Gaelic Heathenry

   So what exactly do I mean when I say that I'm a Gaelic Heathen? Well, basically it means that I follow a syncretic Irish polytheist and Norse polytheist recon approach to my spirituality. My approach was born out of the gradual realization that, firstly, the two cultures have a great deal in common, and secondly that there is historical precedent for the blending and melding of Norse and Celtic tradition. The two cultures did historically interact and influence each other; the Norse invaded and settled parts of Ireland and the Irish were in Iceland. I was also in a situation where I had strong ties to both Irish and Norse spirituality, neither of which could easily be put aside. Still, I might never have reached the point I am now if not for a friend who is a Gaelic Heathen and allowed me to see the possibilities and break out of my rigid separation of the two and let go of my feelings of conflict.
    Just to clarify up front, syncretic practice is not the same as eclectic. Syncretic is the fusion or reconciliation of two different systems of belief into a single system, often heterogeneous, while eclectic is selecting and using a variety of elements from many different sources (Syncretic, 2012; Eclectic, 2012). Gaelic Heathenry is the syncretic union of Celtic and Norse polytheism, whereas eclectic practice would blend in anything and everything that might appeal to me. In many ways syncretic approaches to overlapping cultures such as these are inevitable; when I'm feeling brave enough I may start researching British material where Anglo-Saxon and Celtic syncretism has a long history.
   Syncretic practice is, in many ways, new territory for me and I am only slowly feeling my way into it, after years of very rigidly separated practice. I tend to divide the holy days of the year between the Irish and Norse, with the Fire festivals celebrated in an Irish manner and the equinoxes and solstices given to the Norse. I have not, so far, made any attempt to unify the two into a single ritual as I do feel that honoring the gods is best done separately, although I have a healing altar that I use for a variety of healing work that is mixed, with Eir beside Brighid and Airmed next to the Matronaes. The ritual structure itself is different between the two, although not radically so; both involve making offerings, for example, but the Norse faining tends to be more formally structured and patterned, while the Irish ritual has a more organic feel to it. In a faining I would follow the normative modern structure: gathering, hallowing, invoking the land vaettir, ancestors, and gods, describing the rite, passing the horn, making the offering, closing ritual. In the Irish I would begin by singing or reciting a poem for the occassion, then invoke the ancestors, daoine sidhe, and gods, discuss the rite and perhaps say a prayer of blessing, make the offering, consult a method of divination to see if the offering was accepted, close the ritual and then feast. I have two separate altars at home, one for the Norse gods I honor and another for the Irish. I read and study material from both cultures. I have found the worldview and values very similar; both believe in multiple Otherworlds, nine in the Norse and innumerable in the Irish, and these views are perfectly compatible. Both consist of Gods that represent civilization and Order that are at odds with, but also intermarried with, primordial beings of entropy and chaos. The Norse have a complex creation myth and eschatology story, but the Celts have none, so there is little conflict there. Both share similar views on honor, hospitality, courage, right action, and respect. Both also have similar views on the afterlife, in that the soul is immortal and may be reborn (the Norse see this as occuring within the family line) or may go to a variety of other places, although the Norse views on the nature of the soul are slightly different, seeing it as being divided into distinct parts. Again though the slight differences are easily reconciled. I have previously blogged about the similarities in oracular practices as well as Otherworldly beings and in these two areas I take a very blended approach, particularly in the way I relate to the daoine sidhe or vaettir. Honoring my ancestors is the same in both practices.
   On a daily basis I embrace both. I wake up and great the day with Sigdrifa's Prayer before making a small offering at my shrine and saying a prayer for Imbas. I study both Runes and Ogham. Throughout the day I may speak to Odin as easily as Macha, and I pour out a little bit of coffee for my ancestors as I place some food out for the Spirits - whether I call them daoine sidhe or vaettir doesn't matter. In practice some aspects are personal, of course, in which deity I may pray to or honor as there is no set pantheon, but I have found there is no conflict in calling on Odin for inspiration and Brighid for healing, Nuada for strength during suffering and hailing Thor when the thunder rolls, or calling on Macha for protection and Freya for guidance in seidhr work. And then of course there are the deities that are both Norse and Celtic, like Arto and the Matronaes.
