#urglaawe

[faithless-faithful]

I need more pagan blogs to follow that are chill with me (a queer eclectic Christopagan) following them! Any pagans generally, but especially if you're eclectic/syncrectic, Heathen, or Hellenic, and especially especially if you're Ozarker or Urglaawer (howdy kin! :D) If you're pagan and friendly, give this a like or reblog so I can check you out! Peace and blessings upon all of you 🥰

[the-accidental-urglaawer]

[deitschanddeutsch]

Sunna or Sól the ☀️ Goddess of the Sun.

Sunna is High German

Sól is Old Norse

~

“The Shining Goddess”

[deitschanddeutsch]

Absolutely.

Added note to this, there is the Deitsch or Urglaawe (Pennsylvanian Dutch Folk Magic) which worships Wodan (spelled that way).

This path DOES NOT allow volkish bigots of any sort. If you have a hateful -ism or -phobia — Urglaawe is not for you.

I bashed atheists, and Christians. Now it's time for Norse fuck sticks who use this practice as a way to preach their ass backwards messages. I do not approve nor will allow my religion to be used for racist propaganda. To anyone just starting out this is a very real threat we face and one we cannot allow it to taint our traditions. We practice inclusion, love, acceptance, not bigotry and white supremacy.

These people who are called Folkist or who worship Wotan are fucking cowards and may they never reach the halls of the gods.

[thorraborinn]

So a while back (and I mean a *while*) someone I was following posted about modern practitioners of the Germanic folk religion brought over by the Pennsylvania Dutch. I can’t remember if it was you or not, but do you know what I’m talking about anyway? I’m trying to find the modern group but I can’t remember the name they gave themselves or how they were referring to the religion itself, like what name they were calling it.

That's not quite an accurate description of it but you are probably talking about Urglaawe (which does have a relationship to PA Dutch culture going back to that period but in and of itself is a self-consciously very recent phenomenon), just based on the fact that I and others have talked about it before. If you were looking for a specific group it was probably Distelfink Sippschaft though they're not the only one.

It's possible you could also mean Braucherei, which is an initiatory folk magical practice with lineages that go back to that time period though that also has gradually but continuously changed.

[jay-grayves]

Reflections on Katherine Kurtz's "Lammas Night"

I recently finished reading Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz, thanks to a copy loaned to me by the wonderful Stacey AKA: The Accidental Urglaawer, and, yeah I can definitely see why many folks in the occult & Pagan communities recommend giving this one a read.

For those unfamiliar with the book, Lammas Night is a work of historical fiction set in the WW2 era that follows a group of British occultists trying to recruit other groups of occultists to join them in a combined working on Lammas night to drive back the Nazi invasion of Britain.

This post isn’t intended to be a book review, but more of a place to record my thoughts after reading it.

(If you haven’t read the book and don’t want any spoilers, I suggest not reading any further).

Human Sacrifice

I gotta start with the big one that’s been living rent free in my head: human sacrifice.

I’ll admit, I was a little put off by it, when the subject was first introduced in the book, which is fairly early on. My knee-jerk reaction was a little bit of an eye roll accompanied by a mental exclamation of, “And this is why us witches are getting a bad rep!”

But then I took a few minutes and let myself backtrack, walking along the paths and threads of our shared human history: human sacrifice has been with us since the beginning.

As an occultist, I cannot deny that, objectively speaking, taking a life in the ritual act of magic is incredibly powerful. However, I know my personal limits in the esoteric world and human sacrifice is definitely where I draw a hard line. Yes, the state of human affairs in the world at large is bleak at the moment, but I couldn’t imagine myself taking a life (human or animal, willing or unwilling) as part of a magickal act, nor would I be comfortable participating in a ritual that required the ritual killing of a live human or animal.

Also, the logistics of committing the act and not getting caught by law enforcement are slim to none in the modern era. I’m not a criminal mastermind. Hiding a body is not a skill I possess.

