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A Tribute to Ragnar

Sippa: The Irminic Family

 

Perhaps in a ‘perfect world’ we could all boast that our family is the root of our success, and the ultimate source of our love, inspiration and drive. But reality has no place for some utopia such as a ‘perfect world’, and the sad truth of matters certainly would reveal that a large number of folk spring from anything that even resembles the neat and tidy family which is more at home on a 1950’s ‘dream-land’ television show than anywhere else in the waking world. What is more, over the years, as we have moved well into the ‘modern era’, the needs and attitudes of ‘civilized man’ has been directly impacted by the ‘developments’ of the era -especially so today in the ‘information age’. Not even a century ago, families, out of sheer necessity and utility were still an inherently closely tied unit of folks on both practical and social scales. Especially in rural and even ‘frontier’ settings, family was often the only group of folks one could depend on with any certainty, and it was the family who would tend for the aging or those otherwise unable to care for themselves.

In today’s world, however, we have an over-bloated and intrusive government whom is expected to tend to the welfare of our own, to see to our elderly, educate our young, etc. There surely seems a government- or government funded private agency to handle just about every aspect of social responsibility that was once understood to be the family’s own. This isn’t necessarily the government’s own fault, of course, but rather the Frankenstein that mainstream society has allowed to evolve - and so, we live in an age and ‘society’ in which everything is ‘someone else’s fault’ or ‘someone else’s responsibility’, even to the point that folk blame the government for their own shortcomings and failings, especially as parents. Somehow, when today’s kids become the completely disrespectful miscreants they are, it’s the fault of the government, TV, MTV, violent movies, and a plethora of other nonsensical targets of blame…never the parents or parents’ unwillingness or inability to raise decent kids.

At the close of the old millennium and the beginning of the new, we saw the development of the infamous ‘information age’ of high speed computers, internet, cell phones and other information technologies -all of which are geared towards the enrichment of the human experience, and the evolution of the ‘thinking man’. But, for all of its uses and benefit, technological development/evolution has come at a price -one which may yet to prove quite hefty indeed. Computers are a fairly common fixture in a growing majority of households, and with that, the proportionately growing accessibility to the ever-expanding internet. The internet has proven beyond beneficial in professional and educational genres, and few would argue the immense benefit it has provided/ does provide in those spheres. It has even provided a benefit for communication, especially in situations where chatting would mean racking up the long distance charges, or where waiting for some piece of correspondence to arrive via ‘snail mail’ would be far from convenient or otherwise less-than- productive.

The internet, however, has proved to be more of a detriment in communications and communication skills than a boon. A growing number of people are spending increasing amounts of time in front of their monitors, ‘surfing’ for endless hours on end. These same folks are either willingly or inadvertently cutting themselves off from social contacts beyond the confines of their homes, choosing instead the companionship of technology. Where this applies to younger folks especially, they are severely hindering a greater social development and impairing their ability in learning those social skills that are vitally necessary for the individual to have gained and internalized for use in more socially dynamic situations. This decreasing social interaction carries over into the household as well. After all, the man/woman/child who is glued to the screen is not only unable to interact with his fellow man in his/her community, he/she can’t very well do it with the members of the household either - and so, we not only see a breaking-down of social skills on a greater ‘social’ level (within a given community), the same is happening within our very homes. The ‘social disability’ of a deteriorating ‘society’ is growing at an alarming rate, becoming increasingly more rampant as the years wear on. Not only do folk within that ‘community’ expect ‘someone else’ to deal with concerns and problems which are better treated by those whom they affect the most, folk in the mainstream world are finding growing difficulty in effectively communicating or dealing with the people around them. In a socially healthy and balanced society such as within Irminism [Irminenschaft], the anti-social trends of the age are rightfully halted or altogether eliminated in due course.

As Irminists [Irminen], we accept full responsibility for ‘our own’ on all levels-from accepting the consequence/reward of our deeds, to tending to our children and families. We are responsible for our own and do not hesitate in accepting that charge. In an Irminic household, within an Irminic family, it is the parents that must teach their children the ways of their ancestors, the thau  and mores of a healthy, Heathen household and greater community. It is within the Heathen household that those unbreakable bonds of family are not only forged, but nurtured -those same social principles and values that each of us carry within us and apply within the greater Irminic (and even mainstream) society which lies beyond the hedgerow of our property.

