Heidense rituele ruimte

Abstract

In the last few decades an increasing amount of heathen and pagan groups found their place in a more complex religious landscape. Those heathens apply great value to nature and the landscapes around them. Spatial theory tells us space is dynamic, formed by history, borders and thoughts of and use by people. This thesis discusses to what extent space and ritual influence each other and ritual space among heathens in the Netherlands. To find out I use my own in-depth-interviews and several spatial methods. Lefebvre and Saunders provide theories to map the spatial part, as Bell and Van Gennep will do for the ritual part. The interviews with the heathens provide an insight into how they value ritual and the space they live in. This thesis points out that liminality plays a major role in the perceived value of space and ritual. The ritual forms the gate between the profane and the sacred worlds, and some spaces share this quality of liminality. Additionally the degree of liminality is made by multiple factors, some fixed and some variable and as such can be influenced by humans. Space and ritual influence each other directly too. This is because the energies both possess flow into each other by doing the ritual. The ritual increases the energy of the space and vice versa. The value of space given by the people makes what this space really is. Here we see the importance of looking at space as active and dynamic. The value of space is constantly changing, and therefore space itself.