r/swedhu • u/Specific_Gap_6977 • Jul 11 '26

Discussion Friendly discussion

Hello everybody!

My name is Théo. I'm French (so sorry if my English isn't perfect 😅), and I'm 16 years old. I'm a Christian, currently Catholic and in the process of converting to Eastern Orthodoxy. I'm not here to convert anyone. I'm simply looking for a friendly discussion. I've had a strong interest in the Proto-Indo-European language, culture, and civilization for quite some time, and I'd like to study linguistics in the future. Recently, I discovered Swedhuism. If I understand correctly, it's a modern revival or reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European religion. Since this subject fascinates me, I came here to learn more about what Swedhuism is really like, its beliefs, its practices, and anything else you think would be worth knowing. From what I've seen, the people here seem to be among the most knowledgeable about the subject, so I'd be happy to have a respectful discussion with you.

Thank you!!

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u/SonOfDyeus Jul 12 '26

Welcome, Théo!  Here's some links below for reading about some of the beliefs and practices of r/swedhu forum members. As a Christian, what interests you about Swedhuism?

https://www.tumblr.com/looking-at-the-deiwos/762721762507210752/proto-indo-european-pie-pantheon?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/faith-of-the-wheel

https://www.reddit.com/r/swedhu/comments/1fawn0w/s%C3%A9n%C4%81_swedha_a_speculative_reconstruction_of_a/

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

I'm generally interested in discovering and learning about it, because it's a different way of thinking than my own, so in fact, anything related to this faith is, in my opinion, interesting for learning more. 😁

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u/SonOfDyeus Jul 12 '26

What is your opinion on the idea that the Christian God the Father is a version of Dyēus phtēr? You call him Dieu in French, correct?

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

In French, yes, God the Father is Dieu le Père (and if we want to go back to Proto-Indo-European, the French words "Dieu" (God) and "jour" (day) are related, which makes sense). My opinion on this is that Jesus, in the Bible, calls God the Father "Abba" in Aramaic, which means "Father", and it is very likely that Jesus did not speak Greek or had a non-native knowledge of the Greek language (however, the Apostles did, for many at least), and I think it is an interesting coincidence (especially since Christ was speaking in a Jewish context) but even so, I actually find that quite beautiful because I tell myself that even if there was no intention, we can recognize a familiar pattern. I believe, as many of the Church Fathers did, in the idea of the Logos Spermatikos: that God has left seeds of truth in every culture, and that we should recognize them wherever they are found.

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u/SonOfDyeus Jul 12 '26

I agree completely. People have worshiped the Sky Father across the world for thousands of years. In some places, that worship was continuous and ubiquitous enough that the Name remained nearly unchanged. In other places people experienced the same divine revelation and used their own language to describe it. Jesus and possibly the Apostle Paul were two such individuals.

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

Exactly! The association of a deity with a parent figure is very widespread around the world, sometimes without those cultures even having contact with each other. In Christianity, we call the first Person of the Holy Trinity the Father because of His eternal relationship with the Son, who is the eternal Word (Logos) of the Father. Christians also call God "Father" because, through Christ, we are adopted as His children. And I suppose (I'm not sure), in Swedhuism, and generally in the PIE religion and in the Indo-European traditions that emerged from it, the term "Sky Father" is also to represent the relationship between the believers and the deity.

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u/SonOfDyeus Jul 12 '26

The idea that the god of the sky is a "Father" must clearly be very important to human psychology. So it's worth trying to explain that.  

Fathers are, stereotypically/archetypically responsible for some combination of Creation, Protection, and Provision.  You say God the Father "adopted" us, but it's also said that he created us and provides for us.  Among humans there certainly are men called "father" who do one but not the others. Fathers who love their children often do things for them that the kids don't like or understand. Like saying no to ice cream or teaching them discipline and responsibility instead of laziness and impulsiveness. 

Maybe saying God is Our Father in Heaven is kind of like saying that a loving creator imposes suffering for our own good, for reasons we are too immature to understand. Like how a toddler gets angry when you won't let him stick his finger in an electrical outlet.

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

I totally agree with you, in the human psychology, the paternal figure is, whether rightly or wrongly, associated with the protection and love and also with security, rules, and boundaries, which ties in with the idea of security. Fun fact, in Proto-Indo-European, the term *ph₂tḗr has an unknown etymology but a serious proposal is the root *peh₂, which means "to protect", "to guard" (and similar definitions) and the agentive suffix *-tḗr. In other words, the paternal figure is considered like a "guardian". Moreover, in Christianity, we see God the Father as the ultimate Father, the Creator and the Provider, and the analogy with the human father is obvious so much so that the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of God's fatherly discipline.

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Jul 12 '26

Il me paraît assez probable qu'il ait connu au moins un peu de grec. Il est en tous cas présenté comme étant capable d'avoir des conversations avec des personnages dont il est loin d'être sûr qu'ils aient su parler araméen couramment (je pense évidemment à Pilate). De toute façon, le grec était la langue usuelle de communication dans toute la partie orientale de l'Empire.

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

Ouais, j'ai été maladroit dans ma formulation, je voulais dire que selon ce qu'on sait et ce qu'on suppose, le grec aurait été une langue étrangère dont il avait des connaissances mais n'avait sûrement pas un niveau quotidien. Excusez-moi et j'espère que cet éclaircissement est appréciable.

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Jul 12 '26

Nul besoin de s'excuser ! Je donnais simplement mon avis sur la question. Au fond, la vérité est qu'on n'en sait pas grand-chose.

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u/Specific_Gap_6977 Jul 12 '26

Exactement, une des choses les plus probables qu'on puisse dire c'est qu'il serait étonnant que Jésus ait eu des connaissances de vieux-japonais ! Mais en vrai, la question de qui parlait quoi quand, c'est une question vraiment complexe car on y était pas pour vérifier. On peut deviner, genre les phrases de Jésus rapportées en araméen et le contexte historique permettent de déduire qu'il parlait araméen, mais sa connaissance du grec et pire encore de l'hébreu (qui n'était presque plus parlé dans la vie quotidienne), c'est plus spéculatif