Ask a polytheist

[Joecoolyo]

And suddenly your religion sounds like one of the best religions I've heard of.

Sounds like every other religion except the two largest.

 

[IdiotsOpposite]

Sounds like every other religion except the two largest.

Why do you think I included "that I've heard of"?

NOTE: By heard of, I mean of course understand at least part of the beliefs, not simply knowing the name. By that definition, I exclude such religions as Hinduism and Buddhism, because I don't yet understand part of their beliefs.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Why do you think I included "that I've heard of"?

NOTE: By heard of, I mean of course understand at least part of the beliefs, not simply knowing the name. By that definition, I exclude such religions as Hinduism and Buddhism, because I don't yet understand part of their beliefs.

I'm sure you've heard of plenty of religions that aren't heavy proselytizers.

 

[LegionSteve]

I'm sure you've heard of plenty of religions that aren't heavy proselytizers.

Without knowing what those religions actually believe, it could just be they take the view that "the infidels are going to hell, let them burn, LOL"
Rather than "the infidels are going to hell, we must save them."

It is nice to know for sure that at least one religion hasn't condemned me to hell yet

Question: If I don't die fighting bravely, but I mostly go through life not being a jerk, which afterlife would I end up in?

 

[Josu]

How was the creation (earth&life) according to your religion?

 

[Joecoolyo]

Without knowing what those religions actually believe, it could just be they take the view that "the infidels are going to hell, let them burn, LOL"
Rather than "the infidels are going to hell, we must save them."

I want an example of a popular religion that does this, out of curiosity.

 

[LegionSteve]

I want an example of a popular religion that does this, out of curiosity.

I don't know one. I'm just saying, since I know very little about most of them, that might be the case for all I know. This is the first one where I have seen it confirmed, by someone who knows, that I don't have to sign up as an official member to avoid eternal punishment. That might turn out to be the norm, and the ones that say I'm going to hell are the exception, in which case fine

 

[gangleri2001]

I trust you, but it sounded weird to me.
Maybe it is because I had a different perception of plenty

Well, given that we were illegal since 1979 and that in 1981 there were only 2 pagans in the whole of Spain, having now a few hundreds of followers of the germanic branch and a few thousands of pagans if we combine all the pagan branches (Wicca, celtic, etc.), I wouldn't say that we haven't become "plenty" in the last decades.

so do you have any sacred landscapes, like holy woods, mountains, rivers, or is praying something you just do anywhere you settle down outside?
do you pray alone or in groups?
if in groups, what do the rituals look like?

We did have our sacred landscapes and woods and trees in the pagan past. One good example of this is the famous holy tree Irminsul. These places have been many times renamed by christians with names related to the devil and have seen the presence of witches and witchcraft throughout the centuries, so our holy woods, rivers, fountains, etc. are pretty much the same as they were in the Ancient Times. There're, however, some unretrievable cases, such as the aforementioned Irminsul.

I do pray alone. One thing pretty much exclusive of our time is that there're plenty of isolated pagans. In Ancient Times pagans did perform their rituals in the open and publicly. During the Times of Darkness however, little clandestine communities of pagans kept practicing them. Nowadays, however, the Times of Darkness are over, which means that we can practice them publicly again but since we no longer depend on small clandestine communities, modern life-style has made us more individualsitic and converts most of times don't find other pagans to practice their religion with in their area we have now plenty of isolated pagans which makes extremely hard to say how many pagans are there right now. Thanks to the internet, however, we do know that there're many pagans.

And our rituals are pretty simple and frugal. They're far away from pomposity. The Blót, which can also be performed alone, is just the average libation & feast you can also find in other Indo-european religions and the Symbel consists of passing around a horn with mead and making oaths if we feel we have to. Both are pretty simple and frugal and they are the most common rituals.

Do you consider yourself of Germanic blood? Are there any sizable Celt-Iberian druidism followers where you live? What's you attitude towards other pagan movements?

