Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent journal, February 14, 2008
Edited by Joshua Buckley and Michael Moynihan, the 'radical traditionalist' journal TYR is a welcome antidote to the shallowness and vulgarity of the modern world. TYR celebrates the myths and culture of pre-Christian, pre-Modern Europe, and in doing so attempts to trace where it all went wrong. In the preface, the editors contrast the conflict between culture (which is vital and alive) and civilisation (which is sterile and superficial). "By looking to the origins of our culture, what we hope to find is an alternative to the asphalt wasteland of our data-drenched civilisation. This is a revolution in the most radical sense of the word: a turning back to the roots to reclaim a new beginning."
TYR aims to be a nexus where different views can come together, but doesn't claim to speak for any one viewpoint or 'movement'. The editors welcome controversy and debate. The third issue is the best yet, though sadly it doesn't come with a music CD like the second one did. It does contain many music and book reviews, as well as interviews with the German Minnesänger Roland Kroell and the English folk singer Andrew King. But the articles are the best reason for buying TYR 3.
As with the previous two issues, the articles fall roughly into five categories:
1)Indo-European tradition
2)Modern revivals of Indo-European tradition
3)Artists inspired by tradition
4)Philosophical analysis
5)The pitiful state of modern culture and society
1) Indo-European Tradition
In his article 'Weaving the Web of Wyrd', Nigel Pennick examines the three Fates (or Norns), as they appear in Greek, Roman and Nordic mythologies. Even well into the Christian era it was still customary at a certain time of the year to set an extra dinner table up for the three Fates. The Fates embody the interconnectedness of all things - a key Indo-European belief. As the ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras said, "Nothing exists apart: everything has a share of everything else." The present is shaped by the past, but within those limits we are free to determine our own destinies.
Thierry Jolif's article 'The Abode of the Gods and the Great Beyond' explores the Celtic vision of the afterlife, or Other World. This seems to have been regarded both as a place and a state of being. Often warriors would enter the Other World while still alive, and sometimes in dreams. It could also be reached by maritime voyage, and this clearly influenced Tolkien's description of the western lands in The Lord of the Rings: "The grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise..."
Ian Read looks at 'Humour in the Icelandic Sagas', and examines the difficulties in understanding the jokes of another culture, or even of our own culture in centuries past. Humour is often, quite literally, lost in translation. Many of the jokes in the sagas are satirical, or else display a laconic stoicism and courage in the face of death. For instance, in Njal's Saga, a man named Thorgrim is speared in the stomach by Gunnar. One of Thorgrim's companions then asks him whether Gunnar was at home. Thorgrim replies: "find out for yourself, but this I know, his spear was at home..."
Géza von Neményi's article 'Rune Song or Magic Charms?' argues that the 'magic charms' at the end of Odin's poem Hávamál in fact correspond to specific runes of the Younger Futhark. Géza views the Hávamál as an initiaic document, with Odin's attempt to seduce Billing's daughter being a poetic account of his first (unsuccessful) attempt at initiation - of gaining the mead of poetry (wisdom), which he later succeeded in acquiring. It was during his initiaic ordeal that he acquired the runes.
In 'The End Times According to the Indo-European Worldview', James Reagan compares Hindu, Greek, Norse and Celtic prophecies about the end of the world, and finds they are remarkably similar. Towards the end, during the Wolf Age (Iron Age, or Kali Yuga), leaders will be corrupt, the land will be polluted and defiled, men will be cowardly and deceitful, and actors will be exalted above anyone else. The parallels to our own age are unmistakeable. But unlike the biblical Apocalypse, the collapse of this world of current illusion may not be a final end: "According to the Norse tradition, the world will be repopulated by two survivors who remain hidden during Ragnarok: Líf ("life") and LífÞrasir ("desire of life"). Man is again reinvigorated with the active element, the "desire", and another cycle is manifest."
