Pagan help?

Question

My husband is interested in norse/germanic religions ( Oden Thor etc )
and we couldnt believe how much of their mythology has been incorperated into modern day religions
but
we did wonder ... are there any groups of people who still hold and practise the Norse belief system ?
any help greatly appreciated xx

I do understand that there is mythology and symbolism in every faith ... thats fine
but the modern religious beliefs in deities etc is what we are trying to find out

thank you irnini ...Asatru is one that i seemed to have being led to

wow you guys rock .. some wonderful links there

william .. really just to find out if it is still a religion with followers
my husband is genuinly interested

kari .. with respect
pagan/norse/celtic religions pre date Christianity

Answer 1

There are a number of groups thatpractice those religions. I have been an ordained minister of those practices since 1995 and have been involved with them since1990. Here are links to three of the main national groups in the US. You should be able to find more information there....also let me know if you are interested ion any reference books on the modern practices as well as the ancient bleiefs...I have a few...and know where to find more to refer you to...


http://asatru.org/Frame3.html

http://www.runestone.org/flash/communication/grove/kindred1.htm

http://www.thetroth.org/

Answer 2

Hey. I have a limited understanding of Norse/Germanic beliefs but being Irish I have a very good understanding of the Celtic faiths which are still strongly practised. Like all major religions, the original beliefs of the people being 'converted' were incorporated into the new religion structure. Take for example 'Holloween'. This is actually an old Celtic pagan day known as the 'winter solstice' when the summer cycle ends and the winter cycle begins. I have more faith in pagan religions as they all thought the importance of the earth in their teachings. Most other religions have very little regard for the earth. Funny that, cause without it we'd be up shits creek without the proverbial!!

Answer 3

Worship of these gods did die out in the middle ages, but not before they left a good supply of mythology and religious practices. The last country to convert to Christianity from this form of paganism was, I believe, Iceland. They didn't do it because they wanted to but more for political reasons, so you still saw sagas after that talking about the old gods in such a way as makes it clear that these tales were considered true. So- your source material is abundant.

Reconstructionists called Asatruar are doing a great job of building the religion back up and building a strong community. You should be able to find a group in your area through internet searches, or bullletin boards in a pagan or occult bookshop if you have one. Otherwise, hang out in the archeology section of your local normal bookstore!

Be careful, though- every fringe religious group has a dark side. In the case of Asatru, you'll occasionally run into groups that are using the religion to support a white supremacist agenda. This is not as common as the FBI seems to think, but you may run into it. Just a heads up.

Answer 4

http://www.wizardrealm.com/norse/index.html
can give you a clue and links
but you should look it up more on the terms of where you live etc.

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.

also try
http://asatru.meetup.com/sitemap/
thats all i can dig up, good luck

Answer 5

I just want to clarify what exactly you mean by modern day religions. When you think that Christianity hasn't changed in about 2010 years, what counts as modern?

How do you know that it isn't the norse/germanic religions that have incorporated religions into their mythology?

Answer 6

There are some quite bizzare, and some fairly sensible groups who work with Northern European Traditions. Some of the more extreme groups may be difficult to trace (perhaps luckily).
Probably all use runes, so here is not a bad place to start.

Answer 7

Try asking "The Vikings of Middle England", a re-enactment club based in Liecester. They have a web page, but do not remember the URL.

Now if you will excuse me, I just have to go and chop off some raven wings to decorate my new hat.

Answer 8

pagan worship has been incorporated into religion for quite a while now and it seems like people have just let it be. That's why for one if asked what religion i belong to or if am religious my answer is negative. People have to stop being blindfolded and led to the slaughter like sheep and realise that the devil is cunning and he is ahead of human being's in thinking. He uses what appears to be as near truth and yet it is total deception.
what can save you and me is having a personal relationship with God through Jesus christ. And salvation isn't by works/deeds but by the grace of Almighty God.

Answer 9

What in particular are you trying to find out?

Answer 10

I have seen it in younger romantics but no serious group I have seen.