THE PEOPLE -by Gråulf

We are the Vandals. Our people came from the far North, in search of better land, and a friendlier climate. Our legends tell of a time when the weather was warmer in our homeland, and our people prospered and lived in peace. Then the climate changed, and there were years when we could not grow crops, and our people starved. We prayed to the Gods, but they did not hear us, and we became nomads to find grazing for our livestock. I was born on the trail, and have never known our homeland, but we are a people, and together we are strong and will prevail. We found places where we could live, but the Roman armies would not leave us alone. They could not stop us as long as we keep moving, and we defeat their armies in battle after battle; but they keep coming, and would eventually wear us down if we stayed.

I am big and strong, and have known battle since I was 12 seasons old. Now I have forgotten how many fights I have been in, and fighting has become a way of life. We have always fought the Celts. They were the first to get iron, and used their superior weapons to conquer the lands south of our homeland. The Celts are a treacherous people, and blocked our ancient trade routes to the Southern Sea. My forefathers tried to make peace with them, but they were betrayed, and our merchants killed and robbed. Now we hunt the Celts like rats through their own fields.

We became nomads, and learned to depend on our livestock and the crops we took from those in our way. Sometimes we stayed in one place for a time, but eventually the Celts and their Roman allies would move against us, and we would load our carts and travel further south. Our young men rode ahead of the people on their swift horses to scout the way. Behind them followed the Jarls and the older people with their carts, and the herds driven along by the youths. When we encountered resistance too strong for the young warriors we would avoid battle if we could. But when we had no choice the people painted their bodies for battle, and smashed through.

Our people were once farmers and merchants, and became warriors of necessity. Our traders traveled to the Southern Sea to trade furs and amber for knowledge and bronze. We had little need to fight, because our traders were respected and left alone, as long as they stayed on the established trade routes. When the Celts blocked our routes to the south we were deprived of the means to make weapons and tools, and our barter economy was destroyed. Some trade continued with the south, but it was dangerous, and not nearly sufficient for our needs. The traders were forced to become farmers, and we no longer had a wealthy upper class.

Eventually we discovered how to extract iron ore from the bogs, and made our own iron implements and weapons. But our lives were forever changed. Without regular trade with the south we became more isolated, and the weather changes made life more difficult so there was little leisure for play and for art. We also had to learn war, to protect our people from the bellicose Celts, and against hungry neighbors. Everyone became equal of necessity, because we had to cooperate to survive; and we learned to elect the most capable and aggressive people as our leaders, to assure the continuation of the Vandals as a people.

Central Europe.
There were more of us when my people left our homeland, but our leaders disagreed about the route to travel. Most of the people elected to take an easterly route around the Roman armies, but my group chose to continued south along our ancient trade routes to the Southern Ocean. This was the route the Cimbri had come before us, and some of our people knew the way. The Celts fought us, and raided our herds when they could, but mostly they fled before our young warriors. Theirs was a good land, and we would have settled there if their Roman allies had left us alone. The Roman armies are slow and cumbersome, and no threat to us as long as we are mobile, but there is always another army to replace the ones we destroy.

We are not afraid of the Romans, but it is costly to fight their armies. The Romans fight in formation, like mobile fortifications, and the only way to destroy them is to break through their lines and scatter their soldiers. We hit them like thunderbolts, and leap among them over the bodies of those who lead our wedge formations. And then we kill them. Our young men fight for glory and status, and would hunt the Roman armies if the choice was theirs, but the Jarls avoid the Romans when they can. The young are brave, but they want to live and therefore do not have the weight to break through the Roman lines. To succeed the fighting wedge is lead by the Jarls, who have dedicated their lives to the people and to the Gods, and know how to die when it is their time. Our people can not survive if we loose to many of them.

The Roman armies became more persistent as we neared their homeland, and their armies were stronger, so we generally moved towards the Southwest to avoid them. Eventually we had to chose between moving into Iberia between the Southern Ocean and the mountains that separate that land from that of the Celts, or turning West along the mountains. We choose Iberia, and utterly destroyed the Roman army that tried to stop us.

