Mon, 14 Nov 2005

In Praise of Ancient Tongues

Laudator Temporis Acti has a fascinating post this morning on the "reforms" in the Catholic Church that led to the vernacular Mass. It's taken from a book, but here is the part that struck me as most relevant to Heathens:

Latin was gone entirely, replaced by dull, oppressive, anchorman English, slavishly translated from its sonorous source to be as plain and "direct" as possible. It didn't seem to have occurred to the well-meaning vandals who'd thrown out baby, bath, and bathwater that all ritual is a reaching out to the unknowable and can be accomplished only by the noncognitive: evocation, allusion, metaphor, incantation -- the tools of the poet.

Mass was now said in the language of the region where it was celebrated. Like politics, all Masses were now local -- and had about as much dignity. Before "reform," the individual quirks of the priest -- whether he was a saint or a thug or merely a potato like old Father Bleary -- were submerged beneath the timeless rhythms of a universal script. Now priests had huge discretion in deciding the details of the "modern" Mass, and all those egos were on parade.

When I was still the goði of Ravenswood, I disdained the use of our Elder Tongues, feeling that the vernacular was more in keeping with our position as a minority faith: if we were to grow, we must be understood, and Old Norse, (or any other language incomprehensible to modern Americans) would not assist in that regard. In fact, my position was that it would create confusion.

The current goði of Ravenswood, Chris Haviland, does use a bit of modern Danish, specifically in the 'Hammer Warding' that opens each blot, and in the first toast (always given to Odin) in sumbel.

I must confess to be a trifle disturbed by this initially, as I was trying to understand what was being said. But eventually I heard it instead - and hearing brought understanding, despite my deficiencies in the speech of the Danes.

There was a disturbing incident at the May Day Moot Kris and I attended in 2004. The Theodish blot preceding the Grand Feast and sumbel was done entirely in Old English, and with much mumbling as well. Because of the structure of the ritual, with which most other Heathens were unfamiliar, it began to vaguely resemble a Christian service, complete with "communion". Several Asatrurar refused to take part, or Hammer-signed the passed bread and horn. There was much discussion following...

Of course, our worthy Theodish brethren hadn't converted, and it wasn't a Mass in blot's clothing. This could've been avoided with a bit of explanation right up front - which "reform" I believe they've introduced when doing ritual for mixed groups.

I've grown rather fond of hearing Chris invoke the Asa-Thor and the dwarves that guard the corners of Midgard in a Scandinavian tongue. In fact, I've given some thought to crafting a ritual cycle using Old Norse (now that I'm actually somewhat conversant in it) and seeing how it "plays". Good ritual is like good drama, and as our Catholic friends have discovered over the years, what is sometimes perceived as opaque on the surface can reveal hidden gems of wisdom and tradition that mere intellectual appreciation cannot touch.

/Asatru | 1 writeback | permanent link

On 11/14/2005 15:52:41
orangeguru wrote

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