Religion is a system of belief that we build our lives around. It is the cornerstone of everything that makes us moral, ethical and honorable. The very word comes from the Latin religio, meaning “to bind,” as in binding oneself to higher powers that lead us towards something greater. We look to our Gods for guidance and understanding. We seek their inspiration in our daily lives. This is the foundation of who we are as a folk. Since the dawn of mankind, we have embraced the faith of our ancestors, but what exactly does this mean? Do we actually listen to the voices of our forefathers, or do we take our own path whenever we feel that they are standing in the way of our whims and desires?
For many years in our research, we have sought to teach people the truth. We are not here to mince words. We are not here to cater to people’s feelings. We will not bow before self-proclaimed gurus who demand we tolerate their hubris. The truth is the truth, and if anyone denies this truth, they deny the very fabric of reality. They deny the voice of the Gods. They deny the voices of the ancestors. Anyone telling you to reject the actual traditions of the belief itself, wants you to worship them rather than the Gods. They want themselves to be the source of this faith and not our ancestors. This is something you must understand and fight back against.
Can we prove what we are saying? Can we, without a shadow of a doubt, demonstrate that our beliefs must follow the words of the ancestors? Can you just make things up and state that they are ancestral or part of an ancestral system? You absolutely cannot. This idea was firmly rejected by every European culture throughout history. We see this in every system and can now flesh out the very real core principles of European polytheism.
Europe is divided into four main cultures. There is our Germanic culture of the north. There is the Slavic culture of the east. The Celtic culture of the west, and the Mediterranean culture of the south. Every single one of these regions had a form of polytheism that represented the people of those lands. Yet all of them are European. All of them share similar features and values. They all evolve from the same root. Now we shall also demonstrate that there is one concept they all share, which forms the basis of their religious authority. This is the Ancestral Endowment. As we shall see, this belief is the basis by which divine authority can be meted out and understood.
Not only will this give us an idea of how traditions and customs were maintained, it will also show us that there were beliefs held within these nations that were inviolate. You did not get to just simply push things away because you didn’t like them. You did not get to simply make things up based on your whims or any cult of personality you may have developed. This is the way of our ancestors. It must follow a line of continuity that goes back to the Gods themselves and the first of our forebears.
So, what is an Ancestral Endowment? It is the belief that a divine culture-bringer came to our lands in the distant past and brought our people the ways of our faith. These ways were collected and developed by divine emissaries, who carefully saw to their continuity. All of the indigenous European religions have a cultur-bringer, who laid the foundation for religion, law, and society. In the North this would have been Heimdallr. For the Hellenists it would have been Prometheus for the Greeks and Vulcan for the Romans. For the Celts this would have been Lugh. For the Slavs it was Svarog. All of them taught man skills and trades, while the foundations of sacred law and sacrifice were laid.
The cultures of Europe shared a similar belief that their ways came from these divine culture-bringers, were passed on to the earliest of their people, and had to be maintained through patrilineal lines. This is a fundamental precept of polytheist belief. We are about to look at the different concepts from each culture to fully examine and understand exactly what they believed and why.
Kata Ta Patria (Greek)
The Greek concept of Kata Ta Patria is the most fleshed out for us to observe, for they maintained records on this in inscriptions dated as early as the 3rd century BC. For example, there is one from Diomedon’s family cult of Herakles on Kos where they are describing a fish sacrifice. Even earlier though, Herodotus in his Histories described a unified tradition amongst the Hellenic people, and understood that the preservation of this tradition was of the utmost importance:[1]
For many and great are the reasons which hinder us from (attacking Hellas), even though we should desire it; first and greatest the images and houses of the Gods set on fire or reduced to ruin, which we must necessarily avenge to the very utmost rather than make an agreement with him who did these deeds; then secondly there is the bond of Hellenic race, by which we are of one blood and of one speech, the common temples of the Gods and the common sacrifices, the manners of life which are the same for all; to these it would not be well that the Athenians should become traitors.