While our children will certainly reap the holy benefit of being raised within a healthy, functioning Irminic home (ideally from birth), most of us born between the 1950’s and 1970’s weren’t so lucky. That is, most of us came into Irminism from some holy or even mystical experience at some given point in our adolescence or perhaps well into adulthood. This of course, means that those of us who weren’t born as Irminists were raised in whatever religion our parents follow/had followed, with the value systems and views of those faiths. That doesn’t necessarily imply that our parents raised us improperly or wrong in any sense -but rather, that we have been given the values and thau of that foreign god and faith that our parents followed. In most cases, this faith was some form of Christianity -which is, incidentally, the accepted and common values and morals upon which mainstream society was at least initially based.

Our children are fortunate in that they have the holy and lucky opportunity to be raised as Irminists either from birth or quite early in years, and so unlike their parents, won’t need great efforts in ‘unlearning’ the incompatible social dynamics of a deteriorating society -which are (needless to say) more ingrained within the psyche the older the individual in question happens to be. Not to mention, our children are fortunate to benefit from learning our thau and values from ourselves as parents and even those wise elders within the greater Irminic community rather than from an artificial or external source. The strong roots of a healthy Irminic society can only gain firm footing within that unshakable ground of a healthy Irminic family!

As folk reclaim the religion(s) [properly, triuwa ] of their ancestors, they will likewise (re-) acclimate to those organic and natural cultural systems borne within our very blood, which are best suited for providing satiation and fulfillment on all levels. As this happens, and as folk grow within Irminic triuwa, they will likewise come to realize, experience, and wholly know just how Holy and strong the Irminic family unit is. The bonds that are forged in this capacity are the unbreakable steel, which will cleave through the morass of mainstream dross and filth, and would be that unbreakable thread which holds the family intact. As our families grow -physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, so too will they regain that ground that was lost through so much stagnant idleness, and would speedily return to the holy form that our ancestors once knew and treasured.

Surely, not even Irminism is a perfect society, nor is it utopia. Our Gods never promised us anything close to a ‘garden of Eden’ upon this Mittigard, and if anything else, have asserted that the mere essence of life itself is struggle and ordeal -that one thing which drives us to further ourselves and our folk, and which drives our desire to shoot for greater goals and to achieve higher deeds and worth. As if our ‘daily struggles’ and ordeals were not enough, we as a ‘subculture’ or ‘alternative society’ within a ‘host’ culture/society are beset with an onslaught of hardships and challenges which continually batter at the hedgerow which protects the ‘land’ of our families (and community as Irminists), and which threatens to even dismantle the very hall of the ‘home’ and family itself. Often, these challenges are complicated with friction from/within unsympathetic employers, neighbors or even blood kin. What is worse, is when such frictions emerge as a by-product of a ‘blended troth’ marriage, or in a home which follows both Irminic triuwa and some other unsympathetic religion such as Christianity which may espouse ideals, customs or perhaps values which contradict those of Irminism or are otherwise hostile to Irminic ways.

The stresses that may be imposed upon the Irminic household from without are unquestionably difficult to deal with (to say the least) and at worst, do at times present the struggling Irminic family with simply too much to bear, and so becomes the catalyst for that family’s demise, normally expressed through some form of intensifying marital strife which may result in the all-too-common phenomena of the day: divorce. The causes of divorce within Irminism are a diverse lot -just as it exists within contemporary ‘society’, and they certainly will occur. But there does exist one glimmer of hope within the Irminic marriage and Irminic family/ household that simply has faded from mainstream homes: that integral bond and loyalty of family/ kin, the realization of the holiness and binding of our words, our oaths, that drive to persevere and work -to stand together and tough it out. That is the strength of our ancestral values, and the strength of Irminic marriages and homes -we are naturally inclined to ‘stick with a good thing’ through all hardships, and smart enough to know when it simply doesn’t work anymore -and hopefully, in the latter, ‘Irmin-ish’ enough to maintain our integrity and dignity through the worst possible trauma.

The Irminic family is far from perfect, to say the least, but because it is an organic manifestation held together in strength through love and commitment, it not only works but provides its members with the ‘stuff’ it needs to grow, endure, and evolve. As mentioned above, in an ideal setting, we would all have been born into thoroughly Irminic homes and raised with Irminic values, in Heathen thau. Barring that, however, as is most likely to be the case today, we can at least work towards and actually achieve the building of a Irminic family and household with concerted effort and a little patience.
 

