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Random Heathen Ramblings: S4, EP04 - Heathenry 101 (A Class From Shadowmoot 2022) · Random Heathen Ramblings

0:00
Hello everyone and welcome to the random Heathen ramblings
0:03
podcast, where we discuss all sorts of things Germanic,
0:06
Heathen re related. My name is Jessie.
0:09
I am your host. Let's get into it.
0:31
Well, hello everyone. Hello and welcome.
0:34
Thank you for tuning in today. As always, thank you for showing
0:36
your support to the random Heathen ramblings podcast,
0:39
midgard musings as a whole subscribing to the YouTube
0:42
channel, following the podcast on wherever it is that you
0:46
absorb your podcast content. The Today's Show is going to be
0:50
a little bit of a different format as you are about to see.
0:53
And as you can perhaps tell by the title of this podcast
0:56
episode, and video was that? I'm going to be sharing with
1:00
you. You all the Heathen re 101 class
1:05
that I Sort of, well, I didn't sort of I delivered during
1:10
Shadow moot last year. Last October, the event that was
1:15
hosted in is hosted every year by the folks at Raven, Moon
1:19
Hearth up in Springfield Tennessee.
1:21
So, I've had this this content kind of just You know, sitting
1:28
in the docket as it were waiting to be released.
1:35
And today, I'm going to release it, but the reason why it's kind
1:37
of just been sitting there number one, as I just hadn't
1:40
taken the time to put all of the content that I filmed together
1:45
and fill in the gaps that were needed.
1:47
So, there were some technical issues during Shadow move that I
1:50
was experiencing, that kind of prevented me from doing the
1:53
whole class in just one, continuous thing, I had to Stop
1:58
reading, you know fire up the camera again and and you know
2:02
you'll notice there's sometimes where I'm out of frame, it's
2:05
visually speaking. It's not the best work that I've
2:08
done. And again, thanks to the
2:12
technical issues that I was having where the camera would
2:14
just stop recording. I'm having to come back and fill
2:17
in some of those gaps. So there's going to be times,
2:18
you're going to see me in the setting at Shadow moot as you're
2:21
about to see here in just a little bit.
2:23
And then there's going to be times where I'm going to be
2:24
sitting here filling in those gaps that were Left undone.
2:28
And, you know, that, that didn't make it into the Final Cut as it
2:32
were. So it's going to be a combined
2:34
effort. So, for all of those people that
2:35
are watching this on the video platforms, you're going to see
2:38
me going back and forth into some different settings and, you
2:41
know, it's going to sound a little bit different look, but
2:43
different of course. And then there's going to be
2:45
those times where I'll be back here and sounding and looking
2:49
just as I do right now. So for everybody listening, you
2:52
know, you're going to notice again, just some audio
2:54
differences. So bear that in mind.
2:56
That's why. But it is a heathen re 101
2:59
class. I did back in October, at Shadow
3:02
moot, trying to just kind of introduce people to some Heathen
3:06
World Views, topics stuff like that.
3:10
I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of feedback on certain
3:13
topics of this video so we shall see.
3:17
But for right now, before we go further, I would like to ask as
3:21
always for you guys, to, if you do like the podcast, if you
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like, what I do, if you like the videos, anything that I do on
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the channel, if Watching this on YouTube, please subscribe, click
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the Bell notification when you do so that way you can choose
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Share this content around as best you can wherever you can
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invite some people to jump down into the comments section.
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Share your thoughts. If you do want to share your
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thoughts outside of the comment section, you want to remain
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anonymous, you can send me an email and I will share your
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thoughts that way. Or I can also Receive your
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Anonymous phone call. You can call the midgard musings
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hotline that number is 6 1. 5 6, 7 1983 to calmly voicemail you
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It's strictly for the podcast for the channel.
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So if you want to share you, Thoughts about things that way
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you're welcome to do. So don't forget to click on the
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link tree, link. That's down in the description,
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show notes of this podcast as every other podcast episode as
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well. It's going to contain all of
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the, my social media information patreon.
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My merchandise store. Any other ways that you want to
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choose to support, you know, what I do here.
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So that's all there is to that, all the housekeeping stuff, you
4:52
guys know the deal. But let's get into this Heathen
4:55
3101. Thing.
4:56
That I delivered back into the delivered back in 2022 at the
5:03
annual Shadow mood event. Hope you guys enjoy it.
5:05
I'll see you back and forth here, you know, different
5:08
settings, but let me know what you think down in the comments
5:11
section, at the end of this video and I sure appreciate it,
5:14
enjoy. Okay.
5:32
All right. So, everybody that hasn't met me
5:34
yet. My name is Jessie.
5:37
I have a YouTube channel. It's called, midgard, musings.
5:40
You guys like Heathen, read Norse, pagans type stuff.
5:43
Please subscribe. And I also do a podcast on that
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channel once a week called random even ramblings, it's
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available wherever you. To podcast.
5:51
So check check out the random Heathen ramblings podcast,
5:54
Spotify, Pandora, wherever you absorb that stuff.
