--- In norse_course@..., Dan Bray <dbray@...> wrote:
> Heill Konrad!
> Something interesting I came across in Landnámabók is the
word "brandr", which can mean the beak of a ship used as an ornament
before the door of a household. This bears at least a superficial
similarity to the totem pole, and seems to perform a similar
function, not just to represent the family, but also to announce it
to passers-by, even at considerable distance (ie. for those
travelling by on the sea - most totem poles are found in coastal
villages with a view to the sea). I've seen quite few of these,
having grown up in Vancouver. There is indeed a considerable
geological and climatological similarity between the Pacific
Northwest and Scandinavia, and I think this has led to many
similarities between the peoples of both areas, as they adapted to
this environment.
I agree with you about the manifold similarities between the Norse
and the Natives of the Pacific Northwest. I once took a class on the
Natives of this culture region and read several books on the subject
to boot. The similarities are too many to mention.
> Of course, if "Götuskeggjar" is just meant to mean "the men of
Gata", then the musings on the "beard" meaning may be moot... ;)
Perhaps, but the Norse word "skegg" appears to be a ja-stem with an
umlauted root-syllable, thus suggesting a close relationship between
it and "skeggjar". Also, I don´t believe that "skeggjar" can refer
to females. "Skeggjar" appears to refer to the "bearded" sex.
> Having studied the Indo-European material extensively, I feel that
I must make a point here. While the Nordic peoples are certainly
heirs of Indo-European language, culture and religion (at least
until the Conversion), there is no case for the idea that they are
Indo-European by blood.
Hmmm....While they are certainly not entirely Indo-Euro, I think
that a strong case can be made that they are at least partly so. I
don´t see how the Norse could be heirs to Indo-European language,
culture or religion without at least some ancestors from this group.
They are certainly a mixed race of sorts.
> Considerable work has been done in the field of genetics (notably
by Cavalli-Sforza and others), that shows that any Indo-European
input into the genetic composition of Europeans is negligable at
best. Fully half of the modern population of Europe is more or less
directly descended from the very first (Cro-Magnon, or early modern
human - as opposed to Neanderthal) settlers of Europe, from about 40-
50 000 years ago, according to studies of mitochondrial DNA.
I have no objection to this type of research or to its conclusions.
While I am not a geneticist, I have nevertheless long been of the
opinion that Europeans have very little of the "Indo" in the term
"Indo-European". Also, if you compare the mythologies of the Greeks
and Romans to that of the Aryans (that is to say - the Zoroastrians
and the Hindus), then what the Indian scholars have been shouting
into our deaf western ears all along becomes painfully appearant:
the Greco-Roman peoples are NOT Aryans and do NOT share a common
religious or cultural history with the people of India. One Indian
linguist put it this way: the comparison starts and ends with the IE
sky-father (dyaus pitar, zeus (pater), jupitar, tíwaR (faðaR), etc.)
All this says is that a lot of us have some "Indo-Euro" ancestors
and that they believed in some kind of "sky-father". Also, I think
that the Indian scholars of the Bharat independence movement would
have been quick to add: "You cronies of the British Raj are in NO
way heirs to our ancestral Arya Dharma (the Religion of the Aryans),
however much you may envy us for having preserved intact our ancient
birthright - to be the ONLY Aryan people of the ONLY Aryan faith).
While such an expression may sound extreme and reveals the fighting
spirit behind the independence movement, it is also not far from the
truth in my humble opinion.
The Aryan myth dies hard even today (not that I'm accusing you of
perpetuating this), if one thinks about it in purely biological
terms, physical features like fair skin, which is an adaptation to
an environent with lower levels of direct sunlight, are more likely
to appear in populations that have been in that environment longer
and have had more time (in terms of generations) to adapt to it.
To be perfectly honest with you or anyone else who may question
where I stand in relation the above mentioned "Aryan myth", I will
try to be perfectly clear: this "myth" is absurd and offensive. The
term "Aryan" has nothing whatsoever to do with physical features. It
is an Indian word that refers to members of a religion and culture
called by the very same name. Europeans were neither called by this
name nor are they heirs to the heritage that it represents.
