You Know You're a Huggy Heathen When...

collected by Ingeborg S. Nordén, Marion Ingham, and other Heathens in cyberspace

 

 

You know you're a Huggy Heathen when...

 

  Your favorite deity's violent aspects are downplayed or absent in the lore (Baldr, Frigg, Forseti, Njord, most of the goddesses).

  If you know runes, your favorite is related to friendship or happiness somehow (gebo, wunjo, mannaz, dagaz).

  You rank hospitality, generosity, and loyalty to friends above other Heathen virtues (though that doesn't mean you ignore the rest of them).

  You share pictures of small children and pets (your own or a friend's) with other Heathens.

  You exchange "cute things the kids said at our ritual" stories with other Heathens.

  You wear socks/underwear with Heathen designs on them, or you sleep in a Heathen-themed T-shirt.

  If you decide to get tattoos, they're inevitably cute ones (e.g., hearts or teddy bears).

  You can't get the mead smell out of your plush carpet.

  You seat sumbel guests on tuffets, easy chairs, or an overstuffed couch that requires extra strength to get up.

  You have done at least one of the following when hosting a ritual:

  Used a plush toy pig for oath-taking at Yule

  Offered hot cocoa, coffee, or a similar "cozy" drink to sumbel
guests who couldn't handle alcohol

  Encouraged kindred members to hug
Dwelt on the "warm fuzzy" aspects of the deity you wanted to honor, or felt uncomfortable when that deity HAD none. (A Huggy Heathen, unlike a "fluffbunny", is willing to admit that Tyr and Odin aren't cuddly--but still feels uncomfortable invoking them.)