Kult of the Ancestors

I have covered some of this before on the Inglinga Blog but will look at some important points again to clarify the work that we are doing. To do so we need to consider the concept of the Germanic Mannerbunde who were cultic-brotherhoods made up of young warriors, warriors brought up from an early age within an 'age-set' of young males. The idea of 'discriminating' (which is done throughout this society to serve their ends calling it 'positive discrimination' which, of course, has no meaning whatever) is frowned upon but if men in particular are to regain their true role within society then there is a need to recreate the male-brotherhood (and female sisterhood to serve the female role). Here, though I am discussing the male role only - the Virile Warrior.

The Germanic Mannerbund was not a mere physical entity, it was based upon mind, body and spirit. But there is far more to this than just that, since the young warriors who made up these 'age-sets' belonged to the Kult of the Ancestors and the Kult of the Dead. (*) They were Cultic-Warriors and their work was within a ritually-based 'order' or 'secret society' in many ways; this involved invoking the Ancestral Spirits. But even this was not quite what it first seems, for from what evidence we have on this they actually became those fallen heroes, their heroic ancestors. This is hard to understand, until we recognise the hidden nature of the god Woden, for Woden is God of the Dead and the Ancestral God. 

Carl Jung recognised the true nature of Woden (Wotan), and also that it was this god that was the driving-force behind Friedrich Nietzsche, even though Nietzsche was a scholar of classical works and had little knowledge of Germanic Lore (or so Jung says). We go to Jung's essay Wotan in order to understand what I am saying here. Jung is talking about the furor teutonicus ('Teuton Fury' we would call it), the furor being a 'psychologizing of Wotan' in the words of Jung. What Jung suggested was that when the leader (Fuhrer - this relating to the term 'fury') is 'possessed' by the Force of Wotan (i.e. he is Wotan or becomes Wotan) then the whole nation (in this case Germany) was 'possessed' by this force, and acted as one being. 

The state of being 'seized' or 'possessed' by this force is known as Ergriffenheit, whilst the one who 'seizes' or 'possesses' is called the Ergriffener ('one who is seized'). Jung recognises clearly what this is all about when he compares Wotan to Dionysus, but sees a difference - 'Wotan confined himself to the berserkers, who found their vocation as the Blackshirts of mythical kings'. This holds true for the Ulfhedhnar (Wolf-Hides) too, these being more of a 'pack-warrior' than the lone Berserker. 

It seems just as true to say that the young warriors in the Mannerbund were also 'possessed', this time by the Ancestral Spirits. This gave them 'invulnerability' since they were 'seized' by this force, the Woda-Force we shall call it, and thus (in many cases) not only took on the traits of their Ancestors, but as often took up their Tribal Totem which would be a fierce animal such as the Wolf, the Bear or the Boar. All of these Totem Animals were associated with Woden in some way or another, as was the Raven and the Eagle. 

To further understand this concept of the 'possession' we need to study the one English Festival that still holds some of the secrets to these Warrior-Kults - the festival of 'Halloween'. This, of course, has not only been distorted over time, but also turned into yet another materialistic occasion there solely to make money out of the gullible 'consumers'. But even this does not hide the underlying meaning, clear by the symbols used -

• Weapons such as a sword, axe or trident (Trident of Woden-Shiva), and also the shield.
• The 'skeletal' garb worn by the individual, this being the 'Kult of the Dead'; this was how the Harii were described by Tacitus, as being painted up as the 'skeleton' to scare the enemy, and (more likely) because they saw themselves as the Ancestors, were 'possessed' by the Ancestors. The term 'Harii' does not refer to a tribe, but to the age-set of young warriors who were sent into battle first before the main bulk of the force. Their ferocity would certainly put many an enemy off fighting.
• The connection to 'spirits' which refers to the Ancestral Spirits who, at this particular time of the year - when the veils between the worlds are thin - can enter Midgard and thus 'possess' these Cultic-Warriors. In Hinduism the autumn/winter period was named after the Ancestors, whereas the spring/summer period was named after the Gods. 
• The 'Devil' and his 'Pitchfork' (Trident) form an important part of this since Woden was transformed into 'The Devil' by the Judaeo-Christian church. This is clear when we consider the by-name of Odin/Woden - Nicor (Old English) and Nikuda (Old Norse). This name became 'Saint Nicholas' so as to gain the following of those who worshipped Woden, and then 'Old Nick' became the name of 'The Devil' when they needed to demonise the Old Gods. Woden is the Ancestral God and Lord of the Dead.
• 'Trick or Treat' is not really a modern-day invention since it is today merely a distorted version of the 'Steal-Right' whereby the young warriors had the right to steal in order to exist, since they were to be the backbone of the tribes defence and protection. Those who refused them when they asked for something would have some form of 'trick' played on them, but in those times this would be a form of 'punishment' and far more harmful than todays 'tricks'.

