Mos Maiorum Foundation
Today is an unveiling, an early Yule present from me to you.
I want to announce here the Mos Maiorum Foundation, a non-profit, educational foundation dedicated to reviving the customs and traditions of our ancestors, to the idea of Paganism as ethnic religion. The name was chosen because though I am a Heathen, I am also a member of an ethnic religion, and because, as scholar Jan Assmann says, polytheism is a means of translation between cultures. So in choosing the name I was reaching for something outside my own traditions, to what I thought was the best name for what this foundation is about.
Mos Maiorum is a Pagan Roman term which means “the traditions of one’s fathers.” And the customs and traditions of our ancestors is the essence of ethnic religion, of Paganism as a religion of the people, or to borrow a phrase, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Polytheism belongs to the worshipers, not to a priesthood bent on self-aggrandizement, either through the accumulation of power, or of wealth. People want to honor their gods, and they should be able to, without interference from a hierarchical priesthood more interested in their own welfare than that of the devout masses.
We must express ownership of our religion, of our own true religion. Not true universally, because I don’t accept that any religion qualifies as universal, but true to us, and for us; our own religion, not that of some foreign god of the desert. To do so we must educate not only ourselves, but others. That is what this site, this foundation will be dedicated to.
The site is ready; the links have been tested. But it’s not complete. It never will be. I will be adding material all the time, and tweaking things here and there as I go. I have many articles already posted and will be adding others, some especially written for the site. I hope also to include material written by others.
An important component of Mos Maiorum are the forums, hosted by Lefora. I hope to build a virtual Pagan community there and I invite you all to join. I’ve also included a toolbar that can be downloaded from the site. I’ve posted links on various pages. It, too, is ready but can be changed and modified according to the needs of the community. Through it, I can pass news to the community, and if so desired, a chat feature can be included which would allow members to chat directly, a nice feature given that not everyone has the the same chat engine available to them. The toolbar works in both Firefox and IE.
I hope that you will all visit and let me know what you think. I’m open to feedback. Additionally, if there are any problems with how the site works, I’d like to know so that I can fix it. It has been tested in Firefox 3.0.4 and IE 7, as well as Safari 3.2.1 (the PC version of the Apple browser). The site is best viewed in Firefox or Safari, however, as for some reason IE doesn’t always cooperate (a fact apparently well known to the web development community – you see all sorts of cursing out there). In particular, an image on the main page doesn’t show up in IE though it’s quite visible in both Firefox and Safari.
I hope you will also all visit the forums and join so that we can learn and grow there together. I’ve learned so much from all of you already, and I think that would be the perfect environment to continue the process.
Thanks to all of you for your support over the past couple of years. I intend to keep up my blogging (though I’ve considered adding a blog dedicated to the site), and I hope that way to be able to catch you all both coming and going!
May Thor ward you!
Hrafnkell
Hrafnkell Haraldsson is the author of A Heathen’s Day, which since 2005 has addressed the life and thoughts of a modern day Heathen. He maintains a second blog, Digital Gods (www.digital-gods.com) which focuses on polytheism for the digital age. He is also the founder of the Mos Maiorum Foundation (www.mosmaiorum.org) which is dedicated to the study and support of Paganism as ethnic religion. 
Wow, Hrafnkell! I’m stunned – speechless. It’s truly a remarkable site the likes of which I’ve never come across before in all my time searching. A thing of beauty and I only hope that the contributors can offer a fraction in the forums that you have offered in the source. (and that was just the impression after a brief browsing)
May the spirirts of your land bless you in abundance!
Thanks Pom, I’m glad you like it! I was going to wait and fiddle more but decided I could possible fiddle forever before I was 100% satisfied. So I decided to invite people aboard and just warn them that I’d keep fiddling till I got it just right
I’m hoping people who don’t necessarily post comments on a blog might be more willing to chime in on the forums (that’s right, I’m talking to you lurkers out there!).
The picture in the header (and the one on the forums header too) is one I took in the Badlands of South Dakota when I went out west with my eldest son a couple years ago. I have many fond memories of sitting out there with him, waiting for the sun to go down.
