based on a singular reference to a local goddess (Eostre) made by the Anglo-Saxon historiographer and Doctor of the Church, St. Bede.

The holiday named Ostara is unattested prior to new pagan movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[micdotcom]

Why blanket boycotting Indiana isn’t the solution 

Joseph Fink, a writer for the popular LGBT-friendly podcast Welcome to Night Vale, tweeted Tuesday that, despite the actions of Indiana’s government, a scheduled live recording would go on. Fink said that doing otherwise would hurt the people being targeted by the unfair legislation. Many would agree with him. There are other ways to fight back.

[gaynerdcomic]

THANK YOU

[lokavinr-blog]

As an Indiana resident and an LGBT person, I have to agree.

As much as I am happy how many groups around the country are trying to fight for our rights, sometimes a simple boycott isn’t the correct solution. When it comes to boycotts that directly affect the state’s economy, I think they can be useful and put pressure on the government. Likewise, for conventions like Gencon that are encouraging out-of-state visitors, many of whom are LGBT, it is important to boycott so as to protect the safety of those visitors.

But entertainers who are boycotting simply to punish people in Indiana…I really don’t see the sense in this. I think Nic Offerman made a good choice last night by deciding to keep his performance in Bloomington, where I live (a college town known for its LGBT tolerance and liberal community) and donate the funds to an LGBT charity. I think it’s sad, however, that he decided to cancel his other performance because, given the content of his routine, I highly doubt anyone who supports the law would go to see it.

I think, as much as people are feeling outraged at the state of Indiana for discriminating against LGBT people right now, they are actually forgetting about the ACTUAL LGBT PEOPLE who are residents of Indiana having to deal with this shit. It’s fine to rip on Pence and our government, and do everything you can to put pressure on them. But I think Joseph Fink made the right decision, especially because Night Vale is a show that appeals to young, often LGBT, people who I seriously doubt supported the law and are probably having to suffer the consequences of it.

All I can say is that, even living in Bloomington, the most liberal town in the state, I am still a little bit terrified. I am a barely-passing trans person, so I kind of wear the evidence of my queerness on my sleeve, as it were. And my anxiety about interacting with strangers and going to the bathroom in public were already so high even before this bill passed; if I get turned away from a business or confronted by a store owner, I literally don’t know how I will handle it. It’s already terrifying, and being doubly punished by being snubbed by celebrities for being in Indiana isn’t super helpful, either.

All of this is to say, please, target your protests against the government and participating shop owners. Only support boycotts that will put direct pressure onto the state economy or are orchestrated to protect convention goers or other visitors. Don’t treat all Indiana residents, most of whom do not agree with the law, like a pariah, or do anything to further hinder or punish Indiana’s LGBT citizens in an already trying time.

I don’t even listen to Welcome to Night Vale, but I commend Joseph Fink on this decision.

[fuckyeahnorsemythology]

Your response to the Norse gods being white is rather uneducated historically. During the time when they were "created" so to speak, the people of Scandinavia had no reason to believe that any other color of skin existed.

I think you may need to check your facts and sources.

Firstly, the “Scandinavians” (they weren’t actually Scandinavians then) at the time the gods were “created” (although they are worshipped as gods, said to predate human life and suggesting they are creations of humankind is disrespectful to the religion of those people at the time) had encountered, traded and integrated with many other races. The Viking Age people are renowned for visiting places as far afield as North Africa, for example, where they certainly would have met other ethnicities. And the famous historical writings of the Persian (non-“White”) Ibn Rustah from 10th century would also contradict your statement. And that is without going into the historical source of Proto-Indo-Europeans (hint: it’s the western end of the Pontic-Caspian steppe).

Looking at Norse gods as deities and representing aspects of existence further removed them from your assertion. What colour, for example, is rain? Or thunder? Or the ocean? Or war? Or death? The gods at the time were seen as expressions of aspects of life that aren’t possible to express as a colour.Was Ægir seen as green? Blue? I would suggest he appeared to different people as different things. Do not allow your modern frame of reference to cloud your understanding simply because you have an agenda.

