If you've been around Asatru for any
time at all, you've run across people who own swords. There's
nothing wrong with that - swords are a reminder of Asatru's early
history, when lots of people carried blades. They're a cultural
thing, and under some circumstances they can be used as ritual items.
The mystique of the sword is a powerful thing, as anyone who has
hefted a well-made replica of a Norse blade can attest.
Swords are dangerous, though, and not
just because you could hurt someone with them. For some people, they
are a way of escaping from the present. Asatru, then, becomes all
about carrying a sword - and not about honoring the Holy Powers and
our ancestors here and now, in the twenty-first century. Those who
retreat into the past cannot help us solve our problems today.
I've seen people stand up at sumbel
and pledge their sword in defense of the Gods and the Folk. There
are problems with that: First, Gods and Folk need our hard work,
our dedication, our success, and our wits, not our swords. Second,
in the hypothetical instance that we might actually need to defend
our faith (or our family, or ourselves) against physical aggression,
a sword is not the weapon of choice. Third, anyone who would make
such a pledge at sumbel has probably had too much mead!
Does this mean we are to forget about
the duty of self-defense? Are we to become pacifists? Delete the
relevant verses in the Havamal? Forget about owning weapons? No!
Historically, only slaves are forbidden to own weapons. But we have
to get real about the subject. You have no business buying a sword
unless you already own a firearm, or several. If you have to defend
your family (certainly a prime responsibility) it won't be with a
Viking sword. And once you get those firearms, take some courses in
how to use them safely. In Germanic society, free folk could carry
weapons. Indeed, bestowing a weapon was often part of the initiation
into manhood. Today, we have a different sort of initiation - get
a permit to carry!
And finally, remember that neither a
sword or a gun can make you a better person. You still have to do the
hard work of spiritual growth and maturation on your own!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
11 comments:
RE: "I've seen people stand up at sumbel and pledge their sword in defense of the Gods and the Folk. There are problems with that: First, Gods and Folk need our hard work, our dedication, our success, and our wits, not our swords."
Seriously! Thank you for stating this so clearly.
Don't you think there's a certain element of the sword being symbolic for all of those things you mention?
It's not like someone making such an oath is literally saying that they will put a 90 degree bend in that particular sword and chuck it in a bog. The sword is a metaphor for service in general, and defense more specifically.
Woo! I like Joseph's interpretation. A sword is a great interpretation/symbol of the idea of defense. "I pledge my Ruger 10/22", just doesn't have the same *zing* :)
I agree, I like Joseph's interpretation. I think that today when we pledge our sword we are pledging our defence of the gods, what ever that may be. In my case it might be my bow or my short bearded axe. (guns are a little harder to own here in Australia).
Joseph's interpretation is the way that I have always interpreted those oaths.
My question to you is, why do you take such offense and assume someone who has used a symbolic metaphor as a drunkard (your words)?
Anyone can wave a weapon around and talk trash about what they will do. Seen it all my life.
It's when words need to become deeds that you find who is true and who is a mere braggart.
A weapon should never be brandished until it is time to actually use it. Until then best to leave it sheathed, holstered, or out of sight.
I think some may have miss-interpreted some of the comments posted on this topic. This is unfortunately the problem with the written form of communication as it makes it difficult to know when someone is "taking the piss" or making light of a subject, so it would be wrong to label a person as a mere braggart without gaining clarity on the context of that persons message. Just to clarify, I have a profound respect for any weapon, which is something I gained during week one of basic training at the ripe old age of seventeen. Since then my employment choices have ensured that I maintain that same level of respect.
My interpretation of someone pledging their sword/axe or whatever weapon to the gods has been that the weapon is symbolic of the persons deeds and dedication to the gods and goddesses.
I agree with Old Sarge’s statement….” It's when words need to become deeds that you find who is true and who is a mere braggart” and have myself lived by the motto “We are the sum of our actions”, which makes sure that I’m not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk. It’s a shame that our politicians can’t do the same.
There is no shaper blade than one's wit. That anyone can have in a conflict just having a weapon weather it be a sword or a gun or whatever it is if one dosen't know how to use it, it's strengths and weakness and how to place it against other weapons then it is useless to have have it. I have been in more than my share of fights disarmed poeple with guns and knives without ever drawing my weapon of then my wits to talk them down enough to get them off gaurd. Owning weapons of any kind is good if you know how to use them. I would be more inclined to use McGuyver as an example of person the main weapon is his wits, he only carried a swiss army knife as a tool to get him out of all sorts of jams, and relied on his most power weapon he had which was knowledge.
I would agree with Joseph's interpretation. Pledging one's sword is a symbolic gesture, not literal. I personally own several swords, and I actually know how to use them to great effect if need be. I also own a firearm, and am trained in martial arts, and when I give an oath to serve, I still swear my sword. The weapon used in a situation calling for such action doesn't quite apply to the oath given, saying that you give your sword in service is simply... poetic and symbolic of one's willingness to serve in the manner one is best suited for, even if that manner doesn't require combat, the spirit is still there.
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