North American Paganism
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2021
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I create game reviews for the website The Midgardian: www.themidgardian.com
Intro Music: Odinn by Danheim
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The Wisdom of Odin is a vlog of my journey through Norse Paganism, a way to assist others along their journey, and a place to promote a positive image for all of paganism.
While I personally declare myself as a Norse Pagan, I speak on topics that also involve aspects of Asatru, Heathenry, and other pagan identities such as Slavic/Celtic/Germanic paganism.
The Wisdom of Odin is not associated or affiliated with any orginizations religious or politcial in nature. This channel/community is inclusive to all but is also non-political.
All gatherings held through the Wisdom of Odin and its extended community are private events held and organized by the members of the community. The only service the Wisdom of Odin provides is a place to connect with others of similar beliefs in the old ways.
Swedish pagan here. I love to see our religion our Culture thrives in other countries. I hope your roads lead to Scandinavia one day. You can really feel the Presence of the Gods here. continue with what you are doing. hope to see you in the great hall waiting for Ragnarök.
Hi, do you have pagan festivals there? With many attendees or is it more of a indoor thin
One of the items on my bucket list is to go to Sweden to for Midsommar one day. I hear it’s still a huge deal there!
Growing up in the Appalachians in Tennessee i had always felt connected to the forests and mountains and now as an adult I know why. The old Gods were calling me my whole life and I just didn't know it.
Appalachian mountains in the state of TN too
I totally feel you on that.
My family was in Virginia/WVa. In the early 1800s. The mountains, rivers and rocks have called to me since childhood. Now I know why
You are spot on in so many ways: Protestant Churches losing their soul, Americans in general with a similar issue, etc. I’m a new viewer but can already see a lot of similarities between us regarding knowledge of family history and the struggle to find one ethnic path to follow as a mixed white American. I was actually just talking with a European friend last night about this same struggle so it is serendipitous that I came to this video. It is nice to see an American European pagan with similar thoughts to my own. Thanks for the video!
I had the same problem. I can at least trace my lineage back to The Islands and the central European country side. Good luck to you man :/
In Norway we once believed life was created between ice and heat. A good life was about balance, about respect for life (nature). Then the religions from the Middle East came and we were told there was a God and a Devil. To me, the religions of Abraham is all about power (my God is right - you are evil). In Norway many people still feel a deep connection to nature. Take a listen to Aurora (the seed) or music from Wardruna . Both Norwegian singers/songwriter. To me, they are the spirit of paganism.
@@ellengran6814 Yeah, the Abrahamic faith, is a product of the region it is born from. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree it came from.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I'm Danish, Swedish, Northern German and Scottish on my Mother's side and Somali and Yemen on my Father's. Don't get me wrong, I love being mixed, but I find it hard, so hard to define what I see myself as. I will always be a Norse Pagan though.
@@PiracyandDumbbells Not to insult you, but I'd have to think long and hard about having a mixed child specifically because of how emotionally important it is to ME to settle into my roots. What challenges do mixed kids have doing that? Only y'all will be able to find some clever solution to that problem, and I really hope you do, but this "everyone f*ck everyone" ethno-bleaching is irresponsible.
Love is love, and I will never judge a happy couple as doing anything wrong, but how many mixed relationships are cuz it's "trendy"? I'ma shut up, I don't wanna piss you off. The genetic diversity someone like you could bring into any stable ethnic community can skyrocket health and versatility for generations, so please don't take my position personally, you're beautiful.
I just think that, as a culture, we really need to check in on the personal impact of ethnic ambiguity, I hope you get what I'm tryna say.
I have had meany conversations between the span of first generation and 4-5 generation about how adapting to America is loosing one’s Cultural identity to form in to the false “American Dream”. You where right on the money with what they explained/experienced. I am glad you mentioned the Native Americans. Not only as Pagans but as people who live in this land, we need to respect and reform the bonds that have been abused and neglected for too long. PRAISE ODIN!!!
The different scenes of nature you have in this video are absolutely stunning
Man I love your videos. You've help me so much on my journey
Me too
Funny. These EXACT questions and ponderings have been on my mind heavy lately. And sorry in advance for the long-winded comment:
I grew up with this weird juxtaposition between my American/English family's Atheism/nihilism, and my hispanic family's "Catholicism"/witchcraft. This has made for much confusion on my part most of my life. There's no God or any divine power, but there is? We go to church and pray for others but then we go home and curse them?
Because of this I've been a spiritual wanderer most of my life, floating between cultures and beliefs. My father's beliefs never felt right, but neither did my time as a practicing Catholic, or our Matriarch using magic to hurt others. What has always felt right is the ocean, the marshes where I've grown up. Mud and sand and reed and wave. I've stood on the edge of the ocean with a hurricane barreling toward shore--THIS felt more real and right than ever bowing my head in a pew or trying to fall in line with whatever my dad had going on. All of this to say:
I AM a pagan. Always have been. I think something else had already settled into the space my Catholic family meant for God when my mother took me to be baptized. After years of agonizing discernment I realize I belong to someone/thing else. Though I can't trace my lineage past the civil war, though I have no idea who/what I truly carry in my blood or who/what my ancestors worshipped, I am here, and I will find where and to whom I belong.
Thank you for this video. I know it wasn't for ME, and I'm slightly off-topic, but it speaks.
