Ultimate Thule

I was feeling under the weather and was unable to write into the next chapter. Which turned out to be a good thing; over those sick days I refined what it was I was going to do with the chapter. The "Bayerische Heidentum-Gesellschaft" (for that is their working name) has evolved considerably in my mind and I think works better for the story than what I might have put in on Monday.

There are hundreds of societies, clubs, and other organizations that have one foot in some flavor of German neo-paganism. Each has its own unique relationship to not just that subject but other things that are often but not always fellow-travelers, from euro-skepticism to nationalist to...

And even names are not a sure guide, but there are a few pointers. The term völkisch is anathema in these days of dog whistles, as it is too closely associated with National Socialist-type racialism. Pity, because it has that "false friend" look to it, like the Spanish word "embarazada." No, it doesn't mean folklore. It is a nearly untranslatable term describing a sort of nationalistic racial essentialism.

Even more mysteriously, "Wodenism" is generally considered to fall in line with anti-semitism, anti-muslim, and yes very much into flying the banners and doing that stupid salute. "Odinism" is less tied to these notions, and there are other variations that go even further towards a gentle New Age type dancing-in-the-woods-with-drums thing. It gets even more confusing when you cast your nets outside of strictly German organizations.

"Paganism" is disliked by many neo-pagans (they dislike neo-pagan even more, with very few choosing to use it to describe themselves.) Instead of a term originating with the Romans they prefer one that actually originates in Greek, although it passed through quite a few twists and was in the hands of Christians before "Hellene" turned into "Heathen."

I would have liked to put more of a dog whistle in but my discretely named "Bavarian Heathenism Society" (if I am conjugating this all correctly, they aren't Heathenist nor are they studying Heathenism in an academic sense) is a social club with an interest in the more mythic aspects of German history and identity. Their application of any of the philosophies they study are more in the way of drinking parties in the woods and an emphasis on traditional masculine virtues in their own lives. They are politically conservative, anti-immigration and have severe doubts about the European Union, but some of their best friends are Jews. And they can manage enough money to support an excavation trying to track physical evidence of the movement of Aryan peoples through the Palatinate and, eventually, into Greece and Rome.

This I think is strongest for the directions I want to go in the Germany chapters. It also means that I can re-use a character I've already introduced to be the big mouthpiece for Professor Sharp's crazy views.

Much, much better than calling them the "Thule Society," as I might have on Monday. That one does not fly. Not at all. (Not unless you are an English-Language website dedicated to worshipping the Chaplin Impersonator himself as a sort of god.)

(Which is doubly hilarious if you know any of the actual history, but anyhow...)