*ravens cawing*
*wind blowing*
*guitar music*
*melancholic music atmosphere*
*deep slow singing*
*dark atmosphere and music continues*
Hello my dear friends, how are you?
My name is Arith Härger and today I'm going to talk about the Cult of the Ancestors
Now, this is by far the longest video I've ever done
Just pretend you are in a class room, attending a lecture, or a documentary
Because this is such as extensive video
I have divided this into 4 parts
The first part is, what exactly are the ancestors? Why honouring them?
The 2nd part is about the Cult of the Ancestors
I will give you a couple of examples from other cultures and then I'll focus on the Germanic and Norse traditions, making comparisons
The 3rd part is about the concept of honouring the ancestors
And the 4th part and final is about how you can apply all of this information into modern heathenry
and the general approaches of heathenry towards the ancestors and a couple of easy activities you can do to honour your ancestors in modern times
Also, just one other quick point
This video was requested by one of my Patrons, Mr. Colin Paterson, thank you so much my dear friend
Don't worry, I won't waste time in explaining how you can become my patron and how you can request a video about a specific subject
I will leave down below in the description all you need to know about that
So with no more delay, let's get started my dear friends
Let's start by trying to understand what exactly are the ancestors in the Norse pagan view
In the Norse paganism there are many ways to come in contact and honour the dead
although the information about this specific cult can either be vague
or there are so many concepts, ideas and suppositions that it gets confusing
Honouring and worshipping the Ancestors was an important part in the religious life of the preChristian cultures
It wasn't something limited to Norse, Germanic and Celtic cultures
it was a very important practice in every pagan background
The dead remained in the community's collective memory long after they were gone
and their resting places served as landmarks to reinforce the continuation of their memory for ages to come
It was believed that in such places the dead resided and were able to apply blessings and advise upon the land and the people they left behind
The blessings upon the land were often in the form of fertility, which was greatly needed in every farming field
If we think about it, it's actually pretty obvious why this connection to fertility - the decaying of the body nourishing the earth
Take the case of the god Freyr himself
It is said he was once the King of the Swedes, and upon his death they buried him at Uppsala to ensure the continuation of the fertility of the land
For as long as he was there, there would always be peace and prosperity
Or take the case of King Halfdan, whose reign was one of peace and plenty, a very prosperous time
Upon his death many were those who wanted to bury him in the districts belonging to his domains to ensure good fortune
So they divided his body, literally, and buried him in different districts, and so everyone was happy to have his blessings all over the place
The cult of the Ancestors wasn't just a cult dedicated to mythical ancestors, such as gods, land spirits, or unknown family members
The cult was extended to all of the dead, especially the ones we met and saw them depart
In the Norse case, generally, the dead family members were buried in the farm
Sometimes in a single grave for one specific individual or a collective grave, burial mound
The ancestors were kept nearby because the main belief was that they did not actually die, they did not cease to live
and their spiritual forms remained
Death was seen as a passage to a new stage of existence, so people didn't simply ceased to exist
They would live underground, literally, and their tombs, burial mounds were the physical point used to contact with them
It was the boundary between two realities, the world of the living and the spiritual world
This is why in the Celtic culture burial mounds were seen as literally being gateways to the underworld
n prehistoric times, all the way to the Bronze Age and certain cultural pockets of the Iron Age
the underworld was literally the earth beneath our feet
The dead didn't go to some unreachable place, they were right here with us, which facilitated contacting with them
And why would we want to contact with the dead?
Because the dead were a source of wisdom
The type of dead-related pagan practices of our ancestors had a heavy percentage of what we could call, nowadays, as necromancy
Meaning, there was a lot of religious activities centred on the dead, working with the dead, spending time with the dead
and actually have physical proximity with the dead to the point of actually be in contact with them
This doesn't mean our ancestors were only focused on the dead and every religious activity was dedicated to the dead
No . . .
