This is a short answer Q&A on Germanic Heathenry for newcomers. As stated in this blog preiviously, this blog is for newcomers interested in Germanic Heathenry, and thus a quick reference guide to common questions is necessary. Some of the topics mentioned here are worthy of elaboration (such as the afterlife), and I intend to elaborate on them in the future.
What is Germanic Heathenry?
Germanic Heathenry is various parts of Germanic culture grouped together as religious beliefs. In other words, it is the ethnic religion of Germanic people. Some of these beliefs were whitewashed into parts of Germanic Christianity, evolved into folklore, or carried on status quo, other parts of these beliefs were eradicated by Christianity. The beliefs that have been eradicated is what constitutes Germanic reconstruction.
So which beliefs need to be reconstructed?
Germanic Heathenry is the practice of pure Germanic culture, and that includes practice of worship of Germanic deities. The worship of Germanic major deities such as Gods and Goddesses, was vanquished among the Germanic people between the 5th-14th centuries. Belief and worship of minor deities (beings such as elves, trolls, kobolds, wights, etc) was never uprooted.
So what Gods are we talking about here?
The major Germanic Gods are best known by their Old Norse names: Thor, Odin, Freyja, Freyr Njodr, Balder, Heimdall, Tyr, Loki are a few you may have heard of.
So this is Norse Mythology?
Yes and no. Norse mythology is a subset of Germanic Paganism. All Norse mythology is Germanic, but not all Germanic mythology is Norse. The Norse people, linguistically, culturally and ethnically, are Germanic. On a greater level, they are European, and an even greater and more older identity, Indo-European.
The reason why Norse Mythology is central to Germanic Heathenry is because Norse Mythology had been recorded the most extensive in the form of the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Though there are other sources on Germanic mythology, such as Beowulf, the Eddas have ensured that Norse Mythology receives the most attention by Germanic Heathens.
But mythology says Thor literally flies through the air riding a chariot pulled by goats! How can you believe this?
We, as Germanic heathens, do not take our mythology literally. Taking mythology literally conflicts with science. Since Germanic Heathenry, and indeed, Indo-European Heathenry never called for dogmatic belief, and historically never contradicted itself with science, there is no reason for us to disbelieve science due to our religious beliefs. Moreover, our cousins and fellow Indo-Europeans, the Greeks and Romans, recognized mythology as mythology (see Plato's The Republic, for example).
What is the purpose of mythology?
The purpose of mythology is to take it metaphorically and apply it to your daily life. Mythology is timeless wisdom.
What is the purpose of worshiping the Germanic Gods?
The purpose is to honor your ancestors and to feel as close as you can to your own heritage. This is by uprooting all foreign and alien influence. If you honor your heritage, you take your entire heritage for what it is for. You don't get to pick and choose what parts of it to honor.
The reason why we honor our Germanic Gods is because they are our Gods, as much as our grandfathers are our grandfathers. When our ancestors worshiped these Gods, they worshiped them as ancestors, and thus as extensions of themselves. In other words, to honor your own Gods is to honor your own heritage.
On a more practical side, practicing Germanic Heathenry is good for you. It conditions you for discipline, respect and piety. It keeps you in tune with your heritage, and thus yourself. A sacrifice, in Indo-European tradition, was never to empower the God being sacrificed to, but to show a willingness to give up a piece of your hard work. Put it this way: imagine everything you eat as part of the time you worked. Let's say you worked for one hour making 10$. You buy a steak for 1$. After cooking the steak, you cut let's say, 1/10th of a piece of that steak and burn it in honor of Odin. You have just sacrificed 1/10th of your time or accurately 6 minutes of your time to the Gods. This shows you are willing to sacrifice, and to sacrifice is noble. This is self-empowering.
Why not just be Christians?
Because Christianity is an alien faith for an alien people. Christianity makes demands of Europeans that is unreasonable for Europeans to meet, and thus beats them down into feeling guilty. A European is prideful - but pride is a sin. The European is warlike, aggressive and craves power - but this is a sin, and we are supposed to be pacifists according to Christianity.
Granted, there is a lot of Christianity that is indeed European due to European Pagan influence on both the ancient Israelites (Samson was probably a Semitic Hecules), the Judeans (Christ was very much a prototype of a Greek hero in some ways), The Roman Catholic Church (also known as the former Pagan Roman Empire), and the European Christians as they absorbed Pagan beliefs and adopted them into their own (such as our Spring and Winter festivals, called Easter and Christmas). But at its core, Christianity is alien and Semitic, and Semitic philosophy must be uprooted from Europeans for Europeans to be as close to their natural state as possible.
