“Your pagan ancestors converted to Christianity” they scream, but what is meant here by “Christianity”? The propaganda used to entice the Germanic peoples bore little resemblance to what we now consider to be Christianity. Remember that the majority of people even in 1500 were illiterate, let alone in 700 when the English were being converted. So people never understood the religion directly from the Bible, only indirectly via poems, miracle plays, religious art and sermons etc.

Here are some of the ways that Christian mythology was presented to our ancestors:

-Norse poem from 10th century says Jesus is at Urðarbrunnr “the well of fate” beneath the world tree in Heathen myth.
-Saxon gospel Heliand 830 AD says Jesus always addresses his disciples from the water’s edge, like Odin whose speaker’s chair is at the well of memory.
-English Dream of the Rood poem says Jesus is a ġeong hæleð "young warrior" and the cross is a conscious sacred tree which can speak.
-Anglo-Saxon gospels use the word “thegn” referring to a military attendant of a Germanic lord, to refer to God’s angels and to Christ’s disciples. The word has specific class associations from the military social hierarchy of the comitatus of Heathendom.
-They kept the Heathen word for the underworld “Hell” and continued to believe it was a place full of snakes (Judith poem) as in Heathen myth.
-Jesus went down to Hell and rescued all the noble pagans and took them to heaven (Harrowing of hell) so that Germanic people could still dwell in the afterlife with their noble pagan ancestors even after converting.
-The Jews in the Old English version of Exodus are depicted like Anglo-Saxons and Moses is said to defeat the enemy race by means of battle.
-That the god Sceaf was the son of the biblical Noah (Noah fathered Teutonic gods!)

This is just bait and switch. Our ancestors never converted to what people now call Christianity.

Shape-shifting in the Saga of Hrolf Kraki:

In Hrólfs saga kraka, during the final battle, Boðvarr Bjarki sits in a hall, apparently not participating in the battle. However, a huge bear joins the king's forces on the battlefield - not only leading the charge, but also keeping at bay the magic of the opponents.

Bjarki's ally, Hjalti, does not understand that the bear and Bjarki are the same being and thinks that Bjarki is just dozing off in the hall instead of fighting outside, so he wakes him up. As a result, the bear immediately disappears, and the battle is eventually lost.

Odin as the Allfather and ultimate governor of cosmic order:

Gangleri began his questioning thus: "Who is foremost, or oldest, of all the Gods?" High (Óðinn) answered: "He is called in our speech Allfather, but in the Elder Ásgard he has twelve names: one is Allfather; the second is Lord, or Lord of Hosts; the third is Nikarr, or Spear-Lord; the fourth is Nikudr, or Striker; the fifth is Knower of Many Things; the sixth, Fulfiller of Wishes; the seventh, Far-Speaking One; the eighth, The Shaker, or He that Putteth the Armies to Flight; the ninth, The Burner; the tenth, The Destroyer; the eleventh, The Protector; the twelfth, Gelding."

Then asked Gangleri: "Where is this god, or what power hath he, or what hath he wrought that is a glorious deed?" High made answer: "He lives throughout all ages and governs all his realm and directs all things, great and small."

-Gylfaginning III, Prose Edda

Image: Odin casts Loki's children away by Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908).

Omnipotent Óðinn

"There is one abode called Hliðskjálf, and when Allfather sat in the high seat there, he looked out over the whole world and saw every man's acts, and knew all things which he saw."

-Gylfaginning IX, Prose Edda

Odin's position as the Allfather and Cosmic One is exemplified in the Gylfaginning, in which King Gylfi obtains divine wisdom from Odin Himself. When Odin is seated on His high-throne, Hliðskjálf ("Opening Pinnacle"), His omniscience is realised and His gaze peers into all of the nine realms.

This is fundamental to our understanding of Odin as the Allfather of both the Gods and man, as it illustrates how His essence is present in all of creation and His far-reaching gaze oversees it. One of Odin's epithets, Jǫrmunr ("the mighty one" or "cosmic"), epitomises this position and role.

The Gylfaginning continues:

"For this reason must he be called Allfather: because he is father of all the gods and of men, and of all that was fulfilled of him and of his might. The Earth was his daughter and his wife; on her he begot the first son, which is Ása-Þórr ("Aesir-Thor"): strength and prowess attend him, wherewith he overcometh all living things."

Image: Odin by Sarah Bradish (1900).

🌿 History: The Disputation of Paris took place in 1240 under King Louis IX of France.

The event occurred after Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity, translated the Talmud and presented 35 "blasphemous" charges in the minds of Christian Europeans at the time to Pope Gregory IX.

The Pope and Louis found the passages of the Talmud blasphemous, prompting King Louis IX to order the burning of 24 wagon loads of up to 10,000 volumes of Hebrew manuscripts. This was a striking number considering that the printing press did not exist, meaning that all copies of a work had to be written out by hand.

Late Neolithic Polished Stone Axe - Saint-Saëns, Normandy, Northern France. Diorite, 4500-3500 BC.

On the Dísir, Fylgjur and Religion:

In the Þiðranda Þattr ok Þórhalls episode of Olafs Saga Tryggvasonar, Þiðrandi awakens in the night to sounds from the wilderness. He believes they're wanderers in need of hospitality.

Investigating, he sees nine women in svartr ("black") with drawn swords from the north and nine women in white on white horses to the south. Before he can alert the others, the women in black attack, but Þiðrandi defends himself drengiliga ("manfully").

Wounded, Þiðrandi tells Þórhallr the story before dying. Þiðrandi is buried in a mound and Þórhallr interprets the vision as a struggle between Þiðrandi's good and bad dísir or fylgjur, seeing a premonition of religious change. Both the words dísir and fylgur are used interchangeably by Þórhallr.

The supposedly bad dísir seek to claim one last good family member before the religious change occurs, whilst the good dísir, sympathetic towards Christianity, strive to protect Þiðrandi.

It is important to note that the dísir can be opposed or sympathetic towards religious change as noted in the story. This demonstratingly shows us that a core belief in these beings, which is inherently pagan, did not cease to exist after a change in Norse socio-cultural values. The dísir still had a presence and effect on the lives of the Norse, whose religion was beginning to change.

To learn more about the fylgjur and significance of the number nine in our tradition, see:
-Finding your Fylgja: Spirit Animal in Norse Mythology
-Number Nine in Norse Mythology

Eternal History II for the boys and girls!
Eternal History I.

The first full moon of April will be coming up in a few days on the 24th, which will be the 17th day of Eastermonaþ (Easter Month).

This means that it is a good time to make blót (sacrifice/offering) to Easter. It doesn't necessarily have to be on the full moon - whatever works best for you is also fine.

That said, what are some of the signs we should look for after giving thanks to the Gods? Here are some of the ways in which you can know when the Gods have accepted your offerings:

-The Gods Hear Your Prayers: Understanding Augury and Omens as a Pagan.

The next full moon will be on the 23rd of May 2024, which will be the 16th day of Þrimilcemonaþ (Three-Milkings Month).

The stele of Lauris from France’s megalithic Chasséen culture 4500 BC to 3500 BC. Dominated by I2 Y haplogroups

Have a fantastic St George's day 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

This is an exciting new find from Kent, England. It is a 6th-7th century copper alloy patrix bearing an odinic spear dancer like those found across other Germanic countries.

I believe in sorcery

https://t.me/emmalucyshaw/2530

My most liked post thus far has received 3.8 million views and 238,000 likes on Instagram.

It seems everyone loves history content!

The masculine urge to sit and contemplate.