there were loads of religious activities in all sorts of fields and for different purposes, there was a balance
but without a doubt our ancestors were much more in contact with the dead then we do nowadays
which leads us to wrongly believe they were only concerned with the dead
The dead were not only a source of wisdom
but also a source of fertility and abundance
Developing healthy relationships with them,
honouring them, keeping them happy and sharing with them our experiences and keeping them present in our daily affairs,
helped to strengthen the bonds between the living and the dead family members
both in a material way and spiritually
The cult of the Ancestors did not belong to the Cult of the Gods
Certainly, in the Norse religious mind the gods were the ancestors of mankind
but when it comes to honouring, worshiping, venerating
the Gods are gods and the Ancestors are the Ancestors
In the life of the ancient pagans, honouring the dead wasn't of less importance then honouring the gods
If anything, archaeologically speaking, the further north you go in the European continent at least
the better you can perceive that in a lot of cases the cult of the ancestors was much more active and more frequent than the cult of any deity
Because the ancestors were the ones with a greater link to the living
they had been literally the people who created us, gave birth to us
and a very strong and direct link was maintained
And this is reflected on the idea of Fate and Destiny, Orlog and Wyrd
The past cannot be changed
We cannot change who gave birth to us, we cannot change the ancestral line of our people, and the past inevitably will affect our lives
We will always carry with us our ancestors, no matter how good or bad they were
they are part of our bloodline and that is an unbreakable connection
This is why the ancestors were much more praised then the gods
because family members were more likely to help you because they lived in and with you
The Ancestors, in the everyday life of the ancient pagans, were even more important than the gods themselves
It all goes down to this simple thought:
Who are the people who care more about you?
Your parents, grandparents, your children? or the king, queen, president of your country?
This same thought was applied to the relationship our pagan ancestors had with the spiritual world
There are those in it who care more about you than the others
We are all aware that we have come here into this world because of our Ancestors, and we would not even exist without them
But the worship of the Ancestors was not just for our own gain, our own private wishes, and solely for our own benefit
The cult of the Ancestors was about exchanging something with them
Practically the same thing as with the gods
We give something and they give something else back to us
Exchange of gifts to strengthen the bounds of friendship and it's beneficial for both sides
This is when we have to enter in the complex understanding of the spiritual-self
which I will make a video solely about it, the parts of the self
but for now suffice to say that we give to our ancestors what is called the mægen, and they give it back
It is the strength, the force, power, vitality, our own essence given to the ancestors and they give their mægen to us
because it's with that force, that ancestral essence that we gain enthusiasm and strength to do what we must do to survive in this world
It is a circle created between us and the spirits
and this circle maintains the stability of your family, kindred, clan or tribe
So it's not about asking for money, for a love relationship, for a house, a car, whatever
It's about asking for the force that will allow you to be physically and spiritually ready to do all it takes to get what you desire
You are asking for enthusiasm, for something that will influence your luck
for something that will empower you to become what you need to be in order to achieve all your goals, all your purposes in life
So this is what the ancestors are, spiritual entities from whom we can receive something in return for what we can give to them
They are not just memories, distant shadows of the past in some corner of our minds which falls into forgetfulness with the passing of the ages
The Cult of the Ancestors is much more than just thinking about them
They are individuals on a different stage of existence, on another reality
We are as much ghosts to them as they are to us
We are just on different spaces, but what we have in common is both existence and a link to bloodline
The Cult of the Ancestors is to give both a physical and spiritual space to our ancestors
a space in our house, and a space in our thought dedicated to them
It's keeping them close
Each one of us has one or more Ancestors who accompany us throughout life and protect us
which is often call ættarfylgja, some ancestors who follows us through life and is directly attached to our spiritual-self
To the Norse pagans there was a clear relationship between the self and the various spiritual beings that are part of the self's essence
The paganism of our ancestors had no sense of individual spirit, or no sense of duality of the self, a body and a soul
There were many parts of the self
and being aware of these parts and maintaining a close relationship with them just strengthens our relationship with the spiritual world
In the Cult of the Ancestors, people would leave offerings of food and drink that appealed to the dead
People would invoke them, tell them stories
he relationship with the dead was much like the relationships between the living
This entire cult around the ancestors was to show respect and devotion to those who came before us
