Prydwen
07-13-2009, 05:53 PM
There are a number of Asatru/Odinist Germanic religious revivalist groups that have an ethnic or 'folkist' outlook. They include in the UK the Odinic Rite and Woden's Folk. However there appears to be no comparable Druid/Celtic folkist organisations.
Part of the explanation for this is that many of the early revivalists of the Asatru religions were Germans who came from a tradition that involved a particular nationalist/racial outlook and they, along with their symbolism, became one of the strands that was to eventually feed into the National Socialist movement (even although the Nazi party never embraced 'Heathenism').
The Druid 'revivalist' in Britain took a different path. Starting in the 18th Century they had less hard evidence to begin with than their Germanic counterparts and of the evidence they did have they rejected most as being unpalatable. They therefore constructed their own preferred vision which they then back projected into the past. This indulgence of fantasy has continued today with Druid/Celtic groups incorporating facets of other traditions, like those of American Indians, to fill the gaps and create a sort of universal spirituality manifesting itself in hippy like sects.
However looking at the evidence that does exist about the Druids we find that it contains information that should be of interests to us.
Apart from being moral philosophers, healers and intermediaries between gods and men they also were, among the tribes they operated in, the keepers of their culture, identity and heritage. It is this latter aspect that ran them into major problems with the Romans. In all their conquests the Romans allowed the subject populations to carry on their religious beliefs and practices with little or no interference, however the Druids were a different matter. Whereas Celtic Kings were frequently seduced to the 'benefits' of Rome rule the Druids agitated and fermented rebellion. Apart from a propaganda campaign directed against the Druid’s 'barbaric and inhuman practices' by the Romans, they were eventually banned and suppressed (sound familiar?). The Druids last stand and destruction in Britain happened in the middle of the 1st century AD on Anglesey. By the year 71AD they had been destroyed as an organised force in other European ‘Celtic’ nations.
The 'Druids' who parade around Stonehenge and other prehistoric sites spouting cosmopolitan drivel and proclaiming how wonderfully anti-racist they are, in fact insult the memory of the original Druids and their fight to maintain the rights freedoms and identity of their tribes.
The 1st Century Roman Geographer and writer Pliny the Elder wrote that ‘‘Britannia is preoccupied with magic to such an extent that it were almost as if were she who taught the art to the Persians.’’ Part of the reason for today’s political division between Scotland and England is the line the Romans drew to mark where their empire finished. As more evidence comes forward to suggest that the ‘native’ people of the British Isles have overwhelming pre Roman origins it might well be stated that the Druids are part of all our heritage along with the indo-European ‘Celtic’ society that went with them. Perhaps now is the time for a folkish Druid group to emerge. Maybe ‘Druidism’ should be restored as part of an overall movement to restore the structure, culture and natural law of native indo-European society for the modern age?
In regards to politics, I think we all understand the forces that are lined up against nationalism. But worst of all we are faced with a public, the majority of whom seem to have memories of a goldfish as far as politics are concerned. Time and again they turn out and vote for the establishment parties, as if all the sleaze , corruption and policies that are destroying our identity, security and safety that they have brought about, have never happened. This ‘collective amnesia’ is facilitate by a media that can always convince that the answer to our problems lie with one of the old gang, and in spite of all that has gone before they can be trusted to turn things around. Whilst this happens the people are kept stupefied by inane celebrity game shows or reality television and their ambitions turned to coveting a place on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ or if not that a place as a baying hyena in the audience. This is truly the modern version of Rome’s ‘bread and circuses’ for the masses. Whilst the BNP breakthrough in the European elections is welcome ,what happens if it ever becomes apparent that sufficient numbers of the electorate will never vote Nationalist and render Nationalist political parties futile? Where does that leave those who do care?
An answer for us -that is those who want to preserve own ethnic identity and culture - is to become a Socio-Religious group of our own. A group that will be self contained with the aim (as mentioned above) to develop and to restore the structure, culture, lore and natural law of our native indo-European society for the age we live in? This group would really more on it’s own structure, laws and people that that of the society of the brainwashed, masses around it.