5:57
But the classroom today, the what I'm trying to do is, give
6:02
you like a breakdown of some Heathen World Views Concepts
6:06
words. Things that you may hear tossed
6:08
around in conversations here or others places that you go to.
6:12
And just kind of give you an understanding a little bit about
6:14
a 101 crash course of heathen or which is pretty tough to do
6:18
because there's so many branches off of this.
6:21
Pagan tree that you can go off on and I'm going to do my best
6:25
to try to introduce mainly newcomers, or people that are
6:29
thinking about coming into Heathen re, you know, just some
6:32
entry-level understanding of things.
6:34
So some of the topics that I want to talk about are going to
6:36
be. What does it mean to be Heathen?
6:39
Specifically, you know, giving a brief look into the origins of
6:42
the word itself and Separating the seemingly similar names.
6:49
So you're going to hear me talk about the term.
6:52
Also true, you're going to hear me talk about phone and save or
6:57
old ways Heathen. We're going to talk a little bit
6:59
about Odin ISM and all of that. So there's various words that
7:02
people can use to kind of talk about their keys and re, and
7:06
we're going to drive to try breakdown in some of those a bit
7:09
want to talk about heathen. Re as a religion, And
7:13
understanding our relationships as people between our ancestors,
7:18
the vator, or the whites, the little land and the spirits of
7:22
the land and home around us, and our existence between the gods
7:26
and goddesses, as well as each other.
7:28
It's all interconnected talk. A little bit about some Heathen
7:32
Concepts. We're talking about worldviews
7:34
things words like frith worth weird order logs since some of
7:41
these Concepts that do exist He even read that need a little bit
7:45
of context added to them. Seeing the world through a
7:48
heathens eyes are our worldviews or a heathen world view, talk a
7:54
little bit about heathen rituals, differences between
7:58
bloat, offerings or sometimes called faintings and then open
8:03
it up for Q&A. So, if I could get through the
8:06
topics, if anybody has questions afterwards, I'm happy to, you
8:10
know, answer them as best I can. But so to start with and this is
8:16
going to be pretty. Lesson like I had to keep it all
8:20
organized for me so appreciate you understanding on that.
8:23
But at the definition of the word heathen so the popular
8:27
definition is would be of or relating to people or nations
8:34
that do not acknowledge the god of the Bible, the abrahamic,
8:37
God, and an unconverted member of a people or Nation who do not
8:42
acknowledge the abrahamic, god of the Bible.
8:45
Now that's the popular definition, okay?
8:48
The term Pagan is a sort of umbrella term that covers a
8:51
multitude of polytheistic beliefs structures.
8:54
Whereas the term Heathen tends to be used mostly when
8:58
describing a very particular approach to paganism, that being
9:01
a pre-christian era dramatically structure.
9:06
The word heathen has etymological roots in languages
9:09
that predate Modern English, and the meanings are quite
9:14
different. So we have an Old English word
9:16
and I'm for anybody here, that speaks Old English or knows the
9:20
the bill. If I'm mispronouncing.
9:22
It just forgive me for that. But the Old English word Haven
9:27
is a word that would be term used to define someone who is
9:31
not Christian or not Jewish, you know, could also be used As a
9:36
noun, you know, Heathen man. One of a racer nation which does
9:39
not acknowledge. Again, the god of the Bible,
9:42
this was particularly true among the Danes, but it merged with
9:47
the old Norse, 'having Heathen or Pagan from proto-germanic
9:53
Ivana. There's also sources of old
9:57
Saxon, hidden old, Frisian Heathen, Dutch High, even old
10:02
high German. Hi Don.
10:06
So these are uncertain Origins but they all mean close to one
10:09
of the same things. So the proto-germanic word which
10:12
is proto-germanic is where we have the Modern English
10:15
language. Where Old English Old Norse,
10:17
these are all Germanic language in these they originated from
10:20
from proto-germanic, so the, proto-germanic word.
10:22
Hi Zanna. Referred to people who literally
10:25
lived on the heath, the land they were country Folk.
10:32
So the term Heathen is literally the heath dwellers, those who
10:35
live in. And on the land, those country
10:38
bumpkins, maybe could be a modern word form, right?
10:41
But as Christianity began to spread into the north, these
10:44
terms became derogatory to identify people who did not
10:48
worship a judeo Christian God. So under the term Heathen re
10:53
you're going to hear various terms as I mentioned before used
10:56
to describe the religious side of it.
11:00
Okay. Also true being one of them
11:03
Norse paganism. Dramatic polytheism.
11:06
Odin is MM for insane etcetera. Okay.
11:09
There are, they may seem like just different words to describe
11:13
the same thing, but I do want to kind of break down some of these
11:16
more popular ones and give you their specific meeting.
