5.18.2008
Iceland: The Perfect Pagan Country?
John Carlin of The Guardian looks at why Iceland is the happiest place on Earth.
"Iceland ... tops the latest table of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Index rankings, meaning that as a society and as an economy - in terms of wealth, health and education - they are champions of the world. To which one might respond: Yes, but - what with the dark winters and the far from tropical summers - are Icelanders happy? Actually, in so far as one can reliably measure such things, they are. According to a seemingly serious academic study reported in the Guardian in 2006, Icelanders are the happiest people on earth. (The study was lent some credibility by the finding that the Russians were the most unhappy.)"
The secret to their happiness? According to Carlin, a big part of it is their lack of connection to Christian ideas of morality, and a deep connection to their Viking and pagan ancestors.
"As a grandmother I met on my first visit to Iceland, two years ago, explained it: 'The Vikings went abroad and the women ran the show, and they had children with their slaves, and when the Vikings returned they accepted it, in the spirit of the more the merrier' ... It is a largely pagan country, as the natives like to see it, unburdened by the taboos that generate so much distress elsewhere. That means they are practical people."
Indeed, from reading Carlin's take, Iceland sounds like a paradise for the Pagan spirit. A land that incorporates a deep respect for women, industriousness, a focus on family and community, a robust social safety net, a healthy capitalistic economy, and a sense of social justice that bypasses the backwards-looking morality that often marginalizes outsider groups and derails progress. For instance, while the culture warriors in America are sharpening their knives after California approved gay marriage, homosexual couples in Iceland have enjoyed the same benefits as married heterosexual couples since 1996, which was expanded in 2006 to include protections for adoption and artificial insemination.
As for full-blown religious Paganism, Iceland has that too. It was the first Scandinavian country to give legal recognition to Asatru (1973), and is home to famous Heathens like Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, a musician and producer who has worked with artists like Bjork and Sigur Ros, and serves as Chief Godi of the Icelandic Asatru Association.
So when we muse about what a "post-Christian" future will look like, perhaps we should turn to the Scandinavian countries like Iceland, where such a reality exists and thrives. It could be that the best of what a "pagan" future holds has been here for generations, waiting for the rest of us to notice.
Labels: Asatru, Iceland, Paganism, post-Christian
12.18.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
Remember the Episcopagan scandals? Well, the main player in that drama, former Episcopalian priest turned Druid Walter William Melnyk, is releasing a new novel co-written with with Druid priestess Emma Restall Orr entitled "The Apple and The Thorn".
"The Apple and The Thorn is a love story set on the mythical Isle of Avalon at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain. The novel draws on the persistent myths of the Lady of the Lake; legends of Jesus' visit to Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea; the Holy Grail and the Chalice Well. Although set in ancient times, it is a heart-rending tale of power and belief, a contemporary reminder of the emotional and physical conflicts that surface when the missionary zeal of one faith threatens to destroy the beauty and spirituality of indigenous culture and suppress freedom of belief and worship."
If the Lady of the Lake and Joseph of Arimathea debating over the true nature of Jesus (and the resulting Christian religion) is your kind of thing, no doubt you'll be well-pleased with what Melnyk and Orr have produced. The book is out now in the UK, and is scheduled for a May release in the US.
The Lansing State Journal reports that Baby-Boom religious seekers will most likely remain seekers once they hit retirement.
"He said that, as boomers age, as they become grandparents, they seem to be 'moving into that phase that humanistic psychologists have talked about of thinking about what they give back, not just what they get,' he said, 'what they give back to family, community and country.' The question for religious institutions is whether they can provide the settings for that search for meaning. 'Organized religion has been reaching out to try to create venues for this kind of thing,' Roof said. 'But I think the baby-boom generation still feels free to find truth wherever they can.'"
So don't worry, it doesn't appear that Starhawk will be converting to Orthodox Judaism (or Isaac Bonewits to Catholicism) any time soon. I, for one, welcome our less-self-centered Boomer overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted blogging personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others
Speaking of Starhawk, she weighs in on the subject of diversity, pluralism, and the "Christmas Wars" at the Washington Post "On Faith" blog.