Understanding that there is no barrier between life and death is an essential part of the pagan spiritual understanding
Now let's move on to the second part of this video: The Cult of the Ancestors
Many ancient cultures worshipped, honoured, maintain contact of some sort with the ancestors
but as I've said, it wasn't about venerating all the dead; only those who have reasons to worry about us and are interested in helping
In a variety of cultures we have the custom to venerate our ancestors, not necessarily as gods
although in some cultures the dead were venerated absolutely as divinities, or as beings very close to the category of the divine
that somehow achieved divinity through their deeds while in life or in death
The Cult of the Ancestors is something highly adopted by almost every culture because if we think about it,
of all the mythological and folklore beings, our dead ancestors are the ones we can say with 100% certainty that they actually existed
So even for the most sceptic the Cult of the Ancestors is more likely for them to accept than the cult of any deity or other spiritual entities
But of course you must believe in the existence of another reality beyond this one, or at the very least life after death
Let's take a look at a couple of examples
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, even before the creation of the Greco-Roman gods we know of -
before the Classical deities gained anthropomorphic shapes -
there was the family cult, the domestic worship:
the worshipping of the ancestors centred in the house, the sacred fire held within the property
keeping the fire alive and active as a source of light but also as a source of energy provided by the dead ancestors
A great feast was offered
The meal cooked in the sacred fire, and left near the tomb of the ancestor
A sacred feast only done by the relatives of the deceased - those who belonged to his domestic cult
In Rome, this cult gave rise to the cult of the Lares
often confused with the Penates (ancestral gods, associated with the sacred fire and the home) and with the Manes (ancestral spirits)
The Lares were guardian deities of the hearth-fire, the home and domestic affairs
also associated with plenty and harmony within the domestic boundaries
The Lares, much like the Germanic matronae, could be guardians of both the domestic area and of a neighbourhood
and even of the city, crossroads and paths; it was common to mix the ancestral cult with the cult of diverse protective spirits
It was common to see the Lares depicted in family altars, the Lararium
Take a close look at this example, two Lares on each side of an ancestral genius (spirit),
above a serpent, which is a symbol of fertility and prosperity
The ancestral genius carries a bowl of offerings, and is clothed with a ceremonial vestment used in sacrifice
In Portuguese, one word for home is "lar", still retaining this ancient roman cult to the ancestors
The sacred fire was later associated with the goddess Vesta, the goddess of the domestic fire, the hearth
always virgin and pure, just like the Vestal Virgins, the priestesses of Vesta who protected the sacred fire of Rome
never to let it extinguish, constantly feeding the flames to keep Rome protected and safe
The sacred fire had no impurities
Nothing considered unclean was given to it, nor impure acts were made before it
This cult of the sacred fire is also present in the Vedic religion known as Agni, meaning "fire"
This Cult and all this ideology was so strong among Greeks, Romans and even Hindus
that the land where the ancestors were buried (which was often the property of the family), the house where the ancestral fire resided,
could not be sold or passed on to third parties
This property did not belong to a single individual or the family currently residing there
but to the lineage, the bloodline of the ancestors buried in that property
and therefore it was not permitted to get rid of this property, this space where the house of the ancestors was
However, the lineage could be extinguished
The Cult of the Ancestors in ancient Rome and Greece, was a patriarchal cult, based on tracing descendants through the male line
When the women of the family were married, they abandoned their family and started to belong to the family of their husband
which means they started to belong to their husbands' family cults
But you could always adopt a male child to ensure that this cult and the property continue within the family
For as long as there were male decedents, the family cult could continue and the property belonged to them
This adoption of a male child, which was a highly religious act, is a very important aspect in the cult of the ancestors
At a certain point it did not matter the bloodline in the cult of the ancestors
What actually mattered was the bonds established with the ancestors
A person could adopt the ancestors of another family and the ancestors themselves would adopt that person as their own family member
This entire concept of a property belonging to a family because their ancestors are buried there
already comes from the early Neolithic, especially noticeable in Western Europe
The great burial mounds and dolmens were a landmark
and were the physical proof that that land belonged to someone because that someone's ancestors were buried there for many generations
And this continues to be practiced till the Bronze Age where we can clearly see there is a founding structure of the very first ancestor
and then all his/her decedents are buried around it in their own burial mounds, chambers, or the remains deposited around the founding ancestor
Now, what about the Germanic and Norse peoples?