From this we can see the recognition of a common bond and a common tradition amongst the practitioners of the Hellenismos, which here maintains the tradition within the region. That this tradition would be seen as coming from the Gods themselves is found in an early legal code regarding the establishment of law:
The Athenian people personally received the gift of the laws that were given by the Gods about human conduct, of education, and of the custom of growing crops, and passed them on to the other Greeks as its public benefaction to them; and their people was the first of all to assemble a guild of artists.[2]
Within this framework we find the religious institution of Greek Hellenism existed solely within a traditional belief system. By this term “traditional” it must be understood that this was conservative by its very nature. There was no room for innovations (as we shall see below), and the closer you were to the ancestral custom the more pious your practice was deemed. This shall be made abundantly clear in the following quotes:
- Okyneides son of Anaxandros brought to vote: The priests and the priestesses imprecate as follows kata ta patria: Whoever leads out from Delos a slave, whether unwillingly or willingly, from the sacred precincts of the god, to the detriment of the master, shall suffer utter destruction, he, and his descendants, and his house. Anyone who knows and does not report this to the astynomoi, shall be liable to the same punishment, and if anyone commits any other violation against the ancestral customs of the Delians, he shall suffer utter destruction, together with his descendants and his house . . .[3] (emphasis mine).
- It was resolved by the Amphictyons: since Eudamos of Athens, the son of Apollonios, while he has been at Delphi, has performed the traditional sacrifices in a fine and honorable manner, paying great attention to piety towards the divinity; and he has taken care of other matters in accordance with the laws and decrees of the Amphictyons; and he has performed his duties during his residence with the other hieromnemonesin a manner worthy of the god and the city; therefore so that the council of the Amphictyons may be seen to assign worthy rewards to its benefactors, it is resolved to honor the city of Athens, for sending him here, and Eudamos of Athens himself, the son of Apollonios, and to crown him with a golden crown on account of his goodwill and honorable conduct towards the council of the Amphictyons; and to announce the award of the crown at Delphi during the Soteria and at Athens in the theatre during the Dionysia, saying that the Amphictyons crown Eudamos of Athens, the son of Apollonios, with a golden crown on account of his virtue, his piety and his goodwill towards the council of the Amphictyons; and to grant to him security, inviolability from all threats, priority in receiving justice, freedom from taxes, privileged seating at all the games that are held by the Amphictyons, and all the other privileges which are granted to benefactors of the god and the council of the Amphictyons. These rights shall be preserved for himself and his descendants and the secretary of the Amphictyons shall inscribe this decree in the temple of Apollo.[4]
- Nikostratos of Larissa in Thessaly, who was sent by the Thessalians as hieromnemonto the Pythian games that were held when Nikoboulos was archon at Delphi, made every effort, along with the men sent from the Athens and the other hieromnemones, so that the council of the Amphictyons might be restored to its original and traditional state; and he presided over the games and the sacrifices with them, so that they might be performed in the best possible manner.[5]
- The demarch in office at any time shall take care of the Thesmophorion together with the priestess, that no one releases anything or gathers athiasos or installs sacred objects or performs purification rites or approaches the altars or the pit without the priestess except when it is the festival of the Thesmophoriaor the Plerosia or the Kalamaiaor the Skira or another day on which the women come together according to ancestral tradition.[6]
- The draftsmen drafted the following: the Atheniansshall give first-fruits of the harvest to the two Goddesses according to ancestral custom and the oracle from Delphi, at a rate of not less than a sixth of a medimnos per hundred medimnoi of barley and not less than half a sixth per hundred medimnoi of wheat; and if someone produces a greater harvest than this, or a smaller, he shall give first-fruits at the same ratio; and the demarchs shall collect the first-fruits by demes and hand them over to the sacred officials from Eleusis at Eleusis.[7]
- And they shall build three granaries at Eleusis, according to ancestral custom, wherever seems to the sacred officials and the architect to be suitable, from the money of the two Goddesses; and they shall deposit there the crops that they receive from the demarchs; and the allies too shall contribute first-fruits in the same way.[8]
- The hierophant and the dadouchshall encourage the Greeks at the Mysteries to give first-fruits of the harvest according to ancestral custom and the oracle from Delphi; and when they have written up on a board the amount of the crops received from the demarchs, deme by deme, and from the cities, city by city, they shall place it in the Eleusinion at Eleusis and in the Council chamber.[9]
One can make out a clear depiction of the unity and sanctity of Greek polytheism or Hellenismos within these texts. The concept of Patria or “Ancestral Customs” denoted the passing of these traditions through the patrilineal lines, as these words have the same origin in meaning. It is the same as the term pater or “father,” and connects to a broader Indo-European sentiment concerning the succession of belief and custom through the family or tribe. This continuity was taken very seriously and was never something that could simply be violated on a whim or the desires of any priest or politician.
