Eihre (Honour)

For true glory is the honour of the living,
and gives safe passage among the dead;
Such fame makes sure my welcome,
at the mound of my ancestors.

Copyright © 2006 by Dan Ralph Miller

Commentary to the Poem: Eihre

The initial impulse for engaging in a renewed study of Nordic concepts of honour lay with my nine year old son who asked me last month "What is honour?". I wanted to give him an explanation that was comprehensive, thoroughly Heathen in sentiment and at the same time not too complicated.

I have long been only half satisfied with the "orthodox Asatru" Nine Noble Virtues for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that most of the named virtues were named in Latin, so that any subsequent investigation of the words used would lead up the wrong river, so to speak, (they are namely Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-reliance and Perseverance).

I have seen the Nine Noble Virtues, on various Asatru sites on the net, often seeming just strung out on a clothesline as if quite by accident, with no greater context usually offered, no further explanation as to why it was desirable to act in such and such a way, as if the virtues in and of themselves were reward enough. Also curious to me was the inclusion of honour on the list of Nine, because honour is not something one possesses as an inner asset, but rather is something one receives from others outside of the self as a result of some inner asset. In other words it is one result of virtue, not a virtue itself.

This last point is an example of something new I have learned as a result of recent inquiries. I had recently posted the Freehold list stating that there was a difference between "arr" and "gefrain," because such it was taught to me: that "gefrain" is a person's reputation at large, in other words an "outer possession" , whereas "arr" or "eihre" was innate virtue, or inner mental or spiritual asset.

However, when Freeholders and I dug a little deeper, we found a convincing argument that is presented by George Fenwick Jones, in 1959's "Honor In German Literature" Jones makes a good case that in fact "arr" or "eihre", usually translated as "honour", is not an "inner quality" but rather is wholly an external possession in every Germanic language.

This led me to rethink not only what I had been taught in Theodism of the difference between arr and gefrain, but also re-approach the fabled Nine Nobles Virtues which have hitherto seemed to me like nine odd peas lacking a pod.

Parallel to all that, for several years now I have been trying to figure out why fame and honour were important to the ancestors to the point where their war-band oaths would sometimes trump even their obligation to their blood-kin. Reputation was so important that they would sooner die than suffer the shame of being an oath breaker.

As a "modern man", knowing how fickle public opinion can be, it seemed to me a strange and unlikely basket to be putting all one's eggs into, and I just could not understand what on earth could possibly be so important about a person's reputation that they would put their lives on the line to protect it.

Part of the answer to that problem is to be found in "The Road To Hel: A Study Of The Conception Of The Dead In Old Norse Literature", by Hilda Roderick Ellis, (1968) , as well as "The Germanization of Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious Transformation" by James C. Russell (1994), "Honor In German Literature" cited above, and also scattered around in dozens of sources, but which all, when regarded on their own, are as incomplete and as unsolved a puzzle as is the Nine Nobles.

What pulls the information from all these sources into perspective is a central tenet of tribalism, namely that individual members of a tribe are properly to be considered as integral parts of a greater group consciousness, a kind of collective consciousness. A single wellspring of tribal spirit from which every member draws their individual lives and consciousness', and back into which all will return upon their deaths.

This "tribal spirit" may seem like an abstraction to many modern Heathen, but it is as plain to see as the eyes on the faces of a large Heathen kindred such as my own , in which most everyone is actually blood related. Far from being an abstraction, the underlying unity and ubiquity of the tribal spirit is self evident.

The network of communication between individual tribesmen is manifold, but epitomized in the use of language, especially powerful and significant language during the rites of symble, blot and husel.

[On an aside, Claude Levi Strauss, forefather of structural anthropology, wrote in the fifties that myth is to be distinguished from poetry as existing on either end of a dichotomy. Strauss wrote that poetry is always lost in the translation from its original language, whereas it is precisely the feature of myth that it retains its essential meaning whatever the language it is translated into. I thought about Nordic mythology and mythical thought, which is best expressed and understood poetically: something really is lost in the translation. Understanding the poetry and the language is crucial to really understanding the Germanic mythos precisely because it is best expressed in poetic terms.]