In what is by far the longest article in TYR 3, Vilius Rudra Dundzila takes an in-depth look at 'Baltic and Lithuanian Religion and Romuva'. This article gives some insight into the fascinating and magical world of Lithuanian gods and goddesses, folk traditions and myths. Many Lithuanians are proud of the fact that they were the last Europeans to be Christianised. Amusingly, large groups of Lithuanians 'converted' to Christianity around 1410 because it meant they received a free white shirt or blouse for their baptism ceremony. In fact, "many underwent baptism several times for additional garments." As in other parts of Europe, elements of the native religion survived in folk tradition or in Christian disguise. The old beliefs began to revive in the twentieth century, partly as a result of Lithuanian nationalism. But pagans were persecuted during the Communist era, and folk singing became an act of civil disobedience. In fact, Lithuania's independence struggle in 1990-91 was known as the 'Singing Revolution'.
2) Modern revivals of Indo-European tradition
Gordon Kennedy's article 'Children of the Sonne' gives convincing evidence that the 'hippie' culture of the 1960s had its real roots not in the drug-addled 'beatniks' of the 50s, but in the German Lebensreform (life-reform) culture of the late 1800s and early 1900s. And this movement, in turn, had much deeper roots - going all the way back to Germany's pagan origins. Kennedy wrote a book on this subject, but many of the hippie bookshops in California were so frightened by it that they refused to stock it! As Kennedy puts it: "It seems that most of these neo-hippies are not as turned on, tuned in, or dropped out as they wish they were...because the American media has obviously convinced them of what it isn't politically correct for their hippie clientele to read."
Christopher McIntosh gives a moving account of 'Iceland's Pagan Renaissance'. More so than in any other Western European country, in Iceland there is a direct continuity between heathen times and the present. There has always been a degree of co-existence there between Christianity and paganism; in 1971, for instance, when the Codex Regius manuscript (containing the heathen Elder Edda) was brought back to Iceland after centuries in a Danish museum, it was met at the harbour with brass bands, cheering crowds, and jubilant speeches from Icelandic politicians! One Icelandic writer, Sigurður Nordal (1886-1974) maintained that "anyone who studies the Edda and the other old sources deeply cannot avoid becoming a pagan." The skalds (poets) helped keep old traditions alive, as did the widespread folk beliefs in elves. Even in recent times, highways and oil stations have been relocated because they were built on elf land without permission, and with disastrous consequences.
The heathen tradition is carried on today by people like Hilmar Hilmarsson, helped along by music groups like Sigur Rós (Victory Rose). The revival was originally spearheaded by people like Helgi Pjeturs, who developed a belief system called 'Njall', which held that humans are images of the gods (who attempt to push human evolution forward), and that there is a neverending battle between the forces of life, and the forces of entropy/dissolution. The task of mankind is to assist the gods in fighting on the side of life and creativity.
But the real founder of the modern pagan revival in Iceland was Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, who is described here in an article by Jónína K. Berg, who knew him personally. Beinteinsson was a farmer and self-taught poet, as well as a chanter of great power, who made the Icelandic language come alive. Five of his poems are reprinted here, accompanied by English translations, so that those of us who don't know Icelandic can get a small taste of the language. Even in translation the power of the words is marvellous.
3) Artists inspired by tradition
Joscelyn Godwin's article 'Esotericism Without Religion' takes a look at Philip Pullman's bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy, which Godwin believes contains a lot of hidden Western esoteric symbolism. Pullman is perhaps best known for his trendy and shallow attacks on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, but Godwin is right in claiming that Pullman's power as an artistic visionary transcends his narrow moralising tendencies.
Michael Moynihan's article 'Carl Larsson's Greatest Sacrifice' tells the story of the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919), particularly his monumental final painting Midvinterblot (Midwinter Sacrifice). Larsson was an interesting folkish artist who has received little attention outside of Sweden. In addition to his painting, he had plans to construct a nationalist temple called The Temple of Memory, which would have incorporated both pagan and Christian elements of Swedish history, and which he hoped would become a sacred site and centre of pilgrimage for Swedes.
4) Philosophical analysis
Alain de Benoist looks at 'Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power', examining the diverging views of three Traditionalist thinkers on the relationship between...
Read more ›
|
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A scholarly and erudite panacea for modern civilization., February 20, 2008
By now, I would assume most readers spanning this review have read or at least heard of the journal TYR. Originally conceived as an annual publication that has proven otherwise over time, this third installment is nonetheless well-worth the wait. Dedicated to pre-Christian myth, culture and tradition in an Indo-European context, TYR contains a wealth of articles, music and book reviews with an undeniably anti-modernist slant that maintains a high standard of erudition and scholarship. Anyone looking for mere ideological rants should look elsewhere. As the editors make clear in the editorial preface, the radical traditionalism espoused provides a "nexus where any different number of ideas might intersect." Echoing Oswald Spengler's distinction of a "people" as opposed to a "mass" several decades ago, the various authors hardly treat the underlying key themes - "culture" and "civilization" as synonymous.
