Welcome to Æsir/Disir: a place where I plan to write about all manner of things relating to mythology (mostly Finno-Scandian mythology with some Sami mythology and maybe some side excursions into Celtic and Greco-Roman myth). A mythic cosmology, of course, necessitates a non-scientific worldview as well, so any serious discussion of the praxis of mythic-age religion also necessitates a discussion of the non-scientific understanding of cause-and-effect – what's commonly called "magic," though that term has enough baggage associated with it to be a bit problematic (which is itself worth a discussion or two).
As for the "metal" part above, I'm interested in that in two senses. The most obvious sense in which I mean it is that I'm a metalhead. I love epic heathen metal from Finno-Scandinavia and the brooding cultural worldview that makes it so different from most of the heavy metal that you hear coming out of the US. But that's not the only sort of metal I'm interested in. I'm also very interested in the magic of forging steel into tools and weapons. I'm not a smith, but I'm a student of bladed martial arts and an avid reader of the Sagas and fully expect to obsess over that sort of metal from time to time here as well.
Disclaimer time: I'm not a reenactor. I'm not an Asatruar. I don't believe that people have a genetic connection to the land and religion of their ancestors (it's more complicated and nuanced than that). I oppose any notion of racial purity or folkish politics. I think Varg Vikernes is an asshat of epic proportions, as are any NS morons who agree with his socio-political views. I love diversity. I love cross-cultural dialogue. I think cosmopolitanism makes us better and stronger.
I'm also a trained academic. I hold a doctorate in literature. I'm heavily read in Northern European medieval history and anthropology. That training informs my view of religion and history. Ask me a question about myth or heathen religion and I'm as likely to give you a reading list and a set of further questions as I am to give you an answer.
Maybe moreso.
Definitely moreso, if you ask my wife.
But enough about all this. Pull a stool up to the fire. You are welcome here so long as you follow the rules of friðr and hospitality.
As for the "metal" part above, I'm interested in that in two senses. The most obvious sense in which I mean it is that I'm a metalhead. I love epic heathen metal from Finno-Scandinavia and the brooding cultural worldview that makes it so different from most of the heavy metal that you hear coming out of the US. But that's not the only sort of metal I'm interested in. I'm also very interested in the magic of forging steel into tools and weapons. I'm not a smith, but I'm a student of bladed martial arts and an avid reader of the Sagas and fully expect to obsess over that sort of metal from time to time here as well.
Disclaimer time: I'm not a reenactor. I'm not an Asatruar. I don't believe that people have a genetic connection to the land and religion of their ancestors (it's more complicated and nuanced than that). I oppose any notion of racial purity or folkish politics. I think Varg Vikernes is an asshat of epic proportions, as are any NS morons who agree with his socio-political views. I love diversity. I love cross-cultural dialogue. I think cosmopolitanism makes us better and stronger.
I'm also a trained academic. I hold a doctorate in literature. I'm heavily read in Northern European medieval history and anthropology. That training informs my view of religion and history. Ask me a question about myth or heathen religion and I'm as likely to give you a reading list and a set of further questions as I am to give you an answer.
Maybe moreso.
Definitely moreso, if you ask my wife.
But enough about all this. Pull a stool up to the fire. You are welcome here so long as you follow the rules of friðr and hospitality.
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