“Religion” or “Folkway”?

By Steve and Jenn Anthonijsz

 

This article first appeared in Modern Ásatrú magazine Vol 1, No 3 ©2004

  

      At the birth of the Reawakening, a call was made to return to our ancestral religion. As our folk advanced in our efforts to re-establish Heathenry we had to re-learn what a true religion really was, as the modern, commonly used definition did not apply to us. A religion is defined today as:

 

            Religion n. 1 belief in a superhuman controlling power, esp.

in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship.

2 expression of this in worship. 3 particular system of faith

and worship. 4 life under monastic vows. 5 thing that one is

devoted to. [< L. religio bond][1][1]

       

Bearing in mind the etymology of this word we find that the original meaning is much closer to our use than it would be for, say, a Christian or a Muslim. A religion is a means of connecting or bonding. The implication in the original Latin was that a religion is a means of bonding with Nature and Society[2][2].

 

An increasing number, however, have come to the conclusion that our Heathenry--whether that be manifested as Odinism, Thiodism, Irminenschaft, or what have you--is not a religion after all, but is better described as a folkway. So what is a ‘folkway’? Looking through various dictionaries, very few have even entered this word, as it is not a common English expression. Instead, it is jargon term used by sociologists. A folkway may be defined as:

 

Folkway A customary way of behaving, nonobservance of

Which is punished by only minor inconvenience; a weak

norm. Folkways are hostile to the notion that behavior is

genetically based since they are learned and vary widely

between cultures.[3]

 

Whilst Heathenry might include customary ways of behaving, it certainly may not be defined as such--and certainly is not “a weak norm” by any means! As far as whether our behaviour is genetically based, this takes us back to the old Folkish vs. Universalist vs. Tribalist debate that we will not get into here.

 

            All the essays regarding concepts of a “Heathen folkway” tend to hover over one of two topics: either that of Law or of a contrived social structure.

 

            Law is an intrinsic part of any folk religion and any cultural group. Our ancestors were not unique in this. We see this as manifested in the German Vehmic court, the Scandinavian alþing and the Anglo-Saxon witenagemót. Our forebears saw the law[4] as being such a fundamental part of the fabric of society that the concepts of Law and Society were considered synonymous[5]. What's more, ‘Law’ to our ancestors did not differentiate between religious mores and secular statutes to the degree that Middle English law(e) was often used to mean ‘religion.’ Thus, one might speak of Judaism as the Jewish law or Heathenry as the heathen law. So Law may be more appropriately understood as “religion” rather than as a “folkway”.

            Other than Law, the other topic often reached for in essays that would promote the idea of a ‘folkway’ is that of social structure.

            In the Reawakening a number of different social structures are known. There are two means by which we might measure the success of these structures: (1) does it work for the group members (prevents infighting, offers spiritual challenges, provides for social needs, &c.); and (2) does it attract new members (they want what we have)? Whatever the social structure of a particular group, survival of the fittest will be the only proof of their success or failure. This is a boon, as the more wholesome structures will be the ones we will be able to offer to younger generations.

So where does the idea of a ‘folkway’ fall into all this? The answer is that it really does not fit at all, unless one wants his Heathenry to be an artificially contrived social paradigm perhaps with a religious justification. The question is really one of context. Using the term ‘folkway’ is really nothing more than an ostentatious way of saying that our Heathenry offers something better than other religions. Such a term is not only ineffective in the inspiration and growth of the members of our community; but sounds pretentious enough to dissuade outsiders’ interest as well. In the advancement of our faith we cannot use terminology that either would require a scholar to find it of use, nor should we use expressions that put off potential newcomers. It is much more constructive to demonstrate how and why our faith really is a better option than all those others out there.

Heathenry is a holistic religion that touches every aspect of life—including Law and social structure. And this is exactly as it ought to be.