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Sacral Kingship...

By: Gunnsmith

 Gday and

good thoughts...

When I first heard of sacral kingship it seemed pretty different, and not something that one would think to be very functional or have  any advantage in todays world. We have all learned the history of Europe.. and it is rife with the storys bad kings and queens, idiotic military commanders...and our own families have  suffered the consequences of this in past century's.

And, so along  with some of the other terminology used by Theodish.. the modern speak or meaning of  the word "king" is not something that one would assume ought to be gone back to....

however, after sitting as a guest at Uthwitegan-hall for a while, it became much more clear...

that the Sacral King is elected.. that is, raised on a shield.. and that while he does have power that could be abused... there are other layers of power and laws in the organization that it seems would or could prevent this. The title of King seems pretty imperial.. whereas chieftain or drighten, which is used in Asatru.. a little more in keeping with the modern day, and our obsession with the individual.

the King may have some power in certain fields... but  also ,  a great responsibility... as the holder and focus  of the community luck, and more or less the most direct interpretor, spokesman and interface between the community and the Gods....

because to the Theodish the Gods are and always have been.. community Gods... honored and even worshipped collectively, and with the  authority, knowledge and execution of ritual being held by the sacral king and a few of the high officers...

An this being the Anglo Saxon version of heathenry... the social and cultural models for Theodish come not from the far north..  but from the more gentle dales and green expanses of south central England.. from the history, language, ancient writings and lore... of the Anglo Saxon people

and this... can be  compared to the more individualistic..." personal  might and main" of the North-West Vikings of the Faroes, North Scotland,... Iceland and Greenland from which Folk-Asatru takes its pedigree and models of social and institutional organization.........

At the end of the day we are all the tribes of Ida Plain.... where the first forge was set up... tools and golden game pieces  made.. things to wonder at... found in the grass long after....

and here on the sacred dreamtime lands.... the tribes make their fires.... some in the deep woods... hunters... Ullrs men.... and others along  the great "silk road".. in the city of Theodish.... with its grey granite walls rearing inscrutably from the green expanse....and  yet  others  live by the shore in great halls... where knarrs lay at anchor, and longships  dance to the sea surge near a blackstone pier......

This is our dreamtime.. and the place of our ancientness....

Gunn