Or more correctly sámi álbmotbeaivi (aprox: The day of the Sami peoples).
Celebrated in Sweden,Norway and Finland on Febr 6, marking the first Sami Congress in Trondheim, Norway 1917.
The day has been celebrated since 1992 after a decision by the Congress in Helsinki, Finland.
Sapmi (the lands of the Sami) encompasses areas in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
The Samer are the only official indigenous people wthin the EU.
A noaidi (Northern Sami: noaidi, Lule Sami: noajdde, Southern Sami: nåejttie, Skolt Sami: nōjjd, Ter Sami: niojte, Kildin Sami: noojd/nuojd) is a shaman of the Sami people in the Nordic countries representing an indigenous nature religion. Most noaidi practices died out during the 17th century, most likely because they resisted the crown; their actions were referred to in courts as “magic” or “sorcery” (cf. witchcraft). Several Sámi shamanistic beliefs and practices were similar to those of some Siberian cultures.
Noaidis are said to have the role of mediator between humans and the gods. To undertake this mediation, the noaidi communicated with the gods, asking what sacrifice needed to be made by a person so that they might return to good health, be successful in their hunt for food, and even for good weather. Sacrifices were designed by the noaidi to reestablish the balance between the mortal and immortal worlds.
The noaidi used a Sami drum and a domestic flute called a “fadno” in ceremonies. The traditional Sámi chant—the joik—was used in ceremonies where a noaide fell in a trance, left their body, and transcended to the divine world of “saivo” where they negotiated with gods, spirits, and forefathers to improve the fate of their group. As with other circumpolar religions, the Sámi religion also has a hunting ceremony especially for bears as part of its bear cult. Elements of Norse mythology, as well as Christian ideas, are found in the later years of Sámi religion.
Males confessed to sacrificial male gods, and females to female fertility gods. Sacrifice of animals and metal objects was also included in some religious ceremonies. “White” animals (white reindeer, cows, sheep, etc.) played an important role.
A noaidi could engage in any kind of affair that demanded wisdom; it is said they took payments for their services. The activities included healing people, helping children, making decisions and protecting reindeer, which represented the most important source of food and were also used as tribute payment.
The sources from which we learn about noaidi are court protocols, tales, excavated tools (such as belts), and missionary reports. The image rendered by missionaries should in most cases be considered mere fable. That Noaidis were punished and in some cases sentenced to death for their “sorcery” should perhaps rather be interpreted as an attempt to obliterate opposition to the crown.
It is probable that the word has come down to both Sámi and Finnic languages from the ancient Proto-Uralic language, as there is a possible cognate word also in the distant Uralic language Mansi.
Tiermes, God of thunder (notice hammer)
Sámi shamanism is a Sámi neo-shamanistic or neo-paganistic religion. Though it varied considerably from region to region within Sápmi, it commonly emphasized ancestor worship and animal spirits, such as the bear cult. Sámi religion is also based on archaeologicalremains and written sources from missionary work in northern Scandinavia during the Middle Ages and up to the early 18th century, though some of the knowledge exists as family oral tradition. Severe violations have been committed by churches in the past. There are Sámi people who have wished to return to the Sámi shamanistic religion. It has been compared to neo-shamanism or neo-paganism, but the Sámi shamanistic religion does not necessarily have to be polytheistic.
Aside from the Bear Cult, there are other animal spirits such as the Haldi who watched over nature. Some Sámi people had a thunder god called Tiermes, sometimes called Horagalles. Radien or Vearalden was a sky-ruling god. The symbol of the world tree or pillar similar in Finnish mythology that reached up to the North star was marked by a stytto.[1]
The forest-god of the Sámi, Laib olmai ruled over all forest animals, which were regarded as his herds, and luck in hunting, or the reverse, depended on his good will. His favour was so important that, according to one author, they made prayers and offerings to him every morning and evening.
In the landscape throughout Northern Scandinavia, one can find sieidis, places that have unusual land forms different from the surrounding countryside. Sámi shamanism considers these spiritual ‘focal points’ and worships them as gateways to the spirit world. At these sieidis, sacrifices were made, of animals and objects, and archaeologists have found “Samic metal depots” (due to the large numbers of metal objects) dating back to 9th-14th centuries. These objects are mostly coins from medieval Germany and England, weapons parts such as arrow-heads, and other minor findings such as antler from reindeer.
