“Folkish” describes a race-based Heathen identity based in bloodlines and a perceived white “heritage.” This term comes from the Germanic ethno-nationalist Völkisch movement and is recognized as a dogwhistle for white nationalism. From the Southern Poverty Law Center:
“Neo-Völkisch adherents base their spirituality on the survival of those descended from white Europeans and the preservation of what they claim are dead or dying cultures. Such individuals and groups use a variety of terms to describe their spirituality such as Odinism or Wotanism, and Odalism, but sometimes they co-opt other non-racist denominations such as heathenism, Ásatrú or even paganism. Qualifiers like “Norse tradition,” “Germanic” or “proto-Germanic” are sometimes attached to those terms. These categorizations can be confusing, as no form of paganism is inherently bigoted. Some believers actively distance their religion from neo-Völkisch dogma.” (Source)
Despite some impressions, “Folkish” doesn’t mean “ancestral practice.”