Slavic paganism in particular?
*snip*

No. Sure we have some Germanic heritage here but we are and I am essentialy Latins. Why do I practice Germanic paganism? Because I feel I have to just like a compass points northwards because that's its nature. As simple as that. Does this mean that I will eventualy convert to Roman paganism? I don't know, but given that Germanic gods woke me up back to paganism I feel that leaving them would show them my ingratitude. I've, however, thought of educating my sons in the Latin religion if ever have any and I have even thought of placing a lararium at home. I've even thought of the best place to place it.

Yes, there're Celtiberian pagans here but their organizations are usually small and badly organized. There're, as I think you already know, big ideological differences in all branches of paganism. Looks like we're going through times of isolated and ideologically and religiously radicalized paganism as a result of the end of the Times of Darkness and it may take a century before this settles and well organized pagans reappear.

As for rodnovery, you people are doing a good job. Rodnovery is in an incredible good shape (though it has not reached the levels of romuva or hetanism) and the back-to-roots way of thinking that Russians have been showing since the end of the USSR can only mean that it will get better. I've heard, however, of the division between Perunists and Velesians which reminds me of the racist vs. non-racist division we have in Germanic paganism. As I said, we are going through times of division because everyone wants to be the only ones who do reconstruct the ancient faith the right way.

Question: If I don't die fighting bravely, but I mostly go through life not being a jerk, which afterlife would I end up in?

Nastrond ---> Where you get if you do nasty things. It doesn't matter how have you died. I you do nasty things you get there no matter what and you won't get out of there. There's no forgiveness.

Valhalla or Folkvangar ---> Where you get if you haven't done nasty things and die fighting because the valkyries have chosen you to do so. If you get to either Valhalla or Folkvangar is something that depends on the agreement between Odin and Freyja, not on your acts.

Hellheim (aka. Hell) ---> Where you get if you haven't done neither. It's a cold and dark place where dead people rest until Ragnarok, when they will be called to fight against the gods.

How was the creation (earth&life) according to your religion?

Wow. That's just too much. I better let about.com answer that for me.

 

[Josu]

Wow. That's just too much. I better let about.com answer that for me.

Is there any difference with the creation in Viking mithology?

 

[gangleri2001]

What you call Viking mythology is in fact Germanic mythology.

 

[Josu]

What you call Viking mythology is in fact Germanic mythology.

OK, I assume this as a Yes to my question.
I won't refer again to germanic mythology as viking

 

[LegionSteve]

So unless I die fighting heroically (which is pretty unlikely) the best I can hope for is Hellheim, the cold dark place. Doesn't sound that great But at least I get out of there when Ragnarok comes.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

Wait, so eventually we'll either fight here on earth, or fight against the gods later?

Being a pacifist sounds way more badass now.

 

[gangleri2001]

So unless I die fighting heroically (which is pretty unlikely) the best I can hope for is Hellheim, the cold dark place. Doesn't sound that great But at least I get out of there when Ragnarok comes.

Yes. You go the the cold and dark world of the dead so you can rest. It doesn't sound great because being dead isn't that great but hey, it could be worse, you know? You could end up in a place where you get burn and turtured or in a boring heaven with unsexed angels just like the christians think they will end up.

Wait, so eventually we'll either fight here on earth, or fight against the gods later?

Being a pacifist sounds way more badass now.

No. If you die fighting then you'll be part of the chosen slain that will fight with the gods at Ragnarok (well, in fact it's the battle of Vígríðr but whatever). If you don't, you'll fight on Surtr's side. Pacifism is not an option.

 

[Berzerker]

1) Joseph Campbell noted possible precessional numbers at Angkor Wat and in the story of Ragnarok when 800 warriors exit the 540 doors of Valhalla on their way to battle. Hamlet's Mill is a great book on how myths relate celestial information and the authors focused on Danish and Scandinavian sources (apparently so did Shakespeare ). Whats your take on precession and other celestial phenomenon in N European pagan religion? Feel free to type away...