   I am an American, part of the Celtic diaspora, but it goes without saying - I hope - that my views and approaches are shaped by being where I am and that they in turn shape my spirituality. While culture and cultural preservation are important to me, my experience of Irish, or German for that matter, culture is the experience of a second and third generation immigrant and I do not pretend that it is the same as if I lived in Ireland, or Germany. However it would be impossible to remove the influence that these cultures play in my life, as it is all part of who I am, from the languages to the music, from the food to the folklore. The gods of the Irish and Norse are the ones who call me most strongly and the worldview and beliefs are the ones that make the most sense; I also feel that honoring these cultures connects me to my ancestors in a deeper way.
  Another key part of my approach to spirituality is reconstruction. I have found nothing as effective, personally, for deepening my connection to the Gods, ancestors, and spirits of the Otherworld than using a reconstructionist approach. I research and piece together the ancient pagan beliefs and look with a pagan eye at the modern cultural practices to form a picture of what I think that paganism would have looked like had it never stopped being practiced. I have no interest in recreating the past or in imitating a distant time period, but I truly connect to the idea of bringing the old ways forward, of using the resources at hand - archaeology, anthropology, mythology, folklore - to understand what was done and how as well as what the beliefs were and then finding ways to revitalize and modernize them. Or in the case of more recent folk beliefs, to envision the pagan applications. It's like fitting together a fascinating puzzle that creates a picture of what might have been had polytheism continued uninterrupted. Reconstruction has provided me with a wide array of daily and seasonal practices, of oracular practices, of beliefs, and has allowed me to connect to the gods in profound and meaningful ways.
  Much of what I study involves looking at separate sources, a wide variety of both Celtic, Irish, and Norse material that only occasionally overlaps. The main sources that I use to understand how the cultures interacted and effected each other involve looking at Celtic areas with strong Norse influence that have been preserved, including the Orkney Islands and some Scottish material, such as McNeill's Silver Bough series. Although my own focus is Irish I find the Scottish and Orkney material easier to access and it provides a useful template to understand the pattern of cultural interaction. I have also found books like Lady with a Mead Cup, Beyond Celts, Germans, and Scythians, and In Search of the Indo-Europeans helpful in understanding the ancient roots that the two cultures share.
   I also focus on the Viking presence in Ireland. Viking influence in Ireland began around 800 CE and by 950 CE there were established Viking settlements in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Wexford (Viking Answer Lady, 2012). For most of this period the Viking invaders and settlers were still pagan, although the Irish at this point had converted to Christianity. There is significant archaeological evidence of the Norse presence in Ireland during this period, including burials (Fischer, 2012). Evidence also indicates that the Norse settlers assimilated to life in Ireland by adopting the lifestyles of the Irish (Preet, 2010). There is some evidence that surviving Irish customs surrounding midwinter are Norse in origin, the result of Irish assimilation of practices brought over by Norse settlers (Preet, 2010). Certainly such cultural "sharing" is seen in Scotland where the Norse also raided and settled, so it's reasonable to assume that the same would occur in Ireland. Similarly, Iceland shows Irish influences with many examples of Irish names and nicknames recorded; equally influential   many of the slaves were Irish and were the mothers of later generations (Clements, 2005).
     Interestingly I found out that my grandfather's surname, McSorley, meant "son of the summer sailor" and was a reference to the Norse presence in Celtic lands; in fact the name itself in Gaelic, Somhairle, is the Gaelicized version of the Norse word Sumarlithr "summer warrior or sailor" (http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Mcsorley) Although listed as a Scottish name, McSorley is actually both Scottish and Irish; my grandfather was from a section of the McSorley's in Cork, not the Dalriada Scotland branch. I found this information very serendipitous given my religious focus. 
   For me Gaelic Heathenry makes sense, but it is also a continuously evolving process. I am only slowly getting comfortable looking at the two cultures holistically and using the knowledge and material from one to fill in gaps in the other. It certainly helps that my main focuses - the spirits of the Otherworld and magical practices often termed "witchcraft" - are very similar between the two cultures and provide a sense of continuity for me in actual practice. Of course being a witch in either Norse or Irish culture (or modern recon) is not without contraversy, but that might be an entirely separate blog topic. In actual practice I have found that my role as Druid within Irish polytheism and my role of Gythia in my kindred are simply two names for the same function, which also helps. For many people one culture or the other is what calles them, but for me giving up either one would mean giving up a part of myself. In that sense Gaelic Heathenry is, ultimately, where I belong becuase it allows me to be fully myself.

