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The Last Dragon –
Offa Whitesun Much ink has been shed in recent months over the so-called ‘credit crunch’ and the ‘global financial crisis’. Indeed, this subject has been the main news story for some time now, and has been approached form myriad angles. But one aspect that has not been discussed in any great detail is the spiritual meaning, and purpose, of money and wealth. We will use the word ‘spiritual’ here for convenience’s sake. What we are really referring to is the way that money has a meaning or function beyond its merely material aspect; the way that it influences individuals and societies in their understanding of the world. The guiding rune for this subject is Fe. In the Old English Rune Poem we read: “Wealth is a consolation to all men;Yet much of it must each man give away,If glory he desire to gain before the Lord.”[1] So, wealth is seen as being a good thing but only when it is used correctly. And the correct way to use wealth is to distribute it throughout society in order to create bonds of allegiance. “Gift-giving was a central act in Germanic society, cementing the bonds among the free classes. It was neither random, spontaneous, nor purely emotional, but rather was strictly controlled by rules of reciprocation. Warlords handed out weapons to their followers, but the weapons were not ‘given away’, they were held by the hearth-troop to be used in defence of the leader.”[2] Wealth is a tool used to strengthen bonds of loyalty within, or between, communities. The antithesis of this system is symbolised by the dragon, jealously guarding his horde of gold. In Beowulf, the dragon has been guarding his gold-horde for 300 years. When a single golden cup is stolen from the dragon it is enough to arouse his wrath, and he begins his campaign of mindless destruction. The cup was stolen by a slave who then gave it to his lord to ask forgiveness for some misdemeanour. This illustrates the two opposed attitudes to wealth: that of the hoarder who has no interest in the social benefit that his money could inspire; and that of the gift-giver, who seeks to establish, or maintain, a harmonious social structure. These, then, are the two fundamentally opposed attitudes to money: the materialistic, which covets it for its own sake; and the spiritual, which seeks to use it in the service of social harmony. It should be obvious that modern societies are guided by the materialistic attitude to money. One of the consequences of this attitude is the decline of the heroic ideal. In traditional societies, where gifts were exchanged at a personal level, it would be possible for someone to win favour, and wealth, through his heroic actions. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with gifts of armour and horses for his victory over Grendel, and his retinue are also rewarded: “Thus did the glorious Prince, guardian of the treasure,reward these deeds, with both war-horses and armour;of such open-handedness no honest mancould ever speak in disparagement.”[3]The Beowulf poet makes it clear that both the giver and receiver of gifts bestowed as rewards are acting honourably. Their love of treasure is mingled with a sense of pride for what that treasure represents. The Lord has the power to employ warriors in his service, and the warrior has the courage to earn his treasure through his heroism. Wealth is representative of heroic power. The contrast with the modern age could scarcely be sharper. The examples of useless, overpaid idiots are legion, and we need not dwell on them here. Suffice to say that wealth nowadays is rarely indicative of anything other than a love of material things, and of the desire to acquire them regardless of the consequences, social or otherwise. Fame has replaced heroism, and we live in a time where: “The best lack all conviction, while the worstare full of passionate intensity.”[4] In the modern world the traditional virtues of honour, truth and loyalty are usually associated with ‘failure’ in the strict materialist sense. Those who seek to put such principles before their own personal happiness, or comfort, are ridiculed and socially maligned. Honour might be discussed on a Radio 4 programme concerning ethics or some such, but it has become so marginalised as a concept that those who have any sense at all of what it means are the subjects of ridicule in the mainstream. Where the pursuit of the noble virtues could once bring social glory it will now bring ostracism. The ideals of individualistic hedonism are so well established in our society that anyone discussing the sorts of ideas mentioned here is likely to be diagnosed by the mainstream as having some sort of ‘issue’, some repressed sense of ‘guilt’, perhaps, that might explain why he would identify with such notions, and choose to forgo the self-evident pleasures of the modern cesspit. As for those who are the ‘successes’ of the materialist world, the opinion formers in politics and the media are well known to be corrupt and dishonourable. But even occupations that a few years ago were highly respected, such as teachers and bankers, are now becoming increasingly tainted with the pollution of the system. In the case of teachers, and other public servants, there is a compulsion to observe the politically correct diktats of Westminster, and in the case of the financial sector there are the inevitable results of the encouragement of greed with no reference to a sense of the greater good. Where public servants have a noble desire to benefit the community this is snuffed out through unnecessary intervention, and where bankers have an ignoble lust for greed this is left uncontrolled. In both