Reconstructionism's Role in Modern Heathenry Bil Linzie 07.13 · reconstructionism actually means...

Reconstructionism's Role in Modern Heathenry

Bil Linzie

07.13.07

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. The Faulty Phrase3. Reconstructionism4. The 'Impossible' List5. Towards Developing Practical Applications

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Abstract

Reconstructionism is a term which has become very common among modern heathens over the past decade. This short article explains the rationale behind the philosophical approach to studying ancient heathenry and its role in the ongoing development of modern heathenry. In spite of its recent popularity, it has limitations which are inherent. These limits when built into experimental design can function as a prophylactic feature preventing the revitalization of heathenry from becoming mixed with the various strains of 'alternative religions' while assuring that modern continues to develop in a manner consistent with the moral and ethics of modern culture.

1 Introduction

Before the year 2000 CE the term 'reconstructionism' was rarely heard or seen in conjunction with modern heathenry. When we started writing our articles,1 we received mostly friendly reviews as well as a handful of rants against the concept. Undaunted, we pursued. Initially the point was to expose the sources of many of the accepted rituals and traditions of Ásatrú. This was not meant to be anger-inducing nor were we trying to undermine the efforts of the good folk trying to revitalize the old heathen religion of the Germanic peoples. We simply felt that on a personal level that heathenry should be rebuilt on historical fact and that by encouraging this we were stepping forward to support its validity in the modern world.

Over the years, there appears to have been some misunderstanding about what reconstructionism actually means and how it might be important to the revitalization efforts of heathens worldwide. We address these issues in this paper. Some have grown to feel that 'reconstructionism' is the be-all-to-end-all, and that if one is not a dyed-in-the-wool reconstructionist only, one is simply not heathen, so we have taken it upon ourselves to clarify the term, its meaning, how it can play a role in modern heathenry.

To the credit of our detractors who have attempted to point out that reconstructionism has its shortcomings, we are aware that shortcomings exist, but we also maintain that these are, generally, in the application of the philosophical approach and that what are being listed as 'shortcomings' are, in reality, the natural limitations of the philosophy of reconstructionism.2 We feel that by having knowledge of what the idea is, what it is capable of, and what the nature of the shortcomings are, the approach should be of benefit to all adherents of the Germanic heathen religions.

Lastly, as a favor to those who may not have read our other papers dealing with 'reconstructionism,' we provide some background as to the rationale for its development. Again, this is not done to incite, but is merely and informational regarding the evolution of modern organized heathenry from its start in the late 60s up to the present. The fact is that we, as modern heathens of 40 years, believe that heathenry has only improved in spite of what at the time looked like 'setbacks.' With our exposés of modern heathenry's sources, we hope to continue improving on quality of heathenry by supporting and shoring up its rich, historical foundations.

2 The Faulty Phrase

''In the beginning was the phrase, and the phrase was with 'the Movement.' And the phrase was 'the Movement.'''

In the United States starting in the mid-1950s through the 1960s something new was happening. Large numbers of people feeling cheated by organized religion, primarily Christianity, were experimenting with 'new religions'. These 'new religions' were based on older religions, often the indigenous religions of native peoples either long dead or still living such as the Aztec, Maya, Native Americans, shamanism, Buddhism, ancient Celts, ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, ancient Germans, etc. These

1The first article, Germanic Spirituality was published under a Creative Commons Deed on July 11, 2003, at http://www.angelfire.com/nm/seidhman A total of 3 articles have been published in this manner so far.

2The average person would not classify a bird's inability to fly to the moon as being a 'shortcoming,' either. The inability is a natural limitation. There are certain limitations inherent in the idea of 'reconstructionism' as well.

http://www.angelfire.com/nm/seidhman

new religions were like new pieces of jewelry twisted out of strands of ancient wires, and the solder which held the piece together was the new concept of religion offered up by Gerald Gardener and his successors commonly called Wicca. By the mid-1960s, however, individuals were beginning to question the validity of Wicca and began wondering what traditional religions would have looked like had they stayed alive. The ancient religions of the Celts, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, etc. and some of the spiritual explorers including this author turned away from the alternative twisted strand approach offered by Wicca and began focusing on re-creating the religion of a single culture.

Modern heathenry came together in the United States as an organized movement circa 1974 under Stephen McNallan with his Ásatrú Free Assembly also known as the AFA. Prior to that there had been small collectives of individuals around the country who felt the the religion of the ancient Norse could be revived, but none of these were really organized. The AFA became the central 'campus' with a common goal to which everyone involved could adhere: ''We will re-create the religion of the ancient Germans.'' By utilizing the AFA as a central clearinghouse for information, individuals were able to publish their research in The Runestone, the official journal of the AFA, so that all could share. The premise for re-creating the religion was simple: by studying Norse and German mythology in great detail, we should be able to piece together the ancient religion bit by bit in the same fashion that an archaeologist will re-create and ancient amphora with all its beautiful decorations and designs intact. And so the project was underway.

Snags and sticking points were discovered in reconstructing the amphora of religion early on. We had access, of course, to the ancient Norse sagas, to the Norse eddas, as well as fragments of ancient German literature, histories, etc. and began to note that there were many discrepancies and inconsistencies. We had descriptions of ancient rituals, but we do not have a script for any of them. We had literary descriptions of ritual objects, but few if any of these ritual objects had been uncovered by archaeologists. We even had the pieces in hand but were unable to discover the shape of the jar. So we took what we knew of religion, assuming that this was the basic shape of the jar, and using this as our 'blank' began slowly and meticulously to assemble the bits and pieces together onto the blank core. By the late 1970s we had a re-created religion which was able to stand and hold its own against any of the 'mix-and-match' wiccan religions of the time.

But what we have presented here, so far, is a very one-sided picture, however. Unbeknownst to many of us involved with the AFA and later developing groups, the workgroups of people both within the United States and abroad who were doing much of the same thing: re-creating the ancient religion the Germanic peoples. Under Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson was the Ásatrúarmenn in Iceland, in Germany, the GGG, in Britain, the Odinic Rite, in the United States, Seax Wica under Raymond Buckland, and under Garman Lord was the beginnings of what would later be known as the Theodish movement. Interestingly, many of the groups were utilizing the same approach as we were with the exception of the Icelanders. Each group, independently, in their own time and in their own place were studying the sagas and poetry and were bit by bit piecing together a religion to be revived in the 20th-century.

At the beginning of the revitalization of the ancient Germanic religion there was the phrase: ''the ancient Germanic religion.'' It was this phrase which spurred many of us on to learning Germanic languages so that we could read the originals and so that we could rebuild and bring back to life that which had been long dead. The phrase did, indeed, beget a movement, but none of us at the time could fully grasp the idea that the fundamental elements underlying the phrase itself were wrong.

A favorite activity that in those days was to scour old Norse dictionaries looking for terms pertaining to 'soul,' 'magic,' 'fate,' and 'religion.' We found many words pertaining to these concepts but the closest we could come to the word for 'religion' could best be defined as 'having faith in' and it became part of the name for heathenry as it was known at the time: Ásatrú. Not only were we having a difficult time finding and ancient Germanic word for religion, other words seem to be missing as well. A word for 'belief' didn't exist until after the conversion to Christianity. In other words, we could not find a heathen word which meant 'belief.' This did not stop the revitalization of the ancient

Germanic religion, however; we decided early on that just because it wasn't word for it didn't mean that it didn't exist during the heathen period. We were willing to accept this at face value.3

In the United States it was not until the 1990s when some began to question our basic assumptions. It puzzled some of us that scholarly authors, educated authors in Germanic studies, after our first 20 years, still did not recognize our efforts, the advances that we believed we had made in recovering the ancient Germanic religion. We felt that this was simply an oversight on their part because they spent most of their time pouring through old source material and history books and were not looking to see what was happening in the real world. By this time, however, many of our own were also receiving good educations under good professors and at recognized universities. Many of us were reading scholarly works as well as the dozens of small, independent journals put together by modern heathens. E-mail was becoming more and more common at the time and some began questioning the disparity between what the scholars were writing and what the heathens themselves were writing in this disparity became the heated focus of many discussions in the e-mail lists at the time. In the modern heathen community a rift was beginning to form. Questioning the basic assumptions driving the modern heathen movement was not a popular attitude at the time, and those taking the sides of the scholars became relatively unpopular personalities quickly.

We opened this essay with a play on the opening lines of John4 from the Bible. This wasn't done for mere effect, however; it reflects our common modern concept of religion. It is a concept of religion imported from the first empires, and it is a concept which we in the United States have accepted and continue to accept wholeheartedly. 'Religion,' in our modern sense of the word, is an ideal divorced from culture, from landscape, from language, and from worldview. A term which I have often used in the past is 'modular religion' as opposed to 'ethnic religion.' A modular religion is a religion which can be easily imported and exported across cultural boundaries. The most common modern example of a modular religion is Christianity, which, technically, should be the same spiritual concept for a second-generation Greek family living in Brooklyn as it is to an aboriginal family living in the Australian outback as well as to a French family living in Singapore. The concept is completely self-contained, essentially, complete with it's own rules, laws, axioms, and corollaries, i.e. a module. A modular religion stands in direct contrast to an ethnic religion such as the indigenous religions of Africa, Australia, Alaska, and Greenland. Anthropologists over the past 150 years have been entertained, fascinated, and frustrated by how closely bound religion - culture - worldview in these regions are to landscape - occupation - environment. So the phrase ''we will re-create the ancient Germanic religion'' began to appear faulty to some of us because of the use of the word 'religion.' Most of us were working only from the modern concept of 'religion' as a fundamental assumption.

Additionally, some of us noted early on but chose to ignore the fact that there is no 'Germanic people.' Some groups of course found it easier to focus their attentions on Anglo-Saxon materials, others chose to focus their attentions on old Norse, but most filled in the gaps in either group's re-creations and one that wasn't enough to bring the Germanic religion up to and in concordance with the modern concept of 'religion,' i.e. that of being culturally independent and self-contained Elements were brought in from alternative religions as well, in particular Wicca, or even from Catholic rituals. The problem with our early approach of 'filling in the gaps, however, is that it also ignored the fact that there is no single Germanic people.5

Scholars have long used a different approach when choosing to look at 'Germanic Europe' as

3Of course, the premise is wrong acoording to standard rules of logic. ''If there is no evidence that a thing exists, there is nothing to support a claim that it does exist. Such a claim, then, remains nonsense until evidence is produced.''4John 1:1, King James Version5This is actually a completely separate problem but one which was completely unrecognized at the time.

being a multi-colored umbrella built out of closely related languages under which a variety of cultures developed, evolved, and, in some cases, died out. How many cultures there had actually been underneath the Germanic umbrella is not known. It is known, however, that early on, close to the time of Julius Caesar, there were large number of very small tribes, often migratory, living in central Europe and who spoke dialects related to a complex Germanic language stock. Changes came and went; languages died out -- new ones were created; tribes allied themselves with neighboring tribes sometimes even crossing language stock boundaries; economic bases shifted over time between hunting and gathering, fishing, animal husbandry, agricultural, etc. eventually new language groups began to develop such as Anglo-Saxon, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Old Saxon, and even under these there were regional dialectal differences: umbrella under umbrella under umbrella and so on. Scholars, then, like Rudolph Simek, have taken to understanding that there was no single Germanic religion; the spiritual life of the ancient Germanic peoples should be thought of in the pleural: Germanic religions, and to be more specific, ethnic Germanic religions.

Our most fundamental, basic assumptions which were used as the driving forces to generate the modern heathen movement was faulty from the outset. We don't believe that anyone is to blame for the error -- it was unintentional. The modern heathen movement was and is an experiment in alternative spirituality, and it may have been completely necessary for the first trial runs at the experiment to fail that a new direction could be taken. At this point in time the new direction for modern heathenry falls under the newer rubric of reconstructionism.

3 Reconstructionism

''The organisors see the expedition as an interesting social experiment as 70 present-day individuals react to being confined to an open-decked ship, with little room for private life or home comforts, on the open seas.''They believe the voyage will provide new insights into the hearts, minds and spirits of the Vikings while teaching us a thing or two about ourselves.''6

Reconstructionism is a philosophical and theoretical approach to revitalizing Germanic heathenry in the modern era. It's start really was in the mid-1990s although there are threads of study going back to the beginning of modern heathenry in the 1970s.

The questions should now be clearly defined: ``What exactly is reconstructionism, what differentiates it from any other approach and, lastly, why is it even important?'' Reconstructionism is simply this:

There is no longer any faulty phrase; for reconstructionists, it has been thrown out and replaced with ... nothing.

Reconstructionism is an experiment pure and simple: ``if we take the worldview of XYZ-people, and apply it in our own lives, what is the experience?

The basis of reconstructionism is to reconstruct the 'worldview' of any group of people and apply to gain experience. The simplest of these reconstructive efforts will be completely physical in nature such as carving a runestone utilizing only the tools which were known to have existed during the period and among the culture which one is studying. Other physical-experiments would be that of baking bread, making cloth, blacksmithing, animal husbandry, gardening, boat-building, preparing and putting on a feast, carving wooden utensils, and so on. There is little difference between such an approach taken by modern heathens and those experiments already being conducted by anthropology students engaging in experiential anthropology. The approach is nothing new and has been taken up by members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, National Geographic, and other independent research teams like Thor Heyerdahl's for years, and the results of such experimentation by these

6quoted from http://www.rte.ie/vikings/index.html

adventurers has been of great use to serious scholars of history as well as modern heathens. This is reconstructionism in its most basic form.

The average modern heathen has probably experimented with making mead utilizing modern wine making equipment or perhaps has experimented with period clothing either bought from a museum replicas clearinghouse, or for the more adventurous, made on their sewing machine at home. Some may have started entered into modern heathenry from organizations like the Society for Creative Anachronism or some similar organization and may have gone further to learn how to cook over a fire, perhaps, even being able to start the cooking fire with a flint and steel, and these experiences even though done with modern equipment should not be be undervalued.

For the average heathen, those with limited experience in agriculture or those young people living on limited funds while they gaining an education in computer science or medical school, these experiences are often only picked up vicariously through reading about experiments or not at all. On the other hand there are a large number of modern heathens who have gained some experience while in the military or who currently live in the country who are used to doing much by hand, but, in general, these experiences do not include building and maintaining a garden/ farm with only hand tools, working without modern forms of fuel like electricity or petroleum products, nor do they generally include working with source products such as sheep's wool, rock, trees, or forged iron rather than steel. Grouping together with others engaged in experiential anthropological experiments even for a short period or working independently on a single project such as creating sourdough from quern-ground flour (made from home grown wheat) can be of great value to the modern reconstructionist heathen.

The next questions should probably be ``Why would anyone have to engage in such activities just to belong to a religion?'' What is the relationship between reconstructing the physical processes of artifact production and religion? The assumption that the reconstructionist is working under, however, is that there is no real religion to be had. For the reconstructionist, 'religion' is something that is culturally independent and self-contained and what the reconstructionist is seeking to experience is not the religion but the worldview, the mindset of the the people in question, which gave birth to certain specific spiritual practices.7 The central spiritual practice of the modern heathen is the blót, for example, a sacrifice the regin (ON), the gods, but the reconstructionist isn't looking to rebuild the ceremony so much as he is trying to experience why the ceremony was even important in the first place. The reconstructionist is looking not for a religion but for that which underlies spiritual practice.

The reconstructionist relishes his personal experiences as well as those reported by others. As in experiential anthropology, the experiences build off of one another to reconstruct detailed processes of what life had been like 1000 years ago, and most importantly, these are not theories, i.e. mind-experiments, of what life might have been like, but probabilities based on experience. Given physical knowledge of the tools and materials of the time and place, it remains simply a modern reconstruction, to be sure, but one can presume with a degree of certainity that parts of the experiment fall ``in the ballpark'' and the degree of certainty can be finer tuned as to probability. The reconstructionist must always be aware that history is not being relived, nor can it be perfectly duplicated. That is not the point of reconstructionism in modern heathenry; the actual point is the attempt to gain the experience of what life was probably like because it is a collection of experiences and perceptions about the world in

7The argument has been posed by some that religion rather than falling under worldview is really added on to worldview. In the modern era, this argument is true: a modular religion taken up and incorporated will affect and reshape worldview. On the other hand, 'ethnic religions' which cannot by any modern definitions be truly considered 'a religion' are not, in fact, taken up and incorporated but are borne of the worldview itself and as such are completely inextricable from it. Lastly, since reconstructionism is about collecting experiences (glimpses into the ancient worldviews) and is an approach to researching history as opposed to a method for recreating 'religion,' the counter-arguments fall away as pointless and as a gross misunderstanding of what reconstructionism is.

a specific way which was the matrix in which heathenry was germinated and grown and, by extension, in which it evolved.

The approach of the reconstructionist heathen can be somewhat likened to the experiments of mycologists who by trying to re-create the exact conditions (environmental matrix) of a particular fungus, they are able to encourage the mushroom to flourish under laboratory conditions. Granted, the cultivated fungus is not the same as a wild mushroom, but the importance of the experiment is that the natural processes producing the wild mushroom are now understood through experience.

Physical experimentation is interesting, fun, and important to overall understanding, but there is an area of reconstructionism that is much more tricky to understand and reproduce: the logic inherent to the ancient worldview being studied. For the reconstructionist to attack this area, he must engage in looking into his own worldview. What makes this so difficult for moderns is the idea that most came to modern heathenry in search of an alternate religion which is culturally compliant with their own ethnic background. The worldview/ belief system remains the same, for the most part; they were looking for an alternate to Christianity (usually) and not a complete change in worldview. The concept of a modular religion which often offers salvation in the form of reward in the Afterlife for a life well lived (according to the proscriptions set by the religion to which they are adhering) is generally very deeply embedded in our modern cultures. Altering one's experience through careful experimentation is simple enough but altering one's fundamental understanding about how the world works can be very difficult.

The first step and probably the most difficult to overcome is to want to either change one's worldview or at least want to alter it. For many, this means destroying, or at least setting aside the comfortable worldview they have already built, subscribed to, invested in, and believe in and hope for. A common search in the last 50 years or so has been that of finding an 'afterlife' which was comfortable to strive for, which would be tolerable to live out after death and which is attainable. There has been a general move in the last 50 years to develop a concept beyond that of Christianity where the end-results did not take 'til the end time' to be realized, and to that end, many modern Christians have developed modified versions of the 'Afterlife' and have put them into place wherein Hell, Purgatory and Limbo have been all but eliminated and so that Heaven is attainable in a more comfortable time frame than 'at the end of time.' Modified alternate versions of eastern religions have been springing up as well so that the Tibetan 'cycle of reincarnations,' for example, has been reduced to a comfortable time frame and definition so that one is constantly advancing towards the ultimate goal. By the time many discover modern heathenry, they have already developed their sense of an Afterlife. For the reconstructionist, the concept of 'the Afterlife' must be suspended or thrown out, so that he can experiment with the sense of an Afterlife adhered to by the Germanic group being studied. For those approaching reconstructionism on their search for the perfect, personal religion such an experiment, 'the tossing out of the ever-comforting Afterlife' must often seem like a perversion, a blasphemy of all that is held holy.

Taking the first step, then, is often completely contrary to one's personal belief system with its inherent proscriptions along with, perhaps, abandoning one's personal goals, i.e. those which propelled his search for a comfortable 'alternate to Christianity' in the first place, making the engaging in such an experiment extremely difficult and for some, perhaps, completely impossible.

We were admonished at one point for daring to experiment with the concept of altering or completely changing one's worldview or even finding a way to accept two separate worldviews.

If religion is one's life, one is not going to be satisfied looking at religion as a module within a worldview, to be exchanged out for another depending on what is needed at the time, and if a given religion is not meant to become the 'life' of the adherent, it stands little chance of succeeding against against the competing religion-modules.

The above statement is fair game. If one actually 'believes' in something, how can one simply either suspend or, perhaps, change out the belief for another? Were this the case, then is it really possible for one to state that he truly believed in the first place? Can a 'belief' really be much of a belief at all if it can be changed out for another? How can a religion based on such whimsical beliefs be expected to

hold up against others?While a 'true believer' may find this situation to be paradoxical, the reconstructionist finds such

a position to be a fertile place worthy of study and research. The 'assumption' is that 'belief' must be a necessary component to modern heathen praxis. The reconstructionist questions the concept of 'belief,' though: What was the Old Norse or the Old High German or the Old Saxon word for 'belief?' Was the word used among heathens or was it created to represent an early Christian concept? In fact, Bernard Maier, (and others as well) in his Die Religion der Germanen provides substantial evidence that the concept and the early word-constructs were probably not part of the Germanic heathens' worldviews, at least in any of the cultures leaving behind written records. What about those men in the sagas who were described as 'godless' trusting only in sword and strength of arm? Did they believe in anything at all? Or like the zen masters of Old Japan, did they stress taking life as it comes remaining flexible and fluid, placing their trust in nothing except the task at its conclusion? In our blithe treatment of the concept of 'belief,' or doing away with the concept altogether, it would appear that reconstructionists may be treading on good solid heathen ground with historical precedence for support.

