One of the kindreds here as well as one of the main Asatru message boards both regularly have café-meetings/get-togethers/come-say-hi things at the other end of town (it sounds far. Trust me, it's Copenhagen. Nothing's that far away here). Every time, I consider showing up. Every time, I change my mind or I have studying to do, or friends to meet online (timezones, yay), or any other of a dozen different reasons. I've showed up twice, both at the kindred's meetings. First time, I bought a cup of hot chocolate, settled down with a schoolbook, and watched. I'm curious. So sue me.
Second time, I was moderately down with something and not entirely at my best, but I showed up, anyway, and got a glass of orange juice and watched. I'd actually intended to say hi that time but changed my mind after listening to a long-haired fella in an T-shirt talking to someone obviously new to the whole thing about the parts of the Eddas he'd recorded to music, his hobbies, his songs, and then recommended a few books. One of them was out of print and he wasn't sure if said new one could get it at the library. At that point I couldn't keep my mouth shut and suggested maybe the main database of used books had it, because that's where I got one of my copies of the Poetic Edda. Fella made a note of that, then continued to explain starry-eyed new one about his views of things. It was around that time I decided I should probably get going.
Now the main Asatru forum here has started on little get-togethers the same place and I've been tempted again. My main reason for staying away so far is the fact that while they encourage lurkers to show up, too, they don't know me and I only know them from said forum and frankly, I'm a superficial capitalist bastard - the result, undoubtedly, of five years of economics combined with a good friend who studies law in the same buildings. Law-girls are notorious for wearing expensive brands and it tends to rub off during prolonged exposure. And that's not even mentioning my political views.
I lurk on the forum with good reason. I'm not particularly social to begin with and from lurking, it doesn't strike me as a place I'd care to get involved with. You tend to get the impression, reading it, that there are some serious undercurrents between people there and that all it takes to set it off is a wrong word. Asatru forums in general tend to be happy to argue - often fiercely - and this one's really no expection. And when I finally started to consider posting, another newbie (branded 'troll', imagine that) set off a massive explosion when s/he posted about the general tone on the board during debates and how it might be scaring newbies away (yes, yes, yes. I'm missing the backstory, I don't know the whole thing, I'm not a part of it so I wouldn't understand, they're a family of sorts and not required to play nice with everyone, etc. I know.)
So I lurk a lot, basically. But on the bright side, they can be really fun to watch.
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2 comments:
Greetings Annika,
I'm sorry to read that you're having a hard time finding your way into the Asatru community in Copenhagen. It takes an effort, but it's definitely worthwhile, at least if the people are right.
I'm a fellow Danish asatruar from Odense. And I can assure you, that although long beards, long hair, piercings, tattoos and viking attire are very common in the community (re your earlier post on this subject), Asatru is much more than, and not only about, these things. In that we agree 100%.
But we are polytheists, right? We are tolerant, and don't judge each other entirely on appearance, right? Yes, there are fog horns and egocentrics here too, but most asatruar in my experience are nice and easy-going people, that just want to enjoy life and worship our Gods in peace.
I'm not sure what forum you call "the main Asatru forum", but have an educated guess. If I'm right, that particular forum is certainly not representative of Asatru in Denmark. Actually, when I come to think of it, no forum is.
Are you a member of Forn Siðr, or another Danish community? It may be easier to get aquainted with fellow heathens thru a kindred (blótgruppe) rather than thru "café events". I've been co-footing a social event like that in own kindred, Uias, but have mostly kept away since summer, since they've evolved into somewhat of a beer tasting snob event (not that I don't like beer, though ;)). But our blóts are entirely different events, also socially.
There's no problem in lurking, I'm sure Oðinn will support your cautios behaviour, but I really hope you'll find a way to embed yourself in the Asatru community, even as a "yuppie law girl" :)
If you're thinking of a forum that sounds like 'Kinder', you've got it in one. And if that's the one, I'm glad they aren't. That's a whole lot of improvement in my view of the Asatru community right there :)
I'm not a member of any community. I've considered Forn Siðr a couple of times and still do but I'm honestly not sure. I think my main problem with the Danish Asatru community is that listening to the loudest people, you tend to get the impression that it's much like so many small towns - grudges, feuds, issues, old history, and all that happy stuff. After a while, I think I gave up on figuring out who did or caused what and just settled for ignoring that whole thing completely.
We actually have a blótgruppe around here I've considered as well but again, I think I might be environmentally damaged. I just don't see myself in some park or something, calling upon my Gods in winter jacket and running nose and a horn of freezing mead (and that, basically, is my problem and not the blótgroup's. They strike me as damn good people.) To be honest, if I had the money, I'd build a small temple instead - or, more likely, convert an entire room to one. Something that could blend modern with traditional and not end up as a wooden shack in the back yard.
I've more or less decided to just try and make a nice impression on the general society instead. Help a bit on our PR. If I had any skills in expressing myself verbally, I would have gone into politics. With that out of the option, I settled for a different career instead and figured that with luck and hard work, maybe there'd be another way to influence things. Dreadfully idealistic, most likely, but I made a promise once and I intend to keep it. And if I never get around to becoming part of the Asatru community, then... well, I can live with that :)
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