11:19
So we'll start with also true. This is technically the modern
11:23
term for the type of northern European religious practices
11:27
that were talking about today especially here in the United
11:30
States. It's the one of the only
11:35
recognized Pagan religions in Iceland, they have a whole
11:38
Federation. The also share the also true
11:40
feeling. He's I believe is the
11:42
organization over there. That it is if you were to
11:47
Identify as a pagan religiously also true would probably be the
11:51
one that you could legally adopt, right?
11:54
But it's a compound word. The word also true starts with
11:57
the word ausa or Os, being a singular form of the name for
12:03
the icier gods and goddesses. The icier gods are a tribe of
12:09
the, you know, Norse pantheon. So, Odin Thor.
12:13
Those guys, so you have the first part Of the word also,
12:17
meaning singular God, and then true meaning Faith.
12:22
So the word also true be understood as faith in the gods
12:25
faith in the icier specifically. So, the pantheon of the Norse
12:31
gods as I mentioned, is consist of multiple factions tribes as
12:35
it were the icier god such as Odin and Thor to here Heimdall
12:40
and those. And then you have the Vanier
12:42
tribe of the Gods like Freya fryer, new ORD, their father.
12:47
So, even though also true could be, you know, faith in the
12:50
icier, most if not all practitioners of this, you know,
12:55
version of paganism, find a place in their work to honor and
12:59
venerate the van your gods and goddesses as well.
13:05
Norse paganism or dramatic polytheism are pretty generic
13:08
terms. That generally mean the same
13:10
thing. Although you might have some
13:14
that are identifying themselves, as dramatic polytheists that
13:19
specifically use that term in their approach on more Mainland
13:24
Europe. So Saxony, the Saxon heathens,
13:28
Anglo-Saxons the mainland Europe, not the northern
13:31
Scandinavian areas, So besides Regional or cultural variance
13:38
the gods themselves have different names.
13:41
So for instance, Odin was Walden.
13:44
Thoreau was donor tears to write to the Saxons into the folks in
13:50
Mainland Germania. Odin is mmm this one is a term
13:55
that you may hear certain people referred to as I'm a pagan and
13:58
I'm an onanist, it's be careful. When dealing with people that
14:03
use this term to identify themselves as heathens because
14:05
Odin ISM has very strong ties to first of all the prison system.
14:13
Most of the, the people that came out of an institution are
14:17
picked it up in there, but it's deeply rooted in.
14:22
Fascist nazi bullshit. Okay, there were definitely
14:27
Cults of Odin at a time in ancient Pagan times.
14:30
They were definitely different subsets of tribes of people who
14:35
had a very specific focus on a God, or more than one god or
14:38
goddess. You know, you have Cults of
14:39
Thor, Cult of Odin, but it's not the same thing as Odin is mm.
14:43
Now it's become a bastardization of that, you know, cultic focus
14:48
on a specific deity and so it's A Scourge to me on the label of
14:54
heathen re as it were to have Odin ISM lumped into that
14:58
because it's not the same thing, they're not even particularly
15:03
Heathen. It's if anything it's kind of
15:05
like this. Christianity, but take the Jesus
15:10
out and replace it with Odin kind of thing, okay.
15:13
Foreign save points, either the old ways that's a word or those
15:20
words for and see, it literally means old ways.
15:23
It's generally speaking referring to folks who take a
15:26
very historical Reconstructionist approach to
15:31
the to, the religion deeply rooted in making sure that what
15:35
is being done. It can be backed up by
15:37
historical or archaeological sources, so for insane.
15:43
Save performance. Either heathens are usually the
15:45
ones to really challenge. Anyone that says anything about,
15:49
you know, well, this is what this is how it is or this is the
15:51
way it will, where's your Source, right?
15:53
They're always asking for citations and making sure that
15:56
what they tell you is backed up by those sources.
15:59
As well. You may also hear the term
16:04
called siddhu, which is an old Saxon word, meaning old ways.
16:10
It's again, the compound word Auld is Saxon word for old.
16:13
See the sleeve right ways old ways?
16:17
Very knowledgeable. You can.
16:19
I mean, I've learned a lot from from folks who have a very
16:22
historical reconstructions to approach the Heathen, re they
16:25
help point me in the direction of learning, you know, Source
16:28
material and getting answers from what we have written down
16:31
in those texts. But again, very very extremely
16:37
focused on historical accuracy of to doing things like ritual
16:41
and and all that. So he then read as a religion.
16:45
Now, we've kind of broken down the various names and The terms
16:48
one thing I do want to preface this much like what Jared was
16:51
saying around the fire last night, is that nobody here can
16:55
tell anyone else how to Heathen, right?
16:57
There's no instruction manual. There's no book of instructions
17:03
to tell you how to do this. So you Heathen, how you want to
17:06
hear the? But he even read as a religion
17:08
generate more than just the gods and goddesses right there,
17:12
there's more to the heathens practice of as a religion than
17:16
to just, you know. Deal with with the sacred.