The expression kata ta patria (according to ancestral custom) was a phrase that made any violation not only an offense against the gods, but also an offense against the collective authority of the population past and present. There were many other ways to express this idea, but kata ta patria is a formula that seems to have carried special weight. The expression surfaces first at Athens and throughout the centuries appears more often in Athenian inscriptions than in all other city corpora combined. The phrase kata ta patria appears in public documents where it is important to imply that everything is as it should be, but it can also appear in contexts where legislation has resolved a dispute, changed a process, or established a new procedure. In the law courts this phrase and other similar expressions were used to register anxiety about proper performance of traditional ritual.[10]
Mos Maiorum (Roman)
The concept of Mos Maiorum means “The Customs of the Ancestors,” and is primarily mentioned in the face of the developing Christian movement, much to the dismay of the native polytheist practitioners. The furtherance of the Empire and the maintenance of the Roman state was of the utmost importance to every leader, as well as every priest. Rome was viewed as a beacon within the wild, a light of order and function within a sea of chaos. This order was brought to them by the Gods, and as such the continuation of sacrifice and religious fervor kept up good fortune and peace within the city. Their founding by Romulus and Remus was even heralded when their mother Ilias begat them with Mars in his sacred grove. So, once again we find divine lineage and origin in the culture of a people. It would only be correct that they would consider the upending of this culture by a new faith as a serious threat to their way of life:
- Our forefathers determined what they wished their children to learn and what schools they desired them to attend. These innovations in the customs and principles of our forefathers do not please us nor seem proper. Therefore, it appears necessary to make our opinion known, both to those who have such schools and to those who are in the habit of attending them, that they are displeasing to us.[11]
- These new things, which are done contrary to the usage and custom of our ancestors, are neither pleasing nor right.[12]
- If that practice and that lawlessness begin to infect more widely and move our empire toward violence and away from justice…I worry about our descendants and the life of our republic, which could have been eternal, if it had lived by its ancestral customs and traditions.[13]
- For to what is it more suitable that we defend the institutions of our ancestors, and the rights and destiny of our country, than to the gloryof these times, which is all the greater when you understand that you may not do anything contrary to the custom of your ancestors?[14]
- Our ancestors established laws and institutions, which must be observed as though they were divine injunctions, so that nothing new may be introduced which would depart from their wisdom. [15]
- I ought to uphold the beliefs about the immortal gods which have come down to us from our ancestors, and the rites and ceremonies and duties of religion. For my part I always shall uphold them and always have done so, and no eloquence of anybody, learned or unlearned, shall ever dislodge me from the belief as to the worship of the immortal gods which I have inherited from our forefathers. [16]
Senchas Már (Celtic)/Po Starine (Slavic)
Senchas Már means the “Great Tradition” in Old Irish and refers to the system of tradition held by the ancestors that governed their society. It is primarily preserved in old law codes such as the Críth Gablach, the Bretha Comaithchesa, and Bretha Déin Chécht which were originally part of the greater law code actually called Senchas Már. These sections help us to understand how new codes sought to bridge the gap between the old faith and the new, while retaining many of the characteristics of the ancient ways. Within these codes lie themes from pre-Christian antiquity we know existed and were a part of their sacred customs, so we can determine that this was an idea similar to what we have seen thus far.
Po Starine is a term developed from old Slavic folklore and ethnographic studies. The information regarding ancestral practices is scarce, but we do have clerical statements from early Christians proclaiming the differences between the two beliefs. Although the Celtic and Slavic do not have enough surviving sources to reconstruct a direct understanding of their views on the preservation of their ancient ways, we can compare them to what has been presented and know that these concepts surrounding their ancestral beliefs would have had a natural response to the coming creed and changes in the social structure.
Að Fornum Sið
We are fortunate in the Germanic realm to have a plethora of sources that have survived and help us to reconstruct our religion. There is very little that we can cover that will not have some support from the ancestral wisdom, and this wisdom must be adhered to at all costs. We can see from the Greek and Roman sources that refusing to do so is an offense to the Gods and is a denial of ancestral precedent. The “innovations” of those wishing to denigrate the faith with their own inventions is a rejection of the very spirit of the European diaspora. As we shall note, the relationship between these terms and phrases is exact, a 1:1 comparison between these related cultures that overlaps perfectly and defines what it means to practice an ancestral custom. They all refer to a tradition that has developed from the earliest ancestors and which must be adhered to.
