Virtues - Courage

Courage: The ability to act appropriately in the face of danger.¹




Courage

noun \ˈkər-ij, ˈkə-rij\ : mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty ²




In 1929, a scholar by the name of Georges Dumézil posited a theory that would prove both influential


and controversial to scholars and neo-pagan religionists alike. The theory was that of the trifunctionality


of Proto-Indo-European society and according to Dumézil, there was a priestly class, a warrior class,

and a producer class³. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Dumézil though, one thing that is


clear from archaeological, mythological, and historical evidence from across the various Indo-European


cultures, is that the figure of the courageous warrior, is worthy of respect.



However, courage is not the sole domain of warriors, or a warrior class, and it is something to laud in


all cases. I believe that like all other virtues, courage can be developed by the individual; for to develop


the virtue of courage, is to develop the ability to not only aspire to greater things, but to serve your


community, and in turn make your ancestors and community proud of you. Courage can be a hard


virtue to develop, but one thing I've noticed from my very varied life, is that courage can be developed


like any other habit, with each courageous act, no matter how small, providing the basis for more


courageous acts. Unfortunately however, in the same way, cowardice or apathy can also become


habits.




I find it extremely positive that ADF has not only set down courage as a virtue, but that that idea of


courage is a real, every day one, as opposed to one bound to notions of fake warriorhood.

1 Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path (p. 62). Tucson, Arizona: ADF Publishing.

2. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courage

3Woudhuizen, Fred C. (2010). Reflections of a Trifunctional Religious Ideology among Indo-European Population Groups of the 3^rd and 2^nd Millenia BC.

Virtues - Fertility

Fertility: bounty of mind, body and spirit, involving creativity, production of objects, food, works of art,

etc,. an appreciation of the physical, sensual, nurturing.


Fertility

noun [uncountable] /fɜrˈtɪləti/

1. ability of the soil to produce a lot of good crops or plants.
2. a woman's ability to have babies.
a. used about traditions and ceremonies that encourage fertility.
3. someone's ability to have good ideas or produce good work.¹

Fertility of crops, the propagation of the new generation, descendants to keep your name and offer to you when you've passed. These are the traditional ideas of fertility, these were the kinds of fertility valued by our IE ancestors.

However, we now live in far easier times. We no longer count our age in the number of winters survived, and gone are the days when people would have children with the expectation that half of them would die. The family unit itself has changed too, and is no longer confined to the traditional 'man + woman + 2.4 children' formula of previous years. Thankfully, as a woman, my social worth is no longer bound up in my ability to produce a son.

On a personal level, I have felt the pain of infertility and pregnancy loss and although I'm finally a mother, I am so very glad that ADF defines fertility far more widely than it was defined historically. I've seen communities that operate by and emphasize the more traditional fertility of body, and I've seen the hurt that happens when (usually) women are 'othered' because of infertility issues in those communities, and I think it's the most unhealthy way to run a community. We all have our different skills and talents, our varied ways of contributing to our communities and all should be valued. Moreover, psychologists have found a strong correlation between curiosity of mind (which leads to curiosity), and positive mental health outcomes², which I think only serves to further underline the wisdom of the ADF definition of fertility.

1 Fertility American English definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/fertility

2  TALENT DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES : Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://talentdevelop.com/articlelive/articles/901/1/Curiosity-an-Engine-of-Well-being-An-Interview-with-Todd-Kashdan/Page1.html

Virtues - Hospitality

Hospitality: Acting as both a gracious host and an appreciative guest, involving benevolence, friendliness, humor, and the honoring of a 'gift for a gift'.1

Hospitiality

noun \ˌhäs-pə-ˈta-lə-tē\

: generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests : hospitable treatment

: the activity of providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are the guests or customers of an organization2

