Folkism: What Is It and How Do We Avoid It?

1700 words | 9 minute read

Content Warning: Discussion of Fascism

Image by Dyana Wing So

There is an unfortunate history of paganism and occultism being tied to fascism and white supremacy. The history of studies into Norse Paganism (known also as Heathenism), for example, is replete with ideas of finding a ‘root’ to Western culture that promotes a notion of a pure, idealised, and superior white race. This later went on to inspire Nazi Germany. This was the birth of the Völkish movement—known in English as ‘folkism’—which is a legacy that continues to inspire fascists to this day.

What is Folkism?

Coming from the German word ‘Völkisch’, folkism is a movement within intellectual, populist, and pagan circles that is markedly different from folk religion. The latter is the preservation of traditions that lie outside of institutional control, such as folk Catholicism and Appalachian folk magic. Typically, these are people trying to connect to the land they live on whilst avoiding appropriating from cultures and practices they have no right to be in (such as the white appropriation of Hoodoo, a tradition closed to Black people).

Folkism, on the other hand, is a fascistic movement that essentially says only white people can worship certain pantheons, most famously those called ‘Germanic’, who spoke Old Norse. They use typical ‘Blood and Soil’ narratives for this: it is about connecting with one’s ‘true’ ethnic identity, therefore making Heathenry an ‘ethnic religion’—a term they bastardise, when we look at its meaning as “a belief system intrinsically tied to a particular ethnicity, culture, and/or geographic location and not usually meant to be universally applicable”, as they make it so through saying these faiths are the ‘true’ faith of all white people.

Philosophically, folkism hearkens back to an (imagined and) idealised past that was apparently racially pure and embodied values that fascists consider to be desirable in society. This is despite evidence of multiculturalism during the so-called ‘Viking Age’. Folkist believe in your typical fascist ideals, such as combatting (the false narrative of) so-called “white genocide”, ‘preservation’ of a supposedly unified white culture, and the fetishisation of a hypermasculine ‘warrior’ type role for men while women are expected to be submissive housewives with pure wombs ready to bear children (and yes, the biological essentialism here is purposeful).

Indeed, it is from key folkish figures that the infamous ‘14 Words’ originates. Claiming that white people should be ethnonationalist in their beliefs—and not sharing a religious identity with any other race—the coiner of the phrase David Lane promoted a kind of paganism that greatly inspired those creating folkish Heathen practices.

There are a number of folkish organisations across the world. These include, most famously the Asatru Folk Assembly [1], which has chapters across the United States and, indeed, across the world. They, too, frequently spout the myth of white genocide and claiming that white culture—which is always ill-defined—is under threat of extermination and thus must be preserved by converting to Heathenism. Their founder, Stephen McNallen, made up a pseudoscientific term ‘metagenetics’:

Metagenetics claims culture is passed on genetically within specific groups of people. Such genetic connections to culture also determine what deities one can connect to. McNallen’s ideology also shows strong influence from Carl Jung’s Essay on Wotan written in 1936. In this essay Jung argues, based on his theory on archetypes, certain Gods are carried in the lineage of different cultures and certain people can invoke these Gods into their community. In the essay Jung claims Adolf Hitler is such an individual, asserting Hitler archetypally embodied the God Wotan.

(Remember this the next time someone blows smoke up the arse of Jung!)

Is Fascism Only a Problem in Heathenry?

In short, the answer is no. I used Heathenry as an example because its folkish elements are most well known. However, with every type of polytheistic faith that is being revived, there have been those that use folkish tendencies to exclude any they consider to be undesirable. YSEE, a famous Hellenic Polytheist religion, claim to be restoring the ‘ethnic religion’ of the Greeks, implying both that one must be Greek to be a Hellenic Polytheist and that Greeks who do not adhere to the faith are failing their people. Some elements of Rodnoverie—Russian Slavic Paganism—have been found to have deeply nationalistic elements with ‘socially conservative’ (read: at least proximate to fascism) views. Alt-right academic Nina Power mentioned Mithraism in an interview, with the linked article explaining that other fascist figures such Richard Spencer had mentioned ancient Roman Polytheism with admiration.

