The Chad Pastoralist: History

The Siege of Meaux in 1421 was part of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. The English were led by Henry V, and beneath him were members of the peerage that served as commanders such as John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford, Arthur III, Duke of Brittany and John Cornwall, 1st Baron Fanhope. During the siege, John Cornwall witnessed his 17-year-old son's head get blown off with a gun-stone. John was heavily affected by his son's death and vowed never to wage war against a Christian prince ever again. Upon his death, John's titles became extinct as he left no other legitimate heirs. He recognised his two illegitimate sons in his will.

What you do and who you are We are shaped by our ancestors and what we do today is partly because of them, as shown by this study on the inheritance of social status in England from 1600 to 2022. It should be noted, however, that there was a certain degree of mobility amongst the gentry specifically between 1700 to 1900. Younger sons of gentry families occupied unstable positions due to the primogenture system which dictated that the oldest son of the family would inherit the majority of status and wealth. This often meant that younger gentlemen had to take apprenticeships, establish businesses, and face the prospect of a landless existence in adulthood. In 1726, John Buxton remarked that now that his ten-year-old younger son George had gone to school, 'he will now begin to think he is born for some employment, and that he must by industry and study endeavour to qualifie himself.' In the late 18th century, being self sufficient as a gentleman (I.e., not being reliant on a salary to sustain oneself and family) and having financial autonomy to provide for one's family was seen as an aspect of a gentleman's masculine duty. For younger sons of the gentry, who faced a landless future, creating a business or taking up an apprenticeship became a means of achieving the financial autonomy that was traditionally secured through inheritance. For example, in 1711, Thomas Huddlestone, an Englishman in Italy, wrote to his mother saying that he feared being dependent on a salary to sustain himself as opposed to establishing himself as a successful merchant:

'If after all I must end my days in servitude, why was I ever flatt'd in hopes of becoming a man by merchandising if I must never set up business… if once a man is sallaried here by another it is an eternal discredit to him and disables him for ever from setting up of himself or making his fortune… if I once serve for a salary I shall be no more look'd upon by either Merchant or Gentleman, but be rekon'd amongst the rascally fellows of the town.'

Many gentlemen at the time were concerned that their financial, behavioral, and moral autonomy was diminished by being 'subservient' to a master during their apprenticeship. Another concern was that the honour and status of gentleman was reduced or extinguished in the context of apprenticeship or employment. In The Cities' Advocate in this Case or Question of Honor and Armes: Whether Apprenticeship extinguisheth Gentry? With a clear Refutation of the pernicious Error that it doth by Edmund Bolton in 1674, he explains why gentility is not extinguishable by servitude or apprenticeship, for it is derived from one's ancestors. Moreover, Bolton describes how a gentleman's honour is not diminished given the context of 'servitude' to a master. The premise of the aforementioned context establishes the fact that our class and character are inherited, not produced by chance under a given circumstance. In relation to an even earlier example in history, Laxdœla Saga recounts how Hǫskuldr purchased a silent slave woman named Melkorka from a Rus merchant. Initially, Melkorka pretended to be mute, but later revealed her true identity to Hǫskuldr as the daughter of King Myrkjartan of Ireland. Hǫskuldr and Melkorka have a son called Óláfr Pái (Olaf the Peacock). When Óláfr was growing up, he believed his maternal ancestry to be shameful because his mother was a thrall, but when he realised that his mother was actually an Irish queen only reduced to slavery, he viewed that side of his ancestry with pride. Later in the saga, Óláfr decided to journey to Ireland to meet his maternal grandfather, King Myrkjartan. This example from Laxdœla Saga shows us that having a degree of pride in our ancestry is inherently good. It also indicates that what someone does in modernity does not define who they are within historical class systems and isn't necessarily a reflection of the deeper essence of their soul.

A look at the Roman cavalry helmet discovered on the island of Gotland in Sweden and its association with Wōden worship. Thank you to Brute Norse for initially bringing this find to my attention in a post from 2022.

On Christmas Day, 800 AD, Romans, Franks, Bavarians, Lombards, Goths, Basques, and even visiting Anglo-Saxons and Greeks crowded into St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, filling its central nave and four huge aisles. Close to the altar stood Charlemagne's daughters, two of his sons, Charles and Pepin, and Charlemagne himself, dressed in a long Roman tunic and cloak, with a golden belt and jeweled sandals. Pope Leo III lifted from the altar a golden crown and placed it on the head of the King. The Basilica shook with the roar of the crowd as Charlemagne was pronounced as 'Charles Augustus, Emperor of the Romans'. On another note, when Constantinople was conquered by Mehmed II in 1453, he proclaimed himself as 'Kaiser-i-Rum', meaning 'Caesar of Rome'.