Further reading:
http://dunsgathan.net/tns/what.htm
http://www.nthposition.com/norseireland-anation.php
http://www.ncte.ie/viking/vikage.htm
http://www.vikingage.mic.ul.ie/resource_learn_about_viking_age.html
http://www.orkneyjar.com/
http://www.muramasaindustries.com/fact/vikings/irishiniceland.html

References:
Viking Answer Lady (2012). Vikings in Ireland http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/Ireland.shtml
Fischer, L., (2012). Evidence of Vikings by County http://www.vikingage.mic.ul.ie/resource_vikings-by-county.html
Preet, E., (2010) Slainte! Ireland's Viking Heritage http://www.irishcentral.com/IrishAmerica/Irelands-Viking-Heritage-110976559.html
Clements, J., (2005) The Vikings
Syncretic (2012) Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/syncretic
Eclectic (2012) Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eclectic

My Gaelic Heathen Yule

  So Yule is fast approaching, and this Yule will represent my first attempt at incorporating some Celtic elements and traditions into what has so far been a Germanic and Norse festival period for me. Prior to becoming heathen in 2006 I didn't celebrate the winter solstice in any special way, beyond the secular; after becoming heathen I began celebrating the "traditional" 12 days of Yule, beginning on Mother Night and ending usually either on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I followed the CR approach of celebrating the four Irish fire festivals as holidays and not acknowledging any Celtic aspects of the solstices or equinoxes. However this year I am looking at what the more modern Celtic traditions of this time of year are and how they may relate to older Heathen ones in order to create a more synchretic personal approach (celebrating with my kindred is still Norse oriented).

