If you really do believe in the Norse Gods, then will you please explain their creation myth for me? I have read several variations of it but they always leave me feeling somewhat confused.
That’s normal, the eddas were penned by a man named Snorri Sturluson and some fairly abrahamic views at the time did color how the stories were told. On top of that our ancestors had a pretty oral history and tradition, so there’s a lot lost.
Before anything of import was Ginnungagap which is basically a void. From it, Muspelheim and Niflheim came to be. About what you’d expect when you mix hot and cold stuff happened and something of a primordial world began to form. Massive Giants, we’re talking Giant Giants, like Ymir and Surtr, lived in their respective realms. Ymir was a result of said realms’ qualities clashing, for instance. Water = life all that.
To truncate it, while resting Ymir got sweaty and from the sweat in his armpits, other giants were created. One of these giants, Audhumbla, a Jotnar Cow, was responsible for discovering Buri, which would eventually lead to the birth of Odin (Who was born to Buri’s offspring.)
Odin wasn’t too keen on Jotnar, nor that they seemed to have more than him or outnumbered him and the other Aesir. Odin did what Odin do and started killing - specifically Ymir - and from Ymir’s bloody wounds, many of the Jotnar drowned.
In the first of many of Odin’s peculiar tricks and capabilities, he made Midgard from Ymir’s body and claimed it as his, proper. I should likely note that Odin had a pair of brothers - but it’s up for debate if they are Odin’s brothers or aspects OF Odin. The Gods are… A bit all over the place.
There’s more to it and stuff I left out for the sake of brevity / the fact that I am very much still learning, but that’s, like. The gist of the basics. if it isn’t clear, Midgard is where we are.
I’m sure what I’ve laid out here won’t please Wulf or, something and I’ll be called out as a poser or, something, I don’t know - but I’m not going around questioning others for their beliefs y’know?
Anyway I hope this helped. I don’t imagine it did, since there isn’t a real linearity to what happens in The Eddas. Honestly, very very frankly, it’s all happening in a nonlinear fashion. It doesn’t make a ton of conventional sense but hey. It is what it is.
No, no, that helped a ton! I’ve heard most of the aspects of this account in various different places, and it’s nice to know that there is a “Canon” of sorts for it. That bit about the cow coming from the giant is new to me though.
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You don’t need to “educate” me on my own culture, and history. Just wanting to be sure you aren’t a hypocrite, because I sincerely doubt Allfather considers the keyboard a sword.
Yeah it’s definitely out there, but it’s what happened.
I do not need you policing my faith ever again, Wulf. I won’t police yours. Believe you me, I understand what it is to be wary of those who claim our faith. There are many bad faith actors who use it to justify bigotry and exclusion. I’m hoping you are nothing like that, despite previous displays of, well. Let’s just say, being very untoward.
Point is Wulf, neither of us needs to be policed. I will continue to refer to my Gods in a plural sense. I will continue to not hide my faith. I have always worn it with pride and I will continue to do so.
Focus on people like the AFA. Not me.
The Gods do not discriminate, and neither do I. My displays of being “untoward” as you put it, you only brought upon yourself.
As well as there are bad faith actors that wrongly use the gods as a means to push their incendiary views, there are also pretenders that follow the faith due to western romanticism of north men culture. And I honestly can’t figure out which pisses me off more, because the latter will typically be the first to cry about appropriation of other cultures. My faith does not require you to be a certain physical persuasion, just that you carry yourself in honor of the gods.
Up for debate.
A very true statement. I certainly belong to neither party.
Bingo. My wife would be welcome to take up the worship of my Gods any time she sees fit. But, she is Christian, and will remain such. Our girlfriend is a satanist so that’s an interesting bit of dichotomy we’ve got going on.
Look, I get you being defensive about it. I am too. But I really am the wrong target Wulf. Neither of us are the right one.
Good to know. Won’t press it any further. The faith has been suppressed for hundreds of years. Being called pagan or heathen sort of boils my blood, and I just personally feel like it’s the equivalent to calling me a racial slur. That’s the only reason I brought it up. I don’t feel we should claim pejoratives of our people. Half of my blood family being Catholic, and Southern Baptist definitely makes things interesting for me as well, and makes me question how I ever came to be, but yeah lol. My significant other is Bhuddist so it’s pretty easy going for me there, though she doesn’t like my talk of fate.
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I’m happy you were able to get yours.
I look off into the distance with sadness as I think about my Scout Helmet
Sadness turns to depression as I realize it will probably be in the store and I would have to buy it, which I am not willing to do
Mmh, fate is what fate is. I don’t think that being called a Pagan or Heathen is equiv, to a slur, since… Our ancestors were literally people of the heath, pagan I can get but I still don’t draw that equivalence but, to each their ownn.
Regardless, glad we could reach some kind of mutual understanding. If it helps, I had an odd egg growing up too, what with… Being an extremely impoverished southerner (what other kind of southerner is there though, thanks mason-dixie line elitism) raised by conservative christians…
I mean just look at me. LOOK AT ME. I could barely get further from my raising!
Gods I’m sorry. I hope you can earn it.
This is most certainly off the rails now; as a reminder religous conversations are well beyond the types of discussion that should happen on waypoint