Hey Guys ! I'm back for you talk about a topic that is very interesting and who is so mysterious...
Many people (including me) are asked what Dylan believed and what this religion is about, ect...
As I am curious, I did a lot of research and I wanted to share ;)
SOOOOOO LET'S GO !!!!!
Introduction :
The most used name for this religion is Heathenry but she have a lot of name : Odalism, Odinism, Forn Sed, ect...
It is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify Heathenry as a new religious movement. Its practitioners model their faith on the pre-Christian belief systems adhered to by the Germanic peoples of Iron Age and Early Medieval Europe. To reconstruct these past belief systems, Heathenry uses surviving historical, archaeological, and folkloric evidence as a basis, although approaches to this material vary considerably.
The religion's origins lie in the 19th- and early 20th-century Romanticist movement which glorified the pre-Christian beliefs of Germanic societies.
In this period, organised groups venerating the Germanic gods developed in Germany and Austria; these were part of the Völkisch movement and typically exhibited a racialist interpretation of the religion, resulting in the movement largely dissolving following the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
She draws most of her teachings from the sagas known as the Icelandic sagas, in the poetic Edda and in the Edda of Snorri. This religion is part of the reconstruction movement that aims to revive the ethnic religions that existed before the arrival of monotheistic religions.
Beliefs:
Here are the nine fundamental pillars included in Ásatrú, as established at the 1994 Freespirit Festival, by Lewis Stead, editor-in-chief of Ásatrú Today, the newspaper of Nordic paganism:
1) The study of history, civilization and Scandinavian languages including Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Faroese, Nynorsk, Bokmål, Gutnisk, Ovvdalsk and Old Old Norse.
2) Belief in the existence of the nine worlds represented by the tree Yggdrasil,is Ásgarðr (the world of the Æsir ), Ljösláfheimr (the world of the luminous elves), Vanaheimr (the world of the vanes), Jötunheimr (the world of the giants), the world of the middle, Muspellsheimr (the world of the fire), Nilfheimr (the world of mists), Svartalfheimr (the world of fire), Helheimr (one of the kingdoms of death).
Yggdrasil
3) Belief in "noble virtues" as a code of ethics for some practitioners.
4) Belief in a major pantheon specific to the Scandinavian peoples ( Æsir and Vanir).
5) Belief in a minor pantheon (elves say Alfar, Valkyries, Landvættir, etc.)
6) Ancestor worship.
7) A private relationship with Æsir and Vanir deities.
8) The study and use of runes. #Harry Potter
9) The use of Scandinavian symbols: the hammer of Thor, the valknut, Irminsul, the fylfot, the Odinic cross, the heart of Hrungnir, etc.
Mjölnir
Æsir : In Norse mythology, the Æsir, form the group of principal gods, associated or related to Odin, and inhabiting the city of Ásgard. They coexist with two other groups of deities: the Vanir and the Dises. Æsir are often referred to as guðin which means "gods". Unlike the Greek gods, the gods of Asgard are mortal and can feel the pain physically and psychologically.
Vanir : The Vanir, are one of the three groups of divinities of Nordic mythology; the other two being the Æsir and the Dises. They are associated with the cults of fertility, wisdom and precognition. They are associated with the world of Vanaheim. This group of gods is also associated with magic since it is Freyja who taught seiðr ("magic") to Æsir and giants, as well as the astral art to Odin.
Thor
The vast majority of Ásatrúar do not see Nordic mythology as a literal truth, but as a metaphorical truth. There is no orthodox theology of the Ásatrú religion, although there are variants. Nature is worshiped, relatively to its representation in the Nordic pantheon, but also revered in practice. However, Ásatrú is not a religion that repels technical innovations.
The Ásatrúar do not consider their religion as coming from neopaganism in the usual sense, and the majority of the faithful reject this label. It is considered more like a reconstructed religion. The practice is based on available historical records, their interpretations and their extension. Rites vary from one group or community to another, but only in their details.