  In Germanic and Norse traditions Yule is a 13 night, 12 day festival that is considered one of the most sacred times of the year. Yule begins on Mother Night, the night before the solstice which is often celebrated in honor of Frigga and the disir; in my family we celebrate Mother Night two days before the calendar date of the solstice because the eve of Yule has developed its own family traditions.  Many modern heathens that I know choose to stay up on the night before the solstice in order to greet the dawn on the solstice morning. The day of the solstice itself is considered both the most powerful of Yule and also the most dangerous as both trolls and ghosts are roaming free on the night of Yule. On this day the Yule log is burnt and the most sacred oaths are sworn. Celebrations continue until New Year's, a day that itself is important since it sets the tone for the year to come; actions taken on the last day of Yule/New year's eve (or day) influence the year to come.
Swearing oaths and making sacred toasts were sacred activities, as well as leaving out food offerings for the gods and spirits. Odin was especially associated with Yule time, as are the goddesses Perchte, Berchte or Holda. Yule bucks were made (the mask of a goat head, or a straw goat) and used for guising but was also believed to have its own separate spirit that had to be propitiated - often with ale or porridge - in order not to harm anyone in the family. Porridge is also left out as an offering to the house wight or spirit that lives in the home. A Yule tree was used for decoration and a yule log was burnt or in some modern cases a log is set with candles which are burnt.
    Now working with that as a base we can look at what we have for Yule traditions in Scotland. In Scotland McNeill states that while Odin may be known as the Yule Father it is Thor to whom this holiday actually belongs, as does all of the month of December. A Yule log of oak was traditionally burnt and Thor was asked to bring a prosperous new year. She relates a story of Norsemen in Scotland celebrating Yule with a great feast and then a bonfire, around which they danced and then chanted "Thor with us, Thor and Odin! Haile Yule, haile!" (McNeill, 1961, p. 52). In Scotland the "Christmas" season ran from Christmas eve until 12th Night, reflecting the older heathen practice of a 12 day celebration of Yule. Prior to the start of Yule the home was cleaned from top to bottom and stocked with food. During the period of Yule all household work like spinning and weaving was strictly prohibited as it was believed that to do such work, even drawing water, during the 12 days of Yule would risk the girls of the house being taken by a Kelpie. The hearth was cleaned and decorated to please the gods and garlanded with rowan to keep out mischievous spirits. On the eve of Yule the family would go out and collect the Yule log which would be brought in with great ceremony, an offering of ale is poured over it, and it is placed in the fire to burn through the night. In some parts of the Highlands the Yule log is associated with the Cailleach, the spirit of winter, and in those places the Yule log chosen would be the stump of an old tree. Special breads and cakes were baked on Yule eve, and ale and sowans were made with omens taken from how they cooked. First thing on Yule morning weather omens were taken to predict the year to come; green Yule meant snow in spring, warm Yule a cold spring, and a light Yule a good harvest. The rest of the day was spent in social gatherings and feasting. Another Yule tradition is guisers and mummers who travel from house to house in costume singing and offering entertainment and blessings in exchange for welcome into the home and some food. 
     New Year's Eve, called Hogmany, has many traditions of it's own, including special cleaning of the home, settling any debts, returning borrowed items, and generally setting everything in the household right in preparation for the new year. At the exact stroke of midnight on New Year's eve the head of the household opens the front door and lets the old year out while welcoming the new year in with the words "Welcome in New Year! When ye come, bring good cheer!" (McNeill, 1961, p. 104). Another important tradition of New Year's is first footing, or the belief that the first non-family member who enters the home after midnight on new years while indicate the family's luck in the coming year, with a cheerful dark haired man being the best first-footer, with a pretty woman being second best. Anyone born with a deformity, of bad character, who is stingy, whose eyebrows meet in the middle, or who may have the Evil Eye are bad luck. To avert the ill luck of a bad first footing throw salt in the fire, burn a wisp of straw, or put a burning coal in water.
    In Scotland New Years is also a time of blessing the home and of omens. Holly, Hazel, and Rowan are hung up around the home and the entire home was fumigated with burning juniper. Burning the juniper was considered very important to cleanse the home and was done immediately upon waking before anyone ate breakfast. On New Year's eve a silver coin was left out on the doorstep and if it was still there in the morning it was seen as a sign of prosperity for the year to come, but if it was gone it was an ill omen. Wearing new clothes on New Year's day is good luck so is carrying a silver coin in your pocket. To see a red dawn on New Year's day means bad luck and strife to come and the direction of the wind is an omen of the year to come as well: "Wind from the west, fish and bread, wind from the north, cold and flaying, wind from the east, snow on the hills, wind from the south, fruit on trees." (McNeill, 1961, p. 115).
   In Ireland Yule was also started with a complete cleaning of the home which was  followed by decorating with Holly, Ivy, Bay and other evergreens, and as in Scotland food was stocked up on. Preparations were made that included placing lit candles in the windows of the home; these are now associated with Christmas but may well be older as some believe the candles' light serves to guide and welcome the visiting dead who wander at this time of year. Some choose to light a special candle for any family members who have passed in the last year. As in Scotland the weather is seen as being an omen of the year to come with cold weather foretelling a warm spring; additionally a new moon was seen as especially lucky. Mumming and guising is also seen and New Years eve and day were strongly associated with divination and omens. While first footing isn't seen in Ireland the way it is in Scotland there is a belief that if the first person or animal to enter the home after midnight on New Year's eve is male and black or dark haired the house will have good luck. A special bread was baked and then hit three times against the door while the head of the house or house wife chanted either "We warn famine to retire, To the country of the Turks, from this night to this night twelvemonth, and even this very night." or "Happiness in and misfortune out from this night, Until a year from to-night" (Danaher, 1972, p. 261). After this the loaf was tossed out the door.
   So this actually gives us a lot to work with for celebrating both Germanic/Norse Yule traditions and Celtic ones over the course of  a 12 day celebration. I like the idea of including Thor more in the Yule celebrations, especially as they relate to the Yule log, and of lighting candles for my ancestors, which I may do each night of Yule. Including the Cailleach makes sense as well. I also can easily see how to incorporate the specific New Year's eve and day traditions, such as welcoming the new year in and also the Irish custom of banging the bread on the door. And the multitude of divinations and omens can easily be used on the day of Yule and on New Year's day, as can the cleaning of the home before the start of Yule and the cleansing and blessing rituals of New Year's day.

  I'm excited to see how Yule this year is going to go as I work on finding the synergy of this path, which clearly has so much potential.

References:
 Our Troth volume 2, the Troth, 2007
 The Year in Ireland, Danaher, 1972
 the Silver Bough volume 3, McNeill, 1961