Guiding Ideas, Part I: Purpose

Guiding Ideas, Part I: Purpose

In my path, I have found it more difficult to navigate the Norse lore than that of the comparable Roman or Greek. Much of this has to do with the late peaking of Scandinavian culture compared to the rest of Europe. Still very much tribal in societal ways at the height of their power, the Norse were well behind their neighboring countries, who had almost all entered medieval feudalism, largely led by the Christianization of the continent. Romans had a highly advanced civilization in comparison, specifically in their ability to read and write. In essence, the Norse’s lack of relative cultural development manifests in their severe lack of written language and oral traditions. To make matters worse, the key pieces of literacy often cited in such studies were recorded by Christian monks nearly 200 years after the pagan ways were regularly practiced. There are subtle, and sometimes less subtle, influences in the historical tales.

For example, instead of Odin simply hanging himself from Yggdrasil, it is said that he impaled himself with a spear as well, much like Jesus Christ was impaled by Casca upon the cross. Another grave influence is found in the Gylfaginning where it is said that a select number of gods, and only two humans, survive the events of Ragnarok and are thenceforth ruled by a single, almighty deity. This is largely seen by historians and followers of both religions as an attempt for Christian converts to validate their pagan family pasts in a way that states their ancestors foresaw the coming of Christ, casting Norse Paganism as a sort of prequel to Christianity.

These scattered numbers of Christian attempts to record Norse Pagan lore are far outnumbered by their successful demonization of heathens and their ways.

What I have stated thus far is a glimpse of the surface layer regarding the history of Norse Paganism in both its practice and decay/demolition. The reader should seek out further information on such matters elsewhere. There is much to consider regarding the anthropological, mystical, and civil ways of this civilization, all working together to make one image. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, nor a scholarly source from which to cite as such. This is a collection of my work and understanding of subjects within Norse Paganism, with only two agendas that come secondary to simple, enjoyable reading.

As I begin to explain the place from which any literature in this work is written, it is important to start with the theory that Rudolf Otto offered in his 1917 work, The Idea of the Holy. In this, Otto suggests that the universal human experience with higher powers, through religion or spirituality, is shared and that all cultures are experiencing the same divine power through their own unique personal and cultural lenses. To simplify his further discussion, he names this higher power The Numinous. Derived from the Latin word numen, meaning “a deity or spirit presiding over a thing or space”, Otto takes great time and care to specify that while the Numinous is divine, this quality does not make it inherently good or pure as the word or quality has seemed to gain in its meaning over time. Numinous is divine, but not morally perfect. It is neither benevolent or malevolent, simply all-encompassing. Otto’s Numinous has become a key theory in great works and a staple for professionals in a wide variety of fields.

This Numinous theory is important to the following works for several reasons. First, it is an important bias to disclose that the author subscribes to the idea of universal power, The Numinous, and as part of this work seeks to better define our species' relationship to and with it. Second, evidence from various practices points towards the idea that Norse Paganism was less of a form of religion than it was a form of spiritualism. While religious practices such as sacrifice, prayer, etc. are found, the broader practice is more reminiscent of spiritualism in the reverence of land spirits, home spirits, and more. With regards to the Numinous, the author sees Norse Paganism lining closely with such a theory, simply naming the Numinous differently based on their situational encounters with it.

Lastly, the Numinous, as described by Otto explicitly, is extremely representative of the type of relationship between the Norse/Germanic people and their gods, where it generally contrasts the relationship found in the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam). The northern people saw their gods on relatively equal terms compared to their southern counterparts. The northerners held themselves accountable for their actions and the outcome of their life, only calling on their deities for an added boon or extra assistance. The Southerners generally requested the intervention of their god prior to or without any action and generally attributed any success to the divine. It is not directly stated as such in any piece of “primary” Norse Pagan literature, rather, a fine theme within the milieu of each tale.