Germanic Paganism spoke to Quinn Cozens over Christianity
Quinn Cozens’ family raised him to be Christian but he had other ideas, embracing Germanic Paganism over Christianity unapologetically.
Quinn was taught to reject anything non-Christian. But not in a positive way. Instead, his parents fearmongered him from a young age to turn away from anything Wiccan, witchcraft, pagan, or New Age.
Church was part of the lifestyle in Eastern Ohio, where Quinn and his sister, Jackie, grew up. Most went, and nobody said a word against it.
But Quinn hated the coercion involved. The way friendly people, like parents of his friends, grew strict and almost marched in lockstep. Everything the pastor requested during a sermon, they did without question.
When told to stand, they stood. Or when to greet others beside them, it was a reflex. And everyone painted smiles on their faces toward the end of each sermon. Those serious resting faces softening after an hour to an hour and a half when church let out.
Then during the week, everyone reverted to their normal selves. To Quinn, those people were fake. He and Jackie found themselves surrounded by a bunch of fake people.
Church on Sunday, alcohol and M-effing Monday through Saturday
Quinn and his cousin Jonas (also coerced into attending church) loved walking the old neighborhood in the evening. Every now and again they’d get with a few friends and park themselves at a bonfire somewhere nearby.
Those same friends and their parents were also churchgoers. But what were the topics? Sex, alcohol, gossiping behind people’s backs, and f-bombs in every other sentence.
Yet these were so-called children of God? These people were all goody two-shoes, sometimes overdoing the act, for an hour or so on Sunday, before acting anything but between Monday and Saturday.
Quinn couldn’t stand it, and neither could Jackie. As for Jonas? Quinn never asked. But hating Christianity was about the only thing he and Jackie had in common, other than the fact they both liked to work out, until their eventual estrangement.
Jackie went agnostic (at most) and Quinn embraced Germanic Paganism
While Quinn and Jackie agreed that they couldn’t stand Christianity, it was about all the further their religious philosophies coincided. Jackie, a progressive firmly entrenched on the political Left, went agnostic, if not closer to atheism.
Quinn, through a DNA test that Jackie took, discovered he was roughly half-Scandinavian/Northern European. He’d always felt attracted to the Old Gods, specifically the Germanic/Norse Pantheon, and now, he had every reason to pursue it.
It wasn’t long before he immersed himself in the stories of the Germanic/Norse Gods and Goddesses, reading about the Prophecy of Ragnarok, the Norns, of how Odin sacrificed an eye and Tyr, a hand. Symbols like the Valknut and Mjolnir, and, sadly, of how Christianity ultimately overtook the faith.
But Germanic Paganism never died. No matter how much the Christians tried to kill it, they couldn’t erase it. The Old Gods may’ve went to sleep, but it almost seemed like they knew there would come a time when they would wake up and rise again. For those whose ancestors worshiped them to rediscover their sheer power and values of courage and sacrifice that the Europeans valued long before that Middle Eastern religion arrived.
Quinn leans on the Germanic ways in Beyond the Lost
Enter Beyond the Lost Horizon, where Quinn is relentless in leaning on the Germanic ways. He always wears a necklace with a pendant containing the Tiwaz Rune, which doubles as Tyr’s symbol, and looks to Tyr often throughout the series.
He also mentions others, like Odin and Thor, sometimes seeking advice, but other times, lashing out at them. Especially during Beyond the Lost Horizon’s climax. Still, despite all the hardships, from the initial attack to navigating the rough terrain to try and stay one step ahead of the terrorists who turned America upside down, Quinn never loses faith in the Old Gods.
See him take action in Beyond the Lost Horizon, the 37,000-word novella that kicks off the entire Beyond the Lost Trilogy. And for more backstory on Quinn, Jackie, Yui, and other major characters, keep coming back for more. Also, for deeper dives and exclusive content, check out my Substack, Rune-Written Resistance.