I cannot express how pleased I am that you have addressed the issue of Native American Spirituality❣️❣️
I believe from the bottom of my old cynical heart that the Spirits and Ancestors of the true natives of this land should be remembered and honored. Kudos to you for reaching out to the Native community❣️
Perhaps in our New American Mutt Norse Paganism we will add at each of our rituals a nod to those who were here before us. Sadly we cannot change the horrors of the past but we can change our present to help heal it.
To those who will say, "But then it's no longer pure Norse Paganism...." I would remind you of our ancestors who traveled, adapted and assimilated. I am a German/Irish American Mutt who is proud of her ancestory and proud to embrace the melting pot that is our country!
K, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Thank you so much for being the kind of grounded, level headed, inspirational leader we could all use right now.😊
Both paganism and native spirituality are steeped in animism and ancestor worship. More similarities than differences when you get down to it.
Well said. :)
An interesting perspective, I would add however that European paganism isn't responsible for the horrors of manifest destiny and the conquistadors. It was Christians and christianity.
@@torstenscott7571 Indeed, and modern Christians should acknowledge the complicity of the tradition to which they belong in the genocide of native people, and provide mutual aid if they are able and in a position to do so, if they really want to uphold their ideal of loving their neighbor as themselves.
European Pagans, however, I would think would be motivated to express solidarity with native peoples on not just one, but two fronts. Yes, they are, by blood, often related to people who oppressed the ancestors of indigenous people, but they are also, by both tradition *and* blood, related to other cultures that were wiped out the same way these native cultures are in danger of being wiped out today. The fight they are going through to preserve their own cultures, so as not to have to reconstruct them later from scattered archeological evidence the way modern European Pagans have had to, I'd think, would be something that would get a great deal of support from the Pagan community.
edited for grammar
@@achristiananarchist2509 I would add, that though earlier Christians were responsible, I wouldn't hold modern Christians accountable for "fixing" modern issues of Native Americans. The lumping of people into groups or putting identity politics as a top priority at the expense of individual accountability has become a dangerous and unjust trend in our culture recently. Modern Christians nor descendants of Europeans are not responsible for the complex results of wars and strife of the past, and the various native American tribes were also distinct and with varying value systems, some weren't entirely innocent. Of course you are totally right about the oppression of Abrahamic religions upon European peoples earlier, which was then exported later ( hurt people tend to hurt other people ). It's going to take a serious look at the past and all it's ramifications. I personally like to imagine how the exchange of information could have went between Native Americans and Germanic heathens if Christian zealots hadn't been in the way of either.
As someone who has been a pagan for almost 2 decades in England, where we still have a lot of cultural features from the norse and who can actually visit viking sites and even pre-viking/celtic/stone age sacred places, I have to say it's grate to see you say this! There is a huge difference from Europe to America when it comes to practice and cultural understanding in Norse Paganism. Even the use of the word faith; which is a word absolutely not associated with Paganism at all! And the knowledge that the edas were written by Christians that twisted the mythology (which you have said in another video), here it's taken to heart and there is a lot of research being done to find the truth and a lot of work to dispel the misconceptions around the Norse and the gods. I'm glad to see at least one content creator doing the same :) sköl
Thank you 🍻
Hi..I moved to the UK recently and I would love to attend some pagan events..where do I get the info?
@@aishwaryasitaram2227 that's hard to say with these lockdowns! Nobody has met in a year 😕 but your best bet is actually face book. Where años are you? I may know someone that can help.
Hi I am in London...
@@aishwaryasitaram2227 aaah a great place to meet people, a terrible place for ritual n practice!! Well in London there are a couple shops that can help : watkins book and the Atlantis bookshop. The first is amazing and has magazines and event stuff, the second is more historical and frequent visits can help you meet people. Camden town is also a great place as lot's of pagans visit there for supplies and there are small events there is you look hard enough 😀. There's also a few groups that meet in parks, but their quite privet (as London is packed with ppl) but if you manage to find them, it doesn't hurt to message them.
I know this isn't much, but I hope it helps. Skol
I live in northern Germany and I always felt drawn to north cultures like the Celtic culture. But it during Corona lockdown I started collecting knowledge and researching more intensely about it to find my own path. I've always been extremely drawn towards nature and I could absolutely understand your excitement about this gorgeous place where you show us in your video. I have family in LA and somewhere else in the US, I would very much like to travel to there again and do some hiking in the mountains!
Greetings from Germany!
You hit that nail on the head!!!
As for the "mixed American" idea. The fact is, White Americans, whether they be Hellenic, Slavic, Germanic, Celtic, Baltic, etc, share a common Indo-European heritage. For those who feel lost because of a dual European identity, know that you can unify under Indo-Europeanism. The way I like to imagine it is the light from a flame shining through a prism. It is the same light, just separated into different colors. Greek, Celtic, Norse, etc religions are different manifestations of the same primal Indo-European religion.
They are all collections of symbols and allegories meant to explain the same phenomenon. They all tell basically the same story.
Definitely. Many Gods in different pantheons are parallels to each other. Belenus, Apollo, and Sol are essentially the same. The Romans even described the Celtic deities with Roman names as they did not know what they were called but saw a clear congruency.
@Stirgid Lanathiel I agree about the culture thing; it isn't about bloodlines it is about what's in one's heart.
