Asatru is frequently regarded as one of the Neopagan family of religions. That family includes Wicca, Celtic Druidism, and re-creations
of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and other ancient Pagan religions. However, many
Asatruers prefer the term "Heathen" to "Neopagan"
and look upon their tradition as "not just a branch on the Neopagan tree"
but as a separate tree. Unlike Wicca, which has
gradually evolved into many different traditions, the reconstruction of Asatru has been
based on the surviving historical record. Its followers have maintained it as closely as possible to
the original religion of the Norse people.
Asatru or Ásatrú is an Icelandic word which is a
translation of the Danish word "Asetro." Asetro was "first
seen in 1885 in an article in the periodical "Fjallkonan". The next recorded
instance was in "Heiðinn siður á Íslandi" ("Heathen traditions in Iceland.") by Ólafur Briem (Reykjavík, 1945)."
It means "belief in the Asir," the Gods. "Asatru" is a combination
of "Asa" which is the possessive case of the word Æsir (Aesir) and "Tru"
which means belief or religion.
Throughout Scandinavia the religion is called Forn
Siðr (which means the Ancient way or tradition), Forn sed (the Old custom), Nordisk
sed (Nordic custom), or Hedensk sed (Pagan custom). Other names
are:
Norse Heathenism, Germanic Heathenism, the Elder Troth, the Old Way,
Asetro, Vor Si r (our way), Forn Si r (Ancient way), Forn sed (the old
custom), Nordisk sed (Nordic custom), or Hedensk sed (Pagan custom), Odinism
or Folkish Ásatrú.
The religion's origin is
lost in antiquity. At its peak, it covered all of Northern Europe. Countries
gradually converted to Christianity. In 1000
CE, Iceland
became the second last Norse culture to convert. Their prime motivation
was economic. Sweden was ruled by a Pagan king until 1085 CE.
Icelandic poet Gothi Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson promoted government recognition of Asatru
as a legitimate religion; this status was granted in 1972. Since the early 1970's, the religion
has been in a period of rapid growth in the former Norse countries, as well as
in Europe and North
America.
Corruption of Asatru:
It is not unknown for otherwise decent religions to become corrupted by
incorporating racist, sexist, anti-semitic, and homophobic beliefs. For example:
The Christian Identity movement is one wing of the
Christian religion which has adsorbed such beliefs.
During the early part of the 20th Century, The National Socialist Party in Germany
under Adolf Hitler attempted to pervert Asatru by grafting parts of the religion onto the
Nazi racist beliefs. This blasphemy died by the end of World War II, although some
neo-Nazi groups -- largely in the U.S. -- are now attempting to continue the practice.
This type of activity is in no way
related to the restoration of Asatru as a legitimate Heathen religion. There is
a very strong anti-racist, anti-Nazi stance among national Asatru groups in the
Scandinavian countries. This is also found in almost all Asatru groups in
English speaking countries. They typically have a clear rejection of racism
written into their constitutions. Unfortunately, some anti-racism groups like
the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (in its
Megiddo report) have mistakenly accused the entire religion of racism.
Many people are exposed to the name "Asatru" through role
playing games, such as Mage: The Ascension. Unfortunately, the Asatru of
these games bear little resemblance to the real religion.
Asatru Beliefs:
Asatru is a polytheistic religion. There are three races of Deities in the Norse
pantheon. They are all regarded as living entities who are involved in human life:
The Aesir: These are the Gods of the tribe or clan, representing Kingship, order,
craft, etc.
The Vanir: These represent the fertility of the earth and forces of nature. They
are associated with the clan but are not part of it.
The Jotnar: These are giants who are in a
constant state of war with the Aesir. They represent chaos and destruction. At the battle
of Ragnarok, many of the Gods will die, the world will come to an end and be reborn.
Specific Gods: Some of the more important are:
Thor is the Thunderer, who wields Mjolnir, the divine Hammer. His chariot
racing across the sky generates thunder. Thursday (Thor's Day) was named after
him.