In the book, they speak of the seven year cycle and the ritual sacrifice of the sacred king to the land. The general concept behind this is that the king of the land has a divine relationship with it. In times of great calamity or struggle, this is generally taken as a sign that the king must be sacrificed to the land to rekindle and repair the relationship with the land. In attempts to avoid struggle altogether, sacrificing the king every seven years seemed to be the most viable solution.

What I did appreciate about the book was reading the emotional and mental internal battle that both Graham (the slayer) and William (the sacrifice) go through during the course of the book. It’s not a decision that is made quickly or lightly and both men go through a hell of a time leading up to the final act. 

It’s also worth mentioning that there are a lot of flashbacks and references to past-lives of both Graham and William. They were in these same roles again and again in each of their respective past lives and through meditation and trancework they are able to put the pieces of the past together to better understand their role in their current situation.

Like most people, I put myself in the characters’ shoes while I’m reading, especially in a work of fiction. Over and over again I tried to imagine myself in Graham or William’s position and it was hard to wrap my head around, even in a fictional/theoretical sense. Part of this is likely because I am just an Everyman. I’m just a dude, a guy, a person. I’m neither wealthy nor powerful nor am I descended from any kind of royal bloodline. I wouldn’t be considered a good sacrifice anyway - I’m nowhere near close to a king. I also know that I could not sacrifice a living being in the name of a god or for a magickal intent. The other reason I think I had such a hard time with it is because I think the concept of a king is dead in the modern era, especially here in America.

Kings & Connections with the Land

from the US, born and raised in Philadelphia. This is where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where the seeds of democracy were planted. We bow to no king in Philadelphia. Yeah, we have our fair share of political corruption, but we believe in democracy and justice over a king. There is no “US Royal Family” since a good majority of us living here today are descended from various cultures across the seas.

On the North American continent, those of us that are descended from colonizers, immigrants and refugees don’t have the same connection with this land that native folks do nor do we have the same connection with our ancestral home countries that native folks in those areas of the world do.

The concept of the seven year king cycle presented in Lammas Night was certainly interesting and relevant to the setting, but I don’t think the concept translates well when you try to apply it to the US. We don’t have kings appointed by birthright and we vote to elect our primary leader, the president, in a four-year cycle. Also, the office of the president is neither sacred, holy, nor spiritual. We aim to keep matters of church and state separate here in the US. 

Applications to Current Events

It’s no secret that fascism is on the rise globally. In the US, it’s fully here, attempting to wriggle and worm its way into every part of our society under the guise of Evangelical Christianity and Republican “values.” The foul creature currently holding the office of president and the equally putrid minions in its circle are determined to throw the world into chaos and war so that they may be the ones to rule over the ashes.

Kurtz has it right: we need to summon the Grand Coven.

I’ve seen it all over social media, witches, occultists and magickal folk everywhere asking each other what spells we’re all doing to combat this looming threat. Dion Fortune (who is mentioned in Lammas Night) did some incredibly powerful magick with her Fraternity of Inner Light during WWII and the invasion of Britain, all of which is chronicled in her letters compiled in the book The Magical Battle of Britain. This is a great model and source of inspiration for folks who are looking to do similar types of magick.

We need our combined magick, prayers, monetary donations, marches, protests, and community-building efforts to work in tandem and harmony with each other. ALL of our efforts, whether rooted in the physical or astral plane, need to align. Now is not the time to be splitting hairs on the internet or at workshops about the differences in our respective traditions, paradigms, and magickal practices. Now is also not the time for splinter factions to form within marginalized communities. Bury your petty arguments and disagreements. Now is the time to CELEBRATE those differences and put them to work in a unified effort to save our current world from slipping into authoritarian rule and build the foundation of a better world, with liberty and justice for ALL.

