What Being A Norse / Germanic Pagan Is Really Like.
Versus what the general public imagines.
Odinist Does Not Mean Viking.
The Worship of Odin / Woden / Wotan, also known as Germanic Paganism, has been documented from England and Ireland in the West, all the way East into Ukraine, and deep into Russia. Even France, Spain, and Italy, all have a history of Germanic Paganism. It was not just a Norwegian, or Scandinavian belief system.
The Reality : Much in the same sense that every Christian is not a 4th - 8th century crusader, not all Pagans or Odinists are Vikings. In fact, I think it's also important to point out before we really get started, that Vikings were pirates, and there aren't a whole lot if them left from Denmark, Norway, or Sweden. I would be willing to bet, that the only pirates who are still sailing, slave trading, and plundering the 7 seas, are not European. That being said, let's get deeper into this, and explain what being Odinist, or Pagan means to most modern Pagan folks.
The Public Assumption: All Pagans are Norwegian, and playing dress up as Vikings.
Observing Ancestral Traditions.
This one is a deep dark esoteric secret that pagans have never shared with the general public at least not before today, so buckle up.
We observed the seasonal shifts. For example, the Solstices and Equinoxes, are markers for some of oldest traditional holidays in recorded history. The perfect example is the Germanic celebration of Yule, starting on the Winter Solstice. Our ancestors would pack the whole family up, and gather at the family patriarch, or matriarchs home. Keep in mind this was often also the Tribal leader, but not always. Then, once everyone was there, the men would go hunt together. Usually trying to bag a boar, or a deer for the feasts over the next 12 or so days. The families would all bring some of their fall harvest, and early winter farmed goods.
The Reality : The ancient practice of a blöt or blood sacrifice, consisted of catching the blood of the boar, cow, deer, or whatever animal was being sacrificed in a bowl, or bucket. Usually one that was reserved for that particular purpose. Then they would sprinkle it in their recently plowed o er fields. They knew that this made the next harvest of goods grown there more productive, but likely didn't know why. Scientifically speaking. What it does, is add much needed Nitrogen to the soil, thus adding to the nutrients needed for the growth of most vegetables. It served a purpose, and that tradition was passed down to them over time. Now, it is my belief that when that tradition was new, the person or being (Tiwaz, Odin, or maybe Thor,) that started it actually understood why blood in the soil made for a better harvest. But they were passing it down to a primitively superstitious and yet very devout people. They were shown that it worked, and then they did it again the next year. It's that simple.
To put it simply, we keep those same Ancestral traditions, but with a much more modern and scientific understanding as to why we do. Our modern understanding does not diminish the significance of the fact, that a common ancestral God deep in our histories started it. By keeping those Traditions, we are Celebrating and Honoring them, while keeping the fields fertilized and passing the tradition down to our kids, and their kids.
The Public Assumption : Pagans come together and play with blood, because some mythical sky being told them to.
Lifestyle Differences.
They are vast, but at the same time, quite simple to explain. We prefer organic and natural foods, and that sometimes means growing them ourselves. Many Pagans based on that same logic, also tend to prefer more natural remedies, as opposed to chemical medications.
The Reality : Natural remedies tend to have far less side effects, and they have worked from thousands, to possibly even tens of thousands of years. Cannabis for instance was used by the Scythians, Germanic Pagans, and Celts, going back at least 5,000 years. We prefer to use things like these.
The Public Assumption : Pagans are all Tree huggers, and hippies who pretend to be Witches and Vikings.
We don't believe that our gods were blood obsessed celestial beings or aliens, any more than Christians believe that a Jewish Human and Alien hybrid being walked all over the Middle East preforming stage magic like David Copperfield, or Criss Angel.
My point with this entire article, is that any religious beliefs can be made to look ridiculous, if you only focus on certain aspects of it. But when we take the time to back up, and take a bigger picture look at something, we often see that they (religion and traditions) are fundamentally far more similar, than they are different. Just like modern cultures, the ancient ones had logical reasons for the celebrations and traditions that they kept.
Thank you for reading. You people really are awesome, and have proven time and time again, to be a very engaged group of readers. It has been an honor to receive some of the tips, and knowledge that I have gotten from some of you, along with some of the feedback. Please, keep it coming.