The heathen engaging in reconstructionist research is in a good position, holding to no specific beliefs or dogmas to speak of,8 to question everything: Is such-and-such fact, or are we assuming it to be fact? What is the evidence supporting the alleged fact? Here are some reconstructionist style questions:

1. How much of the eddaic material is Christian interpolation or interpretation?1. Why doesn't the tribal separation of the Vanir versus the Ásir show up in gothic, Old High

German, Old Saxon, and Anglo-Saxon texts? 2. Was Óðínn viewed as 'the High God' in all Germanic linguistic branches? 3. Why does a heathen Afterlife show up only in later (eddaic) poetry while the sagas and

heathen period skaldic poetry match the bulk of archaeological evidence that life was continued in the grave?

2. Did the A-S word weorð-scipe mean 'to carry on a spiritual activity rather than a social one' as it does in modern times or was it really simply and broadly a social activity 'done in honor of someone?'

3. What does a modern reconstruction of heathenry look like without the concepts of1. religion, 2. belief, 3. an Afterlife, 4. a spiritual sense of reward/ punishment, 5. a soul detachable from the corpse?

4. Is the heathenry practiced by the men and women of the sagas representative of that practiced in heathen times by the1. common farmer, 2. common farmer in what is now Germany, 3. Normans, 4. animal herders of the Alps, 5. Prussians, 6. Germanics bordering the Celts along the Danube 7. or in the present day Elsâß?

5. As a pie-graph, how was the heathen spiritual life divided up? Was the percent of devotion equally given to gods, ancestors, and beneficial wights of the farm and the wild? 1. Did this percentage change from time to time and from region to region?

8At least at the time of the running of the experiment.

2. Was the spiritual life of a thrall the same as that of a karl or jarl? 6. . The Germanic peoples tend to be very formal in social life/ government. Is it possible that the

reason that germanic social life/ government cannot be easily gleaned from germanic spiritual life is because for the early germanic peoples social life/ government really was their spiritual life? Is it also possible that remnants of heathen ceremonial spiritual life is best seen today in the formal proceedings of court, Congress and Parliament of the UK? Our favorite set of questions at the moment involves the modern idea that 'a god' in modern

languages implies a universal figure, i.e. that like Jehovah, Thór (Donar) is the only Thór in the whole world so that Thór in Norway is is the same Thór in northern Germany, southern Germany, Austria, New York, New Mexico, etc. How does such a belief support the fact that Thór or Wodan were deities seemingly bound to and functioned as a part of the landscape? Is is possible to see these deities as having 'counterparts' in all the various regions where they were worshiped? Is is possible to view a god, Thór, for example, as being a title for a deity playing a specific role? What happens to one's interpretation of the ancient worldview of the area being studied? If such an approach ever existed, does it support existing evidence regarding cultural differences, particularly those differences which show regional variations in folklore such as Óðínn the warrior's choice of Scandinavia versus Wodan of northern Germany whose horse, up to the last century, received hay and grain during Yule? How would a 'godname-as-title' affect how tales or poetry are written? And are there any such indications in ancient poetry still existing? The experimental investigation of these questions is still pending.

The above type of questioning is not very popular among practicing heathens because such interferes with 'belief.' This is the content of critics taking a stance against reconstructionism; the argument, then, against it is often phrased thus: Because the reconstructionist is involved in 'experimenting with worldview' specifically through temporary placement of 'partial worldview modules,' he cannot possibly adhere to such as a real religion. The full response to such an argument will be the topic of the rest of this essay; however, our opening counter-argument is this:

The assumption used by our detractors is that 'the ancient Germanic heathen worldview already exists and is available to all who wish to follow.' However, we do not believe that any of the germanic worldviews have been explored completely enough to render functional and, as a consequence, we have written several papers pointing out where where large portions of the worldviews have been either ignored or replaced with blocks taken from the modern.

It is the job of the reconstructionist, then, to ask questions which prompt exploration of the breadth and width of the ancient germanic worldviews as far as is possible, utilizing current data sets, in order to uncover, discover, experience and reconstruct the underlying intelligence which gave birth to those same data sets. Lastly, reconstructionism is not really an approach for all modern heathens, and can be very

difficult for the personality type which is 'actively seeking a worldview as a comfortable alternative to the common worldview of his country/ community. We can not advocate the approach for these purposes because reconstructionism generally leaves far more questions than answers, and it would, therefore, be of little value. For those of us engaging in such an approach, we do so not because we are seekers of 'universal truth' or because we are looking for a 'livable alternative' to the norm, but rather because we are seekers of ancient knowledge, of ancient worldviews long misplaced and forgotten, and hopefully, by our works, others will benefit.

4 The 'Impossible' List

For all the good reconstructionism can do, there is a list of things which will be impossible for reconstructionism. We feel that it is important that this list is put out there for several reasons. First, of course, there exists an overall gross misunderstanding of reconstructionism in general and that

reconstructionists believe themselves to have some kind of direct access to 'the heathen worldview.'9 Reconstructionists, if they lose sight of the ultimate goal of reconstructionism, can fall into the trap of believing they are serving to re-create something which is virtually impossible to re-create in the 21st century given the constraints of modern legal systems and the modern sense of human, national or personal rights and, of course, environmental conditions which no longer exist. Reconstructionism can also lead to a sense of 'superiority' over others. Reconstructionism is an area of study which can never be completed at 100% because history is already gone and can never be revisited with any real degree of certainty -- even if it were complete at some point, its completion could never be known because there is no way to go backwards in time to compare the current state of knowledge with the original. Because conditions can be never exactly reproduced, the very best that a reconstructionist can ever hope for is 'faint glimmerings of experiences which are similar to those of our ancestors within a certain degree of probability. The 'Impossible' List will in all probability be more complete than any of the reconstructed worldviews.

So, here is the partial list, as it stands to date:

1. First, and foremost, it is important to understand that reconstructionism cannot replace adherence to a worldview. 'Adherence' implies that one is operating from the 'inside'; reconstructionism gathers its real power from being on the 'outside' looking in. The paradox is similar to the paradox of quantum physics where one is able investigate the motion of an electron but cannot at the same time know anything about its position and vice versa.

2. . Reconstructionism does not imply that one is engaged in reproducing or duplicating history. It is not a time machine where one is able to step back into history and experience it first-hand. It is rather 'a methodical approach to studying those forces and processes which most likely gave rise to heathenry.'10

3. The end-product of reconstructionism is not to re-create early germanic cultures in the 21st century; knowledge only of the ancient processes is the only goal.

4. Reconstructed heathen worldviews will only function as an aid to clearing the mirror of history so that modern adherents will have a chance to experience more fully the picture in a historically accurate fashion, but even at its best, reconstructionism will never be able to completely clear the glass.

5. Reconstructionism is an approach to studying the historical foundations of heathenry; it is not, nor can it be 'an approach to 'living as a heathen.' 'Living as a heathen' must be from within an activated worldview.

6. Our detractors with all their arguments against reconstructionism are absolutely correct. Their arguments come from within an 'activated worldview,' historically accurate or not; our arguments are always from the perspective outside looking at usually more than one worldview in a static fashion. For example, we once posed the question ''Is the current perceived spiritual distance between a man and a god, the same as the historical perceived distance between a heathen and his god?'' We analyzed the data sets as non-adherents looking at adherents. Adherents, on the other hand, based their arguments naturally on personal experience. Explanations of our results were either

9We have often used the term to mean heathen worldviews collectively irrespective of timeframe or region. The fact remains that there neither was nor is a single worldview, and that the plural, 'germanic heathens worldviews' is the proper concept.10It should be noted that these are also most of the same forces and processes which eventually gave prompted and carried through the conversion of northern Europe to Christianity and which eventually evolved into the early Church of northern Europe.

acceptable or non-acceptable, and if they were non-acceptable, it was because we could not step into the individual 'personal experience.' We were capable of seeing the positions of the spiritual electron, and because of the paradox were incapable, at the same time, of experiencing its movement.

In spite of this list of impossibilities, however, the benefits of reconstructionism are too many to ignore it as an approach to researching the past.

As reconstructionists, we can gain insights into our historical past, but at the moment that we are engaging in reconstructionism, we cannot practice as modern heathen adherents any more than we can conduct neurosurgery on our own brains -- we cannot be the patient and the surgeon at the same time. To engage in reconstructionism must be able to suspend our 'heatheness' temporarily, step out of the heathen cloak and into the lab-coat of the researcher, make a series of small tweaks and adjustments in the worldview (as a static thing), and then, in a somewhat schizophrenic fashion, be able to step back in, replace the mantle of heathenry, finally, to gain the experience. It is an awkward game to be sure, but no more or less unusual than the hundreds of thousands of scientists who adhere to Christianity and who must engage in research whose results conflict with the teachings of their own Church.11

Up to this point we have relied upon scholarly research by men and women with little vested interest in heathenry beyond the simple thirst for knowledge of the past in order to build up what we know as modern heathenry. It is time for us, as heathens, to carry on with the tasks left to us by the scholars of the past. With reconstructionism we have the methodology for conducting that research ourselves, but only so long as the individual can handle both suits of clothes.

Lastly, although reconstructionism has been the center of heated debates between modern heathens who wish to cling to Ásatrú as an alternative religion and those who have adopted heathenry as a way of life primarily for its cultural and historical values, as philosophy it much to offer both groups. As the basis for regenerating an 'alternative religion,' it assures that the outcome is based on historical precedence allowing heathenry to develop on top of historical fact. For the latter, though, it offers a philosophical and theoretical approach to studying the past and a way to gain 'personal experience' of the past, albeit in a piecemeal fashion. Even though we have already determined that the past is snow from yesteryear, and that the same snow can never be revisited, it is the experience of heathenry in the present which can make the approach of reconstructionism enticing and enriching for all.

5 Towards Developing Practical Applications

Any set of practical applications, we feel, would be counter productive and would have, in all probability, the undesired effect of generating a dogmatic or prescriptive approach rather than reproducing what heathenry was a should be: a way of life with a naturally occurring spiritual component inextricably interwoven into the folkway fabric. To this end, all of our papers, to date, only go so far as to question 'commonly held beliefs' about heathenry, but have avoided any actual prescriptions regarding designing the folkway itself. Reconstructionism from within praxis is somewhat of a paradox as stated above and so we present the following analogy.

It is a commonly accepted axiom among traditional American fiddle-players that a classically trained violinist makes a poor traditional player because he 'lacks the spontaneity and subtleness of the folk-player who relies heavily upon the imprecision of note and the limited

11The author once had a neurology professor who maintained that teaching evolution was proper because God had invented the process of evolution, DNA chains and micro-organisms which would eventually come together to produce a hominid which could evolve enough to be able to investigate properly his own past even down through micro-organisms to DNA-chains and the effects that the process of evolution would have on them!

technical skills to produce the free-flowing, improvisational tunes both played from the heart of the folk and borne out of compensation for his limitations.' The violinist has the skill, the technical ability, to imitate any regional player, to be sure, but because his playing is borne out of an analysis of the tune, he is incapable of truly 'understanding' the folkway which produced the tune in the first place, i.e. the 'heart' of the farming, hunting, trapping, coal-mining people who lead a minimum subsistence life and who found solace as well as entertainment within simple uncomplicated lines of melody. Although the highly skilled violinist can imitate the tune, he does not possess the heart within which the melody conceived, developed and was fostered. The violinist at best is a mimic who can be spotted quickly by any traditional player. The analogy presents a seemingly impossible paradox, but in spite of this, classically trained

violin players have converted successfully over to traditional playing. The problem is that the process for this conversion is not clearly defined. Certain elements of the conversion process are known, however and they can actually play a role in the development of practical applications of reconstructionism in modern heathenry.A major element and perhaps the most significant for our purpose is immersion-in-practice or community participation. Like the violinist who plays months at a time, both in private and at local dances, becomes comfortable with the scratchy 'whistling' of the bow hitting strings inaccurately, the oddness of local, idiosyncratic scales, the bizarre bowing patterns which serve both to provide a consistent rhythm for dancers but also compensate for a limited repertory of technical skills, the reconstructionist becomes 'comfortable' with inherent beauty and idiosyncratic symmetry of the heathen way of life. The fact that 'a germanic sense of Afterlife' is questionable is balanced out by the shifting one's focus to leading an honorable life punctuated heavily with participation in one's own geographical community. The question regarding the mysterious 'nature of the gods' is replaced with actions which treat the gods both as if they are physically real and present at the feast. The need for ceremony and a sense of sacredness is satiated with a participation in social protocol addressing not only a real sense of social stratification but also requiring that one give credit/ praise/ respect where it is due. Participation and praxis, more than anything else, leads to practical application.

There is a 'layering on' element which offers constant feedback to the individual. This is a by-product of participation and praxis. Presumably, the feedback loop utilizes sensory experience from praxis to lay a new foundation atop the old. In this way, the heathen way of life is acquired in small bits at a time rather than in large lumps. In the author's experience, this process has been in play for the past 15 years allowing for a very slow and limited absorption.

We have written since 1999 CE, that for heathenry to work, a key component is that it must play out in one's geographical community. Although critics of the idea fully admit that there appears to have been little separation between ancient 'heathenry' and ancient ancient 'community,' their point that ancient communities were homogeneous being comprised primarily of heathens and that because this ancient environment cannot be reproduced in modern culture has held many back from experiencing 'participation in community.' Alternate experimentation at creating loosely knit 'internet communities' or 'temporary communities' which come together sporadically 'to celebrate the great feasts,12 while fun for the participants and, perhaps, even somewhat spiritually uplifting, do not seem to have generated much success in improving any understanding of the ancient worldviews. It is presumed that the modern worldviews held by most of the participants serves to produce what could be interpreted as a loosely heathen, Norse-themed, weekend barbecue.13

12Yuletide, Midsummer's, and spring or fall festivals have been the main meeting times for these 'temporary communities which consist often of several families averaging less that 2 dozen people total.13Bill Bainbridge had coined the phrase 'barbecue Ásatrú' completely independently from this paragraph. The author had not heard of the phrase before until the conference at which this paper was

We have found through experimentation, however, that participating in one's geographic community serves to shore up a sense of social responsibility and promotes not only a sense of belonging to something greater than the individual, but also a sense of accomplishment for the greater good. Although it is rare to have more than one or two heathens within a small community, perhaps only a single family, there is a 'consistency' built up on a daily basis which cannot be reproduced within any of the 'temporary communities.' Again we have taken lessons from the violinist/ wannabe fiddle-player -- for one's music to 'be functional,' it must be played on the community stage before the general audience instead in the confines of a small room with a select audience. The Hávamál, the 'ground-rules' for most modern heathens, plays out well in the geographical community as it is fairly consistent with communities' moral codes even today; on the other hand, 'internet heathens' have mainly used carefully chosen individual verses for chastisement of others which adds little to experience or understanding. For heathenry to be a viable way of life, it must be functional on the stage of the real world not merely for a contrived audience of select members.

From research from the area of sociology, we know, or at least suspect, that the heathen life circled around the agricultural cycle of tides. Yule, for example, always centers around a lull in the agricultural year and varied from region to region as to starting stopping points depending on the specific industry of the region. A reconstructionist's approach to Yule, to further the example, would be to look at the already existent Yuletide of one's geographical region and to start building from there; reconstructed, in this manner, heathens remain a functional portion of the community. In the author's area of the world, not only are green chiles a primary cash crop and a staple food of the region, but the reconstructionist's approach would suggest that a primary annual feast could be built around the chile roasting (after the harvest) for this is a time when people come together in a state of semi-leisure/ social/ communal work.14

Reconstructionism, as stated above, is often confused by heathens and non-heathens alike as being a call for a return to the 'good old days.' In fact, and in practice, this is not the case. Although there are inherent limitations to the approach, reconstructionism, as a standard part of modern heathenry, functioning as a touchstone can do much to assure that heathenry remains in line with the germanic cultural heritage by preventing modern 'myths' about heathenry from developing and propagating. For those new to heathenry, reconstructionism allows the newcomer to settle into a different way of life by encouraging a one-step at a time approach and proceeds in a slow manner allowing the newcomer to step into the new worldview comfortably. Lastly, reconstructionism, because of it's narrow focus on understanding and incorporating the logical foundations of the heathen worldviews into daily life, can easily become a non-threatening community-friendly activity.

being read in March 2008.14The roasting and peeling of the chiles in a highly socialized setting is not unlike the quilting bees or corn shuckings of the Geman communities of early North America. Commonly, dance, song, strong drink, and courting among the young are accompaniments to all these activities.

International Journal of Cyber Criminology Vol 8 Issue 2 July - December 2014

© 2014 International Journal of Cyber Criminology. All rights reserved. Under a creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 India License

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Copyright © 2014 International Journal of Cyber Criminology (IJCC) ISSN: 0974 – 2891 July – December 2014, Vol 8 (2): 79–93. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: K. Jaishankar This is an Open Access paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This license does not permit commercial exploitation or the creation of derivative works without specific permission.

Technological Skills of White Supremacists in an Online Forum: A Qualitative Examination Thomas J. Holt1 & Micah-Sage Bolden2 Michigan State University, United States of America Abstract Research surrounding radicalization to and use of violence among extremist and terror groups has expanded over the last decade. There are still fundamental questions that must be addressed, particularly regarding the role of the Internet in radicalization and recruitment as well as general technological skill within extremist groups. Few studies have considered this issue, especially among Far Right groups which have been identified as one of the top threats to public safety within the United States. This exploratory study addresses these issues using a qualitative analysis of a sample of threads from a technology-specific subforum of a widely used web forum in the white nationalist and white power movement. The findings demonstrate that the process of information sharing is distinct from that of more sophisticated deviant and criminal communities on-line, as users readily answer basic technological questions rather than discuss offensive attack techniques. The implications of this study for future research are examined in depth. Keywords: Far Right, White Nationalist, Hacking, Technology, Extremist, Terror. Introduction

The process of radicalization into extremist and terror movements has received increasing attention by scholars over the last decade, driven by the progressively prevalent threat of terroristic violence perpetrated around the world. Much of this research is driven by open source material and databased information on violent extremism, which has identified pathways that lead an extremist to violence (Bakker, 2006; Borum, 2011a, 2011b; Brenner, 2008; Freilich, Chermak, Belli, Gruenewald, & Parkin, 2013; Hafez, 2006; Hamm, 2007; Kunkle, 2012; McCauley & Moskalenco, 2011; Monohan, 2011; Sageman, 2004; Silber, 2012; Simi & Futrell, 2010; Stern, 2003).

There is, however, a limited body of research on the role of the Internet and online discourses in the radicalization process to violent ideologically-motivated activity (Brown & Douwe, 2009; Corb, 2011; Tsfati & Weimann, 2002; Weimann, 2011). There is evidence that a range of websites and on-line content are used by members of both the far right and Islamic extremist movements to promote their ideologies through mass-media

1Associate Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 434 Baker Hall, 655 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48864, United States of America. Email: [email protected] 2Master’s Candidate, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 434 Baker Hall, 655 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48864, United States of America. Email: [email protected]

Holt & Sage - Technological Skills of White Supremacists in an Online Forum: A Qualitative Examination


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(Denning, 2011; Freiburger & Crane, 2011; Holt, 2010, 2012; Jenkins, 2012; Kilger, 2011; Kunkle, 2012; Silber, 2012; Weimann, 2011). In fact, social media provides an avenue to spread news stories that may enrage individuals and lead to an acceptance of radical agendas (Corb, 2011; Kunkle, 2012). The Internet also provides an outlet to coordinate real world events across multiple areas and facilitate social relationships (Erez, Weimann, & Weisburd, 2011; Simi & Futrell, 2010). In fact, recent research suggests individuals who engaged in extremist behaviors either maintained or visited websites hosting radical group content (Chermak, Freilich, & Simone, 2010; Freilich et al., 2013; Silber, 2012).

In light of this evidence, it is important to assess how well extremist and terror groups understand and can utilize the technologies at their disposal (Gruen, 2005; McCauley, 2009; Weimann, 2011). While the Internet has a distinct role in recruitment and information sharing for terrorists, it is unclear how many members operate at a high level of technological sophistication and use the Internet for offensive attacks against on-line resources (Denning, 2011; Kilger, 2011). Though there is minimal evidence that members of the Far Right have engaged in cyber attacks against government or civilian targets, few researchers have considered why this might be the case. Cyberspace provides an unparalleled number of targets that could be affected, and done so with fewer resources than are needed to engage in physical attacks (Denning, 2011). Thus, there is a need to understand why and how members of the Far Right may discuss technology and their ability to leverage it for attacks against infrastructure or as a means to defensively anonymize their on-line identity and communications habits.

The present study seeks to address these questions through a qualitative analysis of posts made in a well-known online Far Right discussion forum in the United States. Though this movement in the US is highly segmented based on regional and religious affiliation, its members have engaged in a substantial number of violent acts in support of their beliefs (Chermak et al., 2010; Freilich et al., 2013). Furthermore, they are viewed as one of the top two threats to American public safety (Freilich et al., 2014). This movement provides an ideal group to explore the acquisition and dissemination of technology-related information on-line. In addition, this study considers the way that users express their online identity within the movement, and their use of both protective technologies and offensive cyber attack capabilities. The implications of this research for our broader understanding of the role of technology within extremist movements and future scholarship are considered in detail.

The Far Right Subculture and the Internet

In order to understand the technological capabilities of extremist movements, it is necessary to first consider the ways individuals become a part of radical social groups and the role of technology in this process. Radicalization into extremist movements has been examined by a plethora of scholars utilizing structural, psychological, social, economic, and circumstantial predictors. Most researchers agree that the process is multifaceted, and cannot be explained by any one factor (Bjorgo & Hogan, 2009; Borum, 2011a, 2011b; Horgan, 2005; Kimhi & Even, 2006; Linden & Klandermans, 2006; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008; Taylor & Horgan 2006). One of the most influential frameworks (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008) identifies twelve mechanisms affecting radicalization at the individual, group, and mass levels. They define radicalization as the process of “increasing extremity of beliefs, feelings, and behaviors in directions that increasingly



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justify intergroup violence and demand sacrifice in defense of the ingroup" (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008, p. 416).

