Greetings

[Ragnar]

Hej hej.
Iam livingh in Prussia (Germany).
Any one in the Berlin area care to communicate?
My particular interest is Viking mythology and religion.
German or English.
Ragnar.
P.S. No "Neo-Nazi" trash need apply.

[Stormy]

Welocme to the boards, I actually don't recall that we have anyone else here from your area, but I could be wrong. You're always welcome to chit chat with the rest of us though.
And no worries on the neo-nazi, this is a family oriented board and I doubt we would tolerate that here.
I've done a lot of reading on viking mythology, but am not truly versed in their religous practices.

Stormy

[Vetle]

Welcome, Ragnar. If I'm not mistaken there's someone on the board who's originally from Germany but lives in the US now. Might post here eventually.

As for me, I'm a viking enthusiast as well. Though I would not consider myself an Ásatrú, I do dabble quite a bit in norse mythology and religious practice.

Sorry, can't speak German but your English looks pretty good so you shouldn't have too much trouble communicating here.

[katsu]

Gutentag mein Freund, ich bin noch ein Asatruer, noch bin ich ein Deutscher, aber weil ich ein Hollander bin; verstehe ich dir ohne problemen.

Katsu.

ps. Translation:
Goodday my friend, though i'm not a Asatru, i'm not even a German. But, even though i'm Dutch, i understand you without problems.

[Ragnar]

Hej,
Thanks for the replys. Makes me feel at home already.
I am originally from Scotland, (Could explain my English), My Grandmother/Father were Sammi, living in Swedish Lappland, lived there my self for five years, went to sea around the Arctic circle on and off for fifteen years, got my degree at Edinburgh University, in Viking history/mythology.
I now live in Berlin. Am I mixed up? You had BETTER believe it.
My general philosophy is Hej ... aye, well there you go, get the camp fire lit open that Scotch and lets do some serious "Paganing".
Na, so, do any of you Viking fans have any good stories about bears in Viking mythology? I have found pleanty in Sammi, and Native American, but Vikings seemed to be a "bear free zone". Why? The most powerful animal in the forest of Europe, and no one in the myths seems to have had it as a totem.
Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this, but, hey, I am new to this. Berlin only got electric a couple of years ago.

[Rain ForestMoon]

Guten Tag, Ragnar.

I don't live in Europe ( I am, after all, an antipodean these days) , but I visit quite often.

Just a question: you give your location as "Prussia". There is no such thing these days, except as a historical concept. Are you in Berlin or in Brandenburg?

Blessings

[Ragnar]

Hello, Rain Forest Moon,
I am in Berlin. However, although as you rightly say, Prussia is no more, My family are origionaly from Sweden and do have links with the ancient "Preuz". Which, as you may know, were the tribe that became "Preuße". Later Swedish Pommern/Meklenburg, and even later "Prussia". We are an "ancestor" orientated people.
I also have interests in Napoleonic times, which, of course during which, we were "Preußen". I think I am correct in saying we were one of the last areas to be "christianised" in Germany.
I am sorry I did not take due note of your own area. Are you in Australia? I have a pair of good friends in Sydney, who are also Pagan. YES, I know, you may be a moon away from Sydney, we in Europe, do not really apprieciate the size of the place.
Worship free.

[Vetle]

I was actually having a dicussion with someone about this very thing once. I used to post on a board where a member said she was from Czechoslovakia and I thought that both of you perhaps still refer to your dwelling place as such because you feel a regional connection to the place. Is that about right or am I off?

[Rain ForestMoon]

My family are origionaly from Sweden and do have links with the ancient "Preuz". Which, as you may know, were the tribe that became "Preuße". Later Swedish Pommern/Meklenburg, and even later "Prussia". We are an "ancestor" orientated people.

I was wondering if that is the reason why you now reside in that area?