The comparaison between Ásatrú and other religions is rather delicate and would rather highlight their differences than their similarities. In the Asatrúar religion, the Æsir are not infallible or even immortal beings and we do not adore them with submission. They are more regarded as friends whose wisdom and power can come at the right time. Moreover, the gods of the North do not go out armed with the head of their parent and do not remain immutable in the passage of time. They are the product of their existence, as can be seen by studying the life of Loki, the fire giant or better, that of Freyr, the god of fertility. The men, created by Óðinn and his brothers, are very close to the gods, by their behavior and the relations men / gods are, somehow, family.
In the same way, this religion sees with a rather bad eye the proselytism. For her, the believer must come from himself.
Although it descends from a warlike culture, Ásatrú is not a misogynistic religion: Óðinn made the man and the woman from two distinct branches: Askr and Embla. The goddess of love is also a warrior goddess and in Nordic antiquity, men and women could be called to fight (see for example the article on the Berserkir). This is why men and women are considered in many ways as equal, although different, and women have an important role to play in the Ásatrúar rites.
Ethics:
The American organization Asatru Folk Assembly, founded by Stephen McNallen in 1994, notably advocates a code of ethics drawn from certain literary works of medieval Scandinavia such as the poetic Edda (and especially the Hávamál and the Sigrdrífumál) and also the Sagas. Icelandic. However, Stephen McNallen does not mention the intellectual rigor that he and his peers have shown in this philological analysis.
Be that as it may, this moral code is divided into nine noble "virtues":
Strength is preferable to weakness; Courage is better than cowardice; Enjoyment is preferable to guilt; Honor is better than shame; Freedom is preferable to servitude; Kinship is preferable to alienation; Pragmatism is preferable to dogmatism; Strength is better than laziness; Ancestry is better than universalism. Although widespread among the Asatrúar of the world, no code of ethics is unanimous among practitioners. Especially since the observance of a code of conduct is a relatively recent concept, if we study the history of this religion.
Symbel:
The symbel or sumbl (Old Norse) is a traditionally inspired rite formerly called drekka mini ("drink in memory of") in which a drink passed from one person to another of an assembly gathered in a circle .
The ritual libations were part of all the festivities of the Scandinavian world According to a precise ritual, we consume this specially brewed beer. In the saga of Egill, son of Grímr the Bald, it is specified that the most popular drink is the mungát, a strong beer to which honey has been added. This same saga mentions that one must circulate in the room a drinking horn taking a sip each. This operation is called sveitardrykkja, that is one sip in turn. We often sit two by two according to a draw, since we trusted above all the stops of fate. It is agreed that one sits as a couple, often a man and a woman. Everyone must empty half of his horn and if someone misses his ration, it can result in hot arguments. If anyone wants to prove his value, he can if he wants to drink the horn in full.
The saga of Snorri the Godi, it is mentioned that the beer is the obligatory drink of all the festivities and that its power and its sacred value are not in doubt. In addition, it is mentioned that one must make a toast before drinking and that during these evenings, there was no question of not getting drunk. Moreover, this same saga mentions that at each party, it is advisable to drink a new beer brewed according to a magic operation with precise rites. The perfect time to brew beer remains Jól, according to ancient texts.
The drink in question may also be mead.
Kindreds:
The Asatrúar often meet in small groups named"kindred" meaning. In a broader sense, the word "hearth" can also be used to refer to one of these groups, in the sense of a unit of people living in one place. We immediately understand that the common denominator of these groups remains above all the recognition of a common ancestor. The Celtic equivalent could be the clan, a Gaelic word meaning "children".
If you look at major groups in the United States and Scandinavia, for example, kindreds are generally democratic organizations, inspired by the Thing dating from the Viking Age. They are also in favor of freedom of expression, drawing directly from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in particular, thus remaining faithful to the values conveyed in the sagas. Kindreds are not run by a supreme central authority and no dogma restricts their freedom.
Today, the Asatrúar often meet on the Internet, through discussion forums, to organize meetings and ceremonies
Conclusion:
The meadery of Dylan is in reference to this religion. This is his philosophy of life.
N.B: I did not explain all the religion because there is REALLY too much to say and I wanted to be effective.
Unfortunately, it is often seen as a racial religion whereas it is only the practitioners, not the religion itself. And Dylan is not racist.
ENJOY !
After, there are the Marvel films who speaks about it (it's Thor if you don't know XD)