Gnosis Diary: Life as a Heathen
My personal experiences, including religious and spiritual experiences, community interaction, general heathenry, and modern life on my heathen path, which is Asatru.
Asatru FAQ: Bad Ancestors
FAQ: I want to be a good heathen and honor ancestors but my ancestors were bad people. Who can I honor?
Related FAQ: I'm going to be attending a sumbel in which there will be a round toasted to the ancestors, but I was adopted and don't know my ancestors' names. Who can I honor?
My answer: One can honor Askr and Embla, the first man and woman according to heathen mythology (made by Odin and his brothers.) One could also honor any gods that appear in one's family tree. According to heathen mythology, everyone is descended from Rig, whom most Asatruars consider to be an aspect of Heimdall, thus, anyone could honor Heimdall. There might also be other gods one could include among ancestors, depending on one's family line. I have honored Lollus as an ancestor.
You don't have to honor your literal biological ancestors to be a good heathen. When the sumbel horn is passed in the ancestor round, you can honor the mighty dead whom you admire whether you are lineally related to them or not. You can honor your personal heroes, the elders of your path, a writer who influenced you-- that's my personal hope of ever being remembered, since I have no children. You can honor the founders of your nation, city, profession, or art. Honor your spouse's ancestors. Toast your favorite childhood teacher, the composer of your favorite song, or anyone with whom you have an emotional connection.
Also, any time you are at a sumbel or other toasting ceremony, when the horn is passed to you, you don't have to toast and drink if you have nothing to say. You can just kiss the horn and pass it on.
Image: drinking horn on hardanger embroidery cloth, photo by Erin Lale
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Victoria Wednesday, 14 August 2019 ·
I honour the mothers and fathers of my ancestral lineage. Heathens get too wrapped up in individual ancestors when it seems that collective ancestors were honoured; examples being the Germanic Matronae, the Norse Disir and the Anglo-Saxon Mothers'. I don't believe you need to know or even like individual ancestors to raise a glass to your deceased kin as a group, they are after all your blood.
Eventhough Rigr is sited in Rígsþula as progenitor of the social classes there is no evidence of a cult dedicated to Rigr as an ancestor of any of the three social classes. With the exception of the lineage lists of kings gods don't appear in family trees.
Totally agree with honouring heroes but not as ancestors, I pesonally honour Penda as a hero but would not be comfortable raising a glass to him as an ancestor.