I never thought I'd write a text like this, yet here we are. I ran into Nazi pagans online explaining why they thought paganism lined up with the Nazi views. It was all bullshit drivel, but let me explain point by point why Finnish tradition is NOT compatible with fascism. They (Nazi pagans) are not a real threat in every day politics, being such a tiny group, but when speaking of paganism they unfortunately keep popping up like disgusting moldy mushrooms. (In real life politics, Christian nationalists are a real threat.)
"Folkish" heathens and other such fascists think that "paganism" equals to Germanic, Slavic, Celtic, Roman and Greek paganism. IT DOES NOT. The things we have in Finnish faith ARE NOT equal to those in Germanic, Slavic, Celtic, Roman or Greek traditions. While some similarities may exist, they are not one-on-one equivalents. (An honest claim some folkish heathen made.)
I did not think I'd need to talk about this because we do not have this Nazi/folkish problem in Finnish tradition circles. But it seems like the English-language, internation field of paganism have a lot of rot in them.
Finnish faith includes veneration of ancestors but does not, in any way, demand a membership in any kind of specific tribe or family line. There are also no demands from specific ethnicities. Finns themselves have participated in Sámi, Norse and Baltic practices in diverse and versatile ways if, for example, visiting Sápmi area.
Let me repeat: you do not need to have a specific bloodline to be accepted as a member of a Finnish village community. (And traditionally rituals were held in village communities often.) Same goes for "Finnish tribes" in the modern day: they are mostly focused on regional cultures, based on self-identification and not demanding a specific bloodline. (And therefore do not actually even fit the sociology definition of a tribe.)
We have no historical information of specific families having been considered of divine origin, nor of worship of a king or chief as a deity. We have no historical information on "divine right to rule". Ukko is NOT the "supreme god" or the "king of gods". He is but one of the many gods, not in any leadership position over others or superior in hierarchy. Finnish gods do not have inner hierarchies. All are called kings, lords and ladies in however way a specific runosinger feels like doing in any moment. (Yes, a goddess can also be called a king, I can't remember ever having seen the word "queen" in an incantation.)
Finnish faith does not require you to follow a strong leader or lick the boots of your "master". (A requirement of fascism.) Even monarchist Finns in the 20th century could not pick a king for Finland from among the Finnish people, as it was considered impossible that one Finn is lifted above others like that. (They tried to pick a German prince to rule Finland but then WWI happened and Finland never became a monarchy.)
There were also no priest hierachies, no temples with specific leadership structures. No religious authorities. The gods also do not demand worship or submission on the threat of punishment. By respecting them, you can simply increase your luck and chances of success. Even things like the "Nine Noble Virtues" of heathens are completely nonsensical from the perspective of Finnish faith. These "virtues" include things like: Strength is better than weakness, courage is better than cowardice, honour is better than dishonour, and ancestry is better than rootlessness. Nothing of this sort is stated in runosongs.
But in heathenry there is Odin the highest and casts of man like jarls, karls and thralls! Ok, well in Finnish tradition THERE IS NOT. Now accept it. Also, we have no proof that Finns would've ever practiced human sacrifice. It is possible that it happened, but if so, there is no evidence in runosongs or in archeological findings. On the other hand, nothing in Finnish tradition implies that abortion is bad.
There is nothing wrong with being traditional and valuing traditions. It only becomes a problem if you are to stuck on traditions that you refuse to improve things or try out anything new ever. Because Finns are in the extreme north, they have often been very stuck in their ways; trying out a different farming method, for example, would've meant starvation and death if it failed, so it was safer to stick with the familiar. Still, the popularity of potatoes (even having potatoes assigned to a goddess) shows the ability of adopting and accepting new things. As already stated, Finns were fully comfortable with taking features of Baltic, Norse and Sámi traditions for themselves as well, an example of multiculturalism.
Finns are also incredibly proud of the welfare state, and they consider it their greatest achievement in history (yes, greater than any war for instance). The Finnish welfare state is social democratic and therefore center-left in nature; incompatible with fascism. If the "Finnish identity" means anything to you, you have accept the wide popularity of social democracy within that identity. (Even I have to admit that even though I'd say social democrats are too center for me.)
There are some things which are considered "men's jobs" and "women's jobs" in Finnish tradition. It's not some kind of feminist utopia system (man, I even saw a claim like that once. Please be realistic guys.) At the same time, as established elsewhere on this website, the Finnish faith does allow a person to "cross" the "boundary" of gender roles for individuals that don't fit in them, typically considered to be a biological reality of those individuals as well as supernatural in power.
Another notable thing which is different in Finland traditionally compared to many other places in Europe is that there was no traditional way of thinking that a man is "active" and a woman is "passive", in sexual relations or otherwise in gender roles. (I was surprised to learn this too.)
There is patriarchy in Finnish tradition (that I obvs don't support) but it is LESS patriarchal than, for example, pastoralist religions (like Yahwism where Judaism developed from). For example, a father had no authority in who his daughter were to marry, the mother and even the brothers had more of a say in this than the father. (Patriarchy meaning the rule of the father.)
I actually don't even know what the fuck they meant by this and they also refused to explain.
So apparently the Greeks have moira, the Romans have fatum, the Germanics have wyrd/urd. Meaning fate! All paganism is so fatalist! Well, there is no Finnish equivalent for this concept, nor have I seen the word "fate" used in any but ONE runosong out of tens of thousands. There is no Finnish goddess of fate, nor equivalents to the Norns/Moirai. Luonnottaret do weave, but they are never said to weave "fate", only things like protective clothing.
At the core of Finnish thought is LUCK. Not predetermined fate. You can increase your luck with rituals. Your own haltija upkeeps your luck and wellbeing. I do not support subscribing to the old Finnish idea that there is a limited amount of luck in the world, however, as this always results in negative emotions like jealousy and it's not healthy.
I see no big problem of folkish bullshit in Finnish circles, but since there are other people visiting this site, let me make it clear: paganism does not equal Odinism; Finnish tradition is not fascist in nature; and finally: fascists are not welcome here, I do not want to associate with you.