I am originally from Switzerland. Now the german-speaking swiss belong to the "Alemannen" a germanic tribe that settled in the area that is now southern germany, northern switzerland and eastern austria around the time of the disappearance of the roman empire. When I was a kid (many years ago) the saying was that the Alemannen had originated in what is now southern sweden, although more recent thinking places their origin closer to what is now northern germany and northern poland.

By the way, the french word for germany "Allemagne" is obviously derived from "Alemannen"

Me, I live on the hills behind the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. From here to Sydney, think in terms of 15 hours by car.

Auf wiedersehen (or as the swiss would say "uf widerluege")

[Ragnar]

I now live in Berlin because I met my present wife in Edinburgh! Work that one out then. I was at a Celtic battle re-enactment group and Lisa was there on holiday, we had a sword fight and she won (just). So now I live here. BUT since I was 7 or 8 years old I was always facinated by Prussia/Germany, then came my viking studies at Edinburgh university, again the Preuz came into it, so I suppose you could say I was mugged by Skuld.
Vetle, Czechoslovakia is a wierd one because it only existed, like the D.D.R. for a very short period. For any one of my age (44) they were brought up with the communist nationalism for their country, then over night it was taken from under them. I presume CZ is the same, but the people from the old DDR have a sort of rosy tinted nostalgia for the "old days", and still refer to themselves as "Ossi's".
And, as a final, Prussia was much missunderstood, and malighned, by historians and British news paper propogandists. But that is probably not a topic for THESE boards.

[dragonflydrummer]

Ragnar wrote:

Prussia was much missunderstood, and malighned, by historians and British news paper propogandists. But that is probably not a topic for THESE boards.

Darn, I sorta wanted to hear more...

[Ragnar]

„Preußen war nie Kriegerisch. Preußen war militärisch. Das ist nicht das gleich. Der Amerikanische Soziologe Qiency Wright hat der europäischen Kriege von 1480 bis 1940 untersucht, um festzustellen, wie oft Preußen an ihnen beteiligt war. Es steht hinter England, Frankreich, Spanien und fünf anderen Staaten erst an neunter Stelle.
(pp-85 „Sprechen wir über Preußen“ Joachim Fernau).
Basically that means:
Prussia was never war like, it was militaristic, that is not the same. Wright studied European wars between 1480>1940, to discover how often Prussia was involved. It comes behind England, France and Spain and 5 other Countrys and comes in at ninth place. 1914 was also the first time in "modern" history that Britain and Germany had not been on the same side.
But in 1945>6 Europe had just suffered two wars which could, in theory, be placed at the feet of the Prussian mind set. So Prussia was disolved. During and following both "world wars", Prussia became the dog to beat for the press. Second only to Hitler in WWII, and equaling the Kaiser in WWI.

[dragonflydrummer]

Yes -- of course I was aware of the Prussian stereotype growing up in the US during the post-WWII Cold War. I think that stereotype has pretty much faded among the kids born in the sixties and after though. The bald-headed Prussian officer with the monocle and duelling-scar doesn't even appear in animated cartoons anymore. I hope in generations hence it will be Bush and his henchpeople that get that kind of treatment...

[Ragnar]

I think, although the stereotype may have faded in the States and other more open minded places, Australia, Canada, there is still a worrying tendancy in U.K. for kids, even today, to see the Germans as the "enemy". This is not helped by "news" papers, such as the "Sun" (The same that published the photgraphs of Sadam Husein recently), which takes every oportunity it can to "bash" the Germans, and the French, but more Germany. Also I find that most people with these opinions tend never to have knowingly met a German. My British Grand Mother was a perfect example, She hated the Germans, but my Grand Father and Great GrandFather, whom were both serving in WWII, one in the army and my Great grand Father at sea, thought the Germans, as a people, were great.

[katsu]

I think, although the stereotype may have faded in the States and other more open minded places, Australia, Canada, there is still a worrying tendancy in U.K. for kids, even today, to see the Germans as the "enemy".

Only with football