Resources on continental Germanic religion?

[Saint Frankenstein]

Obviously most of the sources we have on Germanic religion are Scandinavian but what sources are there for, for example, pre-Christian religion in Germany? I know that Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is a thing but what about German Heathenry? What resources are there, as minuscule as they may be? Any books, articles and websites? Tell me what is known about Wotan and Donar, as opposed to Thor and Odin.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Obviously most of the sources we have on Germanic religion are Scandinavian but what sources are there for, for example, pre-Christian religion in Germany? I know that Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is a thing but what about German Heathenry? What resources are there, as minuscule as they may be? Any books, articles and websites? Tell me what is known about Wotan and Donar, as opposed to Thor and Odin.

Hmm...I have some tiny amounts at home, buried in some books on the spread of Christianity. I think it was largely focused on what was found in burial sites, and how some of that clashed with earlier assumptions about ritualisation and technology available to the various Germanic tribes.

I'll see if I can find it tonight. 50/50, I would guess.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Hmm...I have some tiny amounts at home, buried in some books on the spread of Christianity. I think it was largely focused on what was found in burial sites, and how some of that clashed with earlier assumptions about ritualisation and technology available to the various Germanic tribes.

I'll see if I can find it tonight. 50/50, I would guess.

Anything helps. Thanks.

 

[Holdasown]

I recommend books by Gardenstone.
GardenStone

Also any fairy tales or poems have tid bits that are good to know. PA Dutch Pow Wow has basically renames Christ for god in the spells they us and it's an interesting read.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I recommend books by Gardenstone.
GardenStone

Also any fairy tales or poems have tid bits that are good to know. PA Dutch Pow Wow has basically renames Christ for god in the spells they us and it's an interesting read.

Thanks. I was recently thInking how the Saints and Angels in Christianity are just stand-ins for the pre-Christian pantheons. For example, you have the Slavic Perun being worshipped under the name of St. Elijah the Thunderer, the Goddess Brigit being worshipped under the name of St. Brigid and some of Mary's apparitions are a continuation of the worship of pre-Christian Goddesses (like Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Aztec Goddess Tonantzin). So it makes me wonder how much has really survived.

Certainly the Germanic and Baltic peoples were some of the last Europeans to be converted to Christianity and I would argue that they were never fully Christianized. They certainly have dropped Christianity much quicker than most other groups and Germanic Heathenry seems to be the most popular current of the revival of European pre-Christian religions at the moment. It's probably easier for me to find Germanic Heathens than it is to find Hellenic polytheists in my area.

Anyway, the idea to look into fairytales and local folk/magic is a good one. Like I said, who knows how much was actually preserved? I just wish the tribes inhabiting the land we now call Germany wrote things down.