Moreover, Christianity is a universal religion. Everyone can be a Christian. Despite what some so-called Heathens say, not everyone can be a Germanic Pagan. You cannot convert to Germanic Heathenry - you are either Germanic or you are not. If you are Germanic, you are a Heathen. As Germanic Heathens, we must be weary of foreign influence and thus foreigners into our culture. Greco-Romans, Slavs, Celts, and Balts, are our cousins, however.
So wait, not anyone can be a Germanic Heathen?
No. You have to be Germanic to be a Germanic Pagan.
Who is Germanic?
The native speakers of German, Scandinavian languages, English, Frisian, and Dutch/Flemish. Germanic diaspora and Euromutts that are Germanic cultured (White Americans, Australians, South Africans, etc) are also included, for the most part.
So what if I'm half Polish, half German?
In the case of European mutts, especially in White diaspora, it is what you identify with the most. It's really on a case by case basis. For example, many Irish-Americans (or partially Irish in America) identify strongly with their Irish heritage. Chances are, they identify with it over their German or English. Therefore, these Irish-Americans are more suited for Celtic Paganism than Germanic Paganism, because they do not identify with Germanic culture. But if there is a Germanically cultured individual that happens to have some Irish blood that he doesn't really identify with, that's fine.
Again, it depends on the individual. If you are half Polish but with a German surname, you grew up speaking English in Wisconsin and you never felt like a "Polish-American", then you are Germanic.
You must make a decision, and a sacrifice, however, if you are to be a Germanic Heathen. Identifying as Germanic means you do not identify as anything else. You do not have to dishonor any part of your heritage, but you must revere the Germanic side above all.
What if I'm insert half non-European ethnic group here and half Germanic?
Other European admixture is acceptable because they are closely related to Germanics not only genetically, but ethnically, culturally, linguistically and of course, religiously. All others are not acceptable.
But I want to be a Germanic Heathen, who are you to tell me no?
Who are you to tell us that we have to accept you? We are Germanic Heathens because we care about our heritage, and we must protect our heritage. If you are Germanic, you are a Germanic Heathen whether you raise your arms to Thor, bend your knee to Allah or proclaim yourself above all religions. If you are not Germanic, then you are not a Germanic Heathen, but you are a Heathen of whatever ethnicity you are. If you are so mixed that you have no identity, well then, it is not our fault you were born into this world, and we should not have to accommodate you.
What justification do you have to be so exclusive?
The Germanic Gods are part of our Germanic culture. They sprang up naturally, as natural as our language or the concept of treating a guest well when he enters your home. The Gods of the Germanic people represent the Germanics firstly, secondly the Europeans, and thirdly the Indo-Europeans. They represent no one else.
There is no stopping anyone from worshiping the Germanic Gods, of course. Every individual is free to do what he or she pleases, and we do not need an inquisition. However, a Germanic man must be weary and mindful of others that try to appropriate his own heritage.
Let's put it this way. Say you are at your father's funeral. You yourself knew your father, and your bond between him is stronger than the bonds of anyone else and your father, because he is your father. Others may come and honor him at his funeral - strangers, cousins, friends, co-workers. That is fine. But the moment that your father's co-worker tells you that he has just a much of a right to honor your father's memory as you do, or insists he sits up front at the procession, is the moment he is wrong, and is appropriating what is rightfully yours.
It is the same with ethnic religions. If you are Germanic, you can only be a Germanic Heathen, or enter one of the universal religions such as Christianity or Islam. A Japanese person claiming to be as much of a Germanic Heathen as you is insulting you, and practicing cultural imperialism. Likewise, a Germanic man practicing Shintoism (the Japanese ethnic religion) is insulting the Japanese man and practicing cultural imperialism.
Do you have anything like the Bible? Or the Ten Commandments?
No. Germanic Heathenry is not dogmatic. There is no dogmatic beliefs in Germanic Heathenry or any Indo-European Heathenry. Law and society is for man to decide.
However, if you want a guide on how one should (note the word should) behave, I suggest the Hamaval, a poem recorded in the Poetic Edda attributed to Odin. There is also the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Riveda. Though these aren't Germanic texts, they are Indo-European texts and poetic, mythological and cultural cognates with the Germanic peoples. In other words, the ancient Greeks, ancient Germanics, and ancient Indians all descend from the same Indo-European ancestral people. Since we have such little left of our Germanic mythology, it is fine to look towards our cognates to embellish our own. Historical linguists, archaeologists and folklorists frequently do.
