>>13705149It was thus a motivation for our ancestors, to live and lead as honorable a life as possible so that they could be "chosen" (Vali) and be reborn as the children of their descendants, and spiritually "reincarnated" in the family. This is an essential and fundamental part of our ancestors' family and lineage cult, which otherwise permeates our entire mythology and all our traditions.
Herein lie the actual roots and the real reason why we still today have the custom of naming our children after our ancestors. This tradition is still strong in Norway. There were often more specific rules and customs on how this should be done.
A forefather/foremother should have been dead for more than half of the age he/she reached before the spirit was called upon from the grave. This is probably related to the fact that the spirit needed to "reset" from its previous physical life. In today's Norway, this tradition is fading, although many still maintain it to some extent with variable practice. In Norway's valleys and mountains, this is practiced to some extent to this day. Although most people know someone who is named after a dear grandfather or grandmother, it is a pity that not many people know the background of the custom. The background was the cultivation of courtesy, honor, kinship, and a recognition of nature's eternal cycle. It was healthy idol worship within the family. It cultivated courtly, kind, strong, brave, and selfless archetypes.