Originally published in Oak Leaves 2, January 1997
Georges Dumezil, founder of the discipline of comparative mythology as it is practiced today, made the important discovery that the Indo-European cultures that he studied had in common a tripartite division of society. He called the three parts “functions” rather than classes because in less feudal societies, the same person could fulfill more than one function. In some cultures, an individual could be a warrior at time of war, and an agrarian during peacetime. The three functions that Dumezil found were: the sovereignty function, which was divided between a magico/religious side and a judicial side; the warrior function; and the producer function. These functions are commonly referred to as “first,” “second” and “third” functions respectively.
Until now, ADF’s Study Program was designed to train clergy. The role of clergy, as representative of the magico/religious side of the first function, is obviously important. It is up to the priest to fulfill our community’s role in maintaining the order of the cosmos. He makes offerings at the appropriate times, in the appropriate ways, to the appropriate deities. If these offerings were not made, we as a community would not be fulfilling our side of the “cosmic contract” we have with the gods, and would suffer as a consequence.
However, as ADF has matured, we have recognized the importance of the other functions in our practice as well. The single most important difference between the old Study Program and the new one is in our commitment to training a wider range of specialties, reflecting all three of Dumezil’s functions.
Some have expressed concern that this reflects a change in the ideology of our training, away from a generalist model towards a specialist paradigm. They fear that we will sacrifice important elements of training which fall outside the narrow educational requirements of the specialist. This charge cannot fully be answered until the requirements are determined. (We are still at least six months away from the time when the Mother Grove will vote on the actual requirements.) But although we can not fully abate these fears at this time, we have made a commitment to three different kinds of requirements.
Everyone in the program, regardless of specialty, will be expected to fulfill General requirements. These will involve religious education, ethics, history, some magical training, etc. The second kind of requirement is the Functional requirement. These relate to the three Dumezilian functions, and are for the purpose of putting into context the role of the specialist. Because a bard, for example, is first function, she or he will need to understand his or her role in upholding the cosmic order. This involves a deeper understanding of magic, especially as it relates to bardic skills, a thorough understanding of liturgy and the bardic role within it, etc. In contrast, a warrior, as a member of the second function, needs to understand his or her role as protector of boundaries. This involves a strong understanding of boundaries and how to uphold them, whether socially through etiquette, diplomatically through conflict resolution techniques, or physically through a proper use of force. (Footnote: These are meant purely as examples to illustrate the point that the functional requirements for the different functions will vary. They are not intended to be exhaustive of the actual functional requirements, which have yet to be determined.) The functional requirements for first, second and third functions thus will vary, but in each case will prepare the specialist for the wider role he or she is meant to play. They are intended to broaden the training of the specialist beyond his or her field of expertise. Hopefully between General and Functional requirements we can allay the concern that the new program will not demand a broad base of skills and knowledge from all its students.
The third kind of requirement is the Specialist requirement. Here more than anywhere we seek to live up to our motto, “why not excellence.” One criticism of the old program was that it sacrificed excellence in one area in exchange for competence in many areas. In order to avoid that criticism in the new program, we have put the guilds in charge of reviewing the current program, updating reading lists, determining curricula for courses and requirements for the program, and administering the program. We expect the guilds to be headed by those most competent in each specialty, and that they will work together to best decide what role their specialty should assume within our practice, and how best to train people to fulfill that role. We hope that by shifting the majority of the administration of the Study Program from the individual preceptor to the guild preceptors (and their assistants/faculty) that students will benefit from the knowledge and experience of those who are specialists in their fields of interest.
The Council of Lore will be composed of a representative, (the guild preceptor), from each guild whose specialty will be taught in the Study Program. The Council’s official responsibility is to determine the General and Functional requirements, subject to the approval of the Mother Grove. It is our hope that they will also unofficially work together to solve whatever administration problems come up, whether with individual students, with courses, etc.
Some have expressed concern that by putting the administration of the Study Program into the guilds, we will be opening it up to guild politics, which may favor some individuals over others. We have worked to include several avenues of response in case an individual feels that his training or his advancement is being affected by guild politics. An individual can speak directly to the guild preceptor, the ADF Preceptor, or the Members’ Advocate, who can take his case before the Mother Grove, which has final authority on all matters concerning the Study Program.
Many have asked what they can do until the Study Program is up and running. As I write this, the Mother Grove is debating which specialties to include in the Study Program. However, although we do not know yet which specialties will be approved, it is crucial to the success of the program as a whole that people get involved with the guilds. We need both to pool our resources and to find out what specialties are of most interest to the people who want to go into the Study Program. So I encourage all who are interested to contact me and let me know their area of interest, or to contact the guilds of their interest directly.
Hopefully this helps to explain the changes being made from the old study program to the new. If you have further questions, please contact me through e-mail at ADF-Preceptor@ADF.ORG.
