Reconstructing Swabian Paganism
by Sean Jobst
4 September 2018
For the past year, I have been researching and following Germanic Paganism. It came after a spiritual and ethnic awakening (a long process that increased with time rather than a single event) that I'll speak about elsewhere in detail. But one thing I've noticed is that the Germanic Pagan groups and movements out there tend to focus more on the Scandinavian or the Anglo-Saxon, which is understandable since the most records have survived about those cultures.
We should recognize our common Germanic lineage, from the most northern fjords to the most southern mountains and even the Mediterranean coasts. We all had a common Pagan understanding, with the same deities and worldview, the same archetypes and noble-heroic ethos. But there were slight variations in traditions between tribes and across times. And what has survived of Continental Germanic and Alpine paganism is far more fragmentary than holistic, which fortunately our brethren to the North have been able to do with their spirituality and as such they help show us the way for all our people to reclaim what was truly ours and not imposed upon us by Rome or missionaries.
I have been striving to incorporate, within my own Pagan practice, the ancestral traditions that were unique to the Suebi and Alemanni as well. I've found some remnants that could be found in Tacitus' Germania and also the folklore works of Jakob Grimm, but one line of study I've been pursuing lately is to take the "Christian" traditions of Swabia (and specifically "Catholic" for my own ancestors and our part of Schwaben) and trace back their true origin as remnants of our native Pagan traditions.
When we look at traditions such as Fastnacht, the Midsummer and Walpurgis traditions, the "May Pole", the bonfires and masks, etc. we see clearly they are not "Christian" but connect to similar traditions across the Germanic realm and also including other kindred Indo-European peoples, as remnants we can reclaim and reconstruct of our indigenous spiritual traditions. Its about reclaiming our archetypes, our identity and our traditions.
More specific expressions of our native Suebi and Alemanni folkways will be discussed on this blog, as time goes on and my research expands.
4 September 2018
For the past year, I have been researching and following Germanic Paganism. It came after a spiritual and ethnic awakening (a long process that increased with time rather than a single event) that I'll speak about elsewhere in detail. But one thing I've noticed is that the Germanic Pagan groups and movements out there tend to focus more on the Scandinavian or the Anglo-Saxon, which is understandable since the most records have survived about those cultures.
We should recognize our common Germanic lineage, from the most northern fjords to the most southern mountains and even the Mediterranean coasts. We all had a common Pagan understanding, with the same deities and worldview, the same archetypes and noble-heroic ethos. But there were slight variations in traditions between tribes and across times. And what has survived of Continental Germanic and Alpine paganism is far more fragmentary than holistic, which fortunately our brethren to the North have been able to do with their spirituality and as such they help show us the way for all our people to reclaim what was truly ours and not imposed upon us by Rome or missionaries.
I have been striving to incorporate, within my own Pagan practice, the ancestral traditions that were unique to the Suebi and Alemanni as well. I've found some remnants that could be found in Tacitus' Germania and also the folklore works of Jakob Grimm, but one line of study I've been pursuing lately is to take the "Christian" traditions of Swabia (and specifically "Catholic" for my own ancestors and our part of Schwaben) and trace back their true origin as remnants of our native Pagan traditions.
When we look at traditions such as Fastnacht, the Midsummer and Walpurgis traditions, the "May Pole", the bonfires and masks, etc. we see clearly they are not "Christian" but connect to similar traditions across the Germanic realm and also including other kindred Indo-European peoples, as remnants we can reclaim and reconstruct of our indigenous spiritual traditions. Its about reclaiming our archetypes, our identity and our traditions.
More specific expressions of our native Suebi and Alemanni folkways will be discussed on this blog, as time goes on and my research expands.
Sounds we've been on a similar journey. It took years of research to learn of the Suebi Angeln tribe. Learn of the migration pattern from what is now Scandinavia, to the Elbe on over to the Schwaben Alb and Lake Constance aka the Schwaben highway. There is an island off the coast of Norway our tribe used to encounter Nerthus and Cyo aka Tyr. Hence the concept of Cyo/Cisa? I have often wondered if what the Roman historians describe as Nerthus is actually Cisa to the Angeln. I hope eventually you will share more of what you learn. On my own journey, I have identified two fellow ancestral Schwaben, who had no idea if their Suebi origins, much less Europeans were just as tribal and even more rich in the complexity of ceremonial costume than American Indian tribes. The Pawnee of North America held a similar concept of Tiwaz/Cyo. Whose symbols were the North Star, the wolf and the goshawk.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for the delay in responding, but now with this new year will focus more on this blog and more broadly what I'm trying to accomplish here. But wow, I'm impressed and can definitely learn from you and your own journey! Tacitus could very well have been speaking of an ancestral memory he was told about by some of our tribe members, from a time pre-migration when they were at the sea.