There were many Roman fortifications along the Iberian coast, and we destroyed them as we moved south. The Iberians had no love for the Romans, and eventually some of their leaders approached us about forming a confederation against them. Some of our Jarls were against such an alliance, but we had lost to many of our young warriors on the Roman fortifications to turn them away. It proved a good decision. The Iberians are a small people, but they are fierce fighters when they can anchor their forces on our fighting wedge, and eventually we cleared the Romans and their allies from the land.

Iberia.
The battles are over, and my men and I came to take possession of the lands we had chosen as our part of the spoils. I walked at the head of my fighting unit through the olive groves, towards the fortress on the hill. The fortress was built of stone, and from a distance looked like a pile of rocks. We were laughing and joking until we discovered the gate was closed, and armed men manned the walls. I yelled for the gate to be opened to its new owner, and demanded to know why they were closed. A tiny dark woman appeared above the gate and glared at me. She ordered me off her property. I bellowed in rage for the interpreter and ordered him to tell her that I now owned the land and all on it, and that I would rip the gate from its hinges if it were not opened immediately. And she laughed. Meanwhile some of my men had moved around the walls, where they were undefended because everyone was watching the exchange by the gate, and climbed into the yard. The woman screeched with rage when my men cuffed her retainers out of the way and opened the gates so I could enter the keep in a manner befitting a Jarl of the Vandals.

I ordered a feast to be prepared while I examined the fortress. It was like many we had destroyed, and would need much work to be secure from the likes of us.

It was a miserable feast, and there was hardly enough food to blunt our hunger, and the wine they served was tasteless compared to mjød. During the meal I had the small dark one brought to me, and had the interpreter ask her who she was. She said we had killed her husband in one of the battles, and that she was the mistress of the fortress; and she told me no smelly, disgusting barbarian would take it from her. I scoped he up, and laughingly told her we were about to make her title official, and carried her to the rooms I had chosen for myself at the top of the keep. That night she knifed me after I had fallen asleep.

Vandalucia.
Now it is many years later, and I carry other scars from the dark woman's knives. After her first attack my men tried to drive her from my rooms, but she claimed them as her own, and fought them off. Later, when I chose a woman from my own people she drove her from the fortress. I still don't know her well, but we are both proud of our children, and she is always at my side.

Our people have changed as we become accustomed to our new home, now called Vandalucia. Some have become traders again, and our ships ply the Southern Sea. We even trade with the Romans, who seem content to leave us alone as long as we stay in our new country. They have others to trouble them, as more tribes follow our trail south from the northern lands.

Gråulf

Thoughts on Heathen Identity

Personal and group identities play an important role in weaving the fabric of society and determining how its individual components interact with one another. Members of any minority group, such as Heathens and Ásatrúar, for example, must constantly deal with defining themselves in relation to the groups they choose to associate with, and the consequences and benefits this identification brings. It is therefore worthwhile to reflect for a moment on some of the sources of identity and the roles identity plays in greater society.

The historical Germanic Heathens derived their identity primarily from two main sources: ancestry and deeds. Ancestry, particularly what tribe one came from as well as one’s more direct ancestors, legitimized one’s existence and provided a strong source of power and luck. Personal deeds, however, could also add to or take away from one’s identity. The boasting culture of the Germanic tribes was an important means of adding to one’s own reputation. A strong identity and reputation were needed not only for favourable interactions within society, but also to ensure that one would be remembered and eulogized in Midgard even after death.

Surprisingly, things have not changed that much over thousands of years. In modern Western society, ancestry is still crucial to determining our sense of being. Many individuals feel strong connections to race, ethnic group, “tribe” (in the broad sense of the word), birth religion and family history. We are born with these inherent aspects of our identity, and they influence how we define ourselves and how others define us. Luckily, our personal deeds still allow us to modify these aspects of our identity, for better or for worse. Examining any high school will demonstrate that deeds such as academic achievement, athletic prowess, artistic abilities and success in dating will greatly influence how teenagers are perceived, and consequently treated.