This volume contains 18 articles, the first three of which are essentially critiques of the modern world in its various guises. The first, Cipherspace, methodically attacks the over-bearing presence of Corporate America and the crises that have arisen as a result. Affluenza, technomania, e-mania and globalization are just a few symptoms of today's world that affect not only America, but most other industrialized countries. Catastrophe Pending makes a strong case for the Unabomber as embodying the ultimate enemy and outsider of the modern world. Author Annie Le Brun proposes that he raised questions about the current state of affairs no one else as of yet wanted or dared to answer. Survival Theory, by Finnish eco- scholar Pentti Linkola is the journal's most severe critique of modernity, offering uncompromising yet levelheaded discourses on population explosion, life-protection and humanism.
The next two articles, The Primordial and the Perennial, by Michael O'Meara and Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power by Alain de Benoist traverse the traditionalist thought of 20th century luminaries such as René Guénon, Julius Evola, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Martin Heidegger. Both authors offer much insight to their similarities and more crucially, their differences in what traditionalism actually represents. O'Meara proposes that nihilism is the opposite of tradition rather than modernity. In doing so, he points out the schism between the Guénonian school of Traditionalist thought and the views held by the editors of TYR, the latter championing traditionalist values in reference to European culture. Furthermore, he puts Heidegger and Julius Evola at loggerheads with each other, the former approaching tradition from a decidedly non-metaphysical, primordial standpoint and the latter espousing the perennialist view that upholds a metaphysical absolute. Guénon is by far the most stringent in the perennialist view, as Benoist's article further examines the disparities between Evola and Guénon's interpretation of tradition regarding spiritual authority and temporal power. Guénon championed spiritual authority and knowledge over temporal power and action and saw no complementary function between the two in a sovereign entity. Benoist quotes directly from him when the aforementioned relationship becomes inverted, "The revolution that toppled the monarchy is both its logical consequence and its punishment, meaning its reward for the revolt of this same monarchy against spiritual authority." Evola, as one might have guessed, placed far more emphasis on temporal power, action, and the warrior tradition. Benoist quotes, "The domination of the sacerdotal castes by a warrior tradition, the primacy of action over contemplation, do not on their own constitute any kind of lowering of the level;" Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, a contemporary and close friend of Guénon, emphasized the marriage between the monarchy and the priesthood from an exclusively Indian context. Benoist also introduces two more prominent 20th century traditionalists (not Traditionalists) into the fray - Mircea Eliade and Georges Dumézil. Dumézil's idea of the Indo-European tripartite function is brought on board to this topic (see Priests, Warriors and Cultivators, Benoist's interview with Dumézil for an overview of his tripartite theory in TYR Vol. I) and both men emphasize collaboration over conflict between spiritual authority and temporal power. Benoist essentially reaches the same conclusions, maintaining that both Evola and Guénon were both misguided in emphasizing the superiority of one over the other.
Regular TYR contributor and author Nigel Pennick delivers the essay Weaving the Web of Wyrd that examines the three states of being (i.e. past, present, and future) as personified in the feminine form as three human figures. The three Fates, as Pennick illustrates, are to be found throughout literary history with the ancient Greeks, Romans, and the Germanic tradition to name a few. Pennick likens the handling of human lives to the age-old craft of spinning and weaving flax. The author's penchant for relegating the spiritual arts to a profound level shines throughout this most fascinating article on the notions of human destiny in European culture. French author Thierry Jolif's article The Abode of the Gods and the Great Beyond takes a primarily etymological approach toward the Celts view of the "post mortem state of the soul." Of particular interest is his examination of the Irish term Síd (alternately meaning the Other World or Peace) in the context of a poem from the Immram Brain, Mac Febal (The Voyage of Bran, Son of Febal) which relegates the síd to represent a marvelous island held up by four pillars. Jolif astutely notes a correlation of this island as the Supreme Center with the four islands of the Irish Celts as the Primordial Center. Jolif quotes the following quatrain: "There are a hundred and fifty faraway isles, in the ocean to the west. Each of them is twice or even three times as large as Ireland." One may wonder if these particular islands were ever referred to as the land of Hyperborea, although the author makes no such assertion.
