Well, I kind of consider these stories MINE.
They are part of MY heritage.
If people wan't to turn my heritage into a religion, I feel entitled to question them.
1. I'm from Norway so it's a part of MY heritage too. I grew up hearing the stories of the old gods too. I got my first Mjølner pendant when I was around eight years old, and as a child I loved reading books on both our own mythology and the mythology of other old faiths in the world. I've also been raised with the tradition of giving a meal to the house elf at christmas. For many years I thought of it all as just stories and traditions, but at least I've been aware that it all origins in an old religious faith. Recently I've seen it more in the religious perspective.
I'm surprised that you are so eager to claim the old mythology in our heritage as yours to decide how it is to be interpreted when you apparently have no idea of what the origin of this heritage that me and you share is. And it seems like I, who am just a teen, knows more about the history of our ancestors and how our heritage came into existance and what it means than what you know of it.
2. Whoa... Have you not paid attention at all in history class and religion class when you went to elementary and middle school?
Nobody is "
turning it into" a religion. It
already was the religion of our ancestors, who believed in the gods Odin, Thor, Frey, Freya, Frigg, Idunn, etc...
then people
converted(or were often forced to convert...) to christianity around year 1000, and nowadays, with the freedom to choose religion, some people now follow the old faith in norse gods again, the same faith mine and your ancestors actually followed.
I sometimes feed the house elf on cristmas eve because it is tradition.
I consider the elder bush/tree to be very special. Traditionally it is a plant which is surrounded by much mystery and magic. Freya supposedly lived in it. You NEVER uproot a elder tree.
When I was 16 I went as an exchange student to Mexico for a year. Before I left my mother gave my a silver hammer (Mjølner, Tors hammer) as a necklace, for protection (I saw it as her wish for me to return to her safely).
... (I could go on)
The above are examples of what I consider part of my cultural heritage, but NOT my religion.
Yeah, ok, so you don't believe in it as a religion, and that is completely ok. Nobody is telling you that
you would have to believe in it as a religion, you don't have to worry about that. You might give an offering to the house elf at christmas because it's a fun tradition to you, but not for religious reasons. That's ok. Around the same time, when celebrating Yule, heathens might do a similar an offering to the house spirits and land spirits, with a more serious view on it.
Even if you yourself don't have these traditions as a part of a religious belief, it might be smart for you to be
aware that most of these traditions has their
origin in the religion of our ancestors, and to accept that there
are people nowadays too who believe in that religion.
I will consider the question insulting if somone who consideres this a religion tells me they find it insulting and why, and not before.
I'm not insulted, but I am quite surprised at how you are so critical of the followers of norse mythology when you haven't really researched the origin of the stories you claim as your heritage.
It is nothing wrong with your curiosity about why we have this as a faith, but I am afraid the way that you worded many of your questions might give an impression of arrogance.