One area that contributes to our identity more in modern times, and not so much in ancient times, is the groups we consciously choose to identify with. For example, in modern society we can choose our religion, our leisure activities, our political affiliation, the clubs and organizations we support, etc. These further modify and influence our personal identities.

There are thus many sources of identity, some of which we are born with, and others which we create for ourselves. It is often said we should judge people for who they are, not whom they are associated with, but this notion misses some rather key points. Identities are crucial in establishing social norms and maintaining the interactions between different parts of society. By applying labels and group identities to individuals we can quickly get a brief overview of what a person may (or may not) represent, and understand better where he or she may be coming from and what life experiences or sensibilities he or she may have. An individual’s personal and group identity can also be a source of strength and legitimacy, and provide a sense of belonging.

The problem, however, lies in taking identities to the extreme (otherwise known as stereotyping). By refusing to acknowledge heterogeneity within a group of people identified the same way, we often fail to understand the individuals we interact with. Prejudice and discrimination can also result when we do not agree with the central aspects of the identity of another group, and therefore put ourselves at odds with people who either choose to (or must by birth) identify in a certain way.

Now that we are aware of some of the sources of identity and roles it plays, we, as Heathens (or whatever else we may be) must decide to what extent we will identify ourselves within this context. Identifying strongly as a Heathen provides us with a wealth of cultural context and a wide variety of ancestors, heroes and god/desses from which we can learn and grow. However, identifying strongly can also cause us to face stereotyping (if not discrimination) from others, or at least be seen as different and weird.

We must also not be caught up too entirely in our identity that we must change our own personal beliefs and personalities just to fit those that the majority of Heathens (or whatever group we are talking about) share. Just because historical Heathens often attacked Christian settlements or were conversely attacked by Christian missionaries, for example, does not mean that modern Heathens also have to be enemies of modern Christians (which unfortunately seems to be an assumption of many Heathens I have met), as the socio-political context is extremely different now than it was a thousand years ago.

On the other hand, denying or hiding our identity can be self-defeating. I, personally, do not talk about myself in public very much, but was extremely offended to hear someone (falsely!) remark, “ah, but you don’t have any interests outside school and work so you don’t count!” I’ve also been told, “I’ve known you for two years, but know absolutely nothing about you!” And other people just think something is wrong with me and can’t figure out what. Not identifying as Heathen (despite it being a major part of your life) could thus potentially lead to just as many problems and misunderstandings as rubbing it in everyone’s face.

For some things (like race, biological gender, etc.) it is almost impossible not to strongly publicly identify as a member of a certain group. But for others, such as religion, the choice is yours. Reflecting on where identity comes from, and the benefits and drawbacks of group association, will therefore help each individual decide the degree to which he or she will publicly identify as such. Some of us are loud, proud and public, others hide away for fear of being ridiculed, shunned or accused of being something we are not, and others (like myself) find talking about such things with other people unfruitful and usually in vain. Thus, whatever degree of attention one draws to oneself as a Heathen (or member of another group) remains a personal decision, but one should never lose sight of trying to understand why one has made such a choice and the consequences thereof.

Þórsvinur

The Happiest Country

Most Danes must have had a great belly laugh when they read or heard that Denmark was rated as the Happiest Country in the World. The Danes do not see themselves as a “Happy People”. They do not even see themselves as a “Content People”. In fact they would have difficulties describing themselves in any way that involved a label. What would be much more descriptive of Danes is that they are a politically active and socially involved people. They take pride in their social democracy and their place in Europe and the international community. In the TV documentary that described Denmark as a happy country they also talked about the pried that Danes place on their chosen work career, and that no one have to worry about having the money to send their children to University, or looking after ageing parents.To really understand what makes a Dane or Denmark, different from other cultures you need to know Danish history. I will list a number of significant historical facts and events that helped shape Denmark.

1) There has been a Danes nation for almost two thousand years.