The role of language in tribal culture and religiosity is manifold, but a tribal Indonesian once stated to a friend of mine that the poetry he sung to his own ancestors over his tribe's sacred feasts consisted essentially of "serving delicious words to the gods and ancestors." Indeed, I thought, my Teutonic ancestors knew a thing or two about serving delicious words to the gods and ancestors.

It has been my experience that the gods visit upon the hall when sacred words of power are shared among fellows who gather in frith, and that the sharing of significant language is indeed one medium that consolidates the tribal collective, creating a suitable environment for the appearance of gods, ancestors, alfar and landwights.

Significant language forms a bind between the folk, facilitating in taking the gathering "out-of-time" to a magical place where the past, present and future are one, and all the ancestors join us to feast, drink and make merry.

Also to be taken into consideration are the baby naming traditions cited on the Viking Answer Lady web site. It was often custom to name a baby after a dead relative and something of that person's spirit and luck is called to reside in the baby being so named.

Also, the commemoration of the dead in various forms, especially by toasting the dead by name, as part of the sacred feast and drinking ceremonies, not to mention the taboos against speaking the names of the recently deceased so as not to disturb their spirits.

All of which suggests that there is great magical power associated with the act of speaking the names of the dead.

Taking all of this into account, it makes perfect sense why one's reputation would be perhaps the most important thing to the honourable ancient Heathen. Far from being some kind of egomaniacs or rock-star types seeking fame for its own sake, rather, the ancient tribesman knew that so long as his name was spoken among the living, something of himself would live on in the world of men.

As Odhin has said, "Cattle die, kinsmen die, but a man's good name lives on. " Being spoken of fondly by the surviving members of his tribe kept his spirit alive at symble in a very real way. Being spoken of with ill will would likewise hinder his spirit at future symble. Not being spoken of at all would be perhaps the worst case scenario, other than being spoken of as an outlaw.

We are familiar with what mute ancestors can teach us: not a lot. Generation after generation of my ancestors have lived and died but their names and their stories are largely lost to me. They are nameless faceless ancestors who I could not honour if I wanted to, at least in not any specific or significant way. They are mere shadows at symble: only when I call one by name does he step forward into the torch light.

And so, as last pieces of the puzzle, take into account the tradition of sitting out on the ancestral grave-mound all night to get guidance from spirits of the ancestors.

The question of the antiquity of the myth of Valhalla not withstanding, it is safe to assume that, unless I die in an extraordinary act of heroism, I will not be going to Valhalla after I die, but will most likely join the rest of the dead in Hel, where it will be incumbent upon me to find the dwelling place of my ancestors. The grave mound is a portal to the underworld that works in two directions, from the world of the living to the world of the dead, and also from the world of the dead back to the living. And, at least in theory, this portal would be an active conduit during the holy rites of communion among the living.

Related to this question is the root sense of the Germanic word "god" which does not seem to have been used with regularity by the Germanic tribes to describe their "supreme deities", of which they generally used words belonging to the ANSUZ and TIWAZ word families. I understand, however, they used the word "god" to refer to the deities of other peoples as well as in an elder root sense of "a spirit dwelling in a burial mound".

But all this intellectualization aside for the moment, the bottom line for me was, as a tribalist, how I would hope my tribe deals with my eventual death. Hopefully, they would have a feast in my honour, if I have been a good tribesman. Hopefully, I will give them something to talk about. How do I want to be remembered by my tribe? Thereby keeping my name alive, with stories of my deeds, so that I will not be mute to my future descendants.

There would be no greater glory than to be toasted by my descendants in five or ten generations. That would be more than most men could hope for. For the Heathen, that honour is a kind of eternal life. So long as living men speak his name, he will have a tale to tell future generations, and his sprit will alight at symble.