Pass the mead and raise a toast! You know you’ll see me over there, H. Thank you for all your hard work and time that went into such a gift as your website is sure to be.
Thanks, Gran. I look forward to seeing you there
Hrafnkell,
I browsed through Mos Maiorum this morning. It looks lovely! Congratulations!
Can you tell me how to sign up as a member?
Indrani, thanks. You don’t have to sign up as a member of Mos Maiorum Foundation, but you can sign up as a member of the Mos Maiorum Forums by following the link on the navigation menu. Hope to see you there!
This is good news! I’m celebrating it here with sahti – the traditional Finnish beer. I can translate some of my writings about Finnish Paganism to English for the foundation if necessary and participate to the forums every now and then.
Heilsa! The site looks great – may all success attend this work! You know I’ll be around there…
Does Finnish beer taste better than American? I’ve always said our beer tastes like horse piss (and don’t ask me how I know this).
You did write a post for me here about Finnish Paganism and I could use that rather than having you write up another, if you’d like.
Thanks, Erik! It will be good to see you around the neighborhood!
Well, mainstream beer is pretty bad regardless of the country. But small local breweries make wonderful beers, even in America. For example there is something called The Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing Company. The brewery is located in California, I think. Awesome stuff.
I was thinking I might provide you an updated version of the article on Finnish Paganism..
Sound good, Anni! Arrogant Bastard Ale, eh? Now that is something I can’t go to the halls of my ancestors without trying. Onto the list it goes!
WOW, oh wow, oh wow!
That is an awesome mission statement! Almost a ‘shield-wall’ chant (if you get my drift!
I will be drifting in and out of the foundation and watching it grow (hopefully contributing in some wordy way) with great interest.
Congratulations on a mind-blowing project.
May Thunors strength be yours!
Stu, good to hear from you, and thank you, I appreciate the positive feedback!
And yes, I lost an early Heathen friend here on the Blogosphere over a draft of that Mission Statement I shared with him. He didn’t want to be associated with “anti-Christians,” as he put it.
But yes, it is a shield-wall. I think that’s a good way to put it and thanks for putting that image into my head. I don’t intend to dodge the issues but put them out there for all to see. Take it or leave it, that’s how I see things.
Hope to see you on the forums, wordy or otherwise!
Hrafnkell,
Sorry to hear you lost a Heathen friend who didn't share your views.
The 'anti-xian' thing is a very fine line and seems too easily crossed these days.
To me, the wrong kind of 'anti-' borders on aggression and personal attack with malicious intent (too strong perhaps?). And there's a BIG difference between that and standing up for your beliefs & correcting a 'few' wrongs!
With reference to my first description of 'anti-', xians were and still are anti-pagan!
Stu, thanks again. Yes, I was dumbfounded that he saw it that way. I don’t look at myself being anti-Christian. I am simply pro-Pagan and being pro-Pagan necessarily includes dismantling myths that disguise the true nature and history of Paganism. Even saying our gods exist is from a Christian PoV “anti-Christian” because it entails a denial of their essential tenant (monotheism), so it’s hard not to be seen as anti-Christian no matter how careful you are.
Meanwhile, as you say, anti-Paganism runs rampant in our world.
Hrafnkell, if there are words in any of our tongues to express my reaction I’ve never heard them. Before I write anything else, it’s worth mentioning that I related closely to the landscape featured in the photo you used as a header for your new site. My first encounter with the ‘Great Outdoors’ was a pair of hiking trips my father took me on back when I was ten: first through the Black Hills, and then through the Dakota Badlands. What I gained from those hikes was an image of the new and growing, juxtaposed with that which once was.
I have spent the last couple of days reading through what you’ve written for this new foundation. I’d always been impressed with your style, but when I read what you’d written for it I was struck with something I haven’t felt since I first saw the Black Hills. I hope that the Gods bless you with the success that such a divine project deserves. You can’t allow such creative goals to become buried and fossilized.
I always hesitated from citing primary text when I wrote here because I felt like it would represent an ‘external custom,’ but having seen how thoroughly you’re willing to do it yourself within the context of a serious thesis, I realized I have a great deal left to read, and I’m always willing to go back to basics to find true insight. I’m truly amazed by the command of primary texts you wield in the analyses you posted on the site!
