Stinginess is not one of the Nine Noble Virtues

I firmly believe you cannot give too much to the Gods or ancestors, that it is, quite frankly impossible for a human to offer too much in devotion to either the Gods or the dead. They made us. They offer continual blessings and protection. We carry that connection with us always. It is nourished through the sacred reciprocity of sacrifice and offering. But for the Gods and our ancestors, as I have said many times before, we would not be. How could we ever give too much in return? This is apparently a controversial point in Heathenry.

Too often, I have heard Heathens quote a verse from the Runatal section of the Havamal  that goes, “ tis better not to give than to give too much for a gift demands a gift.” All too often this is used as an excuse for doing only what is personally convenient in their worship. This stanza is a specific reference to the runes. It is a caution as to the ongoing need to maintain a delicate balance of power with this family of spirits, and the need to negotiate wisely from the beginning of the relationship. Nowhere does it imply that this is the way to behave with the Gods and ancestors.

Honoring the dead and learning the proper protocol for making offerings is fundamental to a strong spiritual practice. If one can get it right with the dead, it’s a thousand times easier to expand that self-same understanding of devotional work to the Holy Powers. The ancestors will teach you how to do it right. They will keep you from giving offense and incurring serious spiritual debt. For most people it is much easier to establish a relationship with the dead than with the Gods. The connection to our ancestors is in our blood, our bones, our very DNA.

We talk a lot about something called ‘frith’ in Heathenry. This is usually translated as ‘peace’ but a far better translation might be ‘right order’ (hence why vengeance was occasionally necessary to restore frith). Part of right order is being in right relationship with the beings in our lives, both human and non-human, living and dead. It’s a matter of working in concentric circles: learn to live rightly with your family and community. Learn how to honor the ancestors, the spirits of place and land, and the Gods rightly and consistently. Be respectful. This teaches us first and foremost that we are not the center of the universe, which seems to be an outrageously difficult concept to grasp today. Frith is in part, about accepting our portion of wyrd: both what is ours by right and what obligations are ours to perform … and then doing it. Simply saying “thank you” on a daily basis would be a start.

Making proper and consistent offerings, by the way, is not hospitality. To say that gifting the ancestors and Gods appropriately is ‘generosity,’ is, I think, dangerous phrasing. It implies that we are doing Them a favor by our gifting and that is dangerously close to arrogance and disrespect. We deserve no approbation for doing what we should be doing all along.

I think we as Heathens do our selves a great disservice by dismissing devotion and respect as Christian or Wiccan. I have seen this happen again and again. These things are not. The idea that we can never given too much to the Gods and ancestors is one that I believe, our ancestors would have well understood. I think it’s high time within the Northern Tradition that respect for the Gods and ancestors was given its due. Stinginess is not now nor has it ever been one of the nine noble virtues.