I did not pick the Greek, Roman and Hindu examples at random
I'm sure you found a lot of similarities in there
Among the Germanic peoples it wasn't that different
It is believed that the worshipping of the ancestors took place in the home, within the property, most likely led by the patriarch of the family
who in turn passed on the family rites to his male children (especially the eldest son)
It was most likely centred on the household fire, the one made in the centre of the house
which was used both to cook food and to warm the environment -
basically it was the heart of the home
However, it's also important to take note, that to the Norse there were two main celebrations to honour the ancestors - Dísablót and Álfablót
Little is known about these celebrations because they were domestic celebrations
especially the Álfablót which consisted in a cult in honour to the dead ancestors and the spirits of the land
No one outside the family could enter the property while these rites were being held, so it was kept in secrecy
The Dísablót on the other hand, was also a public celebration, but also a domestic/private one
It was to honour the female spirits, of both the ancestors, goddesses, land spirits, etc. and this domestic cult was probably led by the matriarch of the house
We must not forget that in the Norse societies many women became the owners of their husband's properties
and could choose to be unmarried for the rest of their lives
so these domestic cults would continue within the property and it was the owner's job to continue the tradition, regardless of gender
Honouring the ancestors was to ensure the continuation of the presence of the ancestors within the property and in the family
To ensure the fertility of the land and to give a continuation to the luck belonging to that family
Luck, hamingja, travelled in the bloodline
It's a concept I shall speak about later, but suffice to say it wasn't an abstract concept, it was actually part of the self
a spiritual force residing in each individual, which was passed on by their ancestors
Which is why many children were given the name of their ancestors
it was a form of calling upon that ancestor to help the child and keep the hamingja flowing in the family
The family's good fortune, the fertility and prosperity of the family were strongly linked to the ancestors as much as they are linked to the living
The belief in the power held by the ancestors buried in a property was so strong that over the ages it gave rise to new and different types of spirits
Some folklore beings, such as the Swedish Tomte and the Norwegian Nisse, are believed to have their origins in the ancestral cult
and that they are what's left of the essence of these ancestors buried in the earth
Such creatures started to be seen as protectors of the land
Elves were often thought to protect the burial chambers and the hills where ancestors rested
So Cults around such beings were also introduced in the Cult of the Ancestors
such as honouring the Landvaettir, the land spirits
because such spirits had a direct connection with the ancestors
they resided in the same places where the ancestors rested
So also honouring such beings was being in contact with the ancestors, or rather, it was to facilitate the contact with the ancestors
Land spirits and elves occupied, in many aspects, the same role as the ancestors in the religious customs of the pre-Christian northern Europeans
Even the dwelling-places of these beings started to be associated with those of the dead
Elves were traditionally associated with the burial mounds and chambers of the dead ancestors
so sacrifices to these beings were commonly placed in the same space as that of the dead
In the saga of King Olaf the Holy, of Norway
he and his servant ride near the burial mound of the king's ancestor, Ólaf Geirstadaalfr - Olaf, the Elf of Geirstad
a title given to the king's ancestor which implies that his ancestor eventually became an Alfar, an elf
So many of the elven kind were actually ancestors who became those types of spirits
To the Norse there seems to be a clear difference between the Elves being a specific race
and Ancestor upon death being able to become Elves in the sense of spiritual entities watching over the land and offering blessings in exchange for gifts
I have already mentioned the matronae
In the ancient continental Germanic lands, in Frisia and Gaul we find hundreds of votive stones dedicated to the matronae:
the ancestal mothers, usually represented in groups of three
These entities were somehow the ancestral mothers, ancestral female spirits and goddesses
To them it was given offerings of fruits, fish and meat, and they were linked to the earth, life, birth, and fertility in general
The matronae and their cult was extended to regions, they weren't only part of the domestic cult
So naturally, there were hundreds of these local goddesses, and some of which took the names of local rivers, lakes and other landmarks in the area
or such landmarks gained those names because of the local deities residing in each specific area
These votive stones to the ancestral mother goddesses have names that go back to Germanic or Celtic peoples
but the inscriptions are in Latin
The invading romans who settled in these lands ended up adopting the local deities