That is it for now. There will be more FAQs to come.
What is Germanic Heathenry?
Germanic Heathenry is various parts of Germanic culture grouped together as religious beliefs. In other words, it is the ethnic religion of Germanic people. Some of these beliefs were whitewashed into parts of Germanic Christianity, evolved into folklore, or carried on status quo, other parts of these beliefs were eradicated by Christianity. The beliefs that have been eradicated is what constitutes Germanic reconstruction.
So which beliefs need to be reconstructed?
Germanic Heathenry is the practice of pure Germanic culture, and that includes practice of worship of Germanic deities. The worship of Germanic major deities such as Gods and Goddesses, was vanquished among the Germanic people between the 5th-14th centuries. Belief and worship of minor deities (beings such as elves, trolls, kobolds, wights, etc) was never uprooted.
So what Gods are we talking about here?
The major Germanic Gods are best known by their Old Norse names: Thor, Odin, Freyja, Freyr Njodr, Balder, Heimdall, Tyr, Loki are a few you may have heard of.
So this is Norse Mythology?
Yes and no. Norse mythology is a subset of Germanic Paganism. All Norse mythology is Germanic, but not all Germanic mythology is Norse. The Norse people, linguistically, culturally and ethnically, are Germanic. On a greater level, they are European, and an even greater and more older identity, Indo-European.
The reason why Norse Mythology is central to Germanic Heathenry is because Norse Mythology had been recorded the most extensive in the form of the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Though there are other sources on Germanic mythology, such as Beowulf, the Eddas have ensured that Norse Mythology receives the most attention by Germanic Heathens.
But mythology says Thor literally flies through the air riding a chariot pulled by goats! How can you believe this?
We, as Germanic heathens, do not take our mythology literally. Taking mythology literally conflicts with science. Since Germanic Heathenry, and indeed, Indo-European Heathenry never called for dogmatic belief, and historically never contradicted itself with science, there is no reason for us to disbelieve science due to our religious beliefs. Moreover, our cousins and fellow Indo-Europeans, the Greeks and Romans, recognized mythology as mythology (see Plato's The Republic, for example).
What is the purpose of mythology?
The purpose of mythology is to take it metaphorically and apply it to your daily life. Mythology is timeless wisdom.
What is the purpose of worshiping the Germanic Gods?
The purpose is to honor your ancestors and to feel as close as you can to your own heritage. This is by uprooting all foreign and alien influence. If you honor your heritage, you take your entire heritage for what it is for. You don't get to pick and choose what parts of it to honor.
The reason why we honor our Germanic Gods is because they are our Gods, as much as our grandfathers are our grandfathers. When our ancestors worshiped these Gods, they worshiped them as ancestors, and thus as extensions of themselves. In other words, to honor your own Gods is to honor your own heritage.
On a more practical side, practicing Germanic Heathenry is good for you. It conditions you for discipline, respect and piety. It keeps you in tune with your heritage, and thus yourself. A sacrifice, in Indo-European tradition, was never to empower the God being sacrificed to, but to show a willingness to give up a piece of your hard work. Put it this way: imagine everything you eat as part of the time you worked. Let's say you worked for one hour making 10$. You buy a steak for 1$. After cooking the steak, you cut let's say, 1/10th of a piece of that steak and burn it in honor of Odin. You have just sacrificed 1/10th of your time or accurately 6 minutes of your time to the Gods. This shows you are willing to sacrifice, and to sacrifice is noble. This is self-empowering.
Why not just be Christians?
Because Christianity is an alien faith for an alien people. Christianity makes demands of Europeans that is unreasonable for Europeans to meet, and thus beats them down into feeling guilty. A European is prideful - but pride is a sin. The European is warlike, aggressive and craves power - but this is a sin, and we are supposed to be pacifists according to Christianity.
Granted, there is a lot of Christianity that is indeed European due to European Pagan influence on both the ancient Israelites (Samson was probably a Semitic Hecules), the Judeans (Christ was very much a prototype of a Greek hero in some ways), The Roman Catholic Church (also known as the former Pagan Roman Empire), and the European Christians as they absorbed Pagan beliefs and adopted them into their own (such as our Spring and Winter festivals, called Easter and Christmas). But at its core, Christianity is alien and Semitic, and Semitic philosophy must be uprooted from Europeans for Europeans to be as close to their natural state as possible.