The mountain man living alone at the mountain top may well be enlightened, or lead a virtuous life, but it will only be the ravens who sing his praise, his virtue come to naught. Having made no difference for his tribe, he will find no glory. The tribesman, on the other hand, if he is thewy, will be praised by his kin, not the ravens, for his life, not his death. True glory belongs to the tribesman, for whom the folk light torches and sing their praises, not the mountain man who has no one to even attend his remains but the mountain lion. Honourable acts are actions that benefit the tribe or other collective of which one is a part, and dishonourable actions harm or hinder the tribe. This is the core truth from which all virtues and vices spring. Whence the statement of purpose opening the poem:

"I build worth as a tribesman, give honour to our ancestors, and give good gain to my tribe, by these things that I ever strive to be:"

Building "worth as a tribesman" means my greatest value is in terms of what I can contribute to the survival and prosperity of my tribe, but it also harkens back to the elder meaning of "worth" that shares the same root as "wyrd", which is "to become, becoming".

"The story of life" is not really about me, or whether or not I ever achieve enlightenment. In reality, life will chew me up and spit out the bones. In the end, my greatest function is as a conduit of genetic and cultural information from past to future generations. I am but a single link in the chain -- now here - now gone -- although every link must be strong, the real story is about the entire chain. If the tribe does not survive, it will fall mute to the future. By ensuring its survival is firstly how I honour the ancestors.

"To be TRIUWE: keeping my word and holding my oaths, ever loyal to ancestors, kith and kin."

This could be called "true" but I did not want to confuse it with the idea of "an actual fact", but rather emphasize its root sense of "trustworthy, firm as a TREE".

Oaths were of high importance, and no one wanted to be known as an oath-breaker. The oaths which bound a war-band or comitatus were so holy as to often take precedence over kin-ties. That is to say that the infamy gained by being renowned as an oath-breaker was a greater harm than losing one's kin-luck. War-bands were concerned with protection of the greater community, not just one kindred or the other, and as such of course the execution of their duties would be more important than just one kindred.

Being triuwe to ancestors, means, among other things, keeping the holy-tides and fulfilling the functions of the Nordic ancestral religion in our communities on an ongoing basis, until the end of time.

Being triuwe to kin, means holding kin-ties as sacred above all save perhaps those of the war-band as above. This is especially important at this stage in the revival, when so many of our folk are alienated from their families and each other. Injury to one member of a tribe is an injury to the whole tribe. Tribesmen should defend and protect their fellows, treating a tribesman' s injury as their own.

"To be BOLD: bravely meeting both life and death with swift courage, whatever the woe or foeman that falls against me."

Another of the cardinal virtues of the ancestors was of course bravery. It has been said that bravery is not an absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it. What makes that possible is the sure knowledge that even in death there is nothing for the individual to fear: as long as the tribe as whole survives. Though the body may be frightened, the mind knows, and the heart rests in the knowledge, that the spirit of the tribe which animates him will transcend the death of his own body, as has, indeed, always been the case.

"To be HEALTHY: growing in strength and might, fit of body, whole of mind, for hallowed are the hale."

Worthy of further study is the relationship of all the words in the HAL complex (holy, hallowed, whole, hale, health etc. ) which all seem to suggest holiness refers prosperity and health, to the holistic and homeostatic nature of the healthy body and other biological systems. This means emphasizing activities that are good for the body and minimizing or moderating activities (such as smoking or drinking too much) which are obviously not good in excess. The purpose of this is not to aggrandize our own bodies as such, or introduce a bunch of prohibitions, but rather to prepare the body to be better able to preserve the genetic legacy of our entire tribe.

"To be STEADY: working hard, persevering and holding fast to my course, whatever brings the daily wind and weather."

For me, steadiness also includes a certain emotional fortitude. I don't like to waste energy on needless emotionalism, and don't like getting all stressed out unless absolutely necessary. Being steady is a certain part a science of mind, self control and self discipline in the face of days when the universe, or parts of it, is just is not going the way I would have preferred. There is no use shaking my fist at the weather, I am better to direct my energies to getting my firewood out from the rain.