Individual attitudes and experiences are critical when examining the process of radicalization into violence in support of extremist beliefs. Individuals who are emotionally vulnerable, whether because of feelings of anger, alienation, or disenfranchisement, are more likely to make the transition to morally justifying violence as an alternative to obtain political or social goals (Kimhi & Even 2006; Taylor & Horgan, 2006). Several models of radicalization identify the importance of cognitive openings, where a personal crisis or sense of longing leaves individuals receptive to new world views, as key to initiating the radicalization process (Bjorgo & Horgan, 2009; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008; NYPD, 2007; Simi & Futrell, 2010; Taylor & Horgan, 2006; Wiktorowicz, 2004). Those who are exposed to radicalized messages during this period may be more willing to accept and justify value-systems of an extremist movement and the use of violence as a political strategy (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008; Simi & Futrell, 2010).

Within the Far Right movement in the United States, there is a heavy emphasis on racism, conspiratorial worldviews, and the centralization of an idealized white identity (Freilich et al., 2013). This movement in the United States is highly fractured, divided among several distinct branches though the majority of research focuses on white nationalists and white power groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the Christian Identity movement, racist skinheads, neo-Nazis, and Odinists (Freilich et al., 2013; Simi & Futrell, 2006, 2010). Despite the factionalism of the movement, these branches share a core set of beliefs including a plot to exterminate the white race, a conspiratorial worldview typified by a belief in a “Zionist Occupied Government” (ZOG), the condemnation of other races and miscegenation, a belief in the inevitability of a racial holy war (RAHOWA), and a belief in some form of historical Revisionism (Bowman-Grieve, 2009). The acceptance of these beliefs leaves white nationalists on the fringes of society and culturally isolated from others (Freilich et al., 2013; Simi & Futrell, 2006, 2010). Acknowledging membership or affiliation to a white supremacist group in the real world is risky as others may respond with hatred and, in some cases, violent retribution from community members and employers (Blee, 2002; Dobratz & Shanks-Meile, 1997; Simi & Futrell, 2010)

The social stigma associated with membership in the white power movement has led the Internet has become a critical resource for members and its general persistence and growth over time (Kunkle, 2012; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008; Simi & Futrell, 2010). The Internet acts as one of the few free spaces available to members of the white power movement where they are able to freely discuss and share their viewpoints, materials, and plans without fear of reprisal (Simi & Futrell, 2010; Weimann, 2011). In addition, individuals use the Internet as a means to identify others within their geographic location, or arrange meetings and events in the real world (Simi & Futrell, 2006, 2010). Online outlets also allow for the free distribution of white nationalist merchandise and cultural materials that would otherwise be unavailable to white nationalists, such as white power music or clothing (Lee & Leets, 2002; Levin, 2002).

Beyond the networking capability afforded by the Internet, members of the white supremacist community demonstrate their identity through the use of linguistic indicators that identify them as members of the in-group. The use of common symbols such as 88 (standing for HH, or Heil Hitler) or phrases such as the 14 Words of David Lane (Anahita, 2006; Dentice & Williams, 2010; Simi & Futrell, 2006, 2010). The use of text-based



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identifiers are key since the lack of physical cues in on-line spaces require individuals to demonstrate their group affiliation and connection to the movement in more profound ways (Holt, 2010).

Though the Internet is a vital resource in the facilitation of the white supremacist movement, it is unclear how well its members either understand or can manipulate computer technology to engage in attacks against various on-line targets. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Al-Qaeda, and the so-called e-Jihad, espouse the value of cyber attacks against financial institutions and government targets (Britz, 2010; Denning, 2011, Holt, 2012). Attempts to harm the economic and communications backbone of a nation are thought to have a greater impact on the psyche of citizens and cause substantive economic harm that may be greater than what may be possible through a physical attack (Britz, 2010; Holt, 2012). A small number of successful cyber attacks have been attributed to this movement, largely involving denial of service attacks to keep others from accessing data or services, and web defacements to promote their message (e.g. Denning, 2011; Gonsalves, 2013).

By contrast, there has been few, if any, documented instances of cyber attacks attributed to the white nationalist community. It is unknown if this is due to a lack of technical capacity or acumen, or simply a lack of interest in attacks against virtual targets by members of the Far Right generally. It is likely that systemic conditions may affect the technical capabilities of the Far Right. Specifically, members of white nationalist and supremacist movements are of various ages, with some in their 50s and 60s, though the majority seem to be in their late teens to mid 30s (Anti-Defamation League, 2008; Freilich et al., 2013; Simi & Futrell, 2006, 2010). Individuals in their 50s and 60s generally report limited technology use and proficiency tend to use desktop computers rather than mobile devices, and report limited participation in social media sites (Smith, 2014).

Younger members of white nationalist groups may use the Internet with greater frequency in keeping with national trends on age-attenuated technology use (Duggan & Smith, 2013), though they may be constrained by limited access to laptop and desktop computers. This is because many white supremacist groups are located in lower income rural areas (Kunkle, 2012; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008; Simi & Futrell, 2010). Individuals residing in these communities tend not to have a computer at home, and rely more on public libraries and mobile phones to access the Internet (Zickuhr et al., 2013). Without regular access to a computer in an unsupervised location, it may be difficult for individuals to acquire the skills necessary to engage in cyber attacks (Denning, 2011).

In addition, remote or rural residential areas tend to use dial-up Internet connectivity at home due to the difficulty in actually running broadband or cable Internet connections to these locations (Zickuhr et al., 2013). Dial-up users experience drastically slower connection speeds than modern broadband and cable modem technologies, or even some cellular service providers (Smith, 2010). This may limit the amount of time that individuals choose to spend online, which may in turn hinder the development of skills needed in order to engage in effective cyber attacks (Cooper & Harrison, 2001; Holt, 2007). Instead, members of the Far Right may turn to social media platforms and leverage the communications capabilities of the Internet through mobile devices to spread their message and recruit members.

Taken as a whole, there are various issues that may limit the cyber attack capabilities of the white nationalist movement in the US. As a result, there is a need to understand how well its participants understand and use technology to assess their proficiency and



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prospective use of offensive and defensive computing resources (see also Denning, 2011). To address these issues, this study utilizes a qualitative analysis from a sample of posts from a technology-focused subforum of a well-known white supremacist forum. The data provides a more thorough exploration of the subculture and identity of participants in this movement in their own words. Additionally, the findings can demonstrate the range of technological skill among participants and their ability to employ various tools to protect themselves while on-line.

Data and Methods

The data set for this analysis consists of a set of 60 threads posted in the technology subforum of a very large web forum used by members of the white nationalist and far-right movement in the US and Europe. Web forums are a form of asynchronous on-line communication where individuals can discuss a variety of ideas or ask questions and receive responses (Holt, 2010). They are usually compartmentalized into sub-forums that center on a specific topic or issue. Each subforum is composed of threads which begin when an individual creates a post within a forum, asking a question or giving an opinion. Other people respond to the remarks with posts of their own that are connected together to create threads. In this way, threads are composed of posts that center on a specific topic under a forum’s general heading.

Since posters respond to one another within and across threads, the exchanges present in a forum often resemble focus group discussions (Holt, 2007, 2010; Holt & Lampke, 2010; Mann & Sutton, 1998). This makes forum threads an ideal resource to examine relationships between individuals and gather direct detail on the issues individuals are interested in, as well as the quality and strength of ties between participants. They also include a variety of users with different skill levels and knowledge, demonstrating the range of technical proficiency within a community (Holt, 2007; Holt, 2013; Mann & Sutton, 1998).

A subforum focusing on cyber security, privacy, and encryption was selected from the large range of topics available in the larger forum to garner direct insights on the ways that users of all skill levels use and understand technology. The forum that hosts this content has a substantial user population of more than 280,000 users, with new posts made every day. In addition, this forum is publicly accessible, meaning that individuals are not required to register with the site in order to examine previous posts. Individuals who are attempting to gain entry into the extremist community as a whole are more likely to begin by identifying public, rather than private forums (Holt, 2012). Though private or registration-only forums may contain more information on how to engage in illicit activities (Holt, 2012; Holt & Lampke, 2010; Meyer, 1989) the fact that this forum is one of the most active in the Far Right suggests it is a prominent resource that individuals may turn to for information, regardless of their knowledge or involvement in the movement.

Though this data provides substantive insights into the nature of technology use within the white nationalist community, a sample of threads from a single forum does not provide a generalizable sample. There are, however, a generally limited range of forums available for members of the white nationalist community (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2014). This may stem from the substantive crackdown on on-line hate speech and Far Right groups internationally (Yar, 2013), making it difficult for groups to create or maintain long-standing on-line communities. Additionally, there is a limited focus on technology in the larger forum where this subforum was identified, despite its reputation as one of the



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largest and oldest forums operating for white nationalists. In fact, only one other sub-forum was identified in this site which included topics on technology, though the topics discussed by users indicated it was unrelated to general issues regarding technological competency and use by members.

As a result, the threads included in this analysis serves as a purposive and convenient sample of user discussions focused exclusively on technology use and manipulation by member of the white nationalist subculture. Furthermore, this sample of threads involved 117 users across a 24 month period. Though this is a smaller proportion of the total registered population of over 280,000 individuals, there is no way to immediately identify how many of the total user population posts on a daily basis or actively participate in the various subforums of the site.

Despite this issue, it is clear that the threads in this sample were regularly updated with consistent, on-going conversation between users. The fact that over two years of posts were observed in a sample of only 60 threads also supports the notion that this subforum has an active user population that attempt to engage one another (Holt, 2010). Thus, this sample of threads may have limited generalizability, but provides a purposive yet convenient sample appropriate for this exploratory analysis.

The content of these threads was coded using tenets of grounded theory methodology (Corbin & Strauss, 2007). This methodology is particularly useful as its procedures permit the researcher to develop a thorough, well-integrated examination of any social phenomena. Any concepts found within the data must be identified multiple times through comparisons to identify any similarities (Corbin & Strauss, 2007). In this way, findings are validated by their repeated appearances or absences in the data, ensuring they are derived and grounded in the data. Specifically, posters repeated comments or observations regarding technology, its use, and their perceptions of government and industry were used to assess the capacity for technology use within this population. This strategy is used to structure the analysis, beginning with an examination of the types of technology discussed by users. The ways that identity is structured by participants on the basis of technology and white nationalist interests is then examined in depth using quotes from the data where appropriate. The usernames of the posters are not, however, provided in an effort to maintain some confidentiality for the sample.

Findings Technology Use

Examining the technological component of the discussions in this subforum demonstrates that the majority of users are not technologically sophisticated. Approximately 30% of all threads (n=18) began with a user asking a question, and the majority of these questions focused on some sort of protective technology to hide an individual's location or identity. For instance, several users asked questions about the use of Tor, a free proxy service that helps to anonymize an individual's web traffic. In fact, a whole thread was dedicated to proper implementation and use of Tor in order to hide an individual's location. Such a tool is of substantive value for those in the white nationalist movement in order to conceal their risk of detection by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In fact, one user in discussing an FBI-led takedown of a child pornography ring noted: "Keep in mind that online WN activism could potentially become illegal. Should



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we congratulate the FBI finding a -loophole in Firefox and Tor when one day it will be our one safeguard?”

A number of users also asked about ways to access on-line content due to ISP-based restrictions of hate speech. For instance, one user wanted information on IP tracing to minimize his on-line footprint: "I ask because I am part of some non-racialist forums, and the thought has crossed my mind that I would most likely be immediately banned from them if it were discovered that I am a regular poster over here." While multiple responses were provided, an individual expanded on previous points by suggesting that additional steps would be necessary to help minimize their likelihood of detection and arrest. The user explained the need for encryption software to protect their hard drive and increase the difficult for law enforcement investigation:

If you live in a country where using [the forum] might be a problem (legally) - using software like Truecrypt [an encryption program] is a good idea, however it's merely on of good practices and the last line of defense if you actually become targeted by a "thought crime" investigation, your apartment is raided and they take your computer or HDDs to search for bits and pieces of evidence (usually left on HDD from using websites). Having your HDD encrypted (with a long, well-chosen password) may help, but most people try not to actually get to the point where this happens - that's where things like VPNs & being careful about posting personal details online come into play.

A similar thread was created focusing on how Italian and European forum users could gain access to the site due to IP blocking policies. One user indicated that proxy services may not be sufficient protection, stating: "What practical advices can we give to Italian [forum users], given the circumstances? Apparently some of the recently arrested ones had tried to use proxies. There is a concern that this may not be enough“

Similarly, there was an emphasis on anonymity and tools to obfuscate a person's on-line activities. For instance, one person posted a thread asking for information on how to best secure their email, chat, Voice over IP telephony system, and search engine. A thread also focused on how Google tracking operates and how that could be reduced. Some also discussed simple techniques that could be applied to minimize one's online footprint in order to reduce the potential for identification. For instance, a user explained how law enforcement could assemble information about an individual based on their use of personal identifiers in various on-line outlets, stating:

Antifa or police operatives can use another method [versus direct IP tracing] - reading all posts by some user on [the forum] carefully and recording all the details and clues they can find. Or putting your name into Google and finding account (sic) of similar name elsewhere if such exist or something else that is related.

Another user supported this notion, indicating: "If you mention your email or Facebook or Skype account on [this forum] - expect that it may be looked at as well or put into Google to search for even more (Especially effective can be results from Googling the person's e-mail address - if it is exposed anywhere on [here]).” Thus members gave basic tips to reduce the potential for identification through the application of various techniques.



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Users also appeared to use this subforum as a venue to share relevant news stories related to the use of technology, or its abuse at the hands of government agencies. There were 67 external web links provided to news stories in this sample of threads, though the majority focused on the ways that the NSA and FBI are manipulating technology to investigate various cyber crimes. The sources for these articles were technology-focused legitimate news venues such as the BBC and Ars Technica, PC World, and the Register. The utilization of mainstream news media in this subforum diverged from the usual reliance on extremist media outlets which are otherwise common among the white nationalist movement (Simi & Futrell, 2010).

While members of this subforum focused on "defensive" tools to limit the likelihood a user may be tracked or traced while on-line, there were few instances of conversations regarding "offensive" programming, malware, hacking, and cyber attack details. The most technologically sophisticated information posted in this sample was the source code for the malware Stuxnet. This extremely sophisticated malware was used by the US as part of a series of classified attacks against the programmable logic controllers used in the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in Iran (Sanger, 2012). The Stuxnet malware was, however, extremely sophisticated and requires a solid understanding of the programming languages used in Supervisory Control and Data Acquisitions (SCADA) systems. Thus, the release of source code was more for information purposes rather than to actually foster a cyber attack by members of this subforum. In fact, the limited technological capability of users suggests it is unlikely any of the participants could actually implement this software in the wild.

As a result, this forum appears to serve as more of a "tech support" resource for users, rather than as a facilitator for offensive attack capabilities. For instance, an individual asked a question about setting up a server and client on the same system and stated "I know we have some savvy IT folks on here so I came here first." Similar comments were evident across this sample of threads, as demonstrated by an individual who asked:

On the bottom of my P.C. right by were (sic) it gives you the time. There is well it looks like a littleback [SIC}. OK it was green all the time, now it is RED AND IT SAYS P.C. IS UNPROTECTED. Does anyone know what it means or what I should do? Please take it easy on me, I am 56 years young half blind and all of this is NEW TO ME. THANKS EVERYONE.

These sorts of questions demonstrate that individuals have varying degrees of technical proficiency, with some being quite limited based on age or experience with computers.

The majority of posters also indicated they participated in this subforum because of the participants' level of knowledge, and their willingness to help others. One user who frequently answered technical and non-technical questions indicated they were happy to help anyone, stating: "if anyone wants ACTUAL knowledge or help with network security, data protection, anonymity and obfuscation for ANY level of experience, PM or reply." Such open information sharing demonstrates that the forum provides an important avenue for information sharing and knowledge generation.

Information Sharing and Identity Formation

Though participants in this subforum sought and provided technological information, the exchanges were in no way adversarial or aggressive as noted in other technology-focused deviant subcultures on-line (Cooper & Harrison, 2001; Holt, 2007; Holt & Lampke, 2010). There were few instances of flames or criticisms of posters for not



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seeking rudimentary information on their own (Holt, 2007; Jordan & Taylor, 1998; Meyer, 1989). Instead, information was provided under the auspices of assistance to their colleagues. This may be a reflection of the overarching emphasis on a white nationalist identity that unites participants and enables connections between participants. In fact, six threads were started by individuals who were paying members or "Friends" of the site, meaning they provide financial support to maintain the site and its role in the white nationalist movement. Interestingly, all of these posts were direct requests for information and technological assistance. The questions were relatively basic and involved browser selection and the ways to use anonymizing software, suggesting they had limited technological capacity. For instance, one individual asked:

A friend has moved into an apartment complex that has free Wifi. He cannot really afford to pay for internet access so he is thinking about using their free service. What he is worried about is can the network admin see which pages he views and if so, is there any way to stop this from happening?

This question was not met with derision or chiding, but rather led to simple responses

regarding how the individual can protect themselves and find ways to anonymize or obfuscate their web traffic. As such, the process of information sharing in this subforum appears to be inclusive rather than adversarial.

Though technical questions and information were commonly posted in the forum, users did not typically infuse their comments with overt expressions of their white nationalist identities. Instead, individual philosophies and demonstrations of sub cultural commitment could be inferred through users’ avatars, usernames, and signatures. For instance, the numbers 14 and 88 (representing the ’14 Words’ and ‘Heil Hitler’ respectively) were found in several usernames. Avatars were also an important outlet though which users expressed their white nationalist ideology. The most common images used included the Swastika, the Celtic Cross, the Black Sun, as well as user-generated artwork incorporating these images.

Posters could also use a signature, or individualized block of text and images that would automatically appear at the end of each post, to express their identity. Many posters included quotes from well-known racist figures such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, or George Lincoln Rockwell as their signatures, or included phrases that invoked white nationalist. For example, one user’s signature read: “When White men start making the laws again, I'll be a law abiding citizen. Until then I'll do as I damned well please.”

User posts also contained minimal use of common slang terms or concerns otherwise discussed by members of the white nationalist movement. There were only two instances of individuals using the term ZOG, one of which was used in the context of a discussion regarding the hacker collective Anonymous and the use of connectivity tools to obfuscate a user's location. The user indicated:

Some of the hacktivists are using Anonymous VPN. As most people probably know, Anonymous are the hacktivist group some of who, both knowingly and some unknowingly, hack for ZOG. If you are downloading torrents [engaging in digital piracy] or doing something relatively innocuous then you could [use this VPN] to hide amongst their crowd... I would NOT use that service to visit WN sites or to do any sort of business, but...this is one of the countless options.



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Similarly, there were very few posts generally denigrating other races and ethnic groups. The only substantive comments in this regard were posted about the Apple corporation, as in this quote from one of the forum users: “No WN should ever own a Dell or an Apple computer. Steve Jobs was an Arab who took a blonde woman. To this day, Apple is the company of leftists and multiculturalists.”

One of the most unique threads linking both technology and white nationalist identity together was a post by two users who were working together to create a variant of the open-source operating system software Linux. The creators called this build "Apartheid" in reference to the government sanctioned segregation of whites and blacks in South Africa, and indicated it was "Linux for proud whites." The developers explained their rationale for its creation stating:

Built on PCLinux OS LXDE edition, Apartheid comes with Tor enabled and working out of the box, allowing you to surf the web anonymously and much safer than using a regular proxy. In addition to full multimedia support and custom artwork, it uses the lightweight LXDE desktop environment. This makes it fast and well suited as a live cd OS for those who want to get speed out of their computers while preserving ease of use and keeping oppressive governments at bay.

They requested that members of the subforum download the operating system and provide feedback as to how to improve the program or any additional resources that may benefit the user. A number of posters responded with comments as with these two posts:

User 1: It runs pretty smoothly, even boots faster than Debain! Plus I love the fact that all the dvd & mp3/mp4 codecs are installed, unlike allot other distros! But I not a fan of the triskele/swastika logo cause its been vilified so much by the jews. I suggest changing it to a more universally clean and accepted White symbol for the logo such as Aryan fist, Celtic Cross, German Cross or the Life Rune. Cause I believe this operating system can be excellent tool for waking people up, but having a swastika logo will turn off some unawakened whites or Whites Nationalist that are not National Socialist. User 2: I got Apartheid installed & running flawlessly on VirtualBox with a Linux Mint host! I also going try it on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 with a XP SP3 host tomorrow, I will post my results from that. Here's 2 more suggestions for the login, 1. The blue hover highlight makes the blue text almost impossible to read. I suggest hover text to be white with the blue hover highlight. 2. The bold and increase the font on the date & time for readability.

It is important to note that individuals who responded to the post regarding Apartheid appeared to be more technically proficient, and also committed to a white nationalist identity. These users divulged that they worked in either information security or technology support fields, and even had some connection to the larger hacker subculture. For instance, one user indicated he was involved in both the hacker and white nationalist subcultures:

[I have] Been to 5 defcons [the largest hacker convention in the US], had 13 separate publishings [SIC] in 2600 [a quarterly magazine published for the hacker



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community] under the same handle and find myself rather isolated in my state. Even though it is the WHITEST in the entire union.