DeleteI like your view that Nerthus is none other than Cisa. This especially makes sense given her obvious link to Tiwaz/Ziu. This is the common motif worldwide of a Sky Father and Earth Mother. Ours being an animistic worldview, the powers of the sea were the same as of earth, so part of the same Goddess. When our Ancestors moved more inland, they just transferred their focus upon her as an Earth Goddess (with all that entails) since the sea was no longer immediately relevant to them.
Its sad just how few of our folk realize our own tribal heritage. There is something missing which is why many seek it elsewhere, or hold peoples still living a tribal life in high esteem. I was always sympathetic to American Indians, both something I inherited from my father (who admired them even when he was still in Germany) as well as growing up in an area with many mounds of the Creek people.
I spent two weeks on the Pine Ridge reservation in summer 2010 and my Oglala Lakota host told me that I wasn't following my religion and that it wasn't of my people. I was then into Sufism and wasn't having any of it, thinking only in terms of monotheism and Abrahamism, but it stuck with me in the back of my mind, coming full circle when I traveled back to Europe in 2016, abandoned both Sufism and then any illusion of just being a "cultural" Catholic, and awoke to what I know now. Both Vine Deloria and John Trudell wrote and spoke alot about whites and Europeans being descendants of tribes.
I did not know about the Pawnee concept. Was this their Sky Father? Its interesting about the wolf too given Tyr's link to the wolf Fenrir (I think our continental tribes would have had a similar myth as the Norse and indeed it seems many wolf warriors were associated with Tiwaz).
So glad I stumbled onto this blog -- I'm anxious to see how it develops as I start my own journey, and would like to contribute, if I can. Your words ring true in my ears.
ReplyDeleteIn my 40 years of pagan/wiccan/occultism journeys I've never settled into a pantheon of my own; always felt like I was just visiting as I sampled various deities and practices. I always felt my own answer lay deep in my heritage; ancient and unpronounceable.
I'm an amateur genealogist, and years ago my German mother-in-law, when looking at a document I found on online, told me she couldn't read it because it was in an old offshoot of the German dialect called "Sveebish". Years later, I had a breakthrough in my Fischer family name (I'm 1/4 German) and realized it was changed from Fechser when they immigrated to the US. I then started noticing the same areas that people were from in Germany, that lead me to learning about Swabia... "Click" -- it fit with what my mother-in-law told me years ago. On researching Saxon Paganism (still looking for a pantheon that felt right for me) I stumbled on a YouTube video that mentioned Suebic Paganism. "Click".
So here I am, following wherever the Great Oracle Google takes me...
Prost!
Michael
Hello Michael,
ReplyDeleteI am very delighted and impressed with such a thoughtful message! My apologies for the long delay. I don’t attend to the blog as much as I should although now I’m fully energized (and working on an article about Fastnacht). Any contributions are much welcomed!
Much respect for that long journey of self-discovery and seeking the wisdom within and without. Not only does Wodan the tireless Traveler and Seeker look upon the journey of self-discovery with favor, but so too our Ancestors. They absolutely respect our free-will and know that if done with sincerity, i.e. truly seeking knowledge and awareness, then all the steps along the way are necessary to accumulate more insights and experiences.
I can learn much from you since yours is far longer than my own journey. I’m sure that you’ve learned a lot from working with other pantheons. I was thrilled when I found out there’s an active community of Saxon Pagans, just because I know it wouldn’t be as far removed from the distinctly Swabian kind! Along the way I experienced the frustration of everything being centered around the Norse – with all due respect, just couldn’t connect with or just settle for what is prevalent. I’m sure you experienced this along the way too, and Wicca seems to be a common (but often-necessary) step.
My Oma used to tell me a lot about the Schwabisch dialect too. Unfortunately, a lot was lost of traditions just because of my family’s move to the city, the harsh realities of war and survival, and the rise of Hochdeutsch standardization. Mostly just bits and pieces of traditions I was able to gather because the family just saw the traditions as “Catholic” whereas only with my Heathen/Pagan eyes am I able to see the deeper reality. That gives me a burning desire to reclaim as much as I can, too. So I welcome any insights and observations you can find.
Prost,
Sean