So today is another Heathen Holy Day, if you will, dedicated to Oliver who is another Heathen Martyr. He was assassinated by Olaf Tryggvason for organizing Heathen festivals, counter to Trygvasson’s agenda of converting the people to Christianity.

It is sad that we know so little of those ancestors of ours that died fighting the invasion of Christianity. But ours is a way of heroes, not of martyrs, though we do well to remember them. It may not seem like much of a difference to call such people heroes rather than martyrs, but a Martyr is someone who lost their life for their cause, and I’d rather think of it as they denied their soul to the enemy, which is pretty heroic to me. Then again, I’m not going to make a big deal of it.

Maybe such people are both. Certainly they can inspire us, for if they died for the Old Ways, can we be wiling to do anything less than equal them and still stand in honor before them? Certainly, if we cave to the often non-violent (or at least less-violent) opposition to our ways these days, we cannot. Our ancestors fought and died for their beliefs, can we do less?

No, we cannot. They and the Gods watch our deeds here on Midgard.

The enemy can defame us. They can call us ignorant, backwards, racist, fools, stupid, barbaric, or anything else they wish. They can hurt us, hurt our loved ones, ruin our jobs and our education and our lives. They can even kill us, destroy our sacred places, and crow with victory. But these things do not matter, if your faith is strong, strong like your ancestors. And remember, our ways have nothing against us striking back, and with our Gods and Goddesses of battle, and the spirits of our ancestors, we are far more suited to the arts of war in all its realms than they will ever be.

So remember your ancestors, and their sacrifice, and their heroism. And let them speak in the Halls of the Gods of our deeds, not less, but greater than those that came before.