17:21
We honor our ancestors. We recognize the living and
17:25
spirits that are around us referring to the VA tear or
17:28
whites. The gods and goddesses are
17:36
definitely a part of the mix for such events as we're having
17:39
here. You know, with there's
17:42
interaction between people, there's interaction between the
17:44
spirits and whatnot of the land and then there's the dedicated
17:47
time for dealing with in venerating, worshiping the Gods
17:54
One thing to important, when important thing to remember for,
17:58
especially for newer heathens, you know, coming into this, as
18:00
you're coming into a way of viewing, the world, and
18:07
especially if you're coming into Heathen, we from a Christian
18:10
background or any other religious background, you bring
18:12
some of those worldviews with you.
18:15
It's you can call it baggage, whatever.
18:17
But you, you bring your your past with you when you come into
18:20
Heathen re and one of the things that some newer heathen Sent to
18:24
overlook is the important of developing, their own Hearth
18:29
cult. So hard Cults are what we do
18:32
individually perhaps as a family within the sovereignity of your
18:39
own Huts or homes. And that's why much of the, you
18:44
know, religion of heathen re is unknown because most of these
18:48
Traditions, that were held in carried at a certain point in
18:52
time, where kept The Hearth level they were done.
18:55
Within the the safety, the sanctity, the sovereignty of the
19:00
home, they weren't written down. They were passed down orally,
19:04
right? So one way that one family might
19:10
do something is going to be different than another family
19:12
that does something. It's going to vary based off of
19:14
their, their Customs, their Traditions, their Hearth cult.
19:18
Okay. And it ran it rings through to
19:22
how certain holidays certain holy tied, certain major events
19:26
were observed. For instance, where, you know,
19:29
in and around the time of winter nights, like we heard about last
19:31
night in Norway in ancient times and the Regions would have it
19:37
very closed off. There wasn't a big assembly of
19:40
people to celebrate winter nights.
19:41
It was done between the family's only, whereas the swedes had,
19:46
something more like this, where it was a grander assembly and it
19:49
was a bigger to do and had more Community involvement.
19:56
So Hearts coat is our own thing. It's what we do and should be
20:02
developed in that way. So before we get into, what do I
20:06
do with the guys? How do I give gifts?
20:08
How do I offer, how do I blow it?
20:09
How do I sacrifice, whatever? How do I do, all these things
20:11
with the gods, as you need to First approach?
20:14
How am I going to do things within my home?
20:16
Because that's where Heathen re is, is the heart of it is in the
20:20
Hearth, is in the home. So again not telling you how to
20:23
do it, but just when you come into heat either, as you look to
20:28
develop your practices as in a religious context, consider the
20:33
fact that you want to have a good strong heart called first.
20:38
But with that being, you know, with that being said, some
20:41
examples include such things as this at establishing a Sacred
20:45
Space in your home maybe a corner of a room you know
20:49
mantelpiece above the fireplace, a dresser cabinet, something
20:53
that you can dedicate as the focus area of your practices of
20:59
your of your Hearth Cult of your individual cultic practices.
21:03
So call it an altar, call it whatever you want but we know
21:07
that Even in folklore, it's, you know, Germanic folklore is Rife
21:12
with stories of his fatir or what are called, cough gods in
21:16
the Saxon sides of things. It's a household spirit that
21:22
shares existence with the family.
21:24
So, a very common thing again, that, that we've seen throughout
21:28
lure folklore is, you know, gifts were left with, in the
21:31
home to keep the crispity or the or the Coast Guard happy, right?
21:38
This could be things like coffee grains, porridge, right?
21:42
It was believed to keep the, the whites of the home, the guardian
21:45
of the home, the god of the home as it were happy because when
21:48
the call of God is Happy, everybody is happy, right?
21:52
So, depending on your living arrangements, if you're thinking
21:55
of taking this sort of approach, you can do something indoors.
22:00
Or you can also, if you have, the means to do something
22:03
outside, you can have an outdoor altar was referred to as a
22:07
cougar. These are also historical.
22:10
There's definite documentation of stones stacked up to
22:16
represent the sacred grove or the or the VA as it were there
22:20
as it were that Old Norse word for basically like a an outdoor
22:26
Altar and outdoor ritual space. It is also to remember that.
22:33
It's also important to remember that the people that we share
22:36
space with, right, our families, it is Heathen re at its core, a
22:41
tribal folk way, it truly shines, best Heathen, we truly
22:45
shines best. When people of, like, Minds can
22:48
assemble and build Traditions that are Customs that are going
22:54
to work with each other, you know, so kind of like what we're
22:57
doing here in the wet way. The Hearth is Doing things, you
23:00
know, we're sharing in their traditions and giving each
23:02
other, you know, thoughts and ideas on how to develop our own
23:07
Traditions. These activities can allow for
23:10
things to happen. Amongst ourselves that reflect
23:13
various Heathen World Views. so, when it comes to Your
23:20
relationships and in with all of the various components of
23:23
hearing your ancestors, the the whites of the home and the land
23:27
around you. You know, people who end Wonder
23:30
well, where do I win win to the gods?
