Magic Forums

I'd like to ask a serious question here about why Heathenry is often considered tribal with ingrained words like chief, tribe, and other words we associate with First Nations peoples. Historical Scandinavian Pagans did not live in tribes and the closest people to them who did were the Saami. So, why do Heathens feel the need to assign these terms to themselves? I see this mostly from Folkish Heathens and people who treat Heathenry like it is a living, singular culture rather than as a polytheistic religion and I just don't get it. Norse polytheism historically is dead and has been revived in revival and reconstruction efforts, so there is no one right way to do things as well as there are an abundance of people who are solitary and cannot be a part of a "tribe" - not to mention that the entire basis of these religions are on the relationship people have with their understanding of the lore and finding what is right for them as individuals. I don't understand why the kinds of Heathens I mentioned above treat themselves as "right" and everyone else as wrong and the only reason I'm talking about it now is that I see it everywhere I see a gathering of Heathens unless they are "fringe" like I am as a Rokkatruar.