The Wild Pretanī

We utterly forbid that for any reason whatsoever a truce should be made with these tribes, either for the sake of money, or for the sake of tribute, until such time as, by God‘s help, they shall be either converted or wiped out.

Pope Eugenius III

If you’re unfamiliar with the quote from Pope Eugenius III, it pertains to his sanctioning the First Baltic Crusade. The image I selected to go along with the quote is Wojciech Gerson’s (1831–1901 CE) work, “The Capture of the Wends, 1147 CE”, which shows the capture of the pagan Wends/ Western Slavs.

How many are even aware of the First Baltic Crusade, and that this was only part of a larger and longer effort in the “Northern Crusades”?

I offer this historical morsel, not in an effort to launch a “mission” for the blog… “to bash Christianity” for the methods used in suppressing paganism in Europe… but rather, to begin examining different stories pertaining to the expansion of Christianity throughout Europe… from the time of the Roman Emporer Constantine the Great (306-337) to the fall of the last pagan nation (Lithuania) in Europe in the 15th century.

With each blog post I write, I’ve been trying to find what I feel I can enthusiastically continue on a regular basis. Having been deep in early American studies for nearly four decades, I approach the history of the Christianization of Europe as a novice, but with a deep curiosity. Even before beginning this blog, I was exploring and discovering stories about which I’ve been completely unaware. So, I’m curious to see what is and is not historically sustainable through valid resources. Further, I’m equally puzzled by stories that have seemingly been suppressed, stories that have been fabricated, and interpreting the “whys” behind both. In this, I feel I’ve finally found the traction I needed to continue this blog.

Note, however, this will not be a chronological offering of facts. I will jump around. I may find something particularly intriguing about one event, and then, in the next post, jump hundreds of years to discuss another bit of history that caught my attention.

While I presented this teaser regarding Pope Eugenius III and the Wends, it’s just that. I’m sure, sometime along the way, I’ll discuss this further.

Let’s see where this goes…

When writing, I try (or that may be naturally ingrained in me by now) to anticipate responses/criticisms from the reader. I think it’s also a means of preserving the assembly of words I’ve laid out in print. I mean, if you’re going to put something out there for public consumption, you want to anticipate reader thinking in order to create a more stable… more self-sustaining structure, right? You need to think in terms of your not being around to look after it all once you’ve launched it into the abyss. At least you hope it will hold up… for a while. There’s sooo much to say about this, but, for now, let’s put this in the context of today’s post title.

First, the Pretanī were, in fact, Celts/Celtic. However, how many people know Celts(?) vs. how many know Pretanī? Are you quite sure you know who Celts were, and how much of that “knowledge” is actually made up of stereotypes? Celts weren’t a bloodline but rather a culture, and it’s much larger than the stereotype of being exclusive to Ireland. At least, those are the first two stereotypes to cast aside. I know I just opened the door on further discussion of Celts and stereotypes, but that’s not my point. Instead, let’s close this door and move on to the next.

It’s more efficient, therefore, to go with Pretanī, as it funnels readers away from most stereotypes. It might also force readers to think more… perhaps even perform a little research independently. I never gave a thought to using anything “Celt” in the title because I knew all the baggage that would carry. To me, the decision on the subclass of the Pretanī is also more personal to me.

Anyway, who were the Pretanī aka Pritanī)?

It’s believed the word might mean “painted ones” or “tattooed folk”. Culturally Celtic, per Y DNA, they were labeled over a decade or two back (by the now defunct BritainsDNA program) as falling under haplogroup R-L21. This particular haplogroup is believed to have emerged ca. 2600 BCE, probably/seemingly on mainland Europe. That said, nearly a dozen different archeological finds (bones) suggests subclades/branches of R-L21 may have been in “Britain” (from Somerset and Wiltshire, as far north as Northumberland and Fermanagh) as early as 2800 BCE. The problem is that age-dating of these oldest bones vary, placing “presence” between 2800 and 1800 BCE. If we take these ten samples and give an average of the oldest/youngest date range given all ten (not very scientific, but…), this has R-L21 in Britain as early as 2511 BCE, and as late as 2018 BCE. Archeology and bones aside, it takes quite some time before we see them get a “shout out” by another culture. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1st Century BCE before anyone referred to the place. Per Wikipedia:

The earliest written reference to the British Isles derives from the works of the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia; later Greek writers such as Diodorus of Sicily and Strabo who quote Pytheas’ use of variants such as Πρεττανική (Prettanikē), “The Britannic [land, island]”, and nēsoi brettaniai, “Britannic islands.

Others, such as Ptolemy (who never set foot on the Isles, but documented tribal names) and the Romans (who were up close and personal) give us even more clarity (right, wrong, biased, indifferent, and as murky as may be) into the 1st Century AD.

Further, it would seem that the name of the people may have been used by outsiders to describe them, and maybe not used to describe themselves. Though this might be debatable given variants of the word “Briton” were, in fact, used to describe themselves in later years.

