The Chad Pastoralist: History
23.04.202500:44
Frankish nobleman of the Carolingian Empire by Joan Francesc Oliveras.
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ᚸ Order of the Sacred Mannerbunde ᚸ
19.04.202509:21
Ancestorposting is a pristine undertaking. Learn their names - for they are you.
09.04.202521:28
To continue...
Having a family tree that extends beyond the 18th and 19th centuries helps to establish a sense of continuity back into prehistory, because we garner a sense of where we would be in any given generation. Some modern Pagans choose to ignore their entire heritage from the Middle Ages simply because they don't have a family tree. It's easier to identify with projected, mysterious Pagan ancestors than it is with Christian ancestors from the Middle Ages if one lacks a family tree.
However, if you know your real ancestors—your family lineage from the 1800s going back to the 1500s, 1400s, 1300s, and earlier—you know yourself. It is perfectly acceptable to identify with our culture and ancestors from the colonial era, the medieval era, or the Victorian era and still be a Pagan. It is perfectly acceptable to practice the habits and customs, and to take a liking to our ancestors from any century, and still be a Pagan. For context, historical Germanic Pagans depicted the Gods in the cultural context of their day and were—for the most part—men and women of their time. They were completely connected to their ancestral heritage, knew their ancestors, and had established forms of worship without having to think about it—whereas today, many people don't have that. This is why it is so important to formulate these things.
A notable example comes from Adam of Bremen's 11th-century Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum. In it, Bremen describes the way in which the idols of the Gods were adorned at the temple at Uppsala. Óðinn is described as wearing armour and wielding weapons (which Bremen likens to portrayals of Mars). This shows that historical Pagan Swedes depicted the Gods in armour and with weapons that were modern to them in their day. The same is true for the Lindby idol of Óðinn, the Rällinge statuette of Freyr, and the Eyrarland statuette of Þórr, all of which show the Gods wearing a conical hat that was common across Scandinavia in the Viking Age.
Rather than viewing our history as "Paganism -> gap -> revivalism," we should be viewing our history as a continuum. The Gods have always existed, and the functional structure and nature of the universe has not changed. Objective reality (i.e., that the Gods exist) does not—and therefore has not—changed due to shifts in consensus or changes in cultural context. We should strive to live in the now and cultivate the revitalisation of Paganism: enjoy and appreciate all of our history and all of our ancestors; use the sources on Germanic Paganism as a framework to establish our own authentic forms of worship; form real groups; and revitalise our worship of the Gods and the veneration of our ancestors.
Having a family tree that extends beyond the 18th and 19th centuries helps to establish a sense of continuity back into prehistory, because we garner a sense of where we would be in any given generation. Some modern Pagans choose to ignore their entire heritage from the Middle Ages simply because they don't have a family tree. It's easier to identify with projected, mysterious Pagan ancestors than it is with Christian ancestors from the Middle Ages if one lacks a family tree.
However, if you know your real ancestors—your family lineage from the 1800s going back to the 1500s, 1400s, 1300s, and earlier—you know yourself. It is perfectly acceptable to identify with our culture and ancestors from the colonial era, the medieval era, or the Victorian era and still be a Pagan. It is perfectly acceptable to practice the habits and customs, and to take a liking to our ancestors from any century, and still be a Pagan. For context, historical Germanic Pagans depicted the Gods in the cultural context of their day and were—for the most part—men and women of their time. They were completely connected to their ancestral heritage, knew their ancestors, and had established forms of worship without having to think about it—whereas today, many people don't have that. This is why it is so important to formulate these things.
A notable example comes from Adam of Bremen's 11th-century Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum. In it, Bremen describes the way in which the idols of the Gods were adorned at the temple at Uppsala. Óðinn is described as wearing armour and wielding weapons (which Bremen likens to portrayals of Mars). This shows that historical Pagan Swedes depicted the Gods in armour and with weapons that were modern to them in their day. The same is true for the Lindby idol of Óðinn, the Rällinge statuette of Freyr, and the Eyrarland statuette of Þórr, all of which show the Gods wearing a conical hat that was common across Scandinavia in the Viking Age.