23:32
Take over. When do, when do I look into
23:34
working with the gods and when it comes to building
23:36
relationships with the sacred, one of the places that a lot of
23:38
people start with is looking to the lore and the mythology to
23:44
understanding the various characteristics of the gods that
23:46
you're going to be interacting with, you know?
23:49
Ending the personality of the characteristics of Thor and
23:52
Freya and tear Odin, or any some of the other ones that have
23:56
documents documented stories about them.
24:00
But that's really just you know, scratching of the surface right
24:03
knowing the personality or the characteristics are reading a
24:06
story about how someone or something, did you know XYZ.
24:10
It doesn't tell you how to do anything, you know.
24:12
So there's very again little written information on how the
24:18
gods were venerated on the individual or Hearth level.
24:22
There's plenty of stuff that we can read about how they were how
24:24
it was done, where there was a community setting, where there
24:27
were people around and, you know how the blow It was done and
24:30
what was done? I'm going to be talking a little
24:32
bit about that here in a little while. but at the individual
24:36
level, it's there's there's not much if anything that we can
24:38
take from, so, That's where it comes down.
24:43
To developing your own Hearth cult, focusing on your ancestors
24:46
and of a tear and becoming Solid with that because then when you
24:51
have those root things established, you'll be better
24:54
equipped to approach your relationships with the Divine or
24:58
the sacred. All right, so I'm going to go
25:02
into a key than worldviews. Now this is this is not 101 type
25:05
stuff and it's is honestly not a This isn't something that I
25:11
could cover even on a topic in and of itself in an hour.
25:14
It, we're talking about restructuring the way we view
25:18
the world in the way that we perceive things in the way the
25:20
world works. But I'm going to mention a few
25:22
things that are definitely part of a heathen world view, some
25:28
things that the words themselves, their definitions
25:31
mean different things in a dramatic world you.
25:32
So I want to start with the concepts of Good and Evil.
25:39
And this this one itself could again just being a lesson
25:44
besides that, you know, just the concept of Good and Evil.
25:46
So I'm going to do my best to summarize it.
25:49
These are, you know, basic concepts, that means.
25:51
Something more than just their inherent definition of what is
25:55
good, what is evil, right? You ask anybody, what is good?
25:57
What is evil? You'll get probably all similar
25:59
answers and that is, you know, in ancient times.
26:02
Now societies had a pretty strict view of it.
26:08
You were either in or out. Route.
26:09
It was it was in or outer views of things.
26:12
And so what was within was where the order and where Society
26:16
functions and what was without was the Wild, and there was no
26:22
law, there was no, thank you. There was no law in the wild,
26:26
there was the Wild and you were at its Mercy, right?
26:31
So what that means is that there are more precise definitions of
26:35
what is good and evil beyond their just morale.
26:39
Meanings. OK, Heathen conceptions of Good
26:40
and Evil. Appear to have been expressed in
26:45
opposition between again, human society which is what was
26:48
within. And it's identical to whatever
26:52
the law dictated, right? Because within there is law,
26:56
there is order and that law in that order.
26:58
Protects the members of this of that society.
27:01
And the Wilds are that, which is beyond the sanctity of that,
27:05
that Inner Space is not subject to those laws.
27:10
So, in the Germanic Heathen world view, Oh good, the word
27:13
good. What is good is deemed that
27:15
which is lawful and right in order for society to function
27:19
properly while that which is evil opposes that.
27:23
So specifically, right, you know what are some good things?
27:26
What are some evil things? Like sure, there's going to be
27:28
things, it's, you know, is a good to kill somebody.
27:33
Probably not in Germanic times in ancient times.
27:35
There were times when it was fine to kill somebody because
27:38
they deserved it you know, where they did something that That was
27:42
the recompense. That was the penalty of now,
27:46
we're not living in those times. Any more guys, right?
27:48
So somebody does something wrong to you, can't just, I mean, you
27:51
can, but universe is suffer the repercussions of the law because
27:54
the law is says, is that you shouldn't do that.
27:56
You shouldn't do that, right? Okay sin.
28:00
This is one that most people I think first come into here and
28:04
read think has no place in Henry, the concept of sin.
28:08
So it may surprise you that sin is a concept that exists in
28:11
he'ii but it is Not in the same sense, or definition as say a
28:15
Christian concept. Is it, it's not so much the
28:20
breaking of Divine Law, although breaking of Divine Law, there,
28:25
there's a connection between the Law and Order and it's
28:31
connection to Inner versus outer yards.
28:34
The inner yard versus the Audi are this concept of what is
28:37
within is sacred? What is within is lawful what is
28:39
within is good? And what is with out of that?
28:42
In her yard that inner circle as it were is unlawful outlawry,
28:46
that sort of thing so it's not. It is it does have some
28:49
connections to the breaking of the vine.
28:51
Love at the vine law is that which is not.
28:55
Again, it's again, it's not something like in the Christian
28:57
sense you know laws that were mandated or brought down from a
29:02
Holy Mountain by a man with, you know, two tablets of stone and
29:07
that sort of thing, it's different.
