Who's at the Door?
Jun. 28th, 2007 01:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersWhen is Þor no longer Þor? Sounds like an odd question, doesn’t it? But in today’s world of flexible language it’s IMPORTANT. Each group has it’s own dialect of the larger language but today, the Individual’s “dialect” is oft given equal credence to the larger. Communication breaks down when folks can’t Speak to each other and when Words are equally Defined by Individual and Group…it gets messy.
It’s not just the new, made-up ones. Personally, I’m all for them if the language I’m of doesn’t already have a Word for it. Making up the definitions for already existing Words with long-time definitions however…..NOT.
Getting back to the initial comment. If you come up with your own definition of who Þor is and it’s has little to nothing to do with most of Historical or Present day Heathens, is it Him that you’re talking about? IMO, NO. When you define a Being of ANY Nature that doesn’t agree with Historical or Consensus Reality, you are describing Someone Else(or maybe NOBODY). An Example. I’ve run into a heckovalot of Heathens whose personal definitions of The Old Man and Laufey’s Child are NOTHING like the Historical or even the consensus in Modern Heathenry. IMO, they’re describing OTHERS, not THEM. “But, what if everyone else is WRONG?!?” you’ll oft hear from them. While they have a point, the onus is on them to Prove History and Consensus WRONG. Not the other way around. You can Beleive WHATEVER you Wish on your own Time, by Yourself. Presenting your UPG’s as Historical or Consensus Definition(s) is WRONG.
Troth,
Patrick T. Duffy
It’s not just the new, made-up ones. Personally, I’m all for them if the language I’m of doesn’t already have a Word for it. Making up the definitions for already existing Words with long-time definitions however…..NOT.
Getting back to the initial comment. If you come up with your own definition of who Þor is and it’s has little to nothing to do with most of Historical or Present day Heathens, is it Him that you’re talking about? IMO, NO. When you define a Being of ANY Nature that doesn’t agree with Historical or Consensus Reality, you are describing Someone Else(or maybe NOBODY). An Example. I’ve run into a heckovalot of Heathens whose personal definitions of The Old Man and Laufey’s Child are NOTHING like the Historical or even the consensus in Modern Heathenry. IMO, they’re describing OTHERS, not THEM. “But, what if everyone else is WRONG?!?” you’ll oft hear from them. While they have a point, the onus is on them to Prove History and Consensus WRONG. Not the other way around. You can Beleive WHATEVER you Wish on your own Time, by Yourself. Presenting your UPG’s as Historical or Consensus Definition(s) is WRONG.
Troth,
Patrick T. Duffy
