What Vikings really looked like

Thanks to Hex Magazine for finding this:
"There’s no shortage of myths about the appearance of our notorious Viking ancestors....
We have picked out five myths from the resulting debate and asked researchers to help us confirm or bust these myths." Read the full article Science Nordic.

Three Approaches to Ancestor Worship in Modern Heathenry

New essay by Mark Ludwig Stinson:
"I was writing back and forth with Kari Tauring today about ancestor worship and cultural identity, and this brought to mind three different approaches to honoring our ancestors that exist within modern Heathenry.  Most heathens actually use all three approaches, but most focus in on one (or perhaps two) of them as their primary approach to honoring their ancestors.  I think there is value to examing all three approaches and discussing the benefits of each one.  I'm going to progress in order from the least personal to the most personal in nature."
Mark's full essay can be read on Facebook.

Western Youth: The Lost Reverence for Ancestors

Thanks to Jack Donovan for sharing this link:

"In the contemporary world, reverence for ancestors and ancestral traditions has been lost to the void of hedonism and consumerism. The sad state of social practices in Western society has degraded to one of complete narcissism and the overturning of almost every traditional, ancient practice of the Occidental world. In the preceding generations to the current one, the societies of Western Civilization had always reserved a special place in the social mores for reverence and remembrance of individual and collective ancestors and their ancestral traditions." Read the full essay at the Youth for Western Civilization site.

The Ancestor Effect: Thinking about our roots boosts intelligence and confidence

"We all know that giving thanks is something we 'should' be doing. But recently a clinical study reported that thinking positively about our family roots boosts emotional confidence and even intelligence." Read the full article by Ryan Hurd at The Dream Tribe. Hail the holy ancestors!