I feel compelled to write a public post on my views on a difficult subject. That subject is that of pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon belief systems, or heathenism. After recent events the subject of so called neo-paganism or folkish beliefs has somewhat come into the spotlight. I thought I’d share some views as a practicing heathen.
Is it possible to be a heathen without being a racist?
The basic question of whether it is possible to be a heathen without being a racist should be obvious. Yes, it is possible to have progressive non-racist views and actions as a practicing heathen.
The ancestral nature of the folk beliefs of Anglo-Saxons.
There is a component of heathen views in which one should venerate their ancestors. This is where it is easy to go down the path of racism, i.e. thinking only your ancestors have value or are important. My opinion is that in contemporary society most of us have many diverse ancestors if you go back far enough. If there are those who doubt this I encourage them to look into a website like ancestory.com and get a test or directly trace their heritage. Even if an element of your ancestry is concentrated in a certain region, elsewhere you will have diversity. Furthermore, all honorable ancestors are worthy of veneration even those who did not exist in Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian regions.
The nature of the hero's of Anglo-Saxon lore and history.
There is some elements of the lore of the heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture that may cause concern for critical race theory. The example I’ll use is the Frisian King Redbad, although there are many others. Redbad fought back the Catholic French in order to retain control of Friesland. He is most known for refusing to be baptized by the Christians because he would rather spend his afterlife in Hel with his forefathers. The problem is that Christianity is race blind for the most part, so this hero could be viewed as promoting a pure Frisii territory as opposed to allowing the French in. Most of the heroes of heathenism fought against the Roman Christians in one form or another.
Contemporary belief systems and their extreme elements.
Now we arrive at the real problem for most people, the contemporary version of neo-paganism. The most notable abuse of heathen symbols was during World War II. The use of runes by Himmler’s SS is quite well known and documented. Even Karl Jung claimed that Wotan was the spirit of the German people during the 1930’s. The white nationalism of Hitler’s government has still to this day put a stigma on heathen symbols and cultures. Admittedly, there are some who practice heathenism who do believe that some form of white nationalism is appropriate for the Anglo-Saxon people. These extreme elements ruin the credibility and efforts of the rest of the heathens to have a place in contemporary society and should be publicly denounced.
My role in heathenism.
If you’ve read this far you may be wondering: what led me to practice heathenism. The question is valid, as the practice is not often openly promoted.
My father’s name.
My grandfather travelled from the The Hague, Netherlands to America. In 1968 he had a child and named him Wodan, which is the Dutch translation of the Norse version Odin. My grandfather is very much a mystery to me, as I never met him and my Father barely new him. I’ve been able to discover he came from a family who owned the fishing operation W Vanderzwan and his family primarily resided in the district adjacent to the Monarch’s Palace in Scheveningen. Regardless of family history it always intrigued me growing up that my father had such a unique name.
My spiritual interactions.
Around the age of 17, I began to have spiritual experiences that led me to believe that my father’s name was important, yet I still did not know why or what it represented. I spent my late teenage years and early twenties with a Noble Roman Catholic family and had in depth conversations with the Patriarch of this family about the nature of Christianity and wealth. While in college I was educated in various leadership values and skills and continued to seek the truth of my Father’s name. Eventually I learned that this name represented the Father of Anglo-Saxon Kings, at least according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written for King Alfred. I became convinced that I should become a hero of this ancient King.
My adventures and quests.
When I decided to attempt to become a heroic figure at 17 I didn’t know much about anything. I would disappear for times and try to encounter spiritual ancestors to help guide me on my path. My travels took me to Newburyport, MA, New York, New York, Bar Harbor, ME, Hillsboro Beach, FL, and Washington D.C. Each time the quest would become more and more bold. My original efforts where only in my hometown and had minimum effect. My latest quest is likely still under investigation, and part of the reason why I write this post.
If there is interest in hearing more about heathenism or my latest quest perhaps I would write more. For now, I think that will be all.
