Afternoon offering to Loki. Sponge cake, fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
um……what? Strawberry shortcake as an offering? to Loki??? WHAT? needless to say that is absolutely ridiculous in a myriad of ways. *bangs head*
Not everybody is a reconstructionist, and even for those who are, the lore doesn’t actually give much in the way of prescriptive offerings. Sorry, but I fail to see the problem here, beyond a disrespectful attitude and uninvited commentary towards somebody else’s belief system. -Isto
first off- anyone practicing heathen IS a recon. If you are not reconstructing an ancient worldview than all you are doing is reenacting (or not heathenry). BIG difference. secondly, there is a lot in the lore about offerings- nevertheless the reason WHY we give offerings is more important then the what, yes, but in what way shape or form, is a dessert a fit offering? Once you have the worldview down, then you can offer things of substance. Something you picked up at the supermarket? perhaps not- MAYBE if it was part of a feast, or grown locally, but pretty sure that shortbread and whipped cream came straight from the grocery store. What value does that hold? What sacrifice is that? Monetary? Highly unlikely. It is not disrespectful, its an objective view from someone within the heathen community- if someone posts something on tumblr, a public forum, then it is open to public discretion and comment. And AS a heathen, it would be within heathen worldview to value such perspectives, it helps people grow. This isnt about being recon or not, its about honoring and worshiping in a worthy manner. WORTH, the old word from which WORSHIP comes from. Please explain the worth in strawberry shortcake from the supermarket and its relation to Loki.
Just gonna say my piece.
I don’t consider myself a heathen in any way, or part of any organized group. Just a ragged-ended pagan.
I do what feels right. What Loki wants, He gets. Same for any god I follow, or any spirit at all. It doesn’t have to be ~elegant~ or classy food, hell, it can be dollar-store frozen pizza. If He wants it, He’ll get it. And if it’s what I have to offer, and He likes it, then why should any mortal give a fuck what kind of offering it is?
I personally don’t give a shit about trying to act like old Nordic peoples. Hell, I don’t consider Loki a solely Nordic god at all. Yes, the Loki persona comes from that tradition, and it is a good and rich one indeed. But my personal UPG sees Loki as an archetype, and the Norse trickster whose name I use for Him is just one of His many faces.
So if it’s strawberry shortcake He wants, it’s strawberry shortcake He’ll get.
People telling others what they can and cannot offer Loki…
Last I checked He liked sweets and that looks like something He’d love, so shut your corn hole.
Folks. Reality check. You’re arguing over whether a being we can’t even prove exists beyond our own subjective beliefs* would be pissed that someone got him a sugary treat from a grocery store. This is what I left Catholicism for?
*Don’t ask me how to empirically determine the existence of Loki. It probably involves uses of slide rules we mere mortals never considered.
^ THIS
This one time? Himself wanted animal crackers. Witchfather, lord of beasts and the sabbat, wanted Animal Crackers. BAD. It wasn’t “Please get me some the next time you’re buying treats” it was “GO INTO TOWN AND BUY ME THE LARGEST BAG OF ANIMAL CRACKERS THEY HAVE.”
“But, Witchfather… Animal Crackers?” I asked, incredulous.
“DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCEPT OF HOW DELICIOUS THEY ARE?” He answered.
“Well, I mean… I suppose…”
“AND SANDWITCH FUCKING BUTTER BETWEEN THEM.”…. good point, My Half-Beast-Lord… good point indeed.
Epic commentary is Epic, Rootandrock.
I always like to explore traditional offerings, for obvious reasons, but I never shy away from non-conventional offering either.
Even if this was pried from the petrochemical clutches of some heinously cheap, clearance section, plastic grocery store container exactly as we see it, like some magical confection creation that disregards the laws of time and decomposition, it may still hold serious value for the OP. I literally moan when I drink pure cherry juice. Like, I make audible noises without realizing it. It only came to my attention because people were laughing. I would gladly offer cherry juice to any deity regardless of their traditional offerings, because I am saying “This juice. Oh man. This JUICE!!!! I want it. I want it sooo damned bad. But You get it all/first/now. Enjoy!” Maybe this dessert is just as valuable to the OP.
My mother actually hoards a particular kind of pop-tart in her office at work, because she can only find it in the US and doesn’t want us to eat them. She keeps them in a locked drawer in her office. If she were to leave one out as an offering, I would consider it a tremendously more meaningful offering from her than if she lit some incense, or left out a plate of apples and spices. Because she doesn’t give a fuck about those things. These pop-tarts require trips to another country, and she guards them with a freaking lock and key!
An offering is a sacrifice; if you are taking something that you could just as easily eat yourself, and enjoy to the point of making audible noises, but instead give it over to the gods, you are sacrificing the physical food, but also your emotional satisfaction in order to please Them.
In summation; My offerings don’t need to please you, they are for my gods!
Heathen, offering, strawberry, shortcake
I had to do a good bit of digging, but I found the Spongecakegate thread I was telling you guys about, @graveskeeper and @hearthly-concerns.
Never forget SpongeCakeGate!
Goldnwulf 