
Originally Posted by
Maythe
You have some very good points and I think they point to a problem I've long pondered in Heathenry (and maybe the other historically based Paganisms too?) that the 'lore' and academic texts are difficult for a lot of people, and impossible for some, and these aren't people who should necessarily be excluded from Heathenry - after all our ancestors weren't all 'academic' either. The problem with the 101 texts remains though and surely leads to a whole lot of unlearning needing doing, and in some cases never happening but I don't know how we fix that in a situation where most people make their first steps alone, or only with online friends.
In ancient days no doubt it worked mostly through storytelling, and in some cases it can still work that way. My kindred and other local friends back in Essex had some lively storytelling events; they work to inform people of the myths, get them interested and they act as social glue too. There were almost always stories told at our blots and we had a few attendees who really didn't know very much at all and so they went away with a better understanding than they came with. I guess I'm arguing for more social connection (frith building ftw) instead of book knowledge for both newbies and those who are always going to open a copy of Beowulf and back away slowly. Unfortunately the loneliness of many modern Heathens is a problem there (myself included, having moved away from my kindred, stupid woman). As a grouchy, introverted misanthrope it can be easy to go 'bah! I don't need people' but sumble just isn't the same (is it even sumble alone?) without others there.
Huh this got a bit off track.
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