We humans as we pass through time, put much water (figuratively speaking, words and deeds) into Urda's Well. The Wyrd Sisters pull water from this Well to nourish Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Time makes the strange and different put into the Well become Normal, Acceptable, and Customary. Holidays are not what they used to be in days of Elder Heathenry.
In a recent post, Calendars, holidays, their relationship and importance 2/25/2019, I discussed how calendars used factored into when the holidays were celebrated (please read the post above for clarity). This post is a followup and to answer some questions it raised.
To pure Reconstructionists, to NOT do exactly what our Ancestors did means that we "are doing it wrong." I beg to differ on this point. In my opinion, I must ask what our Ancestors would like us to do. To double down on that, I also ask what our Gods would like us to do.
To assume what our Gods would like us to do is a bit presumptuous on our part. Since they are infinitely more evolved than we are, making assumptions is a fool's errand, especially since individually we are rather insignificant. But there is one valid exception. They want us to honor them in Blot and Sumbel. They want us to grow and evolve, to be the best that we can be. You can bet that our Ancestors want the same. But pure Recons want us to do exactly what our Ancestors did in their time. To me, this is a mistake, albeit an honest one.
Recons would like if all of Heathenry fell in line with what they do. This mainly involves when and how we celebrate the holidays. They go back to how Elder Heathenry used lunar cycles/calendars to determine the Holy Tides. Make no mistake, I respect the hell out of this and totally agree. To back up their point, passages from the Yngling Saga, Bede, and one or two more sources are used. Again, I respect this stuff. And, I have used both lunar cycles and the written articles as historical points - it happened, and I will continue to do so. But, a lot of water has been put in the Well and much taken out to nourish the Tree.
Recons argue that early in the Heathen rival (or Asatru, if you prefer that word), was influenced by Wicca. That the early pioneers of Heathenry adopted the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Well, the short answer is, yes they did. However, that was then, this is now. Recons also argue the influence of Christianity on modern Heathenry. Again, the short answer is yes, it did. But this is the 21st century and much water went into the Well and Yggdrasil nourished. Here is a major point.
We cannot escape Christianity and what it did to aid and abet conversion in the North (this will have some detail in the new book). With conversion came the Julian "solar" calendar. The calendar and conversion were aided by the likes of Hakon the Good. Hakon made a law that Yule was to be celebrated at the same time as his savior's birth, which with the Julian calendar was Winter Solstice, December 25th, fixed, every year. Elder Heathenry celebrated Yule mid to late January, based on the lunar reckoning of the full moon. So Recons today celebrate Yule for three days in mid to late January. And the rest of us are wrong for not doing the same. What of the two other major holidays?
Winter's Night/Winterfyllith/ Disablot was celebrated by Elder Heathenry in mid to late October based on the full moon. Recons do this today. But, the rest of Heathenry also celebrates this holiday in the same time frame, just not in sync with the lunar cycle. Is this wrong? The short answer is no.
Eostre/Sigrblot was celebrated by Elder Heathenry in mid to late April, in sync with the full moon. Again, Recons copy this practice. The rest of Heathenry celebrates the holiday at this time, just not with the lunar cycle in mind. So, if we do not celebrate Yule in January with or without full moon reckoning, are we wrong? Are we wrong to celebrate Yuletide at roughly the same time Christians celebrate their Christmas? I believe not.
It was mentioned that we are living in the 21st century. We have moved forward and evolved, despite the presence of Christianity. That said, 21st-century life has placed demands upon us that the centuries of Elder Heathenry could not imagine. Like, holding down a job to pay the bills and put food on the table. One cannot just take three days off in the middle of the week because it's the full moon and we have a religious thing going on. For the most part, modern Heathenry uses week-ends for these celebrations, as do Recons, regardless of when the full moon shows itself. Then we have this point.