This quote illustrates that individuals who are involved in both IT-focused jobs and are

ideologically aligned with the white nationalist movement may feel extreme social isolation. Being able to actively contribute to the knowledge development of others in the movement may reduce their sense of separation and engender a better sense of community around issues of interest to the white nationalist sub cultural identity.

Discussion and Conclusion

This study sought to understand the extent to which the online white supremacist community discussed and utilized computers and the Internet, and their capacity for cyber attacks generally. The findings suggest that a small proportion of posters may have sophisticated technological backgrounds relative to the wider audience of forum users (see also Holt, 2007). Instead, most users demonstrate a basic degree of technological proficiency, making it clear that they came to this subforum in order to gain insights. Additionally, most discussions centered on tools that could hide an individual's location and information from outsiders and law enforcement. In fact, the majority of conversations involved the use of Tor and software programs to anonymize individual on-line behavior. This is sensible given the pervasive belief among members of this movement that they are being tracked and pursued by government agents and law enforcement (Freilich et al., 2013; Simi & Futrell, 2010). Thus, keeping up to date on news stories involving government investigations on-line and developing knowledge of how to hide one’s identity fits with the larger norms of the Far Right subculture (Bowman-Grieve, 2009; Freilich et al., 2013; Simi & Futrell, 2010).

Since a small number of forum users had demonstrable technical skill, they act as a key resource for the broader population of unskilled users. These individuals provide substantive information without being combative or challenging others, and in quick, easy-to-digest bits with minimal prompting or re-posting. This process is dramatically different from other information sharing processes observed in criminal subcultures on-line (Cooper & Harrison, 2001; Holt, 2007; Jordan & Taylor, 1998). Research suggests technologically-focused subcultures emphasize outward demonstrations of knowledge or expertise prior to giving any assistance, and may be aggressive with one another on-line (Holt, 2007; Meyer, 1989).

As a result, white nationalists' on-line communication patterns may be reflective of an attempt to ingratiate individuals and foster a community rather than aggressively demonstrate technological skill. It is also important to note that this forum was populated by individuals who offered financial support to keep the site operating. Such an individual is likely to be either older or more heavily entrenched in this movement, and their involvement in this technology-specific subforum creates a unique point of entry and potential for acceptance of radical ideologies. Specifically, socially isolated individuals may be more likely to accept and engage in extremist movements, particularly in on-line communities. The ability to share one's technical knowledge and gain status within the forum may lead that user to feel more socially accepted and incorporated into the community (Bjorgo & Horgan, 2009; McCauley & Moskalenko 2008; Simi & Futrell, 2010; Wiktorowicz, 2004).

It is unclear if this may lead an individual to engage in some form of cyber attack or real world violence over time, though it does seem to fit into some part of the



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radicalization process (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008). Greater research is needed to examine the pathway that lead individuals to cyber attacks rather than real world violence in extremist movements, and identify any commonalities between these processes (see also Holt & Kilger, 2012; Kilger, 2011).

Additional research is also needed with larger forum samples to better assess the composition of technological skill among the members of the Far Right, and the Islamic extremist community generally. Though there was only one technology-focused subforum within this site, its participants may not be representative of the larger population of forum users, or the larger universe of Far Right groups generally. Gathering a larger sample of threads from multiple forums is necessary to replicate the findings of this study, and identify variations in the distribution of skill. Collecting data in more underground, registration-controlled forums may also demonstrate variations in the interests of users and potential insights on offensive attack details which may otherwise be absent from publicly accessible forum content (see Holt, 2010). Comparing forum posts against social media feeds such as Twitter and Facebook would also give substantive insights into the ways that members of the Far Right utilize technology for different purposes (see also Erez et al., 2011; Simi & Futrell, 2010).

Similarly, quantitative surveys of the technological skill and awareness of members of white supremacist groups would be invaluable to measure the technological expertise of the Far Right. Such a process would, however, be inherently difficult due to the general mistrust of researchers among members of this subculture (see Blee, 2002; Dobratz & Shanks-Meile, 1997; Simi & Futrell, 2010). Thus, researchers must find alternative points of data collection so as to improve our access to and understanding of the white supremacist movement and the nature of the threat posed by extremist groups on-line. Furthermore, these studies can improve our knowledge of the overlap and intersections between on-line subcultures with different interests and information sharing processes (see Holt, 2007, 2010).

References Anahita, S. (2006). Blogging the Borders: Virtual Skinheads, Hypermasculinity, and

Heteronormativity. Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 34, 143-164. Anti-Defamation League. (2008). American Stormtroopers: Inside the National Socialist

Movement. New York, NY: Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved on 13th March 2014 from http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/nsm/nsm_reportv12.pdf

Bakker, E. (2006). Repression, Political Violence and Terrorism. The Case of Uzbekistan. Helsinki Monitor: Security and Human Rights, 17, 108-118.

Bjorgo, T. & Horgan, J. (2009). Leaving Terrorism Behind: Individual and Collective Disengagement. Oxon: Routledge.

Blee, K. M. (2002). Inside Organized Racism: Women in the Hate Movement. Berkley, CA: University of California Press.

Borum, R. (2011a). Radicalization into violent extremism I: a review of social science theories. Journal of Strategic Security, 4, 7-36.

Borum, R. (2011b). Radicalization into violent extremism II: a review of conceptual models and empirical research. Journal of Strategic Security, 4, 37-62.

Bowman-Grieve, L. (2009). Exploring “Stormfront”: A Virtual Community of the Radical Right. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 32, 989-1007.



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Brenner, W. J. (2008). Confounding powers: Dominance and discord in international politics from the assassins to Al Qaeda. The John Hopkins University, ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing.

Britz, M. T. (2010). Terrorism and technology: Operationalizing cyberterrorism and identifying concepts. In T. J. Holt (Ed.), Crime On-Line: Correlates, Causes, and Context (193-220). Raleigh, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Brown, I., & Douwe, K. (2009).Terrorism and the Proportionality of Internet Surveillance. European Journal of Criminology, 6, 119-134.

Chermak, S. M., Freilich, J. D., & Simone, J. (2010). Surveying American state police agencies about lone wolves, far-right criminality, and far-right and Islamic jihadist criminal collaboration. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 33, 1019-1041.

Chu, B., Holt, T. J., & Ahn, G. J. (2010). Examining the Creation, Distribution, and Function of Malware On-Line. Technical Report for National Institute of Justice. NIJ Grant No. 2007-IJ-CX-0018.

Cooper, J., & Harrison, D. M. (2001). The social organization of audio piracy on the Internet. Media, Culture, and Society, 23, 71-89.

Corb, A. (2011). Into the minds of mayhem: White supremacy, recruitment and the Internet. A report commissioned for Google Ideas.

Corbin, J. & Stauss, A. (2007). Basics of Doing Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Denning, D. E. (2011). Cyber-conflict as an Emergent Social Problem. In T. J. Holt & B. Schell (Eds.), Corporate Hacking and Technology-Driven Crime: Social Dynamics and Implications. Hershey, PA: IGI-Global.

Dentice, D. & Williams, J. L. (2010). The First 100 Days: Stormfront Responds to Obama’s Presidency. Theory in Action, 3.

Duggan, M., & Smith. A. (2013). Social Media Update: Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms. Pew Research Internet Project. Retrieved on 20th November 2014 from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms.

Freilich, J. D., Chermak, S. M., Belli, R., Gruenewald, J., & Parkin, W. S. (2013). Introducing the United States Extremist Crime Database (ECDB). Terrorism and Political Violence, 25, 1-13.

Freiburger, T., & Crane, J. S. (2011). The Internet as a terrorist’s tool: A social learning perspective. In K. Jaishankar (Ed.), Cyber criminology: Exploring Internet crimes and criminal behavior. (127-138). CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL.

Gonsalves, A. (2013). Islamic group promises to resume U.S. bank cyber attacks. CSO Online February 28, 2013. Retrieved on 24th January 2014 from: http://www.csoonline.com/article/729598/islamic-group-promises-to-resume-u.s.-bank-cyberattacks?source=ctwartcso.

Hafez, M. M. (2006). Suicide Terrorism in Iraq: A Preliminary Assessment of the Quantitative Data and Documentary Evidence. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 29, 591.

Hamm, M. S. (2007). Terrorism As Crime: From Oklahoma City to Al-Qaeda. New York: NYU Press.

Holt, T. J. (2007). Subcultural evolution? Examining the influence of on- and off-line experiences on deviant subcultures. Journal of Deviant Behavior, 28, 171-198.



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Holt, T. J. (2010). Exploring strategies for qualitative criminological and criminal justice inquiry using on-line data. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 21, 300-321.

Holt, T. J. (2012). Exploring the intersections of technology, crime and terror. Terrorism and Political Violence, 24, 337-354.

Holt, T. J. (2013). Exploring the social organization and structure of stolen data markets. GC, 2, 155-174.

Holt, T. J. & Lampke, E. (2010). Exploring stolen data markets on-line: Products and market forces. Criminal Justice Studies, 23, 33-50.

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Horgan, J. (2005). Psychology of Terrorism. New York: Routledge. Jordan, T. & Taylor, P. (1998). A Sociology of Hackers. The Sociological Review, 46, 757-

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Holt & B. Schell (Eds.) Corporate Hacking and Technology-Driven Crime: Social Dynamics and Implications (205-227). Hershey, PA: IGI-Global.

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Kunkle, J. (2012). Social Media and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat. The Police Chief, 79, 22.

Lee, E., & Leets, L. (2002). Persuasive storytelling by hate groups online: Examining its effects on adolescents. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 927-988.

Levin, B. Cyberhate: A legal and historical analysis of extremists’ use of computer networks in America. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 958-988.

Linden, A. & Klandermans, B. (2006). Stigmatization and Repression of Extreme-Right Activism in the Netherlands. Mobilization: An International Journal, 11, 213-228.

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McCauley, C. & Moskalenko, S. (2011). Friction: How radicalization happens to them and us. New York City: Oxford University Press.

Meyer, G. R. (1989). The Social Organization of the Computer Underground. Unpublished Masters Thesis. Retrieved on 20th January 2014 from http://csrc.nist.gov/secpubs/hacker.txt.

Monohan, J. (2012). The Individual risk assessment of terrorism. Psychology, Public Policy and Law. In Press.

NYPD. (2007). Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat. New York. Sageman, M. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Schell, B. H. & Dodge, J. L. (2002). The Hacking of America: Who’s Doing it, Why, and How.

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Simi, P. & Futrell, R. (2006). Cyberculture and the Endurance of White Power Activism. Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 34, 115-142.

Simi, P. & Futrell, R. (2010). American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement’s Hidden Spaces of Hate. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Smith, A. (2010). Home broadband 2010. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on 11th January 2014 from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Home-Broadband-2010.aspx.

Smith, A. (2014). Older adults and technology use. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on 11th January 2014 from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/04/PIP_Seniors-and-Tech-Use_040314.pdf.

Southern Poverty Law Center. (2014). White Homicide Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/publications/White-Homicide-Worldwide

Stern, J. (2003). Terror in the name of God. Terrorism and Political Violence, 15, 190-201. Taylor, M. & Horgan, J. (2006). A Conceptual Framework for Addressing Psychological

Process in the Development of a Terrorist. Terrorism and Political Violence, 18, 585-601. Taylor, P. A. (1999). Hackers: crime in the digital sublime. New York: Routledge. Thomas, D. (2002). Hacker Culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Wiktorozicz, Q. (2004). Joining the Cause: Al-Muhajiroun and Radical Islam. The Roots of

Radial Islam. Department of International Studies, Rhodes College. Yar, M. (2013). Cybercrime and Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Zichuhr, K., Rainie, J., Purcell, K., & Duggan, M. (2013). How Americans value public

libraries in their communities. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on 11th January 2014 from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/files/legacy-pdf/PIP_Libraries%20in%20communities.pdf.

Anglo-Saxon paganismAnglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, or Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, refers to thereligious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th and8th centuries AD, during the initial period of Early Medieval England. A variant ofthe Germanic paganism found across much of north-western Europe, itencompassed a heterogeneous variety of disparate beliefs and cultic practices, withmuch regional variation.

Developing from the earlier Iron Age religion of continental northern Europe, itwas introduced to Britain following the Anglo-Saxon migration in the mid 5thcentury, and remained the dominant belief system in England until theChristianisation of its kingdoms between the 7th and 8th centuries, with someaspects gradually blending into folklore. The pejorative terms paganism andheathenism were first applied to this religion by Christian Anglo-Saxons, and itdoes not appear that these pagans had a name for their religion themselves; therehas therefore been debate among contemporary scholars as to the appropriatenessof continuing to describe these belief systems using this Christian terminology.Contemporary knowledge of Anglo-Saxon paganism derives largely from threesources: textual evidence produced by Christian Anglo-Saxons like Bede and Aldhelm, place-name evidence, and archaeologicalevidence of cultic practices. Further suggestions regarding the nature of Anglo-Saxon paganism have been developed throughcomparisons with the better-attested pre-Christian belief systems of neighbouring peoples such as the Norse.

Anglo-Saxon paganism was a polytheistic belief system, focused around a belief in deities known as the ése (singular ós). The mostprominent of these deities was probably Woden; other prominent gods included Thunor and Tiw. There was also a belief in a varietyof other supernatural entities which inhabited the landscape, including elves, nicor, and dragons. Cultic practice largely revolvedaround demonstrations of devotion, including sacrifice of inanimate objects and animals, to these deities, particularly at certainreligious festivals during the year. There is some evidence for the existence of timber temples, although other cultic spaces mighthave been open-air, and would have included cultic trees and megaliths. Little is known about pagan conceptions of an afterlife,although such beliefs likely influenced funerary practices, in which the dead were either inhumed or cremated, typically with aselection of grave goods. The belief system also likely included ideas about magic and witchcraft, and elements that could beclassified as a form of shamanism.

The deities of this religion provided the basis for the names of the days of the week in the English language. What is known about thereligion and its accompanying mythology have since influenced both literature and Modern Paganism.

Definition

Evidence

Historical developmentArrival and establishmentThe conversion to ChristianityScandinavian incursionsFolkloric influence

The right half of the front panel of the7th century Franks Casket, depictingthe pan-Germanic legend of Waylandthe Smith, which was apparently alsoa part of Anglo-Saxon paganmythology.

Contents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_invasion_of_Britain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianisation_of_Anglo-Saxon_England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_folklore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldhelm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norsemen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86sir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BDr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_(water_spirit)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_dragon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_burial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_goods

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_(paranormal)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Franks_Casket_vorne_links.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franks_Casket

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_the_Smith

MythologyCosmologyDeitiesWightsLegend and poetry

Cultic practicePlaces of worship

Place-name evidenceBuilt structuresCultic trees and megaliths

SacrificePriests and kingsFunerary ritesFestivalsSymbolismShamanism, magic, and witchcraft

Reception and legacyDays of the weekHistoriographyModern paganism

ReferencesFootnotesSources

The word pagan is a Latin term that was used by Christians in Anglo-Saxon England to designate non-Christians.[1] In Old English, thevernacular language of Anglo-Saxon England, the equivalent term washæðen ("heathen"), a word that was cognate to the Old Norse heiðinn,both of which may derive from a Gothic word, haiþno.[2] Both paganand heathen were terms that carried pejorative overtones,[3] with hæðenalso being used in Late Anglo-Saxon texts to refer to criminals andothers deemed to have not behaved according to Christian teachings.[4]

The term "paganism" was one used by Christians as a form ofothering,[5] and as the archaeologist Neil Price put it, in the Anglo-Saxoncontext, "paganism" is "largely an empty concept defined by what it isnot (Christianity)".[6]

There is no evidence that anyone living in Anglo-Saxon England everdescribed themselves as a "pagan" or understood there to be a singularreligion, "paganism", that stood as a monolithic alternative toChristianity.[5] These pagan belief systems would have been inseparablefrom other aspects of daily life.[7] According to the archaeologists MartinCarver, Alex Sanmark, and Sarah Semple, Anglo-Saxon paganism was"not a religion with supraregional rules and institutions but a loose termfor a variety of local intellectual world views."[8] Carver stressed that, inAnglo-Saxon England, neither paganism nor Christianity represented "homogenous intellectual positions or canons and practice";instead, there was "considerable interdigitation" between the two.[9] As a phenomenon, this belief system lacked any apparent rulesor consistency, and exhibited both regional and chronological variation.[6] The archaeologist Aleks Pluskowski suggested that it ispossible to talk of "multiple Anglo-Saxon 'paganisms'".[7]

Definition

A political map of Britain c. 650 (the names arein modern English)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Price_(archaeologist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Carver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:England_green_top.svg

Adopting the terminology of the sociologist of religion Max Weber, the historian Marilyn Dunn described Anglo-Saxon paganism asa "world accepting" religion, one which was "concerned with the here and now" and in particular with issues surrounding the safetyof the family, prosperity, and the avoidance of drought or famine.[10] Also adopting the categories of Gustav Mensching, shedescribed Anglo-Saxon paganism as a "folk religion", in that its adherents concentrated on survival and prosperity in this world.[10]

Using the expressions "paganism" or "heathenism" when discussing pre-Christian belief systems in Anglo-Saxon England isproblematic.[5] Historically, many early scholars of the Anglo-Saxon period used these terms to describe the religious beliefs inEngland before its conversion to Christianity in the 7th century.[5] Several later scholars criticised this approach;[5] as the historianIan S. Wood stated, using the term "pagan" when discussing the Anglo-Saxons forces the scholar to adopt "the cultural constructs andvalue judgements of the early medieval [Christian] missionaries" and thus obscures scholarly understandings of the so-called pagans'own perspectives.[11] At present, while some Anglo-Saxonists have ceased using the terms "paganism" or "pagan" when discussingthe early Anglo-Saxon period, others have continued to do so, viewing these terms as a useful means of designating something that isnot Christian yet which is still identifiably religious.[5] The historian John Hines proposed "traditional religion" as a betteralternative,[5] although Carver cautioned against this, noting that Britain in the 5th to the 8th century was replete with new ideas andthus belief systems of that period were not particularly "traditional".[12] The term "pre-Christian" religion has also been used; thisavoids the judgemental connotations of "paganism" and "heathenism" but is not always chronologically accurate.[13]

The pre-Christian society of Anglo-Saxon England was illiterate.[14] Thus there is nocontemporary written evidence produced by Anglo-Saxon pagans themselves.[15]

Instead, our primary textual source material derives from later authors, such as Bede andthe anonymous author of the Life of St Wilfrid, who wrote in Latin rather than in OldEnglish.[16] These writers were not interested in providing a full portrait of the Anglo-Saxons' pre-Christian belief systems, and thus our textual portrayal of these religiousbeliefs is fragmentary and incidental.[17] Also perhaps useful are the writings of thoseChristian Anglo-Saxon missionaries who were active in converting the pagan societiesof continental Europe, namely Willibrord and Boniface,[18] as well as the writings of the1st century AD Roman writer Tacitus, who commented upon the pagan religions of theAnglo-Saxons' ancestors in continental Europe.[19] The historian Frank Stentoncommented that the available texts only provide us with "a dim impression" of paganreligion in Anglo-Saxon England,[20] while similarly, the archaeologist David Wilsoncommented that written sources "should be treated with caution and viewed assuggestive rather than in any way definitive".[21]

Far fewer textual records discuss Anglo-Saxon paganism than the pre-Christian belief systems found in nearby Ireland, Francia, orScandinavia.[22] There is no neat, formalised account of Anglo-Saxon pagan beliefs as there is for instance for Classical mythologyand Norse mythology.[23] Although many scholars have used Norse mythology as a guide to understanding the beliefs of pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon England, caution has been expressed as to the utility of this approach.[24] As Stenton noted, the connectionbetween Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian paganism occurred "in a past which was already remote" at the time of the Anglo-Saxonmigration to Britain.[25] Moreover, there was clear diversity among the pre-Christian belief systems of Scandinavia itself, furthercomplicating the use of Scandinavian material to understand that of England.[26] Conversely, the historian Brian Branston argued forthe use of Old Norse sources to better understand Anglo-Saxon pagan beliefs, recognising what he perceived as mythologicalcommonalities between the two rooted in their common ancestry.[27]

Old English place-names also provide some insight into the pre-Christian beliefs and practices of Anglo-Saxon England.[28] Some ofthese place-names reference the names of particular deities, while others use terms that refer to cultic practices that took placethere.[29] In England, these two categories remain separate, unlike in Scandinavia, where certain place-names exhibit bothfeatures.[30] Those place-names which carry possible pagan associations are centred primarily in the centre and south-east ofEngland,[31] while no obvious examples are known from Northumbria or East Anglia.[32] It is not clear why such names are rarer ornon-existent in certain parts of the country; it may be due to changes in nomenclature brought about by Scandinavian settlement in

Evidence

An early 20th century depiction ofBede, who provides much of thetextual information on Anglo-Saxon paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology_of_religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianisation_of_Anglo-Saxon_England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_S._Wood


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_St_Wilfrid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willibrord

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boniface

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stenton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Anglia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Venerable_Bede_translates_John_1902.jpg

