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GoddessThe goddess of the Valgarins is Yrsa. She is the goddess of war and death, but also birth. She appears as a white skinned, white haired women, with great feathered wings and a long sword. It is said that she can take the form of any type of bird, most commonly birds of prey. Associated with birds in general but sightings of ravens or eagles are especially said to be signs of her presence. She is a warrior and despises weakness. She can be generous, willful and erratic, something that suits the harsh climate of this kingdom. There is also a commonly held belief that she has three personalities. The death crone, the warrior maid and the hearth mother.
The Valgarin CodeCourageIn every day life, we face the inevitable. Having to find basic needs for survival, the occasional skirmish, monsters, etc. Courage however goes far beyond this simplistic ideal. Courage also encompasses the courage to do what is right, even if the outcome can prove fatal. To be strong enough to sacrifice for the "common good". TruthThe second virtue, that of Truth. It is a word that holds so much in its definition, and includes such a wide variety of moral and philosophical beliefs. Truth, in the sense of honesty, is essential to personal honor and also to any system or morality that is not based on rigid legalism. If one is to uphold an honor code, one must be brutally honest with oneself and with others. Truth is also the Truth that comes with a capital T--the kind of Truth that one talks about in terms of religion or morality. It's common to talk of different peoples having different "truths," but it's equally important to remember that while we acknowledge that each person or people has their own belief as to what Truth is or where to find it, there finally is a single Truth. This is not the Truth as we see it, but ultimate Truth. While we may respect other people's "truths" and seek our own, we must never forget our search for The Truth. HonorHonor is the basis for the entire Valgarin moral rationale. If anything comes out in the legends and sagas it is that without honor we are nothing. We remember two types of peoples from ancient times: those whose honor was so clean that they shine as examples to us and those who were so without honor that their names are cursed a thousand years after they lived. Good folk should always strive to be among the former. However, honor is not just reputation. Honor is an internal force whose outward manifestation is reputation. Internal honor is the sacred moral compass that each Valgarin and Yrsa should hold dear. It is the inner dwelling at peace which comes from living in accordance with ones beliefs and with ones knowledge of the Truth of what one is doing. It is something deeply personal and heartfelt, almost like an emotion. It's a "knowing" that what one is doing is right and decent and correct. In many ways while the most important of all the virtues it is also the most encompassing in terms of description. It is all the other virtues rolled into one and then some. The best way to describe honor is that if you are truly living with honor, you will have no regrets about what you have done with your life. FidelityBy definition it simply means being faithful to someone or something. In marriage this means being true to ones vows and partner, and this has been narrowly defined as limiting ones sexual experience to one's spouse. While this is great practical advice, many treat fidelity as if there were no other ways in which one could be faithful or unfaithful. For us, fidelity is most important in terms of our faith and troth to the Yrsa. We must remain true to Her and to our kinsmen. We also uphold the value of fidelity to the ways of the ancestors. DisciplineIn any discussion of the values of Yrsa, discipline is best described as self-discipline. It is the exercise of personal will that upholds honor and the other virtues and translates impulse into action. If one is to be able to reject moral legalism for a system of internal honor, one must be willing to exercise the self-discipline necessary to make it work. , If one rejects legalism, one must be willing to control ones own actions. Without self-discipline, we have the mess we all too often see in the world. Looking at discipline in terms of fidelity, we see a close connection. The discipline of keeping faith with our Goddess and the ways of our ancestors is part of our religion. In this way, we limit ourselves in some ways, but we gain much more in others. HospitalityHospitality is simply one of the strongest core values at the heart of virtually every human civilization. In a community such as our own, it is the virtue that upholds our social fabric. In ancient times it was essential that when a traveler went into the world he could find some sort of shelter and welcome for the night. Nowadays it is just as essential that a traveler find friendship and safety. In our community, we need to treat each other with respect and act together for the good of our community as a whole. This functions most solidly on the level of the clan or hearth where non-familial members become