Odin is the one-eyed God; he gave up one of his eyes in order to drink from the
Fountain of Knowledge (some sources say Fountain of Wisdom). He is a magician. He learned the secrets of the runes
(Northern European alphabet) by hanging himself on the tree Yggdrasil for nine
nights.
Frey (a.k.a. Freyr) is the God of fertility, the weather and farming.
He was born on the Winter Solstice,
typically December 21. His father was Njord.
Specific Goddesses: Some important ones are:
Freya (aka Freyja) is the Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, and perhaps a dozen other
attributes. She leads the Valkyries who take the souls of slain
soldiers to Valhall (Odin's great hall).
Frigg is Odin's wife. Her name has been secularized to a slang term which refers
to sexual intercourse. She is the patroness of the household and of married women.
Skadi is the Goddess of independence, death, hunting and skiing.
Scandinavia may have been named after her.
Ostara, is a Goddess of fertility who is celebrated at the time of the Spring
equinox. She was known by the Saxons as Eostre, the Goddess of Spring, from whom
we have derived the word Easter. Ostara's symbols are the hare and the egg.
Other Entities Other Deities are Aegir, Balder, Bragi,
Forseti, Heimdall, Hel, Loki, Njord, Ran, Tyr, Ull and Vithar. Followers of
Asatru also honor the Landvaettir (land spirits) of
the forest, earth and streams.
Life Values: Asatruars in North America have created a list
of Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor,
Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance and Perseverance.
The family is greatly valued and honored. They reject any form of discrimination based on
ethnicity, gender, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation, or "other
divisive criteria".
Origins: Humanity is literally descended from the Gods. Three
brothers, Odin, Vili, and Ve created people from two trees
and gave them the names Ask and Embla. One deity, Rig
visited the earth and established the social classes.
Od: This is the gift of ecstasy provided to humans by the Gods. It is what
separates humanity from other animals, and is our eternal link with the Gods.
Creation Story: A poem Voluspa (Prophecy of the
Seeress) contains an
Asatru story of the creation of the universe. Between Muspelheim (The Land of Fire)
and Niflheim the Land of Ice was an empty space called Ginnungigap. The fire
and ice moved towards each other; when they collided, the universe came into being. Odin,
Vili and Ve later created the world from the body of a giant that they had slain.
After death: Those who
die in battle will be carried to Valhall by the Valkyries. There they will
eat Saehrimnir (a pig that is daily slaughtered and resurrected) with the
Gods. The Goddess Hel (who's name has been borrowed by Christians) rules
over dishonorable people (oath breakers) and those who die ingloriously of
old age. Niflhel is the the abode for all others.
The end of the world: Ragnarök (a.k.a. Ragnarøkkr, Ragnarøk, Ragnarok;
literally the fate of the Gods) is the anticipated apocalypse. It involves a
great battle between the Gods and the Jötnar -- a race of giants with superhuman
strength. Unlike Revelation in the Christian Scriptures, prophecies of Ragnarök
are very specific: the events leading up to the battle, the timing of the
battle, who will kill whom, etc. are all known. Wolves will eat the sun and
moon. The stars will stop shining. Mountains will fall; trees will be uprooted;
"Fumes will reek and flames will burst, scorching the sky with fire. The
earth will sink into the sea." Most of the Gods will die. Only one woman and
one man, Lifthrasir and Lif, will survive. Their offspring will eventually
repopulate the world and live in peace. 13
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Asatru Rituals and Practices:
Their local religious communities are called Kindreds, Hearths, or Garths.
Male priests are called Gothi; priestesses are Gythia
The Blot: (pronounced "bloat" or "boat;" sources
differ) This is their most common religious
ritual; it is a sacrifice to the Gods. In olden days, as with almost all ancient
religions, an animal was consecrated to the deities and then slaughtered. This was not
seen as a bribe or as a method of capturing the power of the dying animal. It is simply
the way in which the ancient Norse shared their bounty with a gift to the Gods. Currently,
the animal sacrifice has been replaced by the offer of beer, juice or mead. Afterwards,
those present are either sprinkled with the liquid, or drink it in sequence.
