The
Odinist Community and the Battle for Langbard.
What is the Comunità
Odinista?
Paolo Gauna founded the Comunità Odinista (CO) in Iceland in the
year 2244 RE (1994 CE). The CO is the community of the Lombard Ásatrúar.
CO members continue to work toward the awakening of our Faith in respect
to the Lombard tribal tradition.
The CO is a Folkish
group: we reject universalism, the "global village" theory, as well as
any spirituality without roots such as the New Age movement.
What kind
of organization is the Comunità Odinista? As an organization,
the Comunita Odinista works for the reawakening
of the voices of
the people of our blood, now obscured by the forced Italianization of our
land. We cannot rightly be called "Italians", and we are not
truly sons of Rome. Our forefathers were killed by the Romans, and
made the subjects of the Roman State.
What is
the definition of the word "Langbard"? Langbard is the
name of our beloved land, now known as Northern Italy. The definition
of "Langbardaland " in Old Norse comes from the Old Norse term "Langskjegg"
which describes a "person with a long beard" combined with the word "land".
The contraction of this name is "Langbardr" and it is the origin of the
Latinized "Langobardia", as well as the later Italianized "Lombardia".
"Langbard" is currently utilized as a fluent contraction of "Langbardland"
or "Langbardaland", and is used to honor the "God of the Long Beard" as
part our ancestor’s sacred body of tribal knowledge. More information
on this subject can be found in the English translation of the Historia
Langobardorum.
The actual geographic limits of Langbard are located on the borders of
the Umbria regions. This region is believed to contain people with
a high percentage of Nordic blood, a theory supported by recent genetic
studies as well as ongoing research about the origins and differences of
the Scottish and Welsh. This land is also called "Padania",
a land seeking political and cultural self-determination. In accordance
with Klemens Metternich-Winneburg, we think of Italy as merely a "geographical
expression".
What distinguishes
Lombards from Italians? The CO offers the
following explanations:
First and foremost,
the blood. Our kinfolk can be found the Italian peninsula as well;
descendent from the Lombard ancestor of the Spoleto Duchies, those with
distinctive Germanic characteristics as evidenced by possession of actual
Lombard surnames for the most part derived from original Lombard names.
Secondly, the languages
spoken which are derived from ancient Celtic languages, referred to by
academicians as "Gaul-Italics": the Lombard wasn't an imperialist like
his Roman counterpart, consequently the Germanic language was not imposed
by force, so to this very day many words in our spoken language have Lombard
roots.
Lastly, the separate
Lombard culture with its distinctive " Weltanschauung " sets us apart from
our Latin neighbors.
What are the
aims of the Comunità Odinista today? We want to live
in peace, friendship, and reciprocal comprehension with our
neighbors.
We want to preserve our living traditions. We desire to practice our Folk
Religion, but not in some sterile imitation of other groups. We work
in a spirit of collaboration, never as flatterers! We work instead
to honor of our Gods and ancestors who live on in the blood in our veins
as well as in our sacred land. Our ethics are based on the words
our Mother Frea, who according to Historia Langobardorum by Paul Warnfriet
is quoted as stating, "...and Frea (Frigga) said to Godan a.k.a. Wotan,
"Give them the Victory".
What is
"Thule’s Herald"?
Our magazine is entitled, "Araldo di Thule" or "Thule's Herald" and is
devoted to our Holy Gods and Goddesses. Subjects covered in our magazine
include texts and materials designed to further the cause of the Gods.
"Thule’s Herald" documents the struggle for the continued existence of
our blood and the soil of Langbard, both of which gain greater importance
as our efforts are under the watchful eyes of the spirits of our forefathers.
Our magazine is written in the Italian language as well as the "free-speaking"
language of the Langbardic Folk regions, i.e. Piemontese, Venetian, and
Ligurian. Our native language includes many Germanic words with different
grammatical base structures than Italian.
Hail
our mighty Folk! Hail the Folk of Langbärten!
The
Odinist Community and the Battle for Langbard.