2) The Danevirke, a 30 kilometre wall, was build and maintained in Southern Jutland between 738 and 1864ce. This was the largest ancient defences in Northern Europe . It protected Denmark from the Charlemagne conquest of the Saxons and forced conversion to Christianity. It marked Scandinavia 's political and cultural southern border for more then 1000 years. The Danevirke was finally lost in 1864, when Bismark took the two southern provinces of Slusvick and Holstine from Denmark. Loosing the two southern provinces was a psychological blow to the Danish psychic that is still felt today. The Danes do not trust Germany or the EU.
3) The Danes have never been conquered or subjugated into a foreign empire.

4) It is one of the oldest Democracies in the World.

5) Land reforms occurred relatively early, which established family farms that became a cornerstone of Danish society.

6) Denmark did not join the Holy Roman Empire and there by escaped the religious wars of Germany.

7) There was no Witch burning or religious inquisition in Denmark.

8) Denmark managed to stay neutral during the Napoleonic Wars and the First World War.
9)During the Second World War Denmark was occupied by the Germans. No battles or major destruction occurred in Denmark.

10) During the German occupation an incident occurs that depicts a significantcharacteristic of the Danish people. When the Germans told the Danish authorities to hand over their Jews, they were told that there were no Jews in Denmark. There were about ten thousand “Danish People” who were follower of Judaism. All of these people were immediately hidden away by fellow Danes, and then smuggled to safety in Sweden.

It would be an excellent debate to argue, is the Danes the luckiest country in Europe or the smartest. The Danes have so often avoided the horrors that the rest of Europe suffered.

After World War Two, the Danish Government developed a social system where wealth is shared to a high degree, and all citizens receive free education through University, and complete health care.

The Danish nation has survived in Europe, surrounded by much larger and more powerful and aggressive countries, by maintaining a formidable army and navy. It has refused to take sides in European power struggles and maintained its own unique political focus and direction.

Today, even as a member of the European Union, Denmark maintains its own monetary currency, and is prepared to step out of the Union if it means loosing its own independence. The one thing that almost every person will agree on is that the most important thing to them is that they are Danish.

To return to the statement of the Danes being the happiest people, I am not sure that I have the correct word to describe this characteristic accurately. What I will say is that the Danes are focused on “Living Life in the Now” more then most people. My last, but important point is that the government has made sure that beer prices are low.

Pindsvin

Midgard Blog

My ambition for some time has been to have a Blog site that has a significant reader list. I started Blogging about a year ago with lots of enthusiasm. I thought that I had something of interest to say and that there would be readers out there on the net that would be interested in my articles. I soon discovered that I was writing to myself, and that my Blog was little more then a personal diary.

The way Blogs work is that the more you post the more likely it can be picked up by search engines and be accessible to people. So writing one 300+ word Blog a week will never get you noticed anywhere.If you look at very successful Blogs you will notice that they have a numberof authors and that one or more postings are made per day. So the answer to having a Blog that has any hope of being noticed and read is to have numerous authors. Also I will ask each Author to focus their area of interest and expertise so the Blog will cover a wide range of subjects.

The name I chose was Midgard Journal. http://midgardjournal.blogspot.com/

The subjects that I would like to deal with on Midgrad Journal are:

-world politic-American and European political issues,

-social and economic issues.

-religions; especially Christian and Islamic extremists.

Authors will have a wide range of independence on a social and political issues, There are a few points that authors will need to have in common; such as:-men and women are equal.-secular democracy is the least harmful way to govern a country.-no ethnic group is superior to another.
-there is to be no proselytizing of religions,

Anyone who is interested in joining me in making this Blog a major contender, please contact me offline at http://pindsvin@ymail.com Your home e-mail address will not appear in the Blog, and I will ask everyone to use a pseudonym rather their given name. The reason for this is that freedom of speech continues to be challenged, and what is legal to say today may not be tomorrow.

I am asking for a commitment of a minimum of one article a month of 300 or more words.

Cheers
Pindsvin