Are guns ever ok at ritual?

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Permalink Reply by Aikaterine Nekyia on November 14, 2009 at 8:50am

That's pretty cool. I am solitary at the moment, but Greek pagans or any pagans in general are hard to come by in my region (damn the bible belt!). I really like the community aspect of Heathenism and Asatru. My friend is an Asatru. I think its important to give back to the community whenever possible. My own family tends to pretend that I'm Christian or not talk to me lol.

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Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 13, 2009 at 1:58pm

Oh really not anything mentionable. One remarkable thing may perhaps be the variety of meaty dishes that someone who can't stand Haggis would run away from. :)
We also have many cakes and bread-y dishes that resemble various animals that were sacrificed (and surely eaten) on special occasions, during a certain wintertime, during easter time, after easter time, harvest and so on.

What we also do have is the traditional pork head around new year where we make our resolutions. I do not find the source now but in ancient times you made your vows by laying your hands on a pork head, which was something Freyr related...while wo do not have the whole Norse Pantheon, we certainly do have Odin (Wotan) Fricke (Frigga or Freya or both...depends on the expert) and Fro (Frey/Freyr). Additionally we do have the Goddess Hulda, to whom A LOT of holidays were dedicated (and still are), and of course we do have Donar :)

Our heritage is more dominated by sensible housekeeping (there is no end to this, there are so many folky regulations), nontrespassing against holy places and hospitality than by sacrifice, we have plenty of fertility rites but it rather involves ritualised violence against humans or sticking poles in the ground and jumping over huge bonfires etc than animal sacrifices if you do not consider traditional food!

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Permalink Reply by RavenMercurius Shiv on November 13, 2009 at 1:01pm

Take an example from the Muslims how they sacrifice animals. They begin with the name of their God & make sure the knife is completely sharp enough...& They do the killing in an honourable way!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Araelus the Stormwolf on November 13, 2009 at 2:03pm

That's how some hard-line fundamentalist Muslims should die too. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Alan on November 13, 2009 at 2:51pm

As a veteran (and I used guns outside of training), I don't personally see anything spiritual in them. Swords, bows, and such require a sacrifice of time to learn to use. I could see using a toy gun, or a wooden carving of one, in a ritual if it could SOMEHOW be necessary.
Of course, Asatru sees it differently (to the surprise and confusion ofcertain low-IQ types in Texas).
There are more humane ways to kill an animal than to shoot it with a firearm; I believe that if you are going to really kill animals for sacrifice, you should be a licensed butcher (and would then know these ways).
Outside of ritual, in the US, it is ALWAYS appropriate to carry a firearm, except at work...provided that you are properly licensed in your community, and you are carrying it openly and IAW local carry laws.
For the record, many horses and cows bear a star, or a forehead marking, which is the result of our ancestors selectively breeding for the trait...the star is directly above the thinnest bone in the skull, where it is easiest to sacrifice the animal with a hammer blow.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on November 15, 2009 at 9:26am

INTERESTING about the star......I had not heard that before......21 gun salute is still used in military burials.....

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Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 13, 2009 at 3:41pm

But shooting rifles at a burial or in some regions at a wedding, birthday etc is also valid.

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Permalink Reply by Astrid Johanna Ulv on November 14, 2009 at 3:40pm

That's good that Heathens used all parts of the animals they killed. I have heard that killing an animal just for a sacrifice and then not using the animal is illegal and classified as cruelty to animals by this country's animal protection laws. The Santeria practitioners tried to fight against those laws in the U.S. court, but the only kind of sacrifice like that that's legal is sport hunting. Killing an animal with a knife and then just giving the body to the Gods without using it yourself is classified as a crime in the United States. How then are some of you who kill animals just for that purpose able to get away with it? I think it's a good law for reasons I've stated above.

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Permalink Reply by Austin Prince \|/ /|\ on November 15, 2009 at 9:32am

That's kind of...retarded, in my opinion.

Hey, um, we know that you're doing this as a part of a ritual in your religion, but, um, NO. But we ARE going to let these Budweiser-drinking douchebags go out, leave their trash everywhere, and shoot a deer just to put its head up somewhere.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on November 15, 2009 at 9:35am

A law? really? Could be? We hunt. I've never heard of that being a law......HOW would that be enforced and who would do that?

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Permalink Reply by Oakson Shaman on November 14, 2009 at 3:44pm

Guns are only good for one thing ! i do not need to explain , unless you are a wee bit dim !!!

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Permalink Reply by Austin Prince \|/ /|\ on November 15, 2009 at 9:35am

Also, in my opinion, hell yes guns are okay at a ritual. In all reality, just about anything is, so long as all people present (including spirits and deities) are fine with it.

Then again, I do lean towards Chaos Magick, so that would explain my stance on the subject.

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