— Archaeologist Martin Welch, 2011.[37]

the Late Anglo-Saxon period or because of evangelising efforts by later Christian authorities.[33] In 1941, Stenton suggested that"between fifty and sixty sites of heathen worship" could by identified through the place-name evidence,[34] although in 1961 theplace-name scholar Margaret Gelling cautioned that only forty-five of these appeared reliable.[35] The literature specialist Philip A.Shaw has however warned that many of these sites might not have been named by pagans but by later Christian Anglo-Saxons,reflecting spaces that were perceived to be heathen from a Christian perspective.[36]

According to Wilson, the archaeological evidence is"prolific and hence is potentially the most useful in thestudy of paganism" in Anglo-Saxon England.[38]

Archaeologically, the realms of religion, ritual, and magiccan only be identified if they affected material culture.[39]

As such, scholarly understandings of pre-Christianreligion in Anglo-Saxon England are reliant largely onrich burials and monumental buildings, which exert asmuch of a political purpose as a religious one.[39] Metalwork items discovered by metal detectorists have also contributed to theinterpretation of Anglo-Saxon paganism.[40] The world-views of the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons would have impinged on all aspectsof everyday life, making it particularly difficult for modern scholars to separate Anglo-Saxon ritual activities as something distinctfrom other areas of daily life.[41] Much of this archaeological material comes from the period in which pagan beliefs were beingsupplanted by Christianity, and thus an understanding of Anglo-Saxon paganism must be seen in tandem with the archaeology of theconversion.[42]

Based on the evidence available, the historian John Blair stated that the pre-Christian religion of Anglo-Saxon England largelyresembled "that of the pagan Britons under Roman rule... at least in its outward forms".[43] However, the archaeologist AudreyMeaney concluded that there exists "very little undoubted evidence for Anglo-Saxon paganism, and we remain ignorant of many ofits essential features of organisation and philosophy".[44] Similarly, the Old English specialist Roy Page expressed the view that thesurviving evidence was "too sparse and too scattered" to permit a good understanding of Anglo-Saxon paganism.[45]

During most of the fourth century, the majority of Britain had been part of the Roman Empire, which had Christianity as its officialreligion.[46] However, in Britain Christianity was probably still a minority religion, restricted largely to the urban centres and theirhinterlands.[46] While it did have some impact in the countryside, here it appears that indigenous Late Iron Age polytheistic beliefsystems continued to be widely practised.[46] Some areas, such as the Welsh Marches, the majority of Wales (excepting Gwent),Lancashire, and the south-western peninsula, are totally lacking evidence for Christianity in this period.[46]

Britons who found themselves in the areas now dominated by Anglo-Saxon elites possibly embraced the Anglo-Saxons' paganreligion in order to aid their own self-advancement, just as they adopted other trappings of Anglo-Saxon culture.[47] This would havebeen easier for those Britons who, rather than being Christian, continued to practise indigenous polytheistic belief systems,[47] and inareas this Late Iron Age polytheism could have syncretically mixed with the incoming Anglo-Saxon religion.[48] Conversely, there isweak possible evidence for limited survival of Roman Christianity into the Anglo-Saxon period, such as the place-name ecclēs,meaning 'church', at two locations in Norfolk and Eccles in Kent.[47] However, Blair suggested that Roman Christianity would nothave experienced more than a "ghost-life" in Anglo-Saxon areas.[47] Those Britons who continued to practise Christianity wereprobably perceived as second-class citizens and were unlikely to have had much of an impact on the pagan kings and aristocracywhich was then emphasising Anglo-Saxon culture and defining itself against British culture.[49] If the British Christians were able toconvert any of the Anglo-Saxon elite conquerors, it was likely only on a small community scale, with British Christianity having littleimpact on the later establishment of Anglo-Saxon Christianity in the seventh century.[50]

"Although our understanding of Anglo-Saxon pre-Christianreligion from written sources and from place names is partialand far from complete, archaeology is beginning to revealmore."

Historical development

Arrival and establishment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Gelling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_culture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_detector

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blair_(historian)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Meaney

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Marches

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwent_(county)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancashire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccles,_Norfolk_(disambiguation)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccles,_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent

Prior scholarship tended to view Anglo-Saxon paganism as a development from an older Germanic paganism. The scholar MichaelBintley cautioned against this approach, noting that this "'Germanic' paganism" had "never had a single ur-form" from which latervariants developed.[51]

Anglo-Saxon paganism only existed for a relatively short time-span, from the fifth to the eighth centuries.[42] Our knowledge of theChristianisation process derives from Christian textual sources, as the pagans were illiterate.[52] In 596, Pope Gregory I ordered aGregorian mission to be launched in order to convert the Anglo-Saxons to the Roman Catholic denomination of Christianity.[53] Theleader of this mission, Augustine, probably landed in Thanet, then part of the Kingdom of Kent, in the summer of 597.[53] WhileChristianity was initially restricted to Kent, it saw "major and sustained expansion" in the period from c. 625 to 642, when theKentish king Eadbald sponsored a mission to the Northumbrians led by Paulinus, the Northumbrian king Oswald invited a Christianmission from Irish monks to establish themselves, and the courts of the East Anglians and the Gewisse were converted by continentalmissionaries Felix the Burgundian and Birinus the Italian.[54] The next phase of the conversion took place between c.653 and 664,and entailed the Northumbrian sponsored conversion of the rulers of the East Saxons, Middle Anglians, and Mercians.[54] In the finalphase of the conversion, which took place during the 670s and 680s, the final two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to be led by pagan rulers— in Sussex and the Isle of Wight — saw their leaders baptised.[54]

As with other areas of Europe, the conversion to Christianity was facilitated by the aristocracy.[55] These rulers may have feltthemselves to be members of a pagan backwater in contrast to the Christian kingdoms in continental Europe.[56] The pace ofChristian conversion varied across Anglo-Saxon England,[42] with it taking almost 90 years for the official conversion to succeed.[57]

Most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms returned to paganism for a time after the death of their first converted king.[42] However, by theend of the 680s, all of the Anglo-Saxon peoples were at least nominally Christian.[54] Blair noted that for most Anglo-Saxons, the"moral and practical imperatives" of following one's lord by converting to Christianity were a "powerful stimulus".[58]

It remains difficult to determine the extent to which pre-Christian beliefs retained their popularity among the Anglo-Saxon populacefrom the seventh century onward.[59] Theodore's Penitential and the Laws of Wihtred of Kent issued in 695 imposed penalties onthose who provided offerings to "demons".[22] However, by two or three decades later, Bede could write as if paganism had died outin Anglo-Saxon England.[60] Condemnations of pagan cult also do not appear in other canons from this later period, again suggestingthat ecclesiastical figures no longer considered persisting paganism to be a problem.[60]

In the latter decades of the ninth century, during the Late Anglo-Saxon period, Scandinavian settlers arrived in Britain, bringing withthem their own pre-Christian beliefs.[61] No cultic sites used by Scandinavian pagans have been archaeologically identified, althoughplace names suggest some possible examples.[62] For instance, Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire was known as Othensberg inthe twelfth century, a name which derived from the Old Norse Óðinsberg, or 'Hill of Óðin'.[63] A number of place-names also containOld Norse references to mythological entities, such as alfr, skratii, and troll.[64] A number of pendants representing Mjolnir, thehammer of the god Thor, have also been found in England, reflecting the probability that he was worshipped among the Anglo-Scandinavian population.[65] Jesch argued that, given that there was only evidence for the worship of Odin and Thor in Anglo-Scandinavian England, these might have been the only deities to have been actively venerated by the Scandinavian settlers, even ifthey were aware of the mythological stories surrounding other Norse gods and goddesses.[66] North however argued that one passagein the Old English rune poem, written in the eighth or ninth century, may reflect knowledge of the Scandinavian god Týr.[67]

Archaeologically, the introduction of Norse paganism to Britain in this period is mostly visited in the mortuary evidence.[68] Anumber of Scandinavian furnished burial styles were also introduced that differed from the Christian churchyard burials thendominant in Late Anglo-Saxon England. Whether these represent clear pagan identity or not is however debated amongarchaeologists.[69] Norse mythological scenes have also been identified on a number of stone carvings from the period, such as theGosforth Cross, which included images of Ragnarok.[70]

The conversion to Christianity

Scandinavian incursions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_mission

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Canterbury

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadbald_of_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_of_Northumbria

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Felix_the_Burgundian&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birinus_the_Italian&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodore%27s_Penitential&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wihtred_of_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseberry_Topping

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mjolnir


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English_rune_poem


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosforth_Cross

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnarok

— Historian Karen Louise Jolly, 1996.[76]

The English church found itself in need of conducting a newconversion process to Christianise this incoming population.[71] It isnot well understood how the Christian institutions converted theseScandinavian settlers, in part due to a lack of textual descriptions ofthis conversion process equivalent to Bede's description of the earlierAnglo-Saxon conversion.[72] However, it appears that theScandinavian migrants had converted to Christianity within the firstfew decades of their arrival.[68]

The historian Judith Jesch suggested that these beliefs survivedthroughout Late Anglo-Saxon England not in the form of an activenon-Christian religion, but as "cultural paganism", the acceptance ofreferences to pre-Christian myths in particular cultural contexts

within an officially Christian society.[73] Such "cultural paganism" could represent a reference to the cultural heritage of theScandinavian population rather than their religious heritage.[74] For instance, many Norse mythological themes and motifs arepresent in the poetry composed for the court of Cnut the Great, an eleventh-century Anglo-Scandinavian king who had been baptisedinto Christianity and who otherwise emphasised his identity as a Christian monarch.[75]

Although Christianity had been adopted across Anglo-Saxon England by the late seventh century, many pre-Christian customs continued to be practiced.[77] Bintleyargued that aspects of Anglo-Saxon paganism served asthe foundations for parts of Anglo-Saxon Christianity.[78]

Pre-Christian beliefs affected the folklore of the Anglo-Saxon period, and through this continued to exert aninfluence on popular religion within the late Anglo-Saxonperiod.[79] The conversion did not result in theobliteration of pre-Christian traditions, but resulted invarious ways created a synthesis of traditions, asexhibited for instance by the Franks Casket, an artworkdepicting both the pre-Christian myth of Weland theSmith and the Christian myth of the Adoration of theMagi.[80] Blair noted that even in the late eleventh century, "important aspects of lay Christianity were still influenced by traditionalindigenous practices".[81]

Both secular and church authorities issued condemnations of alleged non-Christian pagan practices, such as the veneration of wells,trees, and stones, right through to the eleventh century and into the High Middle Ages.[77] However, most of the penitentialscondemning such practices – notably that attributed to Ecgbert of York – were largely produced around the year 1000, which maysuggest that their prohibitions against non-Christian cultic behaviour may be a response to Norse pagan beliefs brought in byScandinavian settlers rather than a reference to older Anglo-Saxon practices.[77] Various scholars, among them historical geographerDella Hooke and Price, have contrastingly believed that these reflected the continuing practice of veneration at wells and trees at apopular level long after the official Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon society.[82]

Various elements of English folklore from the Mediaeval period onwards have been interpreted as being survivals from Anglo-Saxonpaganism. For instance, writing in the 1720s, Henry Bourne stated his belief that the winter custom of the Yule log was a leftoverfrom Anglo-Saxon paganism, however this is an idea that has been disputed by some subsequent research by the likes of historianRonald Hutton, who believe that it was only introduced into England in the seventeenth century by immigrants arriving fromFlanders.[83] The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, which is performed annually in the village of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, has

Roseberry Topping in Yorkshire, once known as the'Hill of Óðin'

Folkloric influence

"The pagan hierarchical structure disintegrated rapidly in theseventh century in the face of Christianity's systematicorganization. But folk practices were all-pervasive in everydaylife. The animistic character of Germanic belief prior toChristianization, with its emphasis on nature, holistic cures,and worship at wells, trees, and stones, meant that it was hardto counteract on an institutional level of organized religion...The synthesis of Christian and Germanic ideas graduallytransformed these practices, undoubtedly at the local level... Inthis way Christianity ultimately penetrated the homes anddaily lives of the various Germanic peoples in the centuriesafter the arrival of the first missionaries."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_religion


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitentials

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecgbert_of_York

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Della_Hooke&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Hutton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbots_Bromley_Horn_Dance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbots_Bromley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roseberry_topping_north_side.jpg

— Historian Ethan Doyle White, 2014[94]

also been claimed, by some, to be a remnant of Anglo-Saxon paganism. The antlers used in the dance belonged to reindeer and havebeen carbon dated to the eleventh century, and it is therefore believed that they originated in Norway and were brought to Englandsome time in the late Mediaeval period, as by that time reindeer were extinct in Britain.[84]

Little is known about the cosmological beliefs of Anglo-Saxon paganism.[85] Carver, Sanmark, and Semple suggested that everycommunity within Anglo-Saxon England likely had "its own take on cosmology", although suggested that there might have been "anunderlying system" that was widely shared.[8] The later Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm mentions seven worlds, which may be areference to an earlier pagan cosmological belief.[85] Similarly, Bede claimed that the Christian king Oswald of Northumbriadefeated a pagan rival at a sacred plain or meadow called Heavenfield (Hefenfelth), which may be a reference to a pagan belief in aheavenly plain.[85] The Anglo-Saxon concept corresponding to fate was wyrd,[86] although the "pagan" nature of this conception issubject to some debate; Dorothy Whitelock suggested that it was a belief held only after Christianisation,[87] while Branstonmaintained that wyrd had been an important concept for the pagan Anglo-Saxons.[88] He suggested that it was cognate to theIcelandic term Urdr and thus was connected to the concept of three sisters, the Nornir, who oversee fate in recorded Norsemythology.[89] It is possible that the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons held a belief in an apocalypse that bore similarities with the laterNorse myth of Ragnarok.[90]

Although we have no evidence directly testifying to the existence of such a belief, the possibility that the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxonsbelieved in a cosmological world tree has also been considered.[91] It has been suggested that the idea of a world tree can bediscerned through certain references in the Dream of the Rood poem.[92] This idea may be bolstered if it is the case, as some scholarshave argued, that the concept of a world tree derived from a prehistoric Indo-European society and thus can be found throughoutthose societies who descended from the Indo-Europeans.[93] The historian Clive Tolley has cautioned that any Anglo-Saxon worldtree would likely not be directly comparable to that referenced in Norse textual sources.[93]

Anglo-Saxon paganism was a polytheistic belief system,with its practitioners believing in many deities.[95]

However, most Christian Anglo-Saxon writers had littleor no interest in the pagan gods, and thus did not discussthem in their texts.[96] The Old English words for a godwere ēs and ōs, and they may be reflected in such place-names as Easole ("God's Ridge") in Kent and Eisey("God's Island") in Wiltshire.[97]

The deity for which we have most evidence is Woden, as"traces of his cult are scattered more widely over therolling English countryside than those of any otherheathen deity".[98] Place names containing Wodnes- orWednes- as their first element have been interpreted asreferences to Woden,[99] and as a result his name is oftenseen as the basis for such place names as Woodnesborough ("Woden's Barrow") in Kent, Wansdyke ("Woden's Dyke") in Wiltshire,and Wensley ("Woden's Woodland Clearing" or "Woden's Wood") in Derbyshire.[100] The name Woden also appears as an ancestor ofthe royal genealogies of Kent, Wessex, East Anglia and Mercia, resulting in suggestions that after losing his status as a god during theChristianisation process he was euhemerised as a royal ancestor.[101][102] Woden also appears as the leader of the Wild Hunt,[103]

Mythology

Cosmology

Deities

"The world of the Anglo-Saxon gods will forever remain amystery to us, existing just beyond the reach of writtenhistory. This pagan world sits in an enigmatic realm that is inmany respects prehistoric, an alien headspace far removedfrom our own intellectual universe. Situated within apolytheistic cosmos, clouded from us by centuries of Christiantheology and Enlightenment rationalism, we can discern theexistence of a handful of potential deities, who though longdeceased have perhaps left their mark in place-names, royalgenealogies, and the accounts of proselytizing monks. Suchsources have led scholars to put together a pantheon for earlymedieval England, populated by such murky figures asWoden, Þunor, Tiw, and Frig."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dating

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Herbs_Charm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_of_Northumbria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heavenfield

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyrd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nornir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnarok

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_tree

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Rood

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Easole&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiltshire


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodnesborough


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wansdyke_(earthwork)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiltshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wensley,_Derbyshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derbyshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Wessex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_East_Anglia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Mercia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euhemerism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt

The Nine Herbs Charm.[115]

and he is referred to as a magical healer in the Nine Herbs Charm, directly paralleling the role of his continental German counterpartWodan in the Merseburg Incantations.[104][102] He is also often interpreted as being cognate with the Norse god Óðinn and the OldHigh German Uuodan.[105]

It has been suggested that Woden was also known as Grim – a name which appears in such English place-names as Grimspound inDartmoor and Grimes Graves in Norfolk – because in recorded Norse mythology, the god Óðinn is also known as Grímnir.[106]

Highlighting that there are around twice as many Grim place-names in England as Woden place-names, the place-name scholarMargaret Gelling cautioned against the view that Grim was always associated with Woden in Anglo-Saxon England.[107]

The second most widespread deity from Anglo-Saxon England appears to be the god Thunor. It has been suggested that the hammerand the swastika were the god's symbols, representing thunderbolts, and both of these symbols have been found in Anglo-Saxongraves, the latter being common on cremation urns.[108] A large number of Thunor place-names feature the Old English word lēah("wood", or "clearing in a wood"), among them Thunderley and Thundersley in Essex.[109] The deity's name also appears in othercompounds too, as with Thunderfield ("Thor's Open Land") in Surrey and Thunores hlaew ("Thor's Mound") in Kent.[110] A thirdAnglo-Saxon god that is attested is Tiw, who, in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem Tir is identified with the star Polaris rather than with adeity, although it has been suggested that Tiw was probably a war deity.[111] Dunn has suggested that Tiw might have been a supremecreator deity who was nevertheless deemed distant.[112] The name Tiw has been identified in such place-names as Tuesley ("Tiw'sWood or Clearing") in Surrey, Tysoe ("Tiw's Hill-Spur") in Warwickshire, and Tyesmere ("Tiw's Pool") in Worcestershire.[113] It hasbeen suggested that the "T"-rune which appears on some weapons and crematory urns from the Anglo-Saxon period may bereferences to Tiw.[114]

Perhaps the most prominent female deity in Anglo-Saxonpaganism was Frig, however there is still very littleevidence for her worship, although it has been speculatedthat she was "a goddess of love or festivity".[111] Hername has been suggested as a component of the place-names Frethern in Gloucestershire, and Freefolk, Frobury,and Froyle in Hampshire.[116] Another Anglo-Saxondivinity was Frey, who is mentioned in both The Dreamof the Rood and a poem by the monk Cædmon, in both ofwhich he is compared to the later Christian figure JesusChrist, indicating that Frey was perhaps a sacrificial

deity.[111] The East Saxon royalty claimed lineage from an entity known as Seaxnēat, who might have been a god, in part because anOld Saxon baptismal vow calls on the Christian to renounce "Thunaer, Woden and Saxnot".[117][118] A runic poem mentions a godknown as Ingui and the writer Asser mentioned a god known as Gēat.[118] The Christian monk known as the Venerable Bede alsomentioned two further goddesses in his written works; Eostre, who was celebrated at a spring festival, and Hretha, whose namemeant "glory".[119][118]

References to idols can be found in Anglo-Saxon texts.[120] No wooden carvings of anthropomorphic figures have been found in thearea that once encompassed Anglo-Saxon England that are comparable to those found in Scandinavia or continental Europe.[121] Itmay be that such sculptures were typically made out of wood, which has not survived in the archaeological record.[122] Severalanthropomorphic images have been found, mostly in Kent and dated to the first half of the seventh century, however identifying thesewith any particular deity has not proven possible.[122] A seated male figure appears on a cremation urn's lid discovered at Spong Hillin Norfolk, which was interpreted as a possible depiction of Woden on a throne.[123] Also found on many crematory urns are avariety of symbols; of these, the swastikas have sometimes been interpreted as symbols associated with Thunor.[124]

Many Anglo-Saxonists have also assumed that Anglo-Saxon paganism was animistic in basis, believing in a landscape populated bydifferent spirits and other non-human entities, such as elfs, dwarfs, and dragons.[44] The English literature scholar Richard North forinstance described it as a "natural religion based on animism".[125] Dunn suggested that for Anglo-Saxon pagans, most everyday

"A worm came creeping, he tore a man in two, then Wodentook nine Glory-Twigs, then struck the adder, that it flew apartinto nine [bits] ... [Woden] established [the nine herbs] andsent [them] into the seven worlds, for the poor and the rich, aremedy for all, it stands against pain, it fights against poison,it avails against three and against thirty, against foe's hand andagainst noble scheming, against enchantment of vilecreatures."