One night, a long time ago, on a farmstead somewhere between Skalaholt and Frodis-water, something strange was happening. Instead of the peace that descends in the dead of night, when all in a house are sleeping, there was noise. It wasn't a noise caused by the living, but by the dead roused to an undead animated state by great offence. The draugr, or animated dead, who was causing the noise, was a woman by the name of Thorgunna, and she was quite busy preparing food for her funeral party who had been denied their proper measure of hospitality by a miserly host. So great was the offence of being inhospitable, that it was enough to anger and rouse the dead.3

The relationship between host and guest is one of reciprocity, in which the guest is properly appreciative, and the host properly generous. So it is perhaps no surprise that both 'guest' and 'host' derive from the same Indo-European word, 'ghosti'.4 I believe that hospitality is sacred, and the violation thereof by either host or guest, a serious transgression that negatively affects the luck of those involved. As reciprocity is the basis for our relationships with the Kindreds, and hospitality an integral part of that reciprocity, I agree with the inclusion of hospitality in the ADF list of virtues.



(Apologies for the wonky formatting, the doc. to blog transfer didn't go too well with this one :( )

   

1. Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path (p. 62). Tucson, Arizona: ADF Publishing.

 2. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospitality

3. The Saga of the Ere-Dwellers - Chapter 51. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://sagadb.org/eyrbyggja_saga.en

4. Serith, C. (2009). Deep ancestors: Practicing the religion of the proto-Indo-Europeans. Tucson, AZ: ADF Pub.

   

High Days - Beltane

Beltane
Described in the Tochmarc Emire as 'Beltine at the summer's beginning'¹, the Celtic festival of Beltane (celebrated on the 1st of May) is perhaps one of the most popular festivals among modern Pagans².

Beltane is known primarily as a fire festival, and was first referenced in the Sanas Chormaic as 'lucky fire' (ie, a practice that centred around the building of two fires by Druids between which cattle would be driven as a protection against disease)³. There is some debate surrounding the 'Bel' component of 'Beltane', with the earliest sources citing 'Bil/Baal' as the origin of 'Bel', and more modern scholars citing the Celtic god name 'Belenus'. Yet others argue that the attribution to a god is unnecessary and that the component 'Bel', with its meaning 'bright' or 'fortunate' is explanation enough. There is also some debate as to whether Beltane was originally called 'Cetsoman'⁴.

The tradition of lighting (and later jumping) Beltane fires is one that survived in Ireland until quite late, and later accounts tell of people jumping the flames for blessings, protection, purification, safe childbirth and fertility. At the end, the attendees would take some of the embers home for their own fires⁵. There was also an aspect of warding away the fae and witches who were considered to be particularly dangerous at this time of year⁶.

When it comes to how modern Pagans celebrate Beltane, Beltane is described by the Pagan author Carl McColman as 'the happiest and friskiest of the Sabbats'. Maypole dances are popular among Pagans, as is jumping fires for luck as the ancients did. The fertility aspect is also important, be it actual physical fertility, or any of the other types of fertility one might manifest in life⁷

1Hutton, R. (1996). Beltane. In The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (pp. 218-219). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2McColman, C. (2002). Chapter 13 - The Wheel of the Year. In The complete idiot's guide to paganism. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha.

3Hutton, R. (1996). Beltane. In The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (pp. 218-219). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4Ibid.

5Hutton, R. (1996). Beltane. In The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (pp. 218-219). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

6Ibid.

7McColman, C. (2002). Chapter 13 - The Wheel of the Year. In The complete idiot's guide to paganism. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha.

Virtues - Integrity

Integrity: Honor; being trustworthy to oneself and to others, involving oath-keeping, honesty, fairness, respect, self-confidence¹

Integritynoun \in-ˈte-grə-tē\

: the quality of being honest and fair

: the state of being complete or whole²

I find integrity to be the rarest virtue in the modern world, and the very act of trying to live as a person of integrity, nearly revolutionary. From personal experience, I know that there can be no integrity without courage, or perseverance.

