Ásatrú, developed independently of Wicca. Ásatrú's self-image has been one of an independent religion,rather than a denomination within a greater Pagan community. American Ásatrú began in the early 1970s with Stephen McNallen's Viking Brotherhood which evolved into the Ásatrú Free Assembly. McNallen and many other early figures in Ásatrú were familiar with the Wiccan community. However, studies of Norse and Icelandic history and mythology combined with contact with other Norse Pagan groups in Iceland and England, led to a quick evolution away from the Wiccan community and from Wiccan models of theology or ritual practice. From the beginning, Ásatrú developed its own ritual structures, magazines,gatherings, and terminology; and by the mid-seventies was a completely separate community. Ásatrú continued to be a small and fairly insular group with little contact with other Pagans until the late 1980s when the AFA broke up. Out of the AFA's demise, two groups rose to the forefront: the Ásatrú Alliance representing a traditionalist approach and the Ring of Troth representing several new directions.
2007-08-16
14:37:56
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5 answers
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asked by
Terry
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Religion & Spirituality