Wights



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseburg_Incantations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_High_German

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimspound

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmoor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_Graves


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin%27s_names

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Gelling


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thunderley&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thunderfield&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manston,_Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_rune_poem

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwaz_rune

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaris

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busbridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tysoe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvechurch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcestershire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frige_(Anglo-Saxon_goddess)

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frethern&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucestershire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A6dmon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaxn%C4%93at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saxon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingui

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asser

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C4%93at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venerable_Bede

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eostre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hretha

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spong_Hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastikas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon

interactions would not have been with major deities but with such "lesser supernatural beings".[126] She also suggested that theseentities might have exhibited similarities with later English beliefs in fairies.[127] Later Anglo-Saxon texts refer to beliefs in ælfe(elfs), who are depicted as male but who exhibit gender-transgressing and effeminate traits; these ælfe may also have been a part ofolder pagan beliefs.[126] Various Old English place names reference thrys (giants) and draca (dragons).[128] However, such namesdid not necessarily emerge during the pagan period of early Anglo-Saxon England, but could have developed at a later date.[129]

In pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon England, legends and other stories were transmittedorally instead of being written down; it is for this reason that very few survivetoday.[130] In both Beowulf and Deor's Lament there are references to themythological smith Weyland, and this figure also makes an appearance on theFranks Casket.[131] There are moreover two place-names recorded in tenth centurycharters that include Weyland's name.[132] This entity's mythological stories arebetter fleshed out in Norse stories.[133]

The only surviving Anglo-Saxon epic poem is the story of Beowulf, known onlyfrom a surviving manuscript that was written down by the Christian monk Sepasometime between the eighth and eleventh centuries AD. The story it tells is set notin England but in Scandinavia, and revolves around a Geatish warrior namedBeowulf who travels to Denmark to defeat a monster known as Grendel, who isterrorising the kingdom of Hrothgar, and later, Grendel's Mother as well. Followingthis, he later becomes the king of Geatland before finally dying in battle with adragon. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, it was commonly believedthat Beowulf was not an Anglo-Saxon pagan tale, but a Scandinavian Christian one;it was not until the influential critical essay Beowulf: The Monsters and the Criticsby J. R. R. Tolkien, delivered in 1936, that Beowulf was established as a quintessentially English poem that, while Christian, lookedback on a living memory of paganism. The poem refers to pagan practices such as cremation burials, but also contains repeatedmentions of the Christian God and references to tales from Biblical mythology, such as that of Cain and Abel.[134] Given therestricted nature of literacy in Anglo-Saxon England, it is likely that the author of the poem was a cleric or an associate of theclergy.[135]

Nonetheless, some academics still hold reservations about accepting it as containing information pertaining to Anglo-Saxonpaganism, with Patrick Wormald noting that "vast reserves of intellectual energy have been devoted to threshing this poem for grainsof authentic pagan belief, but it must be admitted that the harvest has been meagre. The poet may have known that his heroes werepagans, but he did not know much about paganism."[136] Similarly, Christine Fell declared that when it came to paganism, the poetwho authored Beowulf had "little more than a vague awareness of what was done 'in those days'."[137] Conversely, North argued thatthe poet knew more about paganism that he revealed in the poem, suggesting that this could be seen in some of the language andreferences.[138]

As archaeologist Sarah Semple noted, "the rituals [of the early Anglo-Saxons] involved the full pre-Christian repertoire: votivedeposits, furnished burial, monumental mounds, sacred natural phenomenon and eventually constructed pillars, shrines and temples",thereby having many commonalities with other pre-Christian religions in Europe.[139]

Legend and poetry

A 1908 depiction of Beowulf fightingthe dragon, by J. R. Skelton.

Cultic practice

Places of worship

Place-name evidence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deor%27s_Lament

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_the_Smith


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poem


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf_(hero)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrothgar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel%27s_Mother

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf:_The_Monsters_and_the_Critics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Wormald

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Beowulf_and_the_dragon.jpg


— Pope Gregory's letter to Mellitus.[150]

Place-name evidence may indicate some locations which were usedas places of worship by the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons.[140]

However, no unambiguous archaeological evidence currentlysupports the interpretation of these sites as places of culticpractice.[140] Two words that appear repeatedly in Old English placenames hearg and wēoh, have been interpreted as being references tocult spaces, however it is likely that the two terms had distinctivemeanings.[141] These hearg locations were all found on high ground,with Wilson suggesting that these represented a communal place ofworship for a specific group, such as the tribe, at a specific time ofyear.[142] The archaeologist Sarah Semple also examined a numberof such sites, noting that while they all reflected activity throughoutlater prehistory and the Romano-British period, they had littleevidence from the sixth and seventh centuries CE.[143] She suggestedthat rather than referring to specifically Anglo-Saxon cultic sites,hearg was instead used in reference to "something British in tradition and usage."[144]

Highlighting that while wēoh sites vary in their location, some being on high ground and others on low ground, Wilson noted that themajority were very close to ancient routeways.[142] Accordingly, he suggested that the term wēoh denoted a "small, wayside shrine,accessible to the traveller".[145] Given that some wēoh-sites were connected to the name of an individual, Wilson suggested that suchindividuals may have been the owner or guardian of the shrine.[145]

A number of place-names including reference to pre-Christian deities compound these names with the Old English word lēah("wood", or "clearing in a wood"), and this may have attested to a sacred grove at which cultic practice took place.[146] A number ofother place-names associate the deity's name with a high point in the landscape, such as dūn or hōh, which might represent that suchspots were considered particularly appropriate for cultic practice.[147] In six examples, the deity's name is associated with feld ("openland"), in which case these might have been sanctuaries located to specifically benefit the agricultural actions of the community.[148]

Some Old English place names make reference to an animal's head, among them Gateshead ("Goat's Head") in Tyne and Wear andWorms Heath ("Snake's Head") in Surrey. It is possible that some of these names had pagan religious origins, perhaps referring to asacrificed animal's head that was erected on a pole, or a carved representation of one; equally some or all of these place-names mayhave been descriptive metaphors for local landscape features.[149]

No cultic building has survived from the early Anglo-Saxon period, and nor do we have a contemporaryillustration or even a clear description of such astructure.[151] However, there are four references to pre-Christian cultic structures that appear in Anglo-Saxonliterary sources.[152] Three of these can be found inBede's Ecclesiastical History.[152] One is a quotationfrom a letter written in 601 by Pope Gregory the Great tothe Abbott Mellitus, in which he stated that Christianmissionaries need not destroy "the temples of the idols"but that they should be sprinkled with holy water andconverted into churches.[153] A second reference to culticspaces found in Bede appears in his discussion of Coifi, an influential English pagan priest for King Edwin of Northumbria, who –after converting to Christianity – cast a spear into the temple at Goodmanham and then burned it to the ground.[154] The thirdaccount was a reference to a temple in which King Rædwald of East Anglia kept an altar to both the Christian God and another to"demons".[155] Bede referred to these spaces using the Latin term fanum; he did not mention whether they were roofed or not,

The Neolithic long barrow of Wayland's Smithymay have had cultic symbolism for the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons

Built structures

"The idol temples of that race [the English] should by nomeans be destroyed, but only the idols in them. Take holywater and sprinkle it in these shrines, build altars and placerelics in them. For if the shrines are well built, it is essentialthat they should be changed from the worship of devils to theservice of the true God. When the people see that their shrinesare not destroyed they will be able to banish error from theirhearts and be more ready to come to the places they arefamiliar with, but now recognizing and worshipping the trueGod."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateshead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyne_and_Wear

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Worms_Heath&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_the_Great

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellitus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_water

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coifi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_of_Northumbria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodmanham

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A6dwald_of_East_Anglia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wayland_Smithy_Long_barrow.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland%27s_Smithy

— Audrey Meaney, 1995.[161]

although he chose to use fanum over the Latin term templum, which would more clearly describe a roofed temple building.[2]

However, Bede probably never saw a pagan cultic space first hand, and was thus relying on literary sources for his understanding ofwhat they looked like.[152]

Summarising the archaeological evidence, C. J. Arnold concluded that "the existence and nature of possible shrines remain intangibleat present".[156] The best known archaeological candidate for a building used in pre-Christian cultic practice is Building D2 at theYeavering complex in Northumberland.[157] Inside the east door of the building was a pit filled with ox skulls, which have beeninterpreted as sacrificial deposits,[158] while two post-holes inside the building have been interpreted as evidence for holding statuesof the deities, and the building also showed no evidence of domestic usage, suggesting some special function.[159] Blair suggestedthat the development of temple buildings in the late sixth and seventh centuries reflects the assimilation of Christian ideas.[160]

Other possible temples or shrine buildings have beenidentified by archaeological investigation as existingwithin such Anglo-Saxon cemeteries as Lyminge in Kentand Bishopstone in Sussex.[162] Although Pope Gregoryreferred to the conversion of pagan cult spaces intochurches, no archaeological investigation has yet foundany firm evidence of churches being built on top of earlierpagan temples in England.[163] It may be that Gregory'sadvice was never taken by the Anglo-SaxonChristians,[159] although it is possible that theconstruction of crypts and the rebuilding of churches havedestroyed earlier pagan foundations.[164]

Blair highlighted evidence for the existence of square enclosures dating from the early Anglo-Saxon period which often includedstanding posts and which were often superimposed on earlier prehistoric monuments, most notably Bronze Age barrows.[165] Heargued that these were cultic spaces, and that – rather than being based on a tradition from continental Europe – they were based on atradition of square enclosure building that dated back to the Pre-Roman Iron Age in Britain, thus reflecting the adoption ofindigenous British ideas into early Anglo-Saxon cult.[166] Building on Blair's argument, the archaeologist Sarah Semple suggestedthat in Early Anglo-Saxon England such barrows might have been understood as "the home of spirits, ancestors or gods" andaccordingly used as cultic places.[167] According to Semple "ancient remains in the landscape held a significant place in the Anglo-Saxon mind as part of a wider, numinous, spiritual and resonant landscape".[168]

Blair suggested that the scant archaeological evidence for built cultic structures may be because many cultic spaces in early Anglo-Saxon England did not involve buildings.[169] Supporting this, he highlighted ethnographically recorded examples from elsewhere inNorthern Europe, such as among the Mansi, in which shrines are located away from the main area of settlement, and are demarcatedby logs, ropes, fabrics, and images, none of which would leave an archaeological trace.[170] Arnold suggested that it may be mistakento assume that the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons carried out ritual activity at specific sites, instead suggesting that such practicesoccurred within the domestic area.[171] As evidence, he pointed to certain deposits that have been excavated in Anglo-Saxonsettlements, such as the deposition of an adult cow above a pit of clay and cobbles which had been placed at Cowdery's Down.[171]

The deposition of human and animal bone in settlement sites has parallels both with continental practices and with Iron Age andRomano-British practices in Britain.[172]

Although there are virtually no references to pre-Christiansacred trees in Old English literature,[150] there arecondemnations of tree veneration as well as theveneration of stones and wells in several later Anglo-Saxon penitentials.[174] In the 680s, the Christian writerAldhelm referred to the pagan use of pillars associated

"Bede's evidence and archaeology show that sanctuariesassociated with royal estates at the end of the pagan period arelikely to have been enclosures containing buildings of organicmaterials, with images of the gods inside. Earlier, in thecountryside, the sanctuaries were probably open air sites, onhills or in forest groves, with some kind of central feature.Ceremonies which took place at these sites included at leastone annually (probably around November) which involved alarge sacrifice of cattle."

Cultic trees and megaliths

"Let us raise a hymn, especially because He who thrust intoTartarus of terrible torture the ghastly three-tongued serpentwho vomits torrents of rank and virulent poisons through theages deigned in like measure to send to earth the offspringbegotten of holy parturition... and because where once thecrude pillars of the same foul snake and the stag wereworshipped with coarse stupidity in profane shrines, in their

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeavering

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumberland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyminge


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishopstone,_East_Sussex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansi_people

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cowdery%27s_Down&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldhelm

— Aldhelm's letter to Heahfrith, 680s.[173]

with the "foul snake and stag", praising the fact that manyhad been converted into sites for Christian worship.[175]

Aldhelm had used the Latin terms ermula cruda ("crudepillars"), although it was unclear what exactly he wasreferring to; possibly examples include something akin toa wooden totem pole or a re-used Neolithic menhir.[173]

Meaney suggested that Aldhelm's reference to the snake and stag might be describing a representation of an animal's head atop apole, in which case it would be related to the animal-head place-names.[176] North also believed that this snake and stag were animalswith pagan religious associations.[177]

It remains difficult to determine the location of any pre-Christian holy trees.[178] However, there are cases where sacred trees andgroves may be referenced in place-names.[179] Blair suggested that the use of the Old English word bēam ("tree") in Anglo-Saxonplace-names may be a reference to a special tree.[180] He also suggested that the place-names containing stapol ("post" or "pillar")might have represented trees that had been venerated when alive and which were transformed into carved pillars after theirdeath.[181] For instance, both Thurstable Hundred in Essex and Thurstaple in Kent appear to have derived from the Old EnglishÞunres-stapol, meaning 'Pillar of Þunor'.[182] Archaeologically, a large post was discovered at Yeavering which has been interpretedas having a religious function.[183] The purpose of such poles remains debatable, however; some might have represented gravemarkers, others might have signalised group or kin identities, or marked territory, assembly places, or sacred spaces.[184] Suchwooden pillars would have been easy to convert into large crucifixes following the conversion to Christianity, and thus a number ofthese sacred sites may have survived as cultic spaces within a Christian context.[185] It has also been suggested that the vinescrollpatterns that decorated a number of Late Anglo-Saxon stone crosses, such as the Ruthwell Cross, may have been a form ofinculturation harking back to pre-Christian tree veneration.[186] As Bintley commented, the impact of pre-Christian beliefs aboutsacred trees on Anglo-Saxon Christian beliefs should be interpreted "not as pagan survivals, but as a fully integrated aspect of earlyEnglish Christianity".[187]

Christian sources regularly complained that the pagans of Anglo-Saxon England practiced animal sacrifice.[188] In the seventhcentury, the first laws against pagan sacrifices appeared, while in the Paenitentiale Theodori one to ten years' penance was allottedfor making sacrifices or for eating sacrificed meat.[176] Archaeological evidence reveals that meat was often used as a funeraryoffering and in many cases whole animal carcasses were placed in burials.[188] Commenting on this archaeological evidence,Pluskowski expressed the view that this reflected "a regular and well-established practice in early Anglo-Saxon society."[188] Itappears that they emphasised the killing of oxen over other species, as suggested by both written and archaeological evidence.[189]

The Old English Martyrology records that November (Old English Blótmónaþ "the month of sacrifice") was particularly associatedwith sacrificial practices:

The original Old English:Se mónaþ is nemned Novembris onLéden, and on úre geþeóde"blótmónaþ", forðon úre yldran, ðáhý hǽðene wǽron, on ðam mónþehý bleóton á, ðæt is, ðæt hýbetǽhton and benémdon hyradeófolgyldum ða neát ða ðe hýwoldon syllan.

Modern English translation:"The month is called Novembris inLatin, and in our language'bloodmonth', because our elderswhen they had been heathens,always in this month sacrificed, thatis, that they took and devoted to theiridols the cattle which they wished tooffer."[190]

There are several cases where animal remains were buried in what appears to be ritualistic conditions, for instance at Frilford,Berkshire, a pig or boar's head was buried with six flat stones and two Roman-era tiles then placed on top, while at an Anglo-Saxoncemetery in Soham, Cambridgeshire, an ox's head was buried with the muzzle facing down. Archaeologist David Wilson stated that

place dwelling for students, not to mention holy houses ofprayer, are constructed skilfully by the talents of thearchitect."

Sacrifice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thurstable_Hundred&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thurstaple&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthwell_Cross

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paenitentiale_Theodori

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English_Martyrology

these may be "evidence of sacrifices to a pagan god".[191] The folklorist Jacqueline Simpson has suggested that some English folkcustoms recorded in the late medieval and early modern periods involving the display of a decapitated animal's head on a pole mayderive their origins from pre-Christian sacrificial practices.[192]

Unlike some other areas of Germanic Europe, there is no written evidence for human sacrifice being practiced in Anglo-SaxonEngland.[193] Dunn suggested that had Christian writers believed that such practices were being carried out then they would havestrongly condemned them.[194] Nevertheless, the historian Hilda Ellis Davidson expressed the view that "undoubtedly humansacrifice must have been known to the Anglo-Saxons, even if it played no great part in their lives".[195] She suggested that those whowere used as victims included slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war, and that such sacrifices were only resorted to in times of crisis,such as plagues, famine, or attack.[195] There has however been speculation that 23 of the corpses at the Sutton Hoo burial site weresacrificial victims clustered around a sacred tree from which they had been hanged.[196] Alongside this, some have suggested that thecorpse of an Anglo-Saxon woman found at Sewerby on the Yorkshire Wolds suggested that she had been buried alive alongside anobleman, possibly as a sacrifice, or to accompany him to the afterlife.[197]

Weapons, among them spears, swords, seaxes, and shield fittings have been found from English rivers, such as the River Thames,although no large-scale weapon deposits have been discovered that are akin to those found elsewhere in Europe.[198]

Wilson stated that "virtually nothing" was known of the pre-Christian priesthood in Anglo-Saxon England,[199] although there aretwo references to Anglo-Saxon pagan priests in the surviving textual sources.[200] One is that provided by Bede, which refers to Coifiof Northumbria.[200] North has backed Chaney's view that kings mediated between the gods and the people on the basis of a lack ofany obvious priesthood.[201]

One of the inhumation burials excavated at Yeavering, classified as Grave AX, has been interpreted as being that of a pre-Christianpriest; although the body was not able to be sexed or aged by osteoarchaeologists, it was found with a goat's skull buried by its feetand a long wooden staff with metal fittings beside it.[202] There have also been suggestions that individuals who were biologicallymale but who were buried in female costume may have represented a form of magico-religious specialists in Anglo-SaxonEngland.[203] It has been suggested that these individuals were analogous to the Seiðmenn recorded in Old Norse sources.[204] Thispossibility is linked to an account provided by Tacitus in his Germania in which he refers to a male pagan priest who wore femaleclothing.[205]

Campbell suggested that it might have been priestly authorities who organised the imposition of physical penalties in early Anglo-Saxon England, with secular authorities only taking on this role during the conversion to Christianity.[206] The concept of 'sacralkingship' no longer has much credibility within scholarship.[207]

Germanic pagan society was structured hierarchically, under a tribal chieftain or cyning ("king") who at the same time acted asmilitary leader, high judge and high priest. The tribe was bound together by a code of customary proper behaviour or sidu regulatingthe contracts (ǽ) and conflicts between the individual families or sibbs within the tribe. The aristocratic society arrayed below theking included the ranks of ealdorman, thegn, heah-gerefa and gerefa.[208]

Offices at the court included that of the thyle and the scop. The title of hlaford ("lord") denoted the head of any household in originand expressed the relation to allegiance between a follower and his leader. Early Anglo-Saxon warfare had many aspects of endemicwarfare typical of tribal warrior societies. It was based on retainers bound by oath to fight for their lords who in turn were obliged toshow generosity to their followers.[209]

The pagan Anglo-Saxons inherited the common Germanic institution of sacral kingship. A king (cyning) was elected from amongeligible members of a royal family or cynn by the witena gemōt, an assembly of an elite that replaced the earlier folkmoot, which wasthe equivalent of the Germanic thing, the assembly of all free men. The person elected was usually the son of the last king. Tribalkingship came to an end in the 9th century with the hegemony of Wessex culminating in a unified kingdom of England by the 10th

Priests and kings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Simpson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Ellis_Davidson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Hoo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewerby

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Wolds

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sei%C3%B0r

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_tribes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibb

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ealdorman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-reeve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeve_(England)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_warfare

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemic_warfare

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacral_kingship

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elective_monarchy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witenagemot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folkmoot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_thing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wessex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England

century. The cult of kingship was central to pagan Anglo-Saxon society. The king was equivalent to the position of high priest. By hisdivine descent he represented or indeed was the "luck" of the people.[210] The central importance of the institution of kingship isillustrated by the twenty-six synonyms for "king" employed by the Beowulf poet.[211]

The title of Bretwalda appears to have conveyed the status of some sort of formal or ceremonial overlordship over Britain, but it isuncertain whether it predates the 9th century, and if it does, what, if any, prerogatives it carried. Patrick Wormald interprets it as "lessan objectively realised office than a subjectively perceived status" and emphasises the partiality of its usage in favour ofSouthumbrian kings.[212]

Cemeteries are the most widely excavated aspect of Anglo-Saxon archaeology and thus muchinformation about the funerary aspects of Anglo-Saxon pagan religion has been obtained.[38]

One of the aspects of Anglo-Saxon paganism that we know most about is their burial customs,which we have discovered from archaeological excavations at various sites, including Sutton Hoo,Spong Hill, Prittlewell, Snape and Walkington Wold, and we today know of the existence ofaround 1200 Anglo-Saxon pagan cemeteries. There was no set form of burial among the paganAnglo-Saxons, with cremation being preferred among the Angles in the north and burial amongthe Saxons in the south, although both forms were found throughout England, sometimes in thesame cemeteries. When cremation did take place, the ashes were usually placed within an urn andthen buried, sometimes along with grave goods.[197] According to archaeologist Dave Wilson,"the usual orientation for an inhumation in a pagan Anglo-Saxon cemetery was west-east, with thehead to the west, although there were often deviations from this."[213] Indicating a possiblereligious belief, grave goods were common among inhumation burials as well as cremations; freeAnglo-Saxon men were buried with at least one weapon in the pagan tradition, often a seax, but sometimes also with a spear, swordor shield, or a combination of these.[197] There are also a number of recorded cases of parts of non-human animals being buriedwithin such graves. Most common among these was body parts belonging to either goats or sheep, although parts of oxen were alsorelatively common, and there are also isolated cases of goose, crab apples, duck eggs and hazelnuts being buried in graves. It iswidely thought therefore that such items constituted a food source for the deceased.[214] In some cases, animal skulls, particularlyoxen but also pig, were buried in human graves, a practice that was also found in earlier Roman Britain.[197]

Certain Anglo-Saxon burials appeared to have ritualistic elements to them, implying that a religious rite was performed over themduring the funeral. While there are many multiple burials, where more than one corpse was found in a single grave, that date from theAnglo-Saxon period, there is "a small group of such burials where an interpretation involving ritual practices may be possible". Forinstance, at Welbeck Hill in Lincolnshire, the corpse of a decapitated woman was placed in reverse on top of the body of an old man,while in a number of other similar examples, female bodies were again placed above those of men. This has led some archaeologiststo suspect a form of suttee, where the female was the spouse of the male, and was killed to accompany him upon death. Othertheories hold that the females were slaves who were viewed as the property of the men, and who were again killed to accompanytheir master.[215] Similarly, four Anglo-Saxon burials have been excavated where it appears that the individual was buried while stillalive, which could imply that this was a part of either a religious rite or as a form of punishment.[216] There are also many caseswhere corpses have been found decapitated, for instance, at a mass grave in Thetford, Norfolk, fifty beheaded individuals werediscovered, their heads possibly having been taken as trophies of war. In other cases of decapitation it seems possible that it wasevidence of religious ritual (presumably human sacrifice) or execution.[217][218]

Archaeological investigation has displayed that structures or buildings were built inside a number of pagan cemeteries, and as DavidWilson noted, "The evidence, then, from cemetery excavations is suggestive of small structures and features, some of which mayperhaps be interpreted as shrines or sacred areas".[219] In some cases, there is evidence of far smaller structures being built around oralongside individual graves, implying possible small shrines to the dead individual or individuals buried there.[220]

Funerary rites

Funerary urn from theSnape Anglo-SaxonCemetery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretwalda


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southumbrian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Hoo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spong_Hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Saxon_tomb_in_Prittlewell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snape_boat_grave

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkington_Wold_Burials

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cremation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_goods

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seax

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_period_spear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_period_sword

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_apple

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelnut

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Britain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welbeck_Hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincolnshire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suttee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decapitation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetford


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Snape_urn.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snape_Anglo-Saxon_Cemetery

— Historian Brian Branston, 1957.[223]

Eventually, in the sixth and seventh centuries, the idea of burial mounds began to appearin Anglo-Saxon England, and in certain cases earlier burial mounds from the Neolithic,Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romano-British periods were simply reused by the Anglo-Saxons. It is not known why they adopted this practice, but it may be from the practicesof the native Britons.[221] Burial mounds remained objects of veneration in early Anglo-Saxon Christianity, and numerous churches were built next to tumuli. Another form ofburial was that of ship burials, which were practiced by many of the Germanic peoplesacross northern Europe. In many cases it seems that the corpse was placed in a ship thatwas either sent out to sea or left on land, but in both cases burned. In Suffolk however,ships were not burned, but buried, as is the case at Sutton Hoo, which it is believed, wasthe resting place of the king of the East Angles, Raedwald.[221] Both ship and tumulus

burials were described in the Beowulf poem, through the funerals of Scyld Scefing and Beowulf respectively.