Heimdallr came to our folk in the form of Rígr and brought them their ancestral ways. He visited and sanctified the three classes or castes of our people, and taught them how to establish trades and skills for their particular station. This division is thus holy to us and must be recognized. In the highest caste, that of the Jarls, he gives them the wisdom of the lore, the law, and the rites through the Aldrrúnar (Runes of the Ages) and Æfinrúnar (Runes of Earthly Life). This denotes a religious system by which we learned how to be proper followers of our forn siðr or ancestral custom. When we compare this to how the Greeks viewed their receiving of the laws, their culture, and their education from the Gods the concept becomes quite clear and allows us to build an authoritative stance on exactly what these traditions were and how they were maintained.
Here are the other sources referring to our forn siðr:
- Hallsteinn threw his planks overboard into the sea according to the ancient custom (at fornum sið); they came to Stálfjöra before Stokkseyri, but Hallsteinn came to Hallsteinssund east of Stokkseyri, and broke up there.[17]
- It is from the ancient custom (forn siðr) and tradition for Birkibæina to tithe its grain.[18]
- If Magnus is not accepted as king as is the ancient custom (forn siðr) in this land.[19]
- So it came to pass that they swore in a foster brotherhood according to the ancient custom (at fornum sið) that one should avenge the other as long as he lived if the other became a weapon-dead.[20]
- They now join hands, and swear brotherhood according to the ancient custom (eptir fornum sið).[21]
- The Swedish king had this feast (veizla) held at Ringstad in Sioland and spent a great deal of time there, so that it would be bigger than any that could be found. That it would be richer and better than any other. The Jomsvikings came that day when the feast was celebrated and celebrated. The Swedish king welcomed Earl Sigvald with great joy and all his might. But the feast was held according to ancient customs (æftir fornom siðum).[22]
- The king was told that at them all the toasts were dedicated to the Æsir in accordance with the ancient custom (at fornum sið).[23]
- It was an ancient custom (forn siðr), when blót was to take place, that all the farmers should attend where the temple was and bring there their own supplies for them to use while the veizla lasted.[24]
- In Sviþjóð it was the old custom (forn siðr), as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice (höfuðblót) took place in Góamánuðr at Upsala.[25]
- “Let us be reddened in the blood of Gods (goðablóði, could also be goði-blood) according to ancient custom,” (að fornum sið) and killed a ram, and called for himself the Goði Arnstein, who reddened his hands in the blood of the ram.[26]
It is perfectly reasonable that ancient people would seek continuity, and from this would come method. Ancient people would have the same emotions, desires, and motivations we have today, and from this they would have sought some form of uniformity in their beliefs. The idea that one would exploit minor superficial differences as a justification for individualism within a religion is simply absurd. While tribes were tribes and differences did exist, they did not surpass the overall culture that unified all of them as a people. The four regions of Europe shared common languages, traditions, Gods, and ideas. To deny them this is to deny the very identity that made them who they are. To move forward in our reconstruction, we must stand up to the hubris and corruption of those who would lead us astray, who would see themselves as the source of our beliefs rather than the Gods and their forebears. They do not get to dictate these beliefs, no matter what they say. This is a standard that is unquestionable and must be examined closely by all who claim they wish to celebrate this ancestral belief system.
[1] Book 8 ch. 144.
[2] The Decrees of the Amphyctions Syll. 704.
[3] The Delian Decrees.
[4] The Decrees of the Amphyctions Syll. 539.
[5] The Decrees of the Amphyctions Syll. 613.
[6] The Demes of Attica 1177.
[7] Attic Inscriptions on the First Fruits of Eleusis.
[8] Ibid.
[9][9] Ibid.
[10] Practitioners of the Divine: Greek Priests and Religious Officials from Homer to Heliodorus by Susan Guettel Cole.
[11] Suetonius De Rheotric I.
[12] Suetonius De Censoria Auctoritate.
[13] Cicero De Republic 3.41.
[14] Symmachus Relatio 3.
[15] Cicero, De Legibus 2.23.
[16] Cicero, De Natura Deorum II.5
[17] Landnamabok V.9
[18] Hirðskra 21.
[19] Hulda 192.
[20] Orms þáttr Stórolfssonar 415.
[21] Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana IV.11.
[22] Fagrskinna 18.
[23] Ólafs Saga Helga ch. 107.
[24] Hákonar Saga Góða ch. 14.
[25] Ólafs Saga Helga ch. 76.
[26] Ljósvetninga Saga ch. 4.