archaeology

Finland announces new effort to catalog ancient sites

By |

HELSINKI – Museovirasto, the Finnish Heritage Agency (FHA, previously the National Board of Antiquities) and part of the Ministry of Education, has announced that it will be conducting a new countrywide field inspection of ancient monuments protected by the Finnish government. The project began this June and will continue for the next three years creating an extensive directory of Finland’s ancient monuments. It will cover both known sites and new areas, while updating existing surveys. The FHA is responsible for preserving Finland’s cultural heritage. The agency serves as a both as a cultural resource and a research institution.

Paganism

Column: Voices from Ice and Snow

By |

There is no denying that the north has always played an important role in the worldview of Europe and the Western world in general. From the Romantics that sung the praise of the wild, Nordic nature at the turn of the 19th century to the current popular entertainment craze spawned by media franchises such as Frozen, Vikings and the like, the north is as relevant as it has ever been. This influence is even more noticeable in regards to the world of contemporary Paganism. Not only has Heathenism experienced a noticeable revival and growth in the past couple decades, but Nordic deities, practices and iconography are routinely found within more eclectic movements as well. However, all things considered, the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and the Faroe Islands) are all relatively small and somewhat isolated.

Hounds

Unleash the Hounds (Link Roundup)

By |

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans and Heathens out there, sometimes more than our team can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up. 

ATLANTA, Ga. – On Monday, March 28, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed HB 757, a notorious state RFRA legislative bill. Deal said that it “contained language [that] could give rise to state-sanctioned discrimination.” He added, “I did have problems with that and made my concerns known as did many other individuals and organizations, including some within the faith-based community.”

News

Paganism and Heathenry in the Republic of Finland

By |

In the northern regions of Europe, there is a growing Pagan and Heathen community in the Republic of Finland. With a population of 5.4 million, the Nordic country rests between Sweden, Russia, Norway and the Gulfs of Bosthia and Finland. Its capital, Helsinki, is the second-most northern national capital in the world, with Reykjavik being first. Throughout that territory people, a growing number of Finns are discovering and connecting with new religions and spiritual paths. According to Lehto (The Grove), a Finnish nature-religions organization, there are “a few thousand Neo-Pagans” in the country.