In the skaldic poem Austrfararvísur, the skald Sigvatr Þórðarson refers to a woman who drove him away from her house because it was Álfablót:

'Gakkat en lengra inn, armi drengr', kvað ekkja; 'ek hræðumk við reiði Óðins; vér erum heiðin.' Óþekk rýgr, sús hnekkði mér ótvín sem ulfi, kvazk eiga alfablót inni í bœ sínum. 'Do not come any farther in, wretched drengr', said the woman; 'I fear the wrath of Óðinn; we are heathen.' The disagreeable female, who drove me away like a wolf without hesitation, said they were holding a sacrifice to the elves inside her farmhouse.

It is significant that strangers were turned away during Álfablót, which implies that Álfablót was a family-oriented household event. Moreover, it is stated that the woman feared the wrath of Óðinn, which links Him to worship observances, the Elves (which also have an intrinsic connection with Freyr), and Álfablót as an annual tradition.

The medieval Faroese ballad, Loka Táttur (Loki's Tale), is an insightful look into the help provided to a farmer and his son by Óðinn, Hœnir and Loki. The ballad is particularly helpful concerning its ability to look at the multifaceted nature of Óðinn and the other Gods featured in the tale. The translation referenced in this post on Óðinn comes from A Contemporary English Translation of Loka Táttur (Loki's Tale) Part II by Jon White, who some of you may know as the man behind the popular YouTube channel Crecganford, focusing on interesting yet speculative theories surrounding various world mythologies. It is also noteworthy that Loka Táttur maintains traditional mytheme characteristics associated with Loki seen in earlier source literature such as Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and Poetic Edda. For example, in Loka Táttur, Loki uses trickery against the giant in order to assist the farmer's son.

The medieval Faroese ballad, Loka Táttur (Loki's Tale), is an insightful look into the help provided to a farmer and his son by Óðinn, Hœnir and Loki. The ballad is particularly helpful concerning its ability to look at the multifaceted nature of Óðinn and the other Gods featured in the tale. The translation referenced in this post on Óðinn comes from A Contemporary English Translation of Loka Táttur (Loki's Tale) Part II by Jon White, who some of you may know as the man behind the popular YouTube channel Crecganford, focusing on interesting yet speculative theories surrounding various world mythologies. It is also noteworthy that Loka Táttur maintains traditional mytheme characteristics associated with Loki seen in earlier source literature such as Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and Poetic Edda. For example, in Loka Táttur, Loki uses trickery against the giant in order to assist the farmer's son.

On Offering Alcohol to Óðinn Jonas of Bobbio records that the missionary, Columbanus, while travelling to Brigantia (Bregenz, Austria), noticed men about to drink beer in honour of Wodan and that the beer used as their primary sacrifice:

'For in that vicinity are nations of the Swabians. While he remains with them and travels about among the inhabitants of that place, he learns of their intention to perform a profane sacrifice and a large vessel, which they commonly call a 'cupa' (barrel), which held about twenty modia (measures of corn) was set up in the middle filled with beer. Thereat the man of god approached and asked what they meant to do with that. They said that they meant to sacrifice to a god of theirs, by name Wodan, whom others call Mercurius...'

This form of offering is known as blótdrykkr (sacrificial drinking) in the form of a toast and dreypa (libation) in Old Norse. In Heimskringla, it is noted that during festivals, Óðinn was the first god offered to along with Njǫrðr and Freyr:

'...and first Óðinn's horn was emptied for victory and power to his king; thereafter, Njǫrðr and Freyr's horns for peace and a good season.'

It is important to worship Óðinn who oversees various facets of human existence such as crop growth, fair wind, luck, good fortune and wisdom to name a few examples. As noted by Jonas of Bobbio, the Swabians offered alcohol to Óðinn as a primary form of worship. Worship of Óðinn today should be influenced by historical praxis. Revised and reworked post in collaboration with WodenWyrd (Germanic Paganism).

