(no subject)
Apr. 11th, 2003 09:24 amLast night, i got an LJ comment which posed a very interesting question:
Since you are a pagan, does this mean you just believe in elves or something a little more? Or just a RPG?
I've decided to share that answer publically, for anyone who might be interested. Feel free to ignore if you choose, to ask further questions- whatever.
Within the body of Celtic lore, folktales, legends and the like, there are all sorts of mythic beings- faerie, spirits of woods and bodies of water, even some that have remained 'in circulation' in modern times, like the Irish leprechaun, the banshee, brownies, and mermaids.
Simply because these entities were the product of a less technologically advanced culture isn't reason to discount them out of hand. From a sociologic standpoint, there is a tendancy to develop methods for explaining that which a society doesn't understand. It can be argued that this is the origin of the concept of the Divine- a god-being or beings which exist to control that which people can't grasp.
My view of the nature of the Divine is that i can't clearly disprove the existance of such a being or set of beings, and, through research into different cultures, the Divine Ones of the pre-Christian Celts fit well into my understanding of the role of how i think such creatures would interact both with each other and the world around them. In particular, i associate strongly with the goddesses Brighid and the Morrigan, the gods Manannan and Lugh.
I believe that there are some sorts of entities which are not conventionally tangible to people- or perhaps it's that we're in general too busy or preoccupied to observe them, and that they're just as happy to exist within their own realm.
I don't necessarily associate with identifying these creatures as elves, sprites, pixies or whatever. I do, emphatically, believe in the faerie, though, and find them to be as real as the Divine Ones.
Since you are a pagan, does this mean you just believe in elves or something a little more? Or just a RPG?
I've decided to share that answer publically, for anyone who might be interested. Feel free to ignore if you choose, to ask further questions- whatever.
Within the body of Celtic lore, folktales, legends and the like, there are all sorts of mythic beings- faerie, spirits of woods and bodies of water, even some that have remained 'in circulation' in modern times, like the Irish leprechaun, the banshee, brownies, and mermaids.
Simply because these entities were the product of a less technologically advanced culture isn't reason to discount them out of hand. From a sociologic standpoint, there is a tendancy to develop methods for explaining that which a society doesn't understand. It can be argued that this is the origin of the concept of the Divine- a god-being or beings which exist to control that which people can't grasp.
My view of the nature of the Divine is that i can't clearly disprove the existance of such a being or set of beings, and, through research into different cultures, the Divine Ones of the pre-Christian Celts fit well into my understanding of the role of how i think such creatures would interact both with each other and the world around them. In particular, i associate strongly with the goddesses Brighid and the Morrigan, the gods Manannan and Lugh.
I believe that there are some sorts of entities which are not conventionally tangible to people- or perhaps it's that we're in general too busy or preoccupied to observe them, and that they're just as happy to exist within their own realm.
I don't necessarily associate with identifying these creatures as elves, sprites, pixies or whatever. I do, emphatically, believe in the faerie, though, and find them to be as real as the Divine Ones.
no subject
Date: 2003-04-11 09:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-11 06:29 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-04-11 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-11 08:27 pm (UTC)The two are exclusive, you know.
no subject
Date: 2003-04-11 08:35 pm (UTC)Speaking of goaltenders, how's Kai doing these days?
As for the other bit- don't worry. We'll find you a nice
elven vixengirl one of these days....Re:
Date: 2003-04-12 05:19 am (UTC)I'd kill him first, but he was a Ranger and thus has the upper hand. Bastard.
Next time he's got some time and is in town, I'll let you know. We can all hook up for dinner.