Moreover, Christianity is a universal religion. Everyone can be a Christian. Despite what some so-called Heathens say, not everyone can be a Germanic Pagan. You cannot convert to Germanic Heathenry - you are either Germanic or you are not. If you are Germanic, you are a Heathen. As Germanic Heathens, we must be weary of foreign influence and thus foreigners into our culture. Greco-Romans, Slavs, Celts, and Balts, are our cousins, however.
So wait, not anyone can be a Germanic Heathen?
No. You have to be Germanic to be a Germanic Pagan.
Who is Germanic?
The native speakers of German, Scandinavian languages, English, Frisian, and Dutch/Flemish. Germanic diaspora and Euromutts that are Germanic cultured (White Americans, Australians, South Africans, etc) are also included, for the most part.
So what if I'm half Polish, half German?
In the case of European mutts, especially in White diaspora, it is what you identify with the most. It's really on a case by case basis. For example, many Irish-Americans (or partially Irish in America) identify strongly with their Irish heritage. Chances are, they identify with it over their German or English. Therefore, these Irish-Americans are more suited for Celtic Paganism than Germanic Paganism, because they do not identify with Germanic culture. But if there is a Germanically cultured individual that happens to have some Irish blood that he doesn't really identify with, that's fine.
Again, it depends on the individual. If you are half Polish but with a German surname, you grew up speaking English in Wisconsin and you never felt like a "Polish-American", then you are Germanic.
You must make a decision, and a sacrifice, however, if you are to be a Germanic Heathen. Identifying as Germanic means you do not identify as anything else. You do not have to dishonor any part of your heritage, but you must revere the Germanic side above all.
What if I'm insert half non-European ethnic group here and half Germanic?
Other European admixture is acceptable because they are closely related to Germanics not only genetically, but ethnically, culturally, linguistically and of course, religiously. All others are not acceptable.
But I want to be a Germanic Heathen, who are you to tell me no?
Who are you to tell us that we have to accept you? We are Germanic Heathens because we care about our heritage, and we must protect our heritage. If you are Germanic, you are a Germanic Heathen whether you raise your arms to Thor, bend your knee to Allah or proclaim yourself above all religions. If you are not Germanic, then you are not a Germanic Heathen, but you are a Heathen of whatever ethnicity you are. If you are so mixed that you have no identity, well then, it is not our fault you were born into this world, and we should not have to accommodate you.
What justification do you have to be so exclusive?
The Germanic Gods are part of our Germanic culture. They sprang up naturally, as natural as our language or the concept of treating a guest well when he enters your home. The Gods of the Germanic people represent the Germanics firstly, secondly the Europeans, and thirdly the Indo-Europeans. They represent no one else.
There is no stopping anyone from worshiping the Germanic Gods, of course. Every individual is free to do what he or she pleases, and we do not need an inquisition. However, a Germanic man must be weary and mindful of others that try to appropriate his own heritage.
Let's put it this way. Say you are at your father's funeral. You yourself knew your father, and your bond between him is stronger than the bonds of anyone else and your father, because he is your father. Others may come and honor him at his funeral - strangers, cousins, friends, co-workers. That is fine. But the moment that your father's co-worker tells you that he has just a much of a right to honor your father's memory as you do, or insists he sits up front at the procession, is the moment he is wrong, and is appropriating what is rightfully yours.
It is the same with ethnic religions. If you are Germanic, you can only be a Germanic Heathen, or enter one of the universal religions such as Christianity or Islam. A Japanese person claiming to be as much of a Germanic Heathen as you is insulting you, and practicing cultural imperialism. Likewise, a Germanic man practicing Shintoism (the Japanese ethnic religion) is insulting the Japanese man and practicing cultural imperialism.
Do you have anything like the Bible? Or the Ten Commandments?
No. Germanic Heathenry is not dogmatic. There is no dogmatic beliefs in Germanic Heathenry or any Indo-European Heathenry. Law and society is for man to decide.
However, if you want a guide on how one should (note the word should) behave, I suggest the Hamaval, a poem recorded in the Poetic Edda attributed to Odin. There is also the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Riveda. Though these aren't Germanic texts, they are Indo-European texts and poetic, mythological and cultural cognates with the Germanic peoples. In other words, the ancient Greeks, ancient Germanics, and ancient Indians all descend from the same Indo-European ancestral people. Since we have such little left of our Germanic mythology, it is fine to look towards our cognates to embellish our own. Historical linguists, archaeologists and folklorists frequently do.
That is it for now. There will be more FAQs to come.
