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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 6683111" data-attributes="member: 58172">Well obviously, I agree with the school of thought that views the aboriginal Scandinavians interpret the invading Proto-Indo-Euro traditions within the aboriginal animistic worldview.In other words, the indigenous Scandinavians viewed Thorr as an animistic nature spirit, a summer thunder spirit. Thorr is moreorless identical to way various Native American nations view the Thunderbird as a helpful nature spirit. Indeed, the Scandinavians also have a kind of Thunderbird, a dangerous one that is responsible for arctic blizzards, a Jotunn who took the shape of a vast eagle.In any case, the penny has dropped. All scholars everywhere are realizing it is an error to assume the indigenous Scandinavians were polytheists.Many take a cautious approach, realizing the locales in Scandinavia were very different from the locales in Germany, and the situation is complex. Each location needs to be looked at carefully. The best description is to see ancient spiritual traditions as a network of partially overlapping local traditions.In the north in the Scandinavian peninsula, there is mostly animism. In the south in the Continent, there is mostly polytheism. Places like Denmark and Britain are complex.Regarding Hrafnkels, the Saga mentions him by name as inventing his own tradition, in light of foreign traditions that were also part of Iceland.</blockquote>