What shall we call ourselves? :)

[Aemma]

Ok, well yes seems I've become a bit fixated on this whole naming business (nahh a tad OCD? Me? Never!... )

Anyway, I thought I'd open things up on a different thread to carry on some of the threads of discussion/enquiry with respect to Hilding's most excellent question from yesterday.

If you been following that thread, then you'll know where I'm coming from with my question. If not, well then...what's keeping you?...go on and read the blasted thing and then come back and post your ideas here!

I'll not offer anything at this point for I am quite unable to think about any adequate name(s) at this point. But I'm banking on the fact that with some further stimulation from my good friends here, my brain might be able to offer something...well...we'll see eh?

Ok...commence!.....

...Aemma

[Hildolf]

As I have posted in the other thread. I don't think the label is as important as "being" a Heathen/Odinist/Wodenist/etc etc.

Hear the call and answer it. The issue of "labelling" is to pedantic for me. I like Odinist, it works for me. I'm not going to overly concern myself with the fact Odin is the scandinavian name and Woden is the more English version.

Maybe it's because I'm fairly new to all this that it isn't an issue??

The greater issue in my opinion is one of Folkish vs Universalist.

[Gooding]

Ok, well yes seems I've become a bit fixated on this whole naming business (nahh a tad OCD? Me? Never!... )

Anyway, I thought I'd open things up on a different thread to carry on some of the threads of discussion/enquiry with respect to Hilding's most excellent question from yesterday.

If you been following that thread, then you'll know where I'm coming from with my question. If not, well then...what's keeping you?...go on and read the blasted thing and then come back and post your ideas here!

I'll not offer anything at this point for I am quite unable to think about any adequate name(s) at this point. But I'm banking on the fact that with some further stimulation from my good friends here, my brain might be able to offer something...well...we'll see eh?

Ok...commence!.....

...Aemma

Why not just call ourselves the Folk?

[Ulf]

Germanic Heathens.

Odinism says to me belief in Odin, what of the others? Odinism and other -isms have no linguistic connection to the past beliefs. Not to mention the limiting feeling of the word itself. But I guess it's nice to see the look on some people's faces when you say "I'm an ODINIST"

I'm a Wodanist, Donarist, Ziuist, etc.


No, I'm just a Germanic Heathen.

[Brynhild]

I'm of the opinion that the term Heathen is more than sufficient in covering the various ways that the folk practise it. There's no one right or wrong way, but there's always a common link.

[Psychonaut]

Since our ancestors really didn't have a one-word-label to describe their religion, I tend not to use one either. I'll usually find something snarky and vaguely descriptive for the religion field on fora, but in real life if someone asks me what my religion is, my pat answer is something like: "I worship my ancestors and their Gods."

[Vargtand]

Viking.


You knew it was bound to come


Well asatro, basically god belief, or belief in gods, works to describe the religion as a subject, but hardly works when you bend it.. asatroare.. Sounds incredibly silly I would say I am a north man I follow the ways of my forefathers. To be honest let the other religions label them selfs. Why should people who participate in ancestral worship need to label them self’s? That is just silly in my option.

[Solwyn]

When I'm talking to people, I tend to respond much in the same way that Psychonaut said. However, people like to put things in boxes, so when I am pressed for a name, I respond with "Odinist". I understand that to most that implies that I am giving preference to Odin, but I'd rather call myself an Odinist than Asatruar.

Based on my experiences in the Asatru communities in Canada, the ones calling themselves that are weekend Vikings who like to raid Gandalf's closet and play dress-up. I have neither the time nor patience for any more suburbanite dweebs who fancy themselves Lord Thunderbutt of the Midgard Realms.

That may not be all of them, but it covers MANY of what I've met. The folk I met here and there who identified as Odinist have had a completely different feel. They were environmentally active, into other things as well like health, education, business, and self-sufficiency......and they seemed much more into being productive members of mainstream society than any other pagan persuasion in general.

Mind you, this is all UPG. So before anyone gets their panties in a twist, let me say that I am sure there are nice, stable Asatruar, Wiccans, Ceremonialists, etc out there who aren't dripping in silly costume jewelry with a tabard for all seasons, and smoking/drinking/doing drugs...but then complaining when someone eats processed food in front of them.....but they ain't the majority of what I met

This is the majority of what I met in most pagan paths:

[Baron Samedi]

When I'm talking to people, I tend to respond much in the same way that Psychonaut said. However, people like to put things in boxes, so when I am pressed for a name, I respond with "Odinist". I understand that to most that implies that I am giving preference to Odin, but I'd rather call myself an Odinist than Asatruar.

Based on my experiences in the Asatru communities in Canada, the ones calling themselves that are weekend Vikings who like to raid Gandalf's closet and play dress-up. I have neither the time nor patience for any more suburbanite dweebs who fancy themselves Lord Thunderbutt of the Midgard Realms.

That may not be all of them, but it covers MANY of what I've met. The folk I met here and there who identified as Odinist have had a completely different feel. They were environmentally active, into other things as well like health, education, business, and self-sufficiency......and they seemed much more into being productive members of mainstream society than any other pagan persuasion in general.

Mind you, this is all UPG. So before anyone gets their panties in a twist, let me say that I am sure there are nice, stable Asatruar, Wiccans, Ceremonialists, etc out there who aren't dripping in silly costume jewelry with a tabard for all seasons, and smoking/drinking/doing drugs...but then complaining when someone eats processed food in front of them.....but they ain't the majority of what I met

This is the majority of what I met in most pagan paths:

Jayzus 0_0

Thought I was ugly....

[Jägerstaffel]

What shall we call ourselves?


I shall call you ... ... Mini-me.






Yeah, I don't know why I thought of that.