2) do you have a pantheon of 12 "high" gods like the Norse (and Sumerians)? With a trinity (aside from personal favorites)?

3) The Mesopotamian creation myth (enuma elish) described 9 worlds before "God" appeared to begin creating, Siberian shaman held ceremonies before 9 trees representing their "heaven", Dante describes 9 celestial levels, the Norse "world tree" has 9 branches, Mount (Su)Meru has 9 levels, the Inca and Nazca long before them depicted 9 worlds or levels in their cosmologies and the Toltec believed in 9 "Lords of the Night" (Chichen Itza embodies part of their cosmology with 9 levels topped by a temple). On the equinoxes a "serpent" appears to ascend and descend a staircase as the sun rises and sets, but by virtue of the architecture the serpent has 7 humps - the #7 is all over the world. Do you believe these cosmologies have a common origin?

4) The Greeks equated their gods with earlier Egyptian and Mesopotamian deities. How far back do your gods go and what are their earlier counterparts? Especially Loki, do you know his origins?

5) What role(s) if any does "the Serpent" play in your religion? An older counterpart?

 

[Virote_Considon]

So how long have you been a neo-nazi?

Did you become a neo-nazi through your association with Catalan nationalism or was the Catalan nationalism an evolution of you neo-nazism?

 

[Traitorfish]

Do you literally believe in a pantheon of gods, or are they regarded as personifications of universal principles? (Or something else altogether?)

What do you think about the more "romantic" pagan groups, like Wiccans and neo-Druids?

 

[Huayna Capac357]

Why follow Germanic neopaganism rather than a different ethnic group's neopaganism?

 

[gangleri2001]

1) Joseph Campbell noted possible precessional numbers at Angkor Wat and in the story of Ragnarok when 800 warriors exit the 540 doors of Valhalla on their way to battle. Hamlet's Mill is a great book on how myths relate celestial information and the authors focused on Danish and Scandinavian sources (apparently so did Shakespeare ). Whats your take on precession and other celestial phenomenon in N European pagan religion? Feel free to type away...

Really? I had no idea. Put in context that fragment appears to say "look what an awesome and huge palace we have". I'd never thought that it had something to do with precession (I should pay more attention to details, I know). As for other celestial phenomena, I've to admit that I don't pay much attention to them. I'm more a telluric pagan. I know that the Valkyries and their shields are responsible for the aurora but I don't pay much attention to it. Perhaps I pay more attention to the rainbow because of its symbology related to death and Heimdall an other metheorological phenomena such has Thor's thunder or Odin's lightning but, as I said, those are more metheorological than celestial phenomena. The only celestial phenomenon I observe is Oskorei. The wild hunt which takes place on the roads between 31th October and 21st March. Between these days I avoid being on a road after sunset because this is the time of the realm of darkness and the hunting gods. It's the only celestial event (year's dark half) which truly is important in my specific way of practicing the religion, as for the rest, I'm as telluric as someone can be. But thanks for the info and the question, it has helped me to realize that I should pay more attention to the sky.

2) do you have a pantheon of 12 "high" gods like the Norse (and Sumerians)? With a trinity (aside from personal favorites)?

You could say that I'm pretty monolatrist. I'm far from being a monolatrist, but my devotion to Heimdall sometimes does not let me see the other gods in the appropiate manner. You could say, however, that I've 3 triads. One is for the mysteries of life (Odin, Loki and Heimdall), the other is for the house (Frey, Freyja and Frigg) and the last is for justice (Týr, Forseti, Ullr). I've no dii consentes or anything which may resemble them but the tendency of having twelve main gods in all Indo-european religions is definitely there.

