Heathenry and Weight
freyaskitty
Posts: 50 Member
Havamal 20.
A greedy man, if he be not mindful,
eats to his own life's hurt:
oft the belly of the fool will bring him to scorn
when he seeks the circle of the wise.
Most of us look to the Havamal as a guide for right-living. Our ancestors were wise folk indeed, and gave us many tools to ease the way through life.
I know in Christianity, it if seriously frowned upon to be gluttonous/fat. It is one of their seven deadly sins. Obviously, a lot of them don't take that seriously any longer but it's been part of the culture for centuries.
Culturally, it seems that gluttony is celebrated in the Heathen community. The majority of Heathens I know are overweight if not downright obese. I realize our ancestors celebrated Holy Tides with communal feasts. There are many stories of the wonders of these. But, they were special times and celebrations of living. Life was very hard in their world and feasting showed their abilities to not only survive but to thrive despite those conditions.
In contrast, our lives are relatively easy. We don't have to kill our meat. No wiping chicken poop off our eggs. No tilling, planting or harvesting our vegetables or grains. All we have to do is drive to the grocery store or restaurant and we have a feast laid before us. Every single day. Heck, for some of us, every single meal!
I say all of this to get to this: as a Heathen, do you think it's a 'sin' to be overweight? Do you think it's an insult to our ancestors? Our Gods? Our community (Hearths/Kindreds/etc)?
A greedy man, if he be not mindful,
eats to his own life's hurt:
oft the belly of the fool will bring him to scorn
when he seeks the circle of the wise.
Most of us look to the Havamal as a guide for right-living. Our ancestors were wise folk indeed, and gave us many tools to ease the way through life.
I know in Christianity, it if seriously frowned upon to be gluttonous/fat. It is one of their seven deadly sins. Obviously, a lot of them don't take that seriously any longer but it's been part of the culture for centuries.
Culturally, it seems that gluttony is celebrated in the Heathen community. The majority of Heathens I know are overweight if not downright obese. I realize our ancestors celebrated Holy Tides with communal feasts. There are many stories of the wonders of these. But, they were special times and celebrations of living. Life was very hard in their world and feasting showed their abilities to not only survive but to thrive despite those conditions.
In contrast, our lives are relatively easy. We don't have to kill our meat. No wiping chicken poop off our eggs. No tilling, planting or harvesting our vegetables or grains. All we have to do is drive to the grocery store or restaurant and we have a feast laid before us. Every single day. Heck, for some of us, every single meal!
I say all of this to get to this: as a Heathen, do you think it's a 'sin' to be overweight? Do you think it's an insult to our ancestors? Our Gods? Our community (Hearths/Kindreds/etc)?
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Replies
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I wouldn't say that it's a sin or an insult, but I do think that we should strive to be healthy and happy. We can't enjoy the life that we've been given if we're facing health problems due to obesity. I also believe that kindreds need to realize that while "authentic" foods are nice additions to feasts, they shouldn't be a staple. Our ancestors needed a lot more fat and carbs than we do to survive the harsh climates and the demands of their lifestyles. To attempt to mimic that diet in the spirit of reconstruction is overloading our bodies with fat, calories, and carbs that our lifestyles don't burn through.0
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I don't think gluttony is celebrated in the Heathen community, but it's not a sin as such either. Of course, every time I go to a gathering, it looks like gluttony is celebrated. We Heathens tend to be a fat people- and that's not a good thing. Of course feasting a drinking is a great Heathen tradition, but feasting isn't supposed to happen every single day. I think if our ancestors got dropped off in our time, they would be shocked at how much we eat versus how much physical activity we do.
The Havamal warns us against over-eating and over-drinking because it shows a lack of self control, and lack of self-control is a weakness. I'm not at all opposed to pigging out on tasty Germanic foods during feast days, but those are few and far between. We're not meant to come home to plates piled high with food after spending a day at a sedentary job, and we are all smart enough to know this.0 -
It seems we all agree on this one. Feasts are special moments in time to celebrate, not daily activities.
I honestly think in our modern society, we as a culture tend to overinduldge because, well, we can. We've got so much variety and food is so easy to get. If we want strawberries in the middle of winter, we can have them. Food is a necessary luxury. We HAVE to eat. I have a feeling if we had to work a bit harder for it, we probably wouldn't be so out of shape.0 -
I definitely agree with much of what has been said before. We are a lot more opulent in our eating habits than our ancestors were, or even had the choice to be.
I struggle with feast days at the best of times, as I'm a vegetarian
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None of the folks in our group have been vegetarians until recently. The other haarguuard's sister moved to NC from WA right before Midsummer and I had no idea she was a vegetarian. The feast was the first time I met her, and she didn't mention anything about being vegetarian. I overheard someone else talking to her about it and I though, "Gods... I put meat in EVERYTHING!!!" There was even bacon in the cole slaw (this is why I'm fat). I felt so bad. She was really cool about it though.
Now that I know, I'm going to try to make sure to have some vegetarian options for her and her kids at feasts. Besides, it's healthier for all of us!0