So the worship of the ancestral mothers pre-dates the arrival of the Romans
In the Scandinavia panorama, as I've mentioned before, there was the cult of the dísir
the Scandinavian equivalents of the continental matronae
But unlike the Matronae, the Disir did not usually have names, and their relation to the rivers and springs disappears, although not their ancestral aspect
The Dirsir, as well as the matronae, were the protective guardians of the home and family since times immemorial
and were considered to some extent as being associated with the family's urdr - in relation to the Norns and fate
Their presence can be both positive, leading to good fortune, and negative -
there are sagas about vengeful dísir, which in some cases cause the deaths of some family members they are bound to
Just like the Germanic matronae, there is an aspect of fertility associated with the dísir, but they are also associated with war
in some places, the dísir become indistinguishable from the Valkyries (which were actually called "the dísir of Odin")
There are also points in folklore where landdísir are mentioned - female versions of the landvettir
The word dís (singular form of dísir), by itself can mean both goddess and woman
Freyja herself receives the title of Vanadís - The woman or goddess of the Vanir
And remember when I've spoken earlier about the aettarfylgja, the type of Fylgja which can be an ancestors and follows us throughout our lives
Well, this type of Fylgja is usually friendly, benign, and it's a woman
Obviously, what is implicit is the tenderness and caring factors often attributed to mothers, or to women in general
Let's move on to the 3rd part
A significant part of ancient pagan practices involved honouring the ancestors
While alive, our ancestors were people with aspirations, hopes and dreams, families and friends they loved, had successes and difficulties
and if it were not for their hard work, dedication and sacrifices, we would not be here
art of our spiritual self, the örlög, is passed on to us by our ancestors
And what we do in life will affect at some extent the fate of our own children, and that orlog will pass on to their own children, and on it goes
We share blood, culture, heritage with our ancestors, and it is through our ancestors that we find our connections with the Gods
Ancient Pagans had different ideas about where our ancestors would go upon death
ome would go into the Hall of Our Ancestors in Hel or perhaps they would just remain resting in their tombs
In the end, it doesn't really matter where they are, because what matters is the belief that our ancestors are aware of us and care for us throughout our lives
Our ancestors are still capable of giving advice and a little luck to a deserving descendant
Our ancestors are interested in us and can look after us during a difficult time
Nevertheless, we owe our ancestors our lives, and they deserve to be honoured and remembered
Many neo-pagans focus a lot on the gods, and only after a long time they develop a genuine interest in honouring their ancestors
This is probably due to the traditional religions within which many neo-pagans were raised
In our Western culture, religion revolves around honouring a god or gods
For the great majority Christianity is the religion they came from, which is a religion whose entire focus lies in worshiping its god
So it makes sense why new pagans first focus on the gods
and do not usually come to understand the importance of honouring their ancestors until they have spent some time within any Pagan branch
They are usually seeking patterns and similarities between their previous god and the old gods which are new to them
But within the pagan mind our ancestors have a direct interest in us, and in how we live our lives
They share kinship with us, so honouring them and making them proud is of great importance
So I do think it's a sort of "duty" for older pagans to teach the new pagans how to honour and give a proper value to their ancestors
because that will send them in an interesting path which might be less confusing, and from that point on they can develop the rest
This raises the question, how do we pagans honour our Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever ancestors
Frankly, I do not think that there is any difference in how we honour our pagan ancestors from our Christian ancestors
As I've said before, at a certain point it did not matter bloodlines, what mattered was the bond we created with them
We honour them by getting to know them, remembering them, giving them gifts, being worthy of living
passing on to our children and our children's children good values and ideals so in that way they might make us proud someday
All ancestors, regardless of the religion they professed in life
would certainly appreciate everything we do for them
It's not religion that truly makes us who we are
Certainly it helps in building our personality
but it's our individuality that truly counts
There are plenty of ways to honour our ancestors
one of which
Get to know your ancestors
One of the best ways to start is to talk to your living relatives, and find out all there is to known about your grandparents, great-grandparents
or your distant relatives as well as any of your living relatives that your lineage can trace
Take notes.