It has been considered largely impossible to distinguish a pagan grave from a Christian one in the Anglo-Saxon context after the latterhad spread throughout England.[222]

Everything that we know about the religious festivals ofthe pagan Anglo-Saxons comes from a book written byBede, titled De temporum ratione ("The Reckoning ofTime"), in which he described the calendar of theyear.[224][225]However, its purpose was not to describethe pagan sacred year,[226] and little information within itcan be corroborated from other sources.[227] Bedeprovided explanations for the names of the various pre-Christian festivals that he described, however theseetymologies are questionable; it is unknown if theseetymologies were based on his pre-existing knowledge or whether they represented his own theories.[228] Casting further doubt oversome of his festival etymologies is the fact that some of the place-name etymologies that Bede provides in his writings aredemonstrably wrong.[228]

The pagan Anglo-Saxons followed a calendar with twelve lunar months, with the occasional year having thirteen months so that thelunar and solar alignment could be corrected. Bede claimed that the greatest pagan festival was Modraniht (meaning Mothers' Night),which was situated at the Winter solstice, which marked the start of the Anglo-Saxon year.[229][86]

Following this festival, in the month of Solmonað (February), Bede claims that the pagans offered cakes to their deities.[230][231]

Then, in Eostur-monath Aprilis (April), a spring festival was celebrated, dedicated to the goddess Eostre,[232][86] and the laterChristian festival of Easter took its name from this month and its goddess. The month of September was known as Halegmonath,meaning Holy Month, which may indicate that it had special religious significance.[233][86] The month of November was known asBlod-Monath, meaning Blood Month, and was commemorated with animal sacrifice, both in offering to the gods, and probably alsoto gather a source of food to be stored over the winter.[86][234]

Remarking on Bede's account of the Anglo-Saxon year, the historian Brian Branston noted that they "show us a people who ofnecessity fitted closely into the pattern of the changing year, who were of the earth and what grows in it" and that they were "in fact, apeople who were in a symbiotic relationship with mother earth and father sky".[223] Stenton thought that Bede's account reveals "thatthere was a strong element of heathen festivity" at the heart of the early Anglo-Saxon calendar.[235] The historian James Campbelldescribed this as a "complicated calendar", and expressed the view that it would have required "an organised and recognisedpriesthood" to plan the observation of it.[200]

One of the burial mounds atSutton Hoo

Festivals

"These few remarks by Bede show us a people who ofnecessity fitted closely into the pattern of the changing year,who were of the earth and what grows in it, who breathed thefarmy exhalations of cattle and sheep, who marked thepassage of time according to the life-cycle of their stock andthe growth of their plants or by the appropriate period forofferings to the gods".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_mound

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Britain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_burial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raedwald

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scyld_Scefing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf_(hero)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_festival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_temporum_ratione

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_calendar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eostre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sutton_Hoo_Burial_Mound.jpg

Various recurring symbols appear on certain pagan Anglo-Saxon artefacts, in particular on grave goods. Most notable among thesewas the swastika, which was widely inscribed on crematory urns and also on various brooches and other forms of jewellery as well ason certain pieces of ceremonial weaponry. The archaeologist David Wilson remarked that this "undoubtedly had special importancefor the Anglo-Saxons, either magical or religious, or both. It seems very likely that it was the symbol of the thunder god Thunor, andwhen found on weapons or military gear its purpose would be to provide protection and success in battle". He also noted howeverthat its widespread usage might have led to it becoming "a purely decorative device with no real symbolic importance".[236] Anothersymbol that has appeared on several pagan artefacts from this period, including a number of swords, was the rune �, whichrepresented the letter T and may be associated with the god Tiw.[237]

In the later sixth and seventh centuries, a trend emerged in Anglo-Saxon England entailing the symbolism of a horn-helmetedman.[238] The archaeologist Tim Pestell stated that these represented "one of the clearest examples of objects with primarily cultic orreligious connotations".[238] This iconography is not unique to England and can be found in Scandinavia and continental GermanicEurope too.[239] The inclusion of this image on helmets and pendants suggests that it may have had apotropaic or amuleticassociations.[240] This figure has often been interpreted as a depiction of Woden, although there is no firm evidence to support thisconclusion.[241]

In 2011, Pluskowski noted that the term "shamanism" was increasingly being used by scholars of Anglo-Saxon paganism.[242]

Glosecki argued that evidence for shamanic beliefs were visible in later Anglo-Saxon literature.[243] Williams also argued thatpaganism had had a shamanic component through his analysis of early funerary rites.[55] Summarising this evidence, Blair noted thatit was "hard to doubt that something like shamanism lies ultimately in the background" of early Anglo-Saxon religion.[244] Henevertheless highlighted problems with the use of "shamanism" in this context, noting that any such Anglo-Saxon practices wouldhave been different from the shamanism of Siberia.[244] Conversely, Noël Adams expressed the view that "at present there is no clearevidence of shamanistic beliefs" in Anglo-Saxon England.[245]

Anglo-Saxon pagans believed in magic and witchcraft. There are various Old English terms for "witch", including hægtesse "witch,fury", whence Modern English hag, wicca, gealdricge, scinlæce and hellrúne. The belief in witchcraft was suppressed in the 9th to10th century as is evident e.g. from the Laws of Ælfred (ca. 890). It is possible that the Anglo-Saxons drew no distinction betweenmagic and ritual in the same manner as modern Western society does.[37]

The Christian authorities attempted to stamp out a belief and practice in witchcraft, with the Paenitentiale Theodori attributed toTheodore of Tarsus condemning "those that consult divinations and use them in the pagan manner, or that permit people of that kindinto their houses to seek some knowledge".[246] Similarly, the U version of the Paenitentiale Theodori condemns those "who observeauguries, omens or dreams or any other prophecies after the manner of the pagans".[246]

The word wiccan "witches" is associated with animistic healing rites in the Paenitentiale Halitgari where it is stated that:

Some men are so blind that they bring their offering to earth-fast stone and alsoto trees and to wellsprings, as the witches teach, and are unwilling to understandhow stupidly they do or how that dead stone or that dumb tree might help themor give forth health when they themselves are never able to stir from their place.

The phrase swa wiccan tæcaþ ("as the witches teach") seems to be an addition to Halitgar's original, added by an eleventh-centuryOld English translator.[247]

The pagan Anglo-Saxons also appeared to wear amulets, and there are many cases where corpses were buried with them. As DavidWilson noted, "To the early [Anglo-]Saxons, they were part and parcel of the supernatural that made up their world of 'belief',although occupying the shadowy dividing area between superstition and religion, if indeed such a division actually existed."[248] One

Symbolism

Shamanism, magic, and witchcraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rune

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hag

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_(etymology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galdre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellr%C3%BAne

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86lfred



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_of_Tarsus


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halitgar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amulet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural

of the most notable amulets found in Anglo-Saxon graves is the cowrie shell, which has been often interpreted by modern academicsas having been a fertility symbol due to its physical resemblance to the vagina and the fact that it was most commonly found infemale graves. Not being native to British seas, the cowrie shells had to have been brought to England by traders who had come allthe way from the Red Sea in the Middle East.[249] Animal teeth were also used as amulets by the pagan Anglo-Saxons, and manyexamples have been found that had formerly belonged to boar, beaver, and in some cases even humans.[250] Other amulets includeditems such as amethyst and amber beads, pieces of quartz or iron pyrite, worked and unworked flint, pre-Anglo-Saxon coinage andfossils, and from their distribution in graves, it has been stated that in Anglo-Saxon pagan society, "amulets [were] very much morethe preserve of women than men".[251]

Four of the modern English days of the week derive their names from these Anglo-Saxon deities.[252] These names have their originsin the Latin system of week-day names, which had been translated into Old English.[253]

The Anglo-Saxons, like other Germanic peoples, adapted the week-day names introduced by their interaction with the Roman Empirebut glossed their indigenous gods over the Roman deities (with the exception of Saturday) in a process known as Interpretatiogermanica:

ModernEnglish day

nameOld Englishday name English day name meaning

Glossed fromLatin day

name

Latin dayname

meaning

Monday Mōnandæg "Moon's day", personified in related Norsemythology as the god Máni Dies Lunae

"Day ofLuna(moon)"

Tuesday Tiwesdæg "Tiw's day", personified in related Norsemythology as the god Tyr Dies Martis "Day of

Mars"

Wednesday Wōdnesdæg "Woden's day", personified in relatedNorse mythology as the god Odin Dies Mercurii "Day of

Mercury"

Thursday Þūnresdæg "Thunor's day", personified in relatedNorse mythology as the god Thor or Tor Dies Iovis "Day of

Jupiter"

Friday Frigedæg"Frigg's day", personified in related Norsemythology as the goddess Frigg and/orFreyja

Dies Veneris "Day ofVenus"

Saturday Sæturnesdæg "Saturn's day" Dies Saturni "Day ofSaturn"

Sunday Sunnandæg Sun's day", personified in related Norsemythology as the goddess Sól Dies Solis

"Day of SolInvictus(sun) "

While historical investigation into Germanic paganismand its mythology began in the seventeenth century withPeder Resen's Edda Islandorum (1665), this largelyfocused only upon Norse mythology, much of which waspreserved in Old Icelandic sources. In the eighteenthcentury, English Romanticism developed a strongenthusiasm for Iceland and Nordic culture, expressed in

Reception and legacy

Days of the week

Historiography

"Previous understanding of the topic, well rooted in the ideasof its time, regarded the English as adherents of twoconsecutive religions: paganism governed the settlers of the4th-6th century, but was superseded in the 7th-10th century byChristianity. Of the two, Christianity, a religion of the book,documented itself thoroughly, while in failing to do sopaganism laid itself open to centuries of abuse, conjecture ormindless admiration."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowrie_shell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amethyst

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_pyrite

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_tool

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week-day_names

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretatio_germanica

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1ni

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(mythology)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(mythology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunor


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(mythology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(mythology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(mythology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(mythology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B3l_(sun)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Icelandic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism

— Archaeologists Martin Carver, Alex Sanmark, and Sarah

Semple, 2010.[8]original English poems extolling Viking virtues, such asThomas Warton's "Runic Odes" of 1748. In the nineteenthcentury this developed into two movements within theBritish educated elite, one of which was composed ofScandophiles and the other of Germanophiles, who associated the English with either the Scandinavians or the Germans,respectively.[254] With nascent nationalism in early nineteenth-century Europe, by the 1830s both Nordic and German philology hadproduced "national mythologies" in N. F. S. Grundtvig's Nordens Mytologi and Jacob Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, respectively.British Romanticism at the same time had at its disposal both a Celtic and a Viking revival, but nothing focusing on the Anglo-Saxons because there was very little evidence of their pagan mythology still surviving. Indeed, so scant was evidence of paganism inAnglo-Saxon England that some scholars came to assume that the Anglo-Saxons had been Christianised essentially from the momentof their arrival in Britain.[255]

The study of Anglo-Saxon paganism began only in the mid nineteenth century, when John Kemble published The Saxons in EnglandVolume I (1849), in which he discussed the usefulness of examining place-names to find out about the religion.[256] This wasfollowed by the publication of John Yonge Akerman's Remains of Pagan Saxondom (1855). Akerman defended his chosen subject inthe introduction by pointing out the archaeological evidence of a "Pagan Saxon mode of sepulture" on English soil lasting from the"middle of the fifth to the middle or perhaps the end of the seventh century".[257] From this point onward, more academic researchinto the Anglo-Saxons' pagan religion appeared. This led to further books on the subject, such as those primarily about the Anglo-Saxon gods, such as Brian Branston's The Lost Gods of England (1957), and Kathy Herbert's Looking for the Lost Gods of England(1994). Others emphasised archaeological evidence, such as David Wilson's Anglo-Saxon Paganism (1992) and the edited anthologySignals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited (2010).

The deities of pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon religion have been adopted by practitioners of various forms of modern Paganism,specifically those belonging to the new religious movement of Heathenry.[258] The Anglo-Saxon gods have also been adopted informs of the modern Pagan religion of Wicca, particularly the denomination of Seax-Wicca, founded by Raymond Buckland in the1970s, which combined Anglo-Saxon deity names with the Wiccan theological structure.[258] Such belief systems often attributeNorse beliefs to pagan Anglo-Saxons.[259]

1. Welch 2011, p. 864; Pluskowski 2011, p. 764.

2. Welch 2011, p. 864.

3. Jesch 2004, p. 55; Welch 2011, p. 864.

4. Reynolds 2002, pp. 175–179; Shaw 2002, p. 30.

5. Doyle White 2014, p. 285.

6. Price 2010, p. xiv.

7. Pluskowski 2011, p. 764.

8. Carver, Sanmark & Semple 2010, p. ix.

9. Carver 2010, p. 15.

10. Dunn 2009, p. 2.

11. Wood 1995, p. 253; Doyle White 2014, p. 285.

12. Carver 2010, p. 7.

13. Jesch 2004, p. 55.

14. Wilson 1992, p. 2; Meaney 1999, p. 351; Hutton 2013, p. 297.

15. Wilson 1992, p. 173; Arnold 1997, p. 149; Hutton 2013, p. 297.

Modern paganism

References

Footnotes

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viking_virtues&action=edit&redlink=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandophile

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanophile

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._F._S._Grundtvig

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Grimm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Mythologie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_revival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_revival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yonge_Akerman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signals_of_Belief_in_Early_England

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_religious_movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathenry_(new_religious_movement)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seax-Wicca