"I don't think we're being too 'politically correct' to hold to the guiding principles that our Constitution is founded upon. As someone who was raised Jewish and who is a practicing Pagan, I support Christmas. I think it's a beautiful holiday, a wonderful celebration of birth and hope in the midst of the dark of winter. I support Christ being the 'star of the show' in every Christian Church and Christian home. I sympathize deeply with my Christian and secular friends who are struggling to keep the holiday from devolving into CommercialMass or Giftmas and to focus on its deeper meaning. I do not support Christ being the star of the show in public celebrations - not unless he's willing to share the stage with Lugh the Sun God and Saule the Sun Goddess, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Judah Macabee and a host of others. Even then, either someone gets left out or every celebration becomes an interminable endurance test. And how do atheists get equal time?"
While Americans battle over how much Baby Jesus gets to happen in public, Iceland has no problems connecting the Yule-tide dots between Christian and pagan practice.
"Head Folklorist at the University of Iceland Terry Gunnell will give a presentation in English today and again on December 22 at the National Museum of Iceland, located in Reykjavik, about the traditional Icelandic Yule. The presentation is entitled 'The Icelandic Yule. An illustrated presentation in English reviewing the beliefs and traditions of Icelandic Christmas past and present, from pagan gods to practical joking Christmas Lads.'"
Between this and the joint Pagan-Christian celebrations in Lithuania, you gotta wonder if Europe isn't on to something here. But if tolerance and peaceful co-celebration isn't an option, you can always file a restraining order on the cause(s) of this whole mess.
"Paranormal Restraining Orders Keep them away! Since the dawn of time, mankind has sought the means of keeping away supernatural and paranormal entities. Now, for only $5 each, receive a printed document that bars them from approaching or contacting you."
They really need to broaden their options, there are all sorts of celestial powers I want to keep a safe distance from me.
The Smart Set's Emily Maloney visits a Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo so you don't have to.
"The whole expo felt like a bad shopping trip where shoppers and sellers were all piecing together a mix and match vision of reality. I also found listening to people who were capable of distorting their cognition in such whimsical ways nearly impossible to understand. I mean, if I could get in touch with the Devic Kingdom, wherever that is, I could definitely use a fat, chipper gnome to remind me of my grocery list, or help me find overdue library books, or drive when I got too drunk (if that's not asking too much to ask of a gnome), but I just don't know how to go playfully crazy in the direction of woodland fairies and jolly gnomes."
I completely empathize with the mental block (which I playfully call "sanity") that doesn't allow me the full range of spiritual experiences some of my more "out there" co-religionists seem to regularly engage in. Then again, if it got me a gnome-housekeeper, perhaps I should try harder.
In a final (fae) note, Bookslut lets us know that there is a new English translation out of the classic Irish epic "The Tain".
"It's all quite fantastic, but in Carson's version never preposterous. In part, that's because he's such a skilled translator. Carson has done deft poetic justice to book-length works by Dante and the 18th century Irish poet Brian Merriman. This "Tain" also benefits from the fact that, among the formidable group of poets to emerge from Ulster over the last few decades, Carson has remained closest to the roots of that troubled province's traditions. He is the author of two fine books on traditional music, and this translation is dedicated to a traditional Gaelic storyteller. Because he is a fine poet and -- in that Yeatsian sense -- "a rooted man," Carson's translation teases from "The Tain" several of the things that make it so remarkable: First and foremost among them is the fact that -- unlike, say, the Iliad -- the characters in "The Tain" don't stand as archetypes. They're real people -- conflicted, complex, alternately admirable and reprehensible, capable of courtesy and deceit, generosity and cunning. Cu Chulainn is a superhero and a vain adolescent, a warrior sometimes thrust into mourning by his own skill. He, like other characters in this "Tain," is also very funny."
You can find the new translation, here.
That is all I have for now, have a good day!