The clan and family gods of the Sámi were known in different parts of Sapmi under the name of Seita, Sieidis orStorjunkare. Each family or clan had its Storjunkare standing in the district where they lived. Every Sámi settlement had its seita, which had no regular shape, and might consist of smooth or odd-looking stones picked out of a stream, of a small pile of stones, of a tree- stump, or of a simple post. They were set up on a high, prominent place, or in a rich meadow. Under and round such seitas they strewed green fir twigs in winter, and in summer green leaves. The seitas protected their worshippers against misfortune to the herds of reindeer, gave instructions how to catch wild reindeer, and in return offerings were made to them of the hides and hoofs of reindeer, calves, and sometimes of a dog. But a private person might also have his own seita, to whom he prayed for good luck. The Storjunkare are described sometimes as stones, having some likeness to a man or an animal, that were set up on a mountain top, or in a cave, or near rivers and lakes. Honor was done to them by spreading fresh twigs under them in winter, and in summer leaves or grass. The Storjunkare had power over all animals, fish, and birds, and gave luck to those that hunted or fished for them. Reindeer were offered up to them, and every clan and family had its own hill of sacrifice.
Altar with votive offerings within Forn Sed (Asatru, Norse Paganism). Cult images and votive offerings at the Spring Blót held by Sveriges Asatrosamfund (The Swedish Asatru Society) on 4th April 2010 at Kungshögarna at Gamla Uppsala, Uppland, Sweden. The largest cult image pictures Freyr, the Norse god of fertility. Among the votive offerings we can see barley-grains, onions, flowers, bread, eggs, apples, mead, oranges, sweets, and linseeds. To the right is a ceremonial hammer.
Even in contemporary music there are voices for culture, indigenous peoples and the right to be who you are.
Swedish artist Roger Pontare is an example of this, and here joined by metal band Hammerfall doing one of his songs.
When i search for polytheism here i get a whole lot of not so educated Abrahamic “monotheistic” bullshit, rewriting history and explaining what is wrong with it. Too bad. 1. To refer to polythistic religions as primitive is not only bigotry but outright stupid. These are customs and cultures that in many cases where around in one form or another for thousands of years before two guys invented Christianity in Rome (and no, neither was named Jesus and only one of them even met him). 2.Abrahamic “monotheists” (i only consider certain forms of Islam as truly monotheistic. Christianity is a text book case of soft polytheism….just like most forms of Hinduism) like to spell God with a capital “G” when its a monotheistic God, and with a “g” when its a polytheistic God. That says a lot. 3.Romantic shrines to pagan Gods, supposedly Germanic, built in Victorian times or during the nazi romanticism are NOT part of any culture, Germanic or otherwise. Well. Now there is a post by a polytheist, about polytheism tagged “Polytheism”
As heathens, “we are our deeds.” When we do something, we are judged by the nature of our action and its results, rather than on our intentions, or our state of mind, or our emotional state. And in the simplest terms, Good is defined as what helps your family and loyal loved ones, while Bad is defined as what hurts your family and loyal loved ones. Our ancestors didn’t spend a lot of time looking at intentions, or emotions, or state of mind. Why? Because they realized that what is REAL and what REALLY MATTERS are our actions and the impact those actions have on the real world. This can be difficult for modern people raised in our modern culture to grasp. We are raised with this whole need to understand “why” someone did something. What were the root causes? What was he thinking? Did he mean for that to happen? How does he feel about what he has done? Add to this, a modern aversion to actually taking full responsibility for one’s actions, and it can be difficult to understand that for heathens, “we are our deeds.” This comes into play in many situations, and the mistakes people make in this area come in many forms. SELFISHNESS IS A HARD HABIT TO UNLEARN Our ancestors had a rugged individuality, but they also understood that a man without kith and kin, was nothing. Literally nothing. There was no one to help him, no one to stand up for him or speak for him, and no one to take vengeance on his behalf. A man without kith and kin was alone, unprotected, and nothing. So, one’s Innangarth was enormously important. At the center of this was a man’s family, and then his friends, and then his community. If a man’s actions helped this Innangarth, then the actions were Good. If a man’s actions hurt this Innangarth, then the actions were Bad. But, as modern people, these bonds and connections with those around us have decayed quite a bit. Marriages don’t last. Extended family bonds are rare and getting rarer. Friends are temporary and often based on shallow bonds. We don’t know our neighbors, let alone anyone else in our community. And modern culture seems to encourage us to seek individual pleasure, fulfillment, and satisfaction over concerns for those we are