Rather than viewing our history as "Paganism -> gap -> revivalism," we should be viewing our history as a continuum. The Gods have always existed, and the functional structure and nature of the universe has not changed. Objective reality (i.e., that the Gods exist) does not—and therefore has not—changed due to shifts in consensus or changes in cultural context. We should strive to live in the now and cultivate the revitalisation of Paganism: enjoy and appreciate all of our history and all of our ancestors; use the sources on Germanic Paganism as a framework to establish our own authentic forms of worship; form real groups; and revitalise our worship of the Gods and the veneration of our ancestors.
02.04.202509:50
Sacred wisdom from Hávamál triumphs over evil.
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21.03.202502:10
It's worth adding that the Old Norse term for reincarnation as it is written in Helgakviða Hundingsbana is endrborinn.
We learn in Helgakviða Hundingsbana that Helgi—in his first incarnation as Helgi Hjǫrvarðsson—must go on a quest to the Hatafjǫrðr (Fjord of Hate) to fight the jǫtunn Hati (Hatred) and his companion Hrǫðmarr (Ocean of Rage) to win the love of the valkyrie Sváva, who has been protecting and guiding him.
Following this, Helgi must fight a battle by the Frekasteinn (Greedstone/Rock of Greed), where he loses the battle and dies. However, the poem ends with the reassurance that Helgi ok Sváva eru sagð endrborin — "Helgi and Sváva are said to be reincarnated."
Helgi then reincarnates as Helgi Sigmundarson, the son of the famous Sigmundr Vǫlsungr from Vǫlsunga Saga, and has an experience in which valkyrjur appear before him. One of the valkyrjur being Sigrún, the reincarnation of Sváva from the previous life. Helgi, in his new life, is prompted by Sigrún to embark on a similar quest as the last one, where he conquers Hatred, Rage, and Greed, as well as Death. It is only now that Óðinn determines that He wants Helgi in Valhǫll, so He hurls a spear at Helgi and kills him. Helgi is buried in a haugr, and Sváva comes to visit him. The two travel back and forth between the mound and Valhǫll to see each other.
For a comprehensive look at the theology of reincarnation from a Germanic perspective and what we can learn about it from Helgakviða Hundingsbana, visit this article on my Substack.
Other articles worth reading:
-Judgement and Punishment in Norse Mythology
-Germanic Morality
-Humans, Trolls and Hel (I)
-Humans, Trolls and Hel (II)
We learn in Helgakviða Hundingsbana that Helgi—in his first incarnation as Helgi Hjǫrvarðsson—must go on a quest to the Hatafjǫrðr (Fjord of Hate) to fight the jǫtunn Hati (Hatred) and his companion Hrǫðmarr (Ocean of Rage) to win the love of the valkyrie Sváva, who has been protecting and guiding him.
Following this, Helgi must fight a battle by the Frekasteinn (Greedstone/Rock of Greed), where he loses the battle and dies. However, the poem ends with the reassurance that Helgi ok Sváva eru sagð endrborin — "Helgi and Sváva are said to be reincarnated."
Helgi then reincarnates as Helgi Sigmundarson, the son of the famous Sigmundr Vǫlsungr from Vǫlsunga Saga, and has an experience in which valkyrjur appear before him. One of the valkyrjur being Sigrún, the reincarnation of Sváva from the previous life. Helgi, in his new life, is prompted by Sigrún to embark on a similar quest as the last one, where he conquers Hatred, Rage, and Greed, as well as Death. It is only now that Óðinn determines that He wants Helgi in Valhǫll, so He hurls a spear at Helgi and kills him. Helgi is buried in a haugr, and Sváva comes to visit him. The two travel back and forth between the mound and Valhǫll to see each other.
For a comprehensive look at the theology of reincarnation from a Germanic perspective and what we can learn about it from Helgakviða Hundingsbana, visit this article on my Substack.
Other articles worth reading:
-Judgement and Punishment in Norse Mythology
-Germanic Morality
-Humans, Trolls and Hel (I)
-Humans, Trolls and Hel (II)
03.03.202510:46
Everyone wants to talk about whether you're "left wing" or "right wing." Can we talk about whether you'd be a Yorkist or Lancastrian during the Wars of the Roses?
