American Asatru Association shared Friends Of Raven Moon Hearths status. 30 minutes ago ~Thorendahl # americanasatruassociation # heathenhall # Vikings # asatru # heathen # odinist # pagan # Odin # Thor # Loki The NNV: Rules or Recommendations? Many things in Heathenry create controversy. It seems like as our new revival of old customs and practices grows, so does the discord. Should we faithfully reconstruct what our ancestors did and follow it to a tee? Should we take what little pieces we have and forge our own new way? Should those pieces form the basis of a new Heathen dogma or should those pieces teach us to use our noggins and think for ourselves? Im not going to attempt to answer all these questions in this brief article, however I do want to discuss an issue that has caused quite a stir since its creation (some might say reorganization): the Nine Noble Virtues. Lets go ahead and take a quick look so that we may familiarize ourselves: Courage Truth Honor Fidelity Discipline Hospitality Self Reliance Industriousness Perseverance Pretty straightforward, eh? Im not going to explain these things or cite examples. I encourage you, the reader, to form your own interpretations. Anyway... Lets quickly get one thing out of the way. The NNV did not exist as such until John Yeowell and John Gibbs-Bailey organized them in the 1970s as part of the Odinic Rite. There is NO attestation of these virtues, organized as such, in the historical sources. That said, these virtues are often exhibited by both Gods and Men alike in the mythology. Sigurd certainly acted with courage when he slew Fafnir. Óðinn was often showed hospitality by folks he met along his many wanderings as attested in the Havamal. Frigg absolutely showed perseverance in dealing with the Allfathers many alleged indiscretions (which incidentally raises another point: even the Gods could take the occasional lesson from the above-listed virtues!). At any rate, you get the idea. There was no group of dogmatic virtues laid out when Snorri Sturluson compiled the Eddas, but these virtues certainly were displayed by various characters throughout the mythology. This is what prompted the organization of the NNV. There seems to be a certain sentiment held amongst some Heathens that the NNV has no place in the official Heathen canon due to its all-too-recent compiling. These folks seem to be fearful of the dogma this would bring. I agree with these folks on one point: dogma is bad. No question about that! Just look at the infamous 10 Commandments for all the proof you need. Never in the history of the world has a document had such debilitating and repressive effects on society. Ahh, but I digress into the realm of personal opinion. Were discussing Heathenry here. I ardently disagree with critics who believe that the NNV bring dogma where none is needed. Allow me to illustrate this point with a simple comparison: Thou shalt not steal. This is a simple phrase with a plain message, though something is plainly lacking. There is absolutely no explanation of WHY thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt simply not steal because I [Yahweh] damn well said so. Nothing needs to be explained. The meaning of the phrase is self-evident. This is the *command* of a master to a slave who as such does not need a reason. The slave cannot (or should not) think for himself. Compare this with the following: Honor Quite a difference, eh? Here we have one simple word. There is no command here. There is no master-slave relationship implied. There is simply a word. The real question is, What is Honor? The mere fact that we are obliged to define this term prior to ever being able to employ it in our lives attests to the expectation that each of us not only CAN but MUST think for ourselves. Freedom of thought is an action of a free man or woman. We can see that this implied freedom-to-act found within the NNV is the polar opposite, the absolute inverse, of a dogmatic system like the 10 Commandments. It is for THIS reason that I reject any hardline argument against the usage of the NNV on the basis that they constitute a dogmatic system. They simply cannot be dogmatic based on the inherent freedom of thought one must display in order to actually utilize them. Were they dogma, we would be left with little to no room for interpretation whereas interpretation is nearly all we have when discussing the NNV. Quite simply put, there is absolutely no reason not to use the NNV in our daily lives. The acts of contemplating them, understanding them, and employing their use day to day helps us to live better lives, freer lives, and ultimately become stronger as people and as Heathens. Questions and comments are always welcome! Hail Raven Moon Hearth! Hail the Folk! ~Ryan Longskald
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 16:20:32 +0000
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