- hedendom

[bookofwisdom]

Reblog if you are a Norse pagan who is not cool with Nazis and/or weird racial exclusionary things

I’m digging out names for someone, at the moment, but I follow a 1312 blogs (I shit you not) and I KNOW I will miss people.

[ladyren]

Freyr and Freyja, by Richard Pace

[popculturepagan]

i just started playing world of warcraft a few days ago and brought the game to play past level 20 and good Lord there has to be something we can do with that rich world

I’ve seen people talking about with the WoW world before in the tags! I can’t seem to find it now, though.

I don’t (and have  never) played WoW so I couldn’t help you there. Any followers got suggestions or blogs to check out?

[lokavinr-blog]

This is a really old ask, but, while I don't have anything in the way of useful information, I am interested in having this discussion! Feel free to send me a message. :)

[glegrumbles]

Why do you make false statements about Odroerir? The first volume contained a joke about Loki and Svaðilfari. Not a 'rape joke'. That´s the first point. The second point is that Odroerir is not run by Asatrulore people. It's run by Josh Rood, Mathias Nordvig, and Arngrímur Vídalín. Two of the three (Josh and Mathias) are banned on Asatrulore for arguing with the regulars. The other is an academic who isn't even involved in Asatru aside from studying it historically. Get your facts straight.

If it’s not there anymore, they’ve pulled it. I looked through the first issue at release. There was an interlude between articles featuring a four panel square comic that was rather sketchily drawn and featured two characters watching Loki get raped by Svadilfari. The reception on the AL board to the comic panel was with approval.Them getting banned is new. I know it was originally run by and linked in with AL because I log until AL under a different username and kept track of things a lot more regularly a few years ago. I even had some direct interactions with Rood on the board, who was well accepted among the regulars at the time.…which is kinda interesting that that sort of thing is happening more recently, really. AL really liked Dr. Double-Bass and argued with me about his levels of expertise and his comment censoring and his misleading statements about his educational background, because he agreed with the viewpoints of the clique that ran the place. Then when I wasn’t paying attention, he apparently bit at least one of them, and all the points I have previously brought up were suddenly valid and reiterated by the group.

[lokavinr-blog]

The thing I don't think people understand about the AsatruLore crowd is that their dynamic is essentially the same as New Atheists, many groups of redditors, and a lot of the white cis male gamers I have observed through my time on the internet:

Basically every statement they make on their forum hinges on making fun of someone else.

We don't bow before the gods like those stupid Christians

We don't believe in patrons or personal interaction with gods like those stupid neopagans

We do our research so much better than this person in the community

Look at what X big name heathen/group of heathens are doing lololol. What a bunch of idiots!

Aside from being ableist, it has a number of effects: it doesn't make for very constructive discussions, it forces anyone who wants to find useful information to wade through a lot of name-calling and bad jokes, and it means that the tables can quickly turn on a person because they always need someone to make fun of.

Sure, GLE and I and some of the others around here will point out the problems with people like AL, the editors of Óðrœrir, etc, but it's usually explanation with a point, not the kind of "lol what a bunch of ___! I'm so much smarter than them!" sludge I have seen on AL. AL doesn't seem to have much of a fixed positive stance on anyone except themselves because they need to use others to make themselves look better.

[glegrumbles]

Isn't this Óðroerir thing blown out of proportion ? I mean, the comic you mentioned isn't funny that's true and it has been removed from the newer version. In addition Óðroerir doesn't do comics anymore. Isn't it clear then that they thought this Svaðilfari/Loki comic wasn't appropriate and took it down? Isn't that a good thing ? Also, you may not like the journal's but they do actually have solid academic credentials and produce serious research and better than most Heathen wannabe ´scholars´

I don’t even know where to start on this.