Of course, it’s damn near impossible for me to say anything without proving myself to be the devil-advocating, iconoclast that (I pretend) I am. Although that doesn’t mean I search for problems, it does mean that they stand out highlighted to me (you can thank my mother, the consummate Englisc master for that). In any event, I only found two problems.
First, in your mission statement, point number seven features a doubled-up indefinite article: “We further assert that Christianity is not a universal belief system but as it exists now, a derivative and syncretic form of AN A [my caps] religion (Judiasm) originally indigenous to the areas that made up the ancient areas of Galilee and Judea.”
Second, your note within the chronology of anti-pagan genocide dated 399 contains a passage missing a couple letters: “At Sufes, also in North Africa, Christians destroy a cult ttue of Hercules…” I imagine ‘ttue’ should be ‘statue.’
Again, I hope that these notes are not disparaging. I also hope that I’m not the ninth person to say this, i.e. simply making an ass of myself. I genuinely do think the project you’ve begun is of the highest order of importance for the world which must face the failure of the Abrahamic mythologies. I wish you all possible blessings in your journeys, and know that the spirits of your ancestors will ride with you along the road.
Chris, thanks for the positive feedback! Seems like a small world sometimes. That was my first contact with the great outdoors as well. My father took us kids out west, to the Black Hills, and once, into Montana to the Little Bighorn. When I got married and had kids, I did the same for my kids. I want to take Devin there as well.
I appreciate everything you have to say about the site, good and bad. I didn’t go in expecting perfection. I tried to make it as error free as possible, and caught a few last minute typos (including, ironically, one on the list of persecutions), but obviously I missed some. Honestly, if there are only a couple, I’ll be happy. I was editing content at the same time I was making graphic design changes and tweaks, which probably didn’t help!
And doubled-up infinitives! I try my best to live by Strunk and White’s Elements of Style but I still commit cardinal sins on occasion, but that sentence you point out…well, that’s a doozy.
As far as outside sources go, I always feel like there are two types of pieces when I write: opinion and analysis. If I’m writing opinion, I will just sit down and whip it off, right off the top of my head: this is how I feel about a thing. I might quote from a source or two but that’s it, and often not at all.
But if I’m writing an analysis then I feel it’s important to know what the experts think. And I try not to rely on simply one source but to canvass the board and get a spectrum of opinions.
These are the people, after all, who do the digging, or who read the original document or inscription in Coptic or Latin or Greek, or what have you, and can best tell you what it says.
I think part of my way of doing things comes from the fact that I was trained as a historian in college and historians don’t hesitate to cite each other, or to talk about each others opinions either in books or in scholarly articles.
And when you are writing about a subject, there are certain sources you have to have (or show) familiarity with, experts in the field you have to appeal to. I had this beat into me by my professors and its stayed with me. So when I write those kinds of pieces now for my blog, they’re not much different (except in tone) from the papers I wrote in college.
I got those two errors corrected. The doubled-up infinitives in the Mission Statement apparently resulted from changes I was making in the wording over the past few days. I’m never entirely satisfied with how things sound and I really wanted those points in particular to be “just right.” The extra word was like a stone chip on the carving of a statue.
Please, everyone, if you see little things like that, let me know. It’s hard to find your own mistakes because when you’re reading, you know what it says and you tend to see what you expect to see. So don’t be afraid to point them out. I won’t be offended and In fact, I’d be appreciative.
I can only once again say “wow”. The comment section of this entry must prove that what you are providing in Mos Maiorum must really have been needed!
On citing sources – what do you do when you’ve read so much information that you cannot recall the source of a specific piece you cite? That is my biggest problem. I also have a knack for assimilating that information into my own way of thinking and then it’s just simply the way I see things too but it’s inconvenient when trying to be respectful of the wonderful works I’ve read and the authors of those sources.
That happens to me as well, Pom. I’ve developed a technique where, when I find something that might be useful later on, I copy it down on a list and save it to my hard drive. Nothing worse than finding some brilliant or insightful statement and losing it!