Wyrd Ecology

Heathen Ritual and Gifting Relations
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-0-19-780491-9
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 18 mm, Gewicht: 440 g

Within contemporary Heathen communities, the Old English term "wyrd" is used to refer to the web of relations that connect all threads of existence. Inspired by pre-Christian traditions of Northern Europe, Heathens give gifts, toasts, and offerings to foster a sense of connection with other humans and the more-than-human world. In Wyrd Ecology, author Barbara Jane Davy posits that these ritual activities are not merely isolated exchanges but rather a means of sustaining entire relational systems, in turn inspiring givers and receivers to participate out of a desire for meaningful connection.

Davy utilizes research from two years of participant observation in a Heathen community in Ontario, Canada to show how ritual activities deepen practitioners' sense of appreciation for what they have already received and instil a desire to give back. Davy illustrates how making offerings and giving gifts is important not only because of what people might believe about the gods, but because it gives people a sense of relatedness with their world. Ritual practices may thus play a critical role in instilling an ecological conscience and can encourage ethical relations and pro-environmental behavior.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Davy, Barbara Jane

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Introduction

- Chapter 1: Wyrd Relations

- Chapter 2: Becoming Ancestors

- Chapter 3: A Procession of Reconnecting

- Chapter 4: How Pro-Environmental Are These Heathens?

- Chapter 5: From Here to There and Back Again

- Appendix 1: Survey Questions

- Appendix 2: Survey Data Results

Über Autor(innen)

Barbara Jane Davy is the author of Introduction to Pagan Studies and editor of the three-volume collection Paganism: Critical Concepts in Religion. She has taught courses in religion and ecology, sustainability thought, and big history at Concordia University, Carleton University, and the University of Waterloo.