While I believe the descendants (most?) of R-L21 were right in the thick of things among the Brythonic-speaking people, like the concept of the Celts, I think other Y DNA lines, in the same place, and tribally grouped, referred to themselves as Pretanī/Britons. I also believe that, for various reasons, branches/subclades of R-L21 lines could be found in other geographic areas (I may get into this in another post at another time).

Understand, I really don’t mean to oversimplify all the history and science in between, but hope to provide just enough to give context to a key element behind my “path of discovery” throughout this blog. I think at this point, I’ve provided just enough foundation to apply the next layer.

Why have I decided to reach this far into the past to begin searching for something relevant to living today?

Again, not to oversimplify, but, in that there are those of us who understand that all life is interconnected, and that our existence is dependent on our respect and harmonious relationship with the earth and all the elements (and have a respect for ancestral “guidance”… in whatever form that might be), then why not take a closer look at people such as the Pretanī, who appear to have their faith based in this very thing? Does this really mean something along the lines of Celtic Reconstructionism? Not necessarily. I see it as looking to the deep ancestral past for answers applicable to living today. That also entails acknowledging that we have had scientific advances worthy of consideration in that application of that which we find of value. As I’ve said, this isn’t reverting to living in the past, but by seeking value from the past in thoughtful living today. I’ll quote Vine Deloria, Jr. once again:

Who will find peace with the lands? The future of humankind lies waiting for those who will come to understand their lives and take up their responsibilities to all living things. Who will listen to the trees, the animals and birds, the voices of the places of the land? As the long forgotten peoples of the respective continents rise and begin to reclaim their ancient heritage, they will discover the meaning of the lands of their ancestors.

Is this type of thing for everyone? Absolutely not. To each their own.

This is a reflection of my curiosity, and if even a small part of it resonates within a reader or several readers, and they enjoy my assembly of words, and my willingness to be transparent enough to make it available, then I’m good with that. Maybe it will even be enough for someone to use this as a template for their own path of personal discovery.

*Photo of yours truly, at the Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland, 2021.

It’s funny how the void of darkness… the absence of stimuli made available because of light… opens doors to creative thinking. That’s often what I find myself thinking over and over again on morning commutes… and it played on my thinking again this morning.

That being said, this is the third consecutive day of uploading a blog post; something I haven’t done in years. I’m still… as sailors say… getting my sea legs back, but I’m also finding that the “clothes” don’t quite fit. In other words, I’m finding I’m restricting myself too much with the framework under which I opened this blog. I want room to write in any direction I want… whatever way the wind happens to be blowing for me on any particular day. As such, I’m changing both the title and subtitle of the blog. It is now…

“The Wild Pretanī: An eclectic, chaotic good, Animist (pagan), traveler, satisfying my alter ego through writing.”

I think the new title and subtitle are mostly self-explanatory, but to be clear, I can be all over the board (chaotic), about a range of topics (eclectic); I am a traveler frequenting Europe annually; and, yes, I am an active follower/reader/practitioner of earth-based spirituality/religion. While I use the term “pagan”, I sometimes don’t like it very much as 1) it’s too broadly defined (essentially, any non-Abrahamic religion); and 2) well, on one hand, as used by Abrahamic religion it’s used as an insult; yet on the other, to use it by someone who is a practitioner of an earth-based religion, I find it to be a sweet form of rebellious pushback (redundant? Meh, I’ll stick with it anyway) against those who use it as an insult.

There, I’ve said it without beating around the bush.

Lastly, I’ve been a writer of historical topics for many years, absolutely love hypertext theory and writing for the web, and… am very aware of how age is creeping up on me and dulling the edge on my writings. As much as transparency and self-awareness in writing fascinate me, they also yield painful realities. Nonetheless, here I am, writing despite it.

As for jumping from “Rewilding the Pretanī” to the “Wild Pretanī”… well, frankly, I’ve been rewilding for enough years, so, here I am… let’s just go with “wild”. Further, as you can see, at least I’ve retained the “Pretanī” part. I’m still deeply fascinated by the story of them and my genetic connections to them… from the Bronze Age, into the Iron Age and (with the story of an even wider range of Brythonic-speaking people) beyond. So, we’re talking about everything from Celtic mythology to the Hen Ogledd and Gododdin and the Welsh Triads. But, even saying that, I’m not ruling out discussing my love for my pre-Christian Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon connections. Like I said… no restrictions.

Oh yes… again, about that traveler part… not only do I travel to Europe annually, I specifically visit pre-Christian Pretanī, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian sites, and… try to attend at least one major event rooted in the “old ways” (so far, the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, Midgardsblot in Borre, Norway; and, the Samhuinn Fire Festival in Edinburgh).

Music… how could I possibly forget that? As mentioned, I’ve been to the Midgardsblot music festival, but, in the States, I’ve attended Heilung and Wardruna concerts/rituals.

So, let’s “Take 2”, and get things rolling…

* Photo of me, standing in the middle of the Rosa dos Ventos, in Coruña, Spain, 2022. I’ll tell the story of that beautiful spot in another post.