Is such a thing as the Great Spirit in Ásatrú?

[agorman]

Is such a thing as the Great Spirit in Ásatrú? It is in many shamanistic traditions.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

No. The "Great Spirit" is heavily Christianized indigenous American. In addition to this, while some Asatruar might practice shamanic practices, Asatru itself is not a shamanistic path.

 

[agorman]

Asatru itself is not a shamanistic path

What about Seidr?

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Seidr is (from what can be told) different from Shamanism. It's only pitched as such in literature because... well because marketing. Shamanism is used to help and heal through work with spirits. Seidr, not so much.

 

[agorman]

Any good info about Seidr somewhere?

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

 

[The Hammer]

Any good written literature an Seidr? I don't have the patience for YouTube videos. Out of curiosity.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

I haven't come across a good book for it that's not drenched in New Age nonesense. However Arith's videos are very informative, and well worth the watch.

 

[agorman]

The "Great Spirit" is heavily Christianized indigenous American.

What about Wakan Tanka, the White Buffalo, etc?

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

I think that'd be a question better posed for any Indigenous American subforums.

 

[Cassandra]

What about Wakan Tanka, the White Buffalo, etc?

Read Wikipedia

Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka

can be interpreted as the power or the sacredness that resides in everything, resembling some animistic and pantheistic beliefs. This term describes every creature and object as wakȟáŋ ("holy") or having aspects that are wakȟáŋ.[3] The element Tanka or Tȟáŋka corresponds to "Great" or "large".[4]

Before colonists tried forcing them to convert to Christianity, the Lakota used Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka to refer to an organization or group of sacred entities whose ways were mysterious: thus, "The Great Mystery".[5] Activist Russell Means also promoted the translation "Great Mystery" and the view that Lakota spirituality is not monotheistic.[3]

For American Indians the idea that some spirits were more important than others was alien. They mostly had egalitarian societies, no hierarchical societies.For traditional people all spirits live in their own roam, and continue to live in that roam after death. That is why they want to keep these spirits close.

The reason to refer to a group of sacred entities is simply practical. First, it is much easier than naming them separately. Especially if they are many and each is given extensive praise. You do not run the risk of forgetting one. And it solves the problem of who to mention first and last if you want to give them equal praise. It is no different than a boss thanking all of his personnel, in stead of naming each and everyone person.

 

[DanishCrow]

There can definitely be a 'great spirit' or 'great spirits' within heathenry, though, I would argue, not within the worship of the aesir specifically (barring, perhaps, syncretic religions that see Odin, Njord or Frej as the great male principle). Within the vanir or other gods, however, that's a different story. Before organized worship of the vanir and aesir, there were probably great gods and goddesses encompassing everything, see for example Nerthus: Nerthus

Anyway, forum seems to be undead for the time being, but I thought I'd just drop this here: Maria Kvilhaug - Ladyofthelabyrinth is creating Articles, videos, podcasting, lecturing | Patreon

Apart from being a good history-informed fantasy author, Maria Kvilhaug is a sterling researcher and well-versed in the sagas, and has made this patreon where she goes over the myriad forms of magic mentioned in the sagas, what archeology tells us may have been practiced as Seiðr at some time