Odinists Welcome?

[hremmgast]

Hi

Are Heathens welcome to post on the board?

I am mostly English by blood, although I am a quarter Gael from Ireland and Scottish highlands, with a smidgin of Welsh.

I have always been more drawn to the Germanic ways but I have an interest in the Celtic beliefs and see both as two sides of the same coin.

Anyway hello from an Engle.

[Brochfael]

I would agree that the "Celtic" and Germanic traditions should have more in common than they currently seem to and I for one would welcome mor Heathens.

[Blackbird]

Yes, you are welcome - the only requirement for joining the board is that you be interested in what we're talking about - ie., Brythonic stuff

Not sure about two sides of a coin, but there are similarities. As a polytheist, I find that I have far more in common with heathens than with neo-druids, who are often mono/duotheist. On the one hand, I think the division between 'Celts' and 'Germans' was quite arbitrary, but on the other, the languages - and the cultural concepts expressed within language - are often quite different.

Still, we all like mead!

[Blackbird]

By the way - meant to add that it would be very interesting to have a discussion on the meetings between Brythonic and Anglian/Frisian/Jutish/Saxon etc. cultures... look at interactions between the peoples (Vortigern springs to mind ) along with general similarities, differences etc.

[hremmgast]

Thanks for the welcome.

I do think that the differences are exagerated more then the reality. It was Julius Caesar who first divided Celt from German, based on the river Rhine. Certainly there is a language difference, Celtic languages are more similiar to Italic tongues than Germanic languages. At the same time though there were probably more similiarities than differences.

The article below is quite interesting:

geocities.com/odinistlibrary/MainAll.htm

[beithann]

Actually I think there was a lot of exchange between the teutonic people and the Celts especially the Irish and Scottish Celts. it's certainly true that a lot of what is called 'Celtic Art' owes a lot to Viking influence and you find that a few of the Ancient Irish kings married Danish princesses - I don't know how that 'bleeds' into the Brythonic side of things though

Beith

[Blackbird]

Definitely a strong Danish influence in Ireland. And in Britain too, of course. Yes, all that knotwork is 'Hiberno Saxon' rather than 'Celtic'

How does it bleed in? Trade, intermarriage, more trade... bit of rape and pillage... trade... I don't think any culture at any time has ever existed in an isolated bubble.

[beithann]

I think you are absolutely right, people have been much more mobile over the centuaries than most give them credit for.
My own maiden name (Langrick) comes from the Jutland Peninsular, my fathers side of the family come from that side of England - we had a lot of people in the family who researched the family tree.

(Bloody heathens, they get everywhere )

Beith