As a person of a more Germanic persuasion, my immediate association with integrity is with oath-keeping, and the disdain historically reserved for oath-breakers. The oath is sacred, and for good reason, for how could a community rely on a person if they cannot trust his or her word? Or even know who that person is because they're lacking in the necessary self-confidence to be authentic?

The ability to keep an oath, was one that was valued among many IE cultures, and I believe the virtue of integrity is necessary for modern Pagans/Druids/Heathens if we want the paths we walk so joyously to still be here for our children. Integrity is one of the most effective ways of avoiding the kinds of strife that so often plague our communities.

1
  Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path (p. 62). Tucson, Arizona: ADF Publishing.

2  (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity

Virtues - Moderation

Moderation: Cultivating one's appetites so that one is neither a slave to them nor driven to ill health (mental or physical), through excess or deficiency.¹



Moderation. noun.

An avoidance of extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits <the kind of person who does

everything in moderation> ²

Out of all of the virtues, I personally find moderation the hardest, not so much in terms of food or drink anymore, however when it comes to study and working on projects, I get very absorbed, often to the point of neglecting everything else and not sleeping properly for days. I recognise that this is not a healthy way to be, and am trying to figure out how to limit myself so that I still manage to make enough progress that I don't feel like I did nothing, but in a far more balanced way.

Moderation is counselled in the Havamal, we are told it's best to not eat to our 'own life's hurt'³, 'keep not the mead cup but drink thy measure'⁴, 'speak needful words or none'⁵, and that it's best to not 'wax too wise'⁶, as ' seldom a heart will sing with joy if the owner be all too wise.'⁷

I agree with ADF in that it is a virtue (and was in the Pagan period). However, I do think that we should be careful that we don't mistake moderation for not fully experiencing our Paganisms or breaking down those mental barriers between our Judeo-Christian enculturation and Paganism. As Oscar Wilde famously said, 'Everything in moderation, including moderation.'

Words - 220 (excl. quotes)

1

 Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path (p. 62). Tucson, Arizona: ADF Publishing.

2   (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moderation

3 Bellows, H. (1923). Havamal 20. In The poetic Edda,. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.

4 Bellows, H. (1923). Havamal 19. In The poetic Edda,. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.

5Ibid.

6 Bellows, H. (1923). Havamal 55. In The poetic Edda,. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.

7Ibid.

Virtues - Perseverance

Perseverance: Drive; the motivation to pursue goals even when that pursuit becomes difficult.(1)

Perseverance, noun (\ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\)  :continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition :the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness.(2)

Indo-European cultures are replete with myths of the heroic, and if there is one thing that all of these heroes have in common, regardless of which culture they originated from, it's that they all demonstrated perseverance through difficult times.

They all encountered ordeal, persevered, and often triumphed, thus becoming shining exemplars for us in our own lives. The hero is not the one who gives up and decides to just sit around feeling sorry for him or herself, but the one who continues to strive, and it's through the striving that that heroism is conveyed, as opposed to the triumphing.

My favourite example of perseverance from a somewhat unconventional heroine, is that of Signy from the Volsunga Saga. After being married, her husband betrays and kills her entire family save for the one brother she manages to save, and so she then enacts a revenge plot that takes years to complete. During the course of that revenge, she sacrifices her own children, commits incest with her brother in order to breed a pure descendant of the Volsung line, Sinfjötli, and finally sees her husband dead. There is no triumph for her, save for the fulfillment of Frith, that force that demanded blood for the blood of her family. In the end, she chooses to die with her husband, declaring herself 'not fit to live' because of the lengths she had gone to in order to attain that vengeance for her family. Perseverance reminds us that it's not failure that is to be feared, but giving up, and that effort should always be lauded.



Words - 263 (excl. quotes)


Sources (the formatting *really* didn't work, this computer gives me a sad)

1. Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path (p. 62). Tucson, Arizona: ADF Publishing.

2. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perseverance