Basically, every tradition has a fascist element. This is because fascism is prevalent in our society. Just like Christianity and other religions [2], all forms of paganism will have fascist sects. Rather than tarnishing these religions with a brush of paint that symbolises that they’re all ‘evil’ or some such descriptor, we should instead acknowledge these elements and think about what we can do to undermine them at every turn.

Avoiding Folkism, Fighting Fascism

It is essential that we cede no ground to fascists. They deserve no platform, no chances to convert people, no oxygen. However, it might be difficult to know how to avoid getting sucked into their bigoted cults. Here are some things you can do to educate yourself and stand against fascism:

• Educate yourself on common fascist talking points: Fascists have perfected ways of making themselves sound somewhat reasonable and respectable. However, there are always ‘dog whistles’ that those who know about their poisonous ideologies will be able to recognise. The Anti-Defamation League have a glossary of far-right terms and figures that you can use to educate yourself. Some terms you should look out for (although these are in no way exhaustive) are:
  • Any talks around ‘white genocide’ and concerns around the falling white birth rate, especially in comparison to the birth rates of migrants and people of colour.
  • Notions of the ‘Deep State’, which comes from the vocabulary of QAnon. While there are legitimate criticisms of the state that point out how it is complicit in violence, capitalism, and colonisation, talk about the ‘Deep State’ does not refer to this but instead to a complex and false theory propogated by QAnon and others.
  • The use of the word ‘globalist’. Now, there are legitimate criticisms of the globalisation of capitalism and colonialism. However, the term ‘globalist’ is usually used to covertly label Jewish people or those suspected of being ‘controlled’ by Jewish people (which is part of the anti-semitic conspiracy that Jewish people control the world).
  • Talking about how it’s “okay” to be white. This is push back against the rightful critiques of racism and privilege by Black and Indigenous people and other peoples of colour.
  • Critiques of “cultural Marxism”. This is not a type of Marxism—not even Marxist critical theory within the academic field of Cultural Studies calls itself this. It is a term made up by fascists that can be applied to any form of critique of white supremacy, such as Critical Race Theory (another term bandied about incorrectly). It is usually also tied to anti-semitic conspiracies.
  • Calling open, mostly-dead pagan faiths “ethnoreligious”, as we have already seen.
• Learn to recognise their symbols: Nazis and other fascists do sometimes use obvious symbols such as swastikas, but often they will opt to use others to be more covert. Some of these are appropriations specifically of pagan symbols, such as the Jera rune. Fortunately, the Anti-Defamation League have a database of hate symbols, slogans, and groups that you can review to educate yourself.
• No platform: This tactic is very well known in the UK left. ‘No platform’ means not allowing breath to fascists to spread their toxic views. Do not speak alongside them. Do not debate them—even if they come off bad to many people, there will be those susceptible to their views, and converting these people (even if the fascist interlocutor otherwise looks foolish) is a net win to them. Do not share their posts, ever—even to dunk on them. Write your own post without screenshots.
• Turn up to protests if you’re able: Educate yourself on the best way to protect yourself at protests—information on this applicable to a UK setting can be found through the Green and Black Cross, but there will be information available to you locally as well, should you search. Only attend protests if it is safe for you to do so: consider the fact that, depending on the protest, you might need to run or defend yourself—counter-protesting a fascist rally can be physically dangerous. Always write the name of a defense attorney/solicitor specialising in protest law on your arm in permanent marker, just in case. Fascists also love to dox people, so mask up.
• Boycott brands that promote or fund fascism: Yes, that means Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A, but it also means the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction campaign run to free Palestine. It also means vetting small businesses and their owners: there will be MAGA Tarot card readers in our spaces, for instance, and they do not deserve your money.

Cede no ground to these toxic groups and individuals. Stand against the global rise of fascism. Do not allow our pagan spaces, which should be beautiful and loving places, to become a cesspit filled with folkism and hate.

Footnotes

1. For those unaware, ‘Asatru’ has been used as an alternative term for Heathenism/Norse Paganism. However, to my knowledge, many inclusive Norse Pagans now refuse to use the term due to its connection with the folkish movement. Indeed, it was actually a term popularised by one of the key figures in folkish Norse Paganism, Stephen McNallen.
2. See, for example, the religiopolitical Zionism that is currently being used as a guise under which to commit genocide, and the fascistic Hindutva movement and government in India.

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