The date October 31st is used for this festival, which was originally 'All-Hallows Eve', corrupted to 'Halloween'. The title itself suggests a very 'holy' festival which it certainly was - and still is to the few who hold true to our own heritage and culture. Odinists celebrate November 11th as Einheriar Day and this is the same festival, the dates perhaps changed due to this being 'Armistice Day' (a far later edition) and because the Judaeo-Christian church changed the calender by 11 days, which seems to prove this. We have three clear sections to this festival -

• October 31st - 'All-Hallows Eve'.
• November 5th - Bonfire Night, clearly an ancient Fire-Festival pegged on to the figure of Guy Fawkes (who failed in his mission!)
• November 9th (Germany) or November 11th (Odinism) is the Einheriar Day related to the 'Fallen Heroes' and their 'resurrection' into Midgard. 

These young war-bands, made up of young cultic-warriors, were linked to the wearing of black clothes, and the use of the black flag in some cases. They were also linked to the 'Death's Head' or 'Skull and Bones' which became widespread through use by Special Forces in many lands. This was obviously linked to the 'possession' by the Dead Heroes, the Skull and Bones symbolic of the dead warriors. In many cultures, examples being Persia (Iran) and India, these cultic-warriors were feared and suppressed in some cases; this was because in peaceful times they would have been a bit 'out of place' with their sheer ferocity and wild abandon. Today, in this world falling apart, rife with crime and violence, and devoid of any justice from our arrogant rulers, they have the most important place in any resistance to this oppression. But, like in times past, their role would have to be underground since they too will be the centre of suppression - and yet they will be feared greatly by this sick, liberal society. Fear brings into play further suppression - the game goes on!

On his Volkische-Runology blog Runebinder has covered the subject of the 'Death-Mask' (**) which can be seen here together with the Black Flag of Woden's Folk. The Norse god Odin is also called 'Grim' which means 'Mask' and Woden is The Masked One. The 'Death-Mask' is worn as part of this revival of the Germanic Mannerbunde. Below is the Mask of Ygg - The Mask of the Terrible One - also known as 'Ygg's Helm' (AEgishjalm) -

Again, this has been covered in a post on the Inglinga Blog together with its link to a Hindu Symbol which clearly harks back to Rudra-Shiva -

Shaivites, devotees of the god Shiva, are known to cover their faces with ashes, which most likely also formed part of the Cult of Woden at one time. This not only looks more ferocious but is also symbolic of the Fire-Cults of Ancient Times which were also part of this type of society (November 5th). (***)

I have mentioned before on many occasions that the name 'Ygg' or 'Igg' - meaning 'The Terrible One' - can be found in one of the by-names of Rudra-Shiva - 'Ugr' - which shows clearly how old this concept is. The root-word ug has a very primal sound in itself. It is important that we see this name in connection to Ygg-dra-sil and Woden hanging upon the World Tree - the 'Steed of Ygg'. 

Der Wilde Jagd (1889 - Franz von Schuck)

The Wolf is associated with the dead, later being replaced by its domesticated cousin, the Dog. In ancient Egypt Anubis was the Jackal-God and Wepwawet the Wolf-God. This is why Woden is the Wolf-God and has Two Wolves as his companions, as well as his Two Ravens. He is the Ancestral God. 

The new WF Hearth being formed in the South of England (a specialised WF Hearth working on the esoteric level) is based around the recreation of the idea of the Germanic Mannerbunde. It will not, and cannot, be made up of young men alone, since this needs some 'mature' input in order to put into this the knowledge gained by years. It will have the aim of bringing into our Folkish Movement more young folk dedicated to a purpose and a cause, and willing to involve themselves in a great struggle for our Folk. That is not to say that this is restricted to the Wolves of Woden because it will not be; in time there will be many more groups springing up on the same lines, all part of the Folkish Movement of Resistance. 

We are 'Wolf's Heads' - 'outlaws' - because although we are in this society we do not wish to be part of it. This society is corrupt, degenerate, decaying, dying, and it is riddled by rampant crime and injustice. We do not wish to be seen as part of this type of rotten society, a society on the brink of disaster. This society is 'anti-Nature' and it is 'anti-Man' and the need to become broken from its chains seems rather obvious, if we wish our people to survive. Our aim is to lead by example, to show others that there is an alternative way to live today, even if this is done at a minimal level at the outset. But the aim must be to get away altogether when things turn on their head - which they will. We need to be prepared. 

The Hooded Man Prophecy was dictated to me on October 31st 1993 in Horam in East Sussex, England. This was an altered version of the one found in the 1980s TV series Robin of Sherwood. It is the truer version since it has the right numerical values to be an Archetypal Myth. The date of this is obviously significant and will add to the need to keep holding our Ancestral Rite each year, and more so to make this particular rite more 'primal' (which we have been doing in various areas). 