I believe the Romans did indeed persecute them, but that doesnt mean that they didn't see the parallels between their deities. You have to remember, they basically just took the Greek pantheon, renamed it and called it their own.
A study in symbolism will reveal that, though the personal traits of some of the deities and some of the details in the stories may be different, the message is relatively the same.
Skal, friend.
@Stirgid Lanathiel That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Firstly "don't connect yourself to your bloodline" is incredibly racist. Blood connection is the deepest connection there is. White Americans are Europeans by blood. Secondly, yes, American culture IS European culture. It were founded by Europeans, for Europeans. America was a recreation of Europe; specifically under the European Enlightenment ideals. The language, the food, the music, the ethics, the legal codes, all European. We are just Europeans who went out exploring for a few generations. We've been Americans for a little over 200 years, but Europeans for thousands. You sound like a globalist.
@Stirgid Lanathiel You need to learn the difference between ethnicity and nationality. Nationality is what country someone is a citizen of, but ethnicity is their culture and blood. Do you consider Rudyard Kipling English? If so, why? He was born in India, not England. According to your logic he should be Indian, not English. Just like the English colonized India, and the people born in India to English parents were English, America was also colonized by the English, and the people born in the colonies were English. English blood, English culture, English language, etc. While they may have changed nationalities after 1776, they didn't lose their ethnicity. Your ethnicity is different from your nationality. A Slavic person is still Slavic even if they are born somewhere other than Russia or Poland or any other Slavic country. A Germanic person is still Germanic even though they weren't born in Austria or Germany.
You bring up some amazing points and have given me some great journaling opportunities! Thank you! Blessings my friend!
Thank you so much for these wonderful videos!! I am so grateful I found your RUclips channel!!
Some deep thoughts here. Thank you!
Even though our recent ancestors werent pagan, we can and still should venerate them. The point of ancestor veneration is to celebrate the power , work and efforts that they gave to insure our survival and being able to live. Even though they are from different lands and histories, we are connected through blood and spirit . They still watch us .
Wonderful video. I think many of us have thought about these same topics you brought up and you have beautifully put them into words. Thank you!
Great video brother it great to find these answers together and helps me personally as well
I've just started watching your videos. Been inspired to practice again after an 5 year lull of separation. Thank you and be blessed
Man this was an awesome video! You must have read my mind😂
On my dad’s side of the family we can trace our family to the late 700s to Torf the Rich and Bernard the Dane
Beautiful!
Feed those venerable ancestors!
Thank you! We will gather in the forest and enjoy our time in nature.
Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest, Northern Alabama.
It's wonderful to see you evolving from the beginning to now on this beautifully imperfect journey 💜 you are changing, Jacob, and it's wonderful to follow you in your evolution.
I found your channel about a week or two ago, and I keep coming back. Love the videos and hearing you talk about your path. Not sure if its a sign but it’s starting to feel like one. Got my own copy of the Eddas and am planning to start reading them this weekend.
A very thoughtful and thought provoking discussion. One which I hope continues within the community and with the indigenous communities. Sharing knowledge and experience with respect , openness and reverence can only enrich us all.
Been dipping my toes in your videos & this video made me excited. I agree whole heatedly with everything you discussed; and to find out you're in Kentucky!! Southern Ohio here.
An excellent video! Your explanation is amazing! Thanks for the food for thought :)
I'll say what many others have said: you hit it spot on! And thank you very much for acknowledging the older spirits of the land and the Natives who were here before us. I appreciate your work. Seek the Truth, and the Spear shall Shine!
Thank you so much for this!
This video was very helpful...I have been struggling with this lately.
I live in Washington State. We have alot of rich native culture here. I really like how your worded the subject. My hope is that one day we could heal the hurt we have caused the spirit keepers of this land. So that we may learn from them. But until then we will just tread lightly, and know not all of the spirits of this land our ours to worship.
Another great video... Thank You Jacob
The sharing of First Nations and Native American wisdom is an extremely touchy subject. I am a Canadian pagan who lives on ancient Anishnaabeg territory. I often feel as though I am being disrespectful by not know the history, spirits, or deities of this land. On the other hand, I do not want to be disrespectful by practicing First Nations belief systems without permission. This is due to the fact that most indigenous groups do not want the people who tried to kill their culture, to practice their culture. I can completely understand why:
The indigenous people have not only suffered in the past but are still suffering today. I personally know multiple people who were abused in residential schools, stolen from their parents, and even forcibly sterilized by the government (yes, sterilized). People often compare Northern Ontarian racism to that of the deep south. Ojibwe and Cree kids are practically hunted for sport. During my time in high school, 3 Ojibwe kids died.
They were not even legally allowed to practice their culture and beliefs until a few decades ago.
The path to healing our relationship with First Nations and Native American people will be long and require a lot of work. The first step is educating yourself on exactly how bad things were and are for them. Then deciding how you can help.
I hope that as we (of european ancestry) reclaim our ancient ways, the indigenous people will feel comfortable opening up to us about theirs.
As an Indigenous person of Great Turtle Island (what you refer to as North America), I thank you for your respectful approach and wish that everyone else did so as well. Every one of our peoples/tribes has its own culture, language, and beliefs... there is no pan-Indigenous religion. Our beliefs and ceremonies are for our own people and no one else's and it is insulting when others co-opt, "borrow", or steal our sacred places, ceremonies, articles of worship, and symbols. Find out what your ancestors' beliefs were and practice those. We Natives don't fight over religion and will be glad for you to practice yours as long as it doesn't encroach on ours.
