Heathenry, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. The practitioners of this new religious movement model their faith on the belief systems of Germanic peoples of Iron Age and Early Medieval Europe. Heathenry uses historical, archaeological, and folkloric evidence as a basis. It does not have a unified theology and typically centers on a pantheon of deities. It adopts cosmological views, including an animistic view of the cosmos in which the natural world is imbued with spirits. Many practitioners are solitary; other members of the Heathen community assemble in small groups to perform their rites in specially constructed buildings or outdoors (pictured). Heathen ethical systems place great emphasis on honor, personal integrity, and loyalty, while beliefs about an afterlife are varied and rarely emphasized. Many groups adopt a universalist perspective which holds that the religion is open to all, irrespective of ethnic or racial identity. Scholarly estimates put the number of Heathens at no more than 20,000 worldwide, with communities of practitioners active in Europe, North America, and Australasia.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathenry_(new_religious_movement)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

684:

Second Fitna: Umayyad partisans defeated the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cemented Umayyad control of Syria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marj_Rahit_(684)

1590:

On the third birthday of his granddaughter Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas, John White returned to the Roanoke Colony in present-day North Carolina, U.S., only to find it deserted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony

1868:

Astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered helium while analysing the chromosphere of the sun during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium

1940:

Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF Fighter Command, wherein both sides lost more aircraft combined on this day than at any other point during the campaign. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hardest_Day

2008:

War in Afghanistan: French ISAF forces were ambushed by Afghan militants, suffering heavy casualties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbin_Valley_ambush

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

scabrous: 1. Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough. 2. (figuratively) Disgusting, repellent, repulsive, vile. 3. (figuratively) Of music, writing, etc.: lacking refinement, harsh, rough; unmelodious, unmusical. 4. (figuratively) Difficult, thorny, troublesome. 5. (figuratively, chiefly US) Covered with a crust of dirt or grime. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scabrous

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

If we can see our difficulties, there is a way of resolving them, or the hope of a way.   --Brian Aldiss https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Aldiss