The comic isn’t the end-all of the issue with the journal and people associated with it. It was pointed out as a singular data point that is an example of consistent problematic attitudes associated with the group. I don’t have any confidence that they took it out because they realized it was wrong and inappropriate, and they had no issued statement that I could find apologizing or stating this. It’s far more likely that they took it out when redoing the formatting because they wanted to present a more professional look and having comics, art, etc gave the journal more of a fanzine feel than they wanted. I can’t imagine that the journal had the same level of multi-round proofing and approvals that professional marketing or publishing does, but the comic wasn’t published in the first edition without being routed past a number of people listed on the journal staff who thought it was funny or good to include. Enough that they decided to include it and place it before any of the informational articles, setting the tone with the readers.Their research quality is certainly better than what can be found elsewhere, but it’s not “academic peer-reviewed” level despite claims, and people associated with the journal became very hostile and defensive when this was pointed out. I’ve talked to other people involved in academia who aren’t exactly thrilled with the quality of their work, either. It’s better than a lot of stuff out there, but to be perfectly frank, that’s because the Neo-Pagan community (the Heathen community included) is full of bullshit, ignorant people, fraudsters and would-be-cult-leaders, plagiarists, and other nonsense. It’s not terribly difficult to be better than a lot of people who make a pretense at being authorities and well-informed. The community quality levels aren’t high to begin with.

[archaeologicalnews]

SAKURAI, Nara Prefecture—An animal bone unearthed from ancient ruins here indicates that a fortune telling method imported from China was adopted by shaman queen Himiko and leaders of the Yamato State.

Sakurai city’s education board on Jan. 29 said the bone was discovered at the Makimuku...

[lokavinr-blog]

This is all well and good, but I just want to make a few things clear:

First, we do not know if the  "Yamadai " mentioned in the Hou Han Shu and other Chinese chronicles is really modern-day Yamato around Sakurai City. 

There has been a long history of assuming that Himiko dwelled in this region, and at least the description of her burial in the "Records of Wei" seem to support this. However, one must understand that there is an extremely pro-emperor nationalist slant on choosing to place her in this region. In the Nara era, the Japanese court, and, in particular, the imperial family were looking for ways of legitimizing themselves through a continuous history. Claiming Pimiko/Himiko as an early ancestor of the imperial family does two things: it a) supported the claim made in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki that the royal family are descendants of Amaterasu herself and, therefore, some of the earliest people who settled Japan. It also b) bolstered views of the Japanese courts in Nara and later Heian (Kyoto) against the Chinese courts by asserting that they once struck fear in Chinese travelers who came to the Japanese islands.

One might look at all of this and say, but surely now none of this would matter. Surely not in modern Japan. Well, I am here to tell you otherwise. Just as, in the US, the right-wing publishes textbooks and "academic" materials claiming that the world was created in six days or that the settlement of America by westerners was actually peaceful (ugh), in Japan there are right-wing scholars who continue to publish materials, and even send them to Japanese departments like mine, that reflect a very strong pro-emperor slant. 

The truth of the matter is that Himiko herself is a hot topic. Even as early as the Edo era, Arai Hakuseki and Motoori Norinaga debated whether Himiko's kingdom was in Nara Prefecture or somewhere in Kyushu. This debate has continued even into modern scholarship, both in Japan and in the West. There are strong points supporting each argument, for example:

Pro-Nara:

We know that, when the envoys from Paekche arrived in the modern-day Kansai region in 550 with Buddhist sutras and other materials from the continent, they found the area alive and thriving.

Burial mounds were used during the Kofun period in the area, and perhaps even earlier, 

The presence of haniwa figures in modern-day Okayama prefecture as well as on the Korean peninsula suggest that a trade route was present  that could have allowed the Chinese to encounter Himiko there

It has been suggested that her 'name' might really have been a title: 'hime-miko' or princess-priestess, linking her specifically to the strain of classical Japanese found in vernacular Heian texts and relating to religious practices we know occurred in the kansai region during the Nara and Heian eras.

Pro-Kyushu:

The first account of the people of 'Wa' is incredibly early (3rd century). Evidence from Kofun tombs suggests that people on the Yamato plain were not nearly as developed as what we have described in these chronicles. (That being said, this find and the discovery of palace grounds have undermined this argument)

On the other hand, a gold seal bestowed on a vassal from the Han court was discovered in Fukuoka Prefecture. It has been argued that this is the same gold seal described in the "Book of the Later Han" as a gift from Emperor Guangwu.

Kyushu would have been more easily accessed by the Han court if explorers sailed directly from mainland China.

