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Heathenry

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
Tilcayo Cats original · British Bees · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Heathenry is a modern pagan religion based on the pre-Christian religion of the Norse and other Germanic peoples. One American form of it is known as Ásatrú.[1]

Sources

Heathens draw on the Eddas, the sagas, the Heimskringla, Beowulf, the Roman writer Tacitus, archaeology and runes.[1] The sagas also serve as models of good conduct.[2] Because much of this material was written down by Christians, how faithfully it records older belief is uncertain.[3]

Many Heathens are wary of calling themselves "reconstructionists". They prefer to say they are polytheists drawing on the past, distinguish their religion from historical re-enactment, and admit that they "cannot know much" about earlier belief. The same writer contrasts this approach with that of Wicca.[4][5]

Beliefs and practice

Relationships with the land and its spirits are central to British Heathenry.[4] Spirits of the land also appear in Norse practice more widely,[2] and many Heathens honour ideas of fate and order such as orlog and wyrd.[6] One American Heathen group reintroduced animal sacrifice into its blót rite.[7]

Debates

American Heathens disagree over whether the religion should be "folkish", tied to Nordic ancestry, or open to people of any background.[7] The misuse of ancient Germanic and Indo-European ideas by the Nazis has cast a long shadow over the field.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 139–141.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. p. 139.
  3. ↑ Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 18–19.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 184–185.
  5. ↑ Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. p. 184.
  6. ↑ Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. p. 38.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 157–158.
  8. ↑ Strmiska, Michael F., ed. (2005). Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 24–25.
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