Mythology - Eddas and Sagas

What is mythology and why do we as Ásatrúar use the word to describe our religion? The word myth has come o represent a body of lies, a tall-tale like Paul Bunyan and his blue ox or Johnny Appleseed. This is not to say that myths are just stories devoid of any truth. Oral histories passed down for generations, long before they were written, tend to become exaggerated and a bit skewed over time (I think we have all played the telephone game as children.). This does not mean that they are any less valuable to the listener than the 100% truth. The ancient orators who told the histories to the people used poetry, artistic license, and other means in order to educate and entertain.

The Eddas of Ásatrú were written in the 13th century by Christians. Based upon this they are corrupted with Christian influence and we must take that into account when using them. They are NOT an Ásatrú bible. The 13th century was not a time when Christians were kind to heathens and "devil" worshipers. Snorri Sturluson (1179 – 23 September 1241) author of the Poetic Edda was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. From what we know of him he was concerned with the truth of his ancestry, but this does not mean he truly discovered it or interpenetrated it.

The Sagas, which are so often used as biblical like texts in our troth, are no different than that of the Eddas. These stories were orally passed and eventually transcribed into manuscripts by Christian in the 13th century. In many cases the heroes convert to Christianity. This conversion makes for many contradictions within the sagas. A Heathen hero leaves his home in search of glory and returns to his Heathen homeland a Christian and no-one seems to care. What? Why are so many of our heroes converting? Because these stories were written down by Christians.

I do not believe that a myth is necessarily a bad thing. The myth of Ásatrú are no different than that of the Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Christian Bible, the Torah, and the Koran are all mythology and no different than our Eddas and Sagas. Myths are unsubstantiated stories based upon oral histories that have been transcribed. As Heathens we need to remember this. We need to take each of the Sagas and the Eddas as what they are and try to examine and remove the Christian influenced elements. Read the Sagas and the Eddas but do not try to make them into biblical texts, they are not. They are stories, mythology, from the days of yore that can help us understand history.

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