Song: ATC - Around the World (Ariis Phonk Remix)
Source footage: HistoryBattles3D
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Song: ATC - Around the World (Ariis Phonk Remix)
Source footage: HistoryBattles3D
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Repost qilingan:
ᛉ Sagnamaðr Stark ᛉ
21.04.202503:38
Godan (Odin) and Frea (Frigg) in the Codex Legum Langobardorum, waking up and seeing the Langobards. ᚨ
09.04.202508:55
Oftentimes, some Pagans have the idea that European history suddenly stops circa 1000 AD, and that modern Paganism is about picking up exactly where we "left off"—leaving a huge gap between us now and our Pagan ancestors then, and neglecting the thousand-plus years of culture, history, and ancestors in between. The truth is that Paganism didn't "die" or "pause" the moment our ancestors converted. In addition, neither did our culture or history vanish across time—which, in and of itself, is invigorating, fascinating, and deeply valuable.
Even going back as recently as four hundred years ago, we find ourselves in the Early Modern Period. Zoning in on England, the culture itself was rich—the manners, customs, ideas, and beliefs. In fact, almost all churches in England during this period had a Maypole. Small things like this, so recent in our history, are often overlooked by some Pagans who completely disregard the culture and ancestors of this time (and other times) simply because it wasn't stereotypically "Pagan" or was not "Pagan enough."
Interestingly, it was Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans during the English Civil War who pushed to have church Maypoles removed. Before then, most English people would not have thought twice about Maypoles, and they were therefore connected to a living Pagan tradition. The Early Modern Period—its history, events, and people—could be studied almost exclusively, and various modern people of English descent could devote themselves to revitalising the cultural habits and small traditions of that time by bringing them into the modern world. This could be applied to almost any cultural period in history.
Moreover, English culture from the Early to the Late Middle Ages (which was, to a substantial degree, ultimately Anglo-Norman) gives us our modern English culture, habits, and attitudes. To ignore this in favor of a revisionist historical viewpoint—that history "stops" when Europe becomes Christian and "resumes" now with us "picking up the pieces"—is to do a disservice to our entire cultural heritage over the past thousand years.
If Europe had not become Christian, the architectural, artistic, and technological innovations that occurred between 1000 and 1600 AD would still have occurred within a religiously Pagan context (e.g., observe Lithuania’s culture in the Middle Ages). It is therefore valuable to learn about and continue to preserve archaic aspects of our ancestral cultures from the High to Late Middle Ages, in addition to earlier Pagan times, as well as the Early Modern Period—and, of course, the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Even going back as recently as four hundred years ago, we find ourselves in the Early Modern Period. Zoning in on England, the culture itself was rich—the manners, customs, ideas, and beliefs. In fact, almost all churches in England during this period had a Maypole. Small things like this, so recent in our history, are often overlooked by some Pagans who completely disregard the culture and ancestors of this time (and other times) simply because it wasn't stereotypically "Pagan" or was not "Pagan enough."
Interestingly, it was Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans during the English Civil War who pushed to have church Maypoles removed. Before then, most English people would not have thought twice about Maypoles, and they were therefore connected to a living Pagan tradition. The Early Modern Period—its history, events, and people—could be studied almost exclusively, and various modern people of English descent could devote themselves to revitalising the cultural habits and small traditions of that time by bringing them into the modern world. This could be applied to almost any cultural period in history.
Moreover, English culture from the Early to the Late Middle Ages (which was, to a substantial degree, ultimately Anglo-Norman) gives us our modern English culture, habits, and attitudes. To ignore this in favor of a revisionist historical viewpoint—that history "stops" when Europe becomes Christian and "resumes" now with us "picking up the pieces"—is to do a disservice to our entire cultural heritage over the past thousand years.
If Europe had not become Christian, the architectural, artistic, and technological innovations that occurred between 1000 and 1600 AD would still have occurred within a religiously Pagan context (e.g., observe Lithuania’s culture in the Middle Ages). It is therefore valuable to learn about and continue to preserve archaic aspects of our ancestral cultures from the High to Late Middle Ages, in addition to earlier Pagan times, as well as the Early Modern Period—and, of course, the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Repost qilingan:
Dan Davis Author
28.03.202522:25
The Pitted Ware culture (c. 3500 BC - 2300 BC) of Southern Scandinavia relied heavily on seals as a resource.
These animals provided skins, meat, blood, and perhaps most precious of all, blubber.
Their characteristic pottery reveals they consumed this precious fat. Baltic hunter gatherers seem to have stored seal fat, mixed with cranberry or lingonberry which contain chemicals that would have helped stop the meat/fat from spoiling. They also seem to have made a kind of blood porridge or blood cake, with blood mixed with wild grains.