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Buckland

16. Meaney 1999, p. 351; Welch 2011, p. 864.

17. Hutton 2013, p. 297.

18. Wilson 1992, pp. 39–43.

19. Wilson 1992, pp. 22–28.

20. Stenton 1941, pp. 1–2.

21. Wilson 1992, p. 43.

22. Blair 2005, p. 167.

23. Herbert 1994, p. 8.

24. Stenton 1971, p. 96; Meaney 1999, p. 351; Jesch 2004, p. 55; Dunn 2009, pp. 58–59.

25. Stenton 1971, p. 96.

26. Page 1995, pp. 99–100.

27. Branston 1957, pp. 6, 34–35.

28. Stenton 1941, p. 1; Stenton 1971, p. 97.

29. Stenton 1941, p. 3; Stenton 1971, p. 101; Gelling 1961, p. 7; Wilson 1992, p. 2; Meaney 1995, p. 31.

30. Gelling 1961, p. 8; Wilson 1992, p. 16.

31. Stenton 1971, p. 102.

32. Branston 1957, p. 33; Stenton 1971, p. 102; Wilson 1992, pp. 16–17.

33. Gelling 1961, p. 22; Stenton 1971, p. 102; Wilson 1992, pp. 16–17.

34. Stenton 1941, p. 9.

35. Gelling 1961, p. 19.

36. Shaw 2002, p. 33.

37. Welch 2011, p. 872.

38. Wilson 1992, p. 1.

39. Carver 2010, p. 5.

40. Pestell 2012, p. 68.

41. Arnold 1997, p. 149; Pluskowski 2011, p. 765.

42. Pluskowski 2011, p. 765.

43. Blair 2000, pp. 6–7.

44. Meaney 1999, p. 352.

45. Page 1995, p. 99.

46. Blair 2005, p. 10.

47. Blair 2005, p. 24.

48. Blair 2005, p. 13.

49. Blair 2005, pp. 24–25.

50. Blair 2005, p. 33.

51. Bintley 2015, p. 86.

52. Dunn 2009, p. 1.

53. North 1997, p. 313.

54. Blair 2005, p. 9.

55. Pluskowski 2011, p. 771.

56. Blair 2005, p. 50.

57. North 1997, p. 312.

58. Blair 2005, p. 180.

59. Arnold 1997, p. 175.

60. Blair 2005, p. 168.

61. Jolly 1996, p. 36; Pluskowski 2011, p. 774.

62. Jesch 2011, pp. 19–20.

63. Gelling 1961, p. 13; Meaney 1970, p. 120; Jesch 2011, p. 15.

64. Meaney 1970, p. 120.

65. Jesch 2011, pp. 17–19.

66. Jesch 2011, p. 21.

67. North 1997, p. 232.

68. Pluskowski 2011, p. 774.

69. Jesch 2011, p. 14.

70. Meaney 1970, p. 118.

71. Jolly 1996, p. 36.

72. Jolly 1996, pp. 41–43; Jesch 2004, p. 56.

73. Jesch 2004, p. 57.

74. Jesch 2004, p. 61.

75. Jesch 2004, pp. 57–59.

76. Jolly 1996, p. 45.

77. Hooke 2010, p. 31.

78. Bintley 2015, p. 1.

79. Jolly 1996, p. 24.

80. Jolly 1996, p. 29.

81. Blair 2011, p. 727.

82. Hooke 2010, p. 35; Price 2010, p. xiv.

83. Hutton 1991, pp. 39–41.

84. Jones and Pennick 1995. p. 159.

85. Dunn 2009, p. 64.

86. Hutton 1991, p. 272.

87. Branston 1957, p. 34.

88. Branston 1957, p. 57.

89. Branston 1957, p. 62.

90. Dunn 2009, p. 65.

91. Branston 1957, pp. 169–171; Tolley 2013, p. 179.

92. North 1997, p. 292.

93. Tolley 2013, p. 182.

94. Doyle White 2014, p. 284.

95. Branston 1957, p. 48; Hutton 2013, p. 297; Doyle White 2014, p. 284.

96. North 1997, p. 1.


98. Branston 1957, p. 29.

99. Gelling 1961, p. 10.

100. Branston 1957, p. 29; Gelling 1961, pp. 10–11; Meaney 1966, pp. 105–106; Wilson 1992, p. 11; Welch 2011, p. 865.

101. Ryan 1963, p. 461; Meaney 1966, p. 110; North 1997, p. 12; Dunn 2009, p. 61.

102. Hutton 1991, p. 265.

103. Ryan 1963, pp. 472–473.

104. Ryan 1963, p. 467; Meaney 1966, p. 110.

105. Wilson 1992, p. 168; North 1997, p. 78.

106. Branston 1957, p. 29; Gelling 1961, p. 13; Ryan 1963, p. 464; Stenton 1971, pp. 100–101; Wilson 1992, p. 20.

107. Gelling 1961, p. 14; Wilson 1992, pp. 20–21.

108. Hutton 1991, p. 266.

109. Branston 1957, p. 30; Gelling 1961, p. 15.

110. Gelling 1961, p. 15; Wilson 1992, pp. 11–12.

111. Hutton 1991, p. 267.

112. Dunn 2009, pp. 67–68.

113. Branston 1957, p. 30; Gelling 1961, p. 14; Wilson 1992, p. 112; North 1997, p. 231.

114. North 1997, p. 231.

115. North 1997, p. 86.

116. Branston 1957, p. 30; Gelling 1961, p. 19; Wilson 1992, p. 21.

117. Wilson 1992, p. 38.

118. Hutton 1991, p. 268.

119. North 1997, p. 226; Dunn 2009, pp. 62–63.

120. Pluskowski 2011, p. 766.

121. Welch 2011, p. 868; Pluskowski 2011, p. 767.

122. Pluskowski 2011, p. 767.

123. Welch 2011, p. 868.

124. Welch 2011, p. 869.

125. North 1997, p. 3.

126. Dunn 2009, p. 69.

127. Dunn 2009, p. 70.

128. Stenton 1941, p. 5.

129. Stenton 1941, pp. 5–6.

130. Branston 1957, pp. 50–52.

131. Branston 1957, pp. 3–4; North 1997, p. 53; Dunn 2009, p. 65.

132. North 1997, p. 53.

133. Branston 1957, pp. 3–4.

134. Wormald 1978, pp. 39–40.

135. Wormald 1978, p. 39.

136. Wormald 1978, p. 66.

137. Fell 1995, p. 28.

138. North 1997, p. 172.

139. Semple 2010. p. 42.

140. Arnold 1997, p. 149.

141. Wilson 1992, p. 6.

142. Wilson 1992, p. 8.

143. Semple 2007, p. 381.

144. Semple 2007, p. 383.

145. Wilson 1992, p. 10.

146. Gelling 1961, p. 15; Wilson 1992, p. 15; Dunn 2009, pp. 74–75.

147. Gelling 1961, p. 15.


149. Gelling 1961, pp. 16–18; Meaney 1995, p. 30.

150. Hooke 2010, p. 24.

151. Meaney 1995, p. 31.

152. Blair 1995, p. 2.

153. Branston 1957, p. 45; Wilson 1992, pp. 28–29; Blair 1995, p. 2.

154. Wilson 1992, pp. 30–31; Blair 1995, p. 2.

155. Wilson 1992, p. 32; Blair 1995, p. 2.

156. Arnold 1997, p. 151.

157. Wilson 1992, pp. 45–47; Meaney 1995, p. 29; Arnold 1997, p. 150; Semple 2010, pp. 39, 40.

158. Wilson 1992, p. 45; Meaney 1995, p. 29.

159. Wilson 1992, p. 45.

160. Blair 2005, p. 52.

161. Meaney 1995, p. 37.

162. Wilson 1992, pp. 48–59.

163. Wilson 1992, p. 44; Meaney 1995, p. 31.

164. Wilson 1992, p. 44.

165. Blair 1995, p. 3.

166. Blair 1995, pp. 3, 19.

167. Semple 1998, p. 118.

168. Semple 2010. p. 36.

169. Blair 2011, pp. 735–736.

170. Blair 2011, p. 736.

171. Arnold 1997, p. 150.

172. Pestell 2012, p. 76.

173. Blair 1995, pp. 2–3.

174. Hooke 2010, pp. 32–34.

175. Semple 2010, p. 39; Blair 1995, pp. 2–3; Blair 2013, p. 190.

176. Meaney 1995, p. 30.

177. North 1997, p. 51.

178. Blair 2013, p. 186.

179. Hooke 2010, p. 46.

180. Blair 2013, p. 187.

181. Blair 2013, p. 189.

182. Semple 2010, p. 41; Hooke 2010, p. 50.

183. Blair 2013, p. 190.

184. Semple 2010, p. 41.

185. Blair 2013, pp. 190–191.

186. North 1997, p. 290; Bintley 2015, pp. 46–49.

187. Bintley 2015, p. 2.

188. Pluskowski 2011, p. 768.

189. Ewing 2008. pp. 24–26.

190. [1] (http://dontgohere.nu/oe/as-bt/read.htm?page_nr=113) trans. Joseph Bosworth

191. Wilson 1992. p. 100.

192. Simpson 1967, pp. 194–195.

193. Wilson 1992, p. 34; Dunn 2009, p. 73.

194. Dunn 2009, p. 73.

195. Ellis Davidson 1992, p. 338.

196. Ellis Davidson 1992, pp. 331–333; Reynolds 1996, pp. 24–25.

197. Hutton 1991, p. 274.

198. Welch 2011, p. 870.

199. Wilson 1992, p. 175.

200. Campbell 2007, p. 68.

201. North 1997, p. 15.

202. Wilson 1992, p. 176; Welch 2011, p. 871; Blair 2011, p. 731.

203. Dunn 2009, p. 81; Welch 2011, p. 871.

http://dontgohere.nu/oe/as-bt/read.htm?page_nr=113

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bosworth

204. North 1997, pp. 50–51; Dunn 2009, p. 80.

205. Welch 2011, p. 871.

206. Campbell 2007, p. 70.

207. Dunn 2009, p. 77.

208. Kemble, Saxons in England (1876) II. v. 151–181

209. Halsall (1989:155—177).

210. Chaney (1970).

211. Bowra (1952:244).

212. Wormald (118—119).

213. Wilson 1992. p. 87.

214. Wilson 1992. pp. 98–100.

215. Wilson 1992. pp. 71–75.

216. Wilson 1992. pp. 77–80.

217. Hutton 1991, p. 275.

218. Wilson 1992. pp. 92–95.

219. Wilson 1992. p. 63.

220. Wilson 1992. p. 53.

221. Hutton 1991, p. 277.

222. Arnold 1997, p. 165.

223. Branston 1957, pp. 42–43.

224. Stenton 1971, p. 96; Wilson 1992, p. 35.

225. Hutton 1991, p. 271.

226. Herbert 1994, p. 18.

227. Page 1995, p. 124.

228. Page 1995, p. 127.

229. Branston 1957, p. 41; Stenton 1971, p. 97.

230. Stenton 1971, p. 97; Wilson 1992, p. 35.

231. Branston 1957. p. 41.

232. Wilson 1992, p. 36.

233. Branston 1954, p. 42; Stenton 1971, p. 97; Wilson 1992, p. 36.

234. Branston 1957, p. 42; Stenton 1971, p. 98; Wilson 1992, p. 36; Herbert 1994, p. 21.

235. Stenton 1971, p. 98.

236. Wilson 1992. pp. 115 and 118–119.

237. Wilson 1992, pp. 116–117; Pestell 2012, pp. 79–80.

238. Pestell 2012, p. 80.

239. Pestell 2012, pp. 80–81.

240. Pestell 2011, p. 84.

241. Pestell 2011, p. 81.

242. Pluskowski 2011, p. 770.

243. Pluskowski 2011, pp. 770–771.

244. Blair 2011, p. 729.

245. Adams 2015, p. 19.

246. Ewing (2008:83)

247. Petterson, David C. Hostile Witnesses: Rescuing the History of Witchcraft from the Writings of Scholars andChurchmen. David C. Petterson. Petterson cites Halitgar's Penitential, II.22, as in Die Altenglische Version desHalitgar'schen Bussbuches, ed. Raith, p29; quoted in North, Richard, Heathen Gods in Old English Literature,Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1997 , p276.

248. Wilson 1992. p. 103.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathen_Gods_in_Old_English_Literature

249. Wilson 1992. pp. 103–107.

250. Wilson 1992. pp. 108–112.

251. Wilson 1992. pp. 112–115.

252. Welch 2011, p. 863.

253. Fell 1995, p. 18.

254. Tom Shippey, Tolkien and Iceland: The Philology of Envy (2002).

255. Branston 1957. p. 27.

256. Kemble 1849.

257. Ackerman 1855. p. vii.

258. Doyle White 2014, p. 302.

259. Doyle White 2014, p. 303.

Adams, Noël (2015). "Between Myth and Reality: Hunter and Prey in Early Anglo-Saxon Art". InMichael D. J. Bintley and Thomas T. J. Williams (eds.). Representing Beasts in EarlyMedieval England and Scandinavia. Woodbridge: Boydell. pp. 13–52. ISBN 978-1783270088.

Arnold, C. J. (1997). An Archaeology of the Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (new ed.). London andNew York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415156363.

Bintley, Michael D. J. (2015). Trees in the Religions of Early Medieval England. Anglo-SaxonStudies 26. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-989-7.

Blair, John (1995). "Anglo-Saxon Pagan Shrines and their Prototypes". Anglo-Saxon Studies inArchaeology and History. 8: 1–28.

——— (2000). The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 9780192854032.

——— (2005). The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199211173.

——— (2011). "The Archaeology of Religion". In Helena Hamerow, David A. Hinton, and SallyCrawford (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press. pp. 727–741. ISBN 978-0199212149.

——— (2013). "Holy Beams: Anglo-Saxon Cult Sites and the Place-Name Element Bēam". InMichael D. J. Bintley and Michael G. Shapland (eds.). Trees and Timber in the Anglo-Saxon World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 186–210. ISBN 978-0-19-968079-5.

Branston, Brian (1957). The Lost Gods of England. London: Thames and Hudson.

Carver, Martin (2010). "Agency, Intellect and the Archaeological Agenda". In Martin Carver, AlexSanmark, and Sarah Semple (eds.). Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-SaxonPaganism Revisited. Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books. pp. 1–20. ISBN 978-1-84217-395-4.

Carver, Martin; Sanmark, Alex; Semple, Sarah (2010). "Preface". In Martin Carver, Alex Sanmark,and Sarah Semple (eds.). Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon PaganismRevisited. Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books. pp. ix–x. ISBN 978-1-84217-395-4.

Campbell, James (2007). "Some Considerations on Religion in Early England". In Martin Henigand Tyler Jo Smith (eds.). Collectanea Antiqua: Essays in Memory of Sonia ChadwickHawkes. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. pp. 67–73. ISBN 978-1-4073-0108-2.

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Cusack, Carole M. (1998). Conversion among the Germanic Peoples. London and New York:Cassell. ISBN 978-0304701551.

Doyle White, Ethan (2014). "The Goddess Frig: Reassessing an Anglo-Saxon Deity".Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural. 3 (2): 284–310.doi:10.5325/preternature.3.2.0284. JSTOR 10.5325/preternature.3.2.0284.

Dunn, Marilyn (2009). The Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons c.597–c.700: Discourses of Life,Death and Afterlife. London and New York: Continuum.

Ellis Davidson, Hilda (1992). "Human Sacrifice in the Late Pagan Period in North WesternEurope". In Martin Carver (ed.). The Age of Sutton Hoo: The Seventh Century in North-Western Europe. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. pp. 331–340.

Fell, C. E. (1995). "Paganism in Beowulf: A Semantic Fairy-Tale". In T. Hofstra, L. A. J. R.Houwen, and A. A. MacDonald (eds.). Pagans and Christians: The Interplay BetweenChristian Latin and Traditional Germanic Cultures in Early Medieval Europe. Groningen:Egbert Forsten. pp. 9–34. ISBN 9069800764.

Gelling, Margaret (1961). "Place-Names and Anglo-Saxon Paganism". University of BirminghamHistorical Journal. 8: 7–25.

Herbert, Kathleen (1994). Looking for the Lost Gods of England. Hockwold-cum-Wilton: Anglo-Saxon Books. ISBN 1-898281-04-1.

Hooke, Della (2010). Trees in Anglo-Saxon England. Woodbridge: Boydell. ISBN 9781843835653.

Hutton, Ronald (1991). The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy.Oxford and Cambridge: Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-17288-8.

——— (2013). Pagan Britain. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-197716.

Jesch, Judith (2004). "Scandinavians and 'Cultural Paganism' in Late Anglo-Saxon England". InPaul Cavill (ed.). The Christian Tradition in Anglo-Saxon England: Approaches to CurrentScholarship and Teaching. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. pp. 55–68. ISBN 978-0859918411.

——— (2011). "The Norse Gods in England and the Isle of Man". In Daniel Anlezark (ed.). Myths,Legends, and Heroes: Essays on Old Norse and Old English Literature. Toronto: Universityof Toronto Press. pp. 11–24. ISBN 978-0802099471.

Jolly, Karen Louise (1996). Popular Religion in Late Saxon England: Elf Charms in Context.Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807845653.

Meaney, Audrey (1966). "Woden in England: A Reconsideration of the Evidence". Folklore. 77 (2):105–115. doi:10.1080/0015587x.1966.9717037. JSTOR 1258536.

——— (1970). "Æthelweard, Ælfric, the Norse Gods and Northumbria". Journal of ReligiousHistory. 6 (2): 105–132. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9809.1970.tb00557.x.

——— (1995). "Pagan English Sanctuaries, Place-Names and Hundred Meeting-Places". Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History. 8: 29–42.

——— (1999). "Paganism". In Michael Lapidge, John Blair, Simon Keynes, and Donald Scragg(eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford and Malden:Blackwell. pp. 351–352. ISBN 978-0631155652.

North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress. ISBN 978-0521551830.



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https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/preternature.3.2.0284




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https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1467-9809.1970.tb00557.x





Owen, Gale R. (1985). Rites and Religions of the Anglo-Saxons. Not specified: Dorset Press.ISBN 978-0715377598.

Page, R. I. (1995). "Anglo-Saxon Paganism: The Evidence of Bede". In T. Hofstra, L. A. J. R.Houwen, and A. A. MacDonald (eds.). Pagans and Christians: The Interplay BetweenChristian Latin and Traditional Germanic Cultures in Early Medieval Europe. Groningen:Egbert Forsten. pp. 99–129. ISBN 9069800764.

Pestell, Tim (2012). "Paganism in Early-Anglo-Saxon East Anglia". In T. A. Heslop, ElizabethMellings, and Margit Thøfner. Art, Faith and Place in East Anglia: From Prehistory to thePresent. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 66–87.

Pluskowski, Aleks (2011). "The Archaeology of Paganism". In Helena Hamerow, David A. Hinton,and Sally Crawford (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology. Oxford:Oxford University Press. pp. 764–778. ISBN 978-0199212149.

Pollington, Stephen (2011). The Elder Gods: The Otherworld of Early England. Little Downham,Cambs.: Anglo-Saxon Books. ISBN 978-1-898281-64-1.

Price, Neil (2010). "Heathen Songs and Devil's Games". In Martin Carver, Alex Sanmark, andSarah Semple (eds.). Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited.Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books. pp. xiii–xvi. ISBN 978-1-84217-395-4.

Reynolds, Andrew (1996). "Anglo-Saxon human sacrifice at Cuddesdon and Sutton Hoo?".Papers from the Institute of Archaeology. 7. pp. 23–30. doi:10.5334/pia.97.

——— (2002). "Burials, Boundaries and Charters in Anglo-Saxon England: A Reassessment". InSam Lucy and Andrew Reynolds (eds.). Burial in Early Medieval England and Wales. TheSociety for Medieval Archaeology Monograph Series 17. London: The Society for MedievalArchaeology. pp. 171–194. ISBN 978-1902653655.

Ryan, J. S. (1963). "Othin in England: Evidence from the Poetry for a Cult of Woden in Anglo-Saxon England". Folklore. 74 (3): 460–480. JSTOR i253798.

Semple, Sarah (1998). "A Fear of the Past: The Place of the Prehistoric Burial Mound in theIdeology of Middle and Later Anglo-Saxon England". World Archaeology. 30 (1): 109–126.doi:10.1080/00438243.1998.9980400.

——— (2007). "Defining the OE hearg: A preliminary archaeological and topographic examinationof hearg place names and their hinterlands". Early Medieval Europe. 15 (4): 364–385.doi:10.1111/j.1468-0254.2007.00212.x.

——— (2010). "In the Open Air". In Martin Carver, Alex Sanmark, and Sarah Semple (eds.).Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited. Oxford and Oakville:Oxbow Books. pp. 21–48. ISBN 978-1-84217-395-4.

Shaw, Philip A. (2002). Uses of Wodan: The Development of his Cult and of Medieval LiteraryResponses to It (PDF) (Doctoral thesis). University of Leeds.

——— (2011). Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World: Eostre, Hreda and the Cult ofMatrons. London: Bristol Classical Press. ISBN 9780715637975.

Simpson, Jacqueline (1967). "Some Scandinavian Sacrifices". Folklore. 78 (3): 190–202.doi:10.1080/0015587x.1967.9717093. JSTOR 1258184.

Stanley, Eric Gerald (2000). Imagining the Anglo-Saxon Past: The Search for Anglo-SaxonPaganism and Anglo-Saxon Trial by Jury. Cambridge: D. S Brewer. ISBN 978-0859915885.












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https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1468-0254.2007.00212.x



http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/393/1/uk_bl_ethos_270854.pdf




https://doi.org/10.1080%2F0015587x.1967.9717093





Historical texts

Bede (c. 731). Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People).

Books

Ackerman, John Yonge (1855). Remains of Pagan Saxondom. London: John Russel Smith.

Atkinson, John C. (1891). Forty Years in a Moorland Parish.

Chaney, William A. (1970). The Cult of Kingship in Anglo-Saxon England: The Transition from Paganism toChristianity. California: University of California Press.

Ewing, Thor (2008). Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic World. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3590-6.

Griffiths, Bill (1996). Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Magic. Anglo-Saxon Books. ISBN 1-898281-33-5.

Hutton, Ronald (1996). The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. New York: Oxford UniversityPress.

Jones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (1995). A History of Pagan Europe. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-09136-5.

Macleod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006). Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-205-4.

Kemble, John (1849). The Saxons in England Vol. I. London.

Academic Articles

Crawford, Sally (2004). "Votive Deposition, Religion and the Anglo-Saxon Furnished Burial Ritual". WorldArchaeology. 36 (1): 87–102. doi:10.1080/0043824042000192641.

Halsall, Guy (1989). "Anthropology and the Study of Pre-Conquest Warfare and Society: The Ritual War in Anglo-Saxon England". In Hawkes. Weapons and Warfare in Anglo-Saxon England.

Wormald, Patrick (1983). "Bede, Bretwaldas and the Origins of the Gens Anglorum". In Wormald, Patrick. Ideal andReality in Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Society. Oxford.

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Stenton, F. M. (1941). "The Historical Bearing of Place-Name Studies: Anglo-Saxon Heathenism".Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 23: 1–24. doi:10.2307/3678653.JSTOR 3678653.

——— (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (third ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-821716-1.

Tolley, Clive (2013). "What is a 'World Tree', and Should We Expect to Find One Growing in Anglo-Saxon England?". In Michael D. J. Bintley and Michael G. Shapland (eds.). Trees andTimber in the Anglo-Saxon World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 177–185.ISBN 978-0-19-968079-5.

Welch, Martin (2011). "Pre-Christian Practices in the Anglo-Saxon World". In Timothy Insoll (ed.).The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress. pp. 863–876. ISBN 978-0-19-923244-4.

Wilson, David (1992). Anglo-Saxon Paganism. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-01897-8.

Wood, Ian N. (1995). "Pagan Religions and Superstitions East of the Rhine from the Fifth to theNinth Century". In G. Ausenda (ed.). After Empire: Towards an Ethnology of Europe'sBarbarians. Woodbridge: Boydell. pp. 253–279. ISBN 978-0-85115-853-2.

Wormald, Patrick (1978). "Bede, Beowulf and the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxon Aristocracy". InR. T. Farrell (ed.). Bede and Anglo-Saxon England. British Archaeological Reports, BritishSeries. 46. Oxford. pp. 39–90.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yonge_Akerman

https://books.google.com/books?id=18IOAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christopher_Atkinson

https://books.google.com/books?id=igshAAAAMAAJ



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Griffiths



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Hutton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Pennick



https://books.google.com/?id=hx7UigqsTKoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mitchell_Kemble


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https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anglo-Saxon_paganism&oldid=841286549


https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3678653













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Odinism

EnglishEtymologyNoun

Synonyms

Related termsSee alsoFurther readingAnagrams

Odin + -ism

Odinism (uncountable)

1. Heathenry, Germanic neopaganism, especially a variety devoted to the Norse pantheon.

Wodenism

OdinOdinicOdinist

Wotanism (pro-Aryan racial variant)Asatru

Odinic Rite

Contents

English

Etymology

Noun

Synonyms

Related terms

See also

Further reading

Anagrams

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Odin#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ism#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#uncountable

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Heathenry

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Germanic

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neopaganism

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Norse

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wodenism#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Odin#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Odinic#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Odinist#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wotanism#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Asatru#English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odinic_Rite

diosmin, moinids

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Odinism&oldid=46133073"

This page was last edited on 8 June 2017, at 17:32.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using thissite, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/diosmin#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moinids#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Odinism&oldid=46133073

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/



Wodenism

EnglishEtymologyNounAnagrams

Woden + -ism

Wodenism (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of Odinism

misowned, windsome

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Wodenism&oldid=47359825"

This page was last edited on 29 August 2017, at 03:41.


Contents

English

Etymology

Noun

Anagrams

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Woden#English



https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Odinism#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misowned#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/windsome#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Wodenism&oldid=47359825




Wotanism

EnglishEtymologyNounAnagrams

From German Wotan (“Odin” ) + -ism.

Wotanism (uncountable)

1. A pro-Aryan racial religion promulgated by David Lane.

womanist

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Wotanism&oldid=46848682"

This page was last edited on 25 June 2017, at 10:15.


Contents

English

Etymology

Noun

Anagrams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wotan#German



https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pro-

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Aryan

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/racial

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lane_(white_nationalist)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/womanist#English

https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Wotanism&oldid=46848682




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