 

Defining family

In the interest of the work before us, it is worth taking a moment to briefly explore and define what we are discussing/ referring to when we speak of certain terms such as family, kindred, house/household, etc., and so develop a ‘common clarity’ of these terms as they will be used throughout this text. While it may seem quite unnecessary or even redundant to entertain an explanation of terminology commonly expressed or universally ‘known’ such as the family / family-composite, household, and the like, these concepts are however minimally dynamic in nature, and so each individual’s comprehension of these terms would likewise vary (however slightly) accordingly. With that, it would be counterproductive to our work here if we weren’t all ‘on the same page’, so-to-speak -not to mention, it would fall far from short of being anything close to ‘productive’ if our own preconceived notions or even lack in true understanding of a given concept were to remain as a variable in the equation, and so, suffice to say we are warranted in taking at least a quick look into some ‘proper definition’ of terms as we treat them throughout the text. For the interest of demonstrating an evolution of form within that which is most familiar, and so more readily comprehended, our initial exploration will focus on examining the applicable terminology from a predominantly English linguistic context. Where applicable, the Irminic terminology will accompany the text in bracteates [ ].

As an organic social unit, family is an inherently complex dynamic - one that can prove rather difficult in defining with ‘universally precise’ or definite terms. The concept of family can take on at least slightly varying parameters, especially in today’s mainstream world -depending on the given situation or perhaps the unique interpretation (of family) as understood by the individuals which fall under the ‘heading’ , or who are otherwise addressed or consider themselves as such. The term family is derived from the Middle-English form, familie (surviving as Modern High German Familie) -which, in turn derives from the Latin familia, indicating a household and its servants. Familia is derived from (Latin) famulus -servant. Contemporary dictionaries typically define family primarily as (or in similar terms as):

‘The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents (and) children.’

Earlier sources (such as Webster’s 1885 edition) also include the house/ farm servants (in keeping with the Latin original form), and interestingly enough, also folk welcomed within the home as borders or lodgers when applicable -those who are given some form of extended 'guest-right' or frith within the home by leave of the family’s figurehead, be it the householder or mistress.
In a ‘broader’ scope (that is, beyond that of the house/household) family also includes:
‘A group or persons sharing common ancestry’

or:

‘Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe or race; kindred.’

Family also indicates and embodies one’s course of descent or genealogy that is, one’s ‘family tree’ and lineage. In certain application, this may specifically infer some form of notable or ‘recognized’ and distinguished family lines or nobility -such as was the case in elder times when Kings were thought to be directly descended from the Gods themselves and could likewise trace their lineage to them (most commonly, either Wodan or Ing-Fro).

Analogous to family is the Germanic term, kin. Though it enjoys a fair amount of modern usage, especially within Asatru, kin is actually a Middle English word derived from AS cyn, also cynren (offspring, family, ancestry, kind). Kin is also related to Icelandic kyn, Swedish kön, OS and OHG kunni, and Gothic kuni -tribe, race (as pertains to tribal ethnicity), ancestry, generation. Kin is similar to Latin genus, meaning offspring, race, birth /generation. Genus is derived from genere meaning to beget. Originally, kin signified folk of the same line, be it the immediate (such as the household or ‘nuclear’ family unit) or extended family -folk who shared at least one ‘common ancestor’ at some point within their lineage. This remained so even in reference to the tribe, which is actually (at least in origin) born of the kindred [sippa]. This is also reflected in the poetic phrase kith and kin. The phrase itself was first recorded in the mid- to late 1300’s and has fallen wholly out of any ‘modern’ mainstream usage. Kith is a Middle English word derived from Old English cýþ or cúþ, which signifies that which is known, or familiar, knowledge, or acquaintances. Likewise, Webster’s (later) defines kith as: intimate acquaintance and relationship. Kith, then is one’s close friends and shoulder-companions, one’s trusted neighbors and comrades. Kith and kin, in its earliest and truest sense, are literally one’s friends and family.

In general terms, family covers a rather broad range, from our very own household to the ‘extended family’ of our ‘other’ relatives -our clan, tribe or kindred [sippa]. In Irminic perspective, this would also include our ancestors [Altmaga] -not simply in ‘memory’ or on documentation (such as a family tree or history) but in the very real sense as remaining with us, as viable and contributing members of the living kindred [sippa]. To Irminists, our ancestors remain ‘accessible’ and integrally linked to the weave of our lines, and still connected to that great, and deep urlag within Urda’s well [Urdabrunno].

Likewise integrally woven within the wurt and magan of the kindred are of course, those bound into the family through oaths (such as through the rite of blood brotherhood and marriage) and adoption. Adoption is an ancient and wih-holy practice that serves to bring into the family and lineage those who would have otherwise been rightfully outside of those lines. In ancient times, as well as in modern Irminism, this was done ‘under the cloak’, that is, the individual who adopts another brings the individual under his cloak in a shoulder embrace, formally taking that individual ‘under his wing’ and protection, publicly displaying the act of bringing the adoptee into the family and lineage.