This is a very ambitious project but one that my own thoughts have been turning to with increasing frequency.
Part of the explanation for this is that many of the early revivalists of the Asatru religions were Germans who came from a tradition that involved a particular nationalist/racial outlook and they, along with their symbolism, became one of the strands that was to eventually feed into the National Socialist movement (even although the Nazi party never embraced 'Heathenism').
The Druid 'revivalist' in Britain took a different path. Starting in the 18th Century they had less hard evidence to begin with than their Germanic counterparts and of the evidence they did have they rejected most as being unpalatable. They therefore constructed their own preferred vision which they then back projected into the past. This indulgence of fantasy has continued today with Druid/Celtic groups incorporating facets of other traditions, like those of American Indians, to fill the gaps and create a sort of universal spirituality manifesting itself in hippy like sects.
However looking at the evidence that does exist about the Druids we find that it contains information that should be of interests to us.
Apart from being moral philosophers, healers and intermediaries between gods and men they also were, among the tribes they operated in, the keepers of their culture, identity and heritage. It is this latter aspect that ran them into major problems with the Romans. In all their conquests the Romans allowed the subject populations to carry on their religious beliefs and practices with little or no interference, however the Druids were a different matter. Whereas Celtic Kings were frequently seduced to the 'benefits' of Rome rule the Druids agitated and fermented rebellion. Apart from a propaganda campaign directed against the Druid’s 'barbaric and inhuman practices' by the Romans, they were eventually banned and suppressed (sound familiar?). The Druids last stand and destruction in Britain happened in the middle of the 1st century AD on Anglesey. By the year 71AD they had been destroyed as an organised force in other European ‘Celtic’ nations.
The 'Druids' who parade around Stonehenge and other prehistoric sites spouting cosmopolitan drivel and proclaiming how wonderfully anti-racist they are, in fact insult the memory of the original Druids and their fight to maintain the rights freedoms and identity of their tribes.
The 1st Century Roman Geographer and writer Pliny the Elder wrote that ‘‘Britannia is preoccupied with magic to such an extent that it were almost as if were she who taught the art to the Persians.’’ Part of the reason for today’s political division between Scotland and England is the line the Romans drew to mark where their empire finished. As more evidence comes forward to suggest that the ‘native’ people of the British Isles have overwhelming pre Roman origins it might well be stated that the Druids are part of all our heritage along with the indo-European ‘Celtic’ society that went with them. Perhaps now is the time for a folkish Druid group to emerge. Maybe ‘Druidism’ should be restored as part of an overall movement to restore the structure, culture and natural law of native indo-European society for the modern age?
In regards to politics, I think we all understand the forces that are lined up against nationalism. But worst of all we are faced with a public, the majority of whom seem to have memories of a goldfish as far as politics are concerned. Time and again they turn out and vote for the establishment parties, as if all the sleaze , corruption and policies that are destroying our identity, security and safety that they have brought about, have never happened. This ‘collective amnesia’ is facilitate by a media that can always convince that the answer to our problems lie with one of the old gang, and in spite of all that has gone before they can be trusted to turn things around. Whilst this happens the people are kept stupefied by inane celebrity game shows or reality television and their ambitions turned to coveting a place on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ or if not that a place as a baying hyena in the audience. This is truly the modern version of Rome’s ‘bread and circuses’ for the masses. Whilst the BNP breakthrough in the European elections is welcome ,what happens if it ever becomes apparent that sufficient numbers of the electorate will never vote Nationalist and render Nationalist political parties futile? Where does that leave those who do care?
An answer for us -that is those who want to preserve own ethnic identity and culture - is to become a Socio-Religious group of our own. A group that will be self contained with the aim (as mentioned above) to develop and to restore the structure, culture, lore and natural law of our native indo-European society for the age we live in? This group would really more on it’s own structure, laws and people that that of the society of the brainwashed, masses around it.
This is a very ambitious project but one that my own thoughts have been turning to with increasing frequency.