[ek-vitki]

A couple books on Urglaawe, the American branch of heathenry. Urglaawe is something somewhat special to me, because my grandma was Pennsylvania Dutch

The First Book of Urglaawe Myths: This little booklet of eight myths is particularly special to me, as it reminds me of some of the stories my grandma used to tell. Collected by Robert L. Schreiwer, these 8 myths provide a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of the Pennsylvania Dutch, in a similar way to how the Eddas and Sagas provide a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of our Scandinavian cousins.

A Dictionary of Urglaawe Terminology: Although called a “Dictionary of Urglaawe Terminology” is much more than a simple dictionary. In the terminology and language, you’ll find most of the major aspects of the religion, from holidays to gods and goddesses to conceptualizations of the soul.

Pow-Wows: An American Grimoire (also called “Long Lost Friend”): is an 1822 American grimoire of the Pennsylvania Dutch on braucherei, the Pennsylvania Dutch system of folk magick. I’m pretty sure my grandma had a copy of this little book, but it’s since been lost and my copy is a 2016 reproduction.

[lokavisi]

This is all so interesting! I have yet to delve into the Urglaawe lore, so I am always happy to hear about it. Thank you for sharing!

Does anyone have any UPG around Máni? I keep feeling pulls there, and there's really nothing in the lore about him (or Sunna/Sól, for that matter). I was curious if anyone included him as a more central piece of their practice.

[worldtreeheritage]

Celebrating the Wonnezeit Season and Frau Holle

Celebrating the Wonnezeit Season and Frau Holle

Frau Holle If you’re a Heathen, you may have heard about Frau Holle. She is most famous (even today in Germany) for a fairytale about her collected by the Brothers Grimm. Similar to figures like Baba Yaga, many people argue that in pre-Christian times she was a goddess. Many other-worldly beings in folktales have been hypothesized this way. The most notable example is from Irish lore, where all…

[faithless-faithful]

hi!!!! so i was wondering what all ozark folk practices are? im from the ozarks area of missouri and i love learning about local cultures

Yeah! So there are a lot of practices all based around local folktales and plants, and it has a lot in common with Appalachian folk ways as well. A good author to get into is Brandon Weston, he has three books out about Ozark folk practices and they are very well written. He is an Ozarker himself and actually lives in my town in the Arkansas Ozarks :) Theres all sorts of charms, herbs, spells, etc and he talks about the way Christianity has been incorporated but its easy to tweak if you arent very Christian. I also practice with some local pagans who worship local gods and spirits that are also shared with Urglaawers (pennsylvania dutch). The practices are so many and so diverse that it would be difficult to talk about, much less know where to start! I very much suggest reading Brandons books and even searching up Urglaawe and reading some of the blogs! Feel free to DM me and talk if youd like :)

[the-accidental-urglaawer]

My soul is not mine,

It’s just out on loan to me.

The me that exists in this reality right now.

There is a part of my soul, though

that holds the parts of me that came before me.

The parts present in the imagination and wisdom of my ancestors.

The parts present in the water that flows from Holle's well

to nourish the elders in the Hatzholtz

The parts present in the soil in which the Lewesbaam stands firmly.

The parts present in the incandescent glow of Megge,

and the warm breath of life.

My soul is not mine.

It sustains much more than just me and my tiny existence

in the here and now.

It is connected by the web of Wurt, to all that came before me.

It is connected to all the hopes and dreams of all those standing next to me.

It is connected to the generations of the future by my actions now.

My soul is not mine.

It belongs to all.

As does everything on Earth.

Stacey Lynne Stewart

01/29/2025

[deitschanddeutsch]

It’s summer, and I am absolutely obsessed with the Germanic goddess Sunna (also known as Sol)

[honor-and-tradition]

Tonight is a #blackmoon because it's the second new 🌙 in July. In the Anglo-American tradition, the August full moon is called the Sturgeon Moon because of all the Sturgeons in the Great Lakes area. It is also sometimes called the Green Corn Moon. In the PA Deitsch (#urglaawe ) tradition, this moon is the fifth new moon since the Spring Equinox, so it is called the Frosch (Frog) Moon. Oh, and after sunset tonight, it's #freyfaxi ! (at Bridgeport, Fayetteville) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0mdik4gET3/?igshid=baw564ftwhj0

[thorraborinn]

If others ask this, i apologise for asking again, but what does Urglaawe do that other US pagan groups do not?

