Non-wiccan pagans/reports of

Factual Questions
1

In the 1970’s , I read several reports that the old Norse religion {Odin , Thor, et.al} was still being practiced in remote areas of Iceland.
Iceland WAS a Norse colony, and the reports coincided with the legal establishment of freedom of religion in Iceland.

Allegedly, these rites have continued for centuries, but I know that Wiccans, Druids, etc. are kidding themselves when they think that they are practicing the same rites that existed in ancient times.

So. What’s the SD?
News reports, firsthand accounts & other sources appreciated.No WAGS , & please, no Banshee!

We have met the enemy, and He is Us.–Walt Kelly

2

FWIW, there is a group (or maybe it’s only one guy) here in Washington state who claims to be descended from the Vikings and still practicing their religion.

It wouldn’t be a big deal to anyone except when they found an 8,000 or so year old skeleton at some archeological dig the usual tug-of-war between the Native Americans and the archeologists turned into a three way race. This guy claimed it was the skeleton of some intrepid early (very early!) Viking and that he, being their spiritual heir, was entitled to care for the remains.

I’m not sure of the details – it’s been a while – but just to show you how silly it all is they had to treat this guy like he had a legitimate claim.

I’ll post this and see if I can’t find some better source than my leaky memory. BRB.

Dimly,
Pluto

“non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem”
– William of Ockham

3

Well, I found this from the American Archaeological Institute which describes the controversy between the scientists and the Indian tribes, but has no reference to the Vikings:

http://www.archaeology.org/9701/etc/specialreport.html

And I found this describing the claims of the Viking group:

http://www.runestone.org/km3.html

Apparently the dispute is still unresolved.

Controversially,
Pluto

“non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem”
– William of Ockham

4

As a Wiccan, I just need to say that I am not deluding myself. I am quite aware that I don’t practice the same rituals that ancients did. :slight_smile:

There is quite a spectrum of views for this in the pagan world. I think most pagans who really have their feet on the ground realize that modern rituals are merely inspired by the little we may know of ancient nature religions. Now that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of pagans who don’t have their feet on the ground. :wink:

5

Pluto: You can find reference to the Viking/Native American remains debate in the April 26, 1999 copy of Newsweek.

6

i too have hear report of the Viking religeon being practiced not only in Iceland but also in Germany and other european nations.

Seems, from the accounts I have heard, it’s a fairly violent group as well, and a bit off kilter if you ask me.

To deal with men by force is as impractical as to deal with nature by persuasion.

7

Absolutely. I used to be acquainted with several people, including one couple who traveled extensively to meetings, who were Tiw worshipers (for lack of an easier way to phrase it).

8

Hmmm…we have Pluto posting regarding non-wiccan pagans. At least GOD and Satan haven’t yet (to say nothing of Imthecowgodmoo).

Will all supernatural beings please form a neat line over here… :wink:

9

OK more pagan stuff woohoo!
You must ask yourself “what IS pagan?” the origin of the word comes from the Latin Paganus meaning “country dweller”…also applied as a sort of slur meening “Different”
after the coming of the Catholics into things…the old religions <there were many moe than one> were only practiced outside of big cities…and if they WERE practiced there it was done in secret. We all know about the historical hypocrisy of the old world Christians…not to sling any mud in the eyes of the Modern ones…there are some whose heart and minds are inthe right place and whether they like it or not the Godess listens to them too.
But i think i can speak for all who choose th e liberty of pagan/wicca/etc when I say that the only characteristic of being a pagan is that you form your own beliefs…and follow your heart.There is no REAL structure and that is ok…thers no real structure to the universe either. One really mirrors the other.
When you get into some cheese eating kid yelling profanities and talking about spells and curses I think you probably are dealing wiht someone who just thinks hes cool…but not to worry She has ways of dealing with them too.

10

brithael, again showing complete historical ignorance blathered:

Hey, brith, did you ever hear of throwing the Christians to the lions? Now, who do you think did that… just who could it be… I don’t know… maybe perhaps…

PAGANS??!!

Yes, that’s right, the good ol’ form your own beliefs, do no harm, Goddess lovin’, follow your heart Pagans. Pagans skewered Christians, pagans crucified Christians (and Jews), pagans fed Christians to wild beasts, pagans burned Christians (how ironic!), etc…

I’m glad to see that you follow the ancient Pagan ways handed down from Mother to Daughter in an unbroken succession since Neolithic times. Surely you claim this wanton cruelty to Christians as part of your heritage as much as the love spells and worship of the Mother Goddess, right? Not to mention the unbridled cruelty and genocide that one race/tribe of Pagans inflicted on another over the centuries, right? Or maybe you’ve never heard of the famous Pagan, Atilla the Hun?

As long as you identify your modern, New Age Wiccanism as being part of the cultural heritage of Medieval and Ancient Pagans and bemoan how ‘you’ have been persecuted for all these ages, then it must stand to reason that you claim all of Pagan heritage as your own, including Pagan cruelty to Christians and other Pagans. I’ll be waiting for your apology on behalf of all Pagans of all times, since you think you can speak for them.

(By the way, I applaud the Wiccan board members who distance themselves from the non-historical claims of some of the other Wiccan board members who are deluded into thinking that their Wiccanism is an unbroken cultural tradition passed down through the centuries. I have much respect for these
learned Wiccans and respect for their religious beliefs and practices. It’s the historically ignorant Wiccans I can’t abide – just like I can’t abide historically ignorant Christians, Jews, Muslims, and
atheists.)

11

I’d just like to clarify the definition of “pagan” with the first defintion from Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of The English Language:

pagan: n 1. one of a people or community prefessing a polytheistic religion such as the ancient Romans, Greeks, etc.

Meaning, pagans arent all Wiccan. Do not use the terms interchangeably. That’s as if I called a Jew or Muslim a Christian because they believe in a single god like I do.

12

Moriah, for heaven’s sake, grab a paper bag and start breathing into it. You sound like you’re going to hyperventilate.

For the record: “pagan” refers to about any polytheistic/non-Judeo/Muslim/Christian religion.

Yes, some pagans burned Christians, threw them to the lions, slaughtered them by the tens of thousands. Did they do it because they were pagans or because they were bastards with the power to maim, torture, and kill innocent people? Would they have refrained from killing those Christians if they had been Jews, Zoroastrians, or Buddhists?

Hmmm, tough questions. Even better, do modern day pagans try to pass off what their predecessors did as okay? Hopefully no more than what modern Christians do.

Can we not turn this into "your religious ancestor beat up on my religious ancestor worse!. There are better things that we can spend our time on.

“I’m surprised that you’ve never been told before, that you’re lovely, that you’re perfect, and that somebody wants you.” - Semisonic, f.n.p

13

phouka, I do regard the Hey, your ancestors beat up my ancestors argument as scurrilous. That’s why when brithael used it, I turned it back on brith to show how idiotic it was.

Peace.

14

Dammit!!!

I started this thread to determine if the old Norse religion was still being practiced in Iceland. Not squabble about who is and is not a Pagan, or if Pagans have cleaner hands than Christians.
Are there people in Iceland who are sacrificing bulls to Odin, as rumored since the 1970’s?
We got Icelanders on this board! How about it people? Any of you heard rumors?

We have met the enemy, and He is Us.–Walt Kelly

15

Daniel: how long have you been on the SDMB? Almost ALL questions that aren’t straightforward go off on tangents. If the resident Icelanders knew they would probably tell you :). Although i doubt our most vocal one (Bjorn AKA Ratatosk :))would answer here since he seems to dwell on the BBQ pit and only flame Americans.