In an Irminic family/ kindred [sippa], adoption is a very sacred act. In every real sense, it ties the individual into the entirety of the household and blood kin -the Adopting family’s lineage and ancestry become that of the adoptee. So too, does the Luck and urlag of the family become the adopted’s own. Within the contemporary Irminic household, adoption often includes an act of name-giving. In this, the adoptee is given a new, rightful name, be it simply the sir-name of the family, a ‘first’ name, or both. This is significant in that it ‘rounds out’ the very real rebirth into the family and ancestry/lineage - our names carry magan and are in fact quite important in that regard, at least to Irminists. Naming the Adoptee serves to not only sever what strands may be lingering, but just as in naming a child after its ninth day, brings that individual within the family in whole scope and form, and ties that Magan to the individual in ‘official’ manner and Being.
 

 

Defining Kindred / Sippa

Beyond the scope of household and immediate family, or more appropriately (and literally) our ‘nearest’ or ‘closest kin’ is kindred. While certainly our ‘nearest kin’ or family are integral parts of our kindred, this term is more ‘general’ in its application, referring more so to the larger, or ‘extended’ collective family rather than the nuclear family-unit, proper.

Kindred is derived from Middle English kinrede or kindrede, in turn, derived from the late Anglo-Saxon cynræden, which is analogous to (AS) cynren (kin, family, ancestry), and related to Old Norse æt (kin, family, kindred), and Gothic kuni (tribe, ancestry, lineage). Cynræden is a compound formed of cyn (kin, offspring) and ræden (state or condition), and so would signify the state or condition of being kin -kindred. This is reflected in both 19th century and contemporary dictionaries, which define kindred as:

Relation by birth or marriage; consanguinity; kin.

Or:

a group of related persons, as a clan or tribe; a person’s relatives; kinfolk.

The term itself as it survives within modern English (kindred) finds no evolved form within modern High German. In its stead however, we find the term Sippe, which not only embodies the same ideals as those presented under the elder and modern English forms, but bears a much deeper significance than its counterpart -one which draws from particular wih-holy roots and carries a measure of the magan of the Holy within itself, and ties that magan to the very 'thing' or Being to which the term is associated (in the same fashion as our own names do). MoHG Sippe (a term carried over from MHG) evolved from OHG sippa / sibba, which itself derives from the older, Go. sibja - relation by blood; kindred; peace. Related, are OE sibb ( >ME sib- affinity, relation by blood), OFr. sibbe, and OI sift, which likewise denote those same concepts (blood/kindred/peace). Among these elder terms we find the name of Donar's wife: OHG Sibba, Go. Sibja, OI Sif - the matron of the kindred, she who wards the well-being and prosperity of our individual lines, she who ensures the peace and wholeness that is afforded by a strong, hale sippa...the magan of the Holy is integrally linked to both the Being of the sippa and the term- thus, we project that wholeness upon our own sippa in a deep, mystical sense each time we utter the word: the names of our Gods are virtual 'words of power' in their own respective rights- each time we set breath to them, we are drawing upon that magan, invoking that God-essence in some form- this same holds true for words cohesively linked to or derived from the names of the Gods themselves. Holy terminology both reflects and projects, reinforcing within ourselves the wih-holy understanding and perceptions to the primal truths with which they relate, and in a more dynamic sense, serve as a furtherance of that Being or manifestation. For Irminists then, the term sippa is best illustrative of the wholeness and holiness which is and underlies the true sense of our ‘kindred’ on every level and in every ‘condition’ of Being...Our sippa is the entirety of our family lines, from our youngest living kinsfolk to our eldest ancestors. It encompasses both living and dead, and is the very embodiment of our immediate beings and collective deeds as Kin, and the ultimate source of true strength and peace- and the wholeness and totality of our line's urlag: every kinsman within a given sippa has affected or affects/ influences the urlag of each particular lineage, contributing to the great store of (family) magan which is born by each family's sippafolga or 'kin/ kindred-fetch' (ON. kinfylgja). As we reshape our households into viable, healthy, Irminic families, so too are we ‘laying the law’ of our sippa’s development. That is, we are actively setting within Urda’s well the primordial layers of urlag from which all other layers will take shape, and so are setting the very foundations for the forging of a true Irminic sippa. As we continue to build upon these layers, furthering the urlag and magan with earnest efforts and rightful deeds, we not only strengthen, but often are replenishing and re-enforcing that lush hedgerow with encircles and protects the innergard [inningart] of our sippa.



Notes:
Thau  Customs, usages or virtues which promote the good and wholeness of a tribe, community, or sippa {An thew}.
Triuwa  An Old High German term (triuua) indicating a 'faith' or fidelity founded on a shared trust; an oath-based loyalty {An troth}.

 

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