@@allisonshaw9341 I do hope that at least us Pagans and Aboriginals can forge some sort of relationship since our beliefs are so similar. From ancestor worship to hunting and fishing being central to our cultures, with the only difference being the Gods themselves.
Shit, that's awful. I thought it was super to be better over there but I guess people are people.
Great video! You got the stuff about the prairies right. There are so few preserved environments left in the Great Plains, even fewer with the bison, beavers and bogs that morphed the landscape for thousands of years.
Thank you for this video!! You’re amazing
We have a very similar situation here in Australia. Great video mate.
I'm an north American pagan nomad. I would enjoy nothing more then to talk to you outside of RUclips
Once again you knocked it out the ball park.
I will say when I saw you announce the topic of this video on instagram I was both really curious what you would say and slightly nervous this might be a sort of decline in your philosophy, since I've seen so many Americans struggle with this exact issue but instead of being honest with the true past they tended to cling desperately onto that "5% Norwegian blood which makes them a true Viking" thing.
But I think you addressed this issue head on and have had some very wise things to say on the topic. I do hope that this inspires anyone who isn't directly European to not worry so much about their "blood ties" to faith, since it should never be about that anyway. Ancestor worship is very different to what many people assume it is. Like Jackson Crawford highlights, if you go back far enough, everyone comes from the same cradle of life anyway. What makes the Viking Age so special? Other than it's just "cool". That doesn't make it more spiritual. In fact the Viking Age I would argue is a low point in "paganism" anyway since it was during a time of bloody conquest and wars, less care for the land and then eventual conversion to Christianity for an easy life (Thanks Rollo). If you consider it like that, the Vikings really weren't good examples of Norse Pagans anyway. So clinging to that "5% blood tie to Norway" doesn't really mean that much in terms of faith. Faith is faith.
The other thing I want to say is I am really impressed with your inclusion and references to Native spirits who did care for the land long before Europeans came and kicked them off their land and I think that is a very very important, very difficult and far too often forgotten aspect of North American Paganism.
In my personal practice and beliefs, I travel quite a lot and so I tend to try my very best to find out what the names of the gods and spirits were called in the pre-Christian periods and go by those names, since they are likely the oldest names. For instance, I am a Brit living in Finland, previously I was living in Norway. So, while I was living in Norway, I hailed the Aesir and Vanir and the spirits of the land. But now I am living in Finland, I hail Karhu, Ukko, Mielikki and Tapio, the names of the gods over Suomi, because we can never know for sure what spirits really live where. I don't see a problem with naming the spirit you're close to Odin, Thor, Ukko, Tapio or whatever, because even Odin went by many names. But what should be considered is how those spirits were honoured for thousands of years before you got there. Again, I don't even see a problem with bringing your own rituals and offerings to that spirit. But once again, like you said in your videos, this is the religion with Homework, and it should be discovered what the spirits of that land was named as well.
You seem to have addressed and touched on this point and honest Kudos to you for that.
I do hope this video spreads far and wide and helps quell some of the insecurities North American Pagans have. Maybe even help them release their iron tight grip on the snippets of DNA they feel gives them the right to worship the old gods and instead simply...worship the land and the old gods without feeling like an impostor.
Last thing I want to say is I really appreciate the message you bring focusing your community's faith on the land, which is honestly the single most important part of Paganism that so so so people, especially new people, seem to miss. People seem to cling onto this idea of being a Viking so much, it sometimes leads people astray, even so far as to join hate-groups because they feel "there is a war" going on they have to fight in the name of Odin. Actually, they're only half right. There is a war going on that we, as Pagans do need to join. But it's not a war of faith and people, it's a war for the soul of our planet.
Anyway, if you made it this far thank you for reading my massive essay of a comment and keep this up.
P.S. Being loud and shouting to the spirits is probably the truest form of American culture in Paganism I've ever seen ;)
you hit the nail on the head with this video
I love watching your videos. I'm from TN and I miss the mountains so much. I felt so connected to nature while being there.
Great video!
Well thought out, and so well stated. I absolutely concur in every respect.
Great video, i have been thinking about the same concept here in Australia.
Thank you brother, Skal!
❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏 love being here my friend. About to celebrate the Heilung ritual anniversary soon! Perhaps a video about that? But again thank you Jacob. Really happy our paths crossed and fyi I was a Roman Catholic, and respected the upbringing and heart.. and being born with a birth defect, they were super supportive.. anyway thanks my friend
And having been born in Kentucky it’s a prime spot for a pagan community
Agreed
There are many locations and many mountainous areas in America for a community...
And Connecticut?
Hopefully I can meet some of you in Kentucky. I've been hitchhiking America for a while and would love to meet fellow pagan folk
I love your videos man. I'm not a norse pagan but, I love the history and culture of the norse people as well as learning about other religions. Your videos have been very insightful and thought provoking. Keep doing the great work. Skål!
New to you r channel, GREAT content
I'm a practicing druid who definitely honors Odin in the form of the Dagda. Your videos are empowering and really draws me to incorporate some of the Norse pantheon in my own practice. I love the idea of Valhalla and the great feasting hall. I would definitely like to know more and connect as a part of the community!