Write down their names and their stories
That's exactly how I found out I have Swedish ancestry and fortunately was able to maintain certain traditions and cults to specific deities
Gather as much information as you can,
because honestly, we have already lost loads of knowledge with the passing of the ages and with the introduction of oppressive religions
So now it should be your commitment, at the very least, to retrieve as much information as you can from your past
from your family members and their history, their origins, and in this way you are honouring your ancestors because you are keeping their stories alive
In this way the path before you, throughout your life, will be much clearer
Certainly there is always the case that you might be adopted
or you don't know who your parents are, and there are no living relatives to share with you their knowledge of the past
But remember,
every one of us has ancestors, even if you don't know them, dedicate some time in honouring them
They are worthy of being honoured and to receive gifts
And there are always those you created strong bounds with, and they are now gone
Why not honouring them if they meant something important to you?
The act alone of knowing the ancestors and all the time and sacrifice that can be spent in this process is a great gift to your ancestors
And the knowledge you gain from it makes your connection to them and your ability to honour them much stronger
Let's move on to the 4th and last part, finally!
Let's take a look at some modern approaches that exist within modern Heathenry when it comes to honour our ancestors
In modern Heathenry, some pagans honour an idealized image of the unknown ancestor or cultural hero
This approach tends to be pan-Germanic
with modern pagans taking an interest in a wide variety of Nordic European heroes and idealistic images
regardless of whether the individual heathen has a personal connection to the nationality or culture in which the heroic figure originated
Some focus on very specific heroes we know by names and by stories and legends
or focus on more than one general ideal archetype
For instance, there is great respect and attention given to the figure of the Germanic warrior fighting against the invading romans
or the figure of the Viking fighting against Christians
But there is also the archetype of the strong independent woman taking care of the farm, children, the entire domestic industry
and her huge role in religious and magical activities
The Norse explorer, and his bravery going into open seas, distant lands, into the unknown
The point is, this sort of approach, with its connection to cultural ideals and heroes, leads many modern heathens to speak of "our ancestors" rather than "my ancestors"
when talking about the Cult or worshiping of the ancestors
There is a general mutual respect for "our ancestors", even if people within Heathenry have no connection whatsoever with each other
This is simply referring to all those who came before us
with a specific focus on all those who have honoured the same gods we are trying to honour and were faithful to the way of our people before the religious conversions Europe suffered
This sort of approach has its benefits because the fact is,
most of us have ancestors from various areas of northern Europe and continental Europe of cultures who shared similarities in their old ways,
and about these ancestors there is no way of knowing their names, or specific stories
There is not enough information to allow us to identify specific ancestors, or even their origins
The interest we have in various cultures, heroes, and archetypal characters of northern Europe
gives us a connection with the past where there is no specific known connection
And this makes us feel better and so we address them all as "our ancestors"
Then there is also the cultural identity factor
everything belonging to a specific culture we enjoy and we follow and honour, which belonged to real ancestors
You are honouring the specific culture and traditions of your ancestors
For instance, the individual, knowing that he or she is descended primarily from Swedish descent, totally or partially,
will focus into learning about Swedish history, Swedish traditions in general
Another individual, mainly descendant of Danish ancestors, focuses on all cultural aspects of the culture and traditional history of Denmark
So Instead of a general approach as I've previously described,
this sort of approach focuses much more on specific cultural traditions which brings a person closer to their ancestors
which allows us to preserve tradition so we may keep it alive an later pass on to our children, and honouring our ancestors lives on
So, certainly this sort of approach to heathenry may have a much deeper meaning for heathens to pursue
because there is a more specific connection between his / her own cultural background and ancestral history
And then there is the case of those who have no perceptible ancestry to northern Europe but still they are heathens and practice the old ways
Oh I know what many modern heathens think of this, and I, personally, do not believe in cultural appropriation
I believe in cultural appreciation
And if someone appreciates a culture enough to even honour the gods of that culture, we should let them
The more people appreciating a specific culture, the better chances we have of that culture surviving and enduring throughout the ages
Certainly, there are some side effects to this
It often happens that one culture overlaps another culture and then tradition is lost
It's what happened with everyone who was forcibly converted to Christianity
Much of their own cultures were lost
But, that was a very good historical example of not making the same mistake again
I think we are all smart enough to not let that happen again
So it doesn't matter who appreciates a specific culture, in this case the Northern European Cultures
What matters is that by practicing those traditions the cultures remain alive and active and there are fewer chances to lose the traditions of those cultures
So honouring the ancestors isn't just by honouring your specific ancestry or a general ancestry of the people who practiced the old ways and honoured the old gods
Honouring the ancestors is maintaining their healthy traditions alive, maintaining their gods alive, their spiritual practices, and the entire cultural heritage
So, with all of this being said, how can we honour our ancestors in these modern times, or in modern heathenry?
