There are two areas of particular importance in Heathen ethics. One is the growth and maintenance of ethical personal power, or might and main: the inner strength and drive that is necessary to develop and sustain a good character and reputation, and to achieve worthy deeds during our life. The second is the pursuit of relationships and community life that promote individual, group, and community well-being and effective functionality. Any thoughtful reading of Heathen history, old texts, tales, poems and sagas will show how important these two factors were in ancient Heathen life. Ethical ideals need to provide us with structure and stability as a basis for conducting our personal and social lives. Ethics are ideals that we strive toward, but must also be patterns that we can live with, without distortion of our inner or outer self. Modern Heathens can benefit from a fuller understanding of ancient Heathen ethical views: both their strengths and their weaknesses, their pros and cons. Only by a thoughtful grasp of these concepts can we make the best use of the elder ways as Heathens living in today's world. This book offers philosophical discussions of certain Heathen ethical concepts, as well as guidelines for using these concepts to live ethically strong and spiritually healthy lives as modern Heathens. "Contemporary Heathenry is pretty good at making mead and getting together with the Gods, but what about the moral and ethical principles that most people expect from a religion? Some might say that Commandments are what we're trying to get away from, but inevitably a time comes when we need some guidance. In Oaths, Shild, Frith, Luck & Wyrd, Winifred Hodge Rose draws on her extensive scholarship and experience to explore what the lore has to tell us about how the Old Heathens viewed certain ethical questions, and to offer suggestions on how these perspectives can help us deal with the challenges that we face today." Diana L. Paxson, author of Essential Asatru: A Modern Guide to Norse Paganism. "Oaths, Shild, Frith, Luck & Wyrd both provides tools for individual and collective healing, and articulates important questions and challenges that we must consider as we adapt the knowledge and life ways of our ancestors to our contemporary context." Sara Axtell, Ph.D. Lecture, r Family Social Science, University of Minnesota; Teacher and Elder, Healing Roots.