29:08
It's what Divine Law is considered in a dramatic context
29:11
is You know, that which is lawful that which is good, that
29:15
which is of order, but it has some kind of Tatian so that but
29:20
also a word that probably meant something of that, which is to
29:25
remain stagnant, because to do nothing in ancient times, in
29:29
action was seen as a crime. So, if you didn't do certain
29:32
things, we just remain stagnant and chose not to take action.
29:36
It was, it was considered a crime in that, which was
29:39
unlawful hence against. Law against what was that of
29:45
order, right? So it was considered sin.
29:50
The theme again, is that to do something is better than to do
29:56
nothing. Okay, so to do things to do
29:58
something, to take action of any sort, is better than to do
30:01
nothing or to, or to be inactive, not to take action.
30:06
The next concept that we referring to or that we're
30:09
looking at is worth So worth is something placed on an
30:14
individual by their people. A person is of quote-unquote
30:20
worth, depending, on many factors.
30:23
Such as what they, what do they do to contribute to society, or
30:29
Community tribe Etc worth as it is understood and Germanic
30:35
context. Is the value of a person based
30:38
upon their deeds, whether they are honorable, or Or lawful,
30:43
usually a person who adheres to the laws customs and traditions
30:47
of their tribe where we're seeing at this time as having
30:51
great worth, okay, because as such as they were doing these
30:55
things, as they live lawfully, right?
30:57
They were behaving in a way, that is Honorable.
31:01
So they behaved with honour. I mean, it all ties in back into
31:06
the first concept I covered, which is again the concepts of
31:09
Good and Evil. A good person, one who behaves
31:13
lawfully and adheres to the traditions and customs of their
31:17
people had honor. And again this is an ancient
31:20
Germanic Heathen context. So as such they were therefore
31:26
given great worth by their people.
31:31
The next on the line is free. With.
31:34
And this one is probably the one that is most misused, in the
31:39
sense of a word or phrase that is used.
31:41
But is it is the one most misused or misunderstood,
31:45
especially by newer heathens for the most part.
31:49
It usually gets thought of as just the Heathen, quote-unquote,
31:52
Heathen, word for peace, but it's much more than just that
31:58
Ancient heathens perceived three primary focuses of frith, okay?
32:07
So forth between 1010 ships and kindred's right?
32:15
Families and extensions of families.
32:18
The second Factor was fourth in the sense of this web of
32:22
loyalty. That is created among leaders
32:28
their tribes their, their their tribes people, right?
32:33
The third Wellspring of frith arose from the relationship
32:36
between us the people and the gods as well as other flights of
32:44
the land and, you know, ancestors and all that it did.
32:46
It's all, it's all tied in. So the idea of forth is very
32:52
closely tied to kinship blood kinship in particular, but it
32:57
extends to kinship through marriage adoption fostering.
33:06
The words frith and sib. If you guys have ever heard, the
33:09
term sib, we get this, the word Sid, where we see our word, our
33:13
Modern English words, sibling Wright, brothers, sisters right
33:16
sibling. But for instance, ID were often
33:19
used interchangeably to describe the state of people involved in
33:22
a sort of Kindred relationship, you know.
33:25
So you can call it a try, if you can call it a kindred and call
33:27
it a clan, whatever you want to call your group.
33:32
But the term did not merely indicate that material facts of
33:37
blood relationship had to be there.
33:39
It was rather described as the essence of the relationship
33:42
itself. The joys, the responsibilities
33:48
interdependence burdens and benefits are all characterized
33:53
in infrared. So it's this, it means so many
33:56
things, it's one word, that means so many things.
33:58
There's obligation that's tied to frith, you know, I'm
34:01
obligated to My Tribe as they are obligated to me.
34:04
And again, there's there's peace.
34:06
That's a part of it all, but it goes much more in-depth than
34:10
just than just, the whole peaceful description.
34:14
Few more here. I want to talk briefly on this
34:16
one word called to th ew. R, th e.
34:20
Aw, depending on the spelling of if you're looking at it from an
34:24
Old English. But this is an Old English word
34:27
and it quite literally means law in a heathen context and it
34:31
refers typically nowadays to the customs and traditions of a
34:36
tribe of heathens. Usually only used among like the
34:39
Saxon or Anglo-Saxon, Heathen circles, but if you ever hear
34:43
through, that's The tribes loss, it's not necessarily you know
34:47
they usually going to align with greater laws but the Customs the
34:52
practices, the traditions of the tribe is through, all right.
34:57
So next the couple ones are going to be or log and weird so
35:00
or log or or lay sometimes used in the Old English pronunciation
35:06
is quite a complicated concept to explain especially since
35:09
there's no real modern Western equivalent for this but the word
35:13
itself. Translates to, as first law or
35:17
more accurately that which was late.
35:20
It is the defining template of a person that sets them on their
35:24
course of Life. Everyone is born with a unique
35:28
or delay or log that they have or that they do not share with
35:33
anyone else. Next one is weird.