Awesome video. Good job, I'm a heathen and my family is also from KY I grew up in appalachia. Kentucky is amazing I walked 330 miles through the D boone natl forest, wow what a experience. You are on to some good stuff. This took my mind off of the firestorm of politics and media happening here in America. Thanks we need to wake up to who we really are. It is happening faster every day. And it's also pissing a lot of people off, who want us to live in a high technological industrial prison with no soul where we have mindless technocrats and party wonks as our " saviours". I'll take heathenism and old pagan ways.
lol I had to open a new YuTube account to focus specifically on spirituality and be free of the political strife while I'm there!
This was a really good video. I don't know if anyone knows (or cares for that matter) but I have left a few comments on some of your previous videos in which I asked some...hard questions. They were never meant as hate or so, but perhaps I came off a little strong. As a Swedish Norse pagan I have always been a bit confused by American Norse pagans because your way of practicing is so different from mine and other Scandinavians. This video cleared some things up for me, I never really thought about the historical aspect of loosing your "roots" and starting completely fresh which your ancestors did. I have a greater understanding of you and your fellow American Norse pagans now after watching your video. I thank you for this Jacob, so skål to you from Sweden!
Country roaaaaaaads take me... wait you said Kentucky, never mind sorry. Wrong state. Great video dude.
I really wish their was more pagan or any non Christians in WV, its practically impossible to find anyone to share my spiritual philosophies.
@@natureswrath7665 Find someone who understands the importance of the folk and you will be surprised how Christians and Pagans can coexist. I refuse to believe that either my recent ancestors or my ancient ancestors were completely wrong in their spirituality, and it makes me think that as long as a European is praying to the god or gods of the Europeans, there is undeniable truth there. All European souls can sense the Divine if they try, and though the meandering paths of their prayer may differ, one might find that the beginning and end are the same.
@@alexanderholzer7392 but Christianity isn't the god of the Europeans its just another sect of the Arabic Abrahamic Cults that was spread by the sword and was the single biggest destroyer of religions second only to Islam. You can have spiritual experiences with it but the religion itself is cruel and in my opinion spiritually rotting.
@@natureswrath7665 In some ways, yes. But European Christianity was altered so drastically from its Abrahamic origins that it ultimately resembled other Abrahamic religions very little. It is still quite different from traditional European Paganism (of which there are many varieties) but it ultimately ended up in a state which was not antagonistic to the European soul.
@@alexanderholzer7392 My reply keeps getting deleted
Wow! Interesting video. And really gourgeous environment! There really is something magical and healing with streams, rivers, water in general. I always go to the ocean, rivers or lakes when i need to reload my energy.
I'm glad to see others who are also into long hikes in nature.
Just to quickly explain my life with my husband, our second date was a 2 hour walk up a mountain, through an ancient forest. With an amazing view, we sat in front of a fire and just enjoyed eachothers company. And then we walked 2 hours home. That is something i will never forget.
We go to that same place every now and then, i have a video on my channel from the last time we went there. We walked through the forest up to that mountain in the middle of the night. We sat in front of a fire and watched the sun rise. That is something i hope more people will get the chance to experience.
I just wished i had more friends who are into those kind of adventures.
About Appalachia, here is something you may not be aware of. The Appalachian Mountains are the same mountains found in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and in Norway.
I know that will sound crazy to most people, but the Appalachian range is so old that it existed prior to the splitting of Pangea. It was one long range of mountains that stretched that entire great length. if you look at the mountain ranges that I mentioned, you will see the similarities. The differences that you see between them are due to this ancient broken range having weathered in different climates and having different vegetation.
I also find it very ironic as someone who has had a DNA test. I am Irish, Scottish, and Norwegian and I grew up a large portion of my life in the Appalachian area. Those mountains are in my blood.
people.highline.edu/iglozman/classes/pscinotes/atlantic_mtns.jpg
This is awesome 😊
Thank you brotha!
THANK YOU so much for this video. As you mentioned, my ancestry test also revealed that I am a mix of many different cultures. I've always had a visceral desire to be close to nature but I was raised to fear "Satan" and thus Paganism. Thankfully, the call of my ancestors was too strong and I have been able to reconnect with them through the old ways. I am still learning, so videos like yours are very encouraging because I fell less alone.
This is so meaningful, I found this enlightening. My family has done some genealogy and found all the way back to early 1700s, mostly German/Dutch/Scandinavian ancestry. Not sure exactly when came to the US. This started me thinking about ancestors and heritage.
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom in this video. I am a follower of the norse gods from western North Carolina. You've presented alot that we as a community really should think about in our identity, so again thank you sir. Hail to you my friend.
Skål. Also from North Carolina
eastside though. one day ill be in thr mountains
Spot on my friend. It's allot to say in one video, but you are awesome at it. I hope it catches, but I believe it happens mostly on individual basis through extreme/just strange circumstances, that really sets the process in motion to accept this word view, its a stirring, yearning...🤣 IDK its growth, it's changing... it's living!
I lived in the blueridge mountain range for a while and felt similar and thats when this journey started for me. Now I live in the tidewater area and some of the older Mattaponi and pamunkey Indian grounds feel very intriguing as well.
My family came to America in the 1600's. My mother is writing a lot of the oral history we still have before it's lost.
random question, but were you at the Continental Line Meting Today?
@@SirFrederick yes, 1st dragoon
Very good points
Yes...i was so admiring your beautiful magikal woods....AMAZING!!!
