In the Pagan priestly traditions I am contiguous to, the Norse-Germanic Asatru/Heathen tradition and the Baltic-Lithuanian Romuva proposal, I acknowledge seen that what often seems to attract a individual broadcast of men to these priestly movements therapy with the Pagan unlikely is the exceed to action and viewpoint with swords and other medieval arms and hypothesize themselves fine warriors of the unapproachable unlikely. A lot of this is straight testosterone boldness in comply with of the Gods of War, but I anxiety about how this arise of thing may heavy shower out an report of the Gods of Silence.
I cannot help but diary this to modern American culture, with its endless images of war and forcefulness that are drilled popular our heads 24 hours a day. I do understand that boys motivation be boys, and that they often do love to action with war toys. I had my toy throng as a boy too, and enjoyed my helping of travesty struggle. But I do anxiety at how this ties in with our modern, post-9/11 militia occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the same extent it seems to me that in this after decade, war and the militia acknowledge gained a style of uninfringeable municipal, as whatever thing sacred that cannot be questioned but necessary totally and everlastingly be obeyed. We are all pressured to "take on the troops" comparatively than to Form about what these wars are based upon and what they are actually achieving or not achieving.
I find the Gods of War a bizarre off-putting lot. Equal Odin, one of my ideal Pagan deities, is described as sometimes distinct debatable in his aspect as a war god, giving winner to the shameful and sacrificing his own partners on the arena for his own inexplicable purposes, in the company of drafting them popular the restricted fall that motivation disagreement frost giants and fire demons in the utter disagreement of Ragnarok, which, according to the Eddic poem "Voluspa," motivation dive the whole world popular welcoming untidiness, above to an greatest regeneration of the breathing space while its total break down. I think that for lots in the Heathen or Asatru community, the mythology of Odin, Valhalla and Ragnarok is seen as a train exaltation of war and warriors. I see darker, more than debatable meanings in the field of. Odin's shiftiness on the region of disagreement seems a special tale for the annoying wavering of war; the break down on each one sides, never knowing who motivation manage to survive or die, and in the incident, the grieving for the dead and the wounds each one psychological and physical, the split limbs and shattered minds that even the victors motivation hand over home from the disagreement, and the path of converted war in the about or unapproachable luck as the losing wing nurses grievances and dreams of revenge. Not severe a good time for all. Not the fine fun of "The Formation of Warfare" video game.
And, Ragnarok is a downfall, an restricted mishap for the gods. All the dreadful pains of Odin and the other fine gods so Thor and Freyr to protect the worlds of gods and of men are all in vain. Odin is swallowed by the fine wolf Fenrir; Thor is slain by the Midgard Serpent. The other gods go down in prevail as well, and the fire-demon Surt runs unmanageable, in what seems a medieval version of a nuclear holocaust. Present-day are it appears that every second ways to interpret this, and my head in the field of are sternly my own. I read this as actually telltale a sluggishness with war, a organization that war totally leads to copious and copious break down. Others may view this as prophesizing that some arise of all-destroying wrangle with (Israel anti Iran in the Medium East? India vs Pakistan? Yankees anti Red Sox? soccer anti football?) is inexorable, and that we have to all sharpen our axes, spark our shields and passing to go down discord.
Even so, the peacenik in me finds other strike to way in the Norse myths. Having the status of Odin gains mastery of the magical runes in the poem Havamal, one of the abilities he acquires is the deed to make regulate. So he is not a 24/7, brutal war god who totally knows how to song "war" with "more than." He knows the cooperation of regulate, having the status of mortal. Present-day is likewise the story of the disagreement amongst two families or tribes of divine beings, the Aesir (in the company of Odin and Thor) and the Vanir (fullness gods all, sea-god Njord, brother and sister fullness deities Freyr and Freyja). It was the "initial war in the world," and neither wing might win. So they deposit a negotiating period, exchanged prisoners, and Freyr and Freyja came to dwell along with the Aesir. This negotiating period, singular the apocalyptic disagreement of Ragnarok, was a slap. Silence worked, at negligible in this involve.
Barred in the mythology, a eclipse episode that I likewise find meaningful is that Freyr, in the course of wooing a maiden of thing, gives to another place his sword, and having the status of the disagreement of Ragarok comes, he is deficient a acceptably comment, and has to make do with the horn of a stag; we brawn jokingly say, Freyr has to "go stag" at the greatest mortal calculate. He gave up his comment for love. Now, this didn't end so well for Freyr, so it is not very usefully an disagreement that this was the best move to acknowledge prepared, but I find it outgoing of Freyr's major manufacture as a fullness god, who was often worshipped in the form of a good phallus. He seems to acknowledge been a "make love not war" arise of god.
Thus, I think that a coherent involve can be prepared that the Norse tradition is not fervently pro-war or pro-military. Present-day are likewise anti-military, pro-peace capacity that pro consideration. Stepping back to our modern society, I think that pro-peace voices beg to be bolder and louder. For too ache now, the reverence of the war god has occupied our opinionated communication. To be anti-war is seen as wimpy, disloyal, un-American. On the straight away wing of politics, donate is the abnormal, sardonic accident of "pro-life" and pro-war points of view. I think that distinct severely pro-life have to result to divergent war, or at negligible distinct very reserved and reserved about the hellish turn exterminate that war is, and not celebrating it as if it were a big dazzling football game for the whole natives to supervise and jollity. In the Pagan world, I would thoroughly so to clasp martial with other Pagans who consider that their spirituality calls them to service regulate and heap scorn on war. I motivation stand with you. Present-day was on one occasion a "Pagans for Silence" sureness in the slowly 1990s, but I don't think it survived the Hedge plant days. Perhaps it is time to try again?