35:39
So if older leg or log is how one begins, it is easy to see
35:44
why people misunderstand weird as how one ends ones fate or
35:51
destiny as it were. However, this is not quite
35:54
accurate, weird is better described as the threads that
35:59
connect us to every other person creature and entity around us we
36:04
would is also the tapestry we weave with those threads.
36:08
When we interact With our world, any action that an individual
36:12
takes not only changes their own weird, but also the we're of
36:18
others. It leaves an imprint on Those
36:21
whom their action effects. Whether the individual realizes
36:24
it or not conversely, an individual's weird can be
36:28
changed by events outside of their control.
36:33
Whether those events began as someone else's actions or as
36:38
whatever the norns wove into reality, therefore it is
36:43
impossible for humans to view themselves as existing within a
36:47
vacuum separate from, and unaffected by the world around
36:52
them. What affects one affects many
36:58
We're going to move now into Heathen, rituals coward talking
37:02
about the topics of heathen rituals.
37:05
Now very common question that newer heathens ask is how do I
37:10
perform a ritual or quote unquote eloped.
37:14
So it should be important to know some differences between
37:17
certain quote-unquote types of rituals and if one wishes to
37:21
learn how to perform them, So remember, as I mentioned before
37:26
that there is a very little known about the how right how
37:31
ancient Germanic peoples, practice their spiritual
37:34
folkways, you'll find some Clues and possible example scattered
37:39
throughout more than 700 sagas as well as Regional folklore but
37:44
you won't really find an instruction manual on the topic,
37:49
right? Because this is this is because
37:51
the Germanic tribes were largely illiterate Most Traditions were
37:55
passed down orally. So it wasn't until around the
37:59
Viking age and Christianity, began to spread that Scholars
38:02
and scribes took any interest in attempting to preserve ancient
38:07
Pagan customs. And even then the influence of
38:12
Christianity, certainly leaked into the mix, even impacting,
38:15
how the tales of myths were retold.
38:19
Nonetheless there are some things we do know and can use to
38:23
piece together how the Heathen ritual is performed.
38:28
First, I want to talk about the differences between a bloat and
38:33
then offering or feigning. Sometimes they referred to as
38:38
Historically speaking, the term bloat meant that there was
38:42
actual blood used from an animal.
38:45
Sacrifice one, such example is mentioned in one of the etic
38:49
texts called him scream. Le And I'll quote, as it was an
38:54
old custom or foreign Seether when they made a bloat for all
39:00
the bonders to come to the courthouse or hopf and bring
39:04
their food, which they would need.
39:06
As long as the feast lasted at that Feast, the men should
39:11
drink, or the men should all drink ale. there they also
39:15
slaughtered all kinds of cattle and horses and all the blood
39:19
which flowed from them was called out the blur, the bowls
39:24
in which the blood stood were also called lout balls and Loud
39:29
Tanner which were used to sprinkle With all this, they
39:34
should stain the Stalls red and likewise The Hope walls inside
39:40
and out and likewise, sprinkle it on all the men, the flesh was
39:44
cooked as meat for the guest Feast so this is just one of
39:49
many examples that specifically state that bloat requires blood.
39:56
The methods used here are quite often the basis or Foundation of
40:00
many heathens to perform their own rituals weather.
40:03
It is incorporated or not. There's also some sources that
40:08
state, alcohol, and food make acceptable offerings again.
40:12
Often referred to as paintings one, such example can be read in
40:20
a passage, from even Fudd Lon writing about his travels with
40:26
the Swedish ruse, Circa, 1958. This passage also shows food and
40:33
other items being used, In the offering when the ships come to
40:40
this moring place. Everybody goes ashore with
40:43
bread. Meat onions, milk and
40:47
intoxicating, drink and be takes himself to a long upright.
40:52
Piece of wood that has a face like a man's.
40:58
So, anyway, the the the piece of wood had a face like a man's,
41:02
and it's surrounded by little figures behind, which Our long
41:06
stakes in the ground, the ruse prostrated himself before the
41:09
big carving and says, oh my Lord, I have come from a far
41:13
land and have with me, such and such a number of gifts, and such
41:17
and such a number of Sables and he proceeds to enumerate all his
41:21
other. Where's then he says, I have
41:23
brought you these gifts and lays down what he has brought with
41:26
him and continues. I wish that you would send me a
41:30
merchant with many Dinars and dirhams.
41:33
Who will buy me from me? Whatever I wish, and will not
41:37
dispute anything. I say, then he goes away.
41:40
So there was an obvious fainting to a deity.
41:43
Don't know which deity, it was. It was the swedes was probably
41:47
prayer. We can, maybe guess, but these
41:49
are obviously paintings or giftings offerings to a deity
41:53
that were not called in the text.
41:54
They were not referred to, as as bloat.