The beauty of the cult to the ancestors is that it can be personalized by each family, according to their ancestors
The most common form is to construct a domestic altar, where photos or items relevant to the ancestors can be placed
At this altar you can offer food and other things that the ancestors liked
The altar that you can create, traditionally, can be kept in a reserved area of your house
It's something deeply personal
If a specific ancestor enjoyed a type of beverage, why not placing it at the altar?
Or even in their graves if it's possible
In any case, the Cult of the Ancestors belongs to the family
it is not something public
and there are some cases in ancient times where a visitor is asked to leave the place where such ritual were being performed
as I've said previously with the Norse case of the Alfablot and Disablot
The Cult of the Ancestors is intensely private
This raises the question of when should we make such rites?
Well, you can create specific dates for the occasion
Try the anniversary of their birth, and of their death, for instance
Important dates that marked something meaningful to your ancestors
Create your own songs, for them, poems even, and start a new tradition in your family, that your decedents might continue to practice
If you want to follow the old ways in this aspect, well . . .
among the Scandinavian peoples, the cult of the ancestors was usually during the winter season when the sacrifices were made
a season which began somewhere in our present autumn, somewhere around October and November
During this season the Disablot was celebrated, after the celebration of the harvest, or Modraniht, celebrated in the period of Yule, among the Anglo-Saxons
Which makes sense, because during the long Scandinavian winter, it was quite common for everyone to stay at home, in their houses
and begin the slaughter of cattle, to support them during the long winter, and certainly the blood and meat of the cattle was also used in the offerings to the ancestors
That's why these celebrations were called Blóts - sacrifices
Just remember, the cult of the ancestors is about honouring those who gave us life, to whom we owe, directly, our existence
Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on
And they don't have to necessarily be biological ancestors
There are heathens that include in their cult to the ancestors those who are like family to them - godparents, friends, etc.
which often creates a strong bond among those involved
In these cases it is not the bloodline that it's important but the bond between the family's friends who supported us and were present during our lives
The Cult of the ancestors is not limited the rituals
Respect is fundamental
the respect - to respect memory of the living, as well as of the dead
Respect and honour
Keep alive the memory of those who preceded us by sharing and keeping ancestral knowledge alive
Not much is said about this particular method of honouring ancestors
Or at least, not enough is said
One of the greatest gifts you can give your ancestors is to live a life of which they are proud
What better way to honour your ancestors than to live the kind of responsible, memorable and fruitful life
that would make them proud of who you are and what you accomplished with your time on Earth?
When making a choice in life, remember your ancestors
try to visualise in your head if it's something that would make them proud
Maybe following your dreams is already reason enough to make them proud of you
Each one of us wish the best for our children and other descendants
and we would do almost anything to give them a little-huge push they need to have a responsible and productive life
And when our children and grandchildren grow up to become strong and accomplished adults
we are very proud of them, naturally
So it should be no different for the dead
By living a life that they can be proud of, we show that we are not wasting or giving little thought to the gift of life
Many of our ancestors struggled and sacrificed themselves to give their offspring a better life than they had
and when we recognize this and conduct our lives with that in mind
we show our ancestors that we recognize and are grateful for what they did for us
Alright my dear friends thank you so much for watching this very extensive video
if you came this far, well . . . you are my new hero
and I'm sorry of I have done a couple of mistakes when pronouncing some words
or a little slip of the tongue
well, I actually bit my tongue while I was making this speech so it was a little bit difficult
Anyway
thank you all for watching and a very special thanks to my Patron, Mr. Colin Paterson who requested this video
once again, thank you so much for being in there
see you on the next video, and as always . . .
tack för idag! (Thank you for today!)
*melancholic dark melody*
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