The Sumbel: This is a ritual drinking celebration, in which a horn filled with a
drink is passed around the group. Each person delivers a greeting; a toast to the Gods,
ancient heroes, or one's ancestors; or a story, song or poem. He or she then drinks from
the horn.
Profession or Adoption: This is the act of making a commitment to Asatru to the
exclusion of other faiths, by solemnly giving an oath of allegiance and kinship to the
Gods of Asgard, the Aesir and Vanir. It is a simple ceremony usually done in the presence
of a Gothi or Gythia and the rest of the Kindred, Hearth or Garth. It is taken on an oath
ring or some other sacred object. Some followers of Asatru believe that only
those with Norse ancestry should be eligible to join.
Seasonal Days of Celebration
In common with most Neo-Pagan faiths, their main holy days are:
Summer Finding, at the spring
equinox, typically March 21. This is dedicated to
Ostara.
Winter Finding, at the fall equinox, typically September 21
Yule, which starts on the winter solstice (typically
December 21) on the Mother Night of Yule. It lasts for 12 days or more. This is the most
important day of the year. Many Norse symbols have been adsorbed by the Christian
celebration of Christmas: evergreen trees, Yule logs, holly, etc.
Many also celebrate days between the solstices and equinoxes. Various traditions within
Asatru observe them on different dates:
The Charming of the Plow on February 1st weekend, a celebration of Freya and
the Disir
Merry-Moon on May 1st weekend, celebration of spring dedicated to Njord and
Nerthus.
Harvest or Freyfaxi on August 1st weekend, the first harvest and
celebration of Frey and his horse
Fogmoon on November 1st weekend, a celebration of war-dead and Ragnarok
Dedicated to Odin and Freya.
Asatruars in North America observe Einherjar, held annually on November 11.
Thisi coincides with Armistice or Veterans Day.
It honors those who have been killed in battle and have joined Odon's warriors in
Valhall. Some groups hold a feast on the 9th of each month to honor Norse heroes. Other
groups hold rituals at full moons. Additional days are celebrated at other times during
the year by different traditions.
Amazon.com's online bookstore lists the following books on Asatru:
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key.
Sponsored links:
References and further information:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
The Irminsul Ættir Asatru Page has an enormous amount of information
online at: http://www.irminsul.org/ Included is a
brief description of Asatru, news, a world-wide contact map, sources of material, etc. A
very inclusive site.
The Midhnott Sol (Midnight Sun) Kindred have an extensive web
site at: http://www.waywyrd.com/
It includes material on Grimms' Teutonic mythology and fairy tales,
Leidstjarna: Journal of the Northern Star, public domain texts and
much additional information.
TheTroth, which is perhaps the largest Asatru group in North
America, maintains a home page at: http://www.thetroth.org
They list Asatru events, have an on-line membership application form, and describe a new
Asatru boy scout troop in Utah!
Jordsvin's Norse Heathen web site contains extensive information and
many links on "Norse Religion, Rune work, Seidhr (Norse
'shamanism,' very roughly speaking...), and
much more!" See: http://members.aol.com/
Raven Online is the home page of the Raven Kindred
Association. They publish a
periodical Asatru Today. Subscription is $17.50 per year. They also publish the
book Ravenbok. Much of the above information was taken from this site. See http://www.webcom.com/
The Asatru Alliance of Independent Kindrids is a free association of local
groups, called "kindrids". They publish a magazine Vor Tru and have a FAQ
section, many articles and links to other Asatru groups. See: www.jcave.com/
Dr. Jenny Blain from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax NS Canada has made
available anthropological papers on Asatru. They can be downloaded
at: http://www.geocities.com/
There are Asatru groups in Ottawa, Canada; Uppsala, Sweden; and in at
least the following states of the US: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO,
NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, VA, WA and WI. See the
Raven Online
web site for
addresses. Other Asatru groups are found throughout Scandinavia.
An excellent book on Asatru is: Kveldulfr Gundarsson, "Teutonic Religion,"
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN.