41:58
So, bloat is something typically, reserved exclusively,
42:02
For the gods, you can give to the vet are you can gift, you
42:06
know, to the gods as well. But if it's bloat, it's
42:09
historically at least right then reserved for when you're
42:13
interacting and viewing the to the Gods, there are a number of
42:20
other he's and rituals again don't have the time to go into
42:22
mall right now and today but there's you know there's
42:27
something called sambal which is more or less a it's it is a
42:32
ceremony, it is a ritual and it's usually done indoors with
42:35
drinks, being spoken over and there's boasts and toast and
42:39
those and stuff that go into that.
42:41
We can maybe talk more about that around, you know,
42:44
throughout throughout the day, but too much to go into right
42:47
now. So there's obviously much more
42:50
to Heathen re than just, what I was able to try to sum up here
42:54
and share today. I gave my best shot at kind of
42:58
giving you guys a crash course introduction.
43:00
Into, you know, some things that I believe at least to be very
43:04
important for anyone thinking of pursuing.
43:07
He even realize a spiritual or religious practice.
43:09
It is a practice. It's a lifetime of learning
43:14
studying practicing actually doing it and experiencing it,
43:18
you know. Heathen, Ria's is Grass Roots.
43:21
Its boots on the ground. It's doing no one because I told
43:26
you because before, and is Jared mentioned yesterday, should ever
43:28
tell you how to Heathen? And if they do, then you should
43:31
probably find someone else to hang out with and share your
43:33
time and spend energy exchanging between so, as we talked earlier
43:39
about how an action was seen as a crime, it's better to do
43:43
something than to just Not do anything, figure it out, as you
43:47
go. When I first came into, he then
43:49
read, you know, I was doing all kinds of stuff that now, I would
43:53
look back on ago, all that work for me at the time, but it
43:56
doesn't work for me. Now, your practices, you know,
43:59
your life is going to change its going to evolve and it's going
44:01
to become something new and different as you grow and as you
44:06
advance. So, just go out and do go out
44:11
and do hmm. Well, the video cut off there at
44:14
the end, and as you can probably Until that was basically the end
44:18
of my lesson and it ended abruptly, but it ended on a note
44:24
that I think really, just says all that it needs to go out and
44:27
do right hail the doers, right? If all your all, if all you're
44:33
ever going to be is, well, I wonder what it would be like, I
44:37
thought about it, but I didn't do it.
44:39
What Tales will be told about you, right?
44:43
And I know that not every approach.
44:46
He then raised going to Echo the same or, or, you know, you're
44:48
not going to not, everybody's going to approach.
44:53
Heathen Reaper say it, you know, with the same degree of Interest
44:57
or with the same focuses and nobody should write, I mean,
45:01
yes, there is a place for groups of people Gathering Together.
45:06
Like-minded, people cheat wanting to achieve the same
45:08
things and they all mutually agree to do it in the same way
45:13
whether it's by, you know, but again, it's by doing it, it's by
45:17
actively living it. So if all you're going to do is
45:22
sit and think about it, then you're going to get left in the
45:27
dust. I mean, just to be honest, if
45:29
you're going to be left in the dust because people that are the
45:31
doers that are seeking to make something happen, are going to
45:34
be out there doing it. And so when it's time for the
45:37
ship to set sail, you're either going to be standing on the
45:40
shore, wishing you had Boarded, or you're going to be on that
45:44
ship and you're gonna be helping that ship set sail, you're going
45:46
to be helping, do the things that, you know, make for a
45:49
successful journey and you're going to be there for all of
45:52
the, all of the stops along the way it is.
45:54
If it's about the journey, you know, it's not about where we're
45:57
going to arrive at per se. It's what are we going to figure
46:01
out along the way? What what, what stories will be
46:04
told of us for the journey? What is the story that our
46:10
descendants? Will tell of us around their
46:14
fires, around their heart fires around their campfires around
46:17
other meetings of like-minded people, our names.
46:22
Our reputations do not die cattle, die, Kinsmen Die and we
46:26
ourselves will die as well. But one thing that I know will
46:31
not die is the fair, Fame of one who has earned it, our
46:34
reputation will not die. So the things that are
46:39
remembered are the Deeds are the actions Are the doing of things.
46:44
Nobody remembers the person who thought about doing something.
46:49
You know, they remember the people, they remember the ones
46:54
who did it. So, go out and do.
46:58
Go out and do like I said, that's this week's episode of
47:03
the random Heathen ramblings podcast and I hope you enjoyed
47:05
it. As I mentioned earlier, in the
47:06
podcast, if you do enjoy it, be sure to engage in any sort of
47:09
way possible whether it's by liking the video, sharing the
47:12
content up, voting it writing into the podcast as well.
47:16
Sharing your thoughts with me directly through any of the
47:18
social media platforms that are out there for for midgard.
47:21
Musings, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube patreon.
47:28
Doll down there in the linked relink guys.
47:30
Thank you so much for tuning in today, listening, and watching
47:33
to the random even ramblings podcast.
47:35
I greatly appreciate all of your support until we see each other.
47:39
Again, at the gods, continue to notice you and may your
47:43
ancestors smile upon you.