sectors, those with the best motives are increasingly eclipsed by those with the worst. Dishonour ensues, and we all suffer. This spiritual decline is reflected in our use of money. The materialist creeds of credit and usury encircle the globe and seek to impose their profane systems everywhere. Usury is the ultimate expression of the accumulation of wealth purely for its own sake, to the extent that it bears no relation to any useful, productive industry. It is entirely parasitic. The American poet Ezra Pound had this to say about usury: no picture is made to endure nor to live withbut it is made to sell and sell quicklywith usura, sin against nature,is thy bread ever more of stale ragsis thy bread dry as paper…Stone cutter is kept from his stoneWeaver is kept from his loomWITH USURA[5] The entire global financial network depends on the existence of credit and usury, and this global network may well be the Midgard Serpent, which is killed by Thor at Ragnarok. The Midgard Serpent is the ultimate dragon: it does not horde its gold in an old barrow mound outside the village, but instead encircles the entire world. The global financial network operates like an acquisitive dragon of myth. And like those other dragons of myth, it does not use wealth for productive and socially cohesive purposes, but instead dissolves all communal ties in its covetous avarice. The last dragon is slain at the Ragnarok, when all the Gods die. Only when this has passed may the new God be born. [1] Anglo-Saxon Verse Runes, Louis J Rodrigues (trans) [2] The Mead Hall, Stephen Pollington [3] Beowulf, Michael Alexander (trans) [4] The Second Coming, W.B. Yeats [5] Canto XLV With Usura, Ezra Pound The White Dragon & The English Cross - Wulf In English Nationalist circles there have long been arguments as to whether we should drop the English Cross altogether and use the White Dragon. This argument has recently been put to me within WF-EM, so I am going to give my reasons as to why I feel that this is most certainly not the time to make such a move. Firstly we need to look at the background of Woden’s Folk, and to clarify the aims and ideals of our Movement. From the very start, back in 1998, our Movement was strictly an English Heathen Movement dedicated solely to the English Folk and the English Struggle, and our Movement remains true to these ideals today. We can leave the “international” scene to the OR and others who tread this path. Since we take this particular path – within a world-wide struggle – then we need to think very carefully before we make important changes. I believe that there are various arguments as to why the English Cross is now seen to be “alien” to the English – Ø To English Heathens it is a “Christian” cross and symbol. Ø It appears only after the Norman invasions. Ø It derives from the Templar Cross. Firstly, the English Cross is an equal-armed cross (+), having a longer horizontal line only because it is used on a rectangular flag. Used on a square banner it would be the equal-armed cross. The Christian Cross has a longer vertical arm, since it is merely a cube unfurled. (It is also symbolic of another important concept which I will explain later.) This equal-armed cross in its simple version (+), and the “Templar Cross” version can be found on English coins from 600CE to the end of the tenth century, i.e. well before the Norman Invasions or the Knights Templar. It appears on the following coins amongst others – · Sigeberht, King of Mercia · Offa, King of Mercia · Berhtwulf · Aethelweard (East Anglia) · Aethelstan II · Oswald · Cnut (Viking) · Throughout the line of the Kings of Wessex. It was thus well known here in England long before the Normans or the Knights Templar. Indeed, in these two variants we can trace it back to as long ago as 10,000BCE and before. It can be found in the cave at Lascaux, dated 10,000 – 20,000BCE. It appears on Scandinavian rock-carvings and in Germany, Italy and elsewhere. This cross has a history many millennium prior to the Christian era. It is most certainly a Heathen Symbol taken up later by the Christians. The equal-armed cross (+) has always been used as symbolic of the positive and also to increase (plus sign). In heathen terms it has also been used as symbolic of the 4 points of the solar year, i.e. a Solar Symbol. A red cross on a white background is also symbolic of the Sacred Blood and the White Race – hence the reason why we still use our original Blood Flag which uses the English Cross. One legend has it that the red blood on the white flag was the blood of Saint George when he slew the dragon. Since this is merely a Christian version of Sigurd/Sigmund slaying the dragon, then the red blood represents the Dragon-Slayer which is one of the most important symbols used by the English. These arguments should be enough to show that the equal-armed cross was in use in Anglo-Saxon times, well before the Normans came under the auspices of the Pope. Both the English Cross and the Templar Cross/German Cross were used plus other variants of both. If anyone was to ask around the people of England which was the flag of England many would still perhaps say the “Union Jack”, which of course is the British Flag. But a large section would say the “English Cross”. The few English Nationalists who are now adopting the White Dragon may well say this, but they would be in a vast minority! Indeed, show most Englishmen the White Dragon and ask them which country it stands for and you will invariably get the answer – “Wales”. Even though the Red Dragon is the dragon of the Welsh. This really is the main argument against dropping the use of the English Cross, for we would get out to far fewer people