most responsible for… And this can result in selfish behavior. Breaking that modern habit, and learning to live with true consideration for one’s family, one’s tribe, and those closest to us is part of the culture reeducation that nearly all heathens must go through when come home to Heathernry. Some learn it and live it. And others aren’t so successful at it. HAVING GOOD INTENTIONS DOESN’T FIX THE HARM YOU CAUSE One reason that intentions just didn’t matter to our ancestors, was their close attention and need for Honor. If someone’s actions hurt or injured you or yours in some way, then your Honor had been taken from you. And that was an intolerable situation that had to be resolved. When one’s honor was taken, even in bits and pieces, it was not something you could just live with. You either took vengeance or the person that injured you must pay something to restore your Honor. The fact someone “did not intend” to hurt you or insult you, does not completely mitigate what they did or its affect on you. Our modern world has forgotten Honor. People hurt or insult people accidentally, and then just shrug and say, “Oh…I didn’t mean to do that.” The fact remains that they hurt or insulted you, and that hurt or insult may have lasting effect. Accidents don’t matter. Intentions don’t matter. If you hurt or insult someone, and wish to make things good between you again, you must “fix what you broke.” It doesn’ matter if you meant to break it, you have to fix it. It is only by fixing what you broke, that you can truly put the matter to rest. Have you ever hurt or insulted someone, apologized for it, and then a month or a year later had the event brought up again? That is because apologies are just words. They are simply a statement of regret, without any real action or steps taken to correct what you have done. And our ancestors understood, that it is deeds that matter…not words. So, as heathens…we need to understand that intentions just don’t matter a whole lot. It is the actual actions you take, the results of your actions, and how those actions affect others that actually matters. And when we do something bad, claiming we had “good intentions” just doesn’t make it all better. EMOTIONS ARE NOT AN EXCUSE FOR BAD BEHAVIOR Modern culture is enormously tied up in emotion. Emotions, must like intentions, just don’t matter a lot when it comes to the things we do and how they affect other people. For instance, let’s say a man has a wife and kids, but emotionally he’s detached from the relationship. He’s bored with his relationship, he’s feeling constrained and stagnant within his family, and he’s looking around at other women and thinking about leaving his wife. From a heathen perspective, these emotions just don’t matter that much. If the man has emotional needs that aren’t being met, and decides to leave his family, that is a Bad act. Our ancestors wouldn’t have judged his act based on his emotional needs. They would have looked at what he did, and how that affects his Innangarth. I have a friend come to me, in this exact circumstance…and he tried to make the case to me that he was entirely justified in leaving his wife and kids, because he “wasn’t in love anymore.” I told him, that from a heathen perspective…that wasn’t a good enough reason to leave his wife and kids, and disrupt his family. His oath and his responsibilities came first. Rather than making emotional and selfish decisions, he should be spending all of his time and energy working on his marriage, and finding that spark that he lost. And even if he never found that spark, he needed to fulfill his oath and fulfill his responsibilities to his kids to make his family work. Emotions bring color to our lives. They are a part of life, and I am not saying emotions should be suppressed or ignored in our lives. I’m saying, that emotions are no excuse for Bad behavior, or that behavior that hurts our Innangarth. When you do something selfish, and hurt one’s own family, emotions do not give you a free pass. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO OUR DEEDS It is your actions and deeds that matter. This is true in all things. And those actions and deeds are judged by how they affect your Innangarth. Your family, your close friends, and your kindred or tribe. And while emotions are an important part of who we are as humans, they are never a license to shirk one’s obligations and responsibilities, or an excuse for bad behavior. Intentions are internal. You can intend to start a kindred, but until you do…your intentions just don’t matter a lot in the real world. You can have the best of intentions, but if you actions hurt someone…your intentions don’t fix the damage you have done. You can intend to get around to teaching your kids about heathenry, but intending to do something accomplishing nothing. It is the action leading from intention that actually affects and shapes the world. Emotions are internal. You can love your daughter, but what she will really remember when you are gone are your actions. She’ll remember the times you read to her at bedtime, the hugs, the conversations you have with her, the advice you give, the assistance and protection you actively provide, the holding her hand in a scary movie, the time you spend comforting her when she has had a nightmare, and everything else you DO for her as a father or mother. Even within our practice of Heathenry, it is our deeds that matter. You can have all the Faith in the world for our Gods, but what are you DOING? Do you honor them and gift them? Do you live openly as a heathen, explaining what heathenry is to those that would ask? Do you teach your children about our Ways? Do you meet and gather with other like minded heathens? Do you study and learn what you can, and help new heathens learn what you have learned? Do you lead a life, of which our Gods would be proud? Mark Ludwig Stinson Jotun’s Bane Kindred Temple of Our Heathen Gods
