How much of some neo-pagans practice is based on faulty of false lore?
Too much. Grabbing an appealing goddess that someone pulled out of their butt is far easier than, you know, actually studying what ancient people actually beleived in. And I get how relatively informed people can make some mistakes, because some faulty lore is well circulated. But things like the Irish Potato Goddess thing are pathetic. Don’t tell me you’re well researched on her, because she’s only mentioned in one book, period. And that was not written by a historian, anthropologist or even a folkloreist. You know, I expected you’d get bashed for this question, but I didn’t expect the number of really ignorant answers you got. So to clarify for those who don’t get the question: “false lore” is lore than people claim is ancient but really isn’t. It’s not about belief. It’s about verifiable academics. “Ra is real” is a belief. “The ancient Irish worshipped the Potato Goddess” is a provable erroneous fact. If you want to worship the Potato Goddess, go for it. But don’t tell me the Irish
You know me — I’m as recon as they come when it comes to the “classical” Hellenic gods. I’m also someone who reverences Eris Kallisti Discordia (aka a Discordian/Erisean) and the MODERN Goddesses Caffeina and Kyberia (Goddesses of Coffee and the Internet/New Technologies). My reverance for the modern Goddesses (as well as the modern re-interpretation of Eris) is purely based on UPG (personal experiences with the particular God — for those not familiar with the term). It is my feeling that if someone IDENTIFIES something as either “modern” or as a UPG that this is not “Faulty or False”. However, I do take issue with those who either make false claims that the lore is “ancient” or those who simply regurgitate what others have written. I do not say that EVERY Hellenic Polytheist should give a cup of coffee as a daily offering to Hestia like I do. I had a UPG that this was what she wanted from me, and that she likes coffee. However, if someone had a UPG that Hestia preferred Diet Coke, t
See, I hate to rant, but you’ve hit on something that touches a nerve with me, too… I really feel for you, being somewhat more traditional in my own practice, but there is so much of this “Make-your-own-religion-up-as-you-go” in neo-paganism, especially Wicca, these days. Heck it’s gotten to point where the general impression is that all Wiccans are fluffs and posers because of the general attitude and lack of education that many of them show. It’s just like that question we had to deal with last night where someone had claimed that all pagans are supposed to follow the Wiccan Rede. The Rede was orignally a poem that was published in the Green Egg in 1975,. It’s not some ancient illuminated text. But now it’s become the champion of fluffies everywhere. Somewhere along the line, they either forgot or never learned that “rede” is not synonymous with “law”. I think the main issue is that there is a rampant lack of good, solid study out there. Some of these folks wake up one day, decide
Anella you are an incurable cynic lol. We don’t use runes to talk to angels (but I do know some fluffies who do) and if rune magic was invented in the 80’s why then are there references to it in 1000 year old sagas? Anyway, since the recon religions do base their practices and beliefs on reconstructions and painstakingly sifting through ancient texts and modern analyses of ancient texts being careful to avoid the unadulterated made up silliness often described as “real” those of us who practice those religions are going to naturally get a bit annoyed with people who use nothing but pure UPG (yep figured that acronym out now lol) in their practice. personally I do find it irksome when someone tells me something that they read in a silver ravenwolf book (no offence to her I quite like her books for the entertainment value they hold) which they assume to be valid reconstructed practice when I had to read the eddas, the sagas and mountains of university anthropological and archaeological s
