BoatBanter.com - 9 virtues of Asatru in Runes

Nik wrote in
:

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 19:08:54 -0400, Hattuarian
wrote:

Nik wrote:

On Wed, 20 Aug 2003 07:51:16 +0200, Njygaard
wrote:

fidelity

Sorry. What's that mean?

Fidelity means being 'faithful' or loyal...in the case of sexual
fidelity i.e. not having sex with women other than one's wife...it
seems to me that this 'virtue' is NOT supported by the Sagas and is
actually a modern invention. Odin himself sowed his wild oats...

Hail Odin!
Nik

It would be a mistake to look to Óðinn's conduct as ideal.

Not if one is devoted to Óðinn.

The mythology is
a means for revealing the ideals through reflection. To look to the
Sagas as a sorce of moral guidance would be like looking to soap
operas for the same.

Here we diverge strongly. It is my belief that to serve Óðinn is to be
as much like him as possible and to follow the wording of the Havamal
and the Sagas.

Tacitus tells us the Germani were, as a rule, monogamus and
faithful.

And what did he say of the Norse?

He qualifies this with the observation that the princes would
sometimes take more than one wife, but he argues this was for
political reasons, and not to lechurous ends.

It is also true though that Tacitus was only alive for a specific
period in history. There was plenty of time either side of his life
when things might have been different.

I will observe that Polomé's comment
on that last point was something to the effect of 'yeh right!' The
accounts given by tacitus in conjunction with other evidence indicates
that fidelity on the part of women was rather strictly enforced.

I suspect there was no uniform code of ethics throughout space and
time in Heathen Germania. It's clear to me many problems arise from
promiscuous procreation.

Please elaborate.

Please elucidate.

Bertie