When Libraries Burn

Forget the Internet - libraries are terrific.  This is not a statement meant to downplay the Internet as an informational source.  This is about holding the "real deal" in your hands.  And that real deal is information.  Just think about it:  holding a book (well OK maybe a later edition copy of the original) is like holding history in your hands.  But if you are fortunate enough to hold or gaze upon an ancient manuscript consider yourself extremely fortunate; you may be seeing things through the author's eyes.  Sadly, we have lost so many "originals."  

It is unfortunate that the library of Alexandria was under siege through war and politics.  Caesar's civil war burned, whether intentionally or by accident, a considerable amount of the libraries' contents.  While putting down a rebellion in Egypt, Roman Emperor Aurelian's military tactics, again whether intentional or by accident, destroyed even more.  Then we have Roman Emperor Theodosius in 391CE declaring all forms of heathenry, paganism, and all Christian sects not compatible to Roman Christianity outlawed.  This roman emperor also authorized that the Serapeum, one of the last active and important areas within the library at Alexandria destroyed.  The Serapeum was the general area that included the temple to the pagan god Serapis.  In all cases, many scrolls containing ancient wisdom were forever destroyed. 

A massive fire struck Copenhagen during 1728.  Three days, October 20-23, bore witness to much of the old city, including a book repository, destroyed by fire's flames. It is believed that the book depository held many ancient works pertaining to the heathen north, all lost.  

The Cotton Library (Sir Robert Cotton) within the Ashburnham House (Cotton's) in England was ravaged by fire 10/23/1731.  Many manuscripts were lost, although some managed to be saved.  This library contained much information about early Anglo-Saxon England.  

In all three cases, so much information of the ancients pagan and heathen worlds was lost, information that could be used in our modern world.  

Within Asatru and Heathenry today, we understand (or should understand) the importance of knowledge; obtaining it is a never ending quest.  We are given the examples of Wodan/Odin sacrificing himself to himself to gain the knowledge of the runes and the giving up of his eye to increase his knowledge from Mimir's Well.  That's how important knowledge and the experience gained from knowing, is.

In the future, when you hear of a book being banned for some silly reason or a public library closing, look very deeply for the reasons.  Political Correctness aways is a poor reason and should not be tolerated.

                                               
                                                 Copyright @2015 Terry Unger  

    

    

Time To Toss The Cookie Cutter

As a lead in, I wanted to talk to you about Yuletide cookies made with cookie cutters and then segue into how many things cannot be solved with cookie cutter solutions.  After I gave it some thought, it appeared, rather strangely to me, that some people would just think about making cookies and miss the point.  So let's be honest, open, and bare knuckled frank.   In the past, two universal holes were made and everything is expected to pass through them and come out OK on the other side (because we all like plain vanilla, right?).  The original hole was created by monotheism and the second and most recent by the politically correct elite.  And, this everything is a person's private life, culture, heritage, and yes his native religion.  

There are those among the politically correct, cultural elite that would happily shit gold nuggets if their universal hole was like a black hole - swallowing up and absorbing everything that came within its path.  Fortunately, it  does not work this way.  And, that's a good thing, even though the individual is prompted, probed, and battered repeatedly to do so.  We still have the right to be ourselves, enjoy our cultural heritage, and to hold true to the religion/folkway of our choice.  But the person must have the "want to," or he will be sucked into one or both holes. 

When a person turns over his thinking, reasoning, and decision making to another, so as to give that person control over his life, the now subjugated person (some) will eventually not like his life.  However, there are folks who like having life decisions made for them; they think that it frees them from personal responsibility - they enjoy being drones.  Without going into complex details, politically correct mono-culturalism and monotheistic religions love their drones; without their drones, their ideology would die.  

Both insist that you must pass through their hole to be accepted; if not, bad things will happen to you (for  the monotheistic religions, read their Books.  In regards to the politically correct, the real news and social media is full of sad stories of those who do not comply or go against their agenda).  But  times are changing and we are on the cusp of that change.  A person should not fear to speak his mind, write his prose, or practice a faith path that suits him, or for that matter, none at all.  These things and more are the basics of freedom.  And freedom is not just a human right but a God(s) given right to all men.  So don't toss your cookie cutters; they help make great cookies for Yuletide.