through doing so. This particular time is not right for such a move as dropping the English Cross.I have made it clear years ago that the White Dragon is symbolic of the English Revolution and we use it as such. The English Cross is used within WF-EM because it will attract an English audience to us easier than our own Heathen Symbols. This is firmly etched in the English Consciousness at this time, and began to arise again a few years ago. The Templar Cross holds a vital secret known to very few people, for it has a hidden symbolism. If you look closely at the Templar Cross/German Cross you will see that it is made up of a clockwise swastika and an anti-clockwise swastika bound together in the one symbol. It thus symbolises the Power of Light and the Power of Darkness in balance. This is the reason why WF has used this in our early days, for it symbolised the aims of our Movement through The Hooded Man Prophecy. I have no idea why it was adopted by the Knights Templar, and it is doubtful that we could find out. Indeed, a secret society like the Knights Templar has given up few of its secrets, and what we do know has come through from the forebears of the Inquisition that suppressed it. All that we can guess is that they were concerned with finding some kind of alchemical secrets in the “Holy Land” (sic.) which is probably why they were there. Staying at an exoteric level it is important to note that the English Cross appears upon the flag of Lombardy in Northern Italy. The name “Lombardy” hails from the Lombards or Langobards (Long-Beards), a Germanic Tribe favoured by Odin due to the wiles of his wife Frigga. The Lombards have an Origins Myth which closely resembles that of Sceaf of the English. I have no idea why they use the same cross, but their Origins Myth may point to a link with the English in ancient times of the Folk-Wanderings. The Christian Cross did not originate within Christianity, for it was used long before the time of the so-called “Christ” of the Bible. The symbol was found as Orpheus hanging upon the same cross – the Gnostic Christ. The cross here represents the Northern Cross which is Cygnus the Swan. This can be seen as a cross as well as an Ear-Rune/Cweorth-Rune, and is the Irminsul, the Milky Way and the Milky Way in miniature, guarding the Dark Rift at the northern end of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is the “cross” upon which Woden hangs as the Hanged God. I have shown in previous articles how the Merseberg Charms hold the secret of the Fylfot, and also a magical formula – Sunwheel-Cross-Fylfot-Cross-SunwheelThis formula relates to Pol or Balder who is imprisoned in the Underworld, his “ring” taken away (Cross) and his “feet” broken” (Fylfot). In this formula the “Cross” is the next step in the process of the new arising of Balder the Sun-God. This must be understood when dealing with the cross as a Wodenic Symbol. The original White Dragon used by the English Tribes was a wind-sock version which was earlier used by the Scythians or Sakas, and also by the Dacians (Sons of the Wolf). As such it would have been more like a Wyvern in form, with two legs rather than four. It is important perhaps now to reiterate the meanings of the White Dragon Symbol – Ø The symbol of the Saxons according to Geoffrey of Monmouth. Ø Symbolic of the Milky Way Galaxy – the “Sun-Dragon of Igg”, i.e. Igg-dra-sil. Ø The Wif-Earn (Eagle-Woman) who is Wyrd or Urd and whose symbol stood at the gates of Nurnberg – Berg of the Norns. She is the Ar-Kona or Ur-Kona and is the White Lady associated with origins. Her “ghost” can be found in many places such as old castles etc. She is also “Britannia” shown on our old coins, holding the Trident and Shield as protector of England. The original version of the White Dragon is a Winged Coiled Serpent. It represents the same kind of symbolism as the Eagle at the top of Iggdrasil. The Serpent changes into the Winged Coiled Serpent or the Eagle – symbolic of the heavens. The White Dragon and the Golden Dragon (West Saxons) are interchangeable symbols. We are informed in the Welsh Mabinogian that the banner used by the Saxons was the “Winged Coiled Golden Serpent of Germany”. Both are solar symbols. Since the original White Dragon was a wind-sock there is no real proof as to the background that we should use. There is a Mercian version using a black background, which we have used on some badges. But the most widely used is the red background which has been adopted as the usual White Dragon Flag by all English Nationalists. It seems clear that different versions were used by different tribal groupings within the English Folk; some tribes may not have used the symbol at all. This does not detract from the usage of the White Dragon as a unifying force for the English. Indeed, as with any regeneration of a nation there is a need to create an English Myth. One day we shall need a common symbol for the White Dragon to achieve this. There are, of course, other important symbols that we use in our work. The White Horse Flag of Kent is symbolic of the Founding Twins, Hengest & Horsa, and the Three Golden Crowns of Anglia are symbolic of the Three Royal Lines of Anglia. These are important symbols for use at a local level. I have tried to make it clear why the official policy of WF-EM is to use the two flags – White Dragon & English Cross – side by side. Those who do not feel right with the English Cross have the right not to use it, which is their own individual choice. In time there may be an argument for replacing the English Cross with the White Dragon – but that time has not yet come. Wulf – Folk-Warder.Some articles
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