In an aim create a discussion group for contemporary Traditionalists I have set up a website using my old domain www.monas.nl. Do you see yourself as somebody who does not look at Traditionalism, but somebody who thinks like René Guénon and other thinkers of this ‘school’, come have a look and consider joining the forums… Continue reading Traditionalism Discussion Group
Traditionalism Discussion Group
Hunting (rune)stones in Sweden
In october 2011 me and my girlfriend spend about a week and a half in Sweden. The first few days we were in Malmö and we drove around the very south of the country, then we were a week North of Stockholm. That second location was on purpose, since that region has the largest density of runestones of the Swedish continent (the island Gotland has more). So we figured to… Continue reading Hunting (rune)stones in Sweden
A Godless heathenry?
This is not really an article, but rather some thoughts that occured to me after seeing the skydisc found in Nebra, Germany. A subject to discuss a little perhaps. Continue reading A Godless heathenry?
Asatru in the Low Counties
There seems to be a tendency among scholars to investigate temporary paganism. There are people who say that paganism is the world’s fastest growing religion. I am currently reading Michael Strmiska’s Modern Paganism In World Cultures with essays about Romuva (Lithuanian heathenry), pagans in the US military, Irish modern druids and Asatru in Northern America and Iceland (among other essays). I also know of books about current German paganism (but… Continue reading Asatru in the Low Counties
Democrazy in Tibet?
I was unpleasently surprised when I heard the news yesterday. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (since 1940), announced that he will lay down a part of his function in favour of a chosen successor. A few things went through my head. I had the (Theosophistic mistaken?) assumption that Tibet was ruled by a pair of Lamas, the Dalai Lama who is the worldly leader and the Panchen Lama (also… Continue reading Democrazy in Tibet?
Polytheism?
Our aim is to encourage the expansion of Heathen thought into the domains of theology, philosophy, sociology, psychology and other discplines that have yet to be examined by Heathenry or any other form of European polytheism.
Thus say the editors of the Journal Of Contemporary Heathen Thought. I have said it before, I am no fond of describing heathenism as polytheistic, mine not for sure!
Webster describes polytheism as… Continue reading Polytheism?
Fiskrúnar, suínrúnar, skiprúnar
A while ago I ran into the little book The Icelandic Rune-Poem (1998) by R.I. Page and later I bought his book An Introduction To English Runes (first published 1973, revised and republished in 1999). Page is a rune-scholar. In both books he writes about what he calls “cryptic runes”, runes in code. I have looked around a little and noticed that there is not much information to be found… Continue reading Fiskrúnar, suínrúnar, skiprúnar
Kinship, gift-exchange, honour and feud in Medieval Frisia and Iceland
In this article I want to say a thing or two about a few interrelated ‘processes’ in the Medieval Germanic society. How groups form and how they are maintained and how ‘mechanisms’ such as honour and feud work. These at first sight varied subjects will prove to be interwoven.
For this article I have used a few books that you will find listed at the bottom. All authors more or… Continue reading Kinship, gift-exchange, honour and feud in Medieval Frisia and Iceland
Arguments against Dumézil
I have said on countless occasions that Dumézil and his theories are not very popular among scholars nowadays. I have read arguments against his tripartite system that were sometimes convincing, sometimes not, but no scholar who disgards the hypthesis of Dumézil presents a workable alternative. Currently I am reading the book The War Of The Gods by Jarich Oosten. The book is of 1985 so the criticism is not just… Continue reading Arguments against Dumézil
On honour
I am currently reading a very interesting book about “Compensation Tariffs” in medieval Frisia. Of course I will review the book when I finish it. The book speaks about the “feuding society” in which honour is of high value. The author explains the ancient idea of honour very well.
Compensation systems, of which the Old Frisian penalty lists are an example, appear in many societies. [...] The meganism flourishes in a