3) The Mesopotamian creation myth (enuma elish) described 9 worlds before "God" appeared to begin creating, Siberian shaman held ceremonies before 9 trees representing their "heaven", Dante describes 9 celestial levels, the Norse "world tree" has 9 branches, Mount (Su)Meru has 9 levels, the Inca and Nazca long before them depicted 9 worlds or levels in their cosmologies and the Toltec believed in 9 "Lords of the Night" (Chichen Itza embodies part of their cosmology with 9 levels topped by a temple). On the equinoxes a "serpent" appears to ascend and descend a staircase as the sun rises and sets, but by virtue of the architecture the serpent has 7 humps - the #7 is all over the world. Do you believe these cosmologies have a common origin?

No, they don't have a common origin. What they have is a common influence: siberian shamanism. Siberian shamanism influenced peoples all across Eurasia and those who later would become the amerincians back in the late Stone Age. Besides, our cosmologies are based in observation of the natural world. For example, a pregnancy takes 9 moons, so that explains easily why is this number so important in all these cosmologies without having to look for more complex (but not less true) explainations.

4) The Greeks equated their gods with earlier Egyptian and Mesopotamian deities. How far back do your gods go and what are their earlier counterparts? Especially Loki, do you know his origins?

What do you mean? I don't understand this. Please reformulate your question.

5) What role(s) if any does "the Serpent" play in your religion? An older counterpart?

I don't understand what do you mean with older counterpart. As for Jormungand, it's the snake of the world, the limit between the known and the unknown. Jormungand is the only thing that can be defeated by Thor, the mighty and main god of the Karls. So I'd say that, in an abstract way, Jormungand is mankind's struggle against the horizon that doesn't let us look beyond it.

So how long have you been a neo-nazi?

Did you become a neo-nazi through your association with Catalan nationalism or was the Catalan nationalism an evolution of you neo-nazism?

I've never been a neo-nazi and Catalan nationalism is knwon for not having neo-nazis (you know, being oppressed by a fascist dictator is not the best way to make you feel sympathy for fascism). But you're right. There're plenty of nazis in our religion (which means that they have never heard of what Hitler and his friends thought of and did to the Germanic neopagans of their time btw). I'd say that there's pretty much a division in two halfs. 50% of germanic neopagans are non-nazis and the other 50% are nazis or follow any other kind of racist ideology. In Every big meeting of our religion you can feel and "electric" atmosphere, which is fun and fits our religion pretty well.

Do you literally believe in a pantheon of gods, or are they regarded as personifications of universal principles? (Or something else altogether?)

What do you think about the more "romantic" pagan groups, like Wiccans and neo-Druids?

I literally believe in them. They are the gods of Asgard who rule certain aspects of the natural world.

As for the other groups. Both Wiccans and neo-druidists hava small minorities that take it seriously while most of its members are a bunch of dumbasses who have no idea about anything. They're like your average christian or Churchill's famous average voter so I don't spend my time thinking of them. As for these small minorities, I feel a profound respect for them. Neo-druidists are the earliest of the neo-pagans and wiccans appear to me as a modern (but not for this less welcome) attempt made by some people to keep the witches' religion alive that eventualy ended up resembling to the duality between El and Asherah of the times the First Temple of Jerusalem, aka. Solomon's Temple (that's why pagan neo-nazis claim that it's a jewish thing and stuff).

Why follow Germanic neopaganism rather than a different ethnic group's neopaganism?

Because my "religious compass" pointed (and points) that direction. As simple as that.

 

[_random_]

Yes. You go the the cold and dark world of the dead so you can rest. It doesn't sound great because being dead isn't that great but hey, it could be worse, you know? You could end up in a place where you get burn and turtured or in a boring heaven with unsexed angels just like the christians think they will end up.

For what it's worth, what you described is pretty unlike most Christian ideas of the afterlife with which I'm familiar.

No. If you die fighting then you'll be part of the chosen slain that will fight with the gods at Ragnarok (well, in fact it's the battle of Vígríðr but whatever). If you don't, you'll fight on Surtr's side. Pacifism is not an option.

So if I'm placed on one side during Ragnarok but just don't do anything with my sword/bow/gun/whatever, what happens?

Are there any elements of monotheism you find especially improbable?