Labels: Baby Boomers, Christmas, Druidry, Episcopagan, Iceland, Ireland, New Age, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Starhawk, War on Christmas, Yule
4.03.2007
Bjork's "Pagan Femininity"
Icelandic superstar Bjork has released the cover art for her new album "Volta" (to be released on May 8th), and discusses its colorful imagery with Pitchfork Media.
The cover to Bjork's new album "Volta"
"The album cover is meant to evoke pagan femininity and, to some degree, feminism, which is a running theme throughout the music of Volta. It's not necessarily about me as a woman, but just women. Kind of that long leap of 10,000 years back, when they [were] in harmony with nature, and just little things like the fact that there are 13 full moons in a year and most women have certain things happening to them 13 times a year, but Christianity wanted to have 12 months, just to try to put that off."
In addition, Bjork says that she is tapping into a "shaman sort of voodoo thing" on tracks like "Earth Intruders" (the first advance single from the album), and talks about the photo shoot that lead to the cover image.
"It was a magical atmosphere in the photo shoot. It was kind of fun, because it wasn't about me, it was about this sort of spirit of - like a woman who is kind of...into rave, no I'm just kidding. Like, a sort of celebration of that ancient, but at the same time kind of neon."
This further cements the pagan-friendly stance that Bjork has been exhibiting for some time now. I can't wait to hear the finished product. You'll most likely be hearing tracks from "Volta" on my Pagan music show once I get my hands on a copy.
In related news, the amazing documentary looking at Icelandic music "Screaming Masterpiece" was released domestically last month. It features Bjork and several amazing pagan-friendly musicians, including the Sigur Ros masterpiece "Odin's Raven Magic" (featuring rimur-singer Steindor Andersen and Icelandic Chief Godi Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson). Definitely worth checking out.
Labels: Bjork, Iceland, music, Paganism, Screaming Masterpiece
1.20.2007
European Pagan Updates
Two quick news stories of European origin to convey. First off, Greek Pagans (who were recently given the right to officially exist in Greece) are pressing for access to the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
"A tiny group of worshipers plans a rare ceremony Sunday to honor the ancient Greek gods, at Athens' 1,800-year-old Temple of Olympian Zeus. Greece's Culture Ministry has declared the central Athens site off-limits, but worshipers say they will defy the decision. "These are our temples and they should be used by followers of our religion," said Doreta Peppa, head of the Athens-based Ellinais, a group campaigning to revive the ancient religion."
The article also notes an idealogical split within the Greek Pagan community.
"Those who seek to revive the ancient Greek religion are split into rival organizations which trade insults over the Internet. Peppa's group is at odds with ultra-nationalists who view a revival as a way to protect Greek identity from foreign influences. They can't even agree on a name for the religion: One camp calls it Ancient-Religion, another Hellenic Religion."
It would be interesting to hear more about this split, in some ways it mirrors similar splits within Asatru. Ellinais plans to push to register their offices as a place of worship so that they can perform official ceremonies like weddings.
Meanwhile in Iceland, there is controversy brewing over who is included in a traditional Winter festival.
"A house wife and anthropology student who lives in Bolungarvik in Iceland's Westfjords publicly criticized her town's winter feast traditions of Thorrablot this week. The feast takes place tonight. Only married or legally registered couples, widows and widowers are welcome to the feast, excluding singles and divorcees. The tradition was established decades ago, originally due to lack of space in the community center where the feast is held."
The feast is thought to be a hold-over from pagan times and includes some eye-opening traditions.
"Thorrablot ("winter sacrifice") is traditionally celebrated around Iceland and among Icelandic communities abroad at the beginning of the month Thorri, which begins on a Friday between January 19 and 25 and ends on a Saturday between February 18 and 24 according to the old Icelandic calendar. This midwinter feast is a pagan tradition that survived Christianity and is an occasion for eating old-fashioned food, such as pickled ram testicles and rotten shark, and for drinking to excess."
Rotten shark and binge-drinking? I can't see any potential problems there! There is no word if the Bolungarvik city council is considering changing the rules to allow singles into the festival. Though it does seem unusual for a festival to exclude singles, aren't traditional festivals supposed to encourage the finding of a partner?