As a young man, I was called gregarious.  Now, some of those same people label me politically incorrect.  The times have changed, I have not.  Having the skill-set to tell a person to go fuck himself in such a manner that the poor sod actually anticipates that blessed event is not just priceless but an age old art form. And, I do so love art. - Terry Unger, Author et.al.     

                                                    Copyright @2015 Terry Unger            

       

BALDER RISING

Today is the start of Father's Day weekend.  Coincidentally, it is also Summer Solstice weekend.  Most folks know that Summer Solstice gives us the longest day of sunlight.  However, from this day forward, the days grow shorter until the Winter Solstice when daylight gradually begins to grow again.  But there is something else that some folks take into consideration during Summer Solstice - the death of Balder.  

For the uninitiated, the old lore of the Germanic/Norse peoples tells the tale of the old Gods Balder and his blind brother Hodr.  Balder is all that exemplifies beauty, goodness, and that which is wholesome in the world while Hodr exemplifies, well, not much.  Mother Frigga, Wodan's wife and Queen of Asgard, works her charms and extracts promises   from everything in the Multiverse that it/they will not harm her beloved son Balder.  Well, almost everything.  Whatever the reason, the lowly parasitic plant Mistletoe was left out of Frigga's equation.  Too bad for Balder.  

As the tale continues, Balder's invincibility was celebrated in Asgard.  Nothing the other Gods did harmed the Bright One, Balder.  Then, along comes Loki, who was more than aware of the Mistletoe flub (within the Germanic/Norse lore, Loki exemplifies the negative and chaotic factors).  

Loki wasted little time in influencing blind Hodr.  He placed a bow and an arrow made of Mistletoe in Hodr's hands and even guided the shot.  The arrow found its' mark; Balder died instantly.  And, the Multiverse mourned.  

For the moment, indulge me.  Let's look at this and a bit more through a more human albeit finite lens.    

There are folks in this world that seem to have, like Balder, a Midas touch and live a charmed life.  Other folks are like Hodr and have apparent shortcomings that they let get in their way of living.  Then there are siblings where one is the "Bright One" and the other is the "Dull One."  In both cases, at least in a way, we have Balders and Hodrs.  Eventually, some of the Hodrs get sick and tired of hearing all about the Balders.  And some of them react by turning to the "dark side."  But before they turned dark, they've already convinced themselves it was OK to do so; it was their entitled right.  They dwelled too long in a negative manner on their short comings and became vulnerable to the "whisperings of Loki."  Regardless of these whisperings, you are entitled to nothing if you have not earned it.  But the fact is, there are times in our lives when all of us are vulnerable.  

It is important that you guard your thoughts.  Telling the world about your problems and short comings is counter-productive. And, allow very little time if any for a self-made "pity party." Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  Time spent recognizing your short comings and figuring out how to overcome or use them to your advantage is productive and time well spent.    Then, plan your life course and work your plan.  If you start now, by the time Winter Solstice rolls around maybe you too can be "Balder Rising."     

                                                  Copyright @2015 Terry Unger

What's Holding You Back ?

From my book, The View - One Man's Living Asatru With Help From The Havamal ... 

                                        Dare To Be Great, pages 116 and 117

When you are young, people tell you, "You're too young for that."  Then when you get old, people tell you, "You're too old for that."  If you are an infant or totally enfeebled, these admonitions hold some water.  But I am willing to bet that you do not fall into those two groups; most of us do not.  Moreover, it's more than likely that these naysayers never did a damned thing in their lives other than moving from the couch to the refrigerater.  

Modern buzz words like "think outside of the box" and "move out of your comfort zone" challenge you to take a risk.  That risk can be small or huge, but without risk nothing moves forward; everything remains static, the status quo.  If you want to do or be something special, you need to take risks.  The taste of success is sweeter with the greater level of risk; you need to take a chance.  

