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Mason Hawii 0085O 10784.Pdf ÁSATRÚAR HEATHENS IN HAWAI`I A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGION BY RICHARD L. MASON May 2020 Thesis Committee: Helen Baroni, Chairperson Marie Alohilani Brown Abbie J. Neves Keywords: Ásatrúar, Heathens, Pagans, Vikings, Old Faith, New Religious Movement 1 DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis by offering special thanks to all the local Heathens in Hawai‘i both past and present who have allowed me into their homes in pursuit of my goals. Some have passed into the next world. I will not ever be able to repay them for the kindness that they have shown to me, not just for their openness about their Faith, but the openness of their hearts. I cannot thank them enough for their patience, candor, and goodwill. There are many things that I had to unlearn, and they were ever patient in explaining their worldview (sometimes many, many times). E.S. Craighill Handy explains; The sincere student who desires to understand the inner meaning of any religion must be capable of a certain degree of self-surrender and adaptation. The day is rapidly passing, it is to be hoped, in which the study of religious beliefs as purely objective phenomena, capable of explanation in the light of reason alone, will continue to be an accredited academic method of interpreting any of the manifestations of worship. Religion, essentially an expression of a subjective reaction to the experience, if it is to be truly interpreted, requires the mystical and intuitional equally as much as the logical faculty of the mind. Thank you to B.K., Ben-Ji, Donut-Witch, Hammer-Man, Honey-Bee, Joker, Rusty, Siege, Witch-Doctor, all the rest, and most of all Justin-Time. Deyr fé, Cattle die, deyja frændur, kinsmen die, deyr sjálfur ið sama; you yourself die; en orðstír One thing now deyr aldregi that never dies hveim er sér góðan getur. the fame of a dead man’s deeds. ~The Prose Edda: Havamal, 76. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend a special thanks to all of my mentors. I could not have completed this thesis without their support, patience, and grace. Dr. Ramda Lam’s foresight and expertise into indigenous Faiths was invaluable in working with the Vikings. Dr. Marie Alohalani Brown’s incredible aid in communicating both Folkways, and their importance to a burgeoning people, can’t be overstated. Dr. Abbie Neves’ comprehension of both military and veteran culture was instrumental in relating to a group in which 100% of the informants were military, military family members, or veterans. Last but not lease, I would like to especially thank Dr. Helen Baroni, for not just her incalculably contributory knowledge of New Religious Movements, but for her tireless perseverance in aiding me to complete this work. I cannot thank you all enough. I would also like make an apology ahead of time for any coarse vulgarisms. I am transcribing verbatim the dialogue of sailors and soldiers, whose colorful turns of phrases and word choices may seem crass. Yet this is how they talk, and I feel that their language speaks to their blue- collar character. This is an integral aspect of their identity, and out of respect for them, I will include it. Note, however, that there is one word I will not use, which will be referenced in Chapter 3. iii ABSTRACT Ásatrú Heathenry is a steadily growing New Religious Movement (NRM) in the United States. This Neo-pagan Faith is a reconstructed return to the pre-Christian practices of the Viking Age. Few scholars have studied the religion, and no one has previously studied it in the military population within the geographical margins of Hawai`i. This study argues that the geographical isolation of the 50th State impacts the social structure of the local Ásatrú Heathen community. Moreover, this study contends that Ásatrú conversion bears distinctive motives resembling those of military enlistees and that Ásatrú’s ethical paradigms mirror the ethos favored by military service-people. With this strong military connection, the Ásatrú Heathens in Hawai`i also present a unique voice offering insight into the growth of the religion. In this research study, hermeneutical, ethnographic, and etymological methodologies are employed to better represent the varied practices found in the Ásatrú Heathens practitioner’s reconstruction of this ancient tradition. These practices are especially important to the Ásatrú in Hawai`i, who are forced to recreate the religion within the confines of their small military family units. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………….. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………... iii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.…………………………………………………………………...... v LIST OF FIGURES.