I think one of the most rewarding challenges I face when it comes to describing Heathenry is figuring out how to translate the more holistic, “right-brained” ways Scandinavians describe things into a logical, “left-brained” paradigm that would make sense to Americans.
For example:
My Danish friend, describing what a fylgia is: “Oh, it’s like an ancestor in your mind that protects you and guides you. It’s both you and not you at the same time, and it also has an animal shape.”
Me, describing what a fylgia is: “So, the majority of us do our thinking from the front part of the brain for the most part, but running in the background of our awareness is the processes of the midbrain. This part of the brain is responsible for our emotional reactions, instinctual behaviors, our drive in life, and reactions to potential threats. Like your dog, it doesn’t speak using words and doesn’t know what a deadline is, and like your dog it makes decisions based on pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain. Some of its behavior was learned during life, but a lot of its behavior comes from the experiences had by your ancestors, and thus represents something of a collective memory passed down to you. Like a doting mother, its main goal is to keep you alive at any cost…And yes, as legend has it, we do unlock awesome powers if we learn to listen to and work with our fylgia.”
