The Birch, tree of creativity & discipline, was sacred to the Celtic bards, story tellers & poets who learnt & orally passed on the lore of their people. Trained bards always carried a silver branch, probably a birch, to help with clarity. #FolkloreThursday Img: Cicely Barker
Description and image from Maude Frome:
Description and image from Maude Frome:
There has been much emphasis on group think and conforming in much of Heathenry in past few years. Yes our ancestors lived in tribal groups and clans, but they never promoted "hive mind". Below is an excert from the book-From We Are Our Deeds: The Elder Heathenry, Its Ethic, and Thew by Eric Wódening Why the Germanic tribes placed such a importance on the individual cannot be said with any degree of certainty. It would appear, however, that they realized early in their development that in order for a society to thrive, its individuals must be allowed the freedom to be themselves. In a society which emphasizes conformity, the tendency would be for the individual to try to blend into the herd; hence, a warrior would avoid excelling in his craft, for fear that he would stand out from the crowd. Obviously then, conformity would keep individuals from performing to the best of their abilities. In a time and place where one’s tribe might be attacked by mad Celts at any moment, this was hardly desirable the community would want its warriors fighting to their full potential in hope of surviving the raging hordes of Gauls. Naturally, this extends to other occupations as well, so that an emphasis on individuality would also produce better scops, better smiths, and even better farmers.
Similarly, conformity could possibly have an adverse effect on the happiness of individuals. An unhappy individual is much less likely to contribute to society and much less likely to fight for that society when it is threatened by outsiders than one who is happy with his lot in life. For that reason, perhaps, the ancient Germanic tribes accorded the individual a large number of rights, such as the right to keep his own property and the right to some say in government. The survival of the community would then appear to be somewhat dependent upon the happiness of its individuals, and the odds of individuals being happy would be increased if they were simply allowed to be themselves.
Similarly, conformity could possibly have an adverse effect on the happiness of individuals. An unhappy individual is much less likely to contribute to society and much less likely to fight for that society when it is threatened by outsiders than one who is happy with his lot in life. For that reason, perhaps, the ancient Germanic tribes accorded the individual a large number of rights, such as the right to keep his own property and the right to some say in government. The survival of the community would then appear to be somewhat dependent upon the happiness of its individuals, and the odds of individuals being happy would be increased if they were simply allowed to be themselves.