………………………………………………………………………...... viii PREFACE: TALKING TO THE HEATHENS………………………………………………. ix So What?………………………………………………………………………............ x CHAPTER 1: WHO ARE THE HEATHENS?…………………….……………………........ 1 A Reconstructed Religion: A New Religious Movement…………………………….. 2 Methodology: Chicken Wings and Dictionaries……………………………………… 3 Inclusion Criteria……………………………………………………………... 3 Institutional Review Board Approval and Informed Consent………………... 4 Ethnographical Approach……..……………………………………………… 4 Interview Questions………………………………………………….. 4 Hermeneutical Approach……………………………………………………... 4 Etymological Approach………………………………………………………. 5 Working Definitions: Pagan, Heathen, or What? ……………………. 7 Challenges Faced: Rum Balls and Death-Metal……………………………………… 8 CHAPTER 2: Context: Caricatures, Denominations, and Mythology……………………….. 13 Rethinking the Caricatures……………………………………………………………. The Sayings of the High One…………………………………………………. 18 Viking Affluence Allows for the Promotion of Ascetics…………………….. 19 Reasoning Behind the Caricatures……………………………………………. 19 Denominations: So Many Families of Gods………………………………………….. 23 Rökkr: The Twilight Gods……………………………………………………. 24 Cosmology and Mythology: The World Tree, the Nine Worlds, and the Soul………. 27 The World Tree and The Nine Worlds……………………………………….. 28 The Conception of the Soul…………………………………………………... 30 Odin: The All-Father…………………………………………………………. 30 Cyclical and Linear Nature…………………………………………………... 32 35 CHAPTER 3: GENESIS AMNESIA, RACISM, AND FANBOY ÁSATRÚ.………………. 36 Genesis Amnesia and Racism....……………………………………………………… The Norse Paradigm and the Three Abrahamic Faiths……………………………….. 39 The Three Orientations……………………………………………………………….. 40 Universalist Ásatrú…………………………………………………………… 42 Folkish or Volkish Ásatrú…………………………………………………….. 45 v Triibalist Ásatrú………………………………………………………………. 45 Fanboy Ásatrú………………………………………………………………………… 46 The Jarnsaxa Scale……………………………………………………………………. 47 Chidester’s Model Applied to the Three Ásatrú Orientations: A 3x3x3 World View.. 49 Figure 1: Universalist 3x3 Model…………………………………………………….. 53 Figure 2: Triibalist 3x3 Model……………………………………………………….. 55 Figure 3: Folkish 3x3 Model………………………………………………………..... 56 Classification of Persons……………………………………………………… 56 Superhuman Persons Category……………………………………….. 56 Human Beings Category……………………………………………… 57 Subhuman Persons Category…………………………………………. 57 Classification of Space……………………………………………………….. 57 Cosmic Space Category………………………………………………. 58 Geographic Space Category………………………………………….. 58 Body Space Category………………………………………………… 58 Classification of Time………………………………………………………… 58 Cosmic Time Category……………………………………………….. 58 Historical Time Category…………………………………………….. 59 Body Time Category………………………………………………….. 59 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 59 60 CHAPTER 4: THE MILITARY CONNECTION……...…………………………………….. 61 Stark and Bainbridge on the Characteristics of a Sect……………………………….. Attitude of Ethical Austerity………………………………………………... 63 Exclusiveness in Attitude and Social Structures…………………………….. 64 Separateness – Heathenry as a response to 9/11…………………………….. 65 The Nine Noble Virtues (NNV)……………………………………… 65 Blue Collars and Deck Plates………………………………………… 66 Voluntary Joining, Acceptance, and Conversion……………………………. 68 Importance of Family…………………………………………………. 71 Spirit of Regeneration……………………………………………………….. 73 Conclusion – The Uniformed Code of Military Justice……………………………… 75 75 CHAPTER 5: FOLKWAYS AND PURSUIT OF THE SACRED…………………………... 77 Garðr and Hōʻiu………………………………………………………………………. Hel and Laahia………………………………………………………………………... 79 Kennings and Kino Lau………………………………………………………………. 81 Disblut,ʻUla, and ‘Aumākua………………………………………………………….. 84 Reputation…………………………………………………………………………….. 87 Folkways……………………………………………………………………………… 90 Conclusion: Does Hawai'ian Culture Play a Role in the Growth of Ásatrú?................ 93 94 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………… 95 Appendix A: Jarnsaxa Scale………………………………………………………….. Appendix B: Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative for Exempt Researchers.. 98 Appendix C: Institutional Review Board Approval………………………………….. 98 vi Appendix D: Informed Consent………………………………………………………. 99 100 GLOSSARY………………………………………………………………………………….. 101 WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………………........ 103 104 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Universalist 3x3 Model……..……………………………………………………… 56 Figure 2: Triibalist 3x3 Model...……………………………………………………………… 56 Figure 3: Folkish 3x3 Model……………...…………………………………………………... 56 viii PREFACE: TALKING TO THE HEATHENS “Dost know how to write, dost know how to read, dost know how to paint, Dost know how to prove, dost know how to ask, dost know how to offer…” ~The Prose Edda: Havamal, 143. The military may be the best agency for exposure to varied faiths and religions. Despite background creeds,
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