So much of what you said, especially in the beginning, is a vocalisation of my own thoughts about American culture and spiritualism.
Thank you!
It’s really interesting that you talk about the native Americans because I was thinking about that before my first offering to the landvættir near my home. I even said while giving my offering that I know my ancestors may very well have taken part in the murder of the native people here and in desecrating the land that the landvættir watches over. But I also made sure to say that I’m not my ancestors, I love this land and wanted to venerate it once again, and so I hoped the landvættir could see that and appreciated my gift.
Honoring the spirits of the land with "white blood" in you is in no way desecrating them (I know yyou didn't say it was, I just wanted to use that word) and we have every right to love the land that nourishes us free of guilt.
THAT is how we honor the land AND the Native community, by being Tru.
Not by inviting Guilt from distorted historical narratives to invade our Love, for, again, the Land and Native folk.
This is from a guy with Choctaw blood and family on the rez.
"White guilt" harms relations with Natives.
Purge it.
@@Lu11abi honestly I have no clue if my ancestors had any part in the genocide anyway. One half didn’t come until the early 20ty century, long after my state was colonized. The other half I have no fucking clue but I’d guess around the Irish potato famine, so still after. But I don’t know for sure, so
Interesting thoughts and beautiful video! Your second point reminded me a great deal of American Gods by Neil Gaiman - while a novel, I think it may speak to you if you can find time to read it among all your research!
amazing video bro... i was interested in your opinion of north american pagans.. I was born in the US but moved to europe at a young age. currently im living in Malta a very extremely catholic country and its here in the mediterranean where i began to follow the calling of the gods. With that said i find it very difficult to obtain information and find others here that also follow the old ways.
but like you said at the end of the video.. it dosnt matter who we are or where we are or what we call our selfs. As long as we can follow the call of the gods thats what matters.
keep up the good work
SKÅL
Kentucky is a beautiful place, thank you for sharing!
Brad new to this channel. When I came across this video, Native American religion/culture was immediately what came to mind for me and it's a subject that I have been curious about for some time.
What interesting about Native American culture is that there is The Creator which has similarities with God in Judaism & Christianity but then there are also other Spirits that are celebrated including various animals, trees, mountains, ancestors, etc. and I'm sure there are variations depending on which tribe you're looking at. It's not Christianity, Judaism, or Muslim, and yet it's never labeled as Paganism, or at least I've never heard it being labeled as such. I feel like it's a subject that's not talked about enough.
With the exception of The Creator, none of the Spirits in Nature that they worshiped are labeled necessarily as Gods or have names that are as well known as Gods in other cultures but are still heavily respected and worshiped, making it unique compared to other religions (I could be wrong on some things, so don't quote me).
Very glad you took some time to acknowledge and discuss it, but I hope that you talk about Native American culture and religion more in the future because it really deserves its own video and can provide an alternative way of looking at religion, culture, and paganism.
Proud American Pagan here.
Once again, Jacob, you strike in the core of the matter.
I am European (Serbian) with Irish and Norse roots, but that is not important I believe. Ever since I was a child I felt called to America, to the Mt Rainier, to the Rocky Mountains, to the nature of it, like there is some kind of magic in the soil that keeps calling on to me.
And I've felt exactly what you're talking about many years ago and the feeling just kept tugging and growing inside of me.
Even though I've never been to America (in this life) I always felt the difference in energy, the American soil, forests, mountains, rivers, stones and the air are all died in a very different vibe and type of energy than that of Europe. And I believe that it has to do something with the soil itself and with the Indigenous people that resided (and venerated their gods, ancestors and practiced their magic) there. And all people, no matter the flavour of their beliefs, that go to America are changed somehow like they get tuned in to a different frequency and then they are never the same.
All pantheons (and even church!) that went to America got changed and evolved into something else and different entirely, and I can't wait to visit America (and maybe even stay) to feel it on my own skin and in my own heart!
Thank for the amazing content, as always, Jacob.
I think every pagen of what ever background should watch this video. We are tied to the land. Keep up the great work
You've helped partially guide me on this path I've begun to take. I feel as though this idea of 'Norse American Paganism' isn't a particularly bad thing. As the world, and by extension our experiences and spirituality changes, so too can our path of worship. Every day we are given the chance to grow and learn, and with that growth of knowledge we may alter our future and our faith. I hope that change is always positive. May your sails find the wind. Skål.
Newbie and devotee of Tyr here. I thought you covered a lot of good points. I think my primary separation from your description is that I don't feel the same impulse to be loud in my devotions, no matter where I happen to be. It's not so much that I'm constantly somber, necessarily, but I find the Divine tends to speak to more strongly to me in when I am still and quiet. Otherwise...all of what you said rang true, or close enough that the deviation made no difference to me.
A very interesting meditation on what it can mean to be pagan, specifically of the Norse persuasion, in North America.
Good Journey.
Lovely area my father is from Offutt just outside of Louiville
I grew up in Kentucky, and still think its natural beauty is second to none. You not only give us something to listen to here, but absolutely stunning visuals in the background.
oh damn it's so interesting, well i am not a norther pagan properly but in my life and for a few years i have been studying paganism in general and so for this video i say thank you. because I've lived some stong experiences and so far i didn't found somone who explained so clearly what we feel when we have a deep connection with all, i'm remerbering the Ygdrrasil video. well to end this comment, What a nice job!!!