(Source: facebook.com)
New Heathens almost always encounter other Heathens on-line first, prior to meeting actual Heathens face-to-face in real life. Based on the behavior of many of the Heathens you encounter on-line, it would be easy to falsely conclude that all heathens are angry, mean people who like to argue and belittle other people. One might mistakenly conclude that the biggest problem facing Heathenry are the “hoards and hoards of racist” people calling themselves Heathen. One might start to incorrectly believe that Heathernry can take place on the internet. One might falsely conclude that the Prose and Poetic Edda are basically the Heathen Bible. One might sadly conclude that there is only one-true-way within Heathenry, and we’re debating and working hard to develop and define that one-true-way. As easy as it would be to come to these conclusions, all of these conclusions would be essentially false. REAL HEATHENS ARE A GENEROUS AND HOSPITABLE PEOPLE Our Heathen ancestors put great important on their own families and their own local communities. But they held generosity and hospitality as important strengths of a man’s character. A man who knew how to be a generous host, and how to treat his guests well, would earn himself great respect among his peers. Modern Heathens focus on their families and their kindred, living in Frith and cooperation within their trusted Innangarth, or trusted inner circle. While focus closely on family, kindred, and friends, they also understand the importance of extending hospitality to heathens traveling through or visiting their local area or kindred. A man’s reputation, or Gefrain, is based on his deeds, how much he accomplishes, his generosity, his hospitality, and his honor. There is nothing about Asatru or Heathenry that encourages meaningless anger or pointless confrontations. But,on-line Heathenry is rife with keyboard cowboys that seem to delight in tearing other people down, name-calling, and being as confrontational as possible. This says much more about the nature of the internet and the nature of these people, than it has to do with Heathenry itself. THE VAST MAJORITY OF HEATHENS ARE PROUD OF THEIR ANCESTORS Heathens are proud of their history, their culture, and their ancestors. We feel that we share a connection with our ancestors by blood, by culture, and by Orlog, a part of the Heathen soul that is passed from parent to child. This pride is a positive pride, and does not involve hatred for other cultures or a need to tear other cultures down in favor of our own. Some mistake this positive pride as somehow being “racist.” You’ll find that most “Folkish” Heathens don’t even use the word “Race,” in reference to their beliefs…because pride in one’s ancestors is not about “Race.” This on-going “racist” debate and name-calling is decades old within Heathenry, and has gotten us no where. It is an enormous distraction from anything constructive and positive. It should be noted, that this “racist” debate, is almost exclusively something that takes place on-line. It is an internet phenomenon, and utterly pointless. Racism is not specifically a Heathen problem. Racism is not the problem of any one particular group. There are Racists within every religion. Christian Racists. Muslim Racists. Jewish Racists. Hindu Racists. Even Wiccan Racists. Jotun’s Bane Kindred has been to scores of face-to-face heathen gatherings. The topic of “Race” or “Racism” never comes up at these gatherings, and is a complete non-issue within real Heathenry. It is only on-line that self-appointed “crusaders,” harp on this topic constantly. In so doing, they give the issue more time and attention that it deserves. Listening to these proverbial “Chicken Littles” on-line, one would think that Racism was a major problem within Heathenry…and that the sky is falling. I doubt they realize it, but their constant feeding and attention of this non-issue, gives this non-existent internet bogey-man a life of its own. Rather than running about telling people what we aren’t, we should be focusing our time on telling people who we are, and why. We should explain why we honor our ancestors, and how important they are to us. What few “racist” Heathens there are, cease to have any real impact when we ignore and shun them as a topic, and focus our time and energy on moving forward. REAL HEATHENRY TAKES PLACE FACE-TO-FACE Real Heathenry is about community, gathering as a people, shaking a man or woman’s hand, looking them in the eye, hearing their voice, telling stories, getting to know each other. Its letting your kids play together. Letting your spouses get to know each