Artwork: "Stone Age Seal Hunters" by Måns Sjöberg
These animals provided skins, meat, blood, and perhaps most precious of all, blubber.
Their characteristic pottery reveals they consumed this precious fat. Baltic hunter gatherers seem to have stored seal fat, mixed with cranberry or lingonberry which contain chemicals that would have helped stop the meat/fat from spoiling. They also seem to have made a kind of blood porridge or blood cake, with blood mixed with wild grains.
Artwork: "Stone Age Seal Hunters" by Måns Sjöberg
15.03.202500:07
Ancient history, modern history, or both?
01.03.202511:11
The inner nature of Búi Andríðsson in the Kjalnesinga Saga and otherworldly interactions in Jǫkuls þáttr Búasonar.
New Substack article:
Humans, Trolls and Hel II
Jǫkuls þáttr Búasonaris a direct sequel to the Kjalnesinga Saga that follows the twelve year old son of Búi Andríðsson; Jǫkull Búason, as he is shipwrecked off the coast of Greenland with his crew and helmsman, Úlfr. A storm rages over the crew which leaves them cold and short of breath, forcing Jǫkull to swim ashore after the rest of his crew had given up and some had died. The storm was so strong that Jǫkull was tossed through the waves and comes ashore at an unknown location. Jǫkull explores alone for four days before coming across a cabin. Here begins his tale.
New Substack article:
Humans, Trolls and Hel II
20.04.202515:30
Bring back incredible individual burials. Philippe Pot (c. 1428-1493) was a French nobleman, diplomat, and knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He served under the Dukes of Burgundy, notably Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, and later became a councillor to King Louis XI of France. Pot held several prestigious titles, including seneschal of Burgundy and governor of Provence.
His tomb effigy, created in the late 15th century and now housed in the Louvre Museum features a life-sized stone effigy of Pot in full knightly armour, lying atop a slab borne by eight hooded black-robed mourners. The tomb also features heraldic shields with the coat of arms of Pot's ancestral families, which include the families of Pot, Courtiamble, Anguissola, Blaisy, Guénant, Nesles, and Montagu.
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His tomb effigy, created in the late 15th century and now housed in the Louvre Museum features a life-sized stone effigy of Pot in full knightly armour, lying atop a slab borne by eight hooded black-robed mourners. The tomb also features heraldic shields with the coat of arms of Pot's ancestral families, which include the families of Pot, Courtiamble, Anguissola, Blaisy, Guénant, Nesles, and Montagu.
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14.04.202522:50
Historic Genomes Uncover Demographic Shifts and Kinship Structures in Post-Roman Central Europe.
Jens Blöcher and colleagues analyse the kinship structure of late Roman and early Medieval Europe. Analysing the genomes of individuals from burial sites in southern Germany, they find that communities were organised around small family units, practiced reproductive monogamy and avoided close-kin marriages.
Read the new paper here.
Jens Blöcher and colleagues analyse the kinship structure of late Roman and early Medieval Europe. Analysing the genomes of individuals from burial sites in southern Germany, they find that communities were organised around small family units, practiced reproductive monogamy and avoided close-kin marriages.
In the Altheim graveyard, established in the 5th century by a group of Northern European descent, we inferred a demographic shift in the 6th century with the integration of newcomers with ancestry typical of a nearby Roman military camp, likely as a result of the collapse of Roman state structures. We reconstructed multigenerational pedigrees and, using a novel approach to infer ancestry of unsampled relatives, inferred immediate intermarriage between incoming and local groups, with a distinct tendency for men from former Roman background marrying women of northern descent. Burial proximity correlates strongly with kinship, in some cases spanning six generations. These communities were organized around small family units, exhibited loosely patrilineal or bilateral descent patterns, practiced reproductive monogamy, and avoided close-kin marriages.
Read the new paper here.
Repost qilingan:Dan Davis Author
05.04.202522:38
The first pottery in the world was NOT made by Neolithic farmers.
In fact, it was made during the Ice Age.
So, who made this pottery? Why was it invented and how was it used?
Find out now on Dan Davis History.
Shares much appreciated! Cheers 🙏
In fact, it was made during the Ice Age.
So, who made this pottery? Why was it invented and how was it used?
Find out now on Dan Davis History.
