For with law shall our land be built up and settled, and with lawlessness wasted and spoiled. - Njal's Saga, ch.69

When truth and fairness are different from what is law, better it is to follow truth and fairness. - Bandamanna Saga, ch.6

Every so often a topic comes up here that starts with, "What do the gods think of...", followed by some topic that has nothing to do with the gods. We always attempt to answer these questions as best we can, and the answer often comes down to the consensus of your community and the way your own moral code guides you.

Often enough, however, there is another factor to be considered, and one I don't think is mentioned nearly often enough... That of legality,

Law was something our folk valued historically. It was the foundation of the community in many ways. Everything from land usage to murder, feuds between families and individuals to taxes. Why is it then that we so rarely ask ourselves how the laws of today fit into our own moral view and community interactions if they were so important to our ancestors?

I think this is something that we need to consider more often, especially in light of some topics that come up here.

For example, one subject that has come up multiple times is asking what the gods think of marijuana. Often times there are historical examples of marijuana use among our ancestors brought up. Comparisons to lines in the Hávamál come up just as often. Rarely is it asked simply, "Is it legal where you live?" This is an important question.

I listed a pair of quotes at the top. The first, from Njal's Saga, exemplifies the point I've been trying to make thus far. Law is important, the structure that we hang civilization on. Often the glue that binds a community, that thing most important to us.

The second quote, from Bandamanna Saga, is important too. It addresses our relationship with the law. More importantly, what the law is versus what it should be. These are not verses from some holy scripture that we have to make fit together, but pieces of wisdom passed to us from our ancestors. It's up to us to figure out what they mean to us, if anything. So how can one follow these two pieces of advice?

To oppose a law as unjust does not mean you have license to break it. It means you have a responsibility to change it. It also means you should examine yourself and your community to decide why you, or they, think the law is unjust.

I'm writing this, above all, to make people start thinking about these things. As heathens, few things are as important to us as our community, and as such we have a responsibility to ourselves, our family and our community to involve ourselves in the stitching that holds our people together. And perhaps to make people remember that this is not just a religion, it is a culture, and not every question has an answer handed down from on high. The answer often comes from the community you live in.