Post A3IXpfPQmiTsguSc4G by brother@kawen.space
 (DIR) More posts by brother@kawen.space
 (DIR) Post #A3IAWdzrVvcjrYSeMi by brother@kawen.space
       2021-01-16T10:21:48.912790Z
       
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       Reminder that Shinto is both a fundamentally amoral spiritual system, and the greatest example of a living animist worldview.That combination should serve as your hint that if your spiritual worldview includes some kind of universal morality or judgement, you are dealing with something that has been perverted by a priest class, usually to make Money™ for an aristocracy (e.g. Christianity) or recruit combatants (e.g. Nordic paganism.)
       
 (DIR) Post #A3IJJ8IAykgbM6ewhE by bonifartius@qoto.org
       2021-01-16T12:00:05Z
       
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       @brother i don't get the  reduction of norse mythology to "recruiting combatants". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/864330.Gods_and_Myths_of_Northern_Europe
       
 (DIR) Post #A3IQxOyN4zmSLsXplQ by brother@kawen.space
       2021-01-16T13:25:55.541235Z
       
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       @bonifartius I didn't, I reduced the infusing morality of Norse religion to "recruiting combatants", and I stand by my claim: Norse religion is essentially a "fork" of the Germanic pantheon (in turn a "fork" of the Slavic pantheon) and by cross-referencing them we can see that early Norse religion was more like conventional polytheistic paganism: People picked the god that best embodied their virtue or the favour they wished to curry. (Farmers may pick Thor for his fertility, tricksters may pick Loki, etc. and picking more than one never seems to be frowned upon in these pantheons.)Also regard the  burial barrow: Initially left to enshrine the bodies of the dead, and for them to take their "odal" ("inherited, birthright, blood right") objects to their graves with them. These barrows were build large enough so that when you "come again in the kin" (a common European pagan idea), you can re-enter your barrow and retrieve your objects.But by the Viking era, Odin was the definitive head of the pantheon, and there was suddenly posthumous judgement - posthumous judgement that strongly incentivised dying in battle (to go to Valhalla, which does not appear in earlier Norse lore.) In short, as Norse culture adapted to seafaring technologies and poorer land yields by focusing more on raiding other peoples (for wealth, goods, slaves etc.,) dying in battle became the "only" way to achieve an honourable death (at least for men.)It got to the point where old Viking warriors sought out tougher and tougher opponents, so that they could die in battle and join Odin's feast and death-games in Valhalla, awaiting the day when Odin would call them up to fight once more as revenants. (As opposed to the "shame" of dying in your bed.)Voila: Universal morality in Norse religion is the result of the very real need to staff a fighting force.
       
 (DIR) Post #A3ITKxPzNVSBkdp3s8 by bonifartius@qoto.org
       2021-01-16T13:52:36Z
       
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       @brother thanks for the huge reply :) my disagreement was concerning the shortened version that norse paganism has an inherent judgement, but as you've said, this seems to be a late addition of the viking era.
       
 (DIR) Post #A3IXpfPQmiTsguSc4G by brother@kawen.space
       2021-01-16T14:42:58.656252Z
       
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       @bonifartius No worries, sorry if I was unclear!
       
 (DIR) Post #A3IYOsVG5rF7R8yajA by bonifartius@qoto.org
       2021-01-16T14:49:17Z
       
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       @brother no harm done :)