Shares much appreciated! Cheers 🙏
09.03.202512:05
In the 14th and 15th centuries, English funeral effigies of knights and their wives, such as that of Sir Thomas de Beauchamp (d. 1369), reinforced the bonds of marriage and family continuity in death, which exemplified the chivalric ideal of unity between martial prowess and domestic virtue. These were values that noblemen strove to embody in the traditionalist culture of England during the Middle Ages.
Most tombs featured symbolic gestures, such as the husband and wife holding hands, as seen in the alabaster effigies of Sir John de la Pole (d. 1380) and Joan Cobham, Sir Ralph Greene (d. 1417) and Katherine de Clifton, and Sir Ralph FitzHerbert (d. 1484) and Elizabeth Marshall. These effigies also served a spiritual function, prompting prayers for the deceased while underscoring the idea of a noble couple's bond (and love) in life and death.
For further reading on love in England during the Middle Ages, check out Medieval Valentine's Day: The Paston Love Letters of 1477, which constitute the earliest Valentine's Day letters in English history.
Footage: Dequitem
Song: Sace - cold air (slowed)
Most tombs featured symbolic gestures, such as the husband and wife holding hands, as seen in the alabaster effigies of Sir John de la Pole (d. 1380) and Joan Cobham, Sir Ralph Greene (d. 1417) and Katherine de Clifton, and Sir Ralph FitzHerbert (d. 1484) and Elizabeth Marshall. These effigies also served a spiritual function, prompting prayers for the deceased while underscoring the idea of a noble couple's bond (and love) in life and death.
For further reading on love in England during the Middle Ages, check out Medieval Valentine's Day: The Paston Love Letters of 1477, which constitute the earliest Valentine's Day letters in English history.
Footage: Dequitem
Song: Sace - cold air (slowed)
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Germanic Paganism
26.02.202508:50
A quote from Dan Capp who most of you may know as The Fyrgen
20.04.202507:20
New research shows that western European hunter-gatherers were crossing the sea at least a thousand years before the first Anatolian Farmers.
-The findings reveal the longest sea crossing yet documented in the Mediterranean by hunter-gatherers, highlighting the considerable seafaring abilities of late European hunter-gatherers. The research findings upend the established notions that small and remote islands were beyond reach in the Mesolithic world.
-Hunter-gatherers on the island of Malta were cooking red deer, tortoises, edible marine gastropods, crabs, seals, and sea urchins.
-Hunter-gatherers were crossing the sea in dugout canoes before the invention of boats with sails by Anatolian Farmers (see this post by historian and documentary filmmaker Dan Davis), often spending hours in darkness in open water.
Read the article here.
Read the full published paper here.
The research team—led by Professor Eleanor Scerri of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA) and the University of Malta—found hunter-gatherers were crossing at least 100km of open water to reach the Mediterranean island of Malta 8,500 years ago, a thousand years before the arrival of agricultural practices.
-The findings reveal the longest sea crossing yet documented in the Mediterranean by hunter-gatherers, highlighting the considerable seafaring abilities of late European hunter-gatherers. The research findings upend the established notions that small and remote islands were beyond reach in the Mesolithic world.
-Hunter-gatherers on the island of Malta were cooking red deer, tortoises, edible marine gastropods, crabs, seals, and sea urchins.
-Hunter-gatherers were crossing the sea in dugout canoes before the invention of boats with sails by Anatolian Farmers (see this post by historian and documentary filmmaker Dan Davis), often spending hours in darkness in open water.
Read the article here.
Read the full published paper here.
13.04.202522:52
Me and the boys time travelling to help our favourite historical figures win their greatest battles.
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26.03.202504:36
A solid post worth reading by Dan Capp from The Fyrgen.
Modern Pagans should develop altars, form kinship networks via friends or family - or a combination of both - enabling group worship.
Create daily personal practices, read historical European literature and the source material on Paganism, and with a reverential eye, worship the Gods and your ancestors, coupling personal gnosis and divine revelation with an understanding of the attested sources.
Modern Pagans should develop altars, form kinship networks via friends or family - or a combination of both - enabling group worship.
Create daily personal practices, read historical European literature and the source material on Paganism, and with a reverential eye, worship the Gods and your ancestors, coupling personal gnosis and divine revelation with an understanding of the attested sources.
22.02.202510:30
When the peasants keep talking about "hustle culture" and the "daily grind" but you're on your way to collect inheritance.
A meme collaboration with Duc de Lemiere.
A meme collaboration with Duc de Lemiere.
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