It's unreasonable to speculate about etymologies in this way when our earliest records of the Japanese vernacular language don't come until around the 8th century. 

I am not particularly pro-Yamato or pro-Kyushu, but it is an interesting thing to be aware of. It's also important to be aware that there is a lot of ethnic history invested in this as well. The Jomon Japanese person was probably more closely related to the Ainu and native peoples from Siberia, with darker complexion and heavier bone structure. On the other hand, because of later arrivals from Korea, another group of ethnic people with lighter skin and smaller bone structure arrived in Japan. While the Japanese people who exist today are generally a mix of both of these groups, those with more traditionally "East Asian" features are found in the greatest concentration in central Honshu, where Nara Prefecture is located, and it has been that appearance that has been more strongly valued by mainstream Japanese society for centuries. On the other hand, people on the peripheries, more closely linked to earlier ethnic groups, have been treated like outliers and their contributions to Japanese history have been undervalued. That is why I think it is extremely important to be aware of the Yamato-Kyushu debate when talking about Himiko.

And also, it bothers me that the article assumes that, just because a bone like this was discovered at the Makimuku ruins, it is immediately linked to Himiko herself. There has been nothing concrete linking her to the site itself, except that the building structures there have been dated to the 3rd century; if we don't even have concrete evidence that she was there, how can we assume that a particular item definitely belonged to her? We know that this region had some interaction with Korea: We must consider all possible avenues through which it may have come to Sakurai. While this might be an important piece in unpacking the "Himiko puzzle," as it were, I feel like the Asahi Shinbun's title is extremely speculative and sensational.  

[lokavinr-blog]

Just a friendly PSA:

It's okay to see the myths as life lessons without believing they are literally true. It's fine. You can still identify as a heathen.

It's okay to view the myths as a construct made to explain science and the world by a group of people without access to modern discoveries. It's fine. You can still identify as a heathen.

It's also okay to believe the myths are true in some way, even if it is not as solid or concrete as the reality we experience day-to-day. It's fine. You can still identify as a heathen.

Moreover, it's okay to believe that somewhere– either in this world or another– the myths are literally true. It's fine. You can still identify as a heathen.

Go ahead and question the concept of reality entirely, if that makes sense to you. It's fine. You can still identify as a heathen.

There is no set explanation for interpreting mythological information in Heathenry, and every text that deals with mythology seems to suggest a slightly different take on things.

Different people or organizations can have whatever take they want on the matter. It doesn't make them any more or less valid than anyone else. No one person speaks for all of Heathenry. :)

[lokavinr-blog]

The Ásatrúarfélagið's temple construction is trending on Facebook and Twitter.

Which is cool because a lot of people are talking about Ásatrú and for once it's for something good and not because of a skinhead.

But on the other hand, it's attracting both Evangelicals and basement-dwelling Richard Dawkins fanboys to all of the articles, and, incidentally, now to our tag.

[lokavinr-blog]

I can’t believe signofthehammer and I play the same faction on WoW. I feel like I need a long shower to wash off the nope. ._.

[halfdanthegrey]

9 years nerd

[lokavinr-blog]

Enjoy.

[lokavinr-blog]

I can't believe signofthehammer and I play the same faction on WoW. I feel like I need a long shower to wash off the nope. ._.

[evil-bisexual]

Heathenry is an open religion, pass it on

[halfdanthegrey]

Heathenry is a folk religion, pass it on

[evil-bisexual]

Ding dong you are wrong

[dearth-paths-green]

Agree Heathenry is open. Is it not also in a sense a folk religion? Insofar as it’s non-centralised, “defined as the beliefs, practices, rituals and symbols originating from sources other than the religion’s leadership”? People seem to do things by drawing from the sources and discussing with others. I know it’s complicated with religious revivals vs, like, popular Christianity, and so on. What are people’s thoughts on this?

[lokavinr-blog]

Normally, that would be true of some heathen traditions. In fact, Nordisk Sed/Forn Sed groups in Scandinavia, who base their practice on local folketru or folk beliefs, identify openly as a "folk" religion in the sense that you have described here.

Unfortunately, that is not what signofthehammer, one of the two most outspoken racists on the #asatru tag, meant when he said "folk religion."