Never any need to apologize, but to the first anon, you were, in fact, the first.

Just as a disclaimer, I think everyone knows this but I am not an Urglaawer myself, but I have a lot of friends who are and have participated with them as a friend and guest.

Uglaawe, for those who haven’t heard of it, is a type of heathenry that draws primarily on the folk traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch (i.e. PA German, or Deitsch). It first started to be articulated around 2007-8 by Rob Schreiwer (ex-steer of the Troth) and some others. In incorporates a lot of traditions that developed in the last few hundred years, such as folk and fairy tales; its own calendar/holidays; recognition and veneration certain distinct historical, ancestral, and/or spiritual beings; and traditional magical practices. 

It takes a lot of flak in heathen communities, online or in-person, for being historically inaccurate, but historical accuracy has never been one of their stated goals so much as doing whatever works for them. That doesn’t mean they just do whatever they want arbitrarily, but it means their development is guided by a different set of principles than what guides most other heathens. An example of a criticism they get is that they worship deities that have been rejected as ahistorical by most heathens, such as Zisa, but it isn’t so much that they think she is historical as it is that they don’t really care, or at least that isn’t the basis of them recognizing her. This should have earned them a big “I told you so” when heathens discovered Philip Shaw’s book about Easter, since Urglaawer had been worshiping Easter through the whole period of heathens saying she was fake, but nobody really seemed to notice that. Some Urglaawe traditions like their variants on runic lore were probably either made up in the last few centuries or at least heavily impacted by intentional invention during that time, because they’re just a little too much of what one would expect based on what was believed about Germanic culture in like Grimm’s era, but they know all of that and work that recent history into it (which is like many Scandinavian heathens who have no problem celebrating traditions that they know where invented in the 20th century).

So when I was accusing recons of trying to “escape from history,” that’s an example of something that Urglaawer definitely do NOT do, they see themselves as active participants in a complex web of history that includes everyone, not just a narrowly geographically- and temporally-bound focus. While recons struggle to find the philosophical tools to give life to their dead religion (note: I like Marc personally but the sliver of overlap in the Venn diagram of our heathenries is barely visible under a microscope), Urglaawe was living, even if only as a seedling, from the moment it was conceived of. In my opinion this makes them more historically accurate than recons on like a meta level. They don’t hold up to, like, reenactor standards the way a recon might, but their concerns, motivations, and methodologies are more like actual historical pagan peoples even if the expressions of it are novel.

When it was getting started it borrowed heavily from Ásatrú, meaning early 2000′s American Ásatrú, taking that to be a good faith representation of Germanic traditions, and some of that is still part of it. But part of Urglaawe’s development is the actual hard work of language-learning, folklore collection, translation, and teaching so as time goes on it continues to individuate more from other branches of heathenry, which is a good thing.

[eswynn]

The beautiful bounty of Mother Elder. Thank you for your wonderful gifts. ❤❤❤ #pagan #heathen #asatru #vanatru #paganism #urglaawe #elderberry #wildcrafting #primalcraft #primalwitchcraft #paleopagan https://www.instagram.com/p/B0cddg-nsng/?igshid=1ssnw6avq36fy

[briarsandbramble]

I haven’t spun anything since early August. For the second year (it feels like 3 years but I’m pretty sure it’s been 2 for me) I joined a Yule Taboo-a-long where you spin in a ritualistic manner daily from December 1st until whenever you celebrate Yule. I dedicated 2oz of this “Moonstone” fiber made of 50% 23 micron merino, 25% Baby Alpaca, 12.5% Bamboo and 12.5% Mulberry Silk combed top. If I meet my goal I will add another ounce or two. This blend reminds me of Frau Holle and I’m dedicating it to her. 💙