KONGSBERG, Norway – Last Wednesday media outlets reported on a man armed with a bow and arrow who killed five people and wounded three others, including an off-duty police officer. Updated reports note that other weapons were used in the attacks. The alleged perpetrator of the attacks was Espen Andersen Braathen, 37, who was detained by law enforcement within a little over 30 minutes from the time the first attack was reported.
Pagan musician Andréa Meyer (Haugen) was among the victims.
Meyer released albums under the names Hagalaz’ Runedance, Nebelhexë, Andréa Nebel, and Aghast Manor. Her work on Hagalaz Runedance featured an ambient neo-folk sound, her later work was often noted for its dark and haunting effect.
In addition to her own music releases, she contributed to Cradle of Filth’s, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh (1994) and Satyricon’s Nemesis Divina (1996). Meyer was divorced from guitarist Tomas “Samoth” Haugen, of the black metal band, Emperor, and had a daughter with him.
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“I think an artist’s greatest strength is to be able to display his/her fears and vulnerability…
I write about what I know… I have always been familiar with the dark and surreal… it made me become fascinated with the hidden psyche, the suppressed sides we can release… the mental games we can play… ” from the archived site of Andrea Nebel
Meyer was German. She traveled across Europe and the U.K. According to news reports, she had settled in Norway in the 90s. She had worked as a model, performance artist, and had written a number of works including a book, Understanding the Northern Myths and Traditions (2000).
Other victims of attack include local visual artist, Gun Marith Madsen, 78; gallery owner, Hanne Merethe Englund, 56; and Liv Berit Borge, 75, and Gunnar Erling Sauve, 75 who lived together in the Hyttegata area that was considered a quiet and calm neighborhood.
Braathen remains in custody and is undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine what additional charges will be brought against him.
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CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Conference on Current Pagan Studies issued a renewed call for papers for its 18th annual event in January. The deadline to submit is October 31 and submissions can be made through the conference’s website.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Cherry Hill Seminary graduates, Carol Kirk, Wes Isley, and Holli Emore presented, “The Changing Landscape of Spiritual Support for Contemporary Pagans” at the Parliament of World Religions today.
Their presentation was focused on how the spiritual needs of the Pagan community have shifted and the challenges in meeting those needs for leadership. Among the topics addressed: how to engage networks; cultivate leadership; and how to provide spiritual support to fellow Pagans.
Emore is the author of the recently released Constellated Ministry: A Guide for Those Serving Today’s Pagans and provides a framework for both Pagans in leadership as well as those who are seeking to support the community or those whose work intersects with Pagans and wish to have a greater understanding of Paganism.
A number of Pagans and Pagan organizations have participated in the Parliament of World Religions this year. The event runs from October 16-18 and is a completely virtual event for the first time in its history.
Neil Pitchford, Trustee of The Druid Network, and Dr. Larisa A. White, Ph.D., and author presented a short film about contemporary World Druidry, “Cultivating Honorable Relationships with the World: Lessons from the ‘Scriptures’ of Druidry,” on October 17.
The film will be premiered publicly on White’s YouTube channel on October 31st.
In other news:
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- A statue of Harriet Tubman that was in the courtyard of the British Methodist Episcopal Church in St Catherines in Ontario was deliberately shoved from the pedestal it sat upon last week. The bust of Tubman had been donated by then local artist Frank Rekrut and had been in place since it was first installed in 2010. The police arrested the person they identified on security camera footage as vandalizing the statue. The damage to the bust of Tubman is irreparable. Rekrut has since moved to Italy but has been in touch. The BME Church is considering a bronze bust to replace the stone one as it would be more durable and harder to sustain damage.
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- Texas GOP Political Director, Chad Shoemake tweeted that “My legislative priority is to remove the pagan goddess that’s on top of the Texas Capitol and replace it with a crucifix.” Goddess statues are a common feature on many capitol and other buildings across the U.S. from the mid-19th century and into the early 20th century. The statue of the Goddess of Liberty atop of the Texas capitol building was originally installed in 1881, depicting the values of truth, justice, and art, holding a sword in one hand and a raised gilded lone star in the other. In 1986, the statue was replaced with a new replica after the original statue was noted to have serious deterioration during routine maintenance in 1983. The original statue is on display in the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin and was fully restored with a grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project in 2017. This is not the first time that a statue of a goddess has come under fire from conservative lawmakers. Ceres atop the capitol building in Missouri was objected to by a state legislator who sought her removal in 2019.
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- Mexico City officials released a statement announcing that a statue of Christopher Columbus will be replaced by a replica of a pre-Hispanic carving of an Indigenous woman. A stone sculpture roughly six feet in height and dubbed the “Young Woman of Amajac” was discovered in January in the Huasteca region, along the Gulf of Mexico and the village of Amajac. The replica of the statue will be much larger than the original, at least three times as large. It will be seated on the same ornate base that previously held the statue of Columbus, which was removed last year for restoration since it was the frequent target of graffiti and protests. Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced plans in September to replace the Columbus statue with a new work honoring influential women in Mexican history during an event on International Day of the Indigenous Woman. “We owe it to them. We exist because of them,” Sheinbaum said. “It is the history of our country and our homeland.”
The Oregon Zoo in Portland held its annual “Squishing of the Squash” last Thursday. This was the 23rd year for the event.
“Everything looks a little different for us this year, but the elephants didn’t seem to mind,” senior keeper Dimas Dominguez said. “They got one 650-pound pumpkin and a couple more pretty big ones to play with. First, they destroy them, then they enjoy them.”
Pandemic restrictions did not allow for in-person public participation this year, but the zoo said the elephants still had a good time.
The annual event was started in 1999 when Hoffman’s Dairy Garden of Canby donated a prize-winning 828-pound pumpkin for the elephant family.
The concept of environmental enrichment was established at the Oregon Zoo in the 1980s and hosted the first international animal enrichment conference in 1993.
“The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its Asian elephant program, which has spanned more than 60 years. Considered highly endangered in their range countries, Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans, and disease. It is estimated that just 40,000 to 50,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo. The zoo supports a broad range of efforts to help wild elephants, and has established a $1 million endowment fund supporting Asian elephant conservation.”
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, by Lisa Hunt, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.Card: Ace of Swords
This week is liable to be intense and full of activity with a focus on using energy and resources in ways that are productive and support creativity.
Conversely, a lack of focus and attention can lead to being overwhelmed and allow shadow aspects of the self to cause chaos and proliferate destructive behaviors.
Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.
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