Wyrd Ecology

Heathen Ritual and Gifting Relations
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-0-19-780492-6
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 150 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 363 g

Reihe: Oxford Ritual Studies

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

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.