extremely close and look out for each other. It can mean hospitality in the old sense of taking in people. Part of hospitality is treating other people with respect and dignity. Some overenthusiastic followers of Yrsa express their pride in their faith by behaving rudely to members of other faiths. Hospitality isn't something to be extended just to other folk. The virtue of hospitality means seeing people as if they were all individuals with self-respect and importance. Or perhaps from time to time, they are literally the Gods in human form. In terms of our community as a whole, hospitality is where a whole community would come together and pool their resources. This doesn't mean we have to forget differences, but we must be willing to put them aside, and work for our common good. IndustriousnessValgarins must be industrious in their actions. We need to work hard if we are going to achieve our goals. We can't sit on our virtues, we need to make them an active part of our behavior. Industry also refers to simple hard work in our daily vocations, done with care and pride. As Valgarins we should offer a good example as people who add to whatever we're involved in, rather than take from it. When people think of Valgard, they should think of people who are competent and who offer something to the world. This doesn't just apply to vocational work, but to the entire way we live our lives. It is just as much a mentality. The ancestors were vital people. They lived each day to its fullest and didn't wring their hands in doubt or hesitation. We should put the same attitude forward in all that we do whether it is our usual vocation, devotion to Yrsa, or leisure time. Self RelianceIndustry brings us directly to the virtue of Self-Reliance, which is important both in practical and traditional terms. Going back to the general notion of this article, we are dealing with a form of morality that is largely self-imposed and thus requires self-reliance. We rely on ourselves to administer our own morality. Traditionally, our folkways have always honored the ability of a man or woman to make their own way in the world and not to lean on others for their physical needs. This is one of the ways in which several virtues reinforce and support each other. Hospitality cannot function if people are not responsible enough to exercise discipline and take care of themselves. It's for those that strive and fail or need assistance that hospitality is intended, not for the idle who simply won't take care of themselves. In terms of our relationships with Yrsa, self-reliance is also very important. If we wish Her to offer us her blessings and gifts, we must make ourselves worthy of them--and Yrsa is most pleased with someone who stands on their own two feet. This is one of the reasons for the Valgarin "rule" that we do not kneel to the Goddess during our ceremonies. By standing we acknowledge our relationship as striving and fulfilled people looking for comradeship and a relationship, rather than acting as scraelings (betters) looking for a handout from on high. It takes very little for a God to attract a follower, if worship simply means getting on the gravy train. We, as Valgarins, are people who can make our own way in the world, but who choose to seek a relationship with Yrsa. In mundane terms being self-reliant is a simple way to allow ourselves the ability to live as we wish to. While our ancestors were great collectors of gold goodies, they didn't lust for possessions in and of themselves, but for what they stood for and could do for them. In fact, the greatest thing that could be said of a Lord was that he was a good "Ring Giver." Being self-reliant also means taking responsibility for ones life. It's not just about refusing a handout , but also refusing to blame ones failures on the patriarchy, or an unfair system. The system may, in fact, be unfair, but it's our own responsibility to deal with it. PerseveranceThe final virtue is Perseverance which I think most appropriate because it is the one that we most need to keep in mind in our living of the other values. Our religion teaches us that the world is an imperfect place, and nothing comes easy. We need to continue to seek after that which we desire. In this imperfect world there are no free lunches or easy accomplishments--especially in the subjects we have set before ourselves. If we truly wish to build a community that people will hold up as an example of what committed people can do, then we must persevere through the hardships that building our community is going to entail. We must be willing to continue on when we are pushed back. Finally we must persevere when we simply fail. If one's community falls apart because of internal strife, one should go back and start over. Pick up the pieces and continue on. We must be willing to continue in the hard work of making our people strong--not just when it is convenient and easy to do so, but when it gets hard, inconvenient, or just plain boring. To accomplish without striving is to do little, but to persevere and finally accomplish a hard fought goal brings great honor.
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