From: rkister@lonestar.utsa.edu (Robert F. Kister)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: warfare and women
Date: 12 Apr 92 16:42:58 GMT
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio

In connection with this thread of thought about Celtic godesses of war,
check the Erinyes or Furies, who were female spirits of vengeance, the
goddess Bellona, the very personification of war, and Victory, who was
also considered to be female. This looks to be a common Indo-European
archetype.

Among the Scandinavian peoples, we have copius accounts of the Valkyries,
who actually resembled the Erinyes most closely, originally being
corpse-demons, and later evolving into beautiful "guardian angels" for
male heroes. Freyja, goddess of sensuality and the Vanir, is (like many
fertility godesses) goddess of death and battle as well. Half the fallen dead
she keeps in her hall, and she actively stirs up war at Odin's behest.
Death and life are two sides of the same coin, and the sow that is so often
a "totem creature" of the goddess of fertility symbolizes her not only for
its fecundity but also for its terrible propensity to kill and eat its own
young.

In the historical Viking Age, women did not (except in a VERY few
documented cases) take up weapons themselves... Carol Clover has made a
convincing case for there being an actual shortage of women as compared to
the numbers of men in this period, so the lack of women who went to battle
in the historical period may be due to the great need to preserve women, rather
than a cultural bias against it. HOWEVER, like Freyja, Scandinavian women
filled a role called "Hetzerin" in German, or "strife-stirrers."  Even a
quick look through the sagas will show that when menfolk are slow to exact
revenge for insults, or reluctant to take up weapons to solve their
differences (what we in the modern day would see as a prudent and reasonable
course of action and would encourage men to do) Viking women would taunt
and agitate and finally shame their men into going and killing their
enemies, rather than urging them to seek better solutions. This seems to be
an ancient practice, as Tacitus tells us that among the Continental Germanic
tribes , the women went and observed battles, and that Germen men were so
loath to have their wives and mothers see them act in cowardly fashion that
they fought ever harder in their presence. Women in Germanic/Scandinavian
culture seem to be "repositories of family honor" and so it is their DUTY
to encourage slaughter when necessary to preserve that notion of honor.

I think it a very good thing for the modern pagan woman of any tradition to
acquire basic self-defense skills. I also have to say that I reccommend that
all women learn how to safely, correctly, and accurately use a gun, for in
today's society, it is getting to the point where the raiders may appear at
the door and all that will be between them and your babies is YOU. Loving
life does not mean fearing death... the Celtic tradition and the Norse are
very certain of renewed life beyond death... nor does a wish for peace
mean that one must shun all violence. Walk softly, speak conciliating
words when possible, and if absolutely necessary, hit the b___ards with
your big stick, repeatedly.

Peace-loving? Yes. Pacifist? Never!

::GUNNORA::



--