In stanza 6 of Sigrdrífumál, which is one of the only sources that preserves an original prayer structure in Old Norse, mentions that the praise of Óðinn is made and achieved by the pouring of mead, in which His ravens also take part:

Hlautviðr heiln meiðr, Hróðr Óðins dreypir mjǫð, Hrafnar hans njóta þess, Sigrún gefr honum drykk af veig. 'The wood of healing dipped in blood, The praise of Óðinn, mead is poured, His ravens take part in it, Sigrún gives him drink from the cup.'

This form of offering is known as blótdrykkr (sacrificial drinking) in the form of a toast and dreypa (libation). Jonas of Bobbio records that the missionary, Columbanus, while travelling to Brigantia (Bregenz, Austria), noticed men about to drink beer in honour of Wodan and that the beer used as their primary sacrifice:

'For in that vicinity are nations of the Swabians. While he remains with them and travels about among the inhabitants of that place, he learns of their intention to perform a profane sacrifice and a large vessel, which they commonly call a 'cupa' (barrel), which held about twenty modia (measures of corn) was set up in the middle filled with beer. Thereat the man of god approached and asked what they meant to do with that. They said that they meant to sacrifice to a god of theirs, by name Wodan, whom others call Mercurius...'

In Heimskringla, it is noted that during festivals, Óðinn was the first god offered to along with Njǫrðr and Freyr:

'...and first Óðinn's horn was emptied for victory and power to his king; thereafter, Njǫrðr and Freyr's horns for peace and a good season.'

It is important to worship Óðinn who oversees various facets of human existence such as crop growth, fair wind, luck, good fortune and wisdom to name a few examples. As noted by Jonas of Bobbio, the Swabians offered alcohol to Óðinn as a primary form of worship. Worship of Óðinn today should be influenced by historical praxis. Revised and reworked post in collaboration with WodenWyrd (Germanic Paganism).

On Offering to Óðinn In Ynglinga Saga, chapter 8, Óðinn is stated to have decreed that men are to offer alcohol to Him and that this was the most important form of offering to Him:

Óðinn skipaði mönnum öl sem fórn og at heita skyldi á hann. Menn skyldi dreypa til hans mjǫð ok aðrir drykkir, þar var mest í blótum hans. 'Óðinn decreed that men should offer ale as a sacrifice and call on Him. Men should pour mead and other drinks to Him, and this was most important in His sacrificial rites.'

To add, in the context of this verse, the adverb þar means 'in that ritual'. The word mest is the superlative form of the adjective mikill, meaning 'most' or 'greatest'. This means that the decree to offer Óðinn mead and its description of þar var mest í blótum hans literally translates to 'this was the most important in His sacrifices' or 'this was greatest in His sacrificial rites.' Offering alcohol to Óðinn appears widely in the corpus of historical source literature concerning His worship. In chapter 12 of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, it is stated that men called upon Óðinn for good fortune:

Þá gerðu þeir blót mikit ok dreypðu Óðni mjǫð, at þeir vildu heill fá frá honum. 'Then they made a great sacrifice and poured mead to Óðinn, so that they might gain good fortune from Him.'

Good fortune and prosperity being asked of Óðinn is also shown in Vatnsdœla Saga, chapter 10:

Þeir blótuðu Óðni með góðum vilja ok báðu hann veita þeim heill ok gæfu. 'They offered sacrifices to Óðinn willingly and asked Him to grant them good fortune and prosperity.'

In stanza 6 of Sigrdrífumál, which is one of the only sources that preserves an original prayer structure in Old Norse, also mentions that the praise of Óðinn is made and achieved by the pouring of mead, in which His ravens also take part:

Hlautviðr heiln meiðr, Hróðr Óðins dreypir mjǫð, Hrafnar hans njóta þess, Sigrún gefr honum drykk af veig. 'The wood of healing dipped in blood, The praise of Óðinn, mead is poured, His ravens take part in it, Sigrún gives him drink from the cup.'

Libational offerings to Óðinn also occurred seasonally amongst the Icelandic settlers. For example, Þórólfr Mostrarskegg in chapter 23 of the Landnámabók was known to have poured mead out for Óðinn every autumn.

Þórólfr Mostrarskegg gerði blót ok dreypði mjǫð til Óðins á hverju hausti. 'Þórólfr Mostrarskegg made sacrifices and poured mead to Óðinn every autumn.'

Libation as a form of worship was decreed by Óðinn, thus establishing it as a divine precedent. We as Germanic Pagans must strive to worship Óðinn (Wōden) a way that is pleasing to Him and our ancestors in accordance with our needs, goals and wishes. Made in collaboration with WodenWyrd.