So get off the couch and turn off  the television.  Turrn off your computer and cell phone.  Grab a tablet and pen.  Plan out your dream and work your plan.  Go on, dare to be great.  

Havamal, verse 105 - With my tools, I carved out a path for myself.  I risked my life to reach my goals, even though there were those who would stop me if they could.  

                                      Copyright @ 2014, 2015 Terry Unger

A Taste From My Reluctant Hero Trilogy

From Book One,  The Last Wizard-The Story of a Reluctant Hero, Second Edition

In a world filled with sick humor, Smith laughed for not giving himself enough credit.  Of course, he could do it, but he would be a very busy man.  This would be his victory, his triumph, and not that of that new bitch Questioner.  The debacle that he would deliver to those heathens would catapult him into immediate promotion, more likely to Brigadier in charge of his own province ... The rest would be his prisoners, and the surviving women his playthings... 

From Book Two, Son of the Morrigan 

Max teleported back to Evergreen House after his peregrine falcon surveillance of Discovery Center.  Now he understood why Martin was so upset.  The place was a fortress ... Max was too high ... Opus Dei had stockpiled more than handguns and rifles ... what were these lunatics planning?  

From Book Three, Ragnarok 

Sunny did nothing but train for killing and she was very, very good.  She had become a true Berserker, minus the animal skins and male genetalia ... Her femininity, her femaleness, was lost.  All that was left was a well-honed killing machine. Wodan knew why:  her... 

                                           Copyright @2010, 2011, 2015 Terry Unger

Another Interview

Yesterday, June 14, 2015, I had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed for Mythology Corner - www.mythologycorner.net / www.facebook.com/mythology.corner .  Jarnulf Otter from Arizona was kind enough to be my interviewer.  Michael Erwin, owner of Fantasia Crystals LLC / www.fantasiacrysals.com located in Pheonix Arizona, provided the space in his wonderful shop that allowed the interview to happen.  Syam Akella, from Mythology Corner, and his technical team were incredibly diligent and extremely professional.  We taped for just about 2 and 1/2 hours.  Now, the editing begins to create a one hour quality interview.  When it is finished, it wil appear on this blog.  

Jarnulf, Michael, and Syam - thank you so much.  You guys ROCK!! 

                                                    Copyright @2015 Terry Unger 

Some Bragging and a Snipet From THREE TALL TALES

First, the brag.  This week, my blog went over 30,000 page views, many of them international.  So I must be doing something right!  

From THREE TALL TALES, my book of short stories - 

From the short story, Tarr and His Amazing Flying Machine

"No Ben Jaeger, I am not wrong.  I have watched you for a long time.  Just a few moments ago, ... body odor.  You sensed it with your sense of smell.  Just as your senses picked that up, I sensed your unhappiness with yourself."  

"You're right.  so many things in this ..."  Tarr cut Ben off in mid-sentence.  

"Do not be offering excuses when in silence, you can be seeking the answers!  Would you like a head start, Ben Jaeger?  Do you think that you have the courage?"  

"I don't know Tarr.  But I will never know if I do not try."  

"For you Ben Jaeger, that was a good answer.  Now, listen to me and not the crap you hear and see on your social media and television which is filled with so much psycho-babble.  You are not happy with yourself because you are lost ..."

From The Fires at Midnight

The old man sat by his fire, tightly wrapped in his bear skin.  So far, he had seen eighty-six winters, but this one was by far the worst.  Scars from past wounds and poorly healed bones, earned in battles long gone, racked his body with pain.  His hair was scraggly and chalk white; the scar over his right eye that extended past his cheek made him look hideous to the common stranger.  He could not relieve his body from the grip of cold that surrounded him, regardless of how close he sat to the fire or how much ale he consumed.  He was tired, very tired.  

... "Tonight, young ones," Tarr said in the best voice that he could muster, "begins your final lesson ..."  

This book and more are available on this blog - direct links to Amazon - just a click away!

                                             

                                             Copyright @ 2013, 2015 Terry Unger