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The Million Bright Ambassadors of Morning

Post 1

Ménalque

Hello smiley - biggrin

I'm blub-blub smiley - wah, the guy from the Polytheism... debate.

Until you turned up I did not realise that Andy thought of himself as a Pagan, I guessed he was a Polytheist of some type, most probably a Hindu, but obviously I was wrong.

It explains some things for me. For example his insistance on calling Scandavians 'Heatherns', a broad, derogatry term usually used at the time to describe non-christian cultures.

Another label used to refer to these cultures was Paganism (however, it was used in a less negative sense).

So, you and Andy describe yourselves as modern-day pagans. What does this actually mean? Originally it was a label for European religions not understood by the Christian civilisations, so fairly amibigious in what it covered. Do you claim to be of the religion of one of these? Or is it an old name applied to something else entirely?

b-b


The Million Bright Ambassadors of Morning

Post 2

Ragged Dragon

>>I'm blub-blub , the guy from the Polytheism... debate.

Welcome to my space.

>>Until you turned up I did not realise that Andy thought of himself as a Pagan, I guessed he was a Polytheist of some type, most probably a Hindu, but obviously I was wrong.

Yes, but it doesn't matter. He's a polytheist, and so am I, and so are many Hindus.

>>It explains some things for me. For example his insistance on calling Scandavians 'Heatherns', a broad, derogatry term usually used at the time to describe non-christian cultures.

I think you will find he calls himself, and other polytheists from similar traditions, heathens, which is how the people of that time described themselves. See the incident where the Icelanders espoused Christianity for details.

In one sense, the term heathen is derogatory, yes. That sense is the perjorative sense in which some Christians use it. In another sense, it can be seen either as a purely descriptive term, people who did not accept the new religion - or, latterly, people who still do not accept the new religion - or even as being derived from a Scandiwegilandic word for light smiley - smiley

Personally, I find that the latter useage depends far too much on some very dodgy etymology.

>>Another label used to refer to these cultures was Paganism (however, it was used in a less negative sense).

There was not a great deal of difference, actually, in the early years. Those who preferred a Latinate derivation to their speech, largely those with a priestly, Latin education, preferred the Latinate term of pagan. Those who used an anglo-saxon-frisian-jutish derivation preferred heathen.

>>So, you and Andy describe yourselves as modern-day pagans. What does this actually mean? Originally it was a label for European religions not understood by the Christian civilisations, so fairly amibigious in what it covered. Do you claim to be of the religion of one of these? Or is it an old name applied to something else entirely?

It means I and he follow a pagan polytheist religion. In my case, a form of AS religion, based on the knowledge of and love of the deities who spoke to the AS peoples in pre-Christian times, and continue to speak to some of us now.

My main alliegance is to the Wife of Woden, with a side-order of several other deities, some of whom are not from the heathen polytheon. For instance, I have honoured Minerva and Epona, in their places and when they made themselves known to me. I have friends for whom those two deities are their main - or only - patrons, and have participated in rituals for them on several occasions. Since then, I have felt them in my life, and I feel immensely honoured to have had that contact.

I hope that that answers some of your questions?

If not, please feel free to drop in to this site

http://manygods.org.uk

and take a look at the definitions and articles.

--

Jez


The Million Bright Ambassadors of Morning

Post 3

Ménalque

Yep, another question I'm afraid.

What are the word derivations of 'Pagan' and 'Heathen'?
I'd be intrested to know.

b-b


The Million Bright Ambassadors of Morning

Post 4

Ménalque

Hi,

Both of us seem to have fallen into some type of argument about debate style in the other thread. I just thought I'd drop by here to say that whatever is in the debate is purely about the debate, I'm only attacking some arguments you make, not you personally.

So, smiley - smiley

Other than paganism, what would you say your main intrests were?

bb


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