"To be SKILLFUL: exceeding limits to achieve excellence, in all that I do, building weal and wealth."

The word "skill" did not come to mean expert ability until about the 1300' s, prior to that meaning "distinction, discernment" in Old Norse. Here we combine both meanings, as indeed, it takes discernment to create quality and generate wealth. This also relates, at least inversely, to the root meaning of "evil", which meant originally "malformed, defective, not excellent". Skill is the ability to create something that is properly formed, and effective. Skill therefore is the best tool to counter evil.

More still, it speaks to the triad that is classic to many levels of Germanic and Indo-European folklore: good, better, best; thrall, carl, earl, etc. as illustrated in Rigsthula. Excellence is divine.

"To be GIVING: freely generous in hand, heart and mind, hospitable and ever a help to my friends."

It seems overly obvious, but I have found there is not a clear conscious understanding of what reciprocal gift-giving really means in a tribal context, specifically how important reciprocal gifting is as a way of consolidating the tribe. But there does seem to be an instinctual understanding of gifting, most prevalent in our society around the "Christmas Season".

Being giving also speaks to non-tangible gifts a person can bring their tribe.

To be giving of heart might mean offer to certain degrees unconditional love to kinsmen, being tolerant of their eccentricities and forgiving them the minor disagreements which arise when folks live in close quarters. This is not to say to put up with abuse from kinsmen, or support them in their destructive behaviours, which would call for a bold as well as giving approach. But rather to keep the goal in mind: which is to preserve the consolidation of the tribe. The Havamal teaches to the effect that "No man so faulty as to be of no worth, or so virtuous to be free of fault... both fair and foul blended within one breast..." and "of what gain is a good man dead", and so on.

To be giving of mind means to teach what one knows to another member or members of the tribe. What good to the tribe is one's knowledge and wisdom, if one takes it with him to his grave? This knowledge belongs to the tribal collective, is part of the cultural "software", if you will, which is loaded onto the genetic "hardware" of the living members of the tribe, and is passed down generation to generation. Without teaching and passing on what one has learned, the tribal culture will be silenced to history, quite like the dead ancestor with no face or name, mute to the future, part of a lost past (and what is a worse fate than that for an ancestor?)

This also speaks to the Theodish thew of "right good will", that of granting fellow tribesmen the benefit of the doubt, granting them basic dignity of respect, and assuming the best of their intention unless and until they prove otherwise.

"To be SOOTH: seeking the real and the actual, eloquently speaking the truth."

It has been my experience that lies and secrets between tribesmen divide and fracture the tribe. Both seeking out the truth of any situation, as well as a firm commitment to speaking truly no matter how uncomfortable it may get in the short term, actually preserves the consolidation of the tribe in the long run.

This also speaks to the more conventional meaning of soothsaying: the ability to recognize how present trends are likely to develop as time unfolds. For just one example, it is safe to say lies and deceit between tribesmen hurt and hinder the whole tribe, and big trouble for the tribe will be the eventual result.

Being sooth relates to the serving of delicious words to the gods and ancestors during symble, and in general to the exchange of significant language as a tool to build solidarity within the tribe.

"To be WITTY: kindling intelligence, seeking out knowledge, gaining in wisdom."

By witty I do not mean a sharp sense of humour, although that is certainly a part of wit, I use the word in its elder context of "knowing", as in the OE title for community elder, "wita" - one who knows.

Much can and should be written about wisdom in a Heathen context, but just for a brief example, it could be that in fulfilling one of these guidelines, one has to not fulfill another: it may be necessary to lie in order to secure the survival of the tribe as a whole, even though at the same time you can' t have all the tribe members lying to each other. Being able to discern which choices best serves the tribe, in any given situation, requires wisdom.

"To be WINSOME: being loving to my fellows, joyous and glad of heart."

