Somewhat More Historical Norse Paganism [SwMHNP] 1.12+
**I am back and this is the original version of the mod. If you are using the "1.5+" fork, which I gave my blessing, you’re probably fine, but this one is confirmed to be working with 1.12. Whether or not I will continue to support it if it breaks again is not something I’m willing to comment on. But this works for now, including with all DLC events that are relevant to the religion.**
Somewhat More Historical Norse Paganism attempts to make the Norse (vanilla: "Asatru") religion more historically accurate. We don’t have very many sources about the beliefs or practices of the pre-Christian Norse, especially in their own words. But the vanilla version is very silly and seems based more on pop culture and vikingboo fan service than any kind of serious research.
The main sources for this mod include The Poetic Edda, The Prose Edda, and the Sagas of the Icelanders (particularly Njal’s Saga, Harald Fairhair’s Saga, The Saga of the Jomsvikings, Egil’s Saga, Hrolf Kraki’s Saga, and the Saga of the Volsungs). Special thanks also to Dr. Kenneth Harl’s "The Vikings" lecture series and Dr. Jackson Crawford’s YouTube channel. Attempts were made to distill which virtues were most often extolled among good and worthy rulers in these sources — particularly when those values conflicted with those of the Christians who would have been transcribing them, as this suggests those values are older than the conversion of Scandinavia.
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New Virtues: Brave, Generous, Arrogant, Diligent
A good king is one who is bold. A good king is one who shares his spoils with his followers. A good king is one who speaks loudly and proudly of his worthy deeds. A good king is one who always strives for greater things.
New Sins: Craven, Deceitful, Humble, Lazy
A poor king is one who shrinks from danger. A poor king is one who does not keep his oath. A poor king is one who surrenders all his fair-earned glory to a distant power beyond himself. A poor king is one who is all boast and no action.
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Doctrine Changes: Clerical Doctrine is now Lay Clergy
Of all the aspects of vanilla Asatru that make no sense, being Theocratic is the most completely baffling. We have no evidence whatsoever that the pre-Christian Norse had anything like a formal priest class. In fact, the opposite is often seen to be true: rituals are generally led by the chieftain, jarl, or head of a household. Seers and fortune tellers were often advisers to important figures, but they certainly did not represent a formal priesthood or administer temples, and "godhi" was not a formal religious title. Many Neopagans use this term in the context of modern revival movements seeking to introduce a more formal priesthood, but they are doing so without any historical precedent. You are welcome to introduce such a priesthood by reforming your religion in-game, but it should not exist in 867.
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Tenet Changes: Removed Warlike, added Pursuit of Power
The pre-Christian Norse can be said to be very warlike, but they were not /especially/ warlike compared to other people of the age, including Christians. This is a misconception, and many of the most famous and successful Norse figures during the Viking Age were more explorers and traders than raiders or conquerors.
Pursuit of Power much better models the driving force behind the Norse invasions of much of Europe. They don’t love killing. They love wealth and glory. This also automatically makes Ambitious a virtue and Content a sin, which is very appropriate.
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Go forth and conquer! Not in the name of Odin, but in your own! The Allfather asks no credit for your victories, but shall watch over you and delight in your glory.
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This mod took many, many hours of research. If you enjoy it, consider dropping me a tip at ko-fi.com/Leana
Revisions:
Old revisions of this mod are available below. Click the link to download.