Since we founded WF on April 23rd 1998 we have grown organically through attracting new active workers who have themselves heard the 'Call of the Blood'. This cannot be understood in physical terms, nor in the usual sense of the term 'mental', because we see the Sacred Blood as being just that - 'sacred' - and not just in physical terms but also at a spiritual level. It is quite possible, and proven to us, that certain people do hear a 'calling' and contact us through this, even though this never occurred to them before. Some come through 'accidentally' finding us online even though they were not really looking for anything in particular. 'From a word to a word, let thee be led to a word' - it is the written 'word' that stirs something within the Blood or more precisely the Blood Memory. 

I have shown before how it is quite possible for a group of individuals to come together for a specific purpose, in this case the struggle we have undertaken on Midgard. And this can be extended to the idea that these individuals have done this before, in a previous time of the Cosmic Cycles. The same group can incarnate at the same time, and this is specifically true of a period prior to the coming of an Avatar since the ground has to be laid before He can appear. It is usually some form of Seer or Prophet that heralds this coming, and around this figure grows a 'following' in the form of like-minded people who have the same type of work, though differing in form but not in essence. There may, and no doubt will be, more than one Seer/Prophet who foresees what is about to come into being, and this is certainly true of today. 

We should not make the mistake of seeing an 'Avatar' as the same as a 'Folk-Leader', though one individual can take both roles, as has been proven to us. The 'Folk-Leader' arises in the time of the direst need of his nation, but an Avatar appears at a particular time of the Cosmic Cycle - when the alignment of the stars is right. Even at such a time, many leaders can (and do) arise from different nations in order to aid the Avatar in His great work. In some way or another these people hear the Call of the Blood and. more importantly, they act upon it, taking up a Divine Mission or Destiny.

In ancient times the Ancestors were deemed of the greatest importance, and various myths and legends tell us of heroes or kings consulting their Ancestors through Utiseti which refers to 'sitting out' on a burial mound to consult with an Ancestor. This works in two ways, since the 'spirit' of the ancestor dwells where he is buried; but the blood that flows through our veins is also the same blood as that which flowed through our forebears, and contains the Blood Memory which can be awakened from within. This is how important Ancestral Worship can be, and which has been laid aside in modern 'paganism' and 'wicca'. To have this Ancestral Worship one must firmly believe in the concept of 'Sacred Blood' and also in 'race' since this is the criteria for the 'Blood Memory' to be saved in a pure way, or as pure as we can get it today. 'Race', of course, does not come into the modern world, and thus 'paganism' and 'wicca' can never by the 'Old Religion' since it cannot connect to the Ancestors. 

The name 'Halloween' and thus 'All-Hallows' stems from the Old English *hal meaning 'hale' or 'healthy', referring back to the IE Root *kailo which means 'whole' or 'wholesome'. This is thus a festival bringing some form of 'wholeness', in this case through the reintegration of the Ancestral Spirits into the tribe or group. The Old English *halgian means 'to hallow', 'to consecrate' or 'to bless' and thus this festival is seen as a very holy festival, bringing a wholeness to the tribe. 

The concept of wholeness and holiness is rooted in the Haegl-Rune or the Hagal-Rune (shown above) which is a glyph of the balance of opposites formed into one 'whole' symbol. This rune is also made up of the Life-Rune (Eolhs) and the Death-Rune (Calc) both of which have the form of the 'pitchfork' or 'trident' which is an important symbol in Halloween. The Holly-Tree and the Hollyhock both have roots in this rune-meaning, and neither of these are given much importance even though the names suggest otherwise. 

The ALU-ULA formula is also connected to the Ancestral Worship since it has been found carved on objects in Heathen Burials. The last part seems perhaps to connect to Wuldor (Ullr) who is certainly the 'winter' aspect of Woden and also a 'Wolf-God' as well as a 'Ski-God' in the Far North. The runes A-L-U suggest Ancestor - Blood - Primal, and in the 'ALU' chant Troy produced the runes were used in this way. 

(*) I sometimes use the spelling 'Kult' rather than 'Cult' although both are just the same. 'Cult' has become a 'dirty-word' today and linked with rather 'sinister' groups, or rather groups made to appear 'sinister'.

(**) The 'Death-Mask' is used in the Ancestral Rite as symbolic of Woden as the Ancestral God. His rune is the Os-Rune and the AEsc-Rune or Ansuz-Rune. The last rune-name suggests ahnen meaning 'ancestor' so is appropriate for this use. 

(***) The Sutton Hoo 'helmet' is really a 'mask' and there is little doubt that this is a Mask of Woden worn by the Sacral King in his role as the High Priest of Woden. This mask has the symbolism of the 'Fire-Serpent' or 'Kundalini' within its work and this also forms part of the Ancestral Worship. This is the 'Inner Fire' that has to be awakened.