Being winsome, or glad, was indeed an inner asset for the elder chieftains. The best interest for the whole group is well served by having a leader who is positive and optimistic. Who would want to follow a dreary, depressed pessimist to his grave? But many would gladly follow a winsome leader even into sure destruction, which relates to boldness directly. Many relate bravery with fierceness alone, when in fact the most uncanny kind of bravery frees one from fear completely, to be joyous and glad even in the face of certain death.

And why would I be glad in the face of ultimate destruction, be it on the battlefield, or by way of the decay of old age, suffering and death? Faced with such a bleak outlook, how could anyone be joyous? Why is Heimdal known as "glad" even though the gods are sure to take heavy casualties in their battle with the giants at Ragnarok? Could it be he knows what Odhin whispered in the ear of his son Baldr when the latter was put upon the funeral pyre? Do I see a smile on Baldr's death-mask?

I suspect that it is the secret that the giants cannot possibly understand, but to ensure their ignorance was why Odhin riddled them, and he told Baldr as much: that the essentials of divinity transcend the death and destruction of form by their very definition; that what is truly glorious and divine is everlasting, even through the cycles of becoming, the web of wyrd, throughout the worlds of form and formlessness; that which is truly glorious remains whatever befalls the temporary form of the divine, even perhaps like Gullvieg rises into form again three times after being burnt by the gods; what remains, what endures, what is truly glorious, is divine... are "the leavings of the wolf", to paraphrase a kenning of Tyr's.

This speaks to the importance of arful and thewful (honourable and correct) deeds to the Heathen, seems to me. That the spirit of the tribe likewise transcends the death and destruction of any one individual which embodies it. It is a powerful and joyful mystery, and I should be as glad as Heimdal in the knowing of it.

It is true that the right thing to do is often the most difficult. Setting aside one's own desires to secure the best interest of the tribe requires tremendous self-sacrifice that is quite painful to many of us individuated moderns, at least it was and occasionally still is for me. The story of life is not about me being happy all the time: I would rather not have to do many of the things I have to do.

In fact, my personal enlightenment and happiness is really beside the point of life: the priority always being the survival and gain of my tribe as a whole. Achieving that singular goal furnishes enough emotional satisfaction to make up for the pain of losing or delaying a selfish desire anyway.

That is not to say that Heathenism lacks an opportunity for individual tribesmen to "scratch their own backs". There is the freedom to seek out pleasurable and joyous things, according to individual interest and aptitude.

Not to mention the fact that of what use is a religion to me if does not assist me in enjoying myself? A religion should at least provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to wrest some small joy out of my existence. If not, who needs it?

But the bottom line is that love is the strongest bind between folks, stronger than significant language, stronger than religion per se. Love is the sinew which binds the various tribesmen into a consolidated whole, and as such is the lifeblood of the collective consciousness of the tribe. A tribe based on and controlled by fear alone is doomed.

"While I draw breath, let my words ring true in my deeds, Ere when I die, my good name leaving behind, my tribesmen will toast my life, saying, 'In life, he was all of these things!'"

"For true glory is the honour of the living, and gives safe passage among the dead; Such fame makes sure my welcome, at the mound of my ancestors."

I have already given considerable discourse on the ideas contained in these summary stanzas above, but again I felt it necessary to not only open but also close the piece with a clear statement of what my goals really are in life.

Some may have noticed there are nine points in this piece, and I assure you that was quite unintentional. When I sat down and asked myself how I would like to be known by my tribesmen after my death, there was a list of more than a dozen points, although not as many as in Northvegr's "30 virtues" for another example. But I saw many of them could be combined under one point, but I could not, in these drafts at least, boil my list down to any fewer than nine points and retain the granularity I required.

So in my initial quest I have succeeded, I feel, and that was to be able to give my 9 year old son something he could memorize that would encapsulate a genuinely Heathen conception of honour.

I am honoured that it has spoken to so many Heathen across the net as well.

In troth,
Dan Ralph Miller

© 2005, Heathen Freehold Society
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