other. Its about laughing at dumb jokes, and telling stories from your life. Its about mingling Wyrd…and taking the measure of another person, and finding them of worth. Real Heathenry is about actually DOING something. Reading, scholarship, communication, discussing various beliefs, and even debating approaches to our Folkway are important. But, we are our deeds. What have you done? What are you doing? What will you do? Starting, growing, and maintaining kindreds is a way of bringing Heathenry home. You build close-knit bonds of Frith with other Heathens that then become part of your Innangarth, or trusted inner circle. Gathering with other Heathens and living in Frith with them, allows for collective Luck to be built, and for great things to be accomplished. Our children get to know and play with other Heathen children. And we establish Heathen communities that draw other members of our Folk home to their ancestral Folkway. These things can only happen face-to-face. We should never mistake internet interactions and acquaintances as “real.” They are just pixels on a screen, and these pixels flicker out when the machine is unplugged. THE POETIC EDDA AND PROSE EDDA ARE HISTORICAL TEXTS The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are both historical texts, written by men. Both texts were actually written down by Christian men. The Poetic Edda was an attempt by Christians to record in writing the old poetry of their oral storytelling culture. The Poetic Edda was written by Snori Sturleson in order to preserve enough knowledge about Norse mythology and the meanings of poetic kennings, to preserve the poetry forms of the North. Heathens understand that these books are not “the word” of our Gods. We include the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda among our Lore, a collection of primary sources we look to for information about the religion, ways, and world-view of our ancestors. We also include among this Lore, the Icelandic Sagas, Beowulf, and other contemporary writings of the time. But none of these books are “scripture.” But you will encounter Heathens that read the poetry recorded in the Poetic Edda as scripture. They will quote it, and interpret it as literal truth, without any critical thought as to how and when they were recorded, and by whom. They quote information in the Prose Edda, as if what Snori Sturleson wrote is exactly what all Heathens thorughout history believed of our Gods and Goddesses, and the Nine Worlds. Yes, information from both the Poetic and Prose Eddas is important and well worth considering. But both sources are the works of men, and not the works of our Gods. Other religions have their Holy Books, which they proclaim are the direct “Word” of their god. But our Heathen ancestors did not have a written tradition, nor a holy book. And modern Heathens also do not have a holy book. TRIBAL VARIANCES ARE ACKNOWLEDGED AND EXPECTED The ways of our Ancestors varied greatly from tribe to tribe, location to location, century to century, and even among various levels of society. The same situation exists today within modern Heathenry. There was no “one-true-way” among our ancestors and there is no “one-true-way among modern Heathens. We live in different regions, we have different backgrounds and upbringings, we have different life experiences, different personalities, different interests, and different ways of interpreting things we read and learn. One of the great strengths of grassroots, local kindred-based, tribal heathenry is the understanding among various tribes that they can have unity of purpose and work together, without having unified beliefs or practices. But, you will encounter Asatruars and Heathens who feel they are right, and everyone else is dreadfully wrong. Heathens who believe that the goal of the Reconstruction of our ancestral Folkway, is to rediscover the “one-true-way” of our ancestors. These Asatruars and Heathens debate angrily over details, denigrating and insulting all those that do things differently than they do, and they seem completely oblivious to the fact that the never was “one-true-way” of Heathenry. When you look at the behavior of these elitists who insist there was one-true-way, and that they specifically are the ones that have found it, and that everyone else is wrong…does it not feel eerily familiar of the desert faiths, with their one-true-way? Our ancestors did not act in this way, and I’m always amazed when people who claim to be the most well-read and learned among us, act in a way that is so contrary to how our ancestors would have approached their own ancestral Folkway. BEST WAY TO CLEAR UP MISCONCEPTIONS The best way to clear up these internet-oriented misconceptions is to meet or gather with other heathens face-to-face. If there is a kindred or tribe within traveling distance of where you live, arranged to visit them or attend one of their meetings. If there is no kindred or tribe within traveling distance, do some research on Heathen Gatherings…and attend one. There is nothing like meeting with or gathering with other heathens, to give you better insight into the reality of Heathenry…rather than what lurks in the internet shadows. Mark Ludwig Stinson Jotun’s Bane Kindred Temple of Our Heathen Gods
(Source: facebook.com)