I loved the perspective here, and agree completely. You are right, Kentucky is a beautiful place, and I’m glad to experience the nature of it everyday.
Skál Jacob! Could you do a video on connecting to past love one? On January 7th 8 years ago I lost my great grandfather then later that june I lost my great grandmother. It's been hard lately trying to connect with them. I go out to their land and I cant feel anything, same thing goes for when I go to their graves to clean up and leave flowers or a gift of some sorts. If you could squeeze this into your busy schedule I would really appreciate it. And thank you for all that you do! You have open my eyes along with my closest family eyes into the old gods. May the allfarther watch over you my brother!
Hey brother great video. Been trying to link up. I’m in Ky too. Trying to find more like minded people.
It's certainly true what you say about most of us having mixed heritage. In my family alone I have French, Scottish, English, Irish, Dutch, German, Swedish, Mi'kmaq and Abenaki, Lakota, and other lines of descent.
My European ancestors have been here since the 17th century, my paternal Swedish and Dutch ancestors and my maternal French ancestors arriving around the same time (the Swedes in what is now Delaware, the Dutch in Maryland and New York respectively, and the French in Nova Scotia Canada, where I live). And of course through my Native ancestry my family has been here for thousands of years.
I feel a deep connection to the land and want to do more rituals outdoors to honour the Gods and ancestors alike, and this video has gotten me more pumped to do it haha. You presented your points well. I love your enthusiasm! I am an eclectic Pagan myself, but the Norse Path is one I feel strongly drawn too, as well as Anglo Saxon Heathenry and Celtic Paganism.
I really enjoy your content man, I wish you all the best in the coming year with the channel and your life in general.
Hey, there's certainly a beauty to the plains and desert as well. I'm with you that Appalachia is my favorite, but that open stretch of plains and open sky has its own charms. It's not all repetitive farmland, but even if it was... there's a beauty to that too.
Perfectly put.
I'm 16 and my great great grandparents came here from Sweden and Norway. I have a very strong interest in my heritage/family history and Norse Paganism is helping me connect directly to who I am and my roots.
As someone who grew up never having gone to a church service (apart from the occasional wedding or funeral) and without close relatives who were practicing Christians, how often you mention Christianity is really noticeable to me. You may a lot of references to people discovering paganism who grew up in Christian households who might be nervous about expressing their new beliefs to their family, etc. It's so interesting to me to hear this perspective, because I would never for one moment be concerned about such a thing. I think it's important that you continually mention it though, because videos like yours have kind of "reminded" me that Christianity (or other religions) really is how a lot of people grew up, particularly in the US.
My direct line ancestor came to New France in 1646, but I do have some Native Blood of Montauk.
I have throughly enjoyed watching your videos and podcast. I do think the best way we can bring peace to the land and the bonds with the land spirits would showing respect, love and acknowledgement of them they way you do. What we have in common with native Americans in our faith is animism and i believe it will play a very strong role in the healing process with the land spirits of this country. I honor them by making offerings and asking for the forgiveness of my ancestors if they might have caused any wrong to the land or the original peoples who honored them before me. My dads side came from rathmines, Dublin co, Ireland in the 30s. My father did a DNA test to see his heritage and it came back 100% for Ireland, my mom did one and hers is Slavic, Iberian, Belarus, and Norway. My family on both sides are relatively new to the US but other unknown distant ancestors could have come here earlier and been apart of the havoc to the land. I'm not an apologists but I have no problem trying to step forward to heal the land bonds that have been broken.
I am a young norse pagan and your videos have helped me so much, i am the only one in my family so its kind of a hard thing, keep up the good work Skål
I would love to take that hike
Good topic
It's an interesting question...and I like that you didn't try to answer it, but rather put into the perspective of further questions. That is how we seek; and seeking is, to me, the whole point.
I parted from the Christian path and began my journey to the Pagan path almost 30 years ago. But I was adrift for a large portion of that time. I had come to realize that the early Christian Church was merely a syncretized interpretation of the same fundamental concepts. But with each layer of interpretation, it looked less and less like it's own essence. That's the journey of self-discovery we act out daily, whether we realize it or not.
I landed on the Nordic style of spirituality because that's what reached to me. As I drifted those years, I slowly became aware that Mjolnir - the hammer - had been at every turn. And I realized that my early affinity for the mythos of the Norse deities was something I related to very deeply.
There was something else though... The spirituality of the Native American tribes had also resonated with me. Perhaps it was that my great grandfather was a full-blooded Creek; or that one of my great+ grandmothers was a full-blooded Cherokee. It hadn't occured to me that the resonance I experienced came from the similarities of those belief systems...until I thought back to the realization I'd come to those 30 years ago: we are all aiming for the same goal.
We are all taking our respective paths up the mountain. We are all pursuing the summit...whether we call it "salvation," "ascension," or "enlightenment." We're simply discovering it via the path - or paths - that resonate the most within ourselves. A journey of self-discovery, started by the Source, continued by the Gods, and finished through the experiences of our many lives.
So who do we venerate? All of them, in my mind. Each generation learned and built and passed on something of value, regardless of the outward "skin" they put on it. Sometimes it was very dark. Sometimes it was bathed in light. Some of it was assured, and some of it was futile. All of it was necessary...and remains necessary...to bring us to our ultimate goal.
