Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

[Munin-Hugin]

As the title suggests, I'm curious to see just to what extent you take your beliefs, when it comes to mythology and folklore. As a Heathen, you could expect me to believe in the Aesir, Vanir, and Jotun, as well as ancestral spirits and wights. Along the same lines, I would expect s Christian to believe in Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary, and the saints, as well as angels and (possibly) demons.

Now, all the basics aside, how much further do you take it? For example, I have faith in the existence of the huldufolk, trolls, draugr, and all the various other beings.

So, how about you?

[Malflick]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

I think folklore is really important to understanding religion. I mean, so much of what any person believes is something that is going to be "outside the text" so to speak, even if that religion doesn't have one big canonical text.

For example, I treat "the Book of Enoch" as being canonical, as well as the Gospel of Thomas, when those aren't official. Lots of stuff in religion is built on what a culture needs or discovers, and so religion changes and sways. I think its all pretty malleable.

[Sean R. R.]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Satanism doesn't have much folklore. As contact between satanic folks is fairly limited. Or that we don't care about folklore. We just care about our individual experiences for the most part. And that depends on the Satanist.

[Malflick]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Satanism doesn't have much folklore. As contact between satanic folks is fairly limited. Or that we don't care about folklore. We just care about our individual experiences for the most part. And that depends on the Satanist.

I'd say that your beliefs derive a lot from folklore though, not folklore you invented but folklore that was still created outside of a religious canon.

Not trying to be ornery or anything. I've just noticed a lot of (theistic) Satanist beliefs are pulled from folklore traditions.

[Sean R. R.]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

WOAH I am SO offended! The hell man! That's completely atrocious. Are you like... Satan...racist? Satanracist? Jesus, man.

/sarcasm
For some/most satanist, perhaps you're right. But my beliefs are for the most part information confirmed or refuted by personal experience. Since it's my personal experience that decides what I believe, and not what grimoires or sites say, I'd say I'm for the most part not concerned with the folklore created outside my own experiences.

I don't believe something 'till I see it :P

[Malflick]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

WOAH I am SO offended! The hell man! That's completely atrocious. Are you like... Satan...racist? Satanracist? Jesus, man.

/sarcasm
For some/most satanist, perhaps you're right. But my beliefs are for the most part information confirmed or refuted by personal experience. Since it's my personal experience that decides what I believe, and not what grimoires or sites say, I'd say I'm for the most part not concerned with the folklore created outside my own experiences.

I don't believe something 'till I see it :P

Ah, I see what you mean, gotcha! Thanks for explaining that.

[Medusa]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Oh I love everything Satan. All the lores! His fall. His contracts. His singing on backward tracks of Ozzy. It's very entertaining.

[Malflick]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Oh I love everything Satan. All the lores! His fall. His contracts. His singing on backward tracks of Ozzy. It's very entertaining.

Honestly, I feel like he doesn't have a very good vocal range, he should have stuck to guitar.

[Torey]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

I have a different perspective on "folklore" than I have on "mythology", especially within the context of religion.

I don't feel that "folklore" necessarily has to have anything at all to do with religion - mine or anyone else's. In fact, when I think of folklore, I don't think of religion at all. So we would first need to clarify which folklore is being talked about. Louisiana folklore? Southern U.S. folklore? Old wives' tales? Folklore of the various Jewish peoples?

Because all of these kinds of folklore mean something to me and I draw inspiration from them and even incorporate some folkloric practices into my personal spiritual or simply meaningful and inspiring beliefs.

[thalassa]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

I don't believe that mythology is meant to be literal, nor do I believe in any entities of folklore. I do believe that there are phenomenon that we don't have a good method (or even acceptance) of inquiry for and therefor lack any real "answers" to, but I am of the opinion that those things have very mundane explainations. I think that what we think of as "magic" isn't supernatural, but psychological and (maybe) physics.

I also think that makes everything way more interesting than faeries, elves, and whatnot could ever be.

[Medusa]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

I think I take folklore more from my heritage than my religion. I bet if you think about it, so do many of you. It's just part of my upbringing.

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Folklore, religion, and mythology are often GREATLY entwined, depending upon where you are from, what stories you learn growing up, and also the faith of those who had a hand in raising you.

For example, in Jewish folklore, there exists the concept of a golem that could be created magically by a powerful rabbi for the purpose of protecting the faith. While many of the Jews that I have known simply view the legends of such much as just stories (at least, those who even know about it), there have been a select few whose parents and grandparents spoke of this as truth, a verbal history handed down throughout the generations.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

I believe in the gods, of course, and in spirits of the land, the ancestors's spirits, and things of a spiritual or supra-mundane nature. Those are integral to my faith. But as far as things like trolls and other fantastical creatures, I'm not so sure. I don't believe they are integral to my faith, and are indeed simply folklore from a certain time and age. Nowadays we have Bigfoot, Skunk Ape, Mothman, and such. I think they are the folk bugaboos of our day.

[Carlin]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

There are lots of stories about the Cailleach and Bride, and I treasure them all. But to me they're just that, stories. I think people made them up to explain the world around them. I'm not a hard polytheist, the Cailleach is a personification in the same way, so is Bride. They're part of the divine and the folklore is part of them.

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Folklore and Religion: How Far Does Your Faith Go?

Now, this is totally connected, at least in my way of thinking.

Why is it that people will readily believe in ghosts, aliens, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, gods, angels, demons, devils, saints, and so forth, but the moment you mention fairies, trolls, and elves they become skeptics?

People think nothing of walking into a church, praying to an angel or a saint, dropping a few bucks into an offering box, and lighting a candle with the hopes of getting some sort of result.

Is that really so much different than standing by a certain tree, making a request, then leaving behind a bowl of milk, some biscuits, or a thimbleful of ale so that the local fae would take notice and respond?