Missive 3 - Honouring Ancestors: Visiting Graves and Their Importance in Heathenry

One of the pillars of Heathenry, along with a healthy worship of the Gods, is the veneration given to our ancestors. This in and of itself is often a touchy subject. Not everyone has ancestors that a) they know or b) feel worthy of receiving cultus (sometimes our ancestors are shitty and, that’s how that stands. 

I feel, for me, that the problematic aspects of our ancestors tend to dissolve away over time. As they slip off into far distant memory, what we are often left with are names, dates and the fact that they had a hand in giving us life. 

Much in the same vein as Óttar’s quest to recall his long line of relatives in Hyndluljóð (which I wrote a bit on here), I find comfort in my ability to recall my own ancestors and to offer them what they enjoyed in life. 

Offering some Molson 50 to my maternal grandfather (I offer beer to him, as he enjoyed it, but not to his ancestors - to Them I give tobacco only)

So, read on for my One Heathen’s Perspective on ancestor veneration. Perhaps it’ll inspire something in you to do the same or perhaps it’ll confirm your own perspective on the topic.