I frequently used the descriptive words "water in the well and watering world tree, watering Yggdrasil." What happened over time, due to repetition, has become Normal, Acceptable, and Customary. It becomes a part of the tree, the fabric of Wyrd. Christianity, in order to facilitate conversion, blended our Yule into their Christmas. That is the long and short of it. I do not believe that a wholesale change of Yule Celebration is needed. But there is a thing or two that needs to be understood.
Heathens of all ages need to know what happened in Elder Heathenry and why it changed. We need to know the major players in the game who made things happen. And they need to know that the conversion of the northern European peoples had just as much to do with politics as it did religion. It was the stuff that made the Saxons fight. These subjects and more will be dealt with in my new book.
Copyright 2019 Terry Unger All Rights Reserved
Recons would like if all of Heathenry fell in line with what they do. This mainly involves when and how we celebrate the holidays. They go back to how Elder Heathenry used lunar cycles/calendars to determine the Holy Tides. Make no mistake, I respect the hell out of this and totally agree. To back up their point, passages from the Yngling Saga, Bede, and one or two more sources are used. Again, I respect this stuff. And, I have used both lunar cycles and the written articles as historical points - it happened, and I will continue to do so. But, a lot of water has been put in the Well and much taken out to nourish the Tree.
Recons argue that early in the Heathen rival (or Asatru, if you prefer that word), was influenced by Wicca. That the early pioneers of Heathenry adopted the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Well, the short answer is, yes they did. However, that was then, this is now. Recons also argue the influence of Christianity on modern Heathenry. Again, the short answer is yes, it did. But this is the 21st century and much water went into the Well and Yggdrasil nourished. Here is a major point.
We cannot escape Christianity and what it did to aid and abet conversion in the North (this will have some detail in the new book). With conversion came the Julian "solar" calendar. The calendar and conversion were aided by the likes of Hakon the Good. Hakon made a law that Yule was to be celebrated at the same time as his savior's birth, which with the Julian calendar was Winter Solstice, December 25th, fixed, every year. Elder Heathenry celebrated Yule mid to late January, based on the lunar reckoning of the full moon. So Recons today celebrate Yule for three days in mid to late January. And the rest of us are wrong for not doing the same. What of the two other major holidays?
Winter's Night/Winterfyllith/ Disablot was celebrated by Elder Heathenry in mid to late October based on the full moon. Recons do this today. But, the rest of Heathenry also celebrates this holiday in the same time frame, just not in sync with the lunar cycle. Is this wrong? The short answer is no.
Eostre/Sigrblot was celebrated by Elder Heathenry in mid to late April, in sync with the full moon. Again, Recons copy this practice. The rest of Heathenry celebrates the holiday at this time, just not with the lunar cycle in mind. So, if we do not celebrate Yule in January with or without full moon reckoning, are we wrong? Are we wrong to celebrate Yuletide at roughly the same time Christians celebrate their Christmas? I believe not.
It was mentioned that we are living in the 21st century. We have moved forward and evolved, despite the presence of Christianity. That said, 21st-century life has placed demands upon us that the centuries of Elder Heathenry could not imagine. Like, holding down a job to pay the bills and put food on the table. One cannot just take three days off in the middle of the week because it's the full moon and we have a religious thing going on. For the most part, modern Heathenry uses week-ends for these celebrations, as do Recons, regardless of when the full moon shows itself. Then we have this point.
I frequently used the descriptive words "water in the well and watering world tree, watering Yggdrasil." What happened over time, due to repetition, has become Normal, Acceptable, and Customary. It becomes a part of the tree, the fabric of Wyrd. Christianity, in order to facilitate conversion, blended our Yule into their Christmas. That is the long and short of it. I do not believe that a wholesale change of Yule Celebration is needed. But there is a thing or two that needs to be understood.
Heathens of all ages need to know what happened in Elder Heathenry and why it changed. We need to know the major players in the game who made things happen. And they need to know that the conversion of the northern European peoples had just as much to do with politics as it did religion. It was the stuff that made the Saxons fight. These subjects and more will be dealt with in my new book.
Copyright 2019 Terry Unger All Rights Reserved
