Ancestor Veneration
Posted by Byron Pendason on October 6, 2019 CE, in Heathen basics, Heathen worldview, Heathen worship, AfterlifeOne of my favorite Disney songs is Honor To Us All from Mulan, because of these lyrics (sang by Mulan):AncestorsHear my plea:Help me not to make a fool of meAnd to not uproot my family tree.Keep my father standing tall.This reveals a little about Chinese folk religion. First the importance of family, not wanting to dishonor her family or her father. As an extension of this family honor, that the Chinese practiced ancestor veneration.So why am I talking about Chinese folk religion on an Anglo-Saxon Heathenry blog? Many ancient cultures practiced ancestor veneration, the ancient heathens (pagans from ancient Germanic...
Wyrd- the Heathen Concept of Fate
Posted by Byron Pendason on October 2, 2019 CE, in Heathen basics, Heathen worldviewFate. The word often conjures up the image of some deity on high, planning out your life for you in advance. I blame this on the Christian theology of predestination, a Christian doctrine of the time. I do not think this is how it works in Paganism though. And it’s definitely not how it works in Heathenry.Wyrd is an Old English (the language of the Anglo-Saxons) word meaning literally, “that which comes.” (Online Etymology Dictionary). It is often described as a tapestry, weaved together by the Wyrdæ, a trio of divine sisters who are known in the Norse mythology as...