In Code of Blood, Stephen Edred Flowers contributes a brief, but concise overview of the mainstream acceptance of the "spear of destiny" and the "holy blood/holy grail" paradigms as promulgated by blockbuster flick/novel The Da Vinci Code. It is the author's opinion that much of this subject matter has been placed on somewhat shaky ground to make it more palatable (and profitable) for the masses. In a similar vein, Joscelyn Godwin examines the enormously popular novels of Philip Pullman, with most of the emphasis on the book His Dark Materials. Unlike Flowers, Godwin sheds a much more positive light on his subject matter, emphasizing the esoteric thread that runs through Pullman's work.
Four articles in this volume examine various facets of Icelandic culture and tradition, including Humour in the Icelandic Sagas by Ian Read; Iceland's Pagan Renaissance by Christopher McIntosh; Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson: A Personal Reminiscence by Jónína K. Berg (with selected poems by Beinteinsson); and Rune Song or Magic Charms? An Investigation of the Hávamál by Géza von Neményi (translated by Markus Wolff). Although the latter does not address Icelandic culture per se, it examines the final two sections of the Old Icelandic Poetic Edda and references to the Eddas abound in the other three essays. Read's article cites numerous examples of humour in the Icelandic sagas and Eddas and their application to the brutal and harrowing circumstances of battle and death. Use of wordplay, satire and sexual innuendo that remain staples of modern comedy were used at a time when the first phases of Christianity were taking hold in Iceland. Read notes that the Christian church has long condemned laughter and that the Church Fathers saw laughter as somehow pagan! As was often the case in trying times, facing death with a smile and a joke was considered to show great courage. Christopher McIntosh's article provides an informative overview of the current renaissance of Ásatrú in Iceland, and highlights its historical distinction as being one of the few European countries to maintain a spiritual continuity with pre-Christian paganism. McIntosh attributes the Eddas and Iceland's geographic isolation from the rest of Europe for its consistent ties to paganism over the centuries despite Christian influence and coercion. One of the more intriguing belief systems mentioned here belongs to geologist and writer Helgi Pjeturs, who lived over a century ago. The "Nyall", as he referred to it, is a stew of Nordic mythology, astronomy, and evolutionary biology. McIntosh's article concludes with an appendix on popular musician/composer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Iceland's current leader of Ásatrú. Jónína K. Berg's account of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, practically a 20th century icon to Icelandic Ásatrú, is a very moving and heartfelt portrait of a man with great temperament in his encounters with other religions in his life-long championing of the Ásatrú faith. His countenance is striking to say the least, as evidenced by the wonderful photographs the author has provided. In addition, several of his poetic works are included as well.
Carl Larsson's Greatest Sacrifice: The Saga of Midvinterblot, by TYR co-editor Michael Moynihan, provides a fascinating look at the life and painted works of Swedish artist Carl Olof Larsson. Touch points of Larsson's entire career are investigated as well as his personal life, as the man and his art were inseparable - offering key insights into each other. Midvinterblot, his most well known work bar none, has been the subject of controversy since its earliest incarnations in 1911 and was eventually auctioned off to a Japanese art collector! It currently resides in the Swedish national museum. One of the more bizarre protestations of the painting, documented by...
Read more ›
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Defining Document, December 31, 2007
Tyr is a defining journal of our times. Its scope stretches from past to future in its vision and analysis. The quality of the writing and thought is of the highest order. Insightful, visionary and topical. There are few journals which cover the subjects you will find inside Tyr. Issue #1 was ground breaking. Issue #2 took things to another and higher level. Issue #3 is even better in its contents. Impeccably produced and edited. Though published once a year, it is an anthology that can be read and re-read and pondered upon for the ensuing year and beyond. This is a keeper. There will be few used copies available in the future, I am sure. My highest praise and enthusiasm for this present issue. Secure your copy while it's still available.
|
|
|
|
by Joshua Buckley
by Michael Moynihan
by Alain de Benoist
by John Michell
by Michael Moynihan
