For thousands of years those who held the position of Storyteller or Lorekeeper were held in high regard and revered almost as much as the Shaman or Medicine Man. Men and women, like Alfred Lord (SINGER OF TALES), have spent their lives researching this phenomenon, and recording the lore as it has come down to us in the present day. However, most dismissed the concept of the sanctity of the spoken word, or the power of faith (belief) in that spoken word to effect change in the "real" world. Nonetheless, there is a rebirth or reawakening taking place in the world. The so-called New Age movement, beginning in the early years of the Twentieth Century, has fostered the renewal of belief in the of the practices of our common ancestors, and that faith, for many, has brought enrichment, and purpose.
As a Cultural Anthropologist, Linguist and Folklorist, I have spent years studying the Lore and oral traditions of different cultures without consideration of the validity, or the ability of that Lore to effect tangible change. However, at some point that failed to be the case. It is undeniable. At some point, about twenty-five years ago, I began experimenting with what I had assumed to be Fable or myth and started practicing the more religious, and esoteric aspects of Teutonic Lore. At first the result was less than effective, but gradually I began to notice tangible changes. For example, I might make an offering to Odhinn (Woden) for insight into my subconscious, or relief from nightmares, and gradually those changes began to be noticed. Freud might see a need for psychoanalysis in this, but such is the case in all matters of faith.
Within the practices of some mainstream religions is acknowledged sanctity of recorded texts. For example, some Jewish sects have within their practices regard for books, particularly sacred texts. Those holding books are permitted to go through doorways ahead of those who are not. Within Roman Catholic Rite, the book of the Gospels is placed on the altar and elevated when carried to the lectern to be read by the priest. No uninitiated person is allowed to read, or in most cases, be present when it is read. It is a tacit acknowledgment what was once spoken and now has been faithfully recorded still has the same power and sacredness as when it was spoken. As far as examples of unwritten words being sacred, the best example that I can think of is the Creation story in the Bible. There is nothing more sacred than the ability to call into being something which had not existed to that time. The Bible records that God Himself spoke and the world came into being. There are other examples similar to this in religious traditions throughout the world.
As far as modern practices involving the spoken sacred spoken words one has many examples of this. Take the Pentecostal sects of the Christian faith. They recognize what are believed by them to be prophecy, and Words of Knowledge. These are similar to the prophesies in the age of the Elder Kindreds. However, in the days of the Vikings such practices were relatively common and were seen as the tangible way the Gods communicated with those who were bound to them through Firth. This can also be said of the Heathen and Asatru movement that is continuing to flourish today. The written sacred tales that have been handed down to us in the form of the Eddas and Sagas, which for those who follow the Teutonic traditions is as sacred as the Bible of the Christian tradition.
