by Raudskeggr-AOR – OR Briefing 199
In the recent past, several discussions have arisen about the term Folkish. In its simplest terms, Folkish means one thing: an unbending will and dedication to one’s Folk. An unbending will and dedication means that the Folk come first, above all else. Our forbears lived a challenging life in the wilds of Northern Europe and Scandinavia. They relied on their own skills as individuals to establish the family. Families worked closely together to establish the clan. Clans worked closely together to establish the tribe. Tribes worked closely together to establish a Nation. That Nation, the Aryan people of Scandinavia and Northern Europe, is our Folk.
As an Odinist, one must overcome the barricades life presents and strive for the good in all things. The drive for such an ambition is the unbending will and dedication that countless generations of our ancestors established, promoted, and gifted to us in our sacred bloodlines. Our ancestors didn’t stop by a grocery store to buy food, or have a car to drive them around. They didn’t have a department store to buy clothing in. Everything they owned came from one thing…their hard work and endeavors to live as a free people united in the name of the Aesir and Vanir. The ancestral creed began before dawn when the fire was stoked and the longhouse came to life. Fuel was gathered for the fire and water carried from the stream. Household items were made from raw materials…tools from wood, bone, stone, and metal…clothing from animal hides and homespun cloth…food was acquired through hunting and gathering…fishing the seas only because nets were made by hand, etc.. All of these things occurred each day because the family needed such things to survive. Only through their hard work and industriousness did the Nation become whole. Behind each action that occurred was the unbending will and desire to live as a free person under the banner of Odinism!
Today we do not rise in the morning and stoke the fire. We don’t carry wood and water to the house. We have more department stores than we could ever use. Our clothing is bought off the rack. Food is bought at the market or through a drive-up window. So where is the unbending will and desire in today’s world? It is within each of us, but it has been repressed on countless fronts by countless persecutors. Only because of the great Nation that our people were are we able to restore ourselves to our rightful place as a Nation of Folk carrying an Unbending Will and Desire to live free as Odinists should.
When an Odinist arises in the morning, there is one goal in mind: What can I do for myself and the Nation today? With that goal, he or she ventures from home with an eye on improvement. When a worthy neighbor needs a hand, an Odinist gives it freely. When a brother or sister needs a winter coat, an Odinist finds one, whether in the closet, the Goodwill store, or new off the rack. When an impoverished Folk child is in need, an Odinist gifts food, clothing, and shelter. When there is a need within the Folk, an Odinist feels that unbending will and desire rise up within and finds a way to fulfill that need. By doing so, an Odinist teaches by example. That example makes an impression and that impression in turn becomes a self-instilled value. Those values are what make a family a family, a clan a clan, a tribe a tribe, and the tribes a great Nation. Heil the High Gods and Goddesses!
At the same time an Odinist endeavors to fulfill that unbending will and desire, he or she must also understand that not everyone is worthy of being Our Folk. An individual or family often finds a dilemma. When an Odinist sets an example and a lesson is taught, that individual or family will rise above the dilemma and pursue the good of life. A lesson taught is a lesson learned. However, if that person or family fails to learn after the assistance is given and simply sees an opportunity to take advantage of an Odinist’s good will and gifts, that person or family is not acting for the benefit of the Folk. They are a leech drawing life from the sacred wellspring an Odinist carries within…the ancestral bloodline. An Odinist understands need, while at the same time culling the leeches from the circle of life. The strong survive and the weak perish. It is a fundamental law created by Mother Nature and is the core of our unbending will and desire.
In modern times we are forced to “cull” our own people because they are not worthy of being one of Our Folk. Folk have a code they live by. Part of that code is diminishing weakness so that we remain as strong as possible. The old adage goes “.a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” That saying stems from the old blacksmiths of Europe who hand-forged the chains to sell them. If they made and sold a chain with a weak (substandard) link, their destiny was short lived. A broken chain meant less work completed, and often resulted in death from a chain breaking and a load shifting, log rolling, etc.. The wisdom of a strong chain link came from centuries of trial and error, mixing new alloys and making things strong. To make a new alloy, one mixes the strong metals and forges out the impurities.
In today’s world, we are faced with a society that has been bred to soil themselves like newborn children. We have sex offenders on every corner, informants on every doorstep, and government eyes everywhere, all looking for an opportunity. None of these things align with being Folkish. A sex offender hurts women and children, leaving emotional and psychological scars for life. Such actions are not geared toward lifting the Folk. An informant downgrades his/her life by putting friends and family in jail or prison. Such actions do not lead the Folk forward, but strive to bring the Folk down by incapacitating good people while the informant goes free. Such actions are not Folkish.thus, sex offenders and informants are not Folkish. That is why these types of people cannot become a link in the chain.they are weak and unreliable. They are not worthy of holding the Nine Noble Virtues within or standing up to fight for our beliefs and culture.
In more complex terms, one must break the word down into its root word and suffix. The root word is Folk. Folk is capitalized because it is a proper noun and has significant meaning to an individual Odinist. The dictionary defines the word as:
folkish
- adjective 1 characteristic of ordinary people or traditional culture. 2 resembling folk music.
folk /fok/
- plural noun 1 (also folks) informal people in general. 2 (one’s folks) one’s family, especially one’s parents. 3 (also folk music) traditional music of unknown authorship, transmitted orally. 4 before another noun originating from the beliefs, culture, and customs of ordinary people: folk wisdom. – ORIGIN Old English
-ish
- suffix forming adjectives: 1 (from nouns) having the qualities or characteristics of: girlish. 2 of the nationality of: Swedish. 3 (from adjectives) somewhat: yellowish. 4 informal denoting an approximate age or time of day: sixish. ORIGIN Old English
In looking at the roots of the word Folkish, the truth becomes apparent. The word Folk- is simply one’s people. Everyone who walks this earth has Folk. The significant difference in the common usage of “folk” and Our Folk is how we view each other and treat each other. We stand proud and true in the name of Our Folk, regardless of the cost. We are Our own Family! We are Our own Culture! We have Our own Beliefs! We have Our own Customs! All of these things are what make us Our Folk. What we are not is dependant on others. We have Values, Wisdom, and Knowledge.all instilled from countless generations of love and compassion, battles and bloodshed! These are things one cannot buy with money or manipulate through government. They are Folkish!