This means that that Indo-Europeans (or Aryans as they were called
not too long ago), as relative newcomers (about 4-6000 years,
according to best estimates), are least likely to have possessed
these traits. A tangential point, but one I felt had to be made.
I suspect that you and I share some common perspectives in these
complicated matters.
> It is indeed true that modern Western culture owes more to Israel
and Rome, but for what it's worth, Rome was an Indo-European
culture, too, although influenced by non-Indo-European cultures
(notably Etruscan and later Christian, and many others from around
the old Empire). Everywhere Christianity was imported, it was
influenced to a certain degree by the native culture, and in the
Germanic world, this can be seen by works like the Heliand, which
turns traditional Christian narratives into something resembling
saga literature, and the figure of Jesus into one of the old
Heathen heroes.
Yes, I think you are right about this.
> Today, only religions such as Hinduism (and its offshoots Buddhism
and Jainism) and Zoroastrianism can claim continuity from Indo-
European antiquity. Although they have developed in different
directions, I think they can offer much towards understanding the
old Heathen ways.
Yes, precisely - "ONLY religions such as..." - I agree. I would be
the first to agree with my Indian friends on this point. NOT in the
Indian fold of faiths? Well, then you´re NOT an Aryan. What, you
BURY your dead like the Muslims and the Jews? You´re definitely NOT
and Aryan in that case. One Indian commentator put it this way:
Cremation by fire and faith is to the Aryan what circumcision by
water and knife is to the Judeo-Christo-Islamic peoples.
Although not
> everyone these days grows up as a Christian, we are indeed raised
in a culture heavily mediated by Christianity, which makes a real
understanding of Heathenism difficult, but not impossible. Language
goes a long way towards understanding the cultural conceptions
underpinning old Heathen culture. Thanks to the efforts of some,
year by year it is becoming more and more intelligible to more and
more people. :)
Yes, precisely. We are making slow, but steady progress. Even those
Scandinavian scholars who wrote no more than a generation ago now
appear hopelessly out of touch. This is, of course, not their fault.
We still owe many of them great respect. While the best ones did NOT
claim to be Christian, and sometimes even pointed to what they felt
were superior beauties and conceptions in the "old faith", they were
nevertheless mired in Judeo-Christian conceptions. "Heathenism" was
described in relation to Christianity, not in relation to any creed
which ACTUALLY stands in relation to "Heathenism". Then suddenly the
dam broke and the rest is history. Interestingly enough, not a few
Indians have also taken an interest in the recently rediscovered
lost branch of their sacred ancestral tree. The Zoroastrian and the
Hindu knew that they were brothers and that whatever differences
they had were meaningless compared to what they had in common: faith
in the supreme Asura (of the Veda) or the supreme Ahura (of the
Avesta), the Bright Eternal One whom the Powers serve like little
children, and by whose Perfect Law all things turn. And then a new
voice was heard saying: "Hjálpi mér svá Freyr ok Njörðr ok Áss inn
Almáttki". The brothers froze in silence and one turned to the other
and asked: "Did you hear what I think I just heard?" And the other
replied: "Yes, I think so." Then they remembered that according to
the ancient histories one brother had left for the West long ago. He
had raven-black hair and golden skin. He became a priest in a far
off land where the true faith was unknown. The Truth became known in
the Baltics and in Scandinavia. The few who listened discovered the
Eternal Life.....and the last words of the ancient prayer could be
heard as their funeral pyres blazed..."auk SaR Allmahtíga AnsuR"...
>
> Just my tveir penningar worth...
Þetta voru gildir penningar. Thank you for the interesting insights.
Regards,
Konrad.
> Dan
> "Nobody believes the official spokesman... but everybody trusts an
> unidentified source." Ron Nesen
No one to question? No questions asked.