Sorry for waxing philosophical...it's just what came to me. Thank you for the thoughts and the images from my old homeland.
Spot on! What a fabulous topic, as you know I’m huge on the land connection, and stewarding caring for the land. A spin-off would be you mentioned America has very diverse biomes, this will lead to different customs, ie you and I have drastically different if equally beautiful landscapes, but the different lands will have different folk and different customs. We know this was true in ancient times, as it will be true now. Hope that makes sense.
All I’m picturing now is me traveling to each biome to show their physical and spiritual differences
@@TheWisdomOfOdin that would make for an awesome series of videos. Skål !
If you do consider a visit to Montucky
I really connect with the desire to honor both, the Celtic pagan practices I am learning and my native heritage. I was brought up in neither, and my soul has always felt lost. I really appreciate your perspectives in this video.
Thank you Jacob for showing me some natural beauty from my home state while I am so far from it
I am adopted. So I understand not knowing my roots. I discovered recently about my Scandinavian roots. Before that I practiced Native ways. I found out my birth mom lied to me about our "native blood". So Ive focused more on the "Frost" side of things. (My scandinavian ancestors name) but my great aunt who is the genealogist, who told me there is no known Native ancestry, is a devout Christian.... So yes I understand the whole all my American ancestors were/are christian too. As an adopted person I was raised in a Canadian French family in Maine. Catholics and Baptists. I broke away from Christianity when my dad died in 2008. By 2011, I started on my own pagan path (finally, after years of being pulled by Odin's ravens) Thanks for sharing your story. Yes I agree we are less Norse(European) and definately more North American Pagans. I personallh am very Eclectic and do not follow just one path. I am English, Irish and Scandinavian. If I do find my birth father. And find there is Native blood on his side great, but I no longer pursue that spirituality of trying to fit in to that belief system. I do have Native "family" who accepted me(adopted me non legally as their own) I am grateful for their love and acceptance of me. I am 111_medicine_woman_111 on Insta fyi.
This was a VERY interesting talk! Thank you! Paganism is fascinating! I think, from the dawn of time, people looked at creation and created their belief systems based on what they experienced, what they felt, and what their societal norms dictated. The names and function of the deities were different from place to place and a lot of times the geological influences on the people determined the function of their gods, which is amazingly interesting to me...BUT...what is SUPER interesting to me about Norse Paganism is that the gods of the norse were NOT based on function...but on human characteristics: Odin the wise, Thor the brave, Frigg the intuitive!
A very interesting video, I liked your view points bróđir. We are a new generation carrying our ancestors beliefs forward. At every celebration I always pour out the first cup to my ancestors, I believe we should make them proud and continue forward with our old and new traditions. Hail to my fellow ky pagans and those around the world.
Why has there not been a current North American pagan settlement
There are, they just aren't recognized as the majority of them don't meet the requirements
@@KCStyleZ001 Recognized by whom?
@@geogeo2299 the local governments
@@KCStyleZ001 "Local governments"? You mean municipal/state admins?
Great thoughts and I have alot to add. First coming from the southern foothills of the Appalachians, in northeast Alabama, I too am always struck by the beauty and awe of our region. I never thought about the erosion being a sign of this landscape's age. My story is somewhat different than yours and many other Americans (especially from this region), because I came from a non-religious ("cultural") Catholic family with more recent immigrant roots. Directly from Flanders/Belgium on maternal line, and Swabia/Germany on the paternal line (with a further line through that side from the Celtic regions of northwest Spain). So my own Paganism is more Continental than Norse - there are many commonalities, I just have to take a more folkloric approach since my peoples were Christianized a couple of hundred years earlier than the Norse and Anglo-Saxons - and the Franks and Visigoths took a more brutal approach in eradicating and suppressing the Old Ways. We honor our Ancestors no matter their religion; it's more the ideal and the broader aspects of who we are. Besides, much of what is called "Christian" is often what was stolen or incorporated from our Paganism - i.e. the folklore and traditions, Outlook and worldview is more Native European than Middle Eastern, etc.. So that way we honor Ancestors despite their Christianity they were nearly all just born into anyway.
Now, being Animists we have to accommodate ourselves to the actual landscape we live in whilst also knowing our Ancestors and Gods live within our blood and are with us no matter where we go. So I don't see a conflict between incorporating the two, because there are the same types of land spirits, the ravens are common in our region much like back in our Germanic and Celtic ancestral lands, the forests, lakes, rivers and mountains are like a mirror of Europe (we can indeed go back to the Pangaea theory and see why this is so). The only difference as I see it is HOW we honor the land spirits. Do more offerings that are common in this landscape, such as tobacco etc.. We still honor our own Ancestors and Gods. The only difference being the specific land spirits and often different plant life.
There is a certain respect paid to those Native people of this continent. Growing up nearby many mounds and deep within the ancestral territory of the Creek, I do so by simply acknowledging their presence (those who died and whose bones and flesh mixed with this land) out of respect. And in exchange of that, nothing for my own life since they are not my ancestors, but a general exchange of energy for this landscape which I may benefit from and through. The mounds I respect and admire from a distance, much like our ancestors back in Europe encountered certain megaliths that were built by previous peoples - there is no proof they actually performed rituals there (unlike the modern New Agers and pretend "Druids" etc.), but they respected the energy and charge they had with the landscape whilst building their own mounds. So I approach Native American sites here in the same way.