Urlac

OldNorse:rlgNaur
AngloSaxon:Orlg
OldHighGerman:UrlacUrlag

Everycultureandeveryethnicgrouphastraditionallybelievedinamultitudeofdeities.Whetherthosegroups
organizedassmallbands,astribesoraslargenations,thesedeitieshavebeenrecognized,worshipped,propitiated,
andhonouredbythecollectivecommunity.Whilstthismaybecommonlyrecognized,fewrealizethatallthevarious
worldcultureshavealsoknownthatalltheirdeitiesaremanifestationsofoneprevailingspirit.JustastheAmerindians
calledthisspiritWankanTanka(latersemichristianisedastheGreatSpirit),theHinduscalleditBrahm,andthe
WestAfricansknewitasOldmar,soourancestorsknewthisgodheadasUrlac.

MostmodernHeathens,uponreadingtheaboveparagraphwouldbrandmeahereticifthereweresome
sortofHeathenorthodoxybywhichwecouldmeasureideas.ItseemstogoagainstallthatHeathenryrepresents.
Thecharacterofourfaithcanmakeitverycomfortabletoadoptinitspolytheisticformsothatonemighthonourthe
gtterinaperfectlyvalidandsatisfyingway.However,itisthisverynaturethatcanhinderadeeperappreciationof
our faith, as this more profound comprehension may seem to contradict all that we had previously learnt. This
resistanceonlymeansthatoneisnotreadyforthatlevelofunderstanding.Suchastateshouldnotbeconsidered
lesserthanbutratherthatdifferentpeopleneedtofocusondifferentthingsintheirownspiritualdevelopment.

AlltheearlyGermanictongueshadwordsforGod(OHGGotONGoASGod)longbeforetheyhad
wordsforothertypesofbeings.[1]

TounderstandwhereUrlacfitsintoourtheology,onemustfirstunderstandtheconceptofDivinity.A.Rud
Mills(AnglycanChurchofOdin)referredtothisgodheadastheFatherSpirit.Heexplained[2]

GodtheNordicsregardedasbeingtoogreatforanymanto
whollyunderstandorwhollycomprehend.ButsomethingofGod
theycouldinsomemeasureunderstandTheGodofeveryman
orrace[3]couldbedifferent,withvaryingdegreesofdifference.Views
ofGodvaried.Sometypesofracesofmenhadanalmostidentical
ideaofGodThatwasbecausetheirracewasthesame.Theywere
expressionsofasimilarunseenpowerinGod.Theyexpressedin
theirlivessimilarmodesoflife.Sometypesofracesofmenhad
differentideasorimpulses,differentviewsofGodandtheworld,
becausetheybelongedtodifferentracesandweretheexpressions
ofdifferentpowersinGod.ThesedifferentpowersinGodwere
recognizedbyourNordicpeopleandsometimescalledtheFather
Spiritoftheparticularraceortypeofperson.

Mills goes on to explain that the gods of our folkand especially Odin (Wuotan)represent the
understandingourfolkshareofthisgod,butthatotherculturesboretheirownunderstandingsofthissameGod.
GuidovonListechoedthisidea,referringtothegodheadsimplyastheNordicGod[4]. Lists use of the
termwasverysimilartotheHindiconceptofAtman,thedivinesparkwithineachindividual.
Althoughwemayrecognizethatthereisonegod,wedonotworshipthisgodacrossculturallineslikethe
Muslims,Christians,andBahisdo.Instead,weprefertofocusonthosegodsthataretraditionallyknownbyour
people.Stubba[5](OdinistCommittee)describesthisconceptasthegodforcearoundandwithinus.Hegenerally

discussesthegodsandgoddessesasseparatebeings.ButwhenaskedButsurelyitwouldbepreferabletohave
one god for all humankind? with the implication that all peoples ought to worship this same god in a consistent
fashion, Stubba responded: Why? One god or many gods, it really does not matter. Our true gods are actually
worshippedbypeoplesallovertheworld,usingtheirownmythologiesandadaptingtheirworshiptolocalcultures
andconditions.Weprefertoworshipthegodsinourownwaywithpeopleofourownkind.Andwerespectthe
rightsofotherstotheirownbeliefs.

ItisalsointerestingtonotethatalthoughthegenderofUrlacisneverovertlymentioned,custommentions
onlyamalegender.MosttodaywouldagreethatUrlacisbeyondgender,andthatmasculinetermsareonlyusedfor
conveniencebasedontheconventionsofGermaniclanguages.However,therehavebeentheoccasionalpostulates
arguingforamorefeminineidentification.

AsUrlacissowellknownthroughoutancientHeathendom,itmayseemstrangethatwehearsolittleabout
him.Therearetworeasonsforthis.
ThefirstreasonisthatUrlacissodistantfrommankindthathiseffectsonusareextremelysubtleand
generallygounnoticeduntilsomeonetakesthetimetoreallylookatlongtermeventsanddevelopments.Further,
Urlacisnotworshiped,as,beingsovastanddistant,mencannottrulycomprehendthisgod.Howdoesoneshow
reverencetosomethingorsomebodythatonedoesnotunderstand?
Thesecondreasonishistorical.BecauseUrlacissodistantfrommankind,whatloredidexistabouthimhad
beenlostlongago.BytheVikingAgetheunderstandingofUrlachadbeenvirtuallyreplacedbyavaguegroupof
threesistersknownastheWurt(ONNornirASWyrd),andthisistheconceptionthatisbetterknowntoday.
Urlaccametoberelegatedtoaconceptanalogoustogarma[6],andhispersonalitycametobelost[7].However,
JakobGrimm[8]informsus:

Itisadeviationfromtheoldestwayofthinking,toputthe
settlementofdestinyintothehandsofthegodsyetitisaveryold
one.Undoubtedlythefaithofmanymenbeganearlytoplacethe
HighestGodattheveryheadoftheworldsmanagement,leaving
thoseweirdwomenmerelytomakeknownhismandates.The
futureliesinthelapofthegodswhichisperformedbythe
paternalormaternaldeity.

BecauselaterformsofHeathenryweremoreacceptingoftheideaoftheWurtratherthanoftheFather
Spirit,andbecausemostofourwrittensourcescomefromtheselatereras,manyrevivalistmovementsoftodayare
much more comfortable accepting the later model. As neither model is necessarily better or more accurate
judgementsacrossHeathentraditionsarenotoftenmet.Bothendsofthespectrumarerightoratleastfortheir
owntraditions.

~~SteveAnthonijsz

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[1]Grimm,JakobDeutscheMythologieII1883
[2]Mills,AlexanderRudTheCallofourAncientNordicReligion:ReflectionsontheTheologicalContentoftheSagas
Melbourne1957
[3]ItshouldbenotedthatMillshereusesthetermraceinits18th centuryinterpretation,thatbeingmuchmoreakintowhatwe
wouldtodaycallethnicityornationalityasopposedtothemoremodernskincolourorsubspecies.
[4]VonList,GuidoDasGeheimnisderRunen1914
[5]StubbaThisisOdinismRavenBanner1974
[6]GarmaistheArmanicequivalenttotheSanskritkarma.
[7]Cf.Vlusp2025

[8]Grimm,JakobDeutscheMythologieII1883

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