Wyrd Ecology : Heathen Ritual and Gifting Relations

著者名：Davy, Barbara Jane

Oxford University Press（2025/04/22発売）

• 言語：ENG
• ISBN：9780197804926
• eISBN：9780197804933

Description

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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Wyrd Relations 2. Becoming Ancestors 3. A Procession of Reconnecting 4. How Pro-environmental are these Heathens? 5. Conclusion: From Here to There and Back Again References Appendix 1: Survey Questions Appendix 2: Survey Data Results Index