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Ancestors/the Dead

As I work out who to include and what role ancestors/the dead play in my local cultus, I decided to make this glossary for study and comparison of different cultures and traditions- this is not implying that these cultures should all be combined or borrowed from, as the boundaries of those traditions will vary.

I've decided to included house spirits in this list, as they often overlap a lot with ancestor cults, household worship. Or I may put them in a different list.

apotheosis- Greek- elevation of a human soul to godhood

Dii Manes- Roman- Divine Dead

disir- Collective of Norse female divine ancestors- cognate with the German idises, Celto-Roman matronae- associated with fertility, childbirth, dead, often depicted with fruit, grain, cornucopias, distaffs, spinning wheels. Some specific goddesses that may be related to the matronae include the Frisian/Dutch Nehalennia, the Gaulish Rosmerta.

euhemerization- the view that deities were once historical people. Some we have myths explaining that a human was deified or became a bodhisattva

hero (fem- heroine) Greek- a legendary person known for great deeds. Sometimes deified, often seen as semi-divine or a demigod/dess that is more powerful than a regular ancestor spirit.

folk saint- a saint that is venerated but not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox church.

kula devata- in Hinduism, the guardian/patron deity of a family, clan or village. Sometimes an aspect of one of the major Hindu deities.

martyr- Greek- someone who died for their beliefs (religious and/or political) While typically associated with Christians there are a number of polytheist, pagan & heathen martyrs.

Mighty Dead- used for spiritual leaders, clergy, founders of traditions honored in modern Pagan and Witchcraft traditions (I'm not sure of origin of this term- I recall it first being used in British Traditional Witchcraft (BTW) but not positive.

restless dead- Spirits of those that died angry, with unfinished business, trauma. In some traditions they may be approached with caution and calmed with particular rituals, offerings and prayers so that they can move on to the afterlife, and bless descendants. They also may cause harm.

transcestors- modern portmanteau for transgender/transsexual ancestors/dead coined/used by some Pagans, polytheists, witches etc. especially for honoring folks on Trans Day of Remembrance. (TDoR)

Wild Hunt- legend/belief in a procession of spirits and other beings riding horses led by a deity, hero or legendary being. Legends of the Wild Hunt are found all over Europe and have many regional variations.

House Spirits

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Local Ecology Calendar- Part 1: Weather

Devo, a Kemetic (that is Egyptian polytheist!) made a great guide to making a calendar based on one's local ecology. It can be used for any cultural focus.

Creating a Calendar Based on Local Ecology: Gathering Information

Building the Backbone of Your Calendar: Weather Analysis

Satsekhem (another Kemetic's) blog post about the backbone

From Devo's page:

Rain patterns: do you have a rainy or snowy season? When is it? Does your rain or snow typically come from a particular direction or location?

Here are the average weather statistics in Minneapolis from 2010 thru 2022, as measured at the MSP Airport weather station

January- coldest, cloudiest month

February- driest month

4 March- colder season ends, rain (alone) season begins

20th/21st- Spring Equinox

10 April- wetter season begins

22 May- warmer season begins

June- rainiest & sunniest month (lots of rainbows for Pride month!)

21st- Summer Solstice

July- hottest, muggiest month

17 Sept- warmer season ends,

20th/21st- Autumn Equinox

4 Oct- drier season begins

26 Nov- colder season begins, 28 snow (alone) season begins

December- snowiest month

20th/21st- Winter Solstice

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Polytheist Devotional Resources

Daily Devotions- a Hellenic polytheist's suggestions for each day of the week. On the main blog page, she posts each day the day of the week activities as well as hymns for deities/spirits associated with that day of the month, festivals etc. This can be easily adapted for other traditions.

Pagan Book of Hours- Calendar of Prayers. Includes rituals for holidays from a variety of traditions. (Norse, Irish, Roman, Greek)

The Hearthkeeper's Way- Ar nDraiocht Fein's guide to committing to a regular Druid practice. A free e-book with prayers and short rites for daily, weekly, lunar and solar devotions.

[boarseye]

MN Gael's Spiritual Journal

It's hard to find my own posts in the main tumblog so I started this one to keep track of my spiritual progress and collect resources (some of which were initially gathered by other folks but many of the links need updating) So brief intro- I'm mainly a Irish & pan-Germanic polytheist, a neo-Druid by affiliation in Northern Roots Grove, an eclectic independent grove in the Twin Cities metro area (which I helped found!) . The name "Boar's Eye" is a cool medieval-y way of saying an old name for Saint Paul, Pig's Eye a nickname for one of the earliest European settlers, whiskey smuggler whose actual name was Pierre Parrant. The boar is an animal that was revered by both Celtic and Germanic peoples as a symbol of strength, much like the wolf and the bear were identified with warriors, as well as prosperity and fertility